Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 146: Setting Off Again

He didn’t know whether he’d been asleep for too long or if the weather was too sunny this morning, but Oliver only slept for a short while. He opened his eyes and blinked laboriously, staring at the soft sunlight that soaked half the room.

The sheets under him were soft and dry, and Nemo wasn’t by his side.

Oliver sat up abruptly and looked at his hands, which still seemed to retain the warm touch of his lover’s skin. This time he didn’t think about the possibility that he was dreaming. The scratches Nemo left on his back last night were still faintly painful, accompanied by a pleasant sense of peace of mind.

His lover was the Demon King.

Nemo Light was the monster that had always existed in legends and needed the combination of all the power of various races on the surface to join in on the crusade—not even the so-called “successor of the Demon King”, but the only one in history. Honestly, Oliver still hadn’t been able to digest this terrifying information.

But he didn’t need to think carefully for long. The depression from the Withered Castle was instantly liberated, followed by the impactful confession of his lover. Oliver hardly knew how to deal with the messy thoughts, so he had to skim the emotional part and coldly peel away the strands. He knew what he had to do that was most beneficial for the surface, but he also knew what to do for the least pressure on Nemo. His soul seemed to be divided into two halves—half accepting the shocking reality, and half almost ruthlessly collecting the current situation to make a relatively appropriate judgment.

His mind did get the most reasonable answer, and after that answer, his accumulated feelings completely exploded.

…He was rarely out of control.

Oliver took a deep inhale of the cool morning air, a little frustrated. He tried his best to stay calm, but when he felt Nemo’s temperature last night, there were only two thoughts left in his mind.

Not long ago, he almost lost Nemo, and if the “Demon King” regained all his memories in the future, he was likely to lose his lover again.

In the great emptiness and desire, he completely abandoned reason for the first time. All thoughts seemed to be burned out by fire, leaving only endless heat.

The word “Demon King” instantly became a distant concept.

The inhuman pupils didn’t cast any sense of oppression, and those beautiful silver eyes glowed in the night. He watched them become moist, full of supplication. The slightly long black hair was wet with sweat, and it stuck to the back of Nemo’s fair neck. His lover moaned and whispered frantically, and then there was only a broken groan that left his throat.

Sweat seeped into the bloody scratches on his back, and the tingling pain only further paralyzed Oliver’s sanity. He didn’t let go and instead greedily plundered Nemo’s body heat—as if letting go of his hand would make him disappear in an instant.

Now, considering the identity of the other party… He was definitely the craziest lunatic among mankind, Oliver thought numbly.

And he screwed up.

Oliver buried his face sadly into the palm of his hand. Although he could perceive the joy of the other party, it was an indisputable fact that his actions were too rough last night—he even fell asleep afterwards. Looking at the state of the sheets, Nemo had probably already cleaned up.

Oh God.

He had to apologize as soon as possible. Oliver rubbed his face hard and quickly got up and put on his underwear. When he stood in front of the armor, he hesitated for a few seconds.

Oliver tentatively stretched out his hand and pressed against the cold metal. The gray mist diffused from his fingers, twisting the metal, making a harsh bending sound. In fact, after simply and roughly breaking the long thorns off the armor, it no longer reminded people of the Knights of Silence, but caution was never a bad thing.

After the gray mist dissipated, the armor that could have covered people tightly turned into a simple light armor. Oliver still couldn’t precisely control the mist, which made his new outfit look slightly rough, but he could make do with it.

He quickly put on the armor, hung the skeleton helmet on the back of it, and hurriedly opened the door…

He almost bumped into Nemo, knocking the plate of food in his hand into the air.

The Demon King was called the Demon King for a reason. Dark shadows gushed out quickly and caught the two glasses that flew into the air without spilling a single drop of milk. Nemo himself instantly regained his balance and held the tray firmly again.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment. Oliver’s gaze moved from Nemo’s eyes to his slightly paler lips, and his whole face quickly turned into a tomato.

“Last night… Uh, I’m very sorry! I went a little too far…”

Nemo’s facial muscles twitched a few times, and his face began to turn slightly blue. Nemo really did mind, and just as Oliver was about to bang his head, he suddenly realized the real reason why…

“A little too far,” Ann repeated. She slowly poked her head out from behind Nemo, giving him a complicated look. “I can’t tell, captain.”

Nemo held the tray of food in one hand, grabbed Oliver’s armor in the other, and dragged him directly back to bed. He glanced at Ann carefully—the female warrior was leaning against the door, holding an unconscious parrot in her hand with an inscrutable expression on her face.

Nemo only felt that he was so cramped that he was close to suffocation. The freshly named tomato’s gaze was so erratic that he didn’t dare look directly at Oliver.

Oliver had just put on the transformed armor of the Knight of Silence so most of the skin on his hands and wrists were exposed. Among them, of course, was the engraved scar and his slender and beautiful fingers. He just stared at them, and all the things from last night rushed to his mind again, making his brain buzz.

“I picked some food that’s easy to digest.” Nemo picked up a bowl of soup, determined to put those messy thoughts behind him. The sweetness of onion and the rich aroma of grease spread instantly. There were pieces of bread floating in the soup. “You have to eat something.”

“Wait a minute…” Oliver swallowed.

“I’ll watch you eat.” Nemo stuffed the spoon into the palm of his hand. His tone was even a little stern. “The two assassins told me all the fucked up things that Withered Castle did—Ollie, I don’t know what you’re thinking now, but if you’re still struggling about last night. Actually, I…” he coughed, and his voice became lower, “Don’t mind it, really.”

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully put the spoon into the soup and then sent it towards his mouth. The warm soup rolled down his long-dried esophagus, even causing a bit of pain.

With a low sigh, Oliver put down the spoon. He picked up the bowl and poured the soup directly into his stomach, almost choking on the pieces of bread. Nemo hesitated for a moment, and finally obeyed his heart. He leaned forward slightly and kissed Oliver’s nose soothingly.

“There’s no problem with Cross and Dylan for the time being. We contacted yesterday,” Ann interrupted at the right time, thoughtfully ignoring the intimacy between the two. “Just feel at ease, captain.”

“What’s the situation?” Seeing that Oliver finally had something to eat, Nemo picked up a glass of milk for himself and turned his head slightly.

“Dylan claimed that the fluctuations of abyssal magic were credited to the staff. He acted innocent and was willing to cooperate with the Laddism Church’s investigation. My God, you really shouldn’t have missed the expression of the Preceptor Bishop at that time—Cross went with him. The elders of the Laddism Church won’t watch him slip away again from under their noses.”

She shook the gray parrot that she was carrying in her hand, but Bagelmaurus didn’t have any intention of waking up, so she simply gave up.

“According to the agreement, this bird and I handed over the prisoner and he confessed to the garrison. At least Oliver will no longer be regarded as the murderer of Mr. Ramon… No, the murderer of Mr. Lopez.”

“Will Mr. Cross be okay?” Oliver took a big sip of milk and wiped the foam from his lips. After all these series of events, the news didn’t make his heart feel easier.

“Let’s just count him as our consultant. Even if the Laddism Church wants to deal with him, there are a lot of formalities to go through. Unless they can convict Dylan and determine that they were carrying out some kind of malicious destruction…” Ann curled her lips. “So as long as there’s nothing wrong on Dylan’s side, Cross will be fine in the short term, but I’m a little worried about Dylan’s identity. If he’s also a wanted criminal on the Laddism side…”

“…No, there should be no problem,” Nemo said, dryly. “Trust me.”

“They are going to Clementine in Alban. The Pope of the Laddism Church is over there now.” The female warrior raised her brows. “We can catch up. Besides, Oliver wants to clear his name, and there are only two choices, the capital or Clementine… Speaking of Oliver, what crime have you been convicted of? Why were you taken away by the Gatekeepers so quickly?”

“They decided that I was a Knight of Silence.” Oliver emptied the glass of milk.

“Bah!” Ann reacted straightforwardly.

“He passed the test of the Knight’s Heart,” Nemo added quietly. “To be precise, there’s no problem with the process of the Insular Court.”

Ann’s eyebrows frowned in the next second. “Does he have a knight’s oath on him?”

“He…” Nemo picked a relatively ambiguous statement. “He doesn’t have it now. If he’s tested again, I promise there won’t be a problem.”

“It seems that you two are hiding a lot from me.” Ann rubbed her chin. “Forget it. It’s imperative to quickly wash away Oliver’s crimes. Although I don’t know how you got Oliver out of the Withered Castle, Nemo—unless you suddenly become the King of Alban, he is still nominally a death row prisoner on the run.”

“We’d better leave immediately, the sooner the better.”

Headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.

“Interesting, someone hired Horizon with a lot of money.”

“Horizon Mercenary Group. Well, they are mercenaries,” an old man straightened his white beard and responded absentmindedly. “Naturally, employers will employ mercenary groups.”

“But most people don’t hire Horizon to do investigation tasks. This isn’t a commission of a national nature, but a private commission.”

“…You can never guess what the rich are thinking, but it won’t be a boring task. I remember they don’t like to take on meaningless tasks.”

“Of course. Let me see, let me see… Hmm.” The old man scratched his head. “It’s an investigation request for a Black Chapter team.”

“To request Horizon to be dispatched, they should be at least a six-eyed spider rank, right?”

“No, this is the interesting thing. It’s to investigate a snake rank team… Have you heard of Tumbleweed?”

---

The author has something to say:

Nemo: …

Oliver: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep right away.

Nemo: …

Oliver: Sorry, I should clean up with you.

Nemo: ………No, actually, I don’t mind those.

Nemo: Uh… If you have to apologize, you’d better apologize for your technique, Ollie.

Oliver: …

Little Yellow Book* Theoretical Warrior Ollie√

*Refers to vulgar materials (aka porn and the like).

For things like technique, it still takes a lot of practice to improve it!

It’s just that Ollie will only get stronger and stronger, so be enlightened, Mr. Demon King (???).

——————

Oliver: You want to investigate?

Oliver: Okay, I was single last time. This time I have a lover—

Godwin: …You, go away.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Practice makes perfect! Even the Demon King couldn’t bear the force that is Oliver.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 145: Heat

The sun was about to set. The sunlight projected on the floor had an orange-red hue.

The honey milk had already cooled, and a thin lipid film had formed on the surface. Nemo exhaled. His eyes were still dry. The icy, invisible layer that had been wrapping him finally collapsed. He sank into the world again, like a fish thrown back into clear water.

He was finally able to breathe smoothly.

Nemo could feel a soothing kiss on his ear. Oliver drew back his arms around him, spread the pillow, and lay back on it. His lover put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling with a serious expression, obviously lost in thought.

After a brief hesitation, Nemo threw off his shoes and cautiously climbed onto the bed.

Since Oliver disappeared, he hadn’t closed his eyes for a single moment. Although it was impossible for a Demon King to falter because of such a trivial matter, his spirit, which was stretched to its limits, suddenly relaxed and he almost collapsed. As he moved forward, his knees touched the hilt of the Rest in Peace.

Nemo originally wanted to put the Rest in Peace by the bedside, but he regretted the moment he reached out. After glancing at Oliver quietly and making sure the other party didn’t care about it, Nemo put the sword in the gap between the two and immediately withdrew his hand as if it was on fire.

This way, it was still within Oliver’s reach.

He quickly pulled half of the quilt up and buried his face in the pillow and turned his back to Oliver. Nemo originally thought he would be so nervous that he couldn’t sleep, but the sun was warm, and Oliver’s heartbeat was gentle and powerful. He almost fell asleep within a few seconds.

“Ollie.” As if to confirm something, Nemo stared at a thread on the edge of the pillowcase as he spoke. “When everyone gathers again, I have to make this matter clear.”

He paused for a moment, but Oliver didn’t intend to answer, so he continued, “I’m indeed… some kind of danger. It’s unfair to keep Ann and Mr. Cross in the dark.”

“Does Dylan know?” Oliver quickly grasped the point and threw out a rhetorical question.

“He knew from the beginning. If I guessed correctly, he’s probably—”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Oliver quickly interrupted him. “I have a bad feeling… Nemo, I’m still digesting your identity. We’ll talk about Dylan later.”

The air was completely quiet for a while.

“Do you want to hear my opinion about the confession?” Just when Nemo was almost falling asleep again, Oliver took the initiative to speak.

“Nn,” Nemo replied in a daze.

“I’ll tell you my reasoning.” Oliver’s voice was firm and calm. “I understand what you’re thinking, Nemo. I won’t deliberately hide it from them, but now’s not the right time.”

Nemo suddenly woke up. “What did you say?”

“Let’s not talk about Ann’s position. Mr. Cross will definitely report the situation to the Holy Church. Compared with the average Knights of Judgment, his attitude is indeed more understanding… But your situation is more special. I think you know.”

“…I understand.”

“None of us know what the ‘you used to be’ had planned. If you confess this matter, it will only lead to meaningless conflict and panic. Even if they don’t have direct evidence… If someone wants to thoroughly investigate the affairs of the Abyssal Church, they will still find some clues.” His lover sounded terribly calm. “Personally, we’d better wait for some clues before we talk to them.”

“……”

“As for the safety of those people… Trust me, Nemo. Once your identity is exposed, Mr. Cross and Ann will certainly not survive. After all, you used to be companions. No one would be tolerant of this kind of thing. Everyone would just want to ensure complete security.”

Nemo wrapped himself tightly into the quilt and curled up. The frustration of overgrown, soft thorns hit him again. “I see.”

“And it’s better for me ‘as a human being’ than for you to confess this yourself.” A warm hand reached out and rubbed the back of his neck. There was friction in the cloth behind him. Oliver seemed to have taken away the weapon between the two of them and put it on the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to be so anxious to prove yourself. It’s okay.”

“Go to sleep,” Oliver added. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Before he finished speaking, Nemo had already fallen asleep, as if his words were some powerful hypnotic spell. Anxiety and uneasiness were still there, but at this moment, they had become extremely thin. Nemo thought hazily that he could probably sleep until Ann’s arrival.

But he woke up much earlier than he thought.

The sky outside the window was a dark blue color that was so close to black that even a few stars couldn’t be seen. The warm sunlight had disappeared. Nemo sat up abruptly, instinctively leaned to his side, and in the next moment his fingertips touched warm skin—Oliver’s temperature was still there, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

It really wasn’t a dream.

Nemo looked around him. Oliver kept his hands behind his head, and his emerald eyes were still staring at the ceiling. At that moment, he moved his gaze over and collided with Nemo’s gaze.

“You didn’t sleep,” Nemo said, retracing his hand somewhat awkwardly.

“Mm-hmm,” Oliver whispered.

Nemo plucked up the courage and put his hand back. Oliver didn’t tremble, but his muscles did tighten under the skin. The skin wasn’t smooth. He could now touch protruding scars and sunken dark wounds. Anger and pain came out from the bottom of his heart again. Nemo hitched his breath and stroked his fingers along the long scar.

Then Oliver grabbed him.

Nemo subconsciously looked at Oliver’s face and found his eyebrows were slightly wrinkled. He subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand but found that Oliver’s hand was tightly clenched.

“This isn’t a dream.” Oliver’s tone was firm, and his grip became a bit stronger. “I have been thinking about it, Nemo… But it’s really not a dream.”

