Chapter Sixty-Four: Self-Destruction

Camilla, as if her life depended on it, braved the fierce onslaught, enduring the pain of Yu Longze’s relentless attacks to force her way before him.

“Is there some kind of scheme at play…?”

Suspicion gnawed deeper at Yu Longze’s heart.

Yet he no longer cared what Camilla might be plotting, for he now held the absolute advantage. Camilla, after all, had been grievously wounded by his sword; she had little strength left.

With a powerful thrust of his leg, he shot skyward like an arrow, his milky-white eyes fixed on Camilla below, arms drawn back as dark energy surged at his chest, ready to unleash his ultimate technique: the Dark Zeperion Ray.

Suddenly, a graceful figure lunged upward from below like a ravenous wolf, violently interrupting the gathering of his killing blow.

Camilla, jaw clenched, spoke through gritted teeth, her voice laced with seething hatred. The crimson glow in her eyes flickered with intensity, while the polished black ground beneath them glimmered with reflected light.

“I don’t want to die!”

Feeling the mounting heat radiating from her body, Yu Longze began to grasp her true intent.

“Argh—!”

Yu Longze shouted with all his might, straining desperately against their grip.

If he were in human form, one would have seen his veins bulging and his muscles taut with exertion.

Camilla’s slender limbs began to loosen, sensing this, Yu Longze redoubled his efforts.

—He had to break free before Camilla could self-destruct!

Seeing Yu Longze about to escape, Camilla tightened her hold again, but now Yu Longze was bolstered by the golden power of Camilla from the original timeline, his strength vastly amplified.

This Camilla, from this timeline, was now powerless to resist.

A fiery figure streaked up with violent force.

“Damn it!”

Restored somewhat, Daram staggered up from behind and locked his arms around Yu Longze’s back, intent on joining the self-destruction!

“Daram!”

Daram’s arrival filled Camilla with hope—his immense strength would surely bind this interloper from another timeline!

White smoke began to rise from Camilla’s body, hissing from the searing heat, her exquisite form twisting involuntarily from the agony.

Daram’s body, too, began to radiate blistering heat…

Yu Longze was once again in grave peril!

Cracks like molten lava appeared across Daram’s body, glowing with unbearable heat.

The pain from the scorching temperature pierced Yu Longze to the bone; he struggled and writhed with all his might.

“Beep! Beep!” The color timer on his chest entered its final phase; time was running out.

“Haaah!”

Yu Longze pushed his power to the very limit, white smoke rising from his body as the heat from Camilla and Daram enveloped him.

“I don’t want to die!”

He screamed hoarsely, but the Camilla inside him remained silent.

With no help from her, he had only himself to rely on.

Even in transformed state, the bulging muscles on Yu Longze’s black arms were now visible!

“You cannot escape!”

Camilla continued her verbal assault, while Daram said nothing—his burning body made his resolve to die together clear.

Yu Longze’s limbs were pinned, unable to move; all he could do was bash his head forward and back against Camilla and Daram.

Thuds sounded with each impact, and Yu Longze felt himself growing dizzy from the blows.

But Camilla seemed to be weakening; sensing an opportunity, Yu Longze kept slamming his head into her!

Yet Daram behind him noticed, and with a surge of power, tightened his grip even further!

…

All three bodies now billowed with thick white smoke, especially Camilla and Daram, who had become living masses of molten rock!

Ultraman skin could withstand high temperatures, and the current state was a testament to just how terrifying the heat had become!

“Get off me—!”

With a furious roar, Yu Longze summoned all his strength, smashing his head into Camilla’s with brutal force.

A deep, resonant crack sounded—Camilla’s vision went black, her limbs slackening, even one of her head’s antennae snapped clean off!

She plummeted toward the ground, and at the very instant she hit, the heat reached its peak.

With a thunderous explosion, Camilla and Daram self-destructed.

Camilla’s body burst apart like an overinflated balloon, scattering in countless fragments. Her self-destruction did little harm to Yu Longze.

The one who truly dealt him grievous injury was Daram, who had locked him in a death grip!

…

In the dim space of his consciousness, Yu Longze lay motionless on a smooth surface.

His black-and-silver body spewed a cascade of rainbow sparks into the air, like fireworks bursting, their reflection dazzling across the mirror-bright floor—a scene both romantic and brilliant.

The energy timer on his chest was dark; the once radiant, milky eyes now utterly dim.

Scattered around him were irregular, fiery-red fragments—clearly the remains, or rather the corpse, of Daram.

“I didn’t expect it would end this way.”

At some point, Camilla from the original timeline had drifted into view.

Her form was now faint and insubstantial; after giving Yu Longze so much energy twice in one night, her reserves were deeply depleted.

—But at least they had won.

She slowly raised a delicate hand, and with a sudden burst of intense violet light from her palm, a gentle purple glow filled the mirrored floor and slowly seeped into Yu Longze’s dimmed energy timer.

The fountain of rainbow sparks began to subside, his wounds slowly knitting closed.

Familiar milky light returned to his eyes, the timer blazed suddenly to life. Though it wasn’t the full blue of abundant energy, the flashing red at least proved that Yu Longze was alive once more.

Or rather, his consciousness had returned. And Camilla, who revived him, existed only in soul form.

Soul and consciousness, in some sense, are of the same essence.

As the purple light fully melded with Yu Longze’s body, Camilla’s spirit dissolved into countless violet motes and merged with his transformed form.

“What…is this?”

Supporting his weary body, Yu Longze slowly got to his feet, staring blankly at the red light flashing on his chest, then understanding dawned.

“Camilla… it seems I owe you far too much.”

As Yu Longze stood in a daze, the dim conscious space suddenly shattered, and the scene changed at once.

He found himself back in the cave on R’lyeh Island.

Three giant stone statues, posed in grotesque stances, appeared before him, with a ball of violet light floating at each of their timers.

“Absorb them.”

Camilla’s faint, weary voice sounded in Yu Longze’s mind.

Yu Longze nodded, stepped forward, and straightened his silver-black form, reaching out his right hand. The three orbs of violet light drifted gently toward him.

The dark energy that had belonged to the trio now flowed into Yu Longze’s body.

Ecstasy!

There was no other word for it!

It was like soaking in a hot spring, warmth flooding every limb—an overwhelming sense of euphoria!

His energy was instantly restored to fullness, and the timer on his chest once again glowed with a soothing blue.

…

“What a shame.”

Camilla’s tall, graceful figure materialized before Yu Longze again; having absorbed the trio’s energy, her body was more substantial than before.

“Why?”

Yu Longze was puzzled.

But even as he asked, realization dawned.

A moment ago, he’d been so exhilarated by the surge of dark energy that he hadn’t noticed—

But now he saw it clearly.

His energy had only returned to what it was before Camilla drained him!

No, perhaps just a tiny bit more.

The truth was, Camilla had used so much power to revive Yu Longze that, even after absorbing the dark energy, most of it went to replenishing what she had spent.

Afterwards, there was precious little left from the trio’s energy—only enough to increase his power by a minuscule amount.

Realizing this, Yu Longze didn’t feel regret.

At the very least, he was now slightly stronger than before Camilla took his energy, wasn’t he?

And Camilla’s body was more substantial than after draining him twice!

Plus, they had eradicated the dark trio, such a dire threat—this journey was no loss.

Yu Longze shared his thoughts with Camilla, who merely smiled in reply, saying nothing more.

Perhaps that was all the comfort she could offer herself.

…

He soared from the sunken R’lyeh Island in the South Pacific, returning to the shadowy depths of the ocean.

The area around R’lyeh Island felt as if cursed, perpetually shrouded in gloom.

The sky remained forever overcast, oppressive and somber.

Beneath the black night, the once-calm surface of the South Pacific was suddenly broken by a massive figure bursting forth, sending waves rolling far and wide, leaving the sea unsettled for a long time.

Yu Longze sped across the ocean’s surface and soon returned to Grandma’s house.

Grandma was already fast asleep. Yu Longze tiptoed inside, quickly undressed, and slipped into the comfort of his bed.

After all, the exhaustion of this battle of wills could not be remedied by energy absorption alone.

This day, he had experienced far too much.