Super Gene

“D*mn it! At a time like this?” Evil Eye asked, his face twisting. His body came to a complete stop, and he hovered in the air above Han Sen. He brought his hand up to touch the third eye, but as hard as he pressed against it, the eye refused to stop bleeding.

The red color spread across the eye, fighting the signature purple that tried to maintain control.

Pang!

Evil Eye fell from the sky. When he hit the ground, his knees thudded hard into the sand. The light that was shooting out of his wings released their grip on Han Sen, freeing him.

“That must be… That’s Lone Bamboo! His will hasn’t been destroyed by Purple Eye Butterfly!” the masked woman hollered.

“Hahaha! Nice! That’s my student, for you!” The Sky Palace leader let out an out-of-character laugh.

“Lone Bamboo’s fierce will is still there? Even an old monster like Purple Eye Butterfly can’t suppress his own will to go on?” Burning Lamp Alpha looked on, utterly flabbergasted.

“Oh, no!” As other people of Sky Palace were beaming with joy, Yun Sushang let out a sudden cry of terror.

“What’s up, sis? Brother Bamboo’s will is still present. Isn’t that a good thing?” Yun Suyi looked at Yun Sushang with a hefty dollop of confusion.

Yun Sushang’s eyebrows knitted with worry. “Yes, it is good that Lone Bamboo’s will is still there, but he is in the midst of a fight. And that means he has stopped doing combat with his opponent. And with Dollar now being free, there has been no greater chance for him to kill Evil Eye. But if he destroys Evil Eye, he will be destroying Lone Bamboo in the process…”

Before she finished speaking, everyone suddenly understood what she was getting at. That turned their excitement into fear.

The two opposing forces had been using all the powers they could muster. Dollar had only just been pinned by Evil Eye, and if Lone Bamboo’s will had not shown up when it did, Evil Eye would have surely annihilated him.

Now that Dollar was free and Evil Eye had lost control, this was his best chance to eliminate Evil Eye, once and for all. Dollar had just narrowly escaped death himself, so why would he hesitate to bring this fight to a decisive end?

Everyone in Sky Palace was worried. They were afraid that if Dollar killed Evil Eye, then Lone Bamboo would be lost with him.

And the people of Sky Palace weren’t the only onlookers feeling this way. The audience understood what was going on, and they acknowledged the stakes. If Dollar struck, the entire event would be brought to an end.

Evil Eye had been disturbed by the thrashing of Lone Bamboo’s will. He was too distracted to counter Dollar right now, so it was best for Dollar to kill him immediately while he had the chance.

Dollar and Evil Eye were mere feet apart, but no one could guess what would happen next. They only knew that Dollar would make the decision, for the ball was well and truly in his court.

Dollar did not move，though. He just looked at Evil Eye, who was kneeling before him. It didn丨t look as if he had any intention of attacking.

“Struggling is useless. Give it up!” Evil Eye barked, his Sky eye shining with purple light.

The next second, however, Evil Eye’s Sky eye turned red. Then, Lone Bamboo’s voice sounded through his mouth. “I have waited so long, and you have finally decided to combine fully with my body. There is nowhere to run now, even if you wish to.”

“You think you can fight me?” The Sky eye turned purple, and when it did, Evil Eye’s voice spoke.

The Sky eye kept flashing between the colors purple and red. Evil Eye and Lone Bamboo’s wills kept fighting against each other. It looked like a pretty intense battle, as the controls for their shared vessel kept switching between the pair.

The people in Sky Palace were happy that Dollar had not made a move to kill Evil Eye or Lone Bamboo.

“That Dollar is not a bad man,” the Sky Palace leader said.

“Is Dollar crazy? Why doesn’t he move to smite Evil Eye now while he can?” Someone frowned.

“Maybe he is worried that Sky Palace would go after him if he did that.”

“True. There is no need for him to offend Sky Palace for the sake of his reputation.”

While everyone was talking, Lone Bamboo and Evil Eye’s fight continued.

“Of course I can fight you. I am fighting with you now.” Lone Bamboo’s voice sounded once more.

“I have lived for millions of years, and in each lifetime, I became deified. My will is strong, and you have only lived for a few meager decades. It is pointless trying to fight me!” Evil Eye shouted.

The red took over the Sky eye again, and then, Lone Bamboo spoke calmly. He said, “You are strong, and you keep becoming deified. But you always win, don’t you? You have never experienced what it’s like to be crushed. You don’t know defeat, and you don’t know what it is like to lose all hope.”

“I don’t need to know, and that’s because I will keep winning,” Evil Eye hissed.

“Why don’t you try to submit to defeat? Feel the bitter pangs of disappointment.” The Sky eye had turned red again. When Lone Bamboo regained control of the body, his fingers turned into a sword. Then he brought it up to his forehead.

Bzzt!

The swordmind touched his forehead and went into his own body.

“Spirit sword!” Han Sen, upon seeing Lone Bamboo’s fingers, looked utterly shocked. He knew exactly what Lone Bamboo was doing.

His will was not enough to triumph over Evil Eye’s, but Lone Bamboo had suffered the sadness of a multitude of nightmare lifetimes.

Now, Evil Eye and Lone Bamboo were together. When their combined emotions were unleashed, Evil Eye would have to suffer the plague of depression, as well.

Lone Bamboo had suffered through a lot that Evil Eye never had. He was strong like a deified being, but with those emotional terrors, it was difficult for him to maintain control and stay conscious.

This was what Lone Bamboo had been waiting for. He hadn’t fought Evil Eye yet because the monster still hadn’t fully combined with Lone Bamboo’s body. If Lone Bamboo had used the bad emotions earlier, then Evil Eye could have escaped them.

Lone Bamboo finally had the chance he had been waiting for. Now was his opportunity to exact revenge.

The spirit sword unleashed the bottled emotions of sadness, and the flood drowned the opposing force of willpower. Evil Eye and Lone Bamboo sank under the overwhelming sadness. And right then, Lone Bamboo became the boss.

“Enjoy what it is like to experience failure and hopelessness!” Lone Bamboo exclaimed.

“Impossible… how… argh!” Evil Eye let out a scream. The grueling emotions were ravaging his willpower. They were washing away all he thought true into the oceans of misery.

Han Sen had experienced the nightmares once before, and after his brief time, he already lost himself to them. But now, Evil Eye had taken over Lone Bamboo’s body. That meant he was Lone Bamboo, and that also meant he had accepted all the emotions that burdened the man. All of a sudden, countless varieties of hopelessness were being forced onto his shoulders. Even a deified elite would be crippled by all that.

Lone Bamboo’s third eye continued to bleed blood. His expression held shock and sadness, but most of all, it was filled with despair.