Blood sprayed. The severed head tumbled through the air.
The light in the Extinguisher's eyes went out. But it wasn't over — a booming crash followed as the armor-clad Qin Xin, completely unfazed, simply stomped down on the headless corpse and cratered straight into the ground!
Dust billowed. The kill was final.
Launching himself as a human arrow from a hundred paces out, plucking an enemy's head in the blink of an eye.
In all fairness — even though Li Wufang had created every opening — in the Investigator's eyes, Qin Xin's finishing blow was absolutely stunning.
That massive fra paired with arrow-like speed. Those crisp, decisive strikes married to razorsharp instincts. This Mirror Person had transford combat into art. Even in the mont of the kill's aftermath, he managed to paint a heart-stopping "closing fra" from the spraying blood and swirling dust. The heavy-armored warrior looked like a war god incarnate, presenting the aesthetics of violence in all their glory before Li Wufang.
"Clap, clap, clap—"
Li Wufang broke into actual applause, admiration plain on his face: "Incredible. Truly incredible, Qin Xin. If soone told
you were a War follower, I wouldn't bat an eye. Your every move is the finest offering to that god."
Silence from within the settling dust. Then a slender blade, catching the volcano's firelight, shot out of the still-falling ash and debris like an arrow and embedded itself in... the empty ground.
Li Wufang had vanished the mont his complint ended. Qin Xin's probing strike hit nothing.
The Mirror Person erged from the dust with a frown. With each step, the blood and gore caked on his soles stamped an exaggerated heavy-armor footprint into the earth. He retrieved his sword, extended his senses for a mont, and confird: the hunter was truly gone.
"Quick on his feet, at least."
Qin Xin smiled faintly, glanced back toward the mine, then turned his gaze downhill toward Falling Gate. Just then, the watch in his vest chid.
Another hour mark had arrived.
"Investigator — I should warn you: Wu Cun isn't dead. Her Oblivion Seed activated.
I don't know how much she's annihilated. I need to go check. Tag along if you want. But I'd appreciate it if you'd stay on my side next ti we run into her."
That said, Qin Xin left without hesitation.
After his departure — as the dust and debris finally settled — Li Wufang's silhouette slowly materialized at the edge of the dissipating cloud. He watched Qin Xin's retreating figure, brow furrowed, deep in thought.
...
Elsewhere.
The violent tremors from below the mine had alerted even those on the mountain. The Blind One stood at the warehouse entrance with a heavy expression, gazing downhill, a shadow of worry crossing her face.
She'd been standing there for a while now. Her watch showed the hour mark had just passed. The battle below was subsiding. The whole affair hadn't lasted long, but who'd won, who'd lost, and who'd been fighting whom remained a mystery.
She had her suspicions but didn't dare commit. Sharing her uncertainty was another figure — one who'd stepped out of the room after the commotion below died down.
Li Wufang sauntered forward, studying the scene below with interest. He cast a sideways glance at the prophet standing by the warehouse door and clicked his tongue:
"These are truly restless tis. All that racket in the middle of the night — a man can't get any sleep.
Though I suppose it's no surprise. Everyone's carrying their own agenda. How could the trial ever be simple?
Don't you agree, Chosen One?"
The Blind One frowned slightly but didn't respond.
Li Wufang seed to have lost all interest in sleep. He leaned against the doorfra, chatting idly with the Blind One — though in truth, he was doing nearly all the talking. She was only listening.
Mid-conversation, his eyes shifted. He suddenly asked:
"Chosen One — I've always felt Destiny's guidance is never without purpose.
So... the four people your prophecy showed surviving to the final day — that wouldn't happen to be the Doctor, you, , and whoever won that fight down there, would it?
My math's pretty good. That adds up to exactly four."
"!!??"
Four?
How could it be four?
This wasn't a probe — the Master of Deception Card hadn't flagged it. So in the Investigator's genuine understanding, her prophecy had only four survivors at the end?
The Blind One's expression tightened. Her heart sank as a sudden realization hit: could Ti's discrepancies have occurred among the players as well?
How else could she explain Li Wufang's current knowledge?
An Order follower didn't worship Chaos. These people were clear-headed.
This was bad. If her suspicion was correct, then Qin Xin and Cheng Shi... had they changed?
A chill crawled up the Blind One's spine, raising a fine layer of cold sweat on her back. But she betrayed nothing outward, forcing a smile as though nothing had happened:
"Why wouldn't you count the Fate Weaver?"
Li Wufang snorted a laugh and idly glanced at the warehouse behind her:
"Now that's no fun, Chosen One. I'm a hunter — maybe my score isn't as high as yours, but my eyes are still — er, sorry — my ears are still perfectly sharp.
The thing watching the Doctor in that warehouse right now isn't a living person. It's that skeleton puppet the Fate Weaver controls, isn't it?
He was supposed to be on lookout outside but he's gone.
So I've been wondering since earlier — what exactly is our priest friend up to?
You three seem to get along well. This doesn't look like infighting. So the only explanation is the two of them went out to fight soone. And who's the target? Heh — I haven't forgotten this is a six-player ga. That Extinguisher who's been missing this whole ti... has she shown up again?
Did they go to hunt the mage, or did they have another purpose and just ran into her on the way?
Co on, Chosen One — give
a hint? I think we could be friends. Order followers never have bad intentions."
Li Wufang's smile was brilliant, but the Blind One remained unmoved. Her mind was in chaos. Noticing that Li Wufang was yet again different from before only reinforced her suspicion — Ti's discrepancies were truly playing out among the players themselves.
Qin Xin... the folk redy he'd heard about was actually real?
That actually worked?
Where on earth had he gotten such a thod?
And more importantly — was he still him? Or had the current Qin Xin already been replaced by one from another tiline, without her even noticing?
What about Cheng Shi? Was this laughing, carefree Fate Weaver still the sa mysterious, standoffish friend of the Torchbearers?
At the thought, the Blind One clenched her fists, her expression grave, and turned back into the warehouse. But the instant she pushed the door, Li Wufang called out behind her:
"Chosen One — you look a little off. Do you need so rest?
How about I swap shifts with you early?"
Li Wufang was just being chatty. But to his surprise, the Blind One's steps actually halted — and she agreed.
"Sure. I could use so sleep."
"?"
The words barely left her lips before she reversed course, walking past Li Wufang toward the other room. The bewildered Investigator watched the Destiny Chosen brush by him and enter the room reeking of stale urine, where she laid her head on the table and closed her eyes.
"You're... serious?"
"Watch the Doctor. Unless you don't want the Divinity." The Blind One's voice grew weaker with every word. Li Wufang's eye twitched. He glanced toward the warehouse, sighed, and trudged over.
"Fine, fine, fine. Order has always been close to Truth anyway. Civilization huddles together for warmth — not a bad arrangent."
But the mont he left the room holding Ad Ric, the Investigator's expression turned utterly calculating.
The prophecy had changed? Or had the three of them truly turned on each other? An Mingyu's expression was anything but natural. Was she heading downhill to find soone?
How interesting. Could Qin Xin and the Fate Weaver have found sothing better than Abyss Colorful Crystal?
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