Chapter 125: The Beauty of Humanity

On the night before the examination, Eddie had asked Huo Ye, "Son, it seems you have never displayed your dark-element compatibility to Bancroft."

"That's right."

"Why?" Eddie's inquiry was neither a challenge nor a question; it sounded like nothing more than casual chatter between father and son.

"Because I want to keep it as a trump card for the Club Tournament. Nobody would ever suspect that I could wield all seven elements."

"Indeed, and the Calamities would never expect it either. That is precisely why it is your greatest weapon against them. You must sharpen this unique, razor-sharp blade with the utmost care."

"Dad, what do you mean?"

***

Huo Ye’s body slammed into the wall, creating a massive crater. Students in the nearby spectator stands felt the tremors beneath them. A normal person would have been reduced to a pulp by such an impact, but fortunately, Huo Ye had his regenerative abilities. To him, this was merely a minor mishap.

Yet, to everyone’s shock, Huo Ye did not emerge from the dust unscathed. Instead, Kachi walked into the haze, grabbed Huo Ye by the face, and hoisted him up for all to see. Huo Ye’s left eye was clamped shut, the skin beneath stained a deep, bloody red, and countless bones throughout his body were twisted at harrowing, unnatural angles.

"No way, brother!" Alice suddenly stood up, shrieking in horror.

"Boss!" / "Big Brother!" / "Club President!" / "Leader!" / "Chief!"

Everyone shouted in unison, desperate to save Huo Ye, but they were powerless. The force field had not yet been disabled, and even if it were, the academy instructors would be the ones to intervene. They could only watch, hearts heavy with helplessness.

Only Shangguan Yudie acted, daring to do what seemed impossible. Without a word, she drew her blade and charged forward. "Winter’s Piercing Frost!"

For safety reasons, the ring closest to the arena was kept clear of spectators. The audience on the opposite side watched as Shangguan Yudie soared over the heads of the crowd and drove her sword directly into Bancroft’s force field—a barrier that even a Final-Form Calamity could not penetrate. In an instant, the temperature within a radius of dozens of meters around her plummeted. Some spectators suddenly found they could see their own breath misting in the air.

"Break! Break for me! I have to get in there!" Shangguan Yudie screamed internally. Even though she had poured her full strength into the strike, and her blade, Morning Dew of the Ice Edge, was one of the sharpest in the world, her mastery was not yet sufficient.

All of this transpired in a mere two seconds. Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, the instructor on-site shouted, "Quick! Open the force field! Get in there and save him!"

"Nobody move. There is no need to save him."

At that very moment, these words rang out to everyone present. The instructor was about to curse the cold-blooded speaker, only to see a man already standing at the edge of the force field, gripping Shangguan Yudie’s trembling, vein-bulging arm.

"Let go. He isn't so weak that he needs someone else to save him."

The Black Reaper, the Calamity Harvester, Eddie Hulse.

Kachi seemed to be savoring something; he was in no hurry to crush Huo Ye’s skull. Instead, he spun around, parading Huo Ye’s broken state before the entire audience. "And that is why you humans love to boast," Kachi sneered. "Claiming you fear no injury, have no vital points, and daring to go head-to-head with me—it’s all a lie. Look at you now; do you look like you don't fear injury? I’ve realized it for a long time: your healing factor is nothing compared to what you call our 'Final Forms.' And your ability to heal is finite, isn't it? As your cells fail to mend from the damage, you continue to take my heavy blows. Look at you—dozens of broken bones, a blinded left eye, and blood vessels ready to burst from the pressure. There isn't a single sign of healing. In the end, you are just a fragile human."

Kachi leaned his face closer to Huo Ye’s, staring into his eyes. "And look at me. Look at us, the 'monsters' as you call us. I have sustained far more damage than you, but look—it’s already gone. This is the difference between species. We Calamities are stronger; we are the superior species, which is why we are entitled to hunt you. If you were served to me as a fine meal, I would eat you alive, even if it weren't for avenging my brother. This is the path to strength—simple and efficient. Far superior to humans. Do you understand?"

Huo Ye’s lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something. Kachi, playing with the dying Huo Ye like a cat with a mouse, let his guard down completely. He leaned his ear toward Huo Ye’s mouth, eager to hear the human’s final wail of despair.

At that same moment, a voice resonated in the ears of every spectator, near and far—a voice of identical volume and tone, faint as a mosquito's hum. It was a spatial sound-wave ability.

"I understand... your grandmother—!!"

Spatial Ability: Ghost Cry, Spirit Howl!

The anxious crowd was too stunned to worry for Huo Ye anymore, for his final words had shifted from a death rattle to a roar of absolute fury. The sound was earth-shattering, deafening!

Kachi, having taken the full brunt of the ability head-on, found his body disintegrating. As his fragmented form began to knit itself back together and his vision cleared, he saw Huo Ye—who could only move one hand and one foot—pointing his blade directly at his core.

Huo Ye’s gaze was profound, his voice raspy. His throat was torn and agonizing, yet he spoke with stubborn resolve: "Human will is tenacious because it is weak; human emotion is profound because it faces death; human faith is eternal because it is fleeting. You, who cannot comprehend the greatness within human insignificance or the beauty within human sorrow... what right do you have to call yourself superior to humans?"

Last night, Eddie had said: "As for the Club Tournament, I took first place back in my day, and you certainly can too. Don't be constrained by time; whenever you feel the moment is right, unleash your dark-element compatibility. No matter how rare a talent, if it isn't meticulously honed, it will eventually become nothing but scrap metal. I didn't let you use it before because you were too young; once such a talent is exposed, it is inevitably influenced by public opinion—for better or worse. But things are different now. You have grown up. Go and tell the world..."

"...that my legend has begun to be written. My sudden emergence will turn the gears of the world; the world will welcome change because of my existence. I am the Calamity Expeller."

With those words, Huo Ye thrust his blade through Kachi’s core. The battle ended.