The crisp tap of boots against the floor echoed as Kafka stepped into the thirty-third layer, a breeding ground for demons.
Before her unfolded a scene straight out of a hellish painting.
Misshapen demons writhed and squirmed across the blood-soaked ground like crawling maggots, amidst scattered limbs and body parts of varying sizes.
Just as the organization's investigation had suggested, someone was breeding demons here, transforming humans into demons and then feeding them.
As for the purpose behind such acts...
No one currently knew.
Some speculated that the Stellaron had bewitched people, driving them to such behavior.
Others guessed that demons were converting humans to bolster their own ranks in their war against the Demon Hunter faction.
But which of these claims held truth, and which were falsehoods, remained unknown.
Of course, Kafka didn't particularly care about any of that.
She only hoped these demons wouldn't scatter chaotically... so that...
...it wouldn't delay her meeting with Bai Heng.
Her boot tapped lightly. Facing the demons lunging toward her, Kafka parted her vermilion lips:
"Listen to me."
An invisible force spread out from Kafka like a domain, a vast spiderweb extending in all directions, her captivating voice threading into the minds of every demon like strands of purple silk.
"You're all feeling rather tired, aren't you?"
"Sleep now~"
Her gentle tone was like a lullaby. An overwhelming drowsiness swept through the demons' minds the moment her words fell.
Their once ferocious, tiger-like eyes grew dull, their movements becoming sluggish. Within a mere second, they collapsed to the ground like infants, sinking into a deep slumber.
And Kafka, she simply drew the long blade at her waist, her expression languid and soft as she paced slowly past them.
With each step, a dull thud of blade piercing flesh sounded, and a demon turned to ash, dissipating into the air.
In this moment, she resembled an elegant executioner.
Strolling leisurely across the execution grounds, her blade lightly, yet decisively, ending the lives of the condemned.
This was the growth Kafka had undergone over the past seven years.
She was no longer that larva trapped in a prison, nor that little girl with a distorted perception of the world.
Under Bai Heng's tutelage, she had become what she was now.
Calm, decisive, powerful, and elegant.
If one had to point out a flaw, it would be this—she was still unseasoned.
Being in enemy territory, eliminating all enemies in sight doesn't mean the area is completely clear—this is basic common sense for any competent Demon Hunter.
But the current Kafka evidently lacked this awareness.
Right now, she was contentedly wiping her purple long blade with a silk handkerchief. It was a gift from Bai Heng for her 16th birthday, and Kafka's most cherished weapon.
And yet, from the shadows, unnoticed, a sinister, dull gray eye was fixed intently upon her.
The next instant, before Kafka could even react, her surroundings plunged into boundless darkness!
It felt as if the sun had instantly been snuffed out, taking the entire world into darkness with it.
She stopped wiping her blade, her beautiful eyes narrowing.
Over the past few years, during Bai Heng's Demon Hunter training, she had encountered similar situations.
Certain special demon individuals possessed unique abilities.
Some could take on another's form, others could read minds, and some could even manipulate blood, and so on.
Such demons were far more troublesome than the ordinary kind. Even now, Kafka didn't dare let her guard down around them.
Her purple eyes, shaded by contact lenses, scanned her surroundings warily as she focused her attention to the extreme.
Given the circumstances, she deduced that the opponent's ability likely involved manipulating vision. In other words, if she concentrated on her hearing, she could detect the demon's movements when it launched an attack.
It was clear that while Kafka might still be green by a Demon Hunter's standards of common sense, in terms of combat awareness alone, she was among the finest of the fine.
And just then, a voice rang out.
"Kafka, the rookie Demon Hunter! Amusing! Amusing! Amusing!!"
The tone was like that of a cheerful child, yet it overlapped densely, creating an eerie, unsettling sensation that made one's skin crawl.
But what concerned Kafka more was its behavior. Not only had it not attacked her, it had spoken voluntarily. For a demon, this was highly abnormal.
"Do you feel happy now?"
Kafka's lip twitched. She hadn't expected a demon to pose such a question to her.
"Of course," she replied lightly, trying to locate its hiding place through their exchange. "I have family by my side, someone I can rely on. Of course I'm happy~"
"Ahahahaha." The childlike voice laughed maniacally. "But it's all fake~"
"So pitiful, Kafka, so pitiful~"
"To worship falsehoods as happiness, pitiful~ pitiful~"
The grating voice made Kafka frown. She found it rather irritating. She was just considering whether to use her Spirit Speech to deal with it when—
The demon spoke again.
"Oh, right, you probably don't understand what I mean, do you? Then let me introduce myself~"
"I am the Demon of Past and Future."
"Just as the name implies, my ability is to see a person's past, and also..."
"The future~"
"Does that help you understand a little better?"
Kafka's expression darkened completely. She didn't quite believe what it was saying.
The ability to see past and future—even those guys from the Garden of Recollection struggled to fully master such a power.
And now it appeared in a demon? Kafka found its credibility rather low.
"Oh? It seems you still don't believe me~"
"Then let me tell you some truths you aren't aware of, and the future that awaits you~"
"The happiness and family you are experiencing now are all cloaked in a layer of false skin."
"As for the future... Hehehehe—"
Here, as if beholding some particularly remarkable scene, the demon chuckled with delight.
"You will kill the one you love most with your own hands~"
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T/N: New Honkai Fic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.