Da Yi didn't understand why his lord had done that, but he knew he didn't need to understand. So he casually tossed the unlucky captive a healing potion.
The Destruction Declaration was dumbfounded. He'd never imagined they would actually let him go. He stared at the potion in his hand in disbelief, then looked up at Cheng Shi, wanting to say sothing but unable to form the words.
Cheng Shi chuckled. "You didn't lie, so from now on, you're free.
Go. Find your teammates, or find a place to hide until the trial ends, or go witness the Oblivion spectacle you wished for.
Kannar City is large. Plenty of room to wander."
The Destruction Declaration's heart clenched for an instant. He realized they truly intended to release him. But having witnessed the overwhelming power of these two — especially the mysterious air of this clearly-in-charge figure — a bold idea suddenly erged in his mind.
He didn't want to leave.
The other side was obviously made up of players too. Since both sides were players, why would he go back to a bunch of low-scoring nobodies instead of clinging to the leg of high-scoring veterans?
So he shook his head with fierce determination, then nodded just as fiercely, and spoke to Cheng Shi with an attitude that all but offered to rip his own heart out to prove his sincerity:
"Boss, I want... to join you. Can I?"
"..."
"..."
Cheng Shi blinked and nearly laughed out loud again.
'Kid's got a keen eye, but the problem is — if you stick around and don't leave, where am I supposed to find the Gift of Sores?'
Da Yi snorted derisively, openly looking down his nose at the man. His contemptuous gaze clearly said: 'Who do you think you are, trying to follow the lord alongside ?'
The Destruction Declaration could see the rejection in their attitudes, but he wanted to try one more ti. Cheng Shi, however, wasted no more ti. He pointed at the window and said:
"Throw him out. We're leaving too."
With that, he strode toward the door.
Da Yi carried out the order and tossed the man out the window, then followed Cheng Shi as they gradually disappeared into the raging blizzard. Before long, his figure too had vanished from sight.
As for the defenestrated Destruction Declaration, he was now lying in an alley, gazing up at the narrow strip of snow-filled sky above, lost in a daze.
He felt he'd experienced too much over the past two days. High-tier players he'd never encountered before kept appearing one after another. Their world was so vibrant — they could even clash with nad historical figures, and had the strength to covet artifacts connected to the gods Themselves.
anwhile, himself...
Apart from smashing and burning his way through dood worlds, venting his destructive urges on lifeless objects, he'd never accomplished anything. To be this much of a failure as a person...
When his teammates had always been players of the sa tier, the sense of inadequacy wasn't so strong. But today — repeatedly suppressing his instinct to destroy everything, playing the subordinate everywhere — this intense emotional impact and stifled frustration finally broke through his defenses.
"No, I can't keep drifting through life like this. I need to do sothing big and prove myself!"
With that thought, he shouted a couple of tis at the snow-filled sky, then scrambled to his feet and marched out of the alley.
"I need to first figure out what's going on here. And then — leave a big mark on this piece of history!"
The Destruction Declaration left. And after he was gone, on a rooftop beside the alley, Da Yi spat impatiently.
"Damn, took him long enough. If the lord hadn't ordered
to tail him, I'd have just killed him and been done with it."
With that, his figure flickered and he resud the pursuit.
With this, the three "original players" in the trial had split into three paths. Silence's hunter tracked three variables. Chaos's assassin shadowed another variable. One variable lay dead in the square — and what Cheng Shi needed to do now was resurrect him, then set this immobile variable back in motion.
At this stage of the trial, he didn't want to bet that the Annihilation Apostle would be the one lead that went nowhere. So for the sake of prudence, better to put this reckless fool back on overti.
He made his way to the square and found the heap of shattered remains, now frozen solid like cuts of at. Using an iron thorn borrowed from Da Yi, he gave the corpse a gentle poke, then retreated beyond the square. He donned his crowned helm to conceal himself and fired a healing spell infused with the aura of Recovery at the frozen chunks.
The Annihilation Apostle quickly reassembled and ca back to life. The mont his eyes opened, cold sweat had already soaked through every stitch of his clothing.
Cold. Bone-chilling wind!
But colder still was his heart.
He snapped to clarity, realizing this trial wasn't simple at all. The legendary dagger — the Gift of Sores — wasn't sothing he had any right to covet.
But at least, whoever had killed him had also revived him. That ant they bore no genuine malice — it was rely a warning to stop eyeing the dagger.
Once that clicked, He Zu imdiately used the cover of wind and snow to slip away into the shadows. He didn't dare linger for even a second — he just wanted to get away from the place where he'd been obliterated.
Cheng Shi watched him leave with a smile, thinking that all he needed to do now was keep tabs on these five people's movents. Da Yi could track the scent of his own iron thorns, so the surveillance required no effort on Cheng Shi's part.
Of course, as the one controlling the board, he couldn't pin all his hopes on these five variables alone. What other clues might this vast city of Kannar still be hiding? What was the current state of the teleportation array? Could the Grand Marshal and his group, who hadn't pursued, still arrive? These were all things he needed to verify.
And so Cheng Shi vanished once more into the wind and snow, searching for more leads.
After a chaotic day, Kannar City fell silent again. Frightened citizens either huddled in groups or retreated to their hos, locking themselves inside. Self-organized warriors blocked the entrance to the imperial court, petitioning to be sent to battle. The Rosna royal family hadn't reappeared since the divine envoy's arrival. Although many believed the envoy's thunder had purged the disloyal royals, they still hoped soone would step forward — soone who at least knew how to lead an army — to help them defend their holand.
They didn't know this was a pipe dream, but much like the Rosna Empire's history of faith, these brave souls persisted in their futile efforts.
Old Gallon's corpse lay upon the imperial court's high wall. A large patch of skin was missing from his chest and abdon. The flesh beneath, which should have been red, had been frozen deathly pale. This Historian who'd wanted to die alongside his child had ultimately failed to fulfill his wish — but at least in death, his body still witnessed the Rosna Empire's last gasp of courage.
Cheng Shi walked through this eerie atmosphere and re-entered the imperial court, heading straight for the First Prince's forr quarters.
That secret chamber he'd heard about so many tis from others — he'd never actually visited it himself. Now he needed to see it with his own eyes, to check whether any other clues remained.
But just as he reached the door to the First Prince's bedchamber, he heard muffled rustling sounds from inside.
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. He stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly to listen more carefully — and at that very mont, he noticed a limp arrow falling from the distant sky, gently "drifting" toward him.
This was the communication thod he'd arranged with Silence's hunter. Cheng Shi carefully plucked the arrow from the air, then ran his fingers along the shaft, finding two lines of small text.
The first line described the tracking situation: "Three intend to hide in one building. The priest found a chance to slip away. Heading toward the imperial court. Target not lost."
The second line held a na: "Wither Priest. Nangong."
"?"
Cheng Shi froze, then the corners of his mouth curved upward.
That na — why did it suddenly remind him of soone he once knew?
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)