novelhk Page 9
Page 9
Hiroko Takashiro realized something was wrong and instinctively backed away, trying to escape the scene and bring Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama to threaten Chen Xiao.
"Saeki, take Kitami and leave now to help me rescue Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama!" Chen Xiao saw through Takashiro Hiroko's plan at a glance.
Kaori Saeki seized the opportunity to grab Kitami's wrist: "Hurry! We have to find Yukinoshita and the others!"
Satan let out a painful roar, but its severed tentacles regenerated at a visible speed. Suddenly, the massive maw on its abdomen expanded, spewing out dark green acid!
Chen Xiao spun to dodge, the acid splashing onto the ground and corroding deep pits in the stone slabs. He used the momentum to leap up, his holy spear aimed straight at Satan's chest: "This spear is for the innocent who have been bewitched by you!"
"Ridiculous!" Satan grinned maliciously, parrying with his claws. The spear tip clashed with his claws, sending blinding sparks flying. "You think you can get away with this..."
The words abruptly stopped—the Holy Lance suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented light, and the Hebrew script on the lance wrapped around Satan's arm as if it were alive.
"Aaaaah! Why is your power so great?!" Satan screamed in agony as black smoke billowed from his arm, which was scorched by the holy light. Even the Holy Lance should not possess such power!
Chen Xiao laughed and said, "Of course, with my fists and grip strength, combined with the Spear of Longinus, killing you would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?" Chen Xiao secretly found it amusing. Fortunately, he had the reward from the system—One-Punch Man, which, combined with the Spear of Longinus, made him practically invincible.
Looking at the dead hellish demons on the ground, Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the side, and picked up the "Dark Bible" that had fallen to the ground.
The Dark Bible contains many spells, but without possessing a destined person, one cannot learn all the dark magic. This is why Hiroko Takashiro possessed Kitami.
After perusing the contents, Chen Xiao came across a passage that read:
"The Gospel of Desire": Once you master this dark magic, you will have unprecedented power over women. Paired with the Spear of Longinus, you will be invincible and become a true man among men.
Chapter Twelve: Yukino and Takashiro switch bodies; Chen Xiao takes Yukino's heart.
In the cold, damp dungeon, the sound of dripping water echoed between the stone walls.
Bai Mu held a candlestick, the flickering flame casting eerie shadows on her sinister face.
She toyed with a silver dagger between her fingers, the blade occasionally grazing Yukino's pale cheek.
"I advise you to behave yourselves." Shiraki's voice was sickeningly sweet. "Otherwise... I wouldn't mind leaving some souvenirs on your pretty faces."
Yui Yuigahama huddled in the corner, her pink bun disheveled. She clung to Yukino, her voice trembling, "Yukino...it's so scary here."
Yukino Yukinoshita straightened her back, her cold black eyes staring directly at Shiraki: "Don't waste your energy. You're only arresting us to keep Chen Xiao in check." A mocking smile played on her lips. "What a pathetic tactic."
"Shut up!" Shiraki suddenly pressed his dagger against Yukino's neck, drawing a line of blood. "You think I wouldn't dare hurt you?"
The prison doors were flung open with a loud crash.
Hiroko Takashiro staggered in, her black robe stained with blood. Her pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing was rapid and abnormal: "Shiraki... step back..."
"President?!" Shiraki turned around in surprise, "Was the ceremony a success?"
Hiroko Takashiro did not answer. Her trembling fingers turned the pages of the Dark Bible, black mist seeping from between them. Yukino keenly noticed—her fingernails were turning black at a visible speed.
"It's too late..." Hiroko Takashiro suddenly lunged at Yukino, her black robes unfurling like bat wings. "Leviticus, Chapter 17...Flesh and blood...are all vessels..."
Before Yukino could react, Hiroko Takashiro's cold hands cupped her cheeks. Their foreheads touched, and a strange red light flashed in Hiroko's eyes: "Exchange with me!"
"Xiaoxue!" Yui Yuigahama screamed and rushed over, but was knocked unconscious by Shiraki's chop to the ground.
Yukino felt dizzy. Countless unfamiliar memories flooded in like a tide—dark rituals, bloody sacrifices, demonic whispers... finally settling on a pair of familiar, smiling eyes.
(Chen Xiao...so you've been facing this kind of danger all along...)
