People's greatest delusion was always thinking they were the protagonist of the story, the center of the world's stage.
But reality invariably delivered an ice-cold slap to wake these fools, telling them: in a universe where mortals are as insignificant as dust, you are nothing.
Cheng Shi's plan was solid. Sun Miao's reflexes were sharp. Xiao Qi's assault was fierce enough to be called ferocious. A war between players seed on the verge of erupting.
But just as all three were about to collide, the sky fell!
By sheer misfortune, four teors ca crashing down in rapid succession on the front line — a zone that wasn't even a primary bombardnt target. All four descended from similar heights at close distances, and when they hit simultaneously, a vast area centered on the War Legion's command post would beco genuine hell.
The Grand Tribunal's fury didn't care whether you were an Oathbreaker or a player. If you were distant from [Order], you'd suffer His "divine punishnt."
In that instant, soldiers across the entire area scattered in all directions. Countless [War] soldiers chanted their legion's motto as they fled outward, only to run into furious blockades from the Tower of Logic mid-retreat.
The scholars valued their lives too, of course. Nobody wanted to die alongside their enemy under teor fire rain. So what stopped the [War] soldiers wasn't the scholars themselves, but [Truth]'s creations: War Machine Pawns.
The chanical Engineering Departnt's constructs showed their greatest value in this mont. Born without fear, they couldn't care less about dying in the fire rain. Under standing orders, their mission was simple: drag as many enemies as possible to a mutual end.
Even Delvo's personal guard panicked now. They raised their spears and fought desperately to carve a bloody path for their commander. Yet Delvo moved at a leisurely pace, as though telling everyone he wasn't afraid to die here. He simply gazed toward the Tower of Logic's battle line, apparently calculating his next move on the spot.
But Delvo's fearlessness didn't an everyone else shared his calm. Especially... Cheng Shi.
Having no fear in your heart didn't an having no fear on your face.
Cheng Shi was a seasoned actor. The mont he saw the teor fire rain descending, he executed his plan: he raised the [Corruption] container high, made a show of having his fear absorbed — producing the look of soone forcibly cald — and then, composed, pulled Sun Miao along as they fled into the distance.
Du Qiyu, mid-charge, caught this scene. His sharp eyes were instantly drawn to the object in Cheng Shi's hand.
It definitely wasn't just a mask. As for what was hidden behind it, it looked like so kind of calming tool.
But the current Du Qiyu didn't dwell on it. Mainly because there was no ti to dwell.
His position was awkward. His earlier rush toward Cheng Shi had taken him far from the great bow beside Keinlaur's corpse, and now Cheng Shi and Sun Miao's rapid withdrawal put both targets beyond reach.
Unable to grab either prize, he had no choice but to morize the bow's location, hoping to dig it out of the rubble later. Then, seething with hatred, he fled toward the nearest safe direction.
He wasn't idle during the retreat, though. To keep his rage from interfering with his escape, and to give Cheng Shi and the horse-faced wise man so trouble, Xiao Qi tad over a dozen fleeing [War] soldiers along the way, commanding them to stop, draw their bows, and unleash a volley of arrows at the two retreating figures.
Honestly, this kind of barrage was virtually negligible to players. At best, it was entertainnt.
The steady Cheng Shi at least glanced back to stay alert. Vice President Sun didn't even look, fully focused on dragging Cheng Shi through the shadows.
While running, Sun Miao wondered aloud: "A single glimpse won't be enough for the Beast Tar to understand the Fear Heartwood's effect. What exactly is your plan? Don't you think it's ti to share?"
Cheng Shi surveyed the surrounding situation, ntally counting, and shook his head: "Wait a mont. Xiao Qi has another trick up his sleeve."
The words had barely left his mouth when Xiao Qi's trick arrived!
Sure enough, the volley from the fleeing soldiers was nothing but a distraction to split their attention. As the two charged outward, a soldier ahead of them suddenly halted, whipped around, and thrust his spear in an unthinkable counter-charge straight at... Cheng Shi's face.
After cursing the wise man for so long, Xiao Qi had saved his most lethal strike for his dear old friend Xiao Shi. And he'd specifically targeted Cheng Shi's face.
