The instant Cheng Shi spotted Da Yi, his pupils contracted sharply.
'Why is Da Yi here!?'
'No — how could he possibly be here?'
Cheng Shi's own presence in a [Decay] trial was undoubtedly the Fun God's doing. But Da Yi?
A [War] believer who prayed to his own Benefactor — could he also have "walked into the wrong room"?
'Surely the Fun God didn't toss him in here too?'
This contrast-defying assassin had genuinely prayed to his Benefactor, [War]!
If [Deceit] could slap [War] in the face this blatantly, what exactly was [War] even here for?
Padding the numbers for the Convention?
Cheng Shi couldn't figure it out. Neither could Da Yi.
Da Yi wasn't surprised by his own presence here. What stunned him was that the Fate Weaver had ended up in the sa instance!
Honestly, the mont Da Yi saw Cheng Shi, his shock far exceeded Cheng Shi's own!
He'd considered the possibility of matching with campsite allies — but that should only have been the Grand Marshal Hu Wei. It shouldn't have been anyone else!
So Cheng Shi's appearance rattled him severely. But he hid the shock well, simply lowering his gaze in silence.
Da Yi was rely Cheng Shi's "new friend." The so-called "old acquaintance" was the short-haired female player standing sowhat further ahead. She'd bundled her upper body in a sleek black down jacket but left her lower half exposed — two pale, shapely legs gleaming in the snow.
Cheng Shi recognized her at first glance. Not because those legs were especially eye-catching, but because of that unmistakable black-to-cyan gradient wolf-tail hairstyle!
'It's her!'
'This trial just went south!'
Cheng Shi wasn't the only one who'd identified the female player. Others clearly recognized her too.
The wind still howled, yet Cheng Shi could distinctly hear the unrestrained laughter from the "dieval nobleman" to his left:
"Wonderful, wonderful!
"I knew it. As long as I fantasized daily and prayed hourly, soday I'd match with you again, you rotten slut.
"Ha, hahahahaha!"
As he spoke, the nobleman's tone suddenly turned savage.
"Poison. Are you ready to die in my arms?"
!!!
'Drama!'
Cheng Shi's eyes lit up instantly.
But caution prevailed. He stepped back several paces, putting distance between himself and this dieval lunatic.
Still, from just that one monologue, Cheng Shi had already identified the man's faith.
[Corruption]!
The dense aura of [Corruption] radiating from him was nearly impossible to conceal.
And Cheng Shi could tell which desire this man had embraced: fear!
The dieval nobleman's expressions were absurdly dramatic. His Adam's apple bobbed, his mouth stretched into a grotesque grin, his eyelids twitched, and his head swayed. He was deliberately cultivating a horror-movie persona, trying to generate an atmosphere of dread. Unfortunately, the blizzard's ferocity made his contortions look more like hypothermic spasms.
Cheng Shi nearly burst out laughing at the spectacle but didn't dare — because he didn't want to beco the center of attention, and he certainly wasn't about to involve himself in this [Corruption] civil war.
Yes — a [Corruption] civil war!
Initially, Cheng Shi hadn't been sure of Poison's true identity. But the instant this teammate snarled that na — combined with Da Yi's and the others' reactions to it — everything clicked. He finally connected his mories with the information gathered from various channels.
The assassin Poison he'd encountered long ago really was the current [Corruption] Chosen One!
eting an old acquaintance far from ho should have been a happy occasion. But Cheng Shi couldn't muster any joy.
Just thinking about that assassin lady's various... personas, he was certain this trial would offer zero monts of peace.
As a veteran spectator, he did love watching drama unfold. But only on the condition that the show didn't randomly draft a clown for a guest appearance.
Yet reality was cruel — what he feared most ca knocking. Just when Cheng Shi thought he'd retreated far enough, the civil war found him anyway.
The players who'd been standing scattered across the plaza suddenly moved in unison. The shearing sound of their movent cutting through wind drowned out even the gale, reverberating across the entire plaza.
They'd started fighting. Without so much as introductions, the opening mont erupted into combat.
Cheng Shi barely registered a blur before three figures vanished from his sight. Only he, Da Yi, and the "walking-stick" teammate remained standing in the blizzard, three pairs of wide eyes watching the show.
The other three moved like wisps within the tempest — shooting, colliding, howling. The sheer impact blasted apart the surrounding snow, spraying rings of ice shards outward. Then the center of the battle circle erupted with a thunderous crash, the clash of weapons montarily overpowering even the roaring wind.
Amid the spray of snowflakes, specks of crimson scattered on the wind. In the blink of an eye, soone was already wounded!
The three separated instantly after the exchange.
The dieval nobleman now stood where Poison had been. He sneered and flicked blood from his hand, casually wiping a bloody sar from the corner of his mouth.
But the blood on his lips didn't appear to be his own. It looked more like he'd bitten soone.
Poison, anwhile, materialized directly behind Cheng Shi, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood. Her strength seemingly spent, she collapsed backward — right toward Cheng Shi's back.
She was the one injured!
The first to react wasn't Cheng Shi but the cheerful teammate who'd also been watching the show. Seeing Poison suddenly appear beside him, he flinched and burst backward in a flash, bolting out of the combat zone to distance himself entirely.
Of course, Cheng Shi wasn't slow either. The instant he felt a wave of warm breath approach from behind, his eyes narrowed...
And he simply dropped low and rolled clear!
His dodge left the seemingly grievously wounded Poison with nothing to fall against. She slamd face-first into the snow with a heavy thud, followed by a pained groan from beneath the white surface:
"Ow, that hurts."
Hearing that sultry, alluring voice, Cheng Shi's mouth twitched. He backed away further, face dark.
'Ha. Sa old tricks. Not falling for that again.'
Watching Cheng Shi's reaction, the dieval nobleman let out a sinister chuckle.
"Wonderful. Wonderful indeed.
"Looks like your little boy-toy isn't here this ti, you filthy slut. Today is the day you die!"
He launched off the ground with explosive force, rocketing toward the spot where Poison had fallen. The wind-shearing montum condensed into a blood-curdling shriek that made everyone's expressions change with alarm.
Studying the terrifying pressure, Cheng Shi's eyes sharpened.
'A Screaming Earl!'
This man was [Corruption]'s warrior — a Screaming Earl.
Reviews
All reviews (0)