Mizushima Kawa Sora was clad in shining silver light armor that covered her chest and joints without looking bulky. The intricate patterns engraved on the edges resembled a costu from a stage performance. As she finished speaking, a magic wand appeared in her hand, its ruby tip glistening brilliantly.
She was an advanced practitioner of Illusionism. In the Daylight Floating City of the Second World, she had used ntality Control to extract partial truths from Bai Xiong and easily cleared the levels. She could also create illusions, usually defeating her opponents without needing to get close.
With her background from the Fusang Ancient Martial Families, she seed more fitting to stand on the world stage than a re student.
And the mont she finished speaking, a white figure silently approached.
He wore a simple white shirt and walked up as if he was just out for a stroll.
Hubert was Eni’s companion. He possessed a new skill for information monitoring. The mont Su Ming’an approached, he activated his skill to check his basic attributes.
[Health Points: 500 30*19
Mana: 100 (Recovery rate 5/min)
Physical Strength: 24
Strength: 24
Agility: 16
Spirit: 4
Estimated Combat Power: 550~600]
"How does it look?" Eni whispered.
"His Strength, Fitness, and Agility are frighteningly high... But his Spirit is too low, probably not a match for Mizushima Kawa," Hubert frowned, shaking his head, "I don’t know what he’s thinking, knowing that his opponent specializes in the ntality series, yet he didn’t add any ntality Points or at least wear so ntality Defense Equipnt. Just plain clothes... what was he thinking?"
"Will he lose?"
"If these are his only attributes, he’ll undoubtedly lose," Hubert said, "His Spirit is too low, way too low... He’ll have no resistance against illusions."
"Hmph..." Eni humd softly.
"What’s the matter?"
"After fighting desperately to defeat at the beginning, he’s now practically handing the win to this Mizushima Kawa fellow, making it seem like I’m inferior to Mizushima," Eni muttered resentfully, "Damn, it was my speech that I had prepared for so long, and this duel has stolen all the lilight... I could see that none of the players had the patience for my speech, I knew it from the start."
Hubert looked at him, then turned his head sowhat speechlessly, "Suit yourself."
...
"—Let’s begin."
On the cleared stage where all the high-ranking mbers had stepped down, Mizushima Kawa Sora, in her gleaming light armor, pointed her magic wand at Su Ming’an.
"Wait, let say a few words," Su Ming’an said with a smile, raising his hand, "At least I am the president of the Lighthouse Guild."
The microphone was tossed to him.
Holding the microphone, Su Ming’an turned around and faced the countless gazes beneath the stage.
...This scene was strikingly similar to the opening ceremony at the beginning of the ga when his boss had dragged him onto the stage for a speech.
But it also felt a bit different.
There were many more people around him, and... one person fewer.
Countless gazes converged on him like spotlights, among which he saw many famous players.
"What did I say before... ah, right, you don’t need to understand, do you?" Su Ming’an said with a smile, "Actually, on second thought, understanding is quite important after all... because each of us has a light, right? If it is just about watching, then it’s too lonely, isn’t it? Only when we strive together can we have a bright future; no one wants to be a lone pioneer..."
As soon as he said this, all the seniors looked baffled.
"...Is he speaking ironically?" Minister Alauddin said, scratching his head.
"Sothing’s off; it feels completely opposite to what he said earlier..." Hubert adjusted his glasses.
"Is he pleading? Why is he contradicting his own theory, this guy... Is he scared of Mizushima?" Eni also looked perplexed as he watched the stage. Even Mizushima Kawa Sora herself appeared puzzled—why had this man suddenly beco so noble?
Below the stage, both followers of the Lighthouse Series and those who were not had equally puzzled expressions, including Yu Ruohuo herself, who had seriously studied this man’s past statents; the anings were completely opposite... Yet to say that the person on the stage was being ironic, didn’t quite fit either...
Suddenly, she heard so teeth-gritting near her, initially thinking it was a Lighthouse Series follower whose faith had been betrayed. She looked over and saw a figure cloaked in a cape.
Through a small gap, she saw the person’s face, and she blurted out involuntarily, "How did you...?"
"Shh."
The person made a "shush" gesture with his hand, and Yu Ruohuo saw more clearly—it was Su Ming’an standing among the crowd just like her!
She imdiately turned off her live stream to prevent others from noticing him, and then looked back at the stage, where the sa Su Ming’an was still speaking, "...To so easily negate my value is too saddening. I never said I was the only Lighthouse, but if I could beco a spiritual leader in people’s eyes alongside her, then striving for a perfect future would make discussions aningless. It’s better if we all just strive forward together..."
