The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness

Skin, flesh, and bone all twisted in a bizarre manner. Under that incomprehensible external force, massive amounts of blood burst forth from the shattered limb, the sight momentarily too horrific to look at directly.

And with Muen’s current physical strength, such a miserable state would be unimaginable under any other circumstances.

But there was only one possibility that could make this happen so naturally.

“Demon Child!”

Muen gritted his teeth. Black flames surged, and before concern could even appear on Senior’s face, his arm had already completely recovered. But Muen had already realized the danger of the current situation.

“We need to find him immediately!”

Demon Child himself was not strong.

But the puppet doll in his hands was extremely bizarre.

Without needing any medium whatsoever, as long as one was seen by the doll, twisting the doll’s limbs would remotely twist the target’s limbs as well.

The first four times were the limbs.

The fifth time was the neck.

The fifth time was almost certainly fatal!

“Damn it. I should’ve killed that bastard first. At the very least, I should’ve destroyed or seized that ancient relic!”

Muen felt a burst of irritation.

Thinking about it now, he really had been somewhat overconfident earlier. After all, Demon Child was an opponent he had abused countless times already. No matter how bizarre his abilities were, Muen subconsciously never regarded him as a real threat.

That included the Salvation Society group as well.

If he had used the same attitude he used against that ghost thing earlier, the Salvation Society group would already be dead without even ashes remaining.

But after thinking about it again, strictly speaking, Muen felt this matter could not entirely be blamed on him either.

He had originally been planning to speedrun this.

Who could’ve known that among those trash mobs he had abused countless times, there would suddenly be some unknown bizarre existence mixed in?

Now things were troublesome. Not only had the speedrun failed, but if this kept up, he might end up getting speedrun himself instead!

“Leave it to me.”

Fortunately, at a time like this, Muen did not need to face this crisis alone.

Anna’s hair drifted upward without wind, and her entire temperament suddenly became deep and unfathomable. At some unknown moment, a bright moon had appeared hanging in the sky!

Clear moonlight descended, and an enormous shadow appeared behind the city. Twisted existences traveled throughout that shadow, and under the moonlight, no one could remain hidden.

“Found him.”

Moonlight suddenly solidified, illuminating a figure with perfect clarity.

But that also was not the pure-white man from before.

It was...

Altair.

The only true mage among the Salvation Society group. He had once been a Church defector and had recently exhausted all of the Church Holy Light within himself, yet his gravity magic remained terrifying.

At this moment, just like Ghoul earlier, Altair’s facial skin had also been flayed away alive. The muscles and flesh of his entire face were exposed bloodily to the air.

“Why is he alone?” Anna frowned, clearly extremely dissatisfied with this result.

“Watch for traps,” Muen warned.

“I know.”

Anna did not approach. She merely pointed from afar, and terrifying shadows immediately enveloped Altair. Under that frenzied devouring, Altair offered no resistance whatsoever, allowing his life force to gradually fade away.

“It hurts.”

A despairing voice mixed with blood flowed from between unconstrained teeth. Aside from blood, Altair could not even shed tears, because his tear ducts had been ripped away together with his face.

Death was about to arrive, yet Altair suddenly turned his head. Both eyeballs looked toward Muen, filled with pleading.

“Muen Campbell... save Donna.”

“Save her? Where is she?”

“She’s...”

Altair clearly wanted to say something, but before he could finish even a sentence, the death premonition inside Muen’s mind rang out once again!

Muen instinctively withdrew backward. The blood upon Altair’s body splashed outward, every drop like deadly sulfuric acid. Everything it touched hissed violently before rapidly corroding enormous holes into it.

“Poison?”

Anna’s eyes sharpened. With a wave of her hand, the shadows beneath their feet instantly expanded, creating a domain of shadow around herself and Muen that could not be invaded, preventing the poison from possessing any airborne properties.

Although neither she nor Junior particularly feared poison, these two bizarre “suicidal” attacks had already forced them to heighten their vigilance.

“So that’s how it is. Instead of coming to trouble us directly, that monster first went to squeeze the softer persimmons?”

Muen’s figure flashed, arriving beside Altair. Earlier, Altair had clearly wanted to tell him something, but the ghost thing that had turned him into this state had long been prepared and refused to give him the opportunity.

“Your final words before death were asking me to save Donna? Don’t tell me you actually liked that stinking octopus.”