The faint moonlight poured into the room. Oliver’s nightgown opened slightly from his movements, revealing a hideous scar on the left side of his chest. Nemo leaned closer and pressed the scar with his other hand. He could feel Oliver’s body stiffen with his movements, but the heat attracted him so much that Nemo couldn’t retract his hand.

This reality was too beautiful, even now. He dared not believe it was true from the bottom of his heart. Maybe he would wake up at a certain moment and find himself sleeping in a lonely and cold corner…

And he wasn’t the only one who had this concern.

First their fingers, then their entire palms, as if they were touching human skin for the first time. The temperature of the other person kept radiating from the palms of his hands. For the first time in his life, Nemo had the idea of taking the initiative to plunder something.

He liked this heat.

Before his consciousness reacted, he had already propped up Oliver’s pillow with both hands and stared intensely into the familiar emerald eyes… At that moment, they were glowing with an obscured light.

“Do you mind?” Nemo asked softly. He could feel his pupils losing control and changing back to the appearance of a demon, but he didn’t dare care about this now. His heartbeat was so loud that it was out of control. It kept pumping blood into his brain, but Nemo had forgotten how to breathe again.

“Of course not.” Oliver’s voice was a little hoarse.

Nemo leaned down, pressed his left hand onto the fatal scar, and bit into Oliver’s lips with great intensity. He felt his heart would explode because of the joy and sadness in the next moment. Oliver reached out his hands and gently rubbed Nemo’s ears and cheeks. The temperature of the room was rising, and the skin under his palm revealed a thin layer of sweat, which became slippery and a little cool.

They kissed each other intently, as if the world outside the room no longer existed.

Oliver inserted his slender fingers into Nemo’s black hair. His movements were very light, and the heat in his palms became more obvious. Nemo let out a small groan from his throat, and slightly propped his arms and licked the corners of his lips.

“You don’t have to be so careful,” he murmured, pulling down the neckline of Oliver’s nightgown. “I’m not fragile, you know—”

Before he finished speaking, the world in his eyes suddenly turned upside down.

After a few seconds, Nemo realized what had happened—Oliver turned over quickly and tightly restrained his wrist with his hands. The gentleness and obedience had dissipated in an instant, and the momentum was like a beast that gave its prey its final blow.

“That’s right,” Oliver said slowly. “I know.”

After that, he lowered his head and kissed Nemo’s eyes. That was his last move that had anything to do with “softness”.

After the moist kisses, Nemo didn’t have time to open them. A slightly stabbing pain hit the side of his neck. He wanted to struggle, but he could feel the eagerness and sadness in that bite. The tingling sensation hit his brain. When he tried to take in air, his breathing became slightly labored.

Forget it, Nemo thought. Completely relax your body.

Next, the concept of “time” completely disappeared in this ordinary guest room. It wasn’t until the sun rose the next day that this crazy night really ended.

“…We need to talk it over Ollie,” Nemo buried his face in the soft pillow and muttered rather breathlessly. “You can kill me. I don’t mind… but not in this way, okay?”

However, his lover did not give a definitive answer. Oliver hummed vaguely and simply fell asleep.

Nemo stood up and, for the first time, hated his physique. He gritted his teeth and performed a cleansing spell on the crumpled sheets and mended the newly appeared tears on them. Oliver was lying on the pillow, sleeping heavily. The loose nightgown had already turned into shreds on the floor, and his scarred upper body was exposed to the air.

Nemo looked away in frustration. The last bit of unhappiness left in his heart disappeared instantly. There were a lot of bloody scratches on Oliver’s back, and as a final revenge, he was determined not to treat them.

Although a cleansing spell was much faster, he still decided to bathe. The touch of hot water pouring on his body brought him back to reality again. That absurd night didn’t leave many traces on his skin. Nemo stared deeply at the splashing water and found that he couldn’t find the heavy state of mind of the previous day.

‘Oliver really wasn’t afraid of him at all,’ he thought… Though his proof of love was a bit too powerful, this was still good news.

After carefully rinsing, Nemo dried his hair casually and put on a loose robe. He planned to go to the restaurant to get some food. After all, the pudding and milk were ignored by them all night, and they were no longer suitable for eating.

However, when Nemo just picked up a glass of hot milk and planned to take a sip, he truly returned to reality…

Ann was sitting at the dining table by a window with a piece of oatmeal bread in her mouth. The gray parrot was pecking at a nut biscuit, making clicking noises on the side. It and Nemo directly confronted each other, and it gave an earth-shattering squawk.

The female warrior raised her head and chin as if to say hello, but when she saw the other party’s situation clearly, Ann reached out a hand slowly and took down the oatmeal bread in her mouth.

“…Where’s Oliver?” She swallowed the bread and cleared her throat. “I remember you wrote ‘everything is going well’ on the task.”

“Still sleeping,” Nemo said with a flat face. His ears were burning, half because of the tension and half because of embarrassment.

“Oh. Still sleeping—No! What time is it?!” Ann clutched the poor bread tightly. “Can’t you heal him? Oliver is usually up by five… Did… Did you bathe, Nemo? At this time?”

She glanced at the plate Nemo was holding. There was no doubt it was breakfast for two.

The expression of the female warrior froze.

“My God… You guys really—no, no. I mean. Did you give Oliver—?” Ann raised her eyebrows high, ignoring the surrounding gaze, and made a vulgar gesture with her hands.

The heat exploded directly in his face. Nemo didn’t say a word and turned away.

“This reaction… Oh, it doesn’t seem to be…” Ann resoundingly clicked her tongue. “Hey, don’t go yet. Come back! Sorry! ….Pfft.”

“Young people are so thin-skinned.” Looking at Nemo’s back, Ann poked the gray parrot with a smile. “I can’t believe that Oliver kid really did it. This is no longer a problem that medals can solve. Cross should apply for a trophy for him.”

The nuts in Bagelmaurus’ mouth directly fell on the table. It stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, then fainted.

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The author has something to say:

Let’s review the process behind Nemo’s secret identity reveal—

1. Fighting Witherspoon near Hailem. It was discovered that Nemo’s related to a superior demon.

Oliver: I’m not afraid.

Divide half of the bed and let Nemo sleep all night.

2. Nadine discovers that Nemo is a complete superior demon.

Oliver: I’m not afraid!

Slept with Nemo in his arms on the sofa all night.

3. It was discovered that Nemo is the Demon King.

Oliver: I’m not afraid—

…and put Nemo to sleep all night.

————

Nemo: Something’s wrong here?!?!

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Kinky Thoughts:

That’s certainly one way to tame a Demon King. Ahhh… All that suffering is so worth it for this! They finally consummated their relationship~

Poor Ollie. The events of the Withered Castle scarred him so much that he doubted whether this was reality. Well… he certainly did confirm it was truly a reality.

Side note: I like Stray so much I decided to pick up another novel by the same author called Happy Doomsday. It’s a sci-fi fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world. Do check it out, especially if you’re a fan of Stray. The prologue has been released. As Stray is my main project, Happy Doomsday will be released on a weekly basis until Stray is complete.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 144: Love and Responsibility

‘We’re so close,’ Nemo thought.

Oliver leaned against the light-colored wooden bedside. His loose robe exposed his neckline, revealing a little of his collarbone. The soft light brown hair was a bit messy, and in the sun, the emerald eyes were clear and calm, looking at him full of trust and comfort.

The other’s body’s heat was still stuck to his skin. Nemo clenched his hand. He was attached to this heat, but as a result, he had to reveal everything.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about concealing it.

The idea of hiding it did emerge from the depths of his mind from time to time. After all, only he knew the details of everything that happened in the Church of Silence. As long as he remained silent or claimed to be just a weird wanderer… Nemo had never been as clear as he was now; how much pain it would cause to push away this warmth with his own hands.

It would be better to maintain the status quo. As long as he didn’t tell, Oliver would never ask.

But he couldn’t hide it.

He thought that in and of itself was a kind of mistrust. Oliver promised that he wouldn’t be afraid, and if one day Oliver himself discovered his identity—or worse, when “Nemo Light” disappeared completely and the real Demon King came into the world, what would his lover think?

That would be hell, and he didn’t want to push Oliver into hell with his own hands because of this warmth he got through deception.

He couldn’t escape.

“Ollie.” Nemo finally opened his mouth, clutching the edges of the thin quilt tightly. The air seemed to be pulled away from him in an instant, as if he couldn’t normally breathe. “I found out what I am when I brought down the Abyssal Church.”

Oliver clasped his fingers and his eyes remained gentle.

“I… I’m not as innocent as you think. Far from it.” Nemo subconsciously wanted to move his gaze away, but he forced himself to look Oliver in the eyes.

He took a deep breath like a dying person. “Although I don’t remember, I have killed many people before.”

“I told you, right? I like the Tin Soldiers very much, but I was the one that killed them. That’s Uncle Ramon’s companions—your father’s companions…”

“Before that, even earlier, for thousands of years… I don’t know how many I’ve killed…”

These words were like sharp thorns, and every word would cut into his throat.

“There’s no concept of more than a dozen generations of Demon King. From beginning to end, it was me at the bottom of the Abyss, Ollie. And now, I’m on the surface. Just the part that I discovered… The memories I lost, and even everything right now, could all be the plans of ‘who I used to be’.”

It seemed that he was vomiting something poisonous that made his tongue almost paralyzed.

“…It doesn’t matter if you violate what you told me. It doesn’t matter if you run away. I won’t be angry. I won’t blame you. I’m…”

The words got stuck in his throat, and Nemo couldn’t say them. He finally lowered his gaze, unable to bear to look at those emerald eyes that would turn cold. “I’m…”

“The Demon King?” Oliver finished it for him, but he couldn’t tell if his voice contained joy or anger.

Nemo didn’t answer. He stared at the gap in the floor under the sun, knowing that his reaction was enough to confirm it.

Oliver was silent for a long time.

Only one person’s breathing was left in the quiet space as Nemo didn’t even dare to breathe. He still stared at the crevices on the floor, and his fingers were clenched so tightly that they scratched the thin quilt.

“I want to eat pudding,” Oliver suddenly said after a suffocatingly long silence.

“……What?” This wasn’t any of the answers Nemo had imagined. His brain went blank.

“Can you get me one, Nemo?” Oliver’s voice was calm and relaxed. “I need a little time to think about it.”

Nemo stood up quickly, made a quick hum, and rushed out the door as if he was fleeing. He still didn’t dare look at the expression on Oliver’s face, and even forgot to say goodbye.

He hardly remembered how he found the shop, and almost left without taking the dessert. Although the pebbled ground was extremely firm, Nemo only felt like he was stepping on cotton. His body was shaking with tension, and the people passing by seemed to be walking in a separate dimension. It wasn’t until he saw the sign at the inn that he realized he had already walked back.

But Nemo didn’t return to the room immediately.

Could Oliver have left already? He was carrying the rope around the pudding bottle when an almost cruel thought ran into his mind uncontrollably.

Thinking from a different viewpoint, this was indeed the most rational approach, but this thought made him fall into an ice cave. Nemo looked at the brightly colored signboard. The innkeeper behind the counter just poked an ink bottle with the tip of his pen. It was a warm and peaceful scene, but his stomach was twisted into a knot, and his blood vessels seemed to be replaced by tiny poisonous snakes.

In any case… When he stepped into that room again, he would certainly get his answer.

This was the path he chose for himself, and he was destined to bear the consequences of his confession. Nemo walked to the door with the pudding in hand as his heart beat out of control. He thought this was the feeling of fear, and he hated it from the bottom of his heart.

Nemo slowly reached out his hand and opened the door but didn’t find the light brown head on the bed. His heart stopped for a few seconds. Fortunately, the Rest in Peace was still lying on the light-colored quilt, which made it particularly conspicuous.

Oliver seemed to have stuffed his head under the pillow and wrapped himself into a cocoon. Hearing the door open, he stuck out his head from under the fluffy pillow.

“You can eat it,” Oliver pointed to the pudding bottle and solemnly suggested. “Sorry, I just lied. I have no appetite and you peeled the last of the pears.” Oliver sighed and sat up again. He propped up his pillow and leaned heavily against the head of the bed. “…You look horribly pale. Sweet things will make you feel better.”

Nemo was stunned in place. His lips trembled, and he couldn’t say a word.

“Come and sit down,” Oliver said, patting the edge of the bed. There was no expression on his face. “I promise I won’t scream like a ten-year-old girl.”

This time, it was Nemo’s turn to be restrained. He held the pudding bottle with both hands and almost crushed the poor bottle. After hesitating for over ten seconds, he took a few steps cautiously and sat back on the bed carefully, as if the bed was about to explode in the next second.

“I have a few questions to ask.” Oliver looked at the ceiling. “You said you’re the Demon King. Nemo…What is the basis for that judgment?”

“Fragments of Ulysses’ skull,” Nemo said dryly. “I can feel it. There’s no doubt that my power lies in it. There’s no difference at all. As for the complete skull, it’s on top of the tree in your backyard.”

“You mean—” Oliver’s voice changed a bit. “Is ‘Mr. White’ your bones? ……If I’m understanding correctly.”

Nemo slightly nodded and lowered his eyes. “This is one of the basis. The second is… This may be more difficult to understand. Ollie, I can completely control the lives of superior demons. No ordinary demon can do this.”

“I really don’t understand, but it seems you’re quite sure of your identity.”

“…Yes.”

“Then the next question,” Oliver murmured with a sullen face. “Do you really don’t remember anything?”

“That’s right.” Nemo clenched the bottle in his hand bitterly. “When I came into contact with the skull fragments, I got back a little of Ulysses’ memory. He… No, I used your father to purposefully take out the skull from the Abyss. Ollie, I used your father. Although I don’t know the details, I’m here now… It must be something to do with that skull.”

Oliver let out a long sigh.

“One last question.” He turned around and looked directly into Nemo’s eyes. “Where are you planning to go?”

“What?” Nemo didn’t react for a while.

“You insisted yesterday that ‘Ann will come to pick me up’,” Oliver said slowly, and Nemo couldn’t judge the tone in his voice. “Nemo, do you want to leave?”

“I…”

“Is this a breakup request?”

“You…” Nemo almost dropped the bottle in his hand. This was completely different from what he had expected. He quickly put the bottle down on the bedside table causing the hard objects to make a dull bumping noise. Honestly, he didn’t have much hope—the fact that Oliver didn’t run away brought relief from the bottom of his heart. As for the other things Oliver mentioned, he didn’t think about them all.

He never thought that they still had the luxury of a “future”.

“…It was my fault that you were sent to the Withered Castle,” Nemo growled in a low voice. “You don’t have to force it. I’ve put a lot of pressure on you. I know it. Ollie, this isn’t a joke. If I were just an ordinary superior demon, of course we could continue… But I have always been the enemy of the surface! I’ll drag you into the water one day. You…”

“Listen to me. I’m not innocent at all. What happened is a fact. No matter what I do, it will not change. I’m probably just an illusion, a disguise that makes you let down your guard…”

Nemo buried his eyes in one palm and gritted his teeth. “You’ll always make the most reasonable judgment. You know what to do.”

“I know.” The mattress sank as Oliver approached. “I have no intention of telling you ‘it doesn’t matter’ on behalf of anyone.”

Then a pair of warm arms came up from behind him as Oliver hugged him. It was undoubtedly a hug. “I can’t forgive you on behalf of anyone. You’re right. No one can change what happened.”

