The apocalypse is coming, but thankfully I have a harem of paper dolls.

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Leida was somewhat surprised to find that Zhou Yaoyang was lucky to be alive, and that none of his three wounds were in vital areas. She then reconsidered, wondering if she didn't need to rush to kill him. Perhaps she should try to extract some information from him first?

But Zhou Yaoyang was like a beast that had gone berserk in response to stress. With the thought that he would never let Leda get away with it, flames erupted all over his body as he rushed towards Leda, his fiery fists bringing with them a scorching wind.

"call!"

In a flash, Leda's figure disappeared in front of Zhou Yaoyang, and Zhou Yaoyang's punch missed.

The female knight's astonishing speed both surprised and angered Zhou Yaoyang. At this moment, Zhou Yaoyang turned around sharply and found that Leda had already appeared a dozen feet behind him, standing upright, holding a light greatsword horizontally in her right hand in a "one-wing stance".

"Die!" Zhou Yaoyang roared, his eyes bloodshot, as he turned around and his hands, burning with flames, suddenly extended and slammed towards Leda.

Almost simultaneously, Leda swung her sword in a sweeping motion.

"Shhhhh!"

With three consecutive horizontal slashes, severed limbs and flesh flew everywhere, and flames surged.

"what--!"

"my hand……"

"my hand!!!"

Zhou Yaoyang's shrill scream suddenly rang out. Ever since he gained the ability to control fire and rubberize his body for some reason, he had conducted experiments and determined that ordinary weapons could not effectively kill his extremely tough limbs.

Little did he know that he was facing a heroic swordsman from a world of high magic, and besides, Leda's sword was no ordinary weapon.

"Tick, tick, tick, tick..."

At this moment, Leda, wearing metal combat boots, walked heavily to Zhou Yaoyang.

Zhou Yaoyang, whose hands had been severed, was already kneeling on the ground, clutching his arms which were not yet completely gone, and was bending over, burying his head in his hands, wailing in pain.

The difference in strength between the two sides was too great. Besides the excruciating pain from his wounds, what made Zhou Yaoyang feel even more desperate was that he clearly realized he was no match for Leda and could only be slaughtered at her mercy.

Standing in front of Zhou Yaoyang, Leida pointed her sword at him, but did not immediately kill him. Instead, she said in a deep voice, "If you want to live, answer a few questions for me."

Zhou Yaoyang's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He forced himself to endure the pain and looked up at Leda's knight's helmet, which completely covered her head: "You...who exactly are you?!"

Seeing that Zhou Yaoyang actually turned around and asked a question, Leida frowned and kicked Zhou Yaoyang, her metal combat boots stomping hard on the broken part of Zhou Yaoyang's wrist.

"what--!"

In excruciating pain, Zhou Yaoyang let out an even more piercing scream than before.

"answer my question."

Leida emphasized this point, then asked Zhou Yaoyang, "Tell me, are you looking for a woman named Ma Xiaolian?"

"Yes, yes!" Fearing that Rita would rub her wounds again, Zhou Yaoyang answered with lightning speed.

Leda asked again, "What is the reason you went to such lengths to find this woman? Answer honestly, and don't try to lie to me. If the answer doesn't satisfy me, you know what the consequences will be."

Zhou Yaoyang looked panicked and immediately began to explain to Leida.

—This is a long story, and it is also related to the source of Zhou Yaoyang's superpowers.

In short, before the apocalypse, he and Ma Xiaolian were neighbors. After the apocalypse, the two fled together and found a large tree laden with fruit in a small square not far from their home. The fruits looked different, but they all emitted a mesmerizing fragrance that attracted them. It was after Zhou Yaoyang picked a fruit and ate it that he gained the ability to rubberize his body.

"It wasn't until we each ate a piece of fruit that we came to our senses," Zhou Yaoyang recalled, continuing his story.

After discovering that eating the fruit granted him superpowers, he boldly plucked another fruit from the tree and ate it. As a result, his body had an abnormal reaction; he suffered excruciating stomach pain and nearly died on the spot. Although this risky act granted him a second superpower—the ability to control fire—he also realized that the magical fruit seemed to be one that could only be eaten at a time, and that eating more than one greatly increased the likelihood of sudden death.

Although both Ma Xiaolian and Zhou Yaoyang ate the same magical fruit, the abilities Ma Xiaolian gained were not as obvious as Zhou Yaoyang's two abilities.

That was the case at least initially.

Zhou Yaoyang recalled:

"At first, I even suspected that she hadn't acquired any abilities, or that she was deliberately hiding them? But when I traveled with her, I discovered that all the mutated plants would only come at me and not attack her."

Later, Ma Xiaolian's "superpowers" became more and more obvious, and it was not just that no plant would attack her.

Instead, wherever Fanma Xiaolian went, all the plants would voluntarily give way.

