soul stone

It was completely dark.The sea water kept beating against the rocks.The subject's blue and white uniform was wet from the waves, and it was crumpled and stuck to the body.Xue Ye stood up unsteadily, and looked at the humble old man.Kuroki bowed slightly, and backed away without a sound.The girl tilted her head and looked at the black-haired youth, as if she was looking at a new species she had never seen before.

"Are you here to save me?"

"……What do you think?"

Xue Ye pursed her lips and smiled.

"Villar Lynch will save me, and Chrollo Roussillo will kill me." She stretched out her arms to him, palms spread out, "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Heh..." The black-haired young man closed his eyes, and slowly tore off the bandage on his forehead, revealing the black reverse cross tattoo, "May I ask if you are Oyagi Yukiyo, or Shinkai Mifuyu?"

Xue Ye's eyes froze.

"Children and adults, sometimes they are like two people... It's incredible." Kuroro opened his eyes and smiled as always, "The Villar Lynch you are looking for is not here. And the Yagiyuki I want to save Night, it doesn't seem to be there either."

"lie."

"..."

"You saw it just now, didn't you? Kill me now, but save me."

A wind blows across the distant channel.

"Sisyphus."

"Hey?"

"Sisyphus, the son of the wind god Aiolus, was punished by God to push stones up the mountain endlessly, and then watch the stones roll down the mountain."

"What great crime has he committed to be tortured like this?"

"He lied to Death. No, it should be said that he made a promise to Death, but he didn't keep it."

"It sounds similar to me. However, I broke my promise."

"Heh... are you a god of death?"

"Sister Moelle said that in order to save a person, you must completely destroy another person. Don't we all destroy our childhood selves to save our grown-up selves?"

The young man tightened his jaw slightly.There was no emotion in the dark pupils.

"I was supposed to protect you."

"At that time, I said to you, I hope you will be my sun, and my world, that snowy night, will shine as bright as day..." The girl laughed at herself, "It's really capricious. I'm sorry, It caused you so much trouble."

"There must be another way to break out of the loop... There's no need to die."

"Maybe..." Xue Ye took a few steps forward, stopped in front of Kuroro, looked up and said, "It's so dark, so close, I can finally see you clearly... Can you see me clearly?"

"Hmm. Very clear."

"Hey, Villar, do you think I've become an ugly monster?"

"How come. You have always maintained the appearance of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl... because it is read?"

"That's good." Xue Ye smiled sweetly, "Now, please kill me."

On the ground floor of the research institute, the gray-haired boy was sitting on a folding chair beside the bed, sipping ketchup.Sitting on the bed was a puppet-like woman with graying hair and flabby skin, exuding the breath of dying like rotten grapes.

Slow and steady footsteps broke the silence.The teenager pricked up his ears and wiped the ketchup around his mouth with his fingers.

Kuroki pushed the door open, and glanced at the person on the bed.The woman was painted with ketchup by the teenager.

"Are you still alive?"

"Hmm. How's the situation over there?"

"It went very well. I didn't expect him to actually ask Xue Ye to stop the 'Hill of Evil Thoughts'."

"Because it's the 'king'." The boy raised his index finger and circled it in the air, "In this world, the one who can impress the 'queen' is of course the 'king'."

"Hehe..." Hei Mu leaned against the wall, pressing the wrinkles on his forehead one by one, "In my opinion, it might be the opposite."

"Oh~" The young man blinked comprehendingly, "It's fine, as long as I have fun. Are you too, sir?"

"Call me uncle! I'm not that old. I can't believe it. What method did you use to make Xiaoxue accept the 'blackening' experiment?"

"She did it voluntarily." Bucha tore open another packet of tomato sauce.

"what?"

"'If you become a monster completely, you won't feel pain', she said."

Under the lighthouse, blood spread everywhere.

"Say it again. You can't kill me unless you destroy the soul stone." The seriously injured girl lying in the water said, "If you try to destroy it, a large amount of my 'qi' will flow back into the soul stone, To protect it from harm. At this time, the soul stone is invincible. However, the body will become extremely fragile. Killing me in this state is effortless, and the soul stone will use 'qi' to resurrect the body. Resurrection needs to consume Stored 'Qi'. Now I can resurrect about seven times. Let's finish before dawn."