Oliver opened Nemo’s arm and covered his eyes with his hand. The palm felt dry and warm.

“If I wasn’t ‘sent to the Withered Castle’, maybe I would make the so-called most reasonable judgment as you think.” Oliver put his chin on Nemo’s shoulder, and Nemo could feel his breathing as he whispered into his ears. “But I won’t do that now. Thank you for telling me this. I know you could have said nothing.”

“But Nemo… The Demon King has never ascended to the surface. It’s the army of the surface that enters the Abyss on its own. My father is a very smart person. He can always see through the essence of a thing at a glance. Don’t you know? He had put bouquets of flowers next to your skull. He must have cherished his companions quite a bit too… but the flowers are still there. Whatever happened back then, it’s definitely not as simple as being ‘used’.”

“If you really want to be condemned, I’ll bear it with you. If you want answers, I’ll find them with you.”

“Because the person I like is here at this moment and suffers from hurting others. It doesn’t matter if it’s an illusion. It doesn’t matter if it’s a disguise. ‘You’ are here now, Nemo.”

“You might die.” Nemo cleared his throat. “I can go back to the Abyss. I can find a place where there’s no one. I…”

“I almost died… I have experienced it. I’ll be more skillful in the future.” Oliver even let out a low laugh. “Now that I know the truth, I should take more responsibility for monitoring you, right?”

“I still want to catch you more than leaving you alone where I can’t see you. After all, even if you return to the Abyss, the next expedition will be inevitable, and no one knows that you can travel freely between the Abyss and the surface now.”

“If I understand something from this… Nemo, it’s very painful to persist alone, and the pain is beyond imagination. It’ll be easier with two people.”

“I just want to protect…” Nemo’s voice became hoarse.

“The things that the ‘you before’ have done will not disappear, nor will the things that the ‘you now’ have done.” Oliver’s voice became lighter. “We have helped a lot of people, and you have indeed changed a small part of the world. If you hide, I can’t do those things alone. If one day, things really reach an irreparable point…”

The hug tightened, and the heartbeat from behind was steady and powerful. Oliver’s body temperature seeped through the thin fabric and almost scalded him.

“I’ll definitely kill you myself.”

Nemo thought this may be the best dream he’d ever had. He clung to Oliver’s arms tightly, grabbing onto the last driftwood like a person about to drown. He didn’t doubt Oliver’s words at all. Not so long ago, this person even tried to turn his own death into a yoke to defend a promise to guard the surface.

It was great that the person he fell in love with was so cruel.

“…Until then, if you want, I will be by your side.”

“Yes.”

Nemo took a deep breath. The air around him finally reappeared. The blood flowed again, and Oliver’s hand gently covered his eyes. The sun’s rays were warm, casting an orange glow on both sides of his fingers.

“…So don’t cry.”

“Okay.”

---

The author has something to say:

In the next chapter, let me… carefully turn off the lights (rubbing hands).*

*Basically, she’s saying she’ll tread carefully writing the text, so it doesn’t get reported. You all know what’s coming.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

These two deserve happiness. Get ready for a spicy chapter. We deserve it after that emotionally painful arc. Just a note, given Chinese censorship laws, don’t expect much.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 143: Serious Talk

The space rift closed behind the four of them, cutting off the army’s wailing and the air full of burning smell on the other side.

The evening breeze in the woods was warm and pleasant, and insects chirped in the grass. The woods here weren’t dense, and the bushes had obvious traces of people coming and going. Looking down from the gentle slope, a small town with flashing lights was not far away, showing a quiet and peaceful scene.

“This is…?”

After a long hesitation, the young girl among the group of four spoke.

“We’re still in Walden.” Nemo carefully placed Oliver on the thick grass and used magic to clean up his bloodstains and dirt from his body. “Don’t worry. I didn’t take the two of you out of the border.”

He sat down as he spoke, put Oliver’s head on his thigh, and used abyssal magic to carefully repair Oliver’s withered and damaged internal organs. Nemo wanted to remove those terrible scars so that the dull pain in his chest could stop for a while, but Oliver seemed to want to keep them, so he had to carefully avoid the scar, treat the ulceration and infection of the wounds, and let them quickly scab.

The armor of the Knight of Silence had sharp, sleek lines and dark metal fastened tightly together, making the missing piece of armor on Oliver’s left wrist particularly conspicuous. Nemo gently turned over the wrist and stared at the engraving made of scars.

He let out a small sigh, brushed aside Oliver’s clean light brown hair, then leaned down and branded a kiss on his forehead.

“What are you two going to do next?” As if to force himself to divert his attention, Nemo finally turned his head. “Where do you want to go, or…”

“No. This is enough,” the tall man uncomfortably raised the heavy shield in his hand. His voice was a little dry. “We have a way out. Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Light.”

“It’s me who should thank you.” Nemo smiled stiffly. “If it weren’t for you sending me Ollie’s message in time, I might have…” If he was one step slower and didn’t arrive at the furnace in time, Oliver might have been blown up by the bone jade bomb, the bomb that he had erased from this world.

Nemo didn’t want to think about what would happen after that. Just seeing the current situation, he was almost unable to breathe because of the pain.

There was no expression on the tall man’s face, but his eyes dropped in the next moment. “Mr. Ramon also saved me, and now we’re even.”

“Are you his boyfriend? He said he had a boyfriend,” the petite girl interjected. “Although I don’t agree with his philosophy, Mr. Ramon is indeed an admirable person… When will he wake up? We still have to do our due courtesy, so at least let us say goodbye to him.”

“I don’t know, but he… should be fine.” Feeling Oliver’s even and long breath, Nemo replied in a low voice. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s even or not. I really appreciate it… By the way, there are traces of a demon’s curse on the two of you. Do you know?”

“We know.” Randy nodded. Although he didn’t really see it in the gray mist barrier, Mr. Ramon’s lover seemed to be able to use extremely powerful abyssal magic. Perhaps they could ask Light politely and get some information about a superior demon. “Excuse me—”

“I removed it,” Nemo murmured, still rubbing Oliver’s soft and smooth hair. “The curse blocking contact isn’t fatal. I didn’t judge the content carefully. Although I don’t know why you two are prohibited from touching… I just want to tell you that it’s gone now.”

“I don’t have any money, so I can only thank you two with this.” Those silver eyes were extremely sincere.

Nemo Light sounded as if he was stating “you have a leaf on your head, so I just took it off for you” without any deliberate modesty. He seemed genuinely embarrassed for “only being able to do this little thing”. The two assassins didn’t know what to say for a while. They stood in the same place, not daring to move. Ten seconds later, Mora pinched herself fiercely and let out a scream.

Randy put down his shield and looked at his scarred hands, seeing them tremble for the first time.

Everything was too sudden. The journey of more than ten years suddenly reached its end, and the unreality made him dizzy. The thick shield fell to the ground, and the tall assassin turned around and looked intently at his lover. Mora shook off her sharp weapons with her fingers and rushed straight to Randy. Her lips were trembling violently. The two of them were so close, and neither said a word.

Mora stretched out a hand that still had dirt and bloodstains from the battle, and the slightly thinner hand stopped in the air while its owner raised her head and looked at her lover with red eyes.

Randy reached his hand into his waist bag. His hand shook so badly that he failed to unbutton it multiple times, but he finally opened it and took out a small paper bag. He began to untie the string above, before simply tearing it apart.

Inside were two rings.

The style was simple and rough, without any gems embedded in it. The silvery metal twisted into a simple foxtail shape and lay quietly in Randy’s broad palm. He gently twisted the small one, as carefully as if he was treating his own eyeball, then turned to the hand that stopped in midair.

He stretched out his hand, as if intending to hold it, but suddenly shrank midway. After several struggles, he finally stretched out his hand and gently held the other’s slender fingers.

He shook so hard that he almost dropped the ring onto the grass.

Randy silently bit his lower lip and carefully put the ring on the ring finger of Mora’s left hand. He didn’t even ask any questions. When the tall assassin tore his gaze away from the place where their skin came into contact, he saw that the other party was already full of tears.

“You… Stupid stake—” Mora sobbed. “You forgot to propose, you…”

She gritted her teeth, but in the end, she failed to finish her sentence. She flung her arms around Randy and buried her face in his chest; her entire body trembling like a dead leaf in the wind.

She hugged him fiercely, then took a deep breath and turned to Nemo.

‘Nemo Light easily lifted their curse, and they didn’t even know how he did it. He’s probably a real superior demon, but that wasn’t important,’ Mora thought. Everything was no longer important.

She kissed the ring, as if she had lost the ability to feel fear—their joke-like fate came to a dramatic end. Even if she died at this moment, she would be happy enough.

So Mora didn’t ask anything. She put her weapons solemnly in front of Nemo, then she took off her blood-stained coat, folded it neatly, and placed it next to the weapons. She sniffed hard the entire time, and her eyes were red and slightly swollen.

Randy also walked over and did the exact same thing.

After Nemo told them he had removed the curse, his attention remained focused on Oliver. He was taken back by their actions, and his eyes held a look of confusion.

“You said you don’t have any money,” Mora said hoarsely. “You can take these to the Mercenary Guild and close the arrest warrant for killing the ‘Sancho’s Gray Fox’. These are our iconic weapons along with our bloody clothes—although there are no corpses, you can still get a lot of money.”

“’Sancho’s Gray Fox’ will no longer be active.” She showed a brilliant smile. “It’s finally dead.”

The night passed.

When Oliver woke up again, the first thing that caught his eye was a spice bag hanging from a wooden roof. The warm sunlight was projected on the thin quilt, and everything was so bright that it almost hurt his eyes. Oliver subconsciously touched his side, trying to find the Rest in Peace, then found it lying on the soft bed, already cleaned and white as snow.

The armor, which was full of scratches and abrasions, was also cleaned and placed neatly on the wooden platform beside the bed. Even the bone helmet was stacked on top, platted with a light layer of gold by the sun.

The hunger, thirst, and pain in his body disappeared. His heart had never beat so vigorously, and his body was as light as if it no longer existed. Oliver unconsciously touched his chest—there were no sticky bloodstains, nor the stench of rotten flesh, pus, and blood that would stick to his nose.

There was only the aroma of sweet milk and fresh lemon in the air. Now his whole body was clean and refreshed. His body that was soaked in pus and blood, and his tattered underwear had long been replaced with a wide and comfortable nightgown. If it weren’t for the hideous scar still on his skin, Oliver almost thought he had just had a long nightmare.

He moved his fingers unaccustomed, turned his head and found Nemo on the side where the sunlight was stronger.

Nemo was sitting on a wooden stool by the bed. His hair was scattered, and he was engrossed in peeling the skin of a purple pear with a small knife. The bright purple peel slipped down from his fingers continuously and fell into the trashcan below. It was just that the purple peel was also followed by pale red flesh—Nemo had peeled it so absentmindedly that he completely peeled almost the entire large fruit.

Oliver: “……”

He decided to remain silent first, making sure that this wasn’t another dream of his own making.

After peeling the pear, Nemo was stunned for a few seconds. With a straight face, he threw the fruit into the trashcan and took an even bigger one from the basket at his feet.

Seeing that the tragedy was about to repeat itself, Oliver couldn’t help but hold up his body and cough to increase his sense of existence.

This time, the entire pear fell into the trash can.

Nemo stared blankly at him, still maintaining his peeling posture with his hands. He opened his mouth and succeeded in making a sound after a few seconds.

“Ollie, you… Would you like something to drink?” he hurriedly said as he tossed the knife into the fruit basket. “I remember you like honey milk, but it doesn’t quench your thirst. I also prepared water and…”

“Nemo.” Oliver adjusted his posture and leaned on the soft pillow on the bed. “Can you come over for a little bit?”

At that moment, Oliver found that his lover was at a loss. There was an obvious struggle on Nemo’s face. He seemed to want to fly over, but something stopped him. Finally, he pursed his lips, picked up a glass of cold water, and approached cautiously.

Oliver held out his hand.

Nemo seemed to think he was going to take the glass of water and naturally sent the beautiful glass forward. However, in the next second, water spilled on Oliver’s chest and the glass rolled down the quilt. Oliver grabbed his fair wrist and pulled Nemo into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Nemo,” he repeated in a low voice, burying his nose in the crook of Nemo’s neck and smelling the unique cold smell in Nemo’s hair. “Don’t move. Let me… Hold you for a while.”

The other party’s weight and body temperature were so real that it made his heart sour.

“I’m still alive,” Oliver announced in a low voice, feeling the other party’s rapid heartbeat and sharp, undulating chest. “……I’m still alive.”

“Nn,” Nemo responded briefly. Oliver couldn’t see his expression right now.

“I… I have registered a fake task for an ‘interview’ in the Mercenary Guild and designated Tumbleweed. Although it will cost a little more, Ann will find us. It’s too dangerous to go back to Alban now.”

“Mm,” Oliver continued to hug him harder, while responding vaguely.

“She had already taken the task not long ago. Considering the transmission distance, she’ll probably be here tomorrow morning… to pick you up.” Oliver wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Nemo’s body seemed stiffer—it was more like he was obediently allowing himself to be held, with no intention of responding fiercely.

“It’s not pick me up. It’s pick us up,” Oliver added.

“Pick you up,” Nemo said in a muffled voice. “Ollie, would you like something to eat? Although I healed your internal organs, you haven’t eaten for too long, so you can’t eat anything that is too difficult to digest right now…”

“Your technique at changing the subject still isn’t very good.” Oliver sighed, reluctantly letting go of Nemo. He leaned back his head and stared earnestly at those silver eyes.

“We had a deal. When this is all over, we’ll talk seriously.” He reached out his hand and caressed the black hair that was scattered on Nemo’s shoulder.

“Now’s the time.”

“No, now…”

“If what we’re going to talk about makes you so miserable,” Oliver repeated, “then now’s the time.”

---

The author has something to say:

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey—

Confess! Confess! Confess and then…!

Go back in circles—!

————

Ann: Why am I always in the front line for some fresh dog food? I quit!!!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Can I replace Ann? I want all that dog food.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 142: Escape

Telaranea didn’t seem surprised. He didn’t panic at all, as if he wasn’t about to encounter trouble. He even titled his neck and adjusted to a relatively comfortable posture.

“Good evening, Mr. Light.” His tone was polite. “How are you… No, I’m afraid it’s not appropriate to say that.” The demon’s smile became stronger.

Nemo stared at him coldly, without saying a word. He just floated in midair, clinging to the front lapel of the demon’s red robe.

“How interesting. You know who I am.” Seeing that the other party didn’t want to speak, Telaranea spoke on his behalf. “It seems that I completely misjudged your abilities. Mass curses, wiping memories, and even no need for spells. Beautiful. But you missed me. I’m guessing it’s not because of feelings for your compatriots?”

Then he frowned slightly. The smile on his face faded a little. The demon retracted his gaze from the raging gray mist around him and turned to Nemo’s expressionless face.

“I can’t contact my main body anymore,” Telaranea said softly. “What a refreshingly new situation.”

“I’m not stupid enough to let you delay time and spread more information,” Nemo finally spoke. “A pity.”

“Well, what do you want?” The demon curled his lips. “I assume you know what happened. If you just want to vent your anger, that’s enough just now. You should understand that human laws and morality do not apply to us.”

“And not so long ago, your team ruined my valuable contract. Now, at best, we’re even.”

