In this trial, there were mages, assassins, and warriors, but none of these classes could match a hunter's agility when it ca to raw speed, especially over long distances.
And so, in order to reverse the looming disadvantage as quickly as possible and seize that giant bow before anyone else, Du Qiyu moved at full tilt. Before even his tad hawk and other beasts reached the left flank, his true body had already arrived at the encampnt ahead of everyone else, locating Keinlaur in the midst of commanding the battle.
The Keinlaur standing here now bore no resemblance to the slightly aged, white-haired old man from the central army tent the day before. He stood atop a small hill in the heart of the camp, surveying the spreading fires across the lowlands below. ssenger after ssenger rushed in to report the battlefield situation, and with each one he issued precise, thodical orders that struck directly at the heart of the enemy's assault plan.
Command after command flowed down the hill. Before long, the once-raging [War] battle line below began to cool, and it was clear that only scattered embers would remain soon enough.
Perhaps when the [War] soldiers charging wave after wave saw that Keinlaur himself was stationed here rather than at the central camp, they must have felt true despair.
The War Legion's night raid had unquestionably failed. Their well-tid charge had served only as a wake-up call for the entire encirclent line.
Judging solely from the few minutes Du Qiyu had observed, Keinlaur's military acun was so extraordinary that it was nearly impossible to imagine how the historical version of this man had misjudged the broader situation and sent this two-nation encirclent to its doom.
But none of that concerned Du Qiyu. He was here for one thing only: that bow. And so, during a brief lull between commands, Du Qiyu seized the mont to reassert control over one of Keinlaur's personal escort knights. Then, as the battle wound down and Keinlaur turned to head back to his tent, the Supre Inquisitor was once again brought before him.
Of course, the cautious Du Qiyu didn't et the legion commander in person. Instead, he used the controlled escort knight to deliver his "ultimatum" directly.
One escort knight pressed a dagger to Keinlaur's throat while the other clapped slowly in front of the Inquisitor, sneering:
"Well done. No wonder you weren't afraid of . You had a backup plan ready all along.
So does that an our deal is void?
Keinlaur, you don't actually believe you can win this epoch-defining war on your own, do you?"
Keinlaur said nothing, just as silent as he had been in the central army tent before. He rely raised those hawk-like, seasoned eyes to study the familiar yet strange escort knight before him, tinged with a note of sorrow:
"You've killed yet another brave knight of the Grand Tribunal. Your atrocities are pushing you into an abyss of disorder.
[Order] above, turn back. Judgnt has never been about harsh punishnt. It grants you a chance to repent."
Hearing this, Du Qiyu laughed mockingly:
"What, you want [Order] to judge ?
Let
tell you, I don't have the ti to play your little trial gas.
Even if you're not afraid to die, even if you have plenty of body doubles, nobody can out-fox
when it cos to having multiple bolt-holes.
I will find your true body, Keinlaur. And before I do, you'd better have what I need ready. Otherwise, you won't have a single bargaining chip left to buy your own life."
The escort knight slapped Keinlaur hard across the cheek, the insolence of a subordinate striking a superior radiating with brazen arrogance.
"And one more thing. You're going to have quite a few visitors soon. When 'unfamiliar faces' show up, no matter who they are, I want you to kill them all.
I know your people can't eliminate these freaks without forbidden arts. Then use the forbidden arts. Even if it ans destroying the entire eastern and western flanks, as long as I'm here, I can guarantee your victory.
Keinlaur, if fate truly favors you and you manage to pull it off, then even without the thing I want, I'll spare your life.
Rember my words. You're running out of ti."
With that, the escort knight behind the Inquisitor moved to slit Keinlaur's throat. Du Qiyu knew that when soone possessed body doubles, what they displayed to the world would never be their true self. So he didn't fear a false kill, and he used it to reinforce his intimidation.
But what he hadn't anticipated was that the very instant the knight's blade was about to slice across Keinlaur's throat, smoke exploded across the scene and Keinlaur vanished in a flash.
'Not good. Sothing's wrong!'
Du Qiyu's expression shifted instantly. He reacted decisively, severing the connection between himself and both knights inside the smoke. Cautious as ever, he feared the smoke might contain so ans of tracing back to his true body's location.
But the worst had already happened. He realized that only one of his controlled knights remained. The other had lost its connection to him the instant the smoke detonated.
This sudden turn of events darkened Du Qiyu's face to a thunderous shade. Only belatedly did he realize that he, a [Deceit] believer, had been played.
And the one who'd played him was most likely another [Deceit] believer: Xiao Shi!
But he had watched Keinlaur for so long specifically to verify the man's authenticity. Even if Xiao Shi had wanted to impersonate Keinlaur to turn the tables, setting aside how he could have beaten Du Qiyu to the left flank, the calm and asured command against the War Legion's assault, the precise and efficient troop deploynt—surely that couldn't have been an act?
'How did he do it?'
'He even learned how to command a grand army?!'
'Impossible!'
'How could he? Did his trash-picking father teach him that along with his trash-picking skills?!'
'No, it's all fake. It's all an illusion. From the very beginning, the changes at the left flank were fake!'
Du Qiyu was equal parts shocked and furious. He kept grasping at reasons to excuse his blunder, but after rationalizing for a while, he was forced to acknowledge that if everything he'd just witnessed was indeed an illusion, it ant the Xiao Shi he'd once looked down upon now possessed abilities on par with the legendary Zhen Yi, capable of deceiving players at will.
That thought sent an involuntary shiver of fear through his heart. But before that fear could even settle, the young hawk, which had nearly reached the left flank, spotted Lin Xi below the high ground. The Plague Cardinal was already standing there, having arrived who knew how long ago, calmly observing everything.
The Plague Cardinal had arrived too!
And even earlier than his racing tad beasts!
Lin Xi glanced back at the young hawk flapping its slightly awkward wings behind him, let out a cold snort, and then shook his head with a mocking laugh.
"Heh, seems I misjudged you too. Looks like you've already taken a beating.
Beast Tar, let
give you a piece of advice. When you claim to be 1,600 points, people just think you're being cautious and hiding your strength.
But when you claim to be 2,600 points, you'd better pray you actually are.
I don't know if traveling by land is so kind of Beast Tar principle, but when it cos to saving ti, we generally prefer to walk the Void."
"..."
Those three words—"walk the Void"—felt like the universe's most devastating mockery. Du Qiyu's expression darkened until it seed water might drip from his face.
He hid inside the hollow of an enormous tree, breathing heavily, fists clenched white. Then, with a snarl of pure hatred, he slamd his fist into the cavity wall, sending the entire tree resonating with a deep hum.
"You. All. Deserve. To. Die!!"
...
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