½ Prince

Chapter 4: Celestial’s Fury – translated by ErodingPersona

“Scorching Flame?”

I had no idea how long I was just standing there staring when an anxious voice suddenly echoed out. I tentatively looked to where the voice had come from, and my eyes fell upon Celestial… Celestial? I half-crawled, half-rushed to him, hugging him as I asked, “Gui, you’re not dead?”

“Gui?” Celestial answered, bewildered, “What are you saying? Scorching Flame?”

I stiffened. This wasn’t Gui. This was the real Celestial. Hoarsely, I asked, “Are you really Celestial?”

Celestial blanked out for quite some time, and replied with a strange tone, “Of course I’m Celestial.”

Gui really has disappeared. I squatted on the floor again, and said bitterly, “I am not Scorching Flame. I am Prince.”

“Prince?” Celestial asked in bewilderment as he examined me. “You really are Prince!”

“Then what are you still doing here?” Celestial suddenly jumped up. “This is the Northern Continent. If all Four Heavenly Kings arrive, I wouldn’t be able to protect you by myself.”

I laughed dryly, “The Four Heavenly Kings? There is only one Heavenly King now.”

Celestial was startled, as if struck by lightning. “What do you mean?”

I clenched my fists, and said the words that broke my heart, “Wicked and Scorching Flame have perished together, and Gui has just disappeared along with Clay Child and Flowing Wind.”

“You-you killed them?!” Celestial shouted in disbelief as he trembled.

I blanked out. “We” killed “them?” Does he mean that Gui and Wicked killed Scorching Flame, Flowing Wind and Clay Child? I tilted my head up and looked at Celestial, whose face was filled with sorrow and fury.

“Didn’t they hate you?” I couldn’t stop myself and asked, “Why are you so worried about them?”

“They were only children.” Celestial roared. “They were only children who didn’t know any better. They never caused much harm, so why did you, why……” At this point, Celestial broke down in tears and couldn’t speak anymore.

My heart burned with anger. “Had they not captured me, Wicked and Gui would also not have had to perish with them, and anyway, it’s not just them who disappeared. Wicked and Gui have also disappeared.”

Celestial suddenly gripped my collar, eyes turned bloodshot in his grief. “Don’t you dare compare Wicked and Gui to them; you know that you all still have a life in the real world, unlike us. Once we die, we have nothing left. Don’t tell me you don’t understand this?”

I stared… It was true, at least in the real world, they still existed as Zhuo-gēgē and Professor Min Gui Wen, but Scorching Flame, Flowing Wind and Clay Child on the other hand had nothing left. Just as I would feel upset over Wicked and Gui, naturally Celestial would also be furious over his fellow self-aware NPCs.

“I’m sorry!” I apologized in a tight voice. I never thought I would be the cause of Celestial’s bad mood.

“Sorry? Do you think the lives of three of my companions are worth just one apology? Hahaha, that is such a fair exchange, truly it is!” Celestial laughed madly, the corner of his eyes filling with tears.

“Human!” Celestial swiveled his head around. Besides directing his vengeful gaze on me, he stepped closer and closer to me…

“You are all too selfish. Just like the Dictator said, to you, we are all just a bunch of numbers. We will never be valued as another life.”

“But we also have feelings: we feel sad, we feel pain, and we feel love!” When he said love, Celestial’s face softened.

“Even though Scorching Flame and Flowing Wind didn’t like me, they never attacked me.” Celestial’s face held a sorrowful look. “The Dictator and I are the same; we don’t want to lose what few companions we have.”

“But in one short day, I lost three of my companions, and the one who brought their murderers to the Northern Continent was me,” Celestial roared.

Celestial has gone mad and he really will kill me, I realized as I stared at his bloodshot eyes filled with vengeance. I suddenly became fully aware of the fact that Celestial really hated me right now. I stepped back, yet I couldn’t think of a way to escape.

Thunder sounded… Really, thunder on a sunny day? I tilted my head to face the heavens. Can it really be that “He” also thought that we had been too outrageous in our deeds?

