Ch. 121 - Scarlet Will
Scarlet DescentThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
“The power of Scarlet has increased...”
In his deep sleep, Wei Wei found himself once again in that sea of blood.He could clearly sense the changes here. He saw that the blood, which originally only reached above his ankles, now seemed to submerge his knees.The thick scent of blood in the air had grown even heavier, to the point where he could see mist-like blood vapor rising, occasionally twisting into the shapes of all kinds of strange monsters. Each bore a unique ferocity and rage, raising their heads and howling madly toward an unknown world.He could feel that, within this sea of blood, he now possessed a much more distinct sense of freedom.In the past, he could only wander aimlessly in this sea of blood in a daze, like a lost ghost, drifting without purpose. But now, as long as he wished, he could stand atop the surface of the sea, and the blood around him moved as nimbly as if it were his own limbs.It could even surge and churn, carrying him to any place he wanted to go.The fourth execution scaffold had become incomparably clear.The giant hanging from it, head tilted, neck stretched unnaturally long, its expression and features twisted into abnormal shapes. Only its seemingly slanted eyes, narrowed into slits, quietly gazed at Wei Wei. Perhaps due to the angle, no matter where Wei Wei stood, those narrowed eyes would always stare straight at him...The blood beneath Wei Wei’s feet surged, and the surrounding flesh and blood gathered, lifting him higher.He even rose to the same height as the hanged giant on the fourth scaffold, observing its deathly state and its skin up close.“Sin hangs at dusk, ghosts wander in the silent forest at midnight.Those who interpret the laws of Scarlet, divine authority rests upon the necks of the sacrificers...I face the darkness, bearing the coming of dawn...”The giant’s voice stirred the air. Wei Wei heard a vast and mysterious language, resonating with his spirit, and saw vision after vision of enormous illusions, as if he had lived through a series of weary lives and witnessed the terrifying descent of colossal beings.Before becoming a Scarlet Mentor, he had never understood what these giants on the execution scaffolds were saying to him.He had only comprehended the ritual for advancing to the third stage of Scarlet through the reminder of God’s Death Knell. But since he had already experienced it once, this time he seemed less lost.He didn’t even bother to listen closely to what this hanged giant was trying to say. Instead, he simply felt the mysterious language surging over the sea of blood along with its words, and inside, some things naturally fused and were understood.All of this turned into a hidden hint, left deep in his heart.“The power of Scarlet has grown stronger.”Wei Wei thought silently, “My control over the sea of blood has also grown stronger.”“Most importantly, my understanding of Scarlet has deepened.”He vaguely understood in his heart that this was likely because he had seized a portion of God’s Death Knell’s power before.At that time, God’s Death Knell had clearly wanted to take away the Scarlet power within his body. It even thought it was only right, but in the end, it failed. Scarlet was his, and it had nothing to do with control—it belonged to him in essence...Wei Wei could even feel that this Scarlet power and his own bodily will had merged into one. Scarlet was himself, and he was Scarlet.He could sense the subtle changes within, and felt nothing strange about it.It was as if things had always been meant to be this way.However, there were still some things he couldn’t figure out...In this hazy sea of blood, the scene before his eyes shifted, and he saw a group of phantoms kneeling on the sea of blood.Sometimes they faced him, making gestures of prayer; sometimes they whispered among themselves; sometimes they worshipped devoutly.He could feel that, behind these constantly shifting and not entirely real phantoms, there existed genuine spiritual power. And this spiritual power, as if it were merchandise free for the taking, was within his easy reach, ready for him to pick and choose... Are these... followers?Wei Wei thought to himself.When these phantoms appeared above the sea of blood, he could sense their thoughts.They were praying to the Horned Demon...The greatest disaster in Scrap Iron City had already passed, and even the city’s security squad had already celebrated in advance.But for ordinary people, it was not over.They had just endured a catastrophe. Countless people had been displaced, and countless others were still waiting for rescue.After the disaster, there were always those who fell into despair.They were accustomed to praying to some vague, illusory existence, hoping for help beyond the realm of reality... and these people were now worshipping the Horned Demon.Originally, in Scrap Iron City, the Horned Demon was just an urban legend, whispered about in the alleys.Even though many, after analyzing various incidents, believed that the Horned Demon who haunted the darkness was actually kind at heart—only saving those targeted by demons—because of its terrifying appearance, it was still not accepted by people.But in this latest disaster, some firm and unwavering beliefs had emerged.Many, when tormented by disease and delirium, had seen the Horned Demon appear.They remembered the Horned Demon slowly walking the streets, and wherever it passed, the suffering and torment of disease lessened.It was as if it brought a breeze of salvation, even the plague avoided it.Others remembered that, when they were cornered in an alley by crazed refugees from outside the city, desperate enough to want to bash their own heads in to avoid unimaginable horrors, it was the Horned Demon who appeared in time—its multi-barreled revolver roaring as it killed those madmen.So, a