“Of course, I know you have no obligation to help me.” Nemo clenched his teeth. “So let’s solve this problem in a more ‘demon’ way—I can’t let you spread Ollie’s information.”

“You should worry about yourself even more.” Telaranea narrowed his eyes. The eyeball that originally belonged to a human turned strangely red. “I’m very interested in you now. To be honest, I never thought you could bring me new surprises—”

Before his voice fell, a worm-like shadow blade hit the back of Nemo’s head. Nemo was still staring at his opponent’s mouth, as if all his attention was focused on his words. The sharp and strong shadow blade should have penetrated Nemo’s head, but unlike what Telaranea speculated, it didn’t thrust out of his opponent’s delicate face, bringing out brains and flesh.

It disappeared, like a snowflake against the heat of a blacksmith’s furnace.

Nemo’s expression became a little colder, while Telaranea’s was just the opposite. The demon’s red eye suddenly lit up, and countless attacks poured in. Telaranea gestured excitedly while painting runes, but everything was all in vain.

All his attacks disappeared.

Nemo didn’t even bother to move his gaze away. He stared at the demon in front of him in silence, thinking carefully.

“I see.” Telaranea’s attack stopped abruptly. The face on the human shell rose into an abnormally exciting blush. “No wonder Ramon was able to resolve the curse of the Trent Plague. No wonder the Demon King’s flesh didn’t cleanly corrode you—dissolve everything and return to its source. Yes, this is the characteristic of its origins.”

He stared at Nemo fascinatedly, causing the latter to almost get goosebumps from that gaze.

“I have investigated. Your origin is unknown, but Ramon definitely grew up in Roadside Town. Ramon, the knight who couldn’t find the source of his oath… Now that you have obtained the power of the source, to whom did you give your allegiance? Or rather—”

“It’s me,” Nemo replied quietly. “He is… He was my knight.”

“It’s not impossible,” Telaranea whispered, speaking extremely fast. “After all, you’ve been staying on the surface honestly and have never been inside the Abyss—but when it comes to the king involved in the origin of abyssal magic…”

He suddenly couldn’t go on.

“It’s what you think,” Nemo said, pulling the corners of his mouth together. “Like I said, let’s solve this problem in a more ‘demon’ way.”

The Sage of the Abyss had never hated such a situation before. He held the key to the puzzle he had always dreamed of, but he couldn’t convey the news. He could only stare at his opponent’s silver eyes and successfully find the hostility in them.

Nemo Light did it on purpose.

No, the Demon King did it on purpose.

“This is the answer you want. Take a good look.” The once-shirking Black Chapter newcomer raised his empty left hand and waved it back vigorously. Countless flashing runes, magic arrays, and formulas instantly covered the sky. Telaranea raised his head and saw the undiscovered knowledge that he had solved, tried to solve, and those that hadn’t been discovered. They floated under the stars, changing at an alarming rate.

He thought to himself, “It’s so beautiful.’

“It’s settled,” Nemo whispered, pulling the immersed demon back to reality.

“What?” Telaranea responded almost subconsciously. He was distracted by the incomparable joy he was feeling. People’s wailing turned into pleasant music, and the heatwave set off by the flames was like a gentle touch. He had never been so—

“Your circuit.” Nemo took a deep breath. “You possessed too many flesh. It took me some time.”

Bad.

A layer of cold sweat instantly oozed from the demon’s back.

From the start, he wasn’t the only one who was stalling. Telaranea instantly reacted to what the other party was going to do. The shadow blade reappeared, but this time it slashed at the body he was using.

However, it wasn’t fast enough.

He collected enough information and was only one step away from the puzzle he had studied for many years. The door to the truth was slowly opening for him. Countless fresh pieces of information were wrapping him up, which should have been a supreme blessing, but before he had time to savor a few more seconds, he was directly choked by a hand around his neck.

The hand wasn’t forceful, gentle even, but the sudden surge of despair was strange and cold. The demon’s vocal cords seemed to be frozen at that moment, and he couldn’t say anything.

“Forget it,” Nemo exhaled. He carefully controlled his anger while maintaining a stiff tone. “Everything about the Gatekeepers, all the knowledge you got here, all the memories—forget it all. There’s no brain in your skull, unlike humans, so you can withstand this kind of impact, right?”

“…But please, remember this despair and remember it well.”

The despair of getting what you love and then seeing it disappear in front of your eyes. It had nothing to do with human pain or joy. Just as a nominal kinship—he would return the despair engraved in his bones.

The spell extended to the demon’s magic circuit, quickly impacting this body to the body in the Abyss, then it spread to every body on the surface. All information related to the Withered Castle was completely wiped from the memory of the Sage of the Abyss and would never return.

Nemo let go of his hand. The sky full of knowledge dissipated, and the sloppy middle-aged man lost consciousness and fell back into the gray mist like a puppet. He didn’t look at him again and instead rushed directly to Oliver’s direction.

Oliver remained in the same place. It was just that this time he no longer stretched out his arms. Instead, he was barely maintaining a half-kneeling position, with both hands trembling on the Rest in Peace. The burning ruins had disappeared, leaving behind a bottomless, huge crater. The gray mist still hovered around him, but the movement became more restless. Nemo had a faint inkling he was going to lose control, not because of how intense Oliver’s emotions were, but because he was familiar with this kind of atmosphere.

Only the gray mists holding the prisoners and Gatekeepers were still stable but quivering badly. His lover was too tired, too jerky. He could no longer control this new and violent power.

Not far away, a large number of life reactions appeared one after another.

The Withered Castle was just an institution used by the Gatekeepers to do live experiments and train death row soldiers. Other institutions of the Gatekeepers probably noticed the anomaly, and considering the accumulation of this organization for thousands of years, there might be armies of various countries among the people coming.

They had to leave immediately.

“Ollie, that’s enough.” Nemo stopped in front of Oliver. He knelt down without hesitation, caressing Oliver’s face while staring at the dim emerald eyes. “Look at me. You can control it!”

This time it wasn’t an invisible hug. Their faces were extremely close. Nemo could see clearly. Oliver’s lips were full of blood, and his face was smeared with dirt and tears.

His Oliver.

There was no shattering agony in his heart. On the contrary, it seemed to disappear directly from his chest, leaving only a continuous, dull pain. Oliver didn’t respond to his call. Nemo trembled and breathed out. He took off the skeleton helmet covered with bloodstains and pieces of flesh.

The power was almost out of control, almost hurting others. He also had such moments. And just as Oliver did for him, Nemo thought…

I can call Oliver back myself.

But Nemo wasn’t as gentle as Oliver. He stretched out his right arm and directly hooked the other’s head and neck. It could be said that he kissed fiercely, tasting blood at the same time. The moist tip of his tongue scratched Oliver’s chapped wounds on his lips and then pried open his teeth.

A deep predatory kiss.

There was no time to be reserved. No time to think about other things. He would tell Oliver everything after the dust settled, and this could be their final kiss.

This thought made him despair.

The dark clouds dissipated, and the starry sky became clear again. A few flashes of fire sparked at the bottom of the deep pit from time to time. The gray mists slowly drifted down, placing the unconscious Gatekeepers and prisoners on both sides of the pit, and then dissipated. The gray mist raging nearby also stopped in an instant, no longer making tearing and chewing noises. The army in the distance was approaching rapidly, and the sound of their armor floated in the wind.

Oliver finally blinked. He loosened the hilt of the sword, put his arms around Nemo’s waist, and resolutely deepened the kiss. It was more like swallowing and biting than an affectionate kiss between lovers.

It was painful, sad, and sweet all at the same time.

“Nemo.” The long kiss made Oliver’s brain dizzy. He pushed the other away reluctantly, took a few deep breaths carefully, and his eyes became a little brighter for the first time. He struggled to move the already stiff muscles in his face and pulled out a smile. “…You’re here.”

“Don’t smile if you don’t want to.” Nemo wiped the blood from Oliver’s forehead that was starting to cake. The other’s smile was no longer what he was familiar with. It made him completely unable to breathe. “I’ll take you away. Let’s go now.”

“’No matter how bad things are, I’ll always greet you with a smile.’… This is what I promised you,” Oliver murmured. “Yeah, let’s… The two of us, together…”

He tightened his arm around Nemo’s waist, but his body jerked forward uncontrollably. Nemo hugged Oliver and almost froze in fright. It took a few seconds before he realized he had to confirm Oliver’s breathing and heartbeat.

Oliver fell asleep.

Nemo inserted his finger into Oliver’s blood-stained hair. It now felt rough and sticky to touch, no longer soft and smooth.

He sighed tremblingly again. He could now see the reflection of flying flags and armor from the reinforcements. He picked Oliver up, as if the heavy armor had no weight.

A rift appeared in space. Fresh and moist air poured through from the other side. A little light could be seen between the dark bushes, calm and warm. The edges of the rift in space squirmed, accompanied by a Gatekeeper’s crying in his sleep, and the sense of dissonance reached the point of alarm.

“You two,” Nemo hugged his sleeping knight tightly and turned to the strange man and woman stiff like stone statues, “with your strength, there should be no problem passing through this—”

“Let’s escape together.”

---

The author has something to say:

Nemo: Me! Super attack!

……

The last glory of Nemo.

Naturally, it is impossible to succeed in leaving the team, and it is impossible to succeed in becoming the attacker*(?).

*The author is making a joke here. Nemo is the shou of the novel, but the first line is “super attack!” (referring to how he aggressively kissed Oliver to calm him down and how he attacked the Withered Castle). While that attack was successful, him being the attacker (gong) will not.

————

The assassin couple… In spring, they stuffed Ollie full of dog food*, and in autumn, Ollie gave them a waterfall-like dog food in return.

*Refers to when couples show their affection to each other in front of others. || Ollie ate dog food previously, and now these two are eating a ton more dog food in this chapter.

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Kinky Thoughts:

AHHHHH. This chapter is everything!! Nemo returning Ollie’s kiss to calm him down. If I didn’t know any better, I say he’s the gong from this chapter alone hahaha. Just make them reversible! I dig it.

—

I’ll start doing arc summaries just so we’re all on the same page and you can always refer back to them:

Oliver was captured by the Knights of Oath from the Mooney Sect and was sent to the Insular Court for trial. There he met a man named Micah, who informed him of the ins-and-outs. Normally he would get a trial and be sent back to Alban for his crimes if convicted, but he had caught the eyes of the Gatekeepers.

He was then sent to do a truth test where it was revealed that he was a knight to a king. Oliver had no recollection of this, but due to him wearing a Knight of Silence uniform, they chalked it up to him being a knight who had sworn his allegiance to the Demon King.

He was then bought by the Gatekeepers, who moved him and other prisoners to an area to “test” them. During this move, he tried to escape and, feeling pity for Micah, whom he had recently met, let him in on the plan. Micah betrayed him and Oliver was adorned with a stronger collar that sucked out all his magic, giving him only barely enough energy to move.

During this time, he also met Randy, another prisoner who wanted to cooperate with him during their “test”. It was revealed that this test was to weed out the strong from the weak and those who killed would be sent to the mobile barracks for training to become part of the Death Row Legions (reminder this is the army that Adrian Cross’ army fought against during the war when they were trying to seize the dragon breath stone mine) that were sold to the other countries.

Oliver and Randy refused to kill anyone and instead were transferred to the Withered Castle. This castle tests the limits of humanity by pitting people to fight against each other and rewarding or punishing them based on their point values on their tag. It was divided into two groups: the combat zone and the test zones. Those who succeeded in the combat zone got a second chance to join the Death Row Legion, while the test zone was reserved for experimentation, to awaken the blood furnace.

During a match, Oliver was “killed” and it was revealed that he had three forces inside his body: he was suffering from the Trent plague (a curse of the Abyss), an unknown force that was isolating the plague to keep him alive, and his own magic. This also triggered a fourth force when he was “killed” (abyssal magic from the knight’s oath he made to Nemo, which is also the reason Nemo could find him). With all this combined, suddenly Oliver powers up.

Oliver refused to give in despite all the torture, but eventually almost succumbed when he was finally matched with Randy. On the cusp of giving in and killing Randy, he chose to admit defeat and was swallowed by the blood furnace. This satisfied the condition the Gatekeepers needed to mold a “God” that could break the limits of surface creatures “potential”. They needed someone whose will they could break so that when this new being was created, it could be controlled.

Meanwhile, Nemo, who found out his true identity as the Demon King, was in distress. He wanted to confess his findings, but Oliver was no longer there. All of Tumbleweed were desperate to find him and used various methods to locate where he was.

During their progress, news came from Roadside Town that a demon cocoon had appeared and was close to hatching. It was the product of Nemo’s arm that was bitten off by the ratcliff wolfhound during the prologue and was eaten by another demon who wanted to save its own species.

Jesse hinted to Nemo that this was the clue he needed in order to find Oliver. Nemo then realized that since acquiring his newfound knowledge, the “stars” he saw in the “starry sky” of his mind weren’t just demons. It was anything that wielded abyssal magic. As the Demon King, he was the source of abyssal magic, and they were making “trades” to use this source; in return, they provided him with energy. This was the trade that Jesse spoke of during the Bluebirds arc. He also realized he could locate Oliver because Oliver made an oath to him (albeit jokingly and unknowingly at that time). Using this, he’s able to locate the Withered Castle and find Oliver.

At this time, Oliver was sent into the furnace and was about to be consumed by it. However, he didn’t give up hope and somehow absorbed the furnace and super levels up. He and Nemo were reunited, and he said to Nemo “I love you”. Then they dealt with the Gatekeepers and destroyed the Withered Castle.

Side characters: Randy and Mora were assassins who were cursed by Telaranea so that they couldn’t touch each other. They deeply loved each other and wanted to find a way to lift this curse. Following clues, they found that a superior demon inhabited the Withered Castle. Thus, they set up a plan to let Randy get captured so Mora could find the demon and hopefully break their curse. Unfortunately, they found out the truth: Telaranea was the original one who cursed them, and he refused to lift it. As they made their escape, they encountered Nemo, to whom Randy relayed Oliver’s last words to him and led him to where Oliver was, as Nemo could no longer locate Oliver’s “star”.

Other important things to note:

Aurorae is Oliver’s father’s mentor, and Nemo (or rather the Demon King) is Aurorae’s father. Aurorae trained Piper Ramon/Flint Lopez so that he would be able to slay the Demon King and put him to sleep longer. Contrary to his expectations, Flint cut off the Demon King’s head and brought it out of the Abyss (which Aurorae thought he did out of vain pride).

Bagelmaurus got its powers back.

—

Alright, that sums up everything. Let me know if I missed anything important. Stay tuned for the next arc~

I really love/hate this arc. I think chapters 137-139 were beautifully written. The emotions and pain were so heart-wrenching. So much abuse, but it was so worth it for their reunion.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 141: Disappearing Castle

This must be an illusion.

Oliver felt the body temperature coming from the palm of his left hand. His eyes suddenly swelled and he almost shed tears again. Just like a creature that had been wandering in the dark for too long, the world became unreal and terrifying in an instant. Such a happy thing couldn’t happen in a place like this. It may be that he subconsciously fabricated this illusion to support himself because it was too painful.

After all, there were still many things that had to be done, and he couldn’t fall yet.