Muen raised his hand. Although Altair’s actions before death did make him see the man in a different light, at a time like this he certainly would not pity these former insane psychopaths. He intended to directly use black flames to read Altair’s soul and obtain information regarding that ghost thing.

However—

The moment black flames flickered within Muen’s palm, gurgle gurgle...

The blood flowing around Altair’s body suddenly began boiling, frantically rolling, decomposing, and melting Altair’s flesh.

In the blink of an eye, Altair disappeared before Muen’s eyes without even a trace remaining.

Like the “corpse-melting acid” from some films in his previous life.

Even worse, because after sensing carefully, Muen realized he could not detect Altair’s soul at all.

“Tch.”

His plan failing, Muen clicked his tongue, though he was not particularly surprised.

At their current level, basically all opponents guarded themselves somewhat against soul-related abilities already, much less these people who had received blessings from Evil Gods.

“Still... for the timing to be this precise, it really was deliberately targeting Junior.”

Seeing this, Anna sighed softly as well. The timing had been grasped with such precision it almost seemed intentionally teasing. Combined with this understanding of Muen’s abilities, it was difficult not to say it had been premeditated for a very long time.

“As expected.”

Muen stood up, his expression unchanged. After the brief irritation, he had instead become frighteningly calm.

Not target him?

Heh, impossible!

This had been a killing trap prepared specifically for him from the very beginning!

It seemed that even if the Lord of the Stars did not personally appear, the “experience packs” He sent were still troublesome enough and far from simple opponents.

After all, He was the mighty Lord of the Stars. No matter what, He should possess at least some useful tools. He could not be compared to Little Love, that disgrace among Evil Gods who needed to personally act every single time just to accomplish anything!

“We can’t keep treating this like a game anymore. Otherwise we might really die here.”

Crack.

While speaking, Muen’s second hand twisted and snapped, only to be restored once more by black flames.

“And we need to find the remaining people quickly. They’re troublesome.”

“I really don’t enjoy hearing Junior say that. Since when was I playing around? At most, I merely treated this as a date.”

Anna floated upward. Every smile and expression upon that pretty face first appeared seductive and enchanting beyond measure, only to suddenly transform into a coldness sharp enough to pierce the soul.

“Therefore, having our date interrupted has made me... very angry as well.”

The crescent moon became a perfect full moon.

The moon hung high in the deep heavens, looking down over the city from above. Cold moonlight descended, covering all things in a hazy veil.

The wind stopped.

The yellow sand fell still.

Even the whispers and murmurs hidden within the shadows vanished completely.

Under this moonlight, everything was so peaceful.

So silent...

“Ah, no...”

Yet within that silence, someone suddenly cried out in terror.

“I don’t want to die... I still don’t want to die. I’m not like them. Even if it hurts, I still don’t want to...”

Pfft.

Inside a certain building, Shaman, whose face had likewise been stripped away, trembled violently. Blood burst from all seven orifices as she collapsed miserably onto the ground.

And within her embrace was Demon Child, who had just completely lost all life.

Within silence, no noise was permitted.

Those who made sound, died.

“Taken care of.”

The moon behind Anna disappeared, and the sound of wind once again lifting endless yellow sand returned to the world.

She casually waved her hand, as easily as crushing two ants.

“That bizarre ability probably came from that dwarf. I dealt with him first.”

“Hiss... hiss... that powerful?”

Muen inhaled sharply. One breath was not enough, so he inhaled again before finally suppressing the shock in his heart.

“I remember Senior wasn’t even this strong last time. Your growth is this fast?”

“Who told me that, in a sense, all I need to do is ‘eat my savings’?”

Anna smiled.

“The more I digest, the stronger I become. As for cultivation, it’s not particularly necessary anymore.”

“So nice...”

Muen envied her endlessly. Becoming stronger without cultivating was something he wanted to experience too.

“What’s there to envy? If I become stronger, doesn’t that mean Junior becomes stronger too?”

As if seeing through Muen’s thoughts, Anna lightly lifted half her skirt, revealing black stockings in full display.

“You can always come hold onto me. Senior’s thighs are always prepared for Junior.”

“Ahem. I’m an upright gentleman.”

Muen coughed dryly.

“We’ll discuss this sort of thing later at night when everything is quiet.”

“...”

Another incomparably charming eye-roll.