“Ah…” A faint sigh echoed around Flower City. “Celestial, come back, I don’t want to lose you again.”

Celestial blinked and swiveled his head toward the tower with a large rose, eyes filled with regret and hurt, and then Celestial looked passionately at me and said, “I will take you to see the Dictator and let him decide everything.”

“See the Dictator?” I stood up quickly. Could it be that Celestial wants to help the Dictator exterminate me?

“Yes, no matter what has happened, I finally managed to get you here to Flower City… I sacrificed three companions for this; of course I will bring you to see the Dictator.” The look on Celestial’s face… Maybe I was reading his face wrong, but to me he had a look of triumph that said that his plan had finally succeeded.

“Celestial, you couldn’t have been sent by the Dictator?”…A spy? After all, Celestial now wore an extremely serious and sorrowful look on his face. It was completely different from the silly, naïve personality that I had become used to, and I really couldn’t shake off my doubts that the Celestial before had only pretended to be silly and naïve.

Celestial was silent, before finally saying, “Yes, the Dictator sent me. Even the Four Heavenly Kings didn’t know about this.”

“You lied to Doll?” My face darkened. Doll had already started to accept Celestial. If she found out that Celestial had been lying to her all along, she would definitely be upset.

“I never!” Celestial roared, “My wife is my wife, the orders that the Dictator gave are the orders that the Dictator gave! These two things have nothing to do with each other!”

“You’re still a spy anyway,” I roared back.

Celestial’s face reddened. He walked in circles, furious but unable to refute me. He finally sucked in a deep breath, turned to me and said, “No matter what has happened, you have to follow me to see the Dictator.”

What a joke. If I were under attack by both Celestial and the Dictator, escape would be impossible, never mind being able to kill the Dictator. I slowly backed away, prepared to run at any given moment.

“Let’s go, Prince. The Dictator will decide everything.” Celestial rubbed away the tears at the corner of his eyes and steeled himself.

“There’s no…” I swallowed. If I fought against Celestial, the chances of me winning would be… less than zero. If I just focused on escaping, what would my chances be?

“Celestial, if I fought against you, what are the chances of me escaping successfully?” I couldn’t help myself and asked aloud… Then I thought, if someone asked their enemy when they were about to fight against them what the chances of successfully escaping were… Wasn’t that a blatant declaration to the enemy that they wanted to run? I had just done something stupid again.

Celestial, however, seriously considered this and answered me, “Approximately… less than ten percent. After all, I can fly and you only have two legs to run with.”

“But if there were someone standing in your way?”

“That… That would depend on how powerful the person was.” Celestial answered again, but I blinked. I haven’t even opened my mouth to ask?

“Someone around the same level as you.” Ocean’s Heart suddenly descended from the sky between me and Celestial.

“Ocean… You’re still alive?” Celestial let loose a relieved sigh, but couldn’t help the anxious expression that came across his face. “The only one left out of the Four Heavenly Kings is you.”

Ocean’s Heart smiled, swiveled his head to me and said, “Ah, you can’t beat the Dictator of Life. No matter what, you will never be able to defeat him, so I purposely led you to Mount HuaLian… I didn’t think that you would head to Flower City to see the Dictator on your own.”

I was stunned. I couldn’t beat the Dictator… That’s why Ocean’s Heart purposely led me to Mount HuaLian? Ocean’s Heart had been preventing me from running to my death at Flower City?

“Hurry up and leave. I will help you block Celestial,” Ocean’s Heart pressed.

I won’t go. If I go, wouldn’t Wicked and Gui’s death be for naught? I switch to the PM channel and calmly asked the others, “Where are all of you? Can you immediately head to Flower City?”

“There’s still a fair distance.” Lolidragon hastily asked, “Did anything happen? Has Gui found you yet?”

“Gui…” I started choking again.

“Did something happen to Gui?” Wolf-dàgē was surprised, but a moment later heavily said, “No matter what has happened, Prince, come over and join us. Believe me; all our power together will definitely be stronger than yours alone.”