As if he was about to freeze to death, Oliver was greedily sucking the temperature through from the other party’s wrist that felt firm to the touch. It was smooth and strong and didn’t feel as warm as it really was.

He held the temperature close, listening to the other party’s voice, and responded almost instinctively, not knowing what he said. There was only one thought in his hazy consciousness—if it was possible, if Nemo was really here, he must say everything he wanted to say.

Before, he always thought that they still had plenty of time. They still had time to slowly get sentimental, and time to waste on shyness and tension, just like most normal couples.

But he almost never saw Nemo again, and he didn’t even have time to express his true feelings.

Please wait a bit longer. Just a bit longer.

Even if it’s an illusion, please don’t dissipate so quickly.

Oliver held the wrist with his left hand and pressed his parched lips on it. After a clumsy kiss, he was finally willing to let go. The weak knight raised his head, glanced at Randy and Mora not far away, and then decided to give up thinking about the current situation.

His whole body was in pain, trembling in agony everywhere. The terrible collar finally shattered, leaving only a little debris stuck in his armor. Oliver wanted to use a condensation spell to first rehydrate himself, but he couldn’t do it. Whether it was reciting a spell in his heart or drawing runes with his hand, the condensation spell showed no sign of being activated.

But he didn’t feel that his power was drying up. Contrary, the strange force ignored his capacity and constantly gushed out. The gray mist kept spinning around him, carrying chaos and nothingness, directly destroying the blood furnace.

The remnants of life accumulated over thousands of years—those flesh and blood that were unconscious and only had the instinct to devour—were wiped out in the mist drawn by the bone sword.

Including the bones of those heroes.

Oliver licked his chapped lips and tried to empty his consciousness. The gray mists seemed to be a part of his body. It flowed back and forth around him, rushing in the wind. It was like suddenly there were countless wired limbs, but his subconscious mind was able to control them to a certain extent.

The world in front of him had completely changed.

The Gatekeeper’s guard and alarm spells made visible ripples in the air. Oliver could feel every life nearby. Although they were vague and indistinguishable, they were like obvious fireflies in the dark. He tried to stretch out his hand, as if to gather something. The circling mist quickly rotated around the three people in front of him, condensing into a solid protective barrier. Regardless of whether Nemo and the assassin couple were real or a hallucination, it was always better to be cautious.

Nemo, in his illusion, seemed to be yelling something, but the agitation of power seemed to make Oliver’s blood burn all over his body. His ears were filled with the sound of his heartbeat, which seemed to be going out of control. All external voices became distant and blurred.

After confirming that everything was fine, Oliver closed his eyes. The power flowing rapidly in his body was like a growing blade that was scraping at his bones, nerves, and internal organs, but it didn’t matter. He could still control it, just like controlling fine sand flowing out of his fingers.

Perhaps the accuracy of his control was still too rough. He could at least spread it in the direction he wanted to.

The peak of the mountain broke.

It wasn’t like being blown up or being smashed into pieces by a giant. It began to crumble softly from the highest point, quietly shattering into small pieces of sand and gravel, then fell from the sky. Oliver grabbed hard, raised his hand as if overwhelmed, and gestured with difficulty. People began to float in the air, held by the gray mist. Some were screaming, some were cursing, and the rest were silent.

The pieces rose faster, rubbing against each other, making a tooth-aching sound. Dark clouds gathered over the collapsed Withered Castle, rolling out a dark and frightening vortex above it.

He wasn’t a dead man nor a murderer. That cold statement was broken. He was an upright man who had left the Withered Castle.

And then destroyed it with his own hands.

When he was pulled into the air by the gray mist, the manager who wore glasses was still in a daze.

Everyone around him was falling towards the night sky, followed by a weird gray mist that shattered into debris smaller than corn kernels. Paper, materials, books, records… All the things that carried data and information all floated up in an unpleasant way and disintegrated. Finally, a spark from nowhere ignited the castle. The flames started from Tela’s piles of books and spread instantly. When he was lifted up, he had to watch with bated breath as thousands of years of living research turned into ashes and flames.

Those ancient and previous data that they used expensive magic stones to back up; everything was destroyed within minutes, disappearing from this world and could never be reproduced again.

Just for a group of inferior products, a group of worthless people…

He squeezed a few desperate whines from his throat.

The flames were followed by an explosion and thick smoke. The manager of the test area turned blankly in the direction of the blood furnace, but the furnace that should have stood between heaven and earth didn’t have a trace of even a shadow left.

The fire was getting bigger, and the rising heat wave rushed up from below. ‘Now wasn’t the time to feel distressed about the records,’ the manager thought to himself. He didn’t know if he should grab the mist that looked illusory, and he didn’t dare to move casually, so he had to shout at the people around him.

“Tela!” he shouted. “Have you seen this?”

But the sloppy middle-aged man turned a deaf ear. He just laid in the gray mist and even laughed a few times.

“Answer me!” There was a bump in the gray mist. The glasses of the manger fell to the ground, making his eyes hazy. He didn’t even dare to move. It’s probably Ramon’s ghost. What was he going to do? Have them experience the limits of their fears and then plummet them to their deaths?

The researchers around him still didn’t respond. The manager of the test zone squinted, and fire stung his eyelids. The scorching air suffocated him, and debris flew all around him, rising to the ominous dark cloud vortex in the night sky. Oliver Ramon ruined everything. He destroyed their life’s work right before their eyes.

No, it was hard to say if that thing was “Ramon”. It could be really crazy, or…

The manager trembled and gritted his teeth, unable to say whether it was because of anger or fear. He wanted to scream, but he choked on the black smock that made him cough. When a figure floated in front of him, he almost cursed subconsciously.

But the person wasn’t Oliver Ramon.

It was a handsome young man with black hair, fair skin, and soft facial features. He looked harmless at first glance, but when he raised his eyes, the gaze cast by those silver eyes was almost enough to strangle him from their momentum alone. He even had the illusion that the young man in front of him completely saw through him, and his gaze pierced directly into his bones, exposing all his thoughts in an instant.

The beautiful young man stopped in mid-air in silence, with a raging fire under his feet. His wide robe was hit by flying debris from time to time, fluttering faintly in the rolling black smoke. The man reached out his hand, and his face showed signs of obvious grief… As well as anger.

There was no such person in their records, but at this moment, he didn’t have the mind to guess the origin of his opponent. The momentum was getting stronger and it made him so dizzy that he vomited out a mouthful of blood.

“Do you know how much I want to kill you?” the young man asked rhetorically. His voice wasn’t cold but broken and trembling. “I just need to make your physical state like Ollie’s, and you’ll die immediately.”

The black-haired young man’s words were clear, but each word felt as if it were harshly squeezed out of his teeth. “But if I do that, he’ll be sad… I don’t want to make him sad.”

“I…” before the manager could reply, the old man not far away shouted.

“What’s wrong with getting rid of the worst and bringing happiness to the rest?” The old man’s voice was sharp. “No one needs those people, and they don’t treat themselves as human beings! Progress is always accompanied by sacrifice. We have provided the world with the most perfect defense props and the most advanced skills, and all this only needs the sacrifice of a few scums. You naïve, self-righteous little…”

“I’m not here to argue with you.” The black-haired young man raised his hand. His voice got lower. “For right or wrong? I’m not such a great person. I just want to protect the person I love, and I almost let you kill him.”

“I’m not afraid of death.” The old man was right. A heroic feeling suddenly rose in the manager’s heart. Besides, they had lost everything. “Kill if you want. People like you can never understand our sacrifice for a noble purpose. You can’t stop people’s progress. You—”

“Progress,” the fair young man murmured. “If you really want human data, I believe there’s a better solution… Without getting on your high horse and merely thinking those people weren’t worthy.”

He turned his head sideways and glanced at the person on the other side of the gray mist. The group of sluggish prisoners seemed to be destroyed. They were silent, unaware of the destruction around them, but were looking up at the stars.

“Let me tell you one thing. In my opinion, there’s no difference in your ‘grade’.”

This time, the strange young man’s voice was completely cold.

The dark shadow hovered behind him. It sucked out all the light projected and shook ominously, like the long hair of a corpse under the water swaying with the waves. They suddenly stretched out, rose into the sky, and fell in all directions. One of the black shadows strangled the neck of the manager in the test zone. The next sound seemed to ring directly in his brain.

“All the pain you have caused by your own hands will return in dreams at night.”

“I don’t know how many people have lived here, but I do know how many are still alive. I’ll return those pain, despair, and hatred to you intact. Prepare for decades of nightmares.”

“Of course, you still have the freedom to continue your research, so let me add a small caveat…”

The manager of the test zone suddenly felt chills. He narrowed his eyes hard, trying to distinguish the expression of the terrifying young man, but his eyes only saw a blurry ball of facial features.

“…If you continue such research, the new pain will continue to follow you. For the sake of your noble purpose, please suit yourself.”

“…Now go to sleep and have a good dream.”

The person who lost his glasses only saw the outline of the young man clearly. At this time, he was lowering his head indifferently and making a sarcastic salute.

The dark shadow that was originally wrapped around his skin squirmed and penetrated through it. The unique cold feeling of the curse was instantly soaked in his limbs and bones. He tried to keep his eyes open, as if doing so would prevent the drowsiness, but he still fell asleep in the mist and, in the next second, lost consciousness.

Nemo put down his right hand, and the shadows immediately returned to his feet, as docile as a bunny.

All the Gatekeepers lay on the gray mist one after another, groaning in pain. Chanting, whispered screams, and neurotic sobs instantly sounded everywhere. These real nightmares would follow them every night, until the day of reckoning was complete.

Only one Gatekeeper was still awake. One he knew.

The gray mist was still raging, and the entire mountain peak was almost flat at this moment before it descended. Oliver didn’t intend to let go of the underground part of the Withered Castle. A dark pit gradually appeared on the desolated land, like a bone-dry empty eye socket.

It’s almost over, Nemo thought to himself. There’s one last thing to take care of.

He must protect Oliver.

Nemo exhaled a sigh of relief, rushed lightly to one of the gray mist balls in the sky, and directly picked up the sloppy middle-aged man on it.

“Telaranea.” He stared straight into the eyes of the demon in front of him and clenched the hand that had grasped his collar. “Long time, no see.”

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The author has something to say:

When I wrote this chapter, I was actually… full of thoughts of…

Oliver: Delete the database! Blow up the server!

Nemo: Reset everything. You have to fix all the bugs every night.

… …

Sorry (.

————

Randy and Mora who witnessed everything: ………………………………………………….

Mora: …Did you really fight with him?

Mora: Are you already dead and just haven’t found out yet?

Randy: …

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Kinky Thoughts:

A fitting punishment. People often delude and tell themselves whatever they need to in order to sleep comfortably at night. Well, now they won’t.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 140: Reunion

An hour ago.

Through the maze-like cloister, two figures were running silently. The dim and pale firelight projected their shadows on the ground. The more petite shadow jumped from time to time. Whenever it returned to the ground again, there would inevitably be black and red blood splattered on the wall.

The guards who were cut instantly became piles of decomposing flesh that wriggled and aggregated, but before they could melt together, the exposed core was crushed by a man…

Randy Panther was in a bad mood.

Just as they planned, Mora made all the preparations and finally got the key to unlock his collar. As long as they were alive, the plan would continue.

Looking at it now, they were indeed alive, and at the same time, they once again ushered in an unexpected failure. It seemed that the demon of the Withered Castle had no compassion to sway, but it didn’t succeed in harming Mora. Whether that was a blessing because of the dragon breath stone dagger or not, this was the best situation he could think of.

It was really him who death had passed on. Randy held back his bitter sigh.

The two assassins rushed to the wall that seemed to be a dead end without hesitation. The illusion was broken, and they successfully returned to the starry night sky. Several years of investigation weren’t wasted, and almost all the variables were in their expectations.

Now, they were only one step away.

The patrolling puppets came by, and the two squeezed into a long-calculated recess of the building. That curse came in handy at this moment. They didn’t need to account for space to hold two people.

“This distance should be enough. We have to activate those magic stones,” Mora muttered. Her face paled with a sign of depression. She seemed to want a hug, but in the end, she only stretched out one arm and pressed the upper arm of the other person. “I really want to get out of this shithole quickly… Randy?”

The tall assassin hung his head and didn’t answer.

“Are you blaming yourself for killing Ramon? It’s not like you,” Mora said dryly. “Ramon is a nice person, but in a place like this…”

“I didn’t kill him.” Looking at the distant team of puppets, Randy lowered his voice. “In fact, he could have killed me.”

Mora frowned, stopped the movement of her hands, and pursed her lips tightly. She stared at her lover’s red and swollen wrist. She could only do some emergency healing spells to make it barely move normally.

“Then he… admitted defeat himself.” Randy moved his wrist. “How stupid.”

The female assassin looked away. “…How stupid.”

They walked in the dark. They had long since stopped trying to count the number of lives on their hands. No one knew better than a killer how worthless life was. A blade across the throat, a precise stab, a curse, poison, and even ill-intentioned words—they were as fragile as a church-stained glass window.

When that moment came, there was no dying confession, no decent memories. There was only crying, unbelievable and animal-like struggles, and then those lives came to an abrupt end.

Taking away the lives of compatriots was numbing, even if they had screened the targets in advance and knew most of them deserved it. It was as if there was a thick film that separated them from the world, and many things gradually became irrelevant…

Including their own lives.

Randy thought they knew very well. They knew very well that they could no longer fall in love with any other and could no longer leave this nightmare. Everyday when he woke up, breathing and heartbeat had become like a task. The love was still there, but they themselves were becoming less like humans. As this situation deteriorated, they gradually became the only people who could understand each other.

A vicious spiral.

They tried to retain the only remaining sense of morality and help people who wouldn’t harm their own interest. With this approach, it gave them a little warmth and the illusion that they were still living a normal life.

And once the other party touches their own interest…

Randy looked down at his scarred fingers. “Do you have a clue about the next target…?”

“There’s always something,” Mora said.

“…Since we’re not in a hurry, let’s play the ‘dangerous game’ again, okay?”

“Are you crazy? In a place like this? We’re not stupid young people anymore. Increasing the difficulty out of thin air will only… Only… I know. You don’t want to activate the magic stone inside and trigger the martial law alert.”

“Yes.”

“Ramon was thrown into the furnace. It’s only a matter of time before he dies.”

“I know.”

“Don’t do meaningless things,” Mora reminded dryly.

“If a person is pierced through the heart, he will die, right?”

“Of course.”

“But Ramon didn’t die.” Randy pulled out a wry smile. “I even think he’s still breathing now—in that furnace. Mora, you know what will happen to the furnace after martial law. The Gatekeepers will temporarily cut off all control and completely close it, and the inside will get out of control. Ramon was thrown in there alive. Maybe the Gatekeepers have other plans.”

“Anyway, the furnace will eventually devour everything,” Mora’s tone was flat. “Martial law must be triggered to lead away those damn puppets. Otherwise, with the puppets and guards, although we can deal with it… That’s definitely not the best solution.”

“I will protect you. You won’t get hurt.”

“Of course I know, but you will—your… Stupid decision can keep Ramon alive for a few more minutes at most.” The petite female assassin raised her head. “It’s just a few minutes. Is there a difference? It really doesn’t make sense—”

“Yes.” He stretched out his hand, gently stroking Mora’s hand… that passed through in vain as if it was a phantom. “Haven’t we been doing ‘meaningless’ things all this time?”

