“He’s dead…?” Xiong Jiabao stared blankly at Li Yougen, who lay on the ground with a pale face, unable to come to terms with it for a moment. “In the next game… will I never see him again…?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Dong Xiu slowly drew his sword, wiping the blood on it onto Li Yougen’s clothes. “Having him around will only hold you back.”
Xiong Jiabao’s heart skipped a beat, and for the first time, he felt a serious sense of crisis. In fact, he often held others back himself. According to Dong Xiu’s reasoning, would it be a good thing if he died too? Although the logic made sense, who could accept it when it was applied to themselves?
Unconsciously, he began to guard against Dong Xiu, thinking that at least Xin Meng was better; she wouldn’t be so heartless.
Dong Xiu seemed completely oblivious to the change in his expression. After cleaning his sword, he was about to leave but lost his balance, tripping over Li Yougen’s corpse. His body lurched forward and collided with Xiong Jiabao from the side.
The force was unexpectedly strong, even more so than Li Yougen before, pushing Xiong Jiabao several steps back. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, he stepped right onto the glue he had thrown on the ground earlier, and his shoe sole stuck fast, unable to lift even a centimeter. Xiong Jiabao, already unsteady, completely lost his balance and fell backward into a sitting position. His hands instinctively reached back for support, and now both his butt and hands were stuck.
“Hey! Be careful!” Xiong Jiabao yelled angrily at him, twisting his body with all his might, but it only made the places that were stuck increase. “This is disgusting, it’s so sticky! Tsk, come help me!”
“What’s going on?” Xin Meng and Qi Xiaokui, who saw the situation from a distance, rushed over.
“Sorry,” Dong Xiu said with a smile, “I lost my balance.”
Xin Meng grabbed Xiong Jiabao’s arm and pulled up, but it didn’t budge. The glue was made of some unknown material, incredibly strong, and the places where they touched seemed to be fused together, impossible to separate.
“What do we do now?” Xin Meng was worried. He thought about trying to cut it with a dagger, but he didn’t dare to recklessly touch the black glue, fearing that even the dagger would get stuck.
He looked around and soon spotted a pile of golden objects shimmering on the ground nearby. Those were the golden arrows Qi Xiaokui had shot earlier, which had originally fallen near Li Yougen, but during Li Yougen’s rolling, they had been kicked far away. It was perfect to use one of those to test if the glue could stick to a weapon.
Without hesitation, he stood up and walked over to the pile of golden arrows, squatting down to pick and choose. Considering the greedy nature of the demon, he finally selected a half-broken arrow, which had been cut in half by Li Yougen with a chainsaw, just right for repurposing.
“This one will do!” He picked up the half-arrow and weighed it in his palm, standing up and about to head back when he suddenly turned his head and saw an extremely terrifying scene!
Dong Xiu had suddenly grabbed Xiong Jiabao’s helmet and yanked it upward, exposing Xiong Jiabao’s head. With the other hand, he placed the sword against his exposed neck, and with a swift motion, he slashed!
Xiong Jiabao was still dazed, not understanding what was happening. Why was Dong Xiu pulling his helmet? He felt a sharp pain in his throat, and then it was as if he flew up and fell back down, his vision completely inverted. He saw his own body still sitting on the glue, motionless.
So… I’ve become this fat…
If my mom saw me, she would… scold… me…
Xiong Jiabao closed his eyes.
“Ah ah ah ah ah!!” Qi Xiaokui let out the most mournful scream since entering the game!
The fountain of blood gushing from Xiong Jiabao’s bare neck drenched her from head to toe. The warm blood flowed down her bangs in a chaotic stream. She looked at the head that had just closed its eyes, the one who had spoken to her less than a minute ago and had saved her life, now suddenly dead! Dead!
She nearly fainted!
However, she didn’t have the chance, because after Dong Xiu decapitated Xiong Jiabao, he immediately performed a sword flourish and lunged at her!
Qi Xiaokui frantically raised her bow to block, but Dong Xiu’s movements were incredibly fast. She quickly found herself at a loss, and a bow without arrows was hardly better than a shield. Moreover, a ranged weapon was ineffective at such close quarters. Her hands and arms were soon cut open by the sword, blood gushing out.
He was dead set on killing her! Qi Xiaokui looked into his cruel, merciless eyes, utterly convinced!
Xin Meng couldn’t rush to help. Seeing that Qi Xiaokui was about to die under Dong Xiu’s sword, he immediately shouted, “Surrender! Quickly shout surrender! Xiaokui!”
If Qi Xiaokui shouted surrender, she could be teleported out immediately, but Xin Meng’s situation would become dangerous. Two against one might not even be enough to win, let alone one-on-one!
But when