Excessively Disproportionate Response
You should read this chapter over at Travis Translations – It’s free and the ad revenue is much better for me!
After the earth-shattering explosion, the twin brothers have become disconnected piles of meat. Guts, brain matter, and internal organs are flying everywhere. The faces as pretty as barbie dolls are nowhere to be seen anymore.
The girl who was just a few steps away from the twins wasn’t spared any either. Her white skin has been charred. Her features are unrecognisable. She is still alive, however, lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, An Wenhui, who knows first-hand how powerful Ying Sheng’s ability is, has always kept his guard and stayed a safe distance from everyone. He has got away with scratches.
Sure, he could revive himself, but it’s still limited in amount. He would much rather not kill himself over nothing.
Ying Sheng’s eyes are reflecting this scene verbatim. His clothes are fluttering from the wind generated by the difference in pressure by the massive explosion. His calm would almost suggest he is merely looking at the most normal of sceneries.
The girl is slowly turning her neck. Tears are rolling down her eyes, but she is unable to speak at all.
“You’re still alive,” Ying Sheng makes an idle statement.
He begins walking through the black smoke. He raises his sword as he approaches her. There is only the simplest of engravings on the beige sword handle. The thick red flowing down and dripping form the tip of the blade is evidence for the lives it has just harvested.
One sword and he will be able to send her to the afterlife.
There is suddenly a great force. Something has lunged at him.
Du Yixin is pinning Ying Sheng to the ground. He is pressing dead onto Ying Sheng’s arms. His body is shaking. The long sword falls onto the ground with a clank, but nobody pays any attention to it.
The posture reminds Du Yixin of their first meeting. He pushed the psychotic murderer that appeared out of nowhere down, trying to suppress the person, but he ended up losing his life in the process.
Even the expression on Ying Sheng’s face resembles what he saw that day.
“You’re angry?” Ying Sheng is chuckling for some reason, “but so what? You can’t win against me.”
“… why.”
“I’ve told you, haven’t I. They have keys. Even you…” Ying Sheng’s smile is fading, “would eventually do the same.”
“But I don’t understand!” Du Yixin looks to be on the precipice of collapse. He yells at Ying Sheng, “because the teammates are a deadweight, because they have keys, so they deserve to be killed?!”
Keys can fuse. Anyone who wants to grow stronger will level up their keys. To level up their keys and gain power, they have to steal other people’s keys. To successfully steal other people’s keys, they have to grow stronger and gain power.
There is no way out of this loop. Anyone who just wants out of this fight will just end up cannon fodders because of their weakness.
Du Yixin has realised this quite early on after considering what ‘Whitebird’ and his older brother have been doing. But why does Ying Sheng have to do it this way?! If they do it his older brother’s way, they can safely transfer the keys over time. Nobody will have to die.
And most importantly, it isn’t just key owners that Ying Sheng would kill. There’s also civilian casualties.
Ying Sheng finally answers after a short while, saying, “how simplistic are you? If you can’t accept my way of doing things, then why are you even clinging to me.”
That’s not the same thing! That’s not…
“Do you really hate me so much?” Du Yixin’s eyes are reddening, “everything you told my older brother back then. You meant them all?”
It isn’t just an act to make him his hostage. It is really true that he felt everything they have been together is just compromise and unpleasantries in the name of ‘breaking free of Whitebird.’
Ying Sheng’s focus seems to drift a little from the question. Then he averts his gaze awkwardly, and answers, “why the hell are you even asking… Of course I meant them.”
Something has shattered inside Du Yixin’s heart. The force he is pinning down Ying Sheng with has lessened.
“I, I see.”
He turns towards the long sword next to them, and lets Ying Sheng go. Before he has moved away, though, Ying Sheng suddenly grabs him by the arm. Their gazes meet, and they both freeze up with surprise.
What is he doing?
Du Yixin does not understand, nor does Ying Sheng know what he is feeling either – he wants to push the person away, to go back to being himself, but when he can visibly see Du Yixin leaving him be, he is suddenly annoyed.
Yet, there is some new movement before they can speak. It’s the girl that is barely clinging to life.
Her ponytails have scattered onto the ground. Close-up, Du Yixin can see that her right eye is completely black. She has difficulty lifting up her left eyelid. Her hand is slowly extending their way. She speaks up, “… me.”
Her voice is hoarse; torn. Her vocal folds must have been fried.
Du Yixin is going to walk over but his arm is still held. He looks back at Ying Sheng, whose brows are furrowed, but he slowly lets his hand go.
Without hesitation, Du Yixin kneels down by the girl, asking, “what?”
An answer comes, “… kill… me…”
Du Yixin pauses. Then he understands. The girl must have realised she cannot be saved. She is just suffering now.
“It… hurts…” Her voice sounds like it is being violently dragged through her throat to come out. Her pupils, out-of-focus, are looking up towards the sky.
The only thing she is getting out of this suffering is being able to feel her life slowly draining away to nothing.
It must be worse than death.
Du Yixin closes his eyes, and says, his tone drier than it has ever been, “… ok.”
He grabs the long sword from nearby, and points it at her chest.
Then, he plunges the blade through her heart. At that moment, the girl’s breathing stops, leaving behind only a half-open left eye.
Du Yixin uses his palm to slowly cover up the eyes. He can feel the blood and hard char underneath his hand.
Ever since he has been dragged into these Instances, this is the first time he has truly committed murder.
He pulls the weapon back out. It is drenched in blood anew, gleaming under the sunlight, as if it has just been fed.
Author’s notes: I can’t finish writing it today, sorry. I have to wake up at 4 tomorrow so I have to go to sleep now.
TL’s notes: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
Oriental Rabbit 