It would just be one more thing that wouldn’t add to their problems; maybe just a few more additional wounds.

The female assassin suddenly smiled.

It wasn’t a wry smile, but it wasn’t big either. It was a strange, even childish smile. “Your words don’t match your dead expression at all, stupid stake,” she murmured. “You… are a bit like you were before.”

Yes. Now that they thought about it, their lives were like a joke, but their destination had long been set by the demon, and they could only run straight in that direction. She had forgotten the feeling of slowing down and taking detours and even wanted to rush towards that impossible goal.

In a sense, they were the same as that young fool in the furnace.

“Let’s go.” The female assassin turned out of the recess of the building and stretched out her right hand, like an invitation to dance. “You have to protect me!”

“Nn.”

The puppets arrived at the same time they had speculated, and as calculated, spotted them. A tide of humanoid monsters surged up and was met with a heavy shield that flung their way, occasionally splashing bits of blood belonging to humans.

“I really hate this!” Mora panted as she cut off the arm of a puppet. “When this is over, you have to buy me cake from Trev’s! If it wasn’t for Ramon, we’d probably be lying in an inn by now—how much longer? God, these things are tough.”

“Come behind me,” Randy said calmly. The shield crushed the metal puppet on the ground. “Bear with it. As long as there were more than half of them…”

Their vision was suddenly black.

The metal puppets fell to the ground, and their metal parts quickly decayed. With a harsh hissing sound, they quickly turned into a pile of debris. A black figure suddenly emerged from the ground. A pale young man raised his head. His hands were empty, and his dark gray robe almost melted into the night.

“Ramon.” The stranger held the last puppet and watched as it turned into ash. “Do you know Oliver Ramon?”

“Where is he?”

Nemo didn’t know if he could still think clearly.

Now he didn’t have the ability to forget. He wouldn’t forget the place where the star lit up. He knew where the Withered Castle was at this moment, but the star that represented Oliver kept dimming. When he tore through the sky and finally reached the mountain-like castle, the star was… No longer shining.

It went out.

Suffocation and blankness overwhelmed him for a moment. Nemo stopped over the castle as if he was nailed in place, and time had suddenly frozen. It can’t be like this, he thought slowly.

It can’t be like this.

The air was still warm, and the dark blue sky was sprinkled with diamond-like stars. The quaint castle that slept inside a mountain created a beautiful scene, but he found it particularly annoying, like an exquisite dessert covered in mold.

Has Oliver disappeared?

Because he was one step late, will they never be able to meet again? Was that meeting at the Church of Silence their final farewell?

It shouldn’t be like this.

Panic and despair gnawed at his nerves. He almost failed to control his strength so that his whole body fell from the sky. Nemo knew he should be calm. He knew. But even this time, when he tried to pinch his palm, using the pain to calm himself down, the chaos of despair seemed to have possessed his bones and was completely impossible to shake off.

Until someone mentioned that name.

Nemo didn’t hesitate. Without thinking whether it was a trap, or whether the people were friend or foe, he rushed to them.

Everything that followed was like a broken and hazy dream.

The strange man and woman hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to show him the way. They took him to his destination. He didn’t bother to guess what their motives were or whether they were lying. He needed to grab any straw, whatever he could grasp.

After all, nothing could hurt him, but his lover may have died in despair…

“Are you Nemo Light of Tumbleweed?” Just as he quietly broke through the barriers, the man opened his mouth.

“…Yes.”

“Mr. Ramon has something to say to you.” The man hesitated for a while. “You’d better… Control your strength. Considering your current state, I think you need to listen first.”

Nemo stopped moving instantly. He even stopped breathing. It was like someone had cast a petrification spell on him.

He listened very seriously.

[I didn’t give up on my principles for him, and I hope he’ll not do the same.]

But “he who used to be the Demon King” no longer knew how many people he had killed. Was he really qualified to talk about “principles” now?

[He’ll always find the most suitable solution, and I’ll always believe in him.]

But he hadn’t had time to tell Oliver that “Nemo Light” wasn’t to be believed… He couldn’t even believe in himself.

[Sorry.]

How dare that bastard just die with trust in him like this.

If a miracle really happened, if they could really meet again, he would definitely beat that fool up, but when the furnace disappeared and that figure appeared again, he couldn’t hold in his emotions…

The world responded to his wishes just like that.

The gray mist dissipated, and with a harsh warning sound, a shadow stood quietly on the empty flat ground. There wasn’t even a piece of wreckage left in the furnace. The head was still wearing that strange skeleton helmet; the bloodstained white bone covered the upper half of his face. The armor was vaguely in the style of a Knight of Silence, but it was holed and full of scratches.

And that sword… Nemo had once witnessed its birth with his very own eyes.

Even if the aura became illegible, even if the power fluctuated erratically and strangely, he would never make this mistake.

At the junction of despair and ecstasy, his heart almost burst. To his world, to this Demon King. Nemo walked towards the figure at a calm pace at first, followed by a frenzied run.

Now he couldn’t find him in that starry sky. He didn’t know the reason why the knight’s oath was broken, but those questions were no longer important right now. Nemo hugged the armored figure hard. He could hear the familiar heartbeat from the armor.

“Ollie,” he whispered. “I’m here to pick you up.”

After ecstasy was followed by anger and grief.

“…I’ll treat you now,” he said tremblingly, not daring to confirm the other party’s physical condition again. “Don’t move yet, I…”

At that moment, the person he was hugging finally moved.

Oliver held the hilt of the Rest in Peace tightly in his right hand, and lightly grabbed Nemo’s wrists with his left. Under the dry blood marks, the engraved scars were still eye-catching.

“Nemo.” His voice was hoarse and soft. “I love you. I never mentioned this to you, right?”

“I don’t want to erase these wounds… If you’re a hallucination, this is really the best illusion. If you’re not—”

Oliver raised his eyes and looked at the Withered Castle in the night. “Then can you wait for me for a bit?”

“After this place disappears, let’s talk.”

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The author has something to say:

Finally reunited _(:з”∠)_

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Kinky Thoughts:

The pain of translating their separation was severe, but it was all worth it for this. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Note: When Oliver says “I love you” he’s saying [wo ai ni] (我爱你), so it’s not as simple as “I like you” from before.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 139: Hero of the Moment

Oliver thought that what was waiting for him would be the severe pain of burning or his limbs being torn apart, but unexpectedly, no form of pain appeared. He felt as if he was swallowed into the abdominal cavity of a giant behemoth, and a hot and humid smell instantly enveloped him.

The moment Oliver realized that he was falling, his hard armor hit something slippery. His feet touched the ground one step first, and he almost instinctively made a buffering roll to prevent his bones from breaking on impact.

The heavy armor was undoubtedly a burden at the moment, as it took Oliver a lot of effort to stand up from the soft “ground”. He was extremely vigilant against abnormal stability. His brain seemed to have solidified in an abnormal high fever and thinking became a particularly hard thing to do. He didn’t dare open his mouth and take a big breath for fear that the thick air would make him vomit.

He was still alive, but this time Oliver wasn’t happy about it.

Endless exhaustion and sadness overwhelmed him. People could muster the courage to take a step at a certain moment to throw themselves off a cliff, but after that short moment, it became particularly difficult to give up again.

He had reached his limit. His will was like deadwood that was moth-eaten and empty. It could collapse at any moment.

A strange touch climbed onto the back of Oliver’s neck, instantly causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He ignored the aching muscles and didn’t hesitate to wave his sword without hesitation. With splashing pus and blood, a sharp fleshy hand shrank back. It was as thin as a child’s arm that was intertwined with several underdeveloped arms.

It only had time to pierce the side of his neck and scrape off a shallow layer of flesh.

A burning pain immediately followed. Oliver hadn’t had time to think about what those things were when an unknown raving noise sounded, and more fleshy hands leaned over from one side. He could only cut them mechanically and try to ignore the small wails from the darkness. As the attacks of the hands became more intense, he subconsciously retreated to a place where the hands were scarcest and almost stepped into thin air.

It was getting hotter, and his already extremely dehydrated body was sweating out what little remained inside of him. Oliver began to feel suffocated, not knowing if it was because of a simple increase in temperature or a loss of air. He felt like he was going to be roasted to death.

But for some reason, the temperature suddenly dropped a little at a certain moment, and the air became more refreshing. The cool air was like the key to heaven, blowing from a certain direction then quickly dissipating.

After draining his strength and launching another wave of attacks, Oliver bought himself time to look at his environment. He stepped back warily and leaned in the direction of where the light had just blown out.

In the faint light, he finally saw the space where he was. Perhaps this was what Randy called the “blood furnace”. The top of the semicircle was hidden in darkness, and he was stepping on the slightly trembling fleshy platform full of holes.

It looked like a fleshy plate with countless holes poked through, or an organ with lesions and hyperplasia. Dense fleshy hands protruded from the bottomless holes, constantly attacking all living things. Outside the slightly raised edge was a blankness from which came bone-chilling sounds of chewing and a whispering of the void.

A little further away seemed to be the wall of the furnace. It was so far apart that Oliver could only discern a little twisting pattern in the dark. Then his attention was attracted by a light source…

The phosphorescent sarcomas slid around the filaments covering the furnace, like dew moving along spider silk. Each sarcoma illuminated a face of horror and despair.

These things were locating them.

Yes, he wasn’t the only one here. Oliver recalled what Randy said; “Waiting for you below” probably referred to the body, but the situation was much worse—the people who had been in the same cell with him were still alive.

No, it should be said that most of them were still alive…

The people around him were entangled with fleshy hands. Oliver subconsciously wanted to split the weird flesh and blood that were ill-intentioned, but his legs sank like lead. Before he could lift his feet, the fleshy hands suddenly stretched out, pulling the person away and pressing him towards the furnace wall.

He failed to save himself, and this time he didn’t have time to save others.

The continuously rising temperature dropped again, and the sarcoma that had illuminated the person suddenly went out. He didn’t know if it was his hallucination, but the wall of the furnace seemed to be closing in.

The people subconsciously gathered in one direction.

Oliver was close enough now that he could see the thing clearly. In the middle of the fleshy ring full of blood vessels and mucus, there was a narrow table the size of two books side by side. The material looked hard and glittered, and the relieving coolness and fresh air were blowing from there, but it quickly dissipated.

A test.

Oliver’s heart went cold. He probably guessed the Gatekeeper’s plans. If he wasn’t wrong…

“Even though you are the lowest-level ant, you still have a chance.”

A distant voice floated from nowhere.

“Only one person can survive. Those who can survive can go directly to the mobile barracks. We still cherish talents, so don’t believe in the so-called no one survives.”

Lies.

Oliver thought numbly. Something was wrong with this situation. If it was just to maintain the furnace with the lives of losers, they didn’t need to arrange for him to fight with Randy, let alone wait for him to fall before starting all this. After all, Randy wasn’t as stubborn as he was, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill people. No matter how he saw it, the utilization value was higher than him.

In the situation just now, he was likely to kill Randy on the spot, but when he was about to make his move, the Gatekeepers didn’t have any special reaction, but it didn’t seem like he was given special treatment. Randy’s first few attacks were intended to kill him, yet the Gatekeepers still didn’t respond.

Instead, when he conceded defeat and Randy had another chance to kill him, the Gatekeepers threw him into the furnace.

It was like… they were sure he would win and were waiting for him to admit defeat.

Why did they want to do this? Oliver thought with difficulty. This wasn’t the treatment of the so-called “waste”. Now the situation was more like a stage that was set up in advance, more sinister and crueler.

But his mind began to become more sluggish.

Is this what they want? Oliver looked at the sword in his hand. He was tired, very tired. He just wanted to rest. He didn’t want to think anymore, didn’t want to persist anymore.

But on the other side, the Gatekeepers were encouraging people to devour each other in despair. They recognized those that fought each other for the only peace left until only one remained.

If this was what the Gatekeepers wanted, then they were about to succeed. He did feel wronged, confused, and desperate. Everything in front of him was irritating. If the environment continued to deteriorate, if those people attacked him again, he would probably truly lift his sword, fight a bloody path by instinct, and then wait for his death in a relatively comfortable environment.

But he couldn’t figure out what the other party wanted from him.

The temperature was getting higher, and the air seemed to be boiling. The heavy armor seemed to become an instrument of torture. Almost all the water in Oliver’s body had evaporated. The young knight twisted the corners of his mouth but didn’t succeed in laughing. He didn’t know if the Gatekeepers were watching all this, whether they were hoping he would break everything, that he would kill people—or do something else.

Then maybe he could really give up, in the quietest way possible, just like his father, choosing to end it himself before the worst came.

Choose a dignified death as a last resistance.

The fleshy hands stretched out to touch Oliver’s neck again, but this time he didn’t avoid it. Oliver let go of all of his strength and tried to break the collar—but not surprisingly, the pain caused by the collar made him kneel on one knee.

As he thought, there was no miracle.

This was indeed the last, awkward, painful, silent death. His vision gradually blurred and Oliver simply closed his eyes.

He still had a lot of things he wanted to do and say, but at least he still had time to leave his last message, which made the upcoming death not so difficult.

Wrong.

Since people’s deaths could bring a moment of stability, why was the temperature of the air still rising?

The pain from the fleshy hand didn’t come.

Oliver laboriously opened his eyes and tried to look around. In his sight, which was blurred because of weakness, those bright lights were still flashing. His cellmates were watching him quietly from the darkness. Just like the first day, they continue to observe patiently, like insects hiding in dark cracks.

No one moved. No one rushed to the only oasis. No one killed each other.

“Yuri Killian,” a voice said. It was extremely close and unexpectedly familiar.

The burly man who used a meteor hammer threw a broken hand on the ground and spat with difficulty in the increasing hot air. “I still hate you, kid. I still can’t figure out why you don’t do it… But it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s pointless,” he said, “but I do have a name. Yuri Killian.”

“I have to be more like a man than you, kid.” He raised his head and made a motion of slitting his throat. “Fuck you Gatekeepers. You want me to be obedient to the end? Fucking dream on!”

He let out a sharp and piercing grin. “My name’s Yuri Killian! I like big-ass women in Willard’s Tavern—”

The burly man kicked Oliver in the knee. Oliver, who was about to be dragged off the platform by the hands, staggered and fell forward. The opponent’s kick was so hard that it almost exhausted his last physical strength. Oliver held the slippery flesh with both hands and almost fainted. The burly man walked carelessly to the edge of the flesh platform…

Then jumped down.

After a few seconds, the sarcoma that followed him went out.

Anger.

“Samantha Gru.” After a long silence, a trembling female voice sounded from the darkness. “I’m just a refugee. I… I have nothing. I’m afraid. I don’t want to be killed by you, but I also… I don’t want to kill. I don’t like to kill. I don’t like…”

She shook her head as she bit into her lower lip. The neurotic woman glanced at Oliver.

“I don’t like it!” She screamed and then jumped down.

Fear.

“Nicole Naylor. Garland national, prisoner of war. I’m sure I won’t live to the end… But I want to go home. I really want to.”

Desperation.

“Hackett Dalton. They said that only the dead and murderous walk out of here, so you’d better fucking get out of here, Ramon… Your name’s Ramon, right?” The man screamed. “Show them!”

Hate.

People took the first step by throwing themselves into the darkness. Oliver wanted to stand up and say something, but his eyes were rapidly weakening, and he could only see the dim light of the fire.

