A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)

Moon God's body trembled. Even her delicate hands could no longer hold onto the long sword in her grasp. She wanted to kill Ye Fan, but not in that way.

They should've battled fiercely, and Ye Fan should've been defeated by her before getting killed.

In that case, Moon God would feel a bit better.

But now, Ye Fan just stood there, offering no resistance, even with a hint of resignation, getting pierced by her long sword.

She looked at the familiar figure before her and observed the man with fading aura and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

She didn't know why, but even though the sword was clearly piercing Ye Fan, it was she who felt the heart-wrenching pain. Why? Why do I have this feeling? Why does my body harbor such immense sorrow?

At that moment, Moon God was experiencing a pain akin to her soul being torn from her body.

In her mind, the voice that yearned to kill Ye Fan kept screaming incessantly.

However, her body couldn't help but succumb to sorrow.

Her tears poured out like water gushing out from a broken dam.

The physical pain and sorrow seemed to have slipped beyond the control of the soul.

And at that moment, when the Moon God was filled with dread, Ye Fan lifted his head.

The once glorious and proud Dragon God Hall Master now looked as pale as a sheet of white paper.

When one was in a state of weakness, all past dignity and dominance were no longer present.

All that was left was the person's fundamental identity.

Indeed, standing before Moon God now was just an ordinary man in his twenties.

Without the glory of the Dragon God Hall Master and the Unrivalled Supreme, he was no different from an ordinary man in the crowd.

In his twenties, he should have just graduated from university, still hopping from job to job, still facing the agony of being pressured to buy a house and get married, and still working the nine-to-nine shifts. However, all the things he should be doing at his age, he hadn't done any of them.

Instead, he stood at the forefront of humanity, fighting against catastrophes capable of destroying the world all by himself.

Blood trickled down the blade lodged in his chest.

Ye Fan coughed lightly. The metallic scent of fresh blood filled his mouth and nose.

Vitality and strength ebbed from his body like a flowing river.

Ye Fan no longer felt regrets or unwillingness to admit defeat.

He was just holding onto his Sword of Yunyang, striving to maintain his body's balance, preventing himself from falling.

At the same time, he extended his other arm. He gently lifted his blood-stained palm, his face full of pity and indulgence. He caressed the charming girl's face in front of him, helping her wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

His feeble, wavering voice echoed.

"E-Eigetsu, t-this is my fate. I..I don't blame you." Ye Fan spoke in a low voice, but his voice was becoming increasingly faint.

Even his vision started to blur.

But Ye Fan still tried hard to keep himself awake.

He yearned to take another look at the world, to gaze once more upon the unparalleled beauty standing before him.

Throughout his journey, Ye Fan was accompanied by many beautiful women.

Eigetsu was not the one who was closest to Ye Fan.

In fact, after the war in Japan that year, Ye Fan and Eigetsu hardly saw each other.

Ye Fan stayed by Qiu Mucheng's side, guarding her for several years.

Ye Fan once accompanied Junie, traveling from Jiangbei all the way to India.

Ye Fan had often met with Xu Lei too.

Only the beauty before his eyes, Ye Fan had never actively sought her out.

Throughout those years, Moon God guarded Deos Hall alone. Each time she pushed open the doors, she so hoped that the one standing outside would be her master, the man who she deeply missed. But ever since the battle in Tokyo, Ye Fan hadn't visited her in Japan.

On the contrary, each time Ye Fan faced danger, Moon God would always arrive in time.

After the battle in the rainforest years ago, it was widely believed that Ye Fan had died in combat.

In a fit of rage, Moon God launched an attack on India.

In the decisive battle at Mount Chumen, Moon God risked the annihilation of her own nation, rushing thousands of miles to aid Ye Fan.

The past was like a wisp of smoke. As Ye Fan reminisced about Eigetsu, all he could think of was this woman who, regardless of the consequences, life or death, silently devoted herself to him without any reservations.

