With bloodshot eyes and a face full of tears, Maria looked up at the screen to her two unrecognizable parents.
Saying they're in bad shape would be an understatement.
Over the last few hours, the masked man skinned Erika alive, leaving her without skin on most of her body. On top of that, she had numerous holes in her flesh that were so deep that they reached the bone.
She had lost so much blood that she looked like a shell of her former self. Her breathing was faint, and her mind had collapsed long ago. At this point, she could barely be considered a person anymore.
On the other side, Cain…
Maria felt like she might vomit just looking at his appearance, and she wasn't the only one who felt this way either.
He was the epitome of psychological torture.
The masked man did not touch him, so his physical body was in perfect condition—however, everything the masked man had removed from Erika he placed on him.
This alone caused severe emotional and psychological damage to Cole, as it almost felt like he was the one peeling off her skin and digging into her flesh.
For the most part, Erika and Cole were just ordinary cultivators. They didn't have the mental resilience that Mira did; even if they did, it'd still be a wonder if they could stay sane in this situation.
Maria couldn't stare at his appearance for too long before tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision.
Unfortunately, she felt the end was nearing, and as much as she hated this, she didn't want to miss her parents' final moments.
"Thank you, everyone, for watching until now! I hope I was able to provide you with quality entertainment! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, that includes Cain and Erika." The masked man said exaggeratedly.
*Phew!*
There was a collective sigh of relief when they heard his words, as most people were sick of what the masked man was doing.
"However, I have one last game for you all to enjoy!" The masked man then took out a sword and threw it between Cole and Erika on the ground. He also removed all the restraints holding Cole and Erika down and said to them, "I will give you two options. You can use that sword to kill your partner, or you can use it to kill yourself. If you don't pick an option, I'll heal Erika back to her peak condition and resume the torture."
While the masked man said this to both of them, it was obvious that Erika couldn't move or think properly. It'd be a miracle if she could just get out of the chair by herself.
The fog covering Cole's eyes cleared instantly, hearing the masked man's words. He didn't hesitate to leap out of his seat to pick up the sword and walk over to his wife with it.
He didn't make this choice because he didn't want to be hurt any longer. On the contrary, he was doing it, so his wife no longer had to suffer. The masked man put his wife through unbearable pain and torture. It was time for him to put an end to that.
Cole held back his emotions as he pressed the sword against her heart.
Before doing the deed, he leaned into his wife's ear and whispered, "...I'm going to put an end to your misery, my love. Do you have any last words before I send you off?"
Erika's eyes regained a bit of energy, feeling her husband's warm breath on her face, but anyone could tell that the spark was about fade.
".....I-I'm sorry… and… Thank you… I-I love you and Maria… more than anything.... P-P-Please… kill me." Erika fell silent after saying those words, completely out of energy. She wasn't dead yet, but she wasn't far from it.
"Mom…!"
Kneeling on the ground, Maria stretched her hand toward the screen and cried.
Tears fell down Cole's eyes, but he gave his wife a firm nod and steeled his emotions.
"I-I love you too, Erika… I'll see you in the next life."
*Puchi!*
He thrust the sword into her heart, killing her instantly. He stared at his mutilated wife's corpse and could swear that he saw a smile on her face in her final moments.
But now wasn't the time to get emotional! He still had one last thing to do before he joined his wife!
"Maria! If you're listening! Your mother and I loved you more than anything in the world!" After saying that, he pressed the sword's tip against his chest, but he wasn't done talking yet.
"Hidden Sanguine Sect! Crimson Slayer Sect! Pink-haired Sue Ming plus ten women! Unorthodox Faction! Don't do anything reckless, Maria! Mira… I'm counting on you!"
The masked man's expression warped, and a wave of killing intent crashed into Cole as he dashed at him, but he remained unaffected.
"Bastard! Shut the fuck up!" The masked man yelled as he pressured Cole, but the latter just stood there with a large smile on his face, not wanting his daughter's last memory of him to be pathetic and depressed.
"Well, I'll be going next! I love you, Maria! May we meet again!"
*Puchi!*
The sword went through his heart, killing him instantly!
However, as soon as he died, the masked man thrust a palm forward!
"Bastard!!!"
*BOOOOM!"
The palm hit Cole's body, causing it to explode in a blood mist.
Afterward, all the screens in the air dissipated, causing silence to reign over the continent.
"..."
Seeing both her parents killed right before her eyes, Maria couldn't handle the stress and passed out. Mira's tails quickly caught her before she could fall to the ground.
She gently held Maria in her warm embrace and muttered, 'Sleep well, Maria.'
Part of Mira was glad that Maria fainted at this moment as she wasn't sure how she should comfort the girl. Losing her parents isn't anything new for Mira. In fact, Mira almost considered Maria lucky.
'At least she didn't have to kill her own parents, whom she loves more than anything in this world.'
She felt the people the god sent down weren't nearly as ruthless as the man himself. They also weren't as patient or cautious either. Still, that doesn't mean she can underestimate them. In front of overwhelming power, all schemes are useless.
'Sue Ming, huh? I guess Cole said those words to me. Is that the person who's behind all this? And the Unorthodox Faction… it seems like those people really like getting in my way.' Mira's eyes flashed with an ominous light, but she remained stoic so as not to wake up Maria.
Throughout most of her lives, even in the ones she experienced in the F.LD.I.L, she hardly ever provoked people. If she did, it was because they were competitors in the same business.
It wasn't in her nature to go around making enemies for no reason.
'But it seems like such a thing is impossible in this world. Just being alive makes me an enemy of someone. Even if that bastard never sent Sue Ming or interfered with the people of this world, I'd still make enemies. In fact, I do not doubt that the Crimson Slayer Sect wants my head right now.'
She turned around and looked at Maria, then glanced at the sky where the screens used to be. Mira stared at all her subordinates, the Battle Maiden Sect, and all the disciples.
Finally, she looked down and stared at her hands, which were perfectly smooth without a single blemish. These hands seemed so frail and delicate that one wouldn't believe they were stained with the blood of an uncountable number of corpses.
A faint image of her hands dripping in thick, viscous red blood overlapped with what was in front of her.
After a moment of thought, Mira finally made up her mind.
'May the world fall beneath my feet and the people tremble at my very name. Death will be a mercy for what's to come.'
Mira's eyes glowed, but this time, instead of crimson, a black light, as dark as the void, shone from within her eyes.
This light threatened to devour everything in its path, making Mira look like a demon straight out of the abyss. However, this only lasted a second before everything returned to normal, but the people looking at her didn't miss this.
Aelina frowned as she felt something had changed about Mira, but she wasn't sure what it was. All she knew was that this change might not necessarily be good.
Meanwhile, in an unknown location, the Guardian watched what was happening with a massive smile. His smile was so big that even his face had to distort to make room for it.
"She's finally about to start using the powers granted to her to their full potential! Ah! I can't wait to see what kind of chaos she'll show the world! Go! Go, Mira! Go show this world that you're the Firmament of Limitless Death and Infinite Life's Successor! Stop holding back and let loose a little!"
The world didn't know it yet, but this day was the start of a new era.
