417 Sweet Temptation

[POV: Alice]

Alice stretched her hands forward, fingers trembling as the last traces of ash dispersed through the air. The remnants of David lingered only for a breath before fading completely, leaving behind an emptiness that pressed heavily against her chest.

A few steps in front of her stood the culprit.

He wore David's face, nearly identical down to the smallest detail, and even his posture carried the same faint arrogance she remembered. The armor on his body was unmistakable. It was the Wandering Adjudicator, once radiant and dignified, now tainted black as if steeped in malice. Between his thumb and index finger, he pinched something delicate and writhing.

It was the Human Soul.

An ethereal crimson cape flowed behind the stranger who shared David's face, moving as though it possessed a will of its own. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he tilted his head slightly.

"Hey, sweetie," he said lightly. "Missed me?"

Alice felt her throat tighten. She forced the words out anyway, her voice flat and cold.

"You are not him. You could never be him."

The stench of blood rolled off the man in suffocating waves. It was not the fresh scent of slaughter, nor the lingering rot of old battlefields. It was something far worse, layered and ancient, soaked so deeply into his being that it dwarfed her own history as a vampire. Alice had seen countless monsters in Losten, beings drenched in blood and sin, yet none compared to the man standing before her.

He frowned, as though genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hand over the Human Soul," Alice demanded.

Before the final word had fully left her lips, the man casually lifted his hand and swallowed it whole in a single motion. There was no resistance, no struggle. The Human Soul vanished as though it had never existed.

He wiped his mouth absently and looked back at her. "Sorry about that," he said. "I might have already chewed on it a little."

The air cracked.

Alice vanished in a burst of movement as she cast Blink, reappearing directly in front of him. Blood magic surged violently around her right fist, layers of power intertwining as she poured everything she had learned in this world into a single strike. Dark runes flared as she invoked Great Curse and Debilitation, forcing them into the blow.

Her fist connected.

The impact detonated with a thunderous roar, blood magic exploding outward in jagged spikes that tore through the strategy hall. Stone shattered, walls ruptured, and the floor buckled under the unleashed force.

When the dust settled, the man still stood there and he was unharmed.

He glanced down at her fist, then at the ruined hall around them. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips, one that looked so painfully like David's that Alice's heart twisted. The smile shifted, turning into an exaggerated expression of hurt.

"That was kind of cold," he said softly.

He leaned closer, eyes studying her face as though searching for recognition. "You really do not recognize me?"

He straightened and spread his arms slightly, as if presenting himself.

"It is me," he said. "David. Can't you see?"

Alice shook her head slowly, her crimson eyes fixed on him without wavering.

"You are not my David," she said. "Not even close."

Her will surged outward, no longer restrained by caution or doubt. The air around her right hand distorted as her resolve condensed into form. Malevolent Grasp manifested, a blackened, spectral imprint wrapping around the false David's throat with crushing intent.

He blinked in mild surprise, then smiled.

"That looks dangerous," he said lightly. "But go on. Do as you please."

Alice did not answer. Her left hand rose, fingers curling as another Ultimate Skill took shape. Wretched Effigy answered her call. A straw doll wearing a crude, twisted imitation of David's features formed in her grasp. In the same instant, identical effigies manifested inside the false David's body.

One bloomed within his throat.

Another appeared in his chest.

A third pierced into his skull.

The final one formed at his abdomen, lodged precisely where a dantian should have been.

Alice exhaled once as her will snapped shut.

Malevolent Grasp tightened as she crushed his throat. Her other fist slammed forward, driving power into his chest cavity. A third strike followed, drilling into his skull with merciless precision. The last blow tore into his abdomen, aimed to obliterate whatever core sustained him.

All of it happened in a single breath.

The false David was launched like a meteor, tearing through the air and vanishing beyond the slopes of Mount Qingshi. The distant impact shook the land, trees uprooting as his body carved a crater into the forest below.

Alice was already moving.

Blue flames erupted behind her as she invoked another Ultimate Skill. Santelmo answered her call. An enormous sphere of azure fire burst into existence, its surface rippling as a grotesque face emerged within the flames. It shrieked with joy as Alice hurled it toward the crash site.

The forest exploded into fire.

Shockwaves rolled outward as the Santelmo struck, blue inferno swallowing trees, earth, and sky alike. Guardians patrolling the outskirts froze in horror as the flames climbed unnaturally high.

Alice's voice thundered across the land through Qi Speech.

"Vacate the area immediately. Secure the civilians. Leave everything here to me."