Facing this ambush, Sun Miao's reflexes as an assassin were visibly faster than Cheng Shi's. He instantly severed the spear shaft with his dagger. But the throw had been devastatingly powerful. Even with the shaft broken, the spearhead continued its trajectory straight toward Cheng Shi's eye.
Under the [Corruption] container's influence, Cheng Shi was at the pinnacle of calm. In a flash, dozens of solutions to the tad beast and spear attack presented themselves. But he used none of them. He didn't even move to counter. Instead, he squeezed out a flicker of panic on his face, bit it down instantly, and instinctively raised his left hand — the one holding the container — to block for a split second. The spearhead precisely flicked the container free and scraped along his cheek, opening a thin line of blood.
Only after feeling the pain from his face did his gaze harden. He unleashed a terrifying bolt of lightning at the tad beast from point-blank range.
BOOM!
The tad beast dissolved into ash with an amused smile. The last image it transmitted to Du Qiyu carried a ssage:
Even if Xiao Shi was the legendary Fate Weaver, he was nothing special. Under panic, he'd even used his hand to block. His reputation was clearly built on tools, nothing more. Though that lightning bolt was genuinely terrifying.
Of course, nobody knew what Du Qiyu was thinking. All Sun Miao knew was that his various emotions had co flooding back, which ant Cheng Shi had put the Fear Heartwood away again.
Perhaps the slight edge of fear actually sharpened one's survival instincts. Sun Miao erupted with far greater speed than before, dragging Cheng Shi through shadow after shadow until they'd escaped the fire rain's kill zone.
Just as they cleared the valley — BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM — four consecutive impacts flattened the land behind them.
The flas surged skyward without wind. Smoke and ash churned across the earth.
Cheng Shi watched Delvo fail to escape the fate of being reduced to scorched ash by a teor. But he also knew that even if this War Marshal died, the next Delvo would rise again, appearing before the Tower of Logic's or Grand Tribunal's routed lines, rallying every surviving [War] soldier to drive these "invaders" out of [War]'s territory for good.
Seeing Cheng Shi look back with a complicated expression, Sun Miao caught his breath and spoke with a frown:
"Vice President Cheng, while overdependence on external tools isn't the right path, I must say your timing for putting away the Fear Heartwood was terrible. Staying calm gives us more options than blind flight.
Also, don't you think it's ti to tell
your plan? Surely you don't want to turn down a free helper?"
'Free?'
'Free sounds great.'
Cheng Shi smiled, looked toward the valley blazing with teor fire, and spread his hands: "Sorry, I didn't choose to put the Fear Heartwood away. Xiao Qi's ambush caught
off guard, and the Fear Heartwood was... knocked from my hand."
"!!??"
Sun Miao's pupils shrank. He pointed at the burning wasteland in disbelief: "You just left the Fear Heartwood sitting there as bait!?"
"I told you, he accidentally knocked it loose."
"Do I look like I believe that? Heh. I didn't expect you to be even bolder than I imagined. Aren't you afraid soone will play the fisherman and the Fear Heartwood will be lost forever?"
"Afraid? Of course I'm afraid." Cheng Shi curled his lips into a smirk, swept his gaze around, and continued pushing Sun Miao toward the battlefield's outermost edge. "But in a situation like this, no fool would turn back into that scorched wasteland. Unless soone left behind sothing they desperately wanted in there.
Sothing like... a certain great bow crafted by a Supre Inquisitor."
'Brilliant move!'
At this, Sun Miao finally understood the full plan. Now he simply looked forward to seeing what expression the Beast Tar would wear when, driven by curiosity, he picked up the Fear Heartwood.
Like Cheng Shi, he wasn't the least bit worried that Du Qiyu would simply leave after finding the heartwood. Because once that man felt what the tool could do, this "old friend" who despised Cheng Shi would undoubtedly make the most rational decision: seize this golden opportunity to settle, once and for all, the "knot" in his heart during this trial.
Sun Miao looked in the direction Du Qiyu had fled, his gaze deep and contemplative.
'So that's what desire looks like. Desire so powerful that even a [Corruption] container cannot fully absorb it.'
...
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