Chapter 254: I Will Kill Them, So It’s Fine

As everyone knows, when a yandere gets jealous, it always ends in either death or injury. And when a yandere is enraged, both parties perish together.

So, Mo Chen decided to be upfront about the situation.

"You like me, and I'm honored. But… I have a girlfriend, so—"

"I know. I don't mind."

"Huh?"

"Even if you have kids, I don't mind."

"What?"

Looking at the blushing girl before him, Mo Chen was utterly stunned.

She's not playing by the rules!

"As long as I can see you, I'm already happy. So please, don't feel burdened."

"I won't take responsibility. I'll just use you and then mercilessly discard you."

At that moment, Noah happened to be passing by and overheard Mo Chen's words. She froze, then fell silent for a moment. After a long pause, she muttered a few words.

"Turns out, you really are trash."

Mo Chen was unaware that, in Noah's mind, his reputation had downgraded from "just kinda scummy" to "full-on scumbag," and then further down to "absolute human garbage."

But right now, his biggest priority was shaking off Isabel.

Unfortunately, she seemed completely unfazed.

"It's fine."

Her face flushed red, her gaze dripping with affection, looking every bit the lovestruck fool.

"I'll still fool around with other girls—a lot of them."

"It's fine."

…Huh?

Mo Chen was dumbfounded.

A girl this… understanding?

Then, Isabel dropped the bombshell.

"I will kill them all, so it's fine."

Mo Chen was speechless. So when she said 'don't feel burdened,' she meant because she'd get rid of any competition?

Just then, the system notification popped up.

"Bankai progress: 56.8%."

Huh?

Mo Chen paused.

What's going on? I haven't done anything!

Ever since arriving in Eden, he hadn't even used his Zanpakutō. He had been relying on his nanosuit's blade, not his sword.

And as far as he knew, there was no way to level up a Zanpakutō without actively killing Raptures.

As Mo Chen scratched his head in confusion, he suddenly noticed something strange.

The volcanic eruptions were weakening. The molten lava had started cooling down at an unnatural speed, rapidly turning black—a mixture of basalt and obsidian formed from hardened magma.

Wait a second. Something wasn't right.

Lava normally stays around 1500 to 1600 degrees Celsius. Even at its lowest, it's still over 1000 degrees.

And because heat dissipates slowly, it should take several hours—even an entire day—to cool completely.

But now? Barely ten minutes had passed. Plus, the surrounding temperature should still be scorching hot.

Yet, Mo Chen felt nothing.

He raised his hand: a flame flickered into existence in his palm.

He clenched his fingers and a hilt appeared.

Then, in a brilliant cascade of fiery light, the flame morphed into a sword—its blade glowing with a deep azure hue.

It was Ryūjin Jakka.

At first glance, it seemed unchanged from before.

But upon closer inspection—tiny flames danced subtly along the blade, carrying a faint crimson glow, like silken threads of fire, entwining around the sword.

Following the direction of the crimson threads, Mo Chen looked downward and realized they were connected to the volcano below.

Ryūjin Jakka… can absorb flames?

Mo Chen was taken aback. According to official Bleach lore, this wasn't a known ability.

No…

It wasn't absorption. It was refinement.

The sword was tempering itself with extreme heat, forging its own blade anew. This was happening automatically, without Mo Chen's command.

He suddenly recalled something—Zanpakutō weren't just lifeless weapons.

They had consciousness, like a weapon spirit. Some could even communicate with their wielder.

If that were the case…

Then the sword in his hand also had its own will.

In just a dozen minutes—less than half an hour—the progress of his Bankai had already reached over 50%.

Faster than he had ever imagined.

Unfortunately, the volcano was dying. The magma reserves inside were already dwindling. Like a person on their last breath, this eruption was likely its final outburst.

Mo Chen felt a pang of regret.

If the volcano had been more active, perhaps his Zanpakutō could have reached Bankai right here and now. With that power, his strength would multiply several times over—an entirely different level of destruction.

For now, though, the volcanic crisis had been averted. Eden was safe… for now.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Only the cooling units remained, working to neutralize the lingering magma and clear the volcanic ash.

Though ash wasn't a direct threat to the Nikkes, if it settled in thick layers, it would bury the entire city, destroying the ecosystem they had painstakingly built.

Suddenly, Mo Chen's gaze landed on a familiar figure among the cleanup crew.

She was clad in a purple combat suit, her armor also a shade of violet, with a massive sniper rifle slung over her back—so large, at a glance, it almost resembled a scythe.

She looked familiar.

But he couldn't quite place where he had seen her before.

At that moment, a gentle voice broke his train of thought.

"Thank you for your help. If not for you, severing the underground lava veins and redirecting the magma, Eden would have suffered catastrophic damage."

Her voice was like the morning breeze over a tranquil lake, light and soothing, carrying a subtle elegance—pure and serene, untouched by the world's filth.

Hearing that voice… Mo Chen immediately knew who it was.

Turning around, sure enough—

It was Dorothy.

Mo Chen casually waved a hand, his gesture crisp and effortless, carrying a sense of calm confidence.

"It was nothing. Just a small effort."

Dorothy's lips curved into a gentle smile.

"You're being too modest."

Mo Chen wasn't one for pleasantries, nor did he bother with pointless formalities. He simply leaned against the railing, crossed one leg over the other, and got straight to the point.

"You didn't bring me here just to be a guest, did you? Go ahead. What do you want?"

Dorothy, seeing that Mo Chen had seen right through her, wasn't flustered in the slightest.

Instead, she simply smiled faintly.

"Since you asked directly, I won't beat around the bush. But before that… would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"

Faced with Dorothy's invitation, Mo Chen saw no reason to refuse.

"Sure."

As they walked together through the streets, their pace unhurried, it looked no different from a couple strolling through town.

With both of them exceptionally attractive, their presence drew countless stares.

Many Nikkes seemed eager to approach, as if they had something hidden up their sleeves. But the moment they glanced at Dorothy, their enthusiasm faded, and they reluctantly gave up.