The lights were decreasing, one after another.

He wanted to shout something, but he couldn’t make a sound. Do something, he thought. He couldn’t accept it. At least stand up first… At least…

“Philip Sportt, fuck this world.”

“Lilin… Only Lilin. I like the color blue.”

……

In the end, there were only two bright lights left.

Oliver stabbed his sword into his right ankle, hoping the pain would keep him awake. This can’t be, he thought vaguely. He had decided to escape, but he was nailed into a bitter reality.

He couldn’t stand it.

A pair of feet appeared in front of him. Oliver tried to raise his head to see the other’s face.

“I don’t want to die,” the man said tremblingly. “I’m afraid. I don’t want to die!”

“…But you know? Just—just for a short while, you and I are completely equal.”

Oliver swallowed the air as the low figure approached him abruptly. It was just that what came out was not an attack but a trembling hug.

“Micah Draper,” the mole-like man said. His voice was getting weaker. “I’m sure I’ll regret it. How stupid. How could I die for just a bottle of perfume? But…”

“Thank you for… trying to save me.”

There was only one bright light left.

Oliver knelt blankly on the empty platform. He wanted to die. He was so weak that he would die at any moment. The blur in front of him fluctuated a little, and it seemed that there was liquid flowing along the skin.

[Son, as long as you live, the voices around you will not stop. What’s right and what’s wrong. What’s good and what’s evil. What’s meaningful and what’s not…]

[…Who has the value of existence, and who doesn’t. But you have to think, is that really the case?]

That’s right. He could still cry.

[When I think of a hero, it’s not necessarily because of what they did, but sometimes because of what they chose not to do. It’s not necessarily because they chose the kindness and rules we all know, but sometimes because they didn’t stop thinking and questioning the “rules”.]

[Because it’s really easy to stop thinking and choose to obey. But Ollie, I hope… You can take a good look at the world with your own eyes.]

Yes, father.

Oliver inserted the sword into the flesh, dragged his body, and struggled towards the middle of the empty platform. He could recover some strength there. Although all this may be a lie, a joke, he could still live for a second longer.

Those who were defined as despicable and worthless, those evils that were deemed impossible to change; they finally chose to resist at the last moment. Perhaps not out of kindness, but at least in that short moment…

No.

Perhaps there was no such definition as a “good person” and a “wicked person”. People were just choosing. He ignored this—everyone was constantly choosing—choosing to pay or plunder, and the price they brought.

It wasn’t the “roles” of good and evil that were defined in advance, but the “states” that are intertwined by choices. In that silence, there was no need to make a choice… They were just “people”.

Chaotic, selfish, and free.

He didn’t save anyone in the end. He was the one who was rescued by these heroes.

Up to now, he seemed to be ineligible to die easily.

…It went well. The manager of the test zone thought so.

Everything went well, beyond their imagination. The life reaction was constantly dying out, and in the end, there was only one left. Under the continuous cruel impact, that weak life response didn’t disappear.

It must be Ramon. He finally made his move. This development was so perfect that the manager of the test zone trembled. Now his spirit should be fragmented. After the impact, the negative array needed to be adjusted to the highest value…

“Success!” There was a scream of disbelief. “God, the power impact is complete! …Ramon isn’t dead!”

“The power of the magic array was adjusted to the maximum. The emotional readings were being monitored in real time.” The manager wearing glasses waved his hand and a light joy lifted him up. He seemed to be drunk as the air was filled with an amazing sense of happiness. “Now we can bet. Guess, Tela, what form will the creation take? A huge piece of flesh, or—”

“You’re so optimistic,” the middle-aged man said in a salty voice. “Take a good look at the emotional readings.”

The manager glanced casually, then took off his glasses in disbelief, wiped them, and put them on again. He instantly woke up from his slight drunken happiness and fell into an ice cave.

“Why is his consciousness still there?!”

In an instant, cold sweat permeated his clothes because in the next second, the researcher himself came to a conclusion…

If there was no negative emotion that could be expanded, then he naturally couldn’t be destroyed.

There was no anger, no fear, no despair, no hatred.

There was only one emotion, and its reading exceeded the upper limit of the counter. It was a rare emotion that they hardly paid attention to…

Sadness.

“Destroy the blood furnace,” the manager ordered as he trembled. “I will start the bone jade bomb right now and completely destroy the furnace! Drive the defense to the maximum!”

They couldn’t control him. No—they weren’t sure if that thing that survived still had any normal sanity. Protective measures had been taken in advance. The power of the bone jade bomb was enough to blow up most of the Withered Castle.

They may not survive, but that wasn’t the point.

He gritted his teeth and quickly confirmed the complex activation spell. When he completed the last rune, he even had a moment of joy of near despair. That thing had just been born, and it was estimated that it wouldn’t have a grasp on its powers yet. If they wanted to destroy it, it could only be now—

Yes, they had successfully created a creature outside the law. Even if it only existed for a short while, this was undoubtedly a great breakthrough. Using the most insignificant parts of human garbage, they had created a miracle that transcended truth.

The bone jade bomb. It would explode in the next instant, and the dense abyssal magic would devour all living things.

Then as a pioneer, even if he died at this time…

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

Everything was still quiet.

“What’s the matter? Why didn’t it explode?!”

“No…” The red-robed old man swallowed with difficulty. “It exploded.”

“Could it be Ramon—”

“No.” The middle-aged man buried the pile of books stood up, showing an intriguing smile. The magic pressure over there was too strong for the surveillance bugs to approach, but he would never make a mistake about that feeling. “It’s abyssal magic.”

The bone jade bomb. Its style was extremely eloquent and could even be placed in the study of a noble. This piece of bone jade was especially huge, like a baby’s head. Layers of magic array rotated around it, and countless magic stones were embedded in it.

It did explode. It was just after the explosion spread out about a centimeter wide, it dissipated like a cloud of smoke.

Nemo patted the ashes in his palm and stood quietly in place for a few seconds.

“Thank you both,” Nemo said softly, bowing to the strange man and woman who led the way beside him. His voice was calm, but his body trembled uncontrollably. “Next, please stay away from here. The farther the better.”

“Ramon is still in the furnace. That’s the thing in front of you.” The tall man subconsciously moved away from the black-haired young man. The scars on his face seemed even more hideous. “You really don’t—”

“No. He doesn’t need my help… At least not now.”

The black furnace went straight into the sky. The edge was coiled around the spiral steps, so wide it couldn’t be seen from a glance. Now it was divided into two, and the upper part slid obliquely to one side. Gray mist poured out of the gap and wrapped around the furnace.

In the next instant, it ceased to exist, leaving no trace behind.

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Kinky Thoughts:

These past three chapters were the most painful so far, but the best writing. So fucking good.

Nemo’s here!!!!!!

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 138: Love and Shackles

The manager of the test zone poured himself a glass of water and pushed up his glasses.

The two people on the light screen finally started fighting, and he couldn’t tell what it was like in his heart—not out of sympathy or guilt for the two people on the battlefield, but more like worry; worried that Randy Panther was losing.

Randy Panther, Sancho’s Gray Fox. As an assassin, his combat skills were absolutely first-class, but in the final analysis, his magic power reserves weren’t particularly outstanding. Among the materials processed by the Withered Castle, this assassin was barely considered a first-class product, as there was still a considerable gap from the top.

Oliver Random was different. After his power had been strangely doubled several times, he had perfectly reached the upper limit of surface creatures…

And he was a true fighting genius.

When magic from both sides was sealed and his own state was in poor condition, his offensive became fiercer. Ramon’s swordsmanship was no longer regular but was like a beast that finally obeyed its hunting instincts. His moves were unrestrained and extremely natural and beautiful.

A born warrior.

He now understood the look on the face of the combat zone manager after he applied for him. It was as if he had seen the enemy who killed his father. If Ramon’s willpower was a little more fragile, he would never have been able to grab such a perfect material.

Now was the critical juncture. The manager wearing glasses swallowed water in small sips. If Ramon killed Sancho’s Gray Fox, then he would immediately be transferred to the mobile barracks for training and slip away from the palm of his hand. After all, once a stubborn stone cracked, it would become extremely easy to overcome. This was the specialty of the mobile barracks. 300,000 wasn’t expensive at all. If Ramon could really be transferred, he’d be made into an excellent death row fighter. He would certainly become a rare weapon worth thousands.

Recently, Alban had been in chaos. If the guys in the combat zone trained him and sold him back, they would fetch a price of 30 million or even higher.

…Short-sighted idiots who dared not take risks. The manager pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose again.

People in the combat zone only saw the benefits of stability. They had always lacked foresight. Yes, Oliver Ramon did have a fairly high risk of dying in the blood furnace, just like the previous 1,326 people, but he was also the best sample in history. They had two choices—to choose 30 million gold coins with a 100% success rate or a priceless treasure with a 1% success rate.

After all, no one could price a god-level weapon of destruction.

The experiment of the blood furnace had been going on for a long time, and this was the first time he had the opportunity to embark on this great and noble path of exploration. His predecessors carefully selected thousands of people in its long history, but none had succeeded, but they had never doubted the correctness of this path.

After all, their basis was clear. All surface life had an upper limit on its ability, an unnatural ceiling.

For the vast majority of life, vitality was perfectly proportional to the strength of mental and magic power, but once the magic exceeded a certain limit, the growth rate would flatten, infinitely approaching a definite value. At first, they thought it was the limit of the biological body’s ability to withstand magic, but when the limits of humans and dragons were exactly the same, this matter became subtle—it was like something added a simple and brutal power ceiling on all creatures.

So what would happen if it broke?

The blood furnace needed to be maintained by living creatures, and they had never lacked living materials.

For thousands of years, the furnace melted countless lives, and the power in it should be enough to create an impact—as long as the “nuclear” they threw down had the qualification to surpass the power ceiling. In theory, people who were regarded as “nuclear” may be able to break away from the current restricted magic system and show their true biological potential.

There was only one problem left.

Not many creatures came close to the power ceiling, but it was definitely not an issue of a once-in-a-thousand-year encounter. The problem was controllability. Once they were stripped out of the current magic system, and their speculation happened to be correct, they would create a real monster; an artificial god who was not limited by the law. The Gatekeepers didn’t intend to dedicate themselves to their ideals and leave the surface in a state of trouble—they must ensure that this creation was absolutely controllable.

Thus, the answer was also simple. They needed to destroy the will of the “nuclear”. While he or she was stripped out of the magic system, the spirit of that life would be completely annihilated, turning into an ultimate weapon that wasn’t bound by laws and obediently obeyed all orders.

That was the true “transcendence of truth”, the true progress and glory of mankind.

They had prepared everything. Relatively upright people were the easiest to destroy, but finding a guy with a strong enough spirit was more difficult than finding a creature close to the power ceiling. Among the more than thousands of people in front of them, there were hundreds of them who had forcibly increased their strength through experimental means, but none of them succeeded in holding on at the last moment.

Not surprising. The manager of the test area squeezed his cup tightly and thought dejectedly. After all, they set up a magic array to amplify negative emotions, and all the previous “nuclear” collapsed too early, without exception. Those stupid people who didn’t know how to adapt; either they couldn’t face the real desperate situation in the furnace and ended their lives, or they had a nervous breakdown before the impact of power was completed, and completely gave up on themselves, eventually becoming a part of the blood furnace.

Come on. The manager looked at the black figure on the light screen. Come and let me see your persistence.

Oliver’s head was a little dizzy. His sword was faster than his thoughts. His blood seemed to turn into boiling metal. It seemed that another person dominated his body, and his speed didn’t slow down due to injury but was getting faster.

He didn’t think about death or pain; all he could see was the blade cutting through the air in his eyes. A strange sense of pleasure crept on Oliver’s nerves. Time was slowing down, and the other party’s movements were dropping. The bone sword pierced Randy’s muscles, and the next moment the disgusting touch reached his palms. Oliver was so numb that he couldn’t feel anything. His limited consciousness was constantly repeating broken, simple sentences.

To defeat. You must defeat your opponent.

Randy felt chills for the first time.

When he met this somewhat brainless young man, he only regarded him as a first-class adventurer with good skills. It may be because his opponent’s behavior was too upright, and he just defended and avoided in battle so he didn’t know the degree of seriousness of his opponent.

Now he would rather not know. 

Randy never thought he would lose. He was in much better shape than his opponent. Targeted killing was also his specialty, but the other party seemed to have lost the feeling of pain. His movements were frighteningly flexible, like a ghost. The shield in his hand became heavier, and there were more wounds appearing on his body, while his opponent became more comfortable, and his attack was as elusive as a phantom.

The sight without any emotion stuck to him, cold and focused. Oliver Ramon was analyzing his attack pattern at an alarming speed, absorbing it and turning it into his own advantage.

As time passed, Randy couldn’t even land a hit. The weird knight opposite of him seemed to have endless strength, and the cursed pale sword couldn’t be shaken off. The confident hunter finally became the hunted.

Monster.

As soon as this thought crossed the assassin’s mind, his heavy shield was kicked away, and his wrist made a crisp, cracking sound. The opponent’s heavy metal boot kicked Randy’s stomach and caused the tall assassin’s vision to turn black. He couldn’t maintain his balance and fell to the ground, unable to move for over half a minute.

The tip of the Rest in Peace was held against the assassin’s throat. The sharp white bones pierced the skin on Randy’s neck, and beads of red blood rolled down the skin, leaving a dazzling blood mark. Randy tried to struggle a few times, but Oliver’s knees pressed against his chest. His shield had fallen in the distance, his wrist had been sprained, and his tough body was riddled with wounds. Those sword wounds turned outwards, and warm blood continued to penetrate into the dark black land.

But Randy didn’t give up.

He stretched out his hand and tried to punch Oliver’s head, but was easily blocked by his opponent. The assassin exhausted his last strength and attacked again and again, but the result became more desperate. After several revolts, Randy let out a very light sigh, and those eyes finally dimmed. He turned his head sideways, and his murderous aura gradually dissipated.

Oliver knew what Randy was trying to do, or rather, looking for.

He recognized the sadness. There was no fear in the eyes of his enemy. Randy was unexpectedly calm, but he looked a little sad. The steel-gray eyes finally stopped looking at the tip of the sword and turned in the direction of something empty.

Mora should be waiting close by for Randy, Oliver thought groggily. What was she thinking at this moment?

But Nemo was also waiting for him.

He was about to use the sword born from a blessing to take the life of another for his own selfish desire. Under the Rest in Peace, was there going to be a soul that wouldn’t be able to rest for the very first time?

He had no choice. Oliver gasped for breath. There was plenty of air, but his lungs felt as if they were pierced by his ribs, which made breathing extremely painful. As long as his wrist gently exerted force, pushing the Rest in Peace downwards…

No. Did he really have no choice?

He once believed that he would die. Not so long ago, in the Black Chapter test in the Border Forest, the moment he faced Pandorater, the person he loved was faced with the same choice at that time; to reasonably save his own life, or to take that step…

[If I don’t try it, I’ll have nightmares for the rest of my life. Oliver, you and Ann take those people away. I’ll lead it away. If it doesn’t succeed—]

The person he fell in love with was truly gentle.

The bone sword pierced hard, but the blade was buried in the soil on the side of Randy’s head. The assassin’s eyes widened subconsciously.