The hesitation vanished at once. The Guardians scattered, obeying without question.

With a single bound, Alice crossed the distance. She landed at the edge of the crater where the false David lay embedded in scorched earth. The forest around them burned fiercely, blue fire devouring green life with cruel elegance.

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Santelmo drifted back to her side. Then another appeared. And another. The flames multiplied, each sphere growing a leering face, their expressions twisted with anticipation as they encircled the crater.

Alice stared down at him.

"Stop playing," she said coldly. "I know you are awake."

Laughter echoed from the pit.

The false David rose slowly, stone and ash sliding from his body as if gravity had forgotten him. His armor reformed with a soft hiss, blackened plates locking back into place. He tilted his head, eyes bright with amusement.

"You really love playing hard to get," he said. "What is the problem, Alice? There is no need for allies to fight like this."

She scoffed, the sound sharp and contemptuous.

"A pale imitation like you would never understand," she replied.

He placed a hand over his chest, his expression softening into something almost earnest. His voice lowered, gentle and confident.

"I am the real deal," he said. "Every part of me."

Alice did not lower her guard. She studied him with the same precision she once reserved for ancient rites and heresy trials, her gaze peeling back layers that no disguise could hide.

"I know David," she said quietly. "And the man I love would never indulge in slaughter for its own sake."

The blue flames reflected in her eyes as she gestured toward him.

"I can see them," Alice continued. "The souls writhing in your shadow. In your armor. In that ridiculous cape you wear. They cling to you because you will not let them go."

The false David spread his hands slightly, almost apologetic.

"What if I wanted to change?" he asked. "What if I wanted redemption? You have walked that path for a long time, Alice. Surely you of all people understand."

Her jaw tightened.

"I might have believed that," she said, voice hardening, "if you had tried even a little harder."

She took a step forward, the Santelmo drifting with her like silent witnesses.

"If you truly wanted redemption, you would not start with me. You would start with your disciples. With the people who followed you, trusted you, believed in you."

Her eyes narrowed.

"But you did not. Because you look down on them."

The false David tilted his head, curiosity flickering across his face.

"And you look at me," Alice went on, "as if I were a prize. Something to be claimed. Something to be placed at your side to complete the picture."

Her voice dropped, cold and cutting.

"I am not a trophy. I am not a decoration for your vanity."

Alice drew in a slow breath, steadying herself.

"I have seen this before," she said. "Men corrupted by power. By entitlement. By the belief that the world exists to be used."

She met his gaze without flinching.

"You are no different."

Her voice sharpened.

"How many have you killed?" Alice demanded. "How many women were taken against their will? How many lives did you use until they broke, then discarded without a second thought?"

The false David sighed, scratching the back of his head as if mildly inconvenienced.

"Yeah," he said casually. "I suppose I am the bad guy."

He chuckled softly.

"But at least I am real."

He crossed his arms, his expression turning thoughtful.

"I will admit," he continued, "I am a little envious of Da Wei. He gets to play the hero. The savior. Everyone looks at him and sees light."

His smile twisted.

"I thought maybe it would not be so bad to wear that role for a while. But the truth is, Da Wei is no better than me."

Alice's teeth ground together at the casual venom in his words.

"Do not speak his name like that," she said.

The false David shrugged.

"At least I am not a hypocrite," he replied. "I see the world for what it is. A game. Pieces move, pieces break, and the winner writes the ending."

For the first time, Alice's composure cracked. Her voice wavered, not with fear, but with something far more dangerous.

"What happened to you?" she asked quietly. "What twisted you into this?"

"Depression," David answered softly.

He vanished.

Alice barely registered the displacement before his palm was already pressed against her abdomen. Instinct screamed. She summoned the armor Gu Jie had forged for her, black plates blooming over pale skin in a heartbeat.

David spoke a single word.

"Reflect."

The world tore.

The armor folded inward as if crushed by an invisible godhand. Alice's torso ruptured, blood and light scattering as she was flung backward like a broken doll. The pain was not merely physical. It was familiar. Every wound she had inflicted moments ago returned to her, magnified, refined, and perfected.

David had taken all of it and given it back.

Alice screamed as Santelmo surged forward, blue infernal flames lunging for him from every direction. They latched onto his body, burning not flesh but soul.

He ignored them.

David flickered again. His knee smashed into Alice's face. Her skull separated from her spine with a wet crack as her body spun away.

He was already there when her head hit the air.

"Here's a dunk," David said lightly. "Two points for David!"

