"So, you're the last one?" A man with scars on his face laid his eyes on Wang Linchi.
His na was Hong Xian, the final protagonist. He was initially a support character, a father-like figure, but after being embroiled in this grand destiny war, he beca a dark horse, eliminating the prodigies of Xing Country and various other protagonists through nurous thods.
Afterward, it would naturally be Wang Linchi's ti to reap the rewards.
After several months of intense fighting, many protagonists had begun to sense the truth of the situation. Particularly, with so many of their kind gathered together, and with the grand destiny war disrupting the usual information barriers, understanding the truth was not a complicated matter.
"Evidently, I am indeed the last one," Wang Linchi replied with a smile.
"You have no chance of winning. My Fate is much stronger than yours," Hong Xian said, without any overt pressure. "You can choose a more peaceful way to die."
This ant he was suggesting Wang Linchi commit suicide. As for sparing Wang Linchi, that was impossible. Hong Xian's experiences had led him to one firm conclusion: coexistence was simply unattainable.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have fought his way to this point.
Dragon City had long since been reduced to ruins. Each of the late-stage protagonists possessed a Destiny Level in the double digits, each boasting a Composite Power, being a tahuman, a Martial Artist, and a Cultivator all in one.
"Let's sit down and chat. I presu you're not in a hurry," Wang Linchi said leisurely.
Hong Xian thought for a mont, then finally nodded. With his strength and his own Fate, he wasn't worried that any of Wang Linchi's minor tricks or sches could affect him.
He employed overt strategies and overwhelming force; with these two combined, he had no fear of petty cleverness.
"What do you want to talk about?" Hong Xian sat down, his expression calm.
Since entering Dragon City, his life had been anything but peaceful, filled with incessant killing, scheming, and more. Now, this was a rare return to tranquility.
From the beginning, I was just an ordinary person, he mused. Yet, as the father to many orphans, my conviction ignited a power within , compelling to return.
"Do you think that by killing , you can return ho peacefully?" Wang Linchi asked.
Hong Xian pondered for a mont before shaking his head. "It's unlikely I could return peacefully. From this battle alone, Xing Country is teetering on the brink of collapse, and other nations are eyeing us covetously."
Until now, other countries hadn't acted, largely because they witnessed the ferocity of the battles within Dragon City; any single one of these terrifying Transcendents could annihilate their nations. Consequently, they dared not intervene. They feared that if they made a move, this group of infighting Transcendents would turn their attention towards them. Thus, they resolved to wait until the internal conflict concluded before deciding whether to act.
"No, I wasn't referring to that, but to sothing else," Wang Linchi said.
"Aside from that, what else could possibly stop ?" Hong Xian asked, puzzled.
"You call it Fate. If we are embodints of Fate, then who commands it?" Wang Linchi guided him.
Of course, Hong Xian knew Wang Linchi was leading him on, but he followed Wang Linchi's train of thought. "You an Heaven, right? So what?"
He didn't attach much importance to the "Heaven" within "Fate." He could neither sense nor touch it. If it wanted to harm , why would it wait until now?
"I understand. Do you have anything else to say?" Hong Xian took it rely as a warning from Wang Linchi, but he wouldn't let Wang Linchi go because of a single sentence.
Since the start of the grand destiny war, it had been a fight to the death among all protagonists, with no room for reconciliation.
"One more thing: why do you think you've already won?" Wang Linchi asked curiously.
Hong Xian thought hard before answering, "It's the inevitable trend of events."
He didn't ntion his superior strength or that his Fate was greater than Wang Linchi's. Instead, he seriously pondered the root cause and arrived at this conclusion.
"Then aren't you afraid of being crushed by this trend?" Wang Linchi asked again.
Actually, in this grand destiny war, apart from Wang Linchi, any other protagonist who beca the final victor would die. The world wouldn't allow such a massive asset to exist freely. The victor would face three outcos for breaking away from the world: Tribulation Ascension, Shattering the void, and Spatial Dinsion Upgrade. Setting aside the extre difficulty of successfully overcoming the tribulation, even if one did manage it, how would they be divided? There were three different paths, and the person would be equally divided into three parts—death was inevitable. This represented the entire world's 'savings'; how could it possibly let soone get away with it scot-free?
