Chapter 46: Lord of the Mirror Demons (4)

Mirrors appeared one after another, released by the Mirror Demon, until ten mirrors enclosed the two of them within. Streams of resentment energy surged forth, striking the mirror surfaces, ceaselessly weaving through the space encircled by the mirrors. Each time the energy hit Wu Zui, it siphoned away a portion of the magnetic energy from his body.

Moreover, as resentment is a manifestation of human negative emotion, it also instilled a sense of despair in Wu Zui, weakening his desire to resist the Mirror Demon’s assimilation. Whenever the resentment energy collided with the mirrors, the depleted resentment would be replenished anew.

Wu Zui’s desperate reliance on drugs to prolong his life was a slap in the face to the Mirror Demon, who now sought not to simply kill him, but to torment him first, and then enslave his soul, making him a part of its own power—a twisted and perverse form of retribution.

Resentment energy refracted endlessly within the confined space. Though Wu Zui could still run, thanks to the drugs, his reactions were inevitably dulled, and before long, his magnetic energy was depleted.

Wu Zui stood with his head bowed, dazed and dispirited, clearly suffering from the heavy toll of negative emotions.

As his magnetic energy neared exhaustion, the Mirror Demon launched its attempt to possess him. It coveted the flames within Wu Zui, believing that, once under its control, such fire would become a trump card against other demons.

In a flash, the Mirror Demon appeared before Wu Zui. All the mirrors on its body rippled as if melting, pressing toward Wu Zui. This was the power the Mirror Demon gained after ascending to the third star; once Wu Zui was swallowed, the demon would inherit all his abilities.

This method of devouring and inheriting was far superior to simply turning prey into mirror slaves, making them mere reflections on its body. After swallowing Wu Zui, the Mirror Demon could possess not only his memories but also his powers—his magnetic energy, and the red flames.

Of course, this ability could only be used on one target, giving the Mirror Demon just one chance to choose. It was confident that the flames would not disappoint.

And indeed, the red flames did not disappoint.

A deafening roar erupted.

Red flames soared skyward.

Suddenly, fire burst forth from the golden longsword, stabbing toward the Mirror Demon’s throat with lightning speed. The demon recoiled in panic, for this was its core, but because its inheritance was already underway, escape was impossible.

The flames quickly spread across the Mirror Demon’s body, melting all the mirrors. Amid its shrill screams, its form was incinerated, the mirror space shattered.

Wu Zui, Xiao Ke'ai, and the partially transformed mirror slaves all dropped into Liu Lei’s home with the Mirror Demon’s demise. The bathroom was instantly overcrowded, while Xiao Ke'ai lay quietly before the shattered mirror in the guest bedroom.

How did Wu Zui discover the Mirror Demon’s vulnerability?

In fact, while the resentment energy assailed him, Wu Zui was not idle. He noticed that only the mirror at the demon’s throat was pitch black; the others were bright and clear. This mirror was only visible when the demon raised its head, and if not for its towering height, Wu Zui wouldn’t have noticed it. Realizing its uniqueness, Wu Zui gambled and chose it as his target.

Wu Zui knew that the flame borrowed from the Heart Sword was limited. If he missed, both he and Xiao Ke'ai would be trapped in the mirror space forever, doomed to become mirror slaves—half-human, half-demon creatures. The thought alone was chilling.

Feigning weakness was the only option. Seeing the other incomplete mirror slaves, Wu Zui surmised that the demon’s process of transforming people was slow. For ordinary people, it took time; for awakened ones like himself, it would take even longer.

So, as long as he could get close to the Mirror Demon, he would have a chance to attack. The demon’s attempt to devour him by approaching directly was, to Wu Zui, a fortuitous surprise.

At that moment, with a sharp crack, a shard of the pitch black mirror from the demon’s throat fell at Wu Zui’s feet. It was not only the demon’s weak point but its demonic core. Now that the core had shattered, survival was impossible.

As for the core fragment, it was only of research value now. Truth be told, the core’s value far surpassed the lizard demon’s core Wu Zui had submitted last time. This was due to the authorities’ tight control of anomalies in Huaguo, resulting in few strong demons.

Wu Zui propped himself up and entered the guest room. Xiao Ke'ai was still unconscious, utterly exhausted from the relentless attacks in the mirror space. Her magnetic energy protective suit was damaged, and her skin had begun to be assimilated.

