Volume One: First Steps in the City Chapter Thirty-Five: The Fourth Night – Unexpected Encounters

But this was only the change outside the formation; within it, something entirely unexpected was unfolding for Lu Yi. As the formation trembled, the purifying liquid that constructed it also soared into the air, transforming into irregular globes that hovered in place, radiating a pristine white light and illuminating the darkness all around.

Lu Yi stared, dumbfounded, at the spectacle. At last, his gaze shifted to the Demon Hunter dagger, its hilt protruding from the cement where it had been embedded. Was this truly the same blade that once failed to even scratch him? How could it be so fierce in another’s hand?

Of course, Lu Yi kept these thoughts to himself, for something else quickly caught his attention. Perhaps influenced by the earlier disturbance, the hood that had always concealed the robed figure’s head slipped off, revealing her golden, wavy hair.

As Lu Yi admired her golden locks, the girl seemed to sense his gaze and turned her head. To his astonishment, her eyes had become gold as well. Just as he wondered if his glance had bothered her, she redirected her gaze elsewhere, making it clear she hadn’t noticed him at all.

Relieved, Lu Yi sensed a subtle shift in the surroundings. He followed the direction of her gaze, and beyond the shimmering purifying droplets, something seemed to be approaching.

Suddenly, Lu Yi noticed that some of the droplets, which had been shining with white light, began to dim. He quickly turned to look. It was no illusion—black smoke, the kind he had seen before, silently passed through these droplets, causing their light to fade.

Lu Yi then realized that the wall of light formed by the purifying droplets was not threatened by just one stream of black smoke, but many. Fortunately, the smoke was not corroding the droplets in wide patches, but rather threading through them, one by one.

The girl watched quietly, until, at a certain moment, she suddenly drew the Demon Hunter dagger, slashed her arm, and flung it toward a certain spot. In that instant, Lu Yi sensed an explosive surge of energy from the dagger, rippling through the surroundings as if the blade were lashing out at entities from another dimension.

A strange sound echoed as the dagger was thrown—a penetrating, non-human roar. With its eruption, the entire mall shuddered, the lights elsewhere flickered, and the wall of light before Lu Yi and the others dimmed block by block.

This scene clearly surprised the girl. After a brief hesitation, she reluctantly produced a small knife, swiftly cut her left arm, and blood flowed out. She dipped her right hand in the blood and pressed it against the wall of light, which immediately grew brighter. When she withdrew her hand, not a trace of blood remained.

“You’re hurt,” Lu Yi said, pointing at her arm as he took out some gauze.

“It’s pointless. My blood is different; ordinary methods can’t stop it. But I’ve wounded it—it won’t linger here much longer. Once it’s gone, I’ll deal with it with the Demon Hunter,” she replied, as blood continued to well from her arm. Only now did Lu Yi notice that her blood shimmered with flecks of gold.

“My name is Katerina,” she remarked, almost inexplicably.

“Katerina,” Lu Yi repeated.

“I’d rather those who gain so much from me at least know my name.” Katerina then glanced at Lu Yi. “Take off your shirt.”

“Gain?” Lu Yi looked at her arm and realized she must intend to draw something on him.

Meanwhile, as the echo of the first roar faded, a second one erupted, shaking the mall even more violently. Shards of broken glass rained down from above.

But, perhaps because the formation had absorbed Katerina’s blood, it remained unaffected.

Katerina seemed prepared for this. Dipping her finger in blood, she traced patterns and symbols onto Lu Yi’s skin. As she drew, Lu Yi felt a current of energy seep from his skin into his body, then be drawn towards his left eye. Hope stirred in his heart—could this restore his sight?

After completing a circle of symbols, Katerina murmured incantations and pressed her palm to his shoulder, but nothing happened.

“That’s odd…” Katerina was clearly puzzled. She tapped a few of the patterns, quickly grasping the situation.

“So you’re not as ordinary as you seemed,” she said, glancing at Lu Yi before beginning to draw anew.

The roar sounded a third time, and its fury was palpable, reaching its peak.

With this last roar, every ceramic and glass item in the mall shattered, shards fell from the ceiling, cracks spidered through the supporting cement pillars, and even the mall’s outer walls splintered and collapsed, sending crowds outside scrambling for safety.

This final wave was truly formidable—Katerina hadn’t anticipated it. As the mall quaked, she instinctively lunged toward Lu Yi, her wounded arm pressed against him.

Once they regained their footing, Katerina immediately sensed something amiss. She cried out, “You—what are you?”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yi asked, puzzled, as he saw the blood on her arm begin to flow in reverse, seeping into his body. Katerina swung her arm, but could not withdraw it, as if some force bound her to him.

“You’re absorbing my blood—stop!” Katerina pleaded, growing frantic.

Her once pale face became even paler, her lips losing their color. Lu Yi realized something was wrong, but he felt nothing—he had no way to control the power at work.

Seeing her lips fade further, Lu Yi desperately untied his necktie and wrapped it tightly around her arm, hoping to staunch the flow. “Don’t—” Katerina began, but before she could finish, a golden phantom appeared behind her. A surge of power erupted from her, instantly shattering the necktie.

Repelled by this force, Lu Yi finally felt something stir within him—a current of energy extending from his left eye, connecting him and Katerina through their blood. Despair crossed Katerina’s face; she could sense that even if Lu Yi was thrown away, the energy would continue to siphon her vital blood.

At this critical moment, Lu Yi’s left eye finally awakened once more, the rounded six-pointed star reappearing at its depths.