"I'm scared, but it has to be done. Even if it's a dead end ahead, I have to brave it and push through," Hong Xian said without hesitation.
Even though he knew he had no way out, there was nothing he could do. He had been regretting it all along; he shouldn't have co to Dragon City, even though it was to earn living expenses. But by now, he also knew that regret was useless. Even if he beca the final winner and survived, life would most likely not return to what it was. At the very least, he would have to stabilize the entire Xing Country. However, stabilizing a country was nowhere near easy.
"You are indeed much stronger than ."
In terms of ideological realm, Hong Xian is truly far superior, Wang Linchi thought. The man has ideals, persistence, and a sense of responsibility. Unlike , who simply desires power and survival. Among the protagonists, I am definitely an outlier. Protagonists with a developed ntal state or State of Mind might scold as a slave to power. Yet, I don't care. They haven't witnessed the end of the world, nor have they seen the horrors within the Void. Without sufficient power and the ability to survive, what good is a so-called State of Mind? Unless a State of Mind can also be a form of power, then I would choose to forgo such power and opt for one that doesn't require an advanced ideological realm.
"Do you have any last words for to pass on to soone, or any regrets you need my help with? If it's not impossible to achieve, I'll try to help you." I don't intend to chat with Wang Linchi any longer, Hong Xian thought. We've talked long enough. It's ti to get things back on track.
He posed the question to his final opponent. It's not that I'm suddenly feeling compassionate, but more for the sake of having so closure later on.
Wang Linchi shook his head. "No. I'm all alone. Since the very beginning, my household register has only ever had my page in it."
"An orphan, then. That truly is pitiful," Hong Xian sighed, then stood up and added, "My fist is very fast. It won't hurt."
"But I still want to live," Wang Linchi said.
"So do I." Hong Xian swung his fist, aiming for Wang Linchi's head.
Compared to the abilities of other protagonists, everything about Hong Xian was simple and thodical. His Superpower was SSS-grade strength enhancent, combined with the body cultivation techniques of a Cultivator and the body-refining skills he inherently possessed as a Martial Artist. Similar configurations weren't unheard of among protagonists, yet only he had survived until this point. His approach was entirely without frills, focused solely on using his own strength to overco all techniques.
However, before Hong Xian's fist could reach Wang Linchi, a gust of wind swept past, and Hong Xian's body began to gradually disintegrate.
He felt no pain, but he witnessed his own annihilation, starting from his fist and spreading up his arm.
"What is this?" Hong Xian was calm. He hadn't anticipated his own death this way, but he had long grown accustod to the possibility amidst the endless battles.
Wang Linchi smiled and recited:
"A sixteen-year-old beauty, body soft as silk,
A sword at her waist to cut down mortal n.
Though no heads are seen to roll,
In secret, she'll drain your marrow till it's thin."
"This is called a warning," Wang Linchi added with a smile.
Hong Xian nodded, indicating he understood.
In the next mont, he turned to ash and smoke, completely gone.
He held no animosity towards Wang Linchi. Of those who had been dragged into this, how many had actually committed truly heinous acts? Most of them had been forced. After all, the vast majority of protagonists were not Transcendent types, so they hadn't engaged in much combat, nor could they be said to have committed outrageous evils. Only a handful of protagonists possessed Transcendent abilities.
All the Fate flowed into Wang Linchi's body. The contingency that should have activated showed no sign of doing so; everything vanished as if a clay ox had entered the sea, leaving no trace.
The sky above filled with dark clouds, Lightning Thunder flashing and rumbling. The world wanted to execute its plan but couldn't find its target.
Since Wang Linchi had swallowed all the benefits, the world naturally couldn't retrieve them.
"Huh? Has it started its backup plan?" Wang Linchi sensed the world beginning a deduction process to ascertain future possibilities.
Its 'investnt' had been devoured, yet it didn't throw a tantrum or fly into an impotent rage. Instead, using the little 'capital' it had left, it initiated a new reboot cycle to further investigate the problem.
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