When the dizziness subsided, Yukino was horrified to find herself standing in the center of a cell, her body being manipulated by Hiroko Takashiro, who was giving her a sinister smile.
“Perfect.” Hiroko Takashiro (Yukino’s body) flexed her wrists, but her voice was still her original tone. “Shiraki, remember—the Yukino Yukinoshita who comes in later is the real me.”
Shiraki nodded knowingly, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Should we deal with that Yuihama?"
“No need.” Hiroko Takashiro stroked her cheek. “She’s an important… bargaining chip.”
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the corridor.
Hiroko Takashiro instantly adopted Yukino's usual cold expression, leaning weakly against the wall. Just as the dungeon door was kicked open, she perfectly timed her move, raising her tear-filled face: "Chen Xiao... why did you take so long to come..."
The moment Chen Xiao kicked open the dungeon door, a stench of blood mixed with mold assaulted his nostrils. The Spear of Longinus gleamed faintly in his hand, illuminating the figure huddled in the corner.
"Yukino!" He stepped forward and used the tip of his spear to sever the ropes binding Yukino.
Yukino raised her pale face, a strange light flashing in her icy blue eyes: "Chen Xiao... why did you take so long to come..." Her voice was softer than usual, but her fingertips quietly climbed up his arm.
Chen Xiao frowned slightly—Yukino never spoke like that.
“Shiraki is just watching over us,” Yukino said softly, her gaze drifting to the unconscious Hiroko Takashiro. “But you… I misunderstood you before.”
Chen Xiao's gaze shifted between the two. Takashiro Hiroko was curled up in pain at the moment, and when she looked up, her eyes, which were always filled with arrogance, revealed a coldness and stubbornness unique to Yukino.
"I knocked Takagi unconscious!" Shiraki suddenly interjected, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. "She...she wanted to hurt Yukino and the others..."
Chen Xiao turned to Saeki Kaori: "Does Shiraki usually do this?"
Kaori Saeki covered her mouth and chuckled softly: "Shiraki is the gentlest kid in the club."
"Chen Xiao!!!" Hiroko Takashiro suddenly screamed, her voice filled with an urgency that Yukino had never shown before. She struggled to stand up, but Shiraki grabbed her by the neck.
"You monster!" Shiraki shouted angrily, "Haven't you done enough to make everyone like this?"
Hiroko Takashiro—or rather, Yukino, whose soul was trapped inside Takashiro's body—stared in shock. She looked down at her unfamiliar hands, her black fingernails still stained with blood.
"Why did this happen..." she murmured to herself.
Chen Xiao suddenly laughed. He reached out and pulled Gao Cheng Hiroko into his arms, his fingers stroking her messy black hair: "It's time for you to accept your punishment."
Kitami Reika tugged nervously at Chen Xiao's sleeve: "Wait... something feels off..."
"Don't worry." Chen Xiao picked up the Dark Bible from the ground, its pages moving without wind. "Perfect, let's try this—the Gospel of Desire!"
As the dark red light enveloped Hiroko Takashiro's body, her eyes widened in horror: "Chen Xiao! It's not like that! I'm actually—"
Her words came to an abrupt halt. An unnatural flush rose to her cheeks, her breathing became rapid, and her legs unconsciously pressed together and rubbed against each other.
"I'm leaving Yukino and Yui to you." Chen Xiao picked up Takashiro Hiroko, whose eyes were glazed over, and whispered in her ear, "Tonight, I'm going to interrogate this sinner properly."
Yukino's soul cried out silently from afar, yet she could only watch helplessly as her body revealed a seductive smile: "Master... please punish me properly..."
In the flickering candlelight, Chen Xiao tossed Takashiro Hiroko onto the bed. Her kimono had already come undone, revealing her snow-white shoulders.
"Owner..."
An hour later.
Suddenly, the gospel of desire failed!
"Asshole! Let me go!"
Chen Xiao was stunned—the gospel of desire had never failed before, so why had it failed?
"I am Yukino Yukinoshita!!" Hiroko Takashiro—no, Yukino's soul—finally cried out the truth, tears streaming down her face, "My body has been switched!!"
Chen Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted. He abruptly stood up, only to hear a familiar, cold voice coming from outside the door:
"Chen Xiaojun, are you inside?"
