As Bambam knelt with his eyes closed, accepting punishment with silent resignation, the doppelganger Yetao materialized the dark ash parasites in his palm. The black particles swirled like a miniature storm between his fingers, malevolence made tangible.
"Don't worry," the doppelganger whispered, leaning closer to Bambam. "You won't have an easy death."
Bambam neither opened his eyes nor attempted to resist. His acceptance was complete—perhaps, in his mind, this was justified retribution for sins long past.
Bound to the distant tree, Yetao's chest constricted with panic as he recognized the deadly black ashes forming in the doppelganger's hand. His breath caught in his throat.
"Bambam!!! Don't inhale it!" Yetao's desperate scream tore through the air, but it was futile. Bambam, lost in the thunderous rhythm of his guilt-ridden heart, heard nothing.
The doppelganger raised his hand, lips curving into a cruel smile as he prepared to blow the parasites toward his victim. Yetao squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch Bambam's imminent suffering.
But instead of agonized screams, a crystalline clash echoed across the clearing.
Yetao's eyes flew open in shock. The scene before him had transformed in an instant.
Gleaming ice crystals erupted from the ground, encasing the deadly parasites in frozen prisons. More ice had formed a protective cage around Bambam, shielding him completely. Standing between them and the doppelganger was a slender figure dressed in white and silver—Minghao, the White Dragon, had arrived after getting the message from Oscar.
Relief flooded through Yetao for the briefest moment before urgency returned. "Don't inhale the ashes!!!" he screamed with all his might, desperate to warn Minghao of the danger.
Though Minghao could barely hear the words across the distance, the intensity of Yetao's warning was clear enough. When the doppelganger swirled his hand again, summoning more of the deadly ash, Minghao reacted with blinding speed.
Ice shot forward like liquid silver, freezing the doppelganger's hands mid-gesture. The parasites within his grasp were instantly encased in frost, rendered harmless.
The doppelganger scoffed, more annoyed than concerned. "You think you could trap me with this?"
In response, he summoned his fox fire—but to his visible shock, the flames extinguished the moment they touched Minghao's ice crystals.
Minghao stood with perfect posture, his expression bored and aloof. He didn't even bother to assume a defensive stance. "Tch, too easy," he muttered.
An awkward silence descended over the clearing, broken only by the distant cawing of crows. Even Yetao, still bound to the tree, was speechless at Minghao's casual display of overwhelming power.
The hushed moment shattered as the sound of rustling feathers filled the air. A magnificent phoenix descended from the sky, its crimson and gold plumage catching the light. Lucas clung to its back, jumping down the moment they landed near Yetao.
Lucas rushed toward the bound Yetao, distress evident in his features as he examined the dark energy ropes. His hands hovered uselessly, uncertain how to free his friend.
Behind him, Oscar reverted from his phoenix form in a shimmer of light. With a graceful swirl of his hands, tendrils of spiritual power unraveled the dark bonds holding Yetao captive.
Yetao nodded briefly at Oscar in gratitude before immediately bolting toward Bambam. Lucas caught his wrist, halting his progress.
"What can you do by going there?" Lucas yelled, concern etched across his face.
Yetao gently removed Lucas's grip, his eyes filled with determination. "I must, Lu. He needs my nagging right now." With that, he sprinted toward Bambam's direction.
Before he could reach his destination, a tremendous wave of heat surged through the clearing. The force of it pushed everyone back several steps. Yetao was thrown off his feet, flying backward until Lucas caught him, though both struggled to remain standing against the overwhelming pressure.
Minghao shielded himself with a hastily constructed snow barrier, turning to locate the source of the heat wave.
What he saw made even his impassive features register shock.
Jeff approached through the distorted air, his entire being transformed by rage. His eyes glowed golden like molten fire, one arm mutated into a scaled dragon's limb. Curved horns protruded from his temples, and massive black wings unfurled from his back—the human form of the Black Dragon giving way to his true nature.
For the first time since childhood, Minghao looked genuinely startled.
Jeff surged past him, moving with inhuman speed directly toward the doppelganger. His transformed hand closed around the imposter's throat, lifting him off the ground. Black dragon fire began to emanate from Jeff's body, enveloping them both in deadly heat. The doppelganger clawed at Jeff's grip, struggling for breath under the overwhelming dominance of the dragon's power.
Oscar watched in horror, immediately recognizing the danger. "This is dangerous. He's lost himself," he muttered, breaking into a run toward Jeff.
His intervention proved futile. Jeff's unchecked power threw Oscar backward with a mere pulse of energy. Oscar crashed to the ground with a pained groan, but Jeff's attention never wavered from the doppelganger's throat.
The intense heat from Jeff's rage began melting the ice encasing the doppelganger's hands—ice that was the only thing preventing him from summoning more deadly parasites.
"Stop!!" Minghao shouted, genuine concern breaking through his cool demeanor. He too was repelled by the wave of Jeff's power, yet he persisted, channeling his own energy to continuously refreeze the doppelganger's hands even as they melted.
It became a desperate battle—Minghao's ice against Jeff's heat—with deadly consequences should the dragon's rage prevail.
Yetao, realizing the imminent danger, scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Jeff despite the oppressive heat. "Gege, stop it! His parasites might harm you too!" he screamed.
Like the others, Yetao was thrown back by the sheer force of Jeff's aura, but his words carried through.
"I don't care," Jeff roared, his voice distorted with fury. "All I need is his death!"