But with the Mirror Demon’s death, the mirrors parasitizing Xiao Ke'ai and the others vanished, though their injuries would take time to heal. After calling the Demon Handling Center, Wu Zui bandaged Xiao Ke'ai’s wounds.

Once she was settled on the bed, Wu Zui carried the survivors from Liu Lei’s bathroom. Besides himself and Xiao Ke'ai, fewer than ten people emerged alive from the mirror space.

Wu Zui had braved dozens of mirror spaces; were it not for his unusual blood, relying solely on magnetic energy to break through, he would have perished long ago.

Ding~

XX platform reminds you: You have been listed as an unwelcome customer!

Ding~

XX Shopping informs you: Due to repeated malicious returns, you have been blacklisted!

...

“What’s going on? Haunted?”

After tending to everyone’s injuries, Wu Zui’s phone was bombarded with messages from various shopping platforms—all declaring him blacklisted. He glanced at his phone, unconcerned.

Wu Zui had no idea what the Mirror Demon had done with his body—at most, it was probably preparing to kill someone. He’d exited the mirror space quickly, spending the latter half fighting the demon, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.

Soon, investigators and ambulances from the Demon Handling Center arrived, taking Wu Zui and his group away. Besides checking for demonic possession, they treated the wounds inflicted by the Mirror Demon.

Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai fared well, but the female investigator Wu Zui encountered would need much longer to recover. Large portions of her body had turned to mirror, especially the hexagonal prism at her mouth. Though the mirrors vanished with the demon’s death, the wounds remained. She would likely need reconstructive surgery.

Binhai Provincial Hospital: Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai were recuperating here. The hospital was safe, guarded by spirit investigators rated three stars or higher, rotating every eight hours. Any sign of demonic birth was dealt with immediately. As for anomalies, the morgue kept bodies for three days; if unclaimed, they were cremated, though ashes were retained for families.

In the ward

Xiao Ke'ai’s hands and feet were swathed in thick bandages, resembling four hefty pig trotters. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.

Thanks to her magnetic energy suit, her torso wounds were minor, but her exposed hands and feet, lacking protection, had been heavily parasitized by mirrors. Now, with the Mirror Demon dead, these areas had become bloody holes.

“Master~ it hurts so much!”

Xiao Ke'ai glanced at Wu Zui, who was reading his phone in bed, then looked at her powerless hands, and whimpered plaintively.

“Didn’t you just get your medicine?”

Wu Zui inspected the bandages on her wounds, seeing that the bleeding had stopped and a layer of yellow ointment coated them. He responded casually.

“But it still hurts!”

Xiao Ke'ai gazed at him with wide, tearful eyes.

“So what do you want? Should I ask the nurse for more anesthetic?” Wu Zui put away his phone, looking at her pitiful expression.

Wu Zui was in a foul mood. He’d just confirmed that the Mirror Demon had emptied all his savings—using facial recognition, no less. According to the order descriptions from each platform, his rented apartment was now filled with mirrors purchased by that bastard.

Investigators had checked: with the demon dead, all resentment energy had dissipated, leaving only ordinary mirrors.

Wu Zui was nearly in tears. The mirrors and money weren’t the real issue; submitting the demon’s core would earn him enough reward. But every shopping platform had blacklisted him—what was he, a scapegoat?

[Those damned mirrors weren’t bought or returned by me!]

Wu Zui raged inwardly.

ヽ(#`Д´)ﾉ

“Master… could you order delivery? The hospital food is awful!” Xiao Ke'ai, seeing she’d caught his attention, brightened and pleaded.

(*^▽^*)

“…” Wu Zui fell silent.

It wasn’t that he was stingy; though the Mirror Demon had spent his money, he could afford a meal. The problem was that all the delivery and shopping platforms were interconnected, so as a blacklisted customer, he couldn’t order anything—at all!

Not just food delivery—his phone now only made calls, sent texts, and accessed news. Most shopping platforms had wide business scopes; Wu Zui was one step away from being blacklisted by the state, cut off from internet and electricity!

This was truly infuriating.

After explaining the situation to Xiao Ke'ai, she laughed so hard she shook the bed.

Then she fell silent too; her phone had perished in the mirror space. Her magnetic energy suit was damaged, so what chance did her phone have? Replacing it would take at least two days, meaning all her gourmet dreams were dashed.

Alas, it was over.

Σ(゜ロ゜;)