Until two days ago, after spending a night with Ma Xiaolian, Zhou Yaoyang discovered early the next morning that Ma Xiaolian was missing and had also stolen various portable supplies that they had painstakingly collected in their camp, such as compressed biscuits, mineral water, and lighters.

Upon hearing Zhou Yaoyang's explanation, Leida pointed out incisively: "Why did Ma Xiaolian secretly leave? Did you two really spend the night together? Or was she just forced by you?"

"No, no! I absolutely did nothing wrong to her! That bitch ruined me, there's something wrong with her! She ran away because she felt guilty!"

Faced with Leida's interrogation, Zhou Yaoyang hurriedly raised his right arm, which had lost its palm, and showed Leida the rotting skin on his right forearm. He claimed that if others in the camp had not seen similar rotting marks on Ma Xiaolian's body, he probably would have taken longer to realize that Ma Xiaolian had infected him with the disease.

Seeing the patch of rotting skin on Zhou Yaoyang's right forearm, which had turned from flesh-colored to a mixture of grayish-white and scarlet, Leda's beautiful eyes, hidden beneath her helmet, narrowed instantly.

If it were simply the decay of the body, she wouldn't think much of it.

But this mottled mix of gray and scarlet colors involuntarily reminded her of an ancient legend that had been passed down since the time of her hometown. "Mei, are you there? Are you in the empty space? Are you in the forest? Are you not there...?"

"Regarding the fruit tree you mentioned earlier, I remember you said that the fruits it produces all look different. Do you remember what the fruit that Ma Xiaolian ate looked like?"

"I remember! Of course I remember! The fruit was orange-red, a bit like fire, like it was glowing, with a semi-transparent texture. And I remember the shape of the fruit, it looked like a cluster of flowers."

"..." After hearing Zhou Yaoyang's answer, Leida fell silent.

Then, when she looked down at Zhou Yaoyang again, all that was left in her eyes was pity.

It's like looking at a stray dog ​​on the roadside that, although not yet dead, is covered in rotting wounds and is doomed to die.

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On the desolate streets littered with severed limbs and bloodstains, the flames gradually died down.

"puff!"

As the sound of swords piercing flesh rang out, Zhou Yaoyang's eyes widened, filled with resentment.

"Rest in peace. Compared to gradually descending into corruption, death is nothing."

As the light in Zhou Yaoyang's eyes gradually faded, Leida whispered, then pulled the sword from Zhou Yaoyang's heart, drawing blood.

This scene was witnessed by Luo Jiajun and the others who had just arrived.

"Leda!"

Luo Jiajun walked quickly to Leida's side, his face ashen.

"This is what you meant by wanting to defecate? We could hear his screams from two streets away!"

"Leda knows her guilt, and no matter what punishment her master may give her, Leda will have no complaints."

Faced with Luo Jiajun's questioning, the female knight did not argue, but instead knelt down on one knee and honestly admitted her mistake.

Luo Jiajun looked down at Leida. In truth, he had never considered punishing his woman for a group of unrelated dead people. The main issue was that Leida had repeatedly done bad things without his permission, and Leida's motives were all for his sake.

This left Luo Jiajun somewhat helpless.

Just then, Rita suddenly said, "But before you decide to deal with me, Master, I have some important news to report."

"Oh? What news?" Luo Jiajun raised an eyebrow and glanced thoughtfully at Zhou Yaoyang's corpse on the ground beside him.

Leida then organized her thoughts and recounted all the information she had just obtained from Zhou Yaoyang.

When she mentioned that Zhou Yaoyang's abilities were acquired by eating fruit.

Luo Jiajun suddenly realized, and inwardly complained:

"Goodness, a Devil Fruit, huh? Rubber Man Luffy plus Fire Fist Ace! But compared to these two in One Piece, this guy's ability is obviously a weaker version, otherwise he wouldn't have been defeated by Raida so quickly."

However, the Devil Fruit that stirred Luo Jiajun's emotions was not the main point that Leta wanted to make.

When Leda used her sword to lift Zhou Yaoyang's right arm, which showed signs of decay, she explained why Zhou Yaoyang and his group had gone to such lengths to search for Ma Xiaolian.

Luo Jiajun gasped, already guessing what Leda was about to say.

"The fruit that this woman named Ma Xiaolian consumed, and her corrupting nature, remind me of an ancient legend that has been passed down for a long time in my original world."

Leda began to tell her story in detail.

In the Elden Ring, the world Leda originally belonged to, it was a land where various gods vied for power and were constantly at war. Among them was a god known as the "Goddess of Corruption," who resided between life and death, wielding the power to reverse prosperity and decline, and to give birth to life from death.

It is said that wherever this goddess of corruption passes by, even the most vibrant life will succumb to corruption.

Rivers, earth, mountains, forests, and all living things will lose their original vibrant colors under her influence, turning into a scarlet and pale hue.

