The Unnamed God’s Provocation

“Hey, Uncle, is your method even working? She can still move!”

Chongyun stood up, circling the girl once, then replied thoughtfully, ‘Her mind, I believe, has been ensnared by my… secret art, leaving her entirely focused and temporarily oblivious to her surroundings. Yet, the black substance entwined around her appears to act autonomously, requiring no direction…’

“So… even if she just stands there dazed, we still can’t do anything about her?” Titan interjected.

“…Essentially, yes.”

Chongyun answered, his expression calm and steady, devoid of the excitement one might expect. It was as if he faced not a long-standing foe, but merely an ordinary girl. Still, the man’s tightly clenched fists betrayed the turmoil within his heart.

“Tch…”

Titan, ever pragmatic, cast another glance at the grey-haired girl before urging, “Then let’s go, Uncle.”

“…Leave?”

“Since we can’t do anything, we should just run, as you said. Her current state is only temporary. If we don’t leave quickly now, when this little girl wakes up, she’ll cause absolute chaos again. I certainly don’t want to be chased by her all day.”

“Yes, we should go…”

Chongyun sighed, then turned to depart.

****

[Do you truly intend to leave just like that?]

A voice, alien to everyone present, resonated in Chongyun’s ear. As his expression grew wary, a scarlet gem suddenly floated forth, hovering before the man. It reflected his slightly weathered face, and the deep-seated hatred hidden within his eyes.

“Who are you!? Wait… Divine Blood… an will. So that’s it. Was that your doing, the ‘Unnamed God’ who lost its ‘myth’?”

Chongyun’s initial surprise quickly subsided. Human fear often stems from the uncertainty of the unknown, and he was perhaps one of the most knowledgeable beings in this world. Thus, he swiftly regained his composure when confronted by an ancient god suddenly appearing with the intent to communicate.

[You need not concern yourself with who I am. I merely wish to ask you: do you intend to give up now? The profound enmity between you and this person is clear even to one as long-slumbering as I. If you abandon this now, you may never find another opportunity.]

“She is not Vanguard…”

‘While she might share a close connection with that ‘demon,’ from every perspective, she cannot be considered the same individual. Moreover, I have far more important tasks to accomplish; I have no time to waste here.’

‘Indeed, no more time to waste here…’

He followed Titan’s steps, intending to leave, but suddenly found himself immersed in a bustling crowd. The familiar attire, the familiar faces, the familiar sounds—all instantly stirred memories long buried deep within Chongyun’s heart.

“This is…” he murmured, a mix of melancholy and nostalgia in his voice.

To expel the recently appeared Black-blooded Qiongqi, the expeditionary force, fresh from their last mission, was redeployed to a new battlefield. This time, they vowed to slay the elusive monster that had so often escaped their grasp.

Difficult, perhaps, but success seemed assured. Until they met that entity, everyone believed it was just another routine mission.

“S-sorry, would you mind waiting a moment?”

A dust-laden girl blocked the path of the approaching team. She wore a loose, ill-fitting brown coat, cracked and stained with grime. Her right hand firmly held her hat, obscuring her face above the nose, making her features indistinguishable.

“Who… are you!?” The leader demanded, his tone laced with heavy suspicion.

Were they in the city, she might have been mistaken for a friend or lover meeting a team member against their parents’ wishes. But they were currently on a path leading to a “danger zone,” a place no ordinary demon should venture alone.

“I-I-I’m very sorry to interrupt your work. But if I may, could I ask you all—” Startled by the leader’s rebuke, the girl stammered. She removed her hand from her hat, clasped her hands over her ample chest, and bowed deeply.

With the pressure gone, a gust of wind lifted her hat, sending it tumbling to the ground, revealing shimmering silver hair.

“—to die right here.”

The silver-haired girl lifted her head, offering a gentle, beautiful smile that sent a chill of bone-deep terror through everyone present.

“You’re… a demon! Everyone, battle stations!” The captain roared, surging through the ranks to the very forefront, launching the initial assault.

A one-sided battle began, or rather, a massacre.

Against “the demon,” the battle-hardened elite force could barely mount a semblance of resistance, breaking apart with a single touch, leaving a trail of shattered bodies strewn across the ground.

Only the man, deliberately spared, remained to gather his fallen comrades, etching the scene deeply into his mind.

****

“If your purpose was to ignite my fury… then congratulations, you’ve succeeded.” The past tragedy vivid in his mind, Chongyun could no longer convince himself to leave. The possible connection between Vanguard and the girl remained a persistent thorn in his side.

[This is the truth buried deep within your heart. I merely reflected your true feelings.]

“True feelings… Are you so eager to push me onto the battlefield, to fight her to the death?”

To say he didn’t hate was impossible. The chain of hatred could only be severed when one side was utterly destroyed. His comrades, all fallen or wounded, were victims of this “girl” before him. The “god” had merely lit the fuse. Now, an unbearable, all-consuming fire of resentment roared to life within him.

‘I want to kill her, kill her, kill her!’

[I have no interest in your battles. After the ‘myth’ representing the past was exhausted, I had no ‘purpose,’ no ‘sense of existence.’ Like stagnant water, I could stir no ripples.]

[Yet you—your ‘fluctuations’—have caused me to fluctuate once more… It is an ‘emotion’ I had forgotten, one I once possessed.]

[Ah, how beautiful, how dazzling! Having lost my ‘myth,’ I feel the ‘fluctuation of emotion’ for the first time. Yes! This is precisely what I desire—this ‘peculiar thing’ born from your ‘emotions.’ It allows me to feel ‘existence (life).’]

[Therefore, I shall assist you, wholeheartedly assist you… to fill this world with endless ‘hatred.’]

‘How… incomprehensible. Do gods, neither living nor dead, truly yearn for emotions?’

‘Yet, there is no need to understand. The god residing within the Divine Blood clearly has no intention of letting me depart.’

‘Thus, the plan has changed. Under the forced manipulation of the Unnamed God, I, Chongyun, am left with no choice but to remain here and fight to the death against the girl, who is most likely Vanguard!’

[—Recording report in the Demonic Machine. Set to transmit upon death.]

Chongyun reached out and grasped the Divine Blood floating in mid-air.

“In that case, Unnamed God, grant me all your power…”

Chongyun deactivated the Demonic Machine’s defense system, allowing the will of the ancient deity to merge with his body.

“With the assistance of a ‘god,’ perhaps I can…”

[Demonic Machine… activating.]

[…….]

[…….]

[…Fictional Myth unfolding.]