“That’s right, Prince, don’t act on your own again.” Yu Lian-dàsăo also spoke up with worry, “Everyone is worried about you!”

I stared at Ocean’s Heart’s battle with Celestial, and thought over Wolf-dàgē’s words. It’s true; it’s better to return to everyone now. I suddenly had a fleeting desire to be by my comrades’ side, to battle together with everyone… fighting until we reach the Dictator of Life!

“Okay.” I made up my mind. “Wolf-dàgē, wait for me. I will go now and look for you.”

I immediately ran out of the city gates; Ocean’s Heart would help me by distracting Celestial. Not to mention, I now had Scorching Flame’s appearance, so the other NPCs wouldn’t attack me in this form. If I don’t run now, when will I get the chance again?

“Prince, wait…” Celestial’s surprised voice echoed out. “Celestial Satin!”

The minute the words were uttered, countless white, silken strips surrounded and attacked me. I ducked and dodged desperately, but the silken strips proved too much for me. The strips bound me tightly, and rendered futile my attempts at running away. Covered with a transparent membrane, I really felt like I was completely wrapped in white cloth, like an actual mummy.

“Feathers of Ice!” Ocean’s Heart raged, and the silken strips became embedded with small feather-shaped crystals. The silken strips binding me were torn apart.

“Ocean’s Heart, you…” Celestial was surprised at Ocean’s Heart’s actions, and then explained, “I am only bringing him to see the Dictator; I have no intention of harming him.”

Celestial stopped short, and asked curiously, “Yet you, who has never cared about anything… Why are you preventing me from capturing Prince?”

Ocean’s Heart gave a small smile. “That’s because I’m siding with the humans!”

I tilted my head up and stared at Ocean’s Heart. It’s siding with us?

“What are you waiting for, Prince? Hurry up and leave.” Ocean’s Heart lightly chastised me.

Startled, I immediately continued my unfinished task – escaping.

“Ocean, this is too much! I must bring Prince to the Dictator!” Celestial roared.

“Hmph, let’s see you try.” Ocean’s Heart’s tone of voice turned cold and stern.

“Celestial Satin!”

“Feathers of Ice!”

“Stop!” A thunderous roar sounded again.

The roar made the earth shake terrifyingly. The buildings beside the street groaned, and a few wooden structures even crumbled to the ground. If measured on the Richter scale, this earthquake would be rated at a 7.0… I swallowed and looked at the wooden house a mere few steps from me. No, it could not be called a house anymore. It was now just a pile of logs.

“I warned you, never attack your comrades!”

“Dictator!” Celestial looked toward the Central Tower with panic. His face held both remorse and obedience. “I’m sorry. I should not have forgotten your orders, but I wanted to bring Prince to see you.”

“I do not want to see him right now!”

“Dictator?” Celestial asked in surprise.

“I don’t want to see him. All I want to do now is kill him. Flowing Wind, Clay Child, Scorching Flame…”

Hearing this, Celestial turned to me and said, “Hurry up and leave. You can’t meet the Dictator right now.”

What sort of situation is this? Didn’t the Dictator want to kill me? Why is Celestial telling me to hurry up and leave? I couldn’t stop myself and asked, “Don’t you all want to kill me?”

“Leave when I tell you to! If you still continue asking so many questions, I really will capture you and hand you over to be killed by the Dictator myself!” Celestial half-heartedly threatened me, using Celestial Satin to surround me.

“Wait a minute, I…” I still wanted to continue asking, but dozens of Celestial Satin ribbons started forcefully pushing me out of Flower City, and the enormous city gate behind my back sealed itself, leaving me standing there alone outside the city to be chilled by the wind.

“Ah!” I shrieked, then moaned, “I forgot to ask Celestial to take me to look for the Execution Squad. My god, I will get lost!”

The sounds of multiple people tripping and falling seemed to come from behind the gates!

Footnotes

“Clay Child”: In online text of the series, Prince uses Celestial’s name here, which is a mistake. This was fixed in the print version.

“He”: The “He” here refers to God.