“Crimson Corruption—a terrifying force that even immortal demigods cannot resist.”

Beneath the helmet, Leda's tone grew increasingly solemn. Although in the era of her birth, legend had it that the goddess of corruption had long been sealed away by some ancient power, and the belief in corruption had almost vanished.

But the goddess of corruption still left her mark on the world, imbuing the demigod Marlene with her corrupting power. Marlene was a member of the royal family of the Golden Dynasty, which ruled the Elden Ring world, and the biological daughter of Marika, the goddess of the Golden Dynasty and the Eternal Queen.

The Golden Tree belief system, represented by the Golden Dynasty, symbolizes eternal order and life. As the daughter of the God-King within this belief system, Malenia was born a demigod. However, even so, she could not resist the erosion of corruption. Her divine body, which should have been immortal and full of vitality, was damaged by the influence of crimson corruption. Not only did a large amount of her skin decay, but her eyes and limbs were also crippled.

……

After Leda finished speaking, Luo Jiajun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The most terrifying thing is that the crimson corruption is contagious, right?"

This may seem like a question, but Luo Jiajun was absolutely certain in his heart.

Because he knew far more than Leda.

In the timeline where Leda was summoned, the Golden Dynasty of the Ringworld had not yet erupted into civil war. It was during that civil war that the demigod Malenia, possessed by corruption, chose to self-destruct in a battle she could not win despite her best efforts, releasing the crimson corruption within her.

The result was that an entire province on the mainland was contaminated by crimson decay. All life, whether plants, humans, or animals, even powerful dragons, was corrupted and turned into "sickly turtles" that were gradually heading towards death.

If the soldiers in that region hadn't discovered that fire could suppress Crimson Corruption to some extent and built a wall of fire along the border, Crimson Corruption would probably not have just been confined to one province, but would have spread throughout the entire continent.

It is worth mentioning that the physical symbol of the scarlet decay is actually a bright red flower.

—The Flower of Ionia.

When the flower blooms, crimson decay is released, erupts, and spreads from it.

If it were just a mixture of scarlet and grayish-white signs of decay, Leda wouldn't have made any rash judgments. But according to the information provided by Zhou Yaoyang, the "Devil Fruit" that the woman named Ma Xiaolian ate looked exactly like the Flower of Ionia.

“Crimson decay…”

Muttering those four words to himself, Luo Jiajun felt an overwhelming sense of unease. To be honest, Crimson Corruption could even be considered a standalone apocalyptic version of something even more dangerous than Plant Mutation.

Unexpectedly, Crimson Corruption has now appeared in the current version of Plant Mutation in the form of a "Devil Fruit".

'This crappy super-dimensional apocalypse game, not only are the summoned characters all jumbled up, but the actual game content is also full of holes, right? Damn!'

Luo Jiajun couldn't help but complain in his heart again.

One Piece + Elden Ring! Devil Fruit + Crimson Corruption!

This collaboration is absolutely fantastic (and in a bad way)!

"So, are we now going to find that woman named Ma Xiaolian and kill her before the crimson corruption within her erupts?"

At this moment, Mai Shiranui looked at Luo Jiajun and asked, "Where's Mei? I'm not here. Is Lin here...?"

Luo Jiajun is also pondering this question.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and explained:

"There's no need. With no mutated plant daring to touch that woman, she can hide in any nook or cranny. It won't be easy for us to find her. Rather than doing something that might be a waste of time, we should take care of ourselves first."

In other words, Luo Jiajun still decided to gather resources first.

They even came up with the idea of ​​quickly looting all the good stuff in the county town and then moving on to other places.

After all, Crimson Corruption is just too terrifying.

Oh, the flower of Ionia...

If corruption were to suddenly "bloom" in the city and spread, it would truly be a living hell.

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After recounting the important information about "Crimson Corruption," Rita began to talk about some other information she had obtained from Zhou Yaoyang before Luo Jiajun arrived—the location of Zhou Yaoyang's gang's camp.

Although she didn't know much about the city, Leida remembered the address Zhou Yao had given her: the parking lot next to the Xinghe Street Farmers Market.

"Huh? With so many of them, they chose to camp in the parking lot?"

Luo Jiajun was shocked to hear this. After all, Zhou Yaoyang's gang had at least thirty people. Could they all be living in the open or in their cars?

As luck would have it, this place was just halfway to the [high-value item] that Luo Jiajun was going to obtain, and he only needed to take a slight detour to check it out.

A camp capable of supporting at least thirty people, with someone like Ma Xiaolian who was even more effective at suppressing mutated plants than Zyra, must have amassed a considerable amount of supplies. Even if Ma Xiaolian took some with her when she escaped, how much could she possibly carry on her own?

There must still be a lot of supplies left in Zhou Yaoyang's camp!