Forever Together

Tian Zhu embraced An Qi Er amidst the flames, his fingers twined around the boy's blood-streaked silver hair, whispering gently, "An Qi Er, you will die in my arms. Soon, you will achieve new life, and then we shall leave the human world, to remain forever in the Garden of Eden."

"We will live forever in the Garden of Eden, far from humanity," Tian Zhu murmured softly.

An Qi Er was already in such pain that his mind was unclear, yet upon hearing Tian Zhu speak of "forever in the Garden of Eden," a flame of fury suddenly ignited in his heart. Whether it was Hua Jian or Tian Zhu, neither of them wanted anything but to imprison him. Tian Zhu's so-called paternal love, Hua Jian's so-called affection, they believed their feelings were moving, yet they were destroying him.

Why must he be destroyed again and again? Why couldn't they be the ones destroyed? Just like now, why must he die? And why couldn't Tian Zhu be the one to die?

He had done nothing wrong, yet he was tormented to death by the populace, and now he was about to be burned alive. Why must he bear their wrath? Why didn't those weak, bullying, deceitful people die instead? The one who should die was not him, but them.

Once the seed of slaughter was sown in the soul, it immediately took root and sprouted, blossoming into a flower of sin. The fire had spread to An Qi Er's face; his beautiful features were burned away, revealing stark white bones. His amber eyes no longer held their former innocence, but were instead filled with deep-seated hatred and murderous intent.

A black butterfly flew down from above; the Slaughtering Angel descended upon the human world. Many black butterflies flew into the fire, engulfing Tian Zhu. These black butterflies landed on An Qi Er's ravaged body, the flames and the black butterflies together devouring the An Qi Er of the past.

The once bright sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds. In the middle of the square, the iron pillar binding the demon instantly erupted in towering flames. An Qi Er stepped out of the fire, the murderous aura around him freezing time itself. The angel was reborn from the flames, returning once more in the guise of a demon.

An Qi Er, now acknowledged by the soul of the Slaughtering Angel, slowly approached the populace. Everyone looked at the man, a phantom in the square, with a black butterfly tattoo on his forehead carrying a terrifying cursed aura. But more terrifying were his deep black eyes, like black holes, yearning to slaughter all.

An Qi Er killed half the people in the square; the other half knelt on the ground, wailing for mercy.

"Am I a demon?" An Qi Er lifted a man, asking gently.

"You are not a demon!" The man trembled, "You are an angel, the purest angel!"

An Qi Er looked at another kneeling person: "Did I bewitch the great noble?"

"No, no, Your Excellency did not bewitch the great noble, it was the great noble who loved you!"

An Qi Er looked at the third person: "Did I cause the 'White Flower Plague'?"

The third person quickly replied, "It wasn't you! It wasn't you!"

"If none of these things were my doing, then why did you want to kill me?" An Qi Er frowned, appearing confused.

Amidst the desperate pleas and cries for mercy, An Qi Er slaughtered everyone in the square. The last person, before dying, hugged his leg, praising him as the purest, kindest angel.

An Qi Er sighed softly, "Kindness is the most useless thing in this world. One must be a little corrupt, a little cruel, to be happier."

After killing everyone, An Qi Er stretched, his beautiful amber eyes glinting with cold light. A few drops of blood adorned his exquisite face, making him utterly cold and enchanting. The white camellia had finally transformed into a blood-soaked rose; its smooth, dry branches grew sharp thorns. It had finally become a thorny rose.

Tian Zhu appeared two meters from An Qi Er, quietly observing him. An Qi Er also looked at Tian Zhu; he had been recognized by the Slaughtering Angel, becoming the demon's proxy soul. Although the Slaughtering Angel bore the name of an angel, it was in fact a Fallen Angel, belonging to the demonic faction. So, what would Tian Zhu feel upon seeing the angel he created transform into a demon? Surely astonishment, and his desire to kill him would only intensify.

Tian Zhu slowly approached. As the distance closed, An Qi Er clearly saw the expression on his face: it was not anger, but joy, an uncontrollable joy!

"Xue, I won this time," Tian Zhu said cryptically.

An Qi Er frowned. Who was Xue? What did he mean by "won"?

"An Qi Er," Tian Zhu gazed at him, "Kill me, or you will be imprisoned by me forever, forever."

The blood on An Qi Er's hands had not yet dried. Hearing this, he completely disregarded Tian Zhu's expectant expression and fiercely squeezed his neck.

Tian Zhu enticed, "Only by killing me can you gain freedom."

"Only by killing me can you truly become powerful."

An Qi Er picked up a piece of torture device from the ground and severed Tian Zhu's head. Blood spurted, splashing all over An Qi Er. The card in Tian Zhu's hand fell to the ground, and An Qi Er picked it up. It was a card with God's portrait, but it looked as if covered by a film. An Qi Er wiped it, the film disappeared, revealing the card's true appearance: it was the Satan card.

The Satan card turned into fine powder in An Qi Er's hand. God commanded angels, while Satan commanded demons. Tian Zhu was not "God," but "Satan." Satan's blood seeped into An Qi Er's skin; his skin began to frantically absorb the blood. His blood permeated his soul, awakening the dark, malicious side within. His mind was dominated by slaughter; he began to kill wildly. Countless rivers of blood appeared in the human world, bodies floated everywhere. The human world ultimately became hell.

After Tian Zhu was "killed" by An Qi Er, Hua Jian finally regained consciousness and found An Qi Er. At that time, An Qi Er had just finished killing an entire city's worth of people. He sat on a pile of corpses, staring blankly at the crimson sky.

Hua Jian climbed over the pile of corpses, looking at him, "An Qi Er." But he seemed not to hear, still lost in thought.

"It was my fault for not protecting you well," Hua Jian said with immense pain. He walked over and embraced An Qi Er, whose eyes were vacant, staring blankly at him.

"I'll take you back," Hua Jian held him tightly.

An Qi Er rested his head on Hua Jian's shoulder. After being carried for a while, he regained consciousness. He saw the piles of corpses and recalled his actions over the past few days.

"I've killed so many people," An Qi Er said. When he killed the people in the square, he felt exhilarated. When he killed Tian Zhu, he felt relieved. But after Tian Zhu's blood merged with his soul, he became immersed in uncontrollable slaughter, driven by instinct, unable to control himself.

Hua Jian gently patted his back, comforting him softly.