Toward Eigetsu, Ye Fan always harbored a sense of gratitude and appreciation that no one else could possibly match.

Even if he were to be killed by her, Ye Fan harbored not the slightest resentment toward her.

He truly didn't blame Eigetsu.

He was simply filled with self-reproach, blaming himself for his incompetence. In the end, he was unable to make Moon Goddess regain her senses, unable to free her from the control of Symborsus. After my death, Eigetsu will likely still be used by Symborsus, right?

Every time he thought of that, Ye Fan was filled with worry and sympathy for the beautiful woman before him.

But in the end, he was ultimately powerless against those circumstances.

In the final moments of his life, Ye Fan gently caressed Eigetsu's pretty face with a sense of pity. Smiling, he said to her, "E-Eigetsu, I'm sorry. All these years, I-I've never b-been to see you. But, d-do you still remember that I-I sent my Dragon Gods to Japan? Only later did I find out that those Dragon Gods of mine falsely conveyed my words to deceive you. After finding out, I gave them a piece of my mind. However, that poem of Owen's was quite well done. Do you still remember? It's okay if you don't remember. Let me tell you. Clouds float like works of art, and stars illuminate the grieving heart. Across the galaxy, the forbidden lovers come together. When the wind finally embraces the rain, there will be no—”

Khaff!

Suddenly, Ye Fan started coughing violently, spitting out mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Even so, Ye Fan continued to strive, reading until the last few words. "There will be no greater love than it..."

The poem had a second verse yet to be read: Their tender love flows like a stream. This happy date seems but a dream. Can they ever bear to separate? If their love can last forever, there's no need to spend every day together.

This was the little trick Owen played back in the day in order to deepen the impression of Ye Fan in the heart of Moon God. Using Ye Fan's name, he recited a poem to Moon God.

And now, finally, it was Ye Fan himself who voiced it out.

One should never attempt to hurt others by manipulating their feelings.

Perhaps those words of Ye Fan were a sincere expression of his true feelings.

But for Moon God, his words were undoubtedly like millions of swords deeply piercing her heart.

That kind of pain, undoubtedly, was more intense than physical pain, making it even more unbearable.

She would have preferred it if Ye Fan had stabbed her Sword of Yunyang instead of uttering those words.

"Stop. Don't speak further." Moon God's tears surge like a raging river.

Ye Fan's words undeniably made her reminisce about their sweet moments together.

The moments they shared under Tokyo's cherry blossom and the sunset they viewed together on the Skytree and the touching poem he had told her via the messengers sent from a thousand miles away. Moon God was almost on the verge of collapse.

The conflict between her soul and body nearly tore her apart.

What are you doing? Kill him! Finish him off quickly. Strike him again with your sword, and bring me his severed head! Symborsus' words rang in her mind.

It kept issuing commands to Moon God.

That kind of soul imprint within the body of Moon God was at play, ceaselessly driving Moon God to slay Ye Fan.

"No. I don't want to. He's my master. I cannot lose my master. I cannot kill my master."

Her body and soul were at war, and the spirit of Suzumiya Eigetsu was also struggling against Symborsus.

However, Symborsus, after all, was an extraterrestrial lifeform that existed for thousands of years.

Even the spiritual energy of Moon God couldn't compete with it, let alone Suzumiya Eigetsu's.

Moon God knew very well her struggle wouldn't last much longer.

Soon, she would be completely controlled by Symborsus.

However, she didn't want to. She really didn't want to kill Ye Fan. She couldn't bear to part with her master.

Moon God was in unbearable pain, her mental fragmentation pushing her to the brink of collapse.

"E-Eigetsu, do it... This will be a form of liberation for both you and me." When Ye Fan saw Moon God in pain, his heart ached unbearably.

He understood very well that Moon God, marked with the spirit seal, could not withstand the Symborsus' spiritual energy.

Dragging it out like that only served to increase the pain.