“If it weren’t for Nemo, I guess I would have done it a long time ago.” Oliver gave the other party an extremely weak smile. “…It’s really hard to persist.”

Kill the person who had protected themselves and pass on the pain of losing a loved one. He may never be able to truly return to Nemo. He would be imprisoned at this moment for the rest of his life, and he could no longer hold Nemo’s hand.

“If I really kill you, I’ll probably have nightmares for the rest of my life. Why is my opponent you?”

The young man laughed sadly under the pale skeleton helmet.

“…And why am I here?”

Abandoning everything for the sake of a lover, betraying everything, and being an enemy of the whole world sounded desperate but romantic. ‘Maybe Randy and Mora can really do it,’ Oliver thought. His own depravity may be understood by his own kind, but as a true superior demon, Nemo’s enmity would only invite chaos and undissolved fear.

Once that step was taken, the person he loved would not have the chance to turn back. This he knew very well.

He must not be the one who shook Nemo.

How he once wished that he could be the chain to the other party. To prevent him from getting out of control and falling off a cliff. Then he could proudly dismiss all doubts about him, and they could continue to live together under the sun.

He wanted to be a better person for each other. However…

“After you escape from here, go find Nemo Light of Tumbleweed,” Oliver murmured. He loosened his grip on the assassin. His voice was hoarse with a slight tremor. “Tell him everything that happened here.”

If all this could leave some meaning, there was indeed something he could do. It was very cruel, but if the other person had suffered as much as he did at that moment because of his own departure, then he still had the chance to become a yoke.

…Become a yoke that could imprison Nemo under the sun.

“Tell him that I didn’t give up on my principle for him and I hope he’ll not do the same.”

“Tell him that he’ll always find the most suitable solution, and I’ll always believe in him.”

“Tell him, I love him from the bottom of my heart…”

“…No, tell him, I’m sorry.”

I am always slower when facing difficulties, Nemo. Every time, he needed someone to rush in front of him first before he could summon the courage to follow.

This time, it was his turn to take the first step.

“I admit defeat.” Oliver straightened his back and lowered his gaze.

Randy knew he should have taken the opportunity to take his opponent’s life, but he didn’t move. He quietly raised his upper body and looked at his fierce and unreasonable enemy. The circles of his eyes behind the terrifying bone helmet were slightly red, but the young man was still smiling.

The assassin’s throat bobbed. He wanted to answer, “I will”, but the bloody soil instantly rose like a wave, completely obscuring his sight, and when they returned to the ground again a few seconds later…

The black figure had completely disappeared.

The light screen was bright in the dark room that was emptied of light. The manager of the test zone finally put the cup that had been empty in his hand and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Well done. Ramon didn’t give up in the end. Fate was still on their side.

If Oliver Ramon could deal with “true despair”, they might really be able to succeed this time. After all, the most desperate thing wasn’t forcing them to break their principles, nor adhering to said principles, but to abandon hope and end everything.

After thousands of years of experimentation and observation, they were more familiar with human nature than anyone else…

True despair existed after a moment of courage, when one was ready to face death. The warriors embraced their last attachment to the world and were ready to give their lives to stand firm.

Then they would find they couldn’t rest in peace.

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The author has something to say:

Countdown to reunion: 2—! (；ω；)

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Kinky Thoughts:

I bawled this chapter. Nemo’s coming Ollie!

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Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 137: Futile Persistence

Oliver felt strange now.

The terrible thirst that rubbed his throat and mouth like a file and the hunger had turned into complete paralysis. They were mixed with the fatigue caused by his bondage and blood loss. The moment he opened his eyes, Oliver even thought he was dead.

But he wasn’t.

What followed was instinctive fear and bitterness. The wound left by the sword was faintly painful, like a dozen hot metal needles left in the flesh. He couldn’t laugh it off. Fatigue finally eroded his body and began to spread to his heart, but in contrast, a strange warmth was rushing from his heart to his limbs.

His will was struggling on the verge of death, but his body was slowly awakening. It was like a dilapidated dam had broken open and power gushed out uncontrollably, impacting all his nerves. Funny to say, Oliver had never felt so clearly that he was still “alive”. Although it wasn’t clear why, this wasn’t a bad thing.

The Gatekeepers who strengthened his shackles had already left, but their words didn’t fail to reach Oliver’s ears. Oliver couldn’t tell how he felt about it. Shaken? Sad? Perhaps. He didn’t want to think or talk anymore.

He just sat quietly in the dark corner, maintaining a blank state in his brain and supporting the operation of his body through instinct. If he was still alive, then someone would take the opportunity to attack.

Yes, he was still alive.

Oliver originally thought he would feel anger, despair, or some more intense negative emotions, but now he was as calm as burnt-out ashes. Perhaps when people were weak, their thoughts would become simpler and purer.

‘He was still alive. He could still see Nemo. For this, he must continue to live. He kept his promise,’ Oliver thought in a daze. It was amazing that he had managed to hold on to the present.

“Why?”

Oliver subconsciously wanted to raise his sword, only to find that it wasn’t a murder weapon but a question.

The man who wielded the meteor hammer questioned with subtle condemnation and resentment. “Why?” he repeated. “Don’t pretend to be a saint in such a place. It’s disgusting.”

“You expect me to kill you?” Oliver harshly cleared his throat.

“Fuck off. What’s the difference between what you’re doing and stepping on my* face?” the man roared. “You’re not going to the test zone, are you? You fucking gave up the opportunity I’ve been dreaming of! Listen, no one will accept your affection. Sooner or later, we’re going to die—”

*He’s referring to himself as [laozi] (老子) which when used like that is an arrogant way of saying this great one/your father. It could also be used out of anger or contempt (which it is in this case). Note that during his dialogue with Oliver, when referencing himself, he’s using this term. As this is a western setting, I decided not to use pinyin.

“Fifteen people never came back,” Oliver said. “I know.”

“No. You don’t know anything. You don’t know what’s going on in the test zone at all,” the big man roared, “and here—if you can’t stand out, no one can live here for longer than three months!”

“I want to kill you,” Oliver replied quietly, turning a deaf ear to the man’s yelling. “I’m not a saint. I want to kill you with every passing minute.”

The man choked.

“I’m not a saint. Far from it,” Oliver repeated hoarsely. “I just… don’t agree.”

“The law of the jungle is the iron rule. It’s up to you to recognize it or not. This goddamn world is like this—worthless human lives are worthless.” The big man approached. The iron chain left by the meteor hammer dragged on the floor, making a series of harsh noises. “Even if you pretend to be noble here, nothing can be changed. The Gatekeepers don’t care about your conscience—”

“Noble.” Oliver couldn’t help but laugh. “Noble you say? ……You really think so?”

To be defined as “noble” for killing others for his own benefits just before he had the chance to do so?

“Then throw away that hypocritical panache and pick up your sword! Let me be frank, you make people very uncomfortable 300,000,” the big man hissed. “I know you look down on us bitches, a bunch of scoundrels…”

“Who defines it?”

“What?”

“The Gatekeepers think you’re ‘worthless’ and you accept it.” The strangely dressed knight stood up, holding his sword sideways with both hands. “Why? I’m just more talented than you at killing people, so I’m a ‘valuable powerhouse’. Who defines it?”

In the peaceful life of Roadside Town, Oliver occasionally had the illusion that “everything was in line with common sense”. The law protected people, and people lived peacefully. The trajectory of their lives followed the established route. What a wonderful illusion that was.

But this wasn’t a fair or ideal world, and now Oliver understood it well.

The so-called goodwill wouldn’t necessarily be rewarded, and villains wouldn’t necessarily be punished. People were sometimes amazingly smart and sometimes terribly stupid. Many times, right and wrong were blurred into a ball, and the persistence of principle seemed meaningless. The world was cold, chaotic, crazy, and unreasonable.

But it was precisely because of knowing this unreasonable madness that occasional miracles became more precious.

It was like not all people who were hurt would be repaid with malice. It was like in a desperate situation where there was no way out, some people would succumb, and some people would continue to persist. Just as some demons would eventually part ways with fragile humans, some… would not.

Leaving aside meaning, putting aside gain and losses, those lives that were stubborn and stupid, who insisted on moving forward in pain; they didn’t operate in accordance with the so-called “rules”, “standards”, and “logic”.

This wasn’t a world that could be easily defined by others, and he didn’t want to bow to such fabricated rules.

“I said, I want to kill you, every minute and every second, but I’m making choices every minute and every second,” the knight’s voice slightly trembled. “I’m not a martyr. It’s not because I’m fucking noble or despicable. It’s because I have a reason to insist.”

Of course he would be disappointed and bitter, but the person he fell in love with was extremely gentle—Oliver hoped that the other person could continue to live like this, without scruples, and he wanted to be qualified to be the other person’s chain and armor, so he would not lose to hostility.

And a self that would bow to desire and liberation couldn’t do this.

“…It’s just that you chose to do it, and I chose not to, and then we each bear the consequences.”

This was true every second.

“We’re the same,” Oliver said. His throat hurt like he had just swallowed a glass shard. “Fuck this value. My name is Oliver Ramon, not ‘300,000’… You also have a name, right?”

But his enemy did not answer. The big man returned to the shadows, spit on the ground, and didn’t speak again. For a while, there was only numb and soothing breathing in the room again. People continued to peep from the shadows, just like the day that the weird knight had just arrived.

No one approached, no one made a sound; people just looked at him coldly.

But no one attacked.

Oliver almost managed to sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, it was a new cycle for the day. Oliver routinely kissed the scar on his wrist that had begun to heal. He could feel his strength surging under the restraint, stretching the shackles and collars of his limbs.

A thread of hope, like spider silk, hung in his hand.

Things seemed to be moving in a good direction. Oliver guessed that the anxiety and thirst had reached the limit of death, but he was able to keep a trace of sanity. He even started to try to break the shackles on his body. The composition of the new collar was very complicated, but under the continuous test of his great power, Oliver gradually began to get clues. For some reason, his power had increased several folds. Right now, he only needed time. Another week or two, at most a month, and he could definitely handle it.

The night had become less difficult. After the conversation of that day, Oliver’s cellmates no longer attacked him and preferred to treat him like air.

His persistence seemed to have paid off.

Until three days later, Randy stood in front of him.

It should have been a normal and crazy day as usual. It was just after the fight was over. The blood-soaked soil of the arena rose into the air and enveloped Oliver. When he saw light again, the field was still wide, but there was only one person on the opposite side.

The eyes of the assassin on the other side were complicated. He clenched his heavy shield tightly. His lips pursed, and silence floated in the air for a long time.

“Only one person can come out alive,” the tall assassin finally spoke, then sighed. “I’m sorry, Ramon—it was nice to meet you. May we have a good fight.”

After that, Randy took a few deep breaths and lowered his center of gravity. He looked like a beast that was about to attack. The murderous aura was like a quietly blooming flower, which spread out with icy precision.

‘He’s serious,’ Oliver thought blankly.

“We can cooperate,” Oliver said quickly. His voice was completely hoarse. He was still out of shape—there was no notice, no preparation. Oliver almost forgot to draw his sword. “It’s not just either life or death. Randy, I’ve been trying to break through…”

The heavy shield pierced his ear and almost shattered the skeleton helmet on his head.

“Do you know where we are standing?” Randy’s tone was still cold. He retracted his heavy shield and jumped close again like a lion. “Below is the blood furnace. They have a crush on you, Ramon. We can’t escape.”

The assassin had never stopped killing in the arena. His recovery had never been interrupted. Although magic was blocked, Randy still looked energetic and in excellent condition, with sharp killing intent in every movement. His actions were fast and flexible, which meant Mora wasn’t by his side.

…That meant his opponent had nothing to worry about, which wasn’t good news for him.

“There will always be a way!” Oliver shouted hard, not knowing whether to convince his opponent or himself, or was just trying to stay sane. He wasn’t in good condition to fight physically. What Adrian Cross had taught him was a sword style to capture the enemy, not a killing move that could take someone out in a single blow. “Even if it’s the blood furnace…”

Honestly, Oliver didn’t know what the blood furnace meant. He was completely confused about the current situation, and the only person who knew something was busy killing him.

“They didn’t tell you what the blood furnace is, did they? Of course.” Randy’s attack speed was getting faster. The heavy shield edge rubbed against Oliver’s chest. The latter held on to his standing position with difficulty, and was repelled a few steps, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. “It’s like they won’t tell you that the time limit for the cell you were sent to has arrived.”

“Time limit?” Oliver just stood upright for a few seconds. His sword-swinging movement stagnated for a moment, and he was almost hit squarely by the shield.

“Exactly what I mean.” Randy tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if intending to use information as a means of attack. “The blood furnace needs to be maintained by flesh and blood. Why do you think they chose such a cell for you? Haven’t you been attacked a lot at night, Ramon?”

“They’re all dying. They are the ones meant to die. They were originally your opportunity, and you were also their opportunity,” the assassin announced cruelly. “Now they are waiting for you down there.”

“Yes, waiting for you. I’ll never fall.” Randy’s voice sounded a bit bitter and self-depreciating. “How lucky I am that my opponent is an upright person.”

Oliver raised his sword and took a deep breath. His hands trembled a little. “Fall?”

“A boring experiment by the Gatekeepers. Only one piece of information is certain. All the people who fell before were torn apart and swallowed alive. I told you a long time ago that it was much easier to kill someone at random.” Randy stared at the sword warily. “To tell you the truth, I admire you very much, Ramon, but now we’re destined to have one person fall, whether it’s a corpse or in a half-dead state.”

“My lover is waiting for me. I can’t die,” the assassin murmured. A trace of soft emotion flashed across his stiff face.

“Unfortunately, so is mine.” Oliver licked his lips. His gaze was still floating around the arena, trying to find flaws, but he found nothing. He didn’t dare destroy the collar at this time—Randy’s killing intent hadn’t faltered. If he couldn’t break it and was attacked by the collar, he would be killed by the assassin in the next second.

‘My persistence may be meaningless,’ Oliver thought. He still had the confidence to keep his life before, but now…

The armor on his chest was smashed and deflated. He should have broken a few ribs. Oliver tried his best to turn his heavy head, trying to judge the injury based on the pain. Randy was different from his previous opponents. If his condition was normal, it would be fine, but as it stood, he couldn’t end it in a draw.

It was either kill or be killed. There were no other options at this moment.

In any case, he seemed to be unable to fulfill his original promise to Adrian Cross. Either live and admit that he was a coward who would abandon his bottom line for selfish desires or die and follow the unfinished agreement.

But he was so close to freedom. As long as he persisted in thoroughly understanding the structure of the collar, he could break the shackles and escape. He only needed a little more time. He clearly overcame the pain of dying…

It was time to choose again, second after second, again and again, and this time, he finally lost the confidence to successfully resist. Oliver glanced at the engraving on his left wrist. His eyes became a little sour. He took a step, almost instinctively, and for the first time, he put on an offensive posture.

He was stronger than Randy. Oliver knew this.

He could win. He could, but…

“That’s it,” Randy said. His sharp eyes were moving with the tip of the sword. “Like men, let’s fight in a dignified manner.”

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The author has something to say:

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Countdown to reunion: 3–! ╰(:з╰∠)_

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Kinky Thoughts:

The writing, especially in this chapter, is beautiful!

Don’t do it Ollie! You must maintain your innocence!

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