He seized her by the hair and slammed her into Mount Qingshi with Divine Smite. Radiant force detonated outward, holy and obscene all at once. The mountain palace screamed as stone shattered and wards collapsed.

Alice's voice burst across the ruins in Qi Speech, raw and commanding.

"Evacuate. Now."

Screams answered her. Civilians fled amid falling debris. Blood stained marble. The air filled with dust and ash.

Alice regenerated.

Her naked body reformed in a rush of blood and will. She dropped to one knee, breath ragged, fingers clawing into the stone. When the dust finally settled, the corpses of fallen Guardians lay scattered across the courtyard.

David stood at the center.

The remaining Guardians formed ranks around him without hesitation. They attacked at once, blades, qi, and spells crashing down in perfect coordination. There was no doubt in their eyes. This man wore David's face, but he was not their Holy Emperor. The reason they could act so decisively was because of faith.

Alice forced herself upright, her throat burning as she spoke.

"Who are you?"

David was still burning. Santelmo clung to him, shrieking silently as soul-flames chewed at his essence.

He looked almost amused.

"I already told you," he said. "I'm David."

Power exploded outward.

Searing Smite erupted from his body, blue and blinding. The reflected agony of Santelmo merged into the technique, turning it catastrophic. Guardians screamed as their bodies ignited, soul and flesh burning together.

Alice staggered to her feet.

She reached into her shadow space and dragged forth a suit of cursed armor. It crawled over her body like living night, sealing around her with a shriek of metal and malice. With a flick of her will, dozens of cursed weapons tore free from the darkness. Blades, spears, hooks, and chains rotated around her in a lethal orbit.

David watched her struggle with something close to fondness.

"It's pointless," he said calmly. "No matter how hard you fight."

He stepped forward through the flames and the screams.

"I am the strongest."

Alice steadied her breath, cursed weapons humming at her side.

"I don't know your story," she said, her voice firm despite the ruin around them. "I don't know what twisted you into this. But I will stop you."

David tilted his head, almost curious.

"Tell me," he asked casually, "what did your David have that I didn't?"

He smiled faintly. "I actually like you. It's a shame things turned out this way."

Alice's gaze wavered for the briefest moment. Memories surfaced unbidden. The bizarre man she once hunted in Losten and vice-versa, reckless and sharp-tongued. Then the David of this world, clumsy in kindness, absurdly self-sacrificing, building bonds as if they were the most natural thing in existence. He bled for strangers. He trusted too easily. He carried the weight of everyone and complained about none of it.

That was the David she had come to know.

She looked back at the man before her.

"You're a loser," Alice said flatly. "That's why I don't like you."

David scoffed. "I don't really see myself that way." He raised a finger, as if remembering something important. "And just to be clear, I always asked for consent. So don't go spreading rumors."

Alice frowned. Of all things, that was what he chose to clarify.

David continued, almost conversational. "To be fair, I didn't discriminate. Men, women, children, elderly. That's why I killed everyone."

Her eyes hardened. "What do you mean?"

"In my timeline," David replied, "I wiped them all out."

He sighed, rubbing his chin. "Lately I've been conflicted. I'm wondering whether I should do the same here."

Alice felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"I'm leaning toward not doing it," he went on. "Being alone sucks, you see. But spending eternity with the Supreme Void again would be an outcome I'd rather not go through again. He's too chatty and annoying. Hmmm… But if I consume everything this time, I might finally have enough power to break out of this prison. So, honestly, it's worth the try."

He looked at her, genuinely thoughtful.

"I don't know," he admitted. "What do you think I should do?"

Alice felt her mana road stabilize, her meridians flowing cleanly, and her dantian steady. She was whole again, at least physically.

"Why does my opinion matter to you?" she asked.

David's expression softened. "There was no Alice in my world. No Joan either. Maybe that's why I'm asking you." He exhaled slowly. "I just want to go home. I'm tired of all this cultivation nonsense. Is it so hard for a man to wish his peace?"

Alice hesitated. She searched herself for certainty and found none.

"I don't know the full picture," she said quietly. "I can't give you an answer."

David smiled faintly. "I think you are the answer."

He was suddenly in front of her. No hostility, no pressure. He extended his hand.

"How about we join forces?" he said. "If there's one person I could trust, it would be you."

His eyes shone, bright and earnest.

"I'll restore your humanity," he promised. "You just stay by my side and help me find my way home."

Alice stared into his gaze. It was filled with hope, almost childlike in its intensity.

David's voice broke.

"I don't want to be alone anymore."