Chapter 45: The Lord of the Mirror Demon (3)

The vast mirror beneath Wu Zui's feet vanished completely, plunging him into an endless sensation of weightlessness. Unprepared, he let out a scream as he plummeted downward... Meanwhile, the Mirror Ghost, still infusing the mirrors sent by mail with the energy of resentment, paid no mind. It was merely one layer; its mirror realm contained countless layers of miniature prisons to trap Wu Zui.

This was the foundation upon which it would someday build its ghostly kingdom, and how could it allow Wu Zui to break free so easily? With more slaves added, the number of miniature spaces would only multiply, and when Wu Zui’s magnetic energy was exhausted, his doom would arrive.

Moreover, there were little surprises awaiting Wu Zui inside! Those slaves who had died within the mirror space, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation or fade away completely, had become mirror slaves, fueling the Mirror Ghost's resentment energy. Their hatred toward the living was immense!

Every living soul that entered would be forced to remain forever, suffering the same agony as themselves.

The Mirror Ghost cackled maliciously.

When Wu Zui appeared in the next layer of the miniature space, he found himself once more in a labyrinth of mirrors, with the resentment energy thicker than before.

Unlike the previous layer, the faces in the mirrors had changed to another visage. This time, it was a woman clad in detective’s uniform, her appearance vaguely familiar—likely from the Chaoyang District Bureau, though Wu Zui had no idea when she’d been trapped here.

Wu Zui gripped his golden longsword, charged with magnetic energy, and stabbed it into the ground beneath his feet. As expected... the mirror space showed no reaction. It seemed he had to find the person imprisoned in this layer and destroy the mirror beneath her feet with magnetic energy.

“Is anyone there? Call out! I’m here to rescue you!” Wu Zui shouted, unwillingly. Searching for someone in this space was as difficult as finding a needle in the ocean—a truth Wu Zui had learned after wandering the maze several times.

Thump thump—thump thump—

A sound of hands tapping the ground echoed not far from Wu Zui, proof that someone was alive! Without hesitation, Wu Zui rushed toward the source of the knocking, but what he saw was not entirely human.

A woman, shaped like a human but covered in cracks, was ceaselessly pounding the ground around her. These mirrors were easily shattered by awakened ones with magnetic energy, but for ordinary people, they were utterly unbreakable.

Thus, this mirror space was a dead end for them; even if they knew breaking the mirror beneath their feet was the way out, they lacked the power to escape.

Wu Zui surveyed the woman. Her uniform was torn to shreds, and though she was naked, she lacked any feminine allure. Her skin was an ashen white, crisscrossed by cracks a foot long.

Beneath those wounds glimmered strange lights, reminiscent of demonic eyes or mirrors... some parts of her body had even transformed into mirrors.

“Can you... walk?” Wu Zui approached, gazing at the woman who had stopped pounding the ground to look at him. Her eyes brimmed with longing for life, and the gray mist above her head suggested she was still, perhaps, human.

The woman nodded but said nothing—for her mouth had vanished, replaced by a gray hexagonal prism. She could no longer speak.

“Alright, let’s get out of here first!” Wu Zui said, plunging the magnetic golden longsword into the ground before her.

☞ A thunderous crash ☜

The mirror space collapsed, and Wu Zui and the woman dropped straight down. This time, Wu Zui did not scream; after all, the fall didn’t hurt, so why be afraid?

Arriving in a new mirror space, he found no faces on any mirror. Wu Zui guessed this was either the exit or the previous occupants had already perished.

A harsh scraping sound filled the air, like mirrors grinding against the ground.

A monster composed entirely of mirrors appeared before Wu Zui. Its body was made of gray mirrors, resembling a miniature Mirror Ghost—standing less than a meter tall.

The golden longsword in Wu Zui’s hand glowed blue once more. He swung it at the small Mirror Ghost’s head.

A clear clang rang out as the sword was repelled. The magnetic energy on the blade was also bounced back by the gray mirror surface.

Wu Zui twisted aside, dodging as the magnetic attack rebounded off the mirror behind him and ricocheted throughout the space.

He had no idea what might happen if the reflected magnetic attack struck him, so he dared not touch it, dodging left and right.

His golden weapon was ineffective, and his magnetic energy level could not harm the mirror slaves. Wu Zui pondered, and realized he had only one option left.

