The black and white doors suddenly erupted with an unprecedented force of attraction.
Shen Yiyue, standing on the left, was instantly pulled into the black door, while Ning Yu and Ning Xuan were drawn into the white one.
In truth, the pull wasn’t strong enough to overpower Ning Yu’s current physical strength, but she feigned weakness and allowed herself to be dragged into the white door alongside Ning Xuan.
Just before entering their respective doors, Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue shared a strange glance, as if exchanging some unspoken signal.
Then, they each stepped into the spiral passageways that matched the map.
The passage was devoid of light, disorienting, making it feel as though they were moving forward one moment and backward the next.
But Ning Yu remained calm.
“Xiao Xuan, what’s going on?”
Ning Yu, leading the way, turned to ask Ning Xuan if she knew anything, but Ning Xuan, who was following closely behind, didn’t respond. Instead, she clutched her head in pain once more.
Her prosthetic devices began emitting a faint sizzling sound, white smoke curling out as if something had malfunctioned.
“I... I... my head hurts so much, sister...”
The blue light in her eyes flickered erratically, as though she had fallen into a state of chaos.
Ning Yu turned back and took Ning Xuan’s small hand in hers. The mechanical wings on her back, now low on energy, had retracted.
Seeing the pained and helpless expression on Ning Xuan’s face, Ning Yu gently embraced her, cradling her smaller frame in her arms.
“Don’t be afraid, your sister is here...”
Feeling Ning Yu’s tender touch, Ning Xuan’s eyes slowly widened, as if she had suddenly snapped out of something.
Her expression shifted dramatically, now filled with urgency and desperation:
“No... sister... this is a trap-trap-trap-trap...”
Her voice was laced with mechanical distortions, and the word “trap” began to loop endlessly.
Ning Yu noticed that blue tears were streaming from Ning Xuan’s eyes, a sign that the malfunction had grown severe.
She recognized these tears; she had seen them countless times in the cycles of reincarnation. Ning Xuan only shed such tears for her.
Ning Yu raised her hand and gently wiped the tears from Ning Xuan’s face, staining her own pale hand with a faint blue hue.
The tears weren’t warm like those of a human; they were cold, yet Ning Yu could sense something within them.
“Go... now...”
Before Ning Xuan could finish the word “go,” the light in her eyes dimmed completely, returning to the calm, lifeless state from before.
She wasn’t dead, but it was as if something else had taken over her.
The ‘Ning Xuan’ now stared silently at Ning Yu, the signs of malfunction seemingly gone.
Ning Yu didn’t look at her anymore but kept a firm grip on Ning Xuan’s hand.
“Your sister will save you soon.”
Not long after, following the map’s guidance, the spiral passage came to an end, and a circular archway appeared before Ning Yu.
She glanced to the side but saw no sign of Shen Yiyue, unsure where the black door had taken her.
“Your sister is inside.”
The ‘Ning Xuan’ beside her spoke again, her voice now icy cold, as if she no longer recognized Ning Yu.
Ning Yu turned to face ‘Ning Xuan,’ her amber eyes glinting with a cold light as she calmly met the gaze of what had once been Ning Xuan’s eyes.
“Leon, have you heard of the Suppression Force?”
‘Ning Xuan’ didn’t respond, only smiling faintly, saying nothing.
Ning Yu smiled back, narrowing her eyes.
She didn’t speak further, stepping forward to push open the archway’s door.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble...”
The door slowly creaked open, revealing a dim red light that barely illuminated the interior.
Ning Yu walked in, and under the faint light, rows of containers came into view. They were empty but filled with some kind of liquid, as if they had once held something.
Ning Yu’s vision was sharp even in the darkness. Her gaze swept past countless containers until it landed on the farthest one.
Floating inside was a head, one she knew all too well—it was Ning Xuan.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her expression pained as she floated in the liquid. All her prosthetic devices seemed to have been removed.
So, the ‘Ning Xuan’ behind her now...
Before Ning Yu could turn around, she heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air.
“Clang!!”
Blood Kite suddenly appeared in front of Ning Yu, blocking the blade from ‘Ning Xuan.’ The light from the blade illuminated ‘Ning Xuan’s’ cold, emotionless eyes.
Ning Yu’s combat skills far surpassed ‘Ning Xuan’s,’ but she didn’t strike back with lethal force. Instead, she deflected the blade to the side.
“Crash!!”
A series of clattering sounds followed as ‘Ning Xuan’s’ blade struck a nearby container, shattering it instantly.
The liquid inside spilled onto the ground, spreading rapidly.
‘Ning Xuan’ slowly rose into the air, the flames from her prosthetic devices blazing brightly. She tilted her chin up, looking down at Ning Yu with disdain.
“What’s the matter? Afraid to hurt your sister?”
The flames surged, and she lunged at Ning Yu with incredible speed, her metal blade clashing against Blood Kite once more.
“Stop using my sister’s body to speak.”
Ning Yu held Blood Kite with one hand, effortlessly parrying Ning Xuan’s attacks.
Their blades locked together, but Ning Yu didn’t press the attack. Meanwhile, additional devices extended from ‘Ning Xuan’s’ prosthetics.
A probe emerged, glowing with a blue light, aimed directly at Ning Yu.
Ning Yu sensed danger, hesitating over whether to destroy the devices.
But just then, ‘Ning Xuan’ clutched her head again, collapsing to the ground in pain, trembling as if fighting against something.
“I... won’t let you... hurt... my sister!!”
The light in her eyes flickered wildly, as if Ning Xuan’s true consciousness had awakened once more. She raised one of her bladed arms and forcefully severed the other.
“Clang!”
The severed arm fell to the ground, exposing transistors and circuits, sparks of electricity crackling from the stump.
She was determined to stop herself from harming her sister.
“Oh? Impressive. You can resist my will.”
A deep male voice suddenly echoed through the air.