"You, how co?" Yu Ruohuo whispered to the Su Ming’an beside her, suddenly realizing, "The one up there, is that your clone?"
"It’s terrifying, really terrifying... They say a clone is also part of a possibility of my persona." Su Ming’an said with a headache, "But turning into that person... I’d rather you just kill ... No, killing wouldn’t help either."
Thanks to the post-return repair function of the Main God Space, the cloning skill also got repaired as an occupational skill, effectively a non-injury revival.
Thus, Su Ming’an wanted to experint with so things.
"You’re having your clone duel with Miss Mizushima?" Yu Ruohuo looked surprised, "Can he really win?"
"Can’t win, you can say it’s a destined loss." Su Ming’an said, "The clone’s attributes are completely suppressed by Mizushima; there’s no chance of winning. If it were , maybe."
"Then why..." Yu Ruohuo realized she really couldn’t understand him.
...
The stage’s clone finished the tear-inducing noble speech and then sent an invitation to Mizushima Kawa Sora.
"We can begin now, Miss Mizushima." He smiled like a gentleman, completely different from the desperate, sorrow-tinged smile like a dying man earlier in the tea house, and changed his way of addressing completely, even using honorifics.
Mizushima Kawa Sora suspected there was sothing wrong with this man, but she had already seen through the instability—his performance only confird her conviction that she needed to defeat him.
She extended her hand, and the magic wand automatically gathered light, a faint shimr passing swiftly across her eyes. In the next mont, countless white halos appeared all around, quickly gathering and swiftly enveloping the opponent.
The clone’s forward movent stopped montarily.
He closed his eyes and stood still, seemingly imrsed in an illusion.
Both the stage and the audience fell silent for a mont.
Mizushima Kawa Sora’s mana bar was sliding down; she knew she had taken control of him, and now all she needed to do was kick him off the stage.
Before the match, she hadn’t expected to take control so easily, especially since she thought he might summon his clone to attack her together.
She approached step by step, all eyes following her movents. As she controlled the illusion, her steps were slow, but she was indeed getting closer to the stationary clone.
She seed to be walking along a path of slaying gods, where, if she could just kick her opponent off the radiant stage, only she would remain, and she would beco the new Number One Player, enforcing her will.
She, too, was human, and had desires of her own. If one were to set aside the noble aspiration for everyone’s happiness, she also wished for her strength to match her ambition, and she would be a capable leader, while the person before her lacked the trait to conquer her.
The urgency was visible in everyone’s eyes. Lv Shu frowned, Eni’s gaze was ambiguous, and Su veered his head away, while below the stage, Yu Ruohuo was shouting anxiously at Su Ming’an:
"What are you still doing down there? You can control your clone, right? He’s trapped in an illusion, you can command him to move, get him to wake up and defeat Mizushima Kawa! "
But Su Ming’an just looked upward, motionless.
"After the Second World ended, Lv Shu told sothing," Su Ming’an said, his tone grave, "He said that players willing to step down are becoming fewer and fewer... Although I dislike those whose roles are inaccurately defined, it’s undeniable that even the ’suitable players’ category is dramatically dwindling..."
"Stop talking nonsense! What on earth are you doing? Are you really just going to hand it over?" Yu Ruohuo didn’t want to hear his muttering; watching Mizushima Kawa approach the clone, she threw her reverence out the window and nearly wished she could shake him by the arms to hurry, "Hurry and give the order, at least don’t lose so embarrassingly, at least a few billion people are watching!"
Su Ming’an indeed gave the order.
"Clone."
In Yu Ruohuo’s expectant gaze, the corner of his mouth slightly curved up, and in that instant, the fragnted light that flashed in his eyes blazed like stars:
"—Now, commit suicide."
The clone’s eyes opened on the stage.
Facing Mizushima Kawa’s astonished gaze, he "pfft" shoved his hand into his own chest.
"Congratulations, Miss Mizushima Kawa," the clone said as crimson blood seeped from his lips, his eyes shiny, as if he too was pleased, "—now, you’ve won everything."
A dark, compressing, bone-deep emotion, desperately suppressed and indefinable, was condensing in his eyes, and at that mont, those eyes were almost affectionately looking at her, as if looking at a future he had nurtured.
As he spoke, his figure collapsed, the bright red blood streaked a line gleaming under the brilliant light.
The entire arena fell silent.
Then, a tsunami-like outcry followed.
"—Su Ming’an?!"
Su was the first to rush forward like crazy, seeming to teleport as he embraced him, followed by Lv Shu, whose complexion had never looked as horrible as now, ashen as if he had lost his soul.