After a brief bout of flirting, the two once again returned their attention to the main issue.

Although Anna had displayed the authority of the moon and eliminated two enemies at once, the most dangerous one—that pure-white man—still remained hidden in the darkness.

The matter was not over. They absolutely could not relax again.

“But fortunately, Demon Child is already dead. Without the threat of that ancient relic, we don’t need to rush so much anymo—”

Crack.

Before Muen could finish speaking, his body suddenly tilted, nearly losing balance.

At the critical moment, Muen’s terrifying bodily control came into play once more, stabilizing him instantly and preventing him from losing composure due to the sudden change.

But the intense pain coming from his foot caused his expression to completely darken.

He lowered his head and saw that his entire foot had twisted into a spiral. Within the burst flesh, fragments of bone were clearly visible. The sight was horrific beyond description.

Third twist.

“How is this possible?”

This injury still meant little to Muen. Black flames swept across it and immediately restored it.

But the problem was...

“Isn’t Demon Child already dead?”

Muen’s gaze instantly locked onto Demon Child. He suspected the bastard had merely faked death and was still hiding somewhere in the dark, continuing to use the puppet doll’s curse against him.

However—

Demon Child truly was dead.

Within Shaman’s embrace, the child-sized figure was dead beyond question. His body was ice-cold, his expression filled with despair. The authority of the moon had directly erased all life from him.

There was no possibility whatsoever that he had revived or hidden himself to continue sneak attacks.

“Then why... hm?”

Muen narrowed his eyes, suddenly noticing something.

This Demon Child before him still had his face.

Throughout all these attacks, Ghoul’s face had vanished, Altair’s face had vanished, even Shaman’s face had been stripped away and taken by some existence.

Only Demon Child still retained his face, which was why Muen could see the terror and despair upon it now.

“Why is he the only exception? Unless...”

Muen immediately reached out and grabbed the puppet doll from Demon Child’s hands.

Rustle rustle.

A pile of cloth scraps and stuffing scattered down from the hollow opening where the puppet’s face should have been.

The one without a face was not Demon Child.

It was this puppet doll.

“Looks like... those stolen faces weren’t taken because of some collecting fetish after all.”

The corner of Muen’s mouth pulled coldly as he vaguely guessed at some aspect of the pure-white man’s abilities.

A terrifying ability.

“We can’t delay any longer.”

Muen drew a deep breath. Broken arms and legs were injuries too minor to even move him emotionally.

The troublesome part was what came afterward.

Two more times, and what broke would be his neck.

“We have to find that ghost thing immediately!”

“I know.”

Anna’s expression had become ugly as well. The enemy continuously injuring the Junior she loved right beneath her eyes had undoubtedly touched her reverse scale.

More importantly, her two attacks in succession had both failed to produce any truly important results.

Humiliating herself before Junior had already made her killing intent boil over.

Unfortunately, no matter how moonlight spread across the city, she still could not discover any trace whatsoever of the pure-white man.

It was as though he had vanished from existence entirely.

“How strange. Why can’t we find him?”

Muen fell into thought.

If he himself could not find the man, that would be normal, because he had never been good at tracking people.

But Senior was different. Her power completely enveloped the entire city. As long as the pure-white man remained here, hiding should have been impossible!

Even Crowned beings would fail, because Senior’s power came from the Evil God Silent Moon, an existence higher-ranked than Crowned beings themselves!

But why, even she...

“Unless Senior already found him, but believes herself that she hasn’t.”

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Muen’s mind, making him shudder.

He abruptly realized something.

“Senior, how many people are here? Other than those corpses.”

Muen rapidly asked Anna.

“How many?”

Anna’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Of course there are three people. Junior, me, and...”

“And who else?”

“And another white...”

In an instant, Anna’s pupils contracted sharply.

Her gaze shifted slightly, and at that moment, the warm autumn waters within those seductive eyes disappeared entirely, instantly replaced by bone-piercing frost.

“You’re courting death!”

Shadows condensed like cracks into the abyss. Several city blocks were completely crushed into ruins beneath an invisible force.

The earth caved inward.

The entire city trembled.

Yellow sand began flowing toward the center, only to be devoured by rising black tides. Vast shadows consumed everything as countless black claws emerged from the tides and seized toward a certain location.

And within the very center of those ruins, a tall pure-white figure staggered into view.

“It hurts! It hurts!”

