121. Weak
Soon, two years passed. Ling had grown considerably. During these two years, he constantly fought against Kalpas, continually growing stronger, and now he could handle many physical hazards or accidents that happened around him.
However, the number of sick children in the sanatorium was increasing. A count revealed over twenty children were ill, some of whom had already lost their lives, and the remaining children were merely struggling to live.
Ling couldn't help but wonder if he was the one responsible for this situation.
Kalpas could only use combat to distract Ling from those thoughts.
She knew these illnesses were definitely not Ling's fault, and she didn't want him to take the blame.
Ling's progress was rapid. Now, Kalpas needed to use at least half of her power to suppress him reliably.
This didn't mean Ling had half of Kalpas's strength; it was simply because his combat intuition was terrifying.
He currently possessed at most about thirty percent of Kalpas's strength.
Even Kalpas had to admire him; Ling was simply a born warrior, a purer warrior than himself.
One night, Ling was sleeping when he suddenly heard an explosion.
He immediately woke up and ran in the direction of the explosion.
That was the direction where the sick children lived!
"Die!!!" Kalpas's voice was filled with boundless rage.
Her fingers transformed into sharp claws, relentlessly attacking the person before her.
Sakura frowned. This man, before her, was terrifyingly strong. Even though she had become a MANTIS Warrior, she was still being suppressed by him.
(T/N: Used "he" or "him" in Sakura's monologue as she still doesn't know Kalpas's real gender is a girl and mistakenly sees her as a man)
His frenzied fighting style, the raging flames surrounding him, and the overwhelming killing intent forced Sakura to be on high alert.
But Sakura, with her rich combat experience, quickly found Kalpas's weakness. 'Frozen Naraka' was drawn; a flash of light, and Sakura was already in front of Kalpas.
The sword in her hand had pierced Kalpas's heart...
"Kalpas!!!" Ling stared in disbelief at the scene before him. That incomparably powerful man had been killed...
The surrounding sick children all lay in pools of blood, none alive.
Ling rushed forward like a madman, kicking at Sakura.
But Sakura easily caught his hand and slammed him to the ground.
Powerful... incomparably powerful... overwhelmingly powerful...
Ying pulled the 'Frozen Naraka from Kalpas's body and struck Ling on the back of the neck with the hilt, knocking him unconscious.
"Kalpas... everyone..." Ling's vision blurred.
A tear rolled down his cheek.
Why is he so weak...
Why...
He still couldn't protect anyone...
Was he truly only capable of bringing disaster to those around him...?
Even Kalpas...
Ling's consciousness faded into endless darkness.
As Sakura sheathed her blade, preparing to leave, Kalpas suddenly lunged from behind, tearing a gaping gash in her back with her claws.
"What?!"
Caught off guard, Sakura was nearly killed by the attack.
She never imagined that someone whose heart had already been pierced through could still survive!
But after delivering that blow, Kalpas could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
Sakura reported what had happened to the Fire Moth.
The order was to recall everyone from the sanatorium.
Thus, Ling was taken back to the Fire Moth, while Kalpas was imprisoned in the deepest recesses of the Fire Moth.
Ling awoke, surrounded by many children from the sanatorium.
"Ling, you're finally awake!"
They looked at Ling excitedly.
"I...where am I...right! Kalpas! And the children!" Ling's eyes held a hint of urgency.
"They took away Brother Kalpas, even Mother Aponia was also taken away... and all those sick companions... were killed."
"Isn't Kalpas dead?" Ling asked immediately.
"I know, I know! I overheard the guards talking about the battle at the sanatorium. They said Brother Kalpas is a monster, that he survived being stabbed in the heart, so he must still be alive!"
"...You all stay here and relax. I'll go find a way to rescue Kalpas and Sister Aponia." Ling wasn't injured; only his head was still giving him a throbbing headache.
"No…" The other kids quickly held him down.
"They have…guns!" a child whispered in Ling's ear.
"I'll be careful, don't worry."
Ling wasn't particularly afraid of guns, and since they weren't being held captive, it meant it was probably just a routine check.
Seeing they couldn't persuade him, the others dispersed to avoid arousing suspicion.
Night fell, and Ling quietly opened the door.
"What are you doing out so late? Go back! You can leave after the inspection in a couple of days." The armed guard noticed Ling's movements.
"I…can't find the toilet." Ling feigned a slight urge to relieve himself, cautiously looking at him.
"The toilet is…you?!" The guard was about to give Ling directions, but in the blink of an eye, Ling grabbed him from behind by the neck.
He didn't even realize when Ling had gotten behind him.
"If you want to live, I'll ask, you answer." Ling's voice was cold, and with just a slight pressure, his fingers had already pierced his skin.
Under Ling's questioning, he learned that Aponia was being held in the interrogation room at the Fire Moth headquarters; in contrast, Kalpas was being held in a prison called 'The Deepest Abyss.'
The guard also informed him of the Fire Moth headquarters location, but unfortunately, he was unaware of the Deepest Abyss's whereabouts.
After saying all this, the guard added one more thing.
"Although you're strong, I don't recommend you do anything foolish. Stay here for a couple of days, and you can leave."
"Why are you saying this?" Ling asked, feeling puzzled.
"In our eyes, you're just a group of ordinary children afflicted by Honkai. Those children who were killed are beyond saving. This disease, if left untreated, could even spread, so it must be eradicated."
"Please don't blame us; we're doing this for the safety of many more people." The guard's expression was solemn.
"Then why did you take Sister Nia away?" Ling continued to ask.
"She's suspected of harboring Honkai-infected individuals and has ulterior motives, so she was arrested and questioned."
"...Most of the children in the sanatorium are abandoned." Ling left those words and then disappeared from the detention center.
The guard breathed a sigh of relief; he had truly felt his life was in the other's hands.
"Where did this little monster come from..." The guard shook his head, then slowly pressed the alarm button.
According to his plan, he would first rescue Aponia from the Fire Moth headquarters and then try to find the Deepest Abyss' whereabouts.
But Fire Moth headquarters isn't so easy to break into! A group of MANTIS Warriors is guarding it! So there's no need to rush.
At this moment, Ling had already scaled two high walls and was heading towards the Fire Moth headquarters.
It was only a few dozen kilometers from here to the Fire Moth headquarters, and Ling arrived quickly at his pace.
He had heard the alarms behind him, meaning news of his departure had likely been leaked. He needed to be extra careful in the heavily guarded headquarters.
…