—That was Hiroko Takashiro using Yukino's body.
Chapter Thirteen: Saeki Kaori, Shiraki, and Takashiro are all captured.
Chen Xiao's pupils narrowed slightly as the gentle voice of "Yukino" calling from outside the door echoed in his ears.
He looked down at the body in his arms that belonged to Hiroko Takashiro—but now, it imprisoned the proud soul of Yukino Yukinoshita.
This body presents a heart-pounding contrast: Hiroko Takashiro's figure is not what Yukino Yukinoshita possesses, but Yukino's signature cold gaze shines through these unfamiliar eyes, carrying shame, indignation, and stubbornness.
Chen Xiao suddenly realized, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
“It’s okay,” Chen Xiao said in a low voice, his fingers gently tracing the burning cheeks of “Hiroko Takashiro,” “We’re using her body now anyway.”
"Chen Xiao, you beast!!!" Yukino's soul almost broke free from the constraints of this unfamiliar body. She bit her lip tightly, her eyes glistening with tears of humiliation. "I hate you."
"Don't hate me, I had no choice. How was I supposed to know that such a cute Yukino was actually Hiroko Takashiro in disguise? She was such a convincing actress!"
Yukino glared at Chen Xiao, feeling quite annoyed. Unfortunately, Yukino was still Yukino; even in this absurd situation, she maintained an astonishing level of rationality. Tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to fall.
"First...first we need to think of something..." Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion, "That woman...has mastered the full power of the Dark Bible..."
Chen Xiao's gaze suddenly deepened. He noticed a detail—even after the souls were swapped, Yukino still subconsciously referred to Takashiro Hiroko, who occupied her body, as "that woman."
"Don't worry." He gently wiped away the tears from Yukino's eyes, his voice incredibly gentle, "I will let you return to your own body."
Just then, "Yukino" outside the door seemed to grow impatient: "Chen Xiaojun? I'm coming in~"
With the sound of the door being pushed open, a scene that sent chills down Chen Xiao's spine appeared—
Yukino Yukinoshita leaned against the doorframe with a captivating pose characteristic of Hiroko Takashiro. Her usually cool blue eyes now shimmered with an eerie light.
"Oh dear~" she said gently in Yukino's voice, "Looks like I've come at the wrong time~"
"No, you've come at just the right time!" Chen Xiao took a deep breath.
But the next second, he revealed a nonchalant smile: "How could that be? I just need Yukino's help to keep this unruly prisoner in check~"
As he spoke, he deliberately patted the real Yukino's soul (Takashiro's body), implying that Yukinoshita Yukino should cooperate with him in putting on a show.
"You...!" Yukino suppressed her anger after seeing Chen Xiao's suggestive look.
Hiroko Takashiro, now possessing Yukino's body, walked over with a victor's smile: "Alright, I love... punishing bad kids~ Hiroko Takashiro, who is utterly wicked, deserves to be taught a lesson."
Just as she reached out, Chen Xiao suddenly made his move!
"Now!" Chen Xiao threw a punch! With the power of One-Punch Man, Hiroko Takashiro was sent flying.
"What?!" Hiroko Takashiro collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from the corner of her mouth.
"...Don't let my body get hurt." Yukino Yukinoshita snorted coldly.
The next second, Chen Xiao knocked out Yukino Yukinoshita, who was now inside Hiroko Takashiro's body. Then he bent down, picked up the Dark Bible that had fallen to the ground, and examined how to switch bodies.
"By piercing through the host's body with the Spear of Longinus, one can gain the right to exchange bodies!"
Chen Xiao turned his head and looked at the body of Hiroko Takashiro, who was lying on the ground with her soul possessed by Yukino Yukinoshita.
"In the name of the God-Slaying Spear!" Golden light emanated from Chen Xiao's hand as he pressed the spear tip against Takashiro Hiroko's abdomen. "Get out of her body!"
A dazzling golden light erupted, engulfing the entire room in its divine glow. The two girls' bodies simultaneously levitated into the air, their luminous souls exchanging places.
"No—!!" Hiroko Takashiro's soul let out a shrill scream, "How did you recognize me? I was disguised so well!"
A hint of smugness flashed in Chen Xiao's eyes as he looked down at Takashiro Hiroko: "Because the real Yukino... hates me, how could she be so obsequious to me like you are?"