The black-haired young man knelt on the girl's body without saying a word.Suddenly, he grabbed the girl's slender neck severely.

"I just said that I will kill you... I guess I used 'Bai Ye'."

"It was... seen through." The girl's expression was distorted due to suffocation.

"I'm not so soft-hearted that I can't bear to kill you."

"I'm just not sure...you have that patience."

Hearing this, Kuroro smiled softly.

"You know me well, Xue Ye."

The pale and dazzling beam of light swept across the sea at night without emotion, but it seemed that it was deliberately forgotten, ignoring the dark corner under the lighthouse.

The girl didn't move.

The young man stood up, adjusted his breathing with ease, and waited for the next round of killing.

"We...are the same kind." Looking at the sea at night, he murmured to himself.

The gear clicked and moved forward one step.And once you move forward, the gears cannot go backwards.This is the rule of the world.Oyagi Yukiya's life energy - "Qi", is slowly and inevitably moving towards the center of the vortex.There leads to the end of the universe, and there is only nothingness and chaos waiting ahead.

Ten minutes later, the girl let out a low whimper.

"Now, Villars."

"Ok?"

"Just now, a thought crossed my mind - it's not just me who is about to disappear from this world. You are also included."

"Why do you think so?"

"I am the last vestige of Villar. If I die, there will be no more Villar Lynch in the world. There will be only Chrollo Roussillo."

silence.A silence as heavy as a rock on the bottom of the sea.

The young man called Villar took out a dagger and stabbed it into the girl's chest.The splattered blood stained the field of vision red.

"There are...six times left."

"Villars."

"I'm here."

"You chose the method of killing that caused the least pain to the deceased. Thank you."

"I'm just... impatient."

"You seem to like daggers. When you killed your father..."

Maintaining a calm smile, the young man held the dagger in his fist and dropped it vertically.

Five times left.

"Villars."

"I'm here."

"Do you... believe in God?"

"Letter when I was a child."

"Me too."

"When you were at the station, you said you wanted to be like a 'god'."

"You still remember." The girl giggled, "I was so stupid back then, I actually believed that I could act as God and bring the dead back to life."

"It's good not to have faith. Our faith is our gravedigger."

"Sister Moelle said a lot of things that were very interesting. She's such a wonderful person."

"From the perspective of the quantity and quality of monsters produced, yes."

Four times left.

"Villars."

"I'm here."

"I often think, what should a person do. Live like a monster, or die a good person?"

"What is a good person?"

"Well... I don't know."

"...Then you still ask."

"Hahaha... I'm sorry." The girl stuck out her tongue.

"Hehe..." The young man pursed his lips and smiled.

Three times left.

"Villars."

"Ah."

"I have found freedom. To give up all hope...is freedom."

The big waves wet the white shirt.Deep in the young man's throat, a vague murmur that could be called a sigh came out.

Twice left.

"...Snowy night."

"what?"

"The so-called white night is the night deprived, or the day given?"

The girl didn't answer right away.The dark and gentle sea water enveloped the two of them silently.After a while, she asked back:

"Is the sun that disguises night as day out of malice, or out of good intentions?"

Silence again.

One last time left.

"Villar..."

"……Um."

"You asked me before, if you also have a soul stone, what color would it be?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"Now I know. Your Soulstone... is the color of lead with a deep blue tinge."

"...Is that so, you think so. I think it should be transparent blue. It's the same as my earrings."

"In my impression, they are very beautiful earrings. It's a pity that I didn't look carefully before."

"I'll take it off and show you when it's dawn."

"Don't be kidding, I won't live until then. Once the 'White Night' order is issued, it cannot be revoked."

"What an unlovable ability."

The last death did not come, and the girl finally realized that something was wrong.

"V... Ral?"

"I am here."

"Why didn't you move?"

The young man stared at the girl's pupils, as if he wanted to see through the soul deep in the pupils.

"Could it be... that the effect of 'White Night' has weakened?"

The young man suddenly broke into a big smile, his eyes were as clear as a young man who doesn't know much about the world.

"Forgive me, Xue Ye."

"Sure enough..." The girl sat up, a rare emotion flashed in her eyes, both regretful and happy.

"The effect of 'White Night' depends on the amount of 'Qi', right? The more Qi you have, the less Qi the opponent has, the better the effect. Now you, Qi is like a dry riverbed, not enough to float this giant ship .”

"When...began to be out of control?"

"From the fifth last time."

Xue Ye frowned.

"So, you've been playing tricks on me..."

"Snowy night."

"Hey?"

The young man embraced the girl's long wet hair at the back of his head with his palm, leaned close to her ear and whispered:

"Our hearts are not stones. Sooner or later, stones will be smashed to pieces, beyond recognition. But hearts will not collapse."

"Villar..."

"Ok?"

"I see, your 'soul stone'..."

The young man took the girl back indoors, dried her hair and body, put on dry and clean pajamas, and wrapped herself in a blanket to recover her body temperature.

"I'm leaving."

"Where to go?"

"Go back to the brigade. Find the Chainhand and kill him."

"Chain hand?"

"This is not something you need to care about. Obediently rest here, and don't seek death again."

"……Machismo."

"what?"

"It's nothing... Be careful on the road."

When the front foot stepped over the threshold, the young man turned his head as if suddenly remembering.

"By the way, that chain hand seems to be wearing the same amethyst earrings as you."

The girl looked at the young man with a slight smile on her lips.It was a laugh of unfathomable depth.

"It turns out that the chain hand you mentioned is that child. What he is wearing is the soul stone of Xia Tian."

"yes……"

The young man covered his mouth thoughtfully, and turned to leave.But this time, before the front foot stepped over the threshold, it turned back.

"Wait a minute," he showed a confused expression, "If Xia Tian's soul stone is always in the chain hand, how do you revive him?"

As if the pause button was pressed, the girl's smile froze.

Time began to flow again, and it was the moment when Xue Ye spoke.

"You finally found out. Seeing that you are so happy, I have never been embarrassed to say it."

The temperature in the youth's eyes cooled down. "What's the meaning?"

"No matter how many people die, they are just ordinary toys, meaningless. Even hunters, ten-year-old men, monastery elites, and even Sister Moelley will get tired of it in half a year at most. That's right, that's the expression. The dignified Phantom Troupe Kuroro Rushiru, the chief, can actually make such an expression... ah, it really didn't go to waste."

The young man's expression was stiff, and his lips twitched as he said, "This... is very smart. Very smart."

"Let people know that I am here, and let you know through him, it is my arrangement. You will stop my phantom cycle, it is my arrangement. It is also my arrangement to get out of the control of 'White Night' and let me live. Even Even if you see the truth now, it is also within the plan."

"..."

"You must want to ask 'why', and feel ashamed to ask, right?"

Xue Ye smiled more and more charmingly, like an elf living deep in the forest, with light-colored wings like the shadow of a soul.

"At the Youkexin auction a year ago, I violated the 'oath' I read and lost my soul. From that moment on, Xia Tian's life and death have nothing to do with me. All I want is to take revenge on you."

"When I needed you the most, you stabbed a dagger into my body. I will never forget the feeling of despair."

"So, I also want you to listen to the sound of the fantasy bubble bursting."

"Da Yagi Yukiyo, was never what you imagined. Do you remember the feeling of killing your father? The little girl named Yukiya knew that you would suffer, but secretly took pleasure in it... Pop! Listen, the bubble burst oh."

"I never liked you. When my soul was still there, I only knew Xia Tian. But now, I just want to make you miserable."

"Okay, what are you going to do? Kill me, or just leave?"

"Kill me? Just fulfilled my wish, this world is too boring. Leave? The head of the phantom troupe, would you be willing to be tricked?"

"Why are you silent? You were so eloquent and affectionate just now."

"Wait, where are you going? We can play for a while longer. We are so similar that we can form the best partner! Don't go, Villar... No, Kurolo!"

The young man is expressionless like a doll.I saw him pushing the door quickly and walking out, his back was like a white ghost.

The lighthouse light went out.Fish-bellied white appeared on the sea horizon.In the sky, a small black object flew quickly, maybe a bird.Maybe someone's soul was blown to the end of the world.