Eni, Hubert, Avril, and the others simply froze on the spot, as if needing to double-check the situation, Eni rubbed his eyes, and then, with a trembling voice asked, "...What is he doing?"
Everyone below the stage cried out in shock, with many charging directly onto the stage, seemingly wanting to verify the situation.
World chat exploded in an instant, and the live broadcast’s comnt section went wild.
Mizushima Kawa stood frozen, her hand clutching the magic wand stiffened.
In the instant their gazes t, she felt an almost engulfing, fla-like, martyric devotion so passionate it nearly swallowed her whole.
...She herself wasn’t clear what exactly she was thinking at that mont.
Even now, she remained puzzled.
She felt her breath catch until Su started screaming and crying at her, and then she slowly ca out of the chaos.
Then, a profound silence followed.
"He’s retaliating against ," Mizushima Kawa murmured to herself, "...Either this is his clone and he’s humiliated , or he’s truly unhinged... Indeed, my approach was correct."
She said this and imdiately stopped looking at the scene, turning around and walking away, her steps trembling.
...
Below the stage, Yu Ruohuo instantly supported Su Ming’an, who almost collapsed, and she inexplicably roared, "What on earth are you doing? Are you trying to support her? Do you think you’re so great?"
"No, that’s not it." Su Ming’an clutched his chest; he felt the connection with his clone suddenly severed, and his expression grew solemn. "Yu Ruohuo, just now, after the end of the Second World, when the Main God Space opened up the ’Challenge Letter’ chanism, I discovered a terrifying truth."
"What, what?" Yu Ruohuo was still in a state of panic.
"Because the Main God Space originally had no PvP, I hadn’t realized it. But after the end of the Second World, the organizers changed their strategy... They are gradually allowing combat actions in the Main God Space," Su Ming’an said in a low voice. "Because the clone really died... the health bar was depleted, with no sign of sparing any health due to the fight... So, the Main God Space might... beco a place more dangerous than the ga world itself. Those spectators think they are safe, but they actually lose the chance to progress. Once Adventurer Players get even stronger, the Main God Space will eventually beco dominated by them, and the ga world, on the other hand, will beco a temporary sanctuary for people."
Yu Ruohuo’s breath halted for a mont.
Then, a boundless fear quickly overwheld her.
"Although this newly introduced chanism is indeed terrifying... we will eventually figure it out; there was no need for you to test it! To commit suicide on such a stage, just to test this? Do you not care about the outco of the arena at all? This relates to the title of the ’Number One Player’!" she felt her hands tremble.
"Yu Ruohuo, the real ’Number One Player’, doesn’t need to rely on petty fights to ascertain." Su Ming’an’s voice was very weak. "After all, the clone can be revived easily for ; this was a nearly loss-free action. I wanted to be the first to inform the world — that being an Adventurer Player is no longer the most dangerous status, but the spectators will live in the actual fear of death, everything will change, everything will be inverted — I displayed these on a stage seen by millions, it will change the way people around the world think. Those Adventurer Players who originally wanted to beco spectators... they might still keep pushing on, becoming my beloved Lighthouse..."
As he spoke, Su Ming’an finally heard a system notification in his mind:
[Action recorded, calculating Honor Points...]
...Good, objective achieved.
He seed to receive a response, struggling to bear the ntal pain.
"Yu Ruohuo..." he called out softly.
"Hmm, hmm...?" Yu Ruohuo looked down, trembling, seeing that person about to close his eyes. The deep exhaustion seeping out of the slits of his eyes, like shattered waves of light.
She saw the rare panic and fluster in his eyes, tinged with a sense of shattered hope.
"The ’rules’ of the Main God Space," Su Ming’an said in a very low voice, clutching her sleeve, "does that an, does that an..."
He didn’t finish his sentence.
A wave of weakness surged over him, and he passed out.
"...What exactly, were you trying to say?"
Yu Ruohuo murmured to herself.
She held the person in her arms who slept soundly, seemingly non-threatening with his eyes closed, and her mind surged with speculations.
...His actions seed like a form of revenge.
Doing this inflicted a much greater blow on Mizushima Kawa Sora than defeating her directly would have.
Yu Ruohuo didn’t believe Su Ming’an was such a superficial person, but his explanatory remarks were beyond her comprehension.
"What exactly... do you want to do? What exactly is your purpose?" she still couldn’t understand his actions.
She even felt like pulling out the knife in her bosom, cutting his neck to prevent him from ever doing this again.
...This thought terrified her so much that she didn’t understand why she had thought it and quickly banished the idea from her mind; holding him, she squeezed through the panicked crowd and left.
...
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