Gripping the blade with his left hand, he drew the sword, smearing it with his own blood. If his low magnetic energy couldn’t wound them, then the flames capable of harming the Mirror Ghost itself should suffice!

When the golden sword, soaked in Wu Zui’s blood, touched the mirror slave, flames erupted swiftly, burning the creature to ash.

As the mirror slave was consumed by red fire, the mirror space began to collapse. All mirrors exploded, the ground vanished, and Wu Zui and the woman resumed their free fall.

Wu Zui continued to use his blood as a weapon, the blazing red flames burning through layer after layer of mirror space.

Though some humans survived in these spaces, most had already become mirror slaves, providing energy for the Mirror Ghost’s ascension.

After a long while, Wu Zui finally found Xiao Ke’ai.

Xiao Ke’ai was in a pitiful state; her miniature magnetic device was spent, her coat’s armband shattered. Only her magnetic protective suit and the scant magnetic energy within her body had shielded her from the Mirror Ghost’s corrupting power.

“Master! You’ve finally come!” Xiao Ke’ai greeted Wu Zui with a relieved smile, then collapsed to the ground. With Wu Zui present, she could finally relax her taut nerves.

Wu Zui noticed her magnetic protective suit was damaged in places, though the black protective layer made it less conspicuous.

He took off his own coat and draped it over Xiao Ke’ai, then thrust the blood-soaked, flaming golden sword into the ground before her.

With a crack, the surrounding mirrors began to crumble. Around Wu Zui were humans, corrupted by the mirror space and on the verge of becoming mirror slaves.

The mirror space that had trapped Wu Zui was already destroyed. By the order of events, the one holding Xiao Ke’ai was likely the last.

As the mirrors shattered around him, Wu Zui did not feel weightless. Instead, a white portal appeared before him, apparently the way out.

“You move quickly!”

A sound like mirrors scraping rang out, and the Mirror Ghost appeared before Wu Zui. In its domain, the Mirror Ghost was nearly immortal, possessing human intelligence—and, naturally, human vices like arrogance.

Its arrival caused mirrors to reappear, blocking off the space and sealing the white portal behind them. Clearly, escape would require a battle.

The Mirror Ghost had already crafted hundreds of mirrors imbued with its resentment energy. Though there had been some trouble, once humans gazed into the mirrors, hundreds of miniature spaces were created, and the dozens destroyed by Wu Zui were negligible. Yet Wu Zui’s attempt to escape was unacceptable!

Upon seeing the Mirror Ghost, Wu Zui immediately moved Xiao Ke’ai a safe distance away. The partially transformed mirror slaves also fled, unable to participate in such a fight. In fact, being near would hasten their assimilation by the Mirror Ghost.

Drawing his golden longsword, Wu Zui’s Heart Sword released a surge of energy, and the sword was instantly wrapped in red flames.

A layer of dust settled on the Mirror Ghost’s head mirror—it seemed wary.

[Thank you!] Wu Zui whispered to the Heart Sword, then, gripping the flaming blade, rushed to attack the Mirror Ghost.

A mirror abruptly appeared before him, blocking his path as four sides extended outward, forming a mirrored cube that sealed Wu Zui inside.

All mirrors faced inward; should he use magnetic energy, unless it exceeded the mirrors’ limits, Wu Zui would be assaulted by his own power repeatedly.

The Mirror Ghost, as a parasitic spirit, was different from the fragile ones without a “home.” Its specialty—reflection—made it extremely difficult to deal with.

Crack—crack!

Unfortunately for the Mirror Ghost, Wu Zui didn’t use magnetic energy.

A fissure appeared, red light leaking from the crack, and the mirrored cube was burned to crystal. It seemed the Heart Sword’s flames were even stronger than Wu Zui’s own blood-borne fire.

The Mirror Ghost raised its hand, conjuring a tall mirror beside it, which reflected Wu Zui’s current form. The Mirror Ghost punched the mirror, shattering it.

Wu Zui, in the midst of his second charge, was struck as if by a train, sent flying, blood gushing from his mouth, bones shattering.

“Tsk tsk, humans—such fragile creatures!” The Mirror Ghost observed Wu Zui’s severe injuries with mocking disdain, its voice echoing through the mirror space.

Wu Zui shakily swallowed a white pill, his wounds healing rapidly. Yet the swiftly mending bones brought unbearable itching, as if countless ants gnawed at them.

“...” said the Mirror Ghost.

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