Dominion's End

Dominion's End V3C10: Returning Home, Part One

Dominion's End Volume 3: Ice-Bound Splendor and Majesty

Original novel in Chinese by: 御我 (Yu Wo)

Chapter 10: Returning Home, Part One—translated by Michimochi (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)

Standing amidst a world of ice and snow, I suddenly felt that this world might no longer have anyone left in it. I panicked, but then I heard a crunching noise. I whipped my head around, searching for the origin of the sound, and found it with a single glance. There was someone else on the snowy field. Such a huge tail was so eye-catching, he simply couldn't hide.

Thirteen had his back to me, as if planning to escape. Even though I'm heavily injured, there's no way he isn't more severely wounded than me, plus he's afraid of the cold!

I gave a cold laugh. Ignoring how injured I was, I raised my ice spear and dagger, formed ice blades below my feet, and glided over stubbornly. Thirteen noticed me as well and doggedly continued to run, but how could he run faster than me?

In just a blink of an eye, I caught up to him and went to kick him. Although he dodged it, his feet slipped out from under him, and he fell to the ground. His fall was a serious one. His whole body had slammed into the ground. For some reason, he hadn't used his hands to catch himself. He looked quite miserable, with his face held just off the ground.

Sneering, I wielded the ice spear. Right when I went to thrust the spear into his back, to finish this fellow off once and for all, his bizarre posture caught my attention. Looking closely, it was as if he was hugging some sort of object.

Is he trying to trick me? I hesitated for a moment. The anxiety I felt was probably unwarranted. Thirteen's actions up until now showed how much smarter he was than other aberrants, but it wasn't to the point of scheming.

I even had the feeling that this guy looked down on scheming.

"Turn around," I demanded.

Thirteen did exactly as commanded. To be this obedient, he must really be injured pretty badly. He didn't even have any energy left in him to resist. Once he turned around, a tiny body held within his arms appeared—it was actually Beibei.

I was stunned. I stretched out my hand, wanting to take the little girl, but Beibei actually tightened her hold around Thirteen's neck. She seemed very attached to him. On the other hand, she used an expression filled with horror to look at me.

The little girl trembled. I originally thought it was because she was afraid, but Thirteen pulled his white robe over her, struggling to cover her. Then, I finally understood. Our surroundings were a field of ice and snow. If it wasn't for Thirteen holding her, Beibei would probably have frozen to death by now.

The Ice Emperor and I had almost killed Beibei, while Thirteen was actually protecting Beibei the entire time. What kind of bizarre situation is this? Why do I feel like I'm actually the villain? This is so ridiculous that I want to laugh.

"You want to kill me?" Thirteen cautiously peered at the ice spear, terrified of it.

What a good question. I really should kill him and snatch away the little girl. Then, I should head east right away and find Dàgē and Xiǎomèi. After that, I should continuously strengthen the Jiang territory, become a top-tier elite with the most powerful troop backing me up, and kill every single MORC member. I would be unchallenged in this apocalyptic world... How come this sounds so much like Xia Zhengu's ambition?

"Jiang Shuyu?"

I looked at Thirteen. He had actually remembered my name well.

"Thirteen, do you hate humans?"