new saying had begun to spread among the desperate.Scrap Iron City was a city protected by a demon.The demon, naturally, was the Horned Demon. It would appear at people’s most desperate moments, killing monsters in the most brutal ways.Along with these prayers, Wei Wei saw that something seemed to be brewing in the sea of blood.It was a mass of coagulated blood, like an egg.Within this blood, a humanoid figure appeared. Its entire body was pitch black, with the face of a sheep, and in its hand, it held a giant blood-red scythe.However, its form kept changing. Although the overall shape was set, the details were constantly being revised: sometimes it was absurdly tall—two or three meters high—sometimes it shrank to the height of an ordinary person. Sometimes black wings sprouted from its back, sometimes only muscular skin remained. The scythe in its hand would occasionally morph into the form of a multi-barreled revolver...That sheep face, too, sometimes became a real, monstrous face fused with the body, and sometimes turned into a mask strapped to the face...“Are these people creating a god?”Wei Wei thought.A god is the incarnation of hope.And creating a god from nothing to worship is one of humanity’s instincts.These people who worshipped the Sheep-Faced Demon were shaping the god in their hearts—a Horned Demon who protected Scrap Iron City.It was just that everyone’s Horned Demon was different, and everyone had their own understanding of it. So, at the beginning of this shaping, the Horned Demon appearing in his sea of blood was ever-changing and uncertain...Wei Wei suddenly felt a bit of anticipation. If one day their understanding unified, what would the Horned Demon become?Now that it appeared in his sea of blood, did that mean he possessed an avatar?Or perhaps, could he transform into this form himself? Of course, Wei Wei could sense that this ability didn’t belong to the normal scope of the Scarlet system.Just like when he listened to the heartbeat of fear before.He could use Scarlet to fight, to create all kinds of weapons, to cover ghosts, even to directly control others’ hearts—these all belonged to the Scarlet system’s abilities. But at the same time, he seemed to have mastered another kind of power, at a different level. The original “Gaze of Justice” belonged to this level, and now this new “Horned Demon” did too.It was also brought by Scarlet, but it didn’t feel like a normal ability.It was more like a kind of “authority” at a higher level, beyond the scope of ordinary abilities.Whatever the case, at least when the Horned Demon took form, he wouldn’t have to spend money on masks anymore...“That’s actually pretty cool...”Wei Wei patted the not-yet-formed Horned Demon’s shoulder, expressing his satisfaction at its appearance.But with a single pat, it collapsed with a splash.It was still a long way from being fully shaped; at this point, it didn’t even have a physical body.Sighing at the Horned Demon’s fragility, Wei Wei slowly wandered around the sea of blood again.But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find the figure of the Black Knight.He distinctly remembered that just as God’s Death Knell was about to forcibly tear away his Scarlet power, a black knight’s figure had suddenly rushed out from his eyes and, with all its might, struck a blow that caught God’s Death Knell off guard. That figure felt very familiar to him.He could even be sure that the black figure was related to the old knight he had personally sent on his way.When he sent him off, he had felt as if the old knight had left something for him.What happened later, when facing God’s Death Knell, confirmed this.But was it just that a shadow had been left, and then used up at that moment, or had some kind of imprint been left?Wei Wei couldn’t be sure for now.Father An from the Faceless God Church, the Order Knight he had only met once, the God’s Death Knell who claimed to have killed a god—he’d only been back in Scrap Iron City for three months, and already so much had happened. They all seemed to have their own plans, their own goals. Some had shown him unreserved malice, some had helped him at critical moments...But what did any of that have to do with him?Many people, when caught up in mysteries, feel compelled to get to the bottom of every puzzle before they can rest. But Wei Wei didn’t feel that way. He simply strolled slowly through the sea of blood, his mood gradually relaxing, happily enjoying the moment.Why make things so complicated, such a mess?Wouldn’t it be better to keep things simple?Father An’s so-called “god-slaying weapon,” the “Puwei Prophecy,” blah blah blah—it wasn’t important.The Order Knight’s inexplicable trust and help weren’t important either. As for that God’s Death Knell, punched by Miss Qing Niao into the arms of the Wandering Sect—well, that was even less important.He was busy enough as it was, how could he care about them?Let them scheme if they want, use him if they want—even if they want to destroy the world, it has nothing to do with him. This world, most of the time, was just a tangled mess. Everyone clung to their own secrets and desires, turning what should have been a simple life into a muddle. Wei Wei had long since learned to live within others’ calculations. Just like how he’d cooperated with the Foundation at the start to create a Scarlet-series weapon that was never meant to belong to him. Those people always worried he’d keep something for himself.But he hadn’t. Instead, he’d earnestly helped them complete that weapon.Because Wei Wei had always had a simple outlook on life.Figuring out other people’s secrets, thoughts, schemes—it was too tiring, too much trouble.Who cares...I don’t want to listen to the will of this world. I want this world to listen to my will!I don’t need to figure out what you’re doing or planning. I just want you to know what I want to do.Life really is that simple.