The pure-white man rolled desperately as thick tentacles wrapped around him, helping resist the erosion of the shadows.

Yet some black claws still touched his body, instantly leaving hideous wounds.

The pure-white man had finally revealed himself.

No.

More accurately, he had never disappeared.

He had merely hidden himself...

Within Anna’s line of sight.

Just as earlier, when he hid himself within the sight of the Salvation Society members and thereby escaped Anna’s tracking.

As long as he hid within the vision of certain people, no one besides those people could see him.

And those capable of seeing him would also be influenced by some mysterious force, subconsciously regarding his existence as something normal, like a tree by the roadside or a blade of grass—something unworthy of attention.

Without question, it was an incomparably terrifying and bizarre ability.

“Oh my? That trick from before? To think even I was affected.”

After the initial coldness, seeing the pure-white man emerge instead made Anna laugh in anger.

“Now I’ve truly embarrassed myself in front of Junior. Just how many pieces should I tear you into to vent the fury in my heart?”

“No, this has nothing to do with Senior.”

Muen quickly comforted her.

“The moon’s power isn’t omnipotent. Especially since his bizarre ability isn’t confronting you directly—it prevents you from ‘realizing’ him. No matter how powerful the ability, if you can’t ‘realize’ something, then naturally the power can’t affect it.”

“But I possess the protection of the moon’s authority, yet he still managed to influence me... Only another Evil God can oppose an Evil God. It seems the blessings this man received from the Stars are greater than we imagined.”

“Which means he absolutely cannot be allowed to live!”

Black tides rose, then descended.

Finally transforming into the phantom image of a boundless ocean beneath Anna’s feet.

Anna stood upon the sea, a rising full moon behind her. Cold pale radiance descended, and all things once again became deathly silent.

“Die.”

Without any hesitation, Anna directly extended a slender finger toward the pure-white man.

Shadows surged wildly. Within the silence of all things and the countless mad whispers and mutterings from deep within the black tides, the Swordbearer unleashed enough terrifying fury to destroy everything.

“I’m joining too!”

Naturally, Muen would not miss this opportunity either. His figure flashed as time deceleration activated. In the blink of an eye, he crossed nearly half the city’s distance and arrived near the pure-white man.

Shadows rose from below, seeking to engulf the pure-white man.

Meanwhile, Muen descended from above, slashing through the void-like waves toward that bizarre white shell!

Above and below, left and right, from every direction—

No escape!

...

“Ugh... it hurts. It hurts so much. It hurts too much.”

Death descended within an instant.

Yet at that moment, the pure-white man suddenly flipped upright. He directly ignored the incoming Muen, lifted his top hat, and looked toward Anna in the distance.

Yes.

This time, he truly “looked.”

Beneath the top hat was no longer blank whiteness.

There was a real face there.

Donna’s face.

“You’re too strong, woman. If this continues, you’ll kill me. You shouldn’t be here... this place welcomes only Muen Campbell!”

Those thick tentacles suddenly spread apart.

An overwhelming stench of blood rushed outward.

And the pure-white man was no longer pure white, because upon his body, bloody faces stained him completely crimson.

Muen finally understood where those missing faces had gone.

—Every single one of them had been embedded into the pure-white man’s body.

“Gravity Magic.”

Altair’s face opened its mouth, releasing a hoarse voice.

Instantly, overwhelming gravity descended. Even Anna’s movements stalled briefly, and the vast shadows seemed to slow for an instant as well.

“Crack.”

At the same time, one of Muen’s legs twisted and snapped. Upon the pure-white man’s chest was attached a rag doll marked with a crudely drawn face. The doll’s two black button eyes flashed with light, reflecting Muen’s figure within them.

A broken leg could not stop Muen’s attack.

But it was enough to temporarily delay his movements. Even with time deceleration, after crossing such a great distance, he no longer possessed enough spare freedom to attack immediately.

Thus, both of their attacks experienced an extremely brief pause.

So brief it could only be called—

“A single instant.”

But for the pure-white man, it was enough.

“Please leave this place, woman.”

A heart appeared beneath Anna’s feet at some unknown moment.

The heart pumped blood.

The blood formed a pool.

Then a new pure-white man crawled out from the pool of blood.

The new pure-white man directly lunged toward Anna, black whirlpools appearing upon his body.

“This is a world for only Muen Campbell and me...”

“No one is allowed to interfere!”