The heat intensified further, the ice around the doppelganger's hands beginning to drip away entirely. In desperation, Yetao shouted the only words that might reach through Jeff's blinding rage.
"Do you think Barcode would want this?"
Jeff's movements froze, the flames around him flickering momentarily.
"If your act of revenge could get you killed, then what was his sacrifice worth?" Yetao pressed, his voice breaking with emotion.
Slowly, Jeff's grip loosened. He released the doppelganger, who collapsed to the ground gasping, and took a step back. The anguished scream that tore from his throat contained all his rage and grief, echoing across the clearing.
"Sacrifice?" Lucas's face paled with dawning horror. "Is Barcode... dead?"
The question hung in the air, answered only by Jeff's primal display of grief. Understanding swept through the gathered group—the reason for Jeff's descent into mindless vengeance suddenly, painfully clear.
Barcode was gone, and with him, a piece of Jeff's soul... was also gone.
The moment of calm shattered like glass.
The doppelganger, now completely freed from Minghao's ice, flexed his fingers and chuckled—a sound devoid of mirth. "You made a mistake by releasing me."
Before anyone could react, he struck with deadly precision. Black ash parasites shot from his palm directly toward Minghao, who had lowered his guard after Jeff's apparent surrender. Caught unprepared, the White Dragon inadvertently inhaled the dark particles.
The effect was immediate—Minghao doubled over, crimson blood spraying from his lips as he fell to one knee. His elegant white robes stained with red as he struggled to breathe.
Oscar rushed to his side, face grim with understanding. Without hesitation, he pressed his palms against Minghao's chest, spiritual energy flowing into him—not to heal, but to seal. The phoenix locked away Minghao's spiritual powers, preventing him from using them and hastening his death.
"Don't move," Oscar commanded in a tense whisper. "If you use any power now, you'll die instantly."
Despite the pain wracking his body, Minghao raised his head, eyes fierce with defiance as he glared at the doppelganger.
Jeff's rage reignited at the sight of another ally fallen. With a primal roar, he charged at the doppelganger, dragon fire coalescing around his transformed arm—but his attack never landed.
Bambam stepped between them, arms outstretched protectively in front of the doppelganger. Jeff's fire scorched the ground at his feet as he pulled back the blow, confusion momentarily replacing his fury.
"Bambam!!" Yetao screamed, horror and disbelief mingling in his voice.
Bambam's face was set in grim determination. "It's between him and me. Don't meddle." His voice was cold, resolute in a way that sent chills down Yetao's spine.
Jeff's confusion morphed back into rage. "You're protecting the monster who killed MY people?!" he snarled, golden eyes flashing.
Without waiting for a response, he redirected his attack, now targeting both Bambam and the doppelganger. Black fire erupted around them, the heat distorting the air as Bambam defended against the onslaught without striking back.
Yetao watched in horror as the two fought, but something unexpected caught his attention. Behind Bambam's protective figure, the doppelganger's face had changed. Silent tears tracked down his cheeks as he gazed at Bambam—not with hatred, but with a deep, longing affection.
The realization struck Yetao like lightning. "Even though he's a resentment, he's still me," he thought, pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicking into place.
The game screen's directive flashed in his mind: "Acquire the demon's heart." And, the cryptic hint: "Combine the items obtained from the side quest while pursuing the main quest."
Understanding dawned on Yetao's face. He lunged forward, grabbing Oscar's hand desperately.
"Lend me some spiritual power," he demanded, urgency in every syllable.
Oscar searched his eyes for only a moment before nodding. Without questions, he channeled his spiritual energy into Yetao's body through their clasped hands. Oscar's power flowed like warm golden light through Yetao's meridians.
Yetao concentrated on his spiritual core, feeling the presence of five demon hearts within him. His hand began to glow with purplish energy that swirled and coalesced around his fingers.
If the demon's heart literally didn't mean the heart of a demon but a person tainted by demonic thoughts... Yetao's mind raced as he launched himself toward the doppelganger, who stood watching Bambam defend him with a complex expression of love and pain.
The doppelganger sensed his approach and stepped back. "Don't waste your efforts," he sneered, lashing out with dark energy.
Yetao dodged the attack with newfound agility, continuing his pursuit with single-minded determination. Seeing the danger, Oscar and Lucas moved to help, but Yetao cast a barrier around them with his free hand, preventing their interference.
"What is he trying to do?" Lucas panicked, pounding against the translucent wall of energy and Oscar couldn't do anything too since he channelled his spiritual energy to Yetao.
The demon is my resentment, Yetao realized as he continued his assault. And the heart is...
Finally, after a series of feints and dodges, Yetao's hand closed around what he had been seeking all along—the cracked pearl pendant hanging around the doppelganger's neck. His fingers, glowing with purple energy, gripped the pendant tightly.
"Zihao," Yetao uttered the name with reverence.
The doppelganger's face contorted with rage. He raised his hand to end Yetao once and for all—but the name "Zihao" seemed to act like a magical incantation. The pendant in Yetao's grasp began to emit an emerald light, growing brighter until it became blinding.
The light expanded, coalescing into a pale figure that gradually took shape between them. As the luminescence faded, a man stood before them, spectral but undeniably present.
"Mommy?", his voice echoing as if from a great distance.
The battlefield fell silent, all eyes drawn to this unexpected apparition—the manifestation of a soul tied to both the original Yetao and his resentment, bridging the gap between past and present, between love and hate.
Zihao had returned.