Chapter 350: PinoKoni Chapter (39)

Seeing Liuying safe and sound, Xing's lips curled up involuntarily, his steps quickened, unable to hold back his excitement, and he nearly broke into a run.

However.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end—Xing lunged forward, the wind pressure from his claws scraping her nape, sending a shiver through her. She staggered as she lifted her head, only to witness the most cruel sight——

Liuying's entire body had already been lifted into midair by the meme.

Her expression was one of shock and disbelief—she hadn't even had time to feel fear before the meme's sharp tail blade pierced her chest with deadly precision.

"Pfft."

It seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl at that moment, slow enough for her to see the trajectory of the crystal-clear water droplets sliding off the tail blade, slow enough to hear the dying girl's apology, filled with infinite guilt.

"I'm… sorry…"

Xing's legs felt as if they had taken root, and he watched helplessly as the cold‑glinting tail blade pushed forward another half‑inch.

"Hiss——"

The sound of metal tearing through flesh was unusually clear. Liuying's body trembled slightly at the motion, like a paper kite blown by the wind. Two streams of clear tears slid down her pale cheeks, refracting a crystal‑bright glow in the dream's nocturnal light.

The tail blade suddenly withdrew, flinging Liuying harshly to the ground. Xing stumbled forward, reaching out with both hands, but passed uselessly through her body, catching only a handful of crystal‑clear water.

——

Dedicated to a wonderful world.

"Hezhen! Hezhen, what's wrong with you?!"

Akua's piercing scream echoed through the tavern. Hezhen fell backward like a felled log, hitting the floor with a "thud" and his eyes remained wide open in a death‑stare.

"No way! Could it be that she passed out because she couldn't accept exchanging ten years of single life for Liuying‑chan's gruesome death?" Akua knelt beside him in a panic, jabbing a finger at Hezhen's cheek.

"There's nothing else to do…" Akua drew a deep breath, placed her palms together on Hezhen's chest, and cried, "Healing Technique!"

A blinding flash flashed—Hezhen's body jerked up half a meter, then slammed back down to the ground.

"Ow ow ow!" Hezhen clutched the back of his head as he sat up, "I feel like I had a dream—dreaming that Miss Liuying was stabbed through the chest, hahaha… Akua, that must have been a dream, right?"

"Miss Liuying?" Huihui pointed a hand at the puddle in Xing's hand, "That's Miss Liuying."

"……"

Hezhen's complexion turned from ashen to a dark bluish‑gray at visible speed; his lips trembled a few times before he managed only a hoarse "guh"——

"Bang!"

He toppled backward like a felled flagpole, losing consciousness once again.

——

Chainsaw Person.

Watching the scene of Liuying being killed on the sky‑screen, Denci slumped onto the old sofa, his back sinking deep into the already‑deformed cushion.

(Why did Liuying die? Isn't Miss Huangquan super strong?)

(Come to think of it, that meme is way too sinister……)

(Should I be crying now? But I can't squeeze out a single tear.)

"My heart has been taken by Liuying; perhaps in this life I will never feel joy or sorrow again."

Denci felt a wave of nausea so strong he almost vomited his buttered toast and ice cream from breakfast; he clutched his mouth desperately, and an indescribable sorrow welled up in his chest.

"Will I never see Liuying again……"

His fingers curled slightly, as if trying to grasp something, but ultimately only scraped uselessly against the sofa's slightly rough fabric.

The demon beside him furrowed its brow.

"Hey hey, Denci, what's up with that look? So gross……"

"Beside him, Pawa munched on a snack, idly saying, 'You love fireworks, don't you? Since Liuying died, couldn't we just have Xing turn the fireworks into her likeness so we can see her again?'"

"Besides, fireworks can become whatever you want; maybe we could even tweak them to give Liuying a bigger bust."

"……"

Denci fell silent for a moment, then began to tilt his head and think carefully.

(Huh?)

(Seems like that's the case……)

That indescribable sorrow instantly turned into a shivering thought, and Denci felt a surge of vigor.

(A Liuying‑chan with a bigger bust?)

"Great!"

——

Silver Soul.

Gintoki's eyes went black as he collapsed onto the sofa, his arms limp; strawberry milk slipped from his fingers, splashing a pink stain onto the floor.

"Waaah——!" he let out a heart‑rending wail, thrashing about on the sofa like a dehydrated eel, "Why! Why do good women always leave first?! Obviously a beauty of this caliber should last at least three volumes in Jump!"

"I—I want to create a world with… no, wait! A world where Liuying exists!"

"Shinpachi pushed up his glasses and deadpanned, 'Really? Is it appropriate for you to say this? Even if you were to awaken the Mangekyō, it'd be Xing, not you.'"

"Gintoki suddenly sat up with a kip, grabbing his natural perm: 'Damn it! Huangquan and Black Swan—those two had absolutely no reaction?! I recall Huangquan, that sea‑patrolling ranger, being pretty strong.'"

"Maybe he was careless and didn't dodge?" Kagura said while chewing on pickled kelp.

"Is that really the point?!" Gintoki snatched a Jump magazine, rolled it into a tube, and bopped Kagura on the head, "The point is, because of their carelessness we lost another heavenly‑drop beauty! Plus Xing lost his chance to get a girlfriend!"

——

"Xing, you… okay?"

"Is… this a dream?" Xing still couldn't believe what was unfolding before his eyes.

"Xing, look at me… calm down, take a deep breath, okay?" Huangquan looked at her with concern.

After Black Swan used the Memorizer's ability to help Xing ease his pain, he barely managed to step out of the grief over Liuying's loss; the key was that everything happened too suddenly.

"Really sorry, I have to leave for a short while… Death is still wandering, I must personally go check on Miss Ji Zi and San Yue Qi Xiaojie's safety, and give them a reminder…"

"After entrusting the safety of the general to Huang Quan, the Black Swan left."

"Huang Quan also felt regret about this happening; she was too focused on Liuying and overlooked the sneak attack from the meme."

""This isn't your fault; the urgent thing is to figure out what happened.""

"Huang Quan nodded: "Hmm, we should keep our eyes open, think about where the true enemy is hiding and how to resist them…… Don't let pain sway your thoughts, Xing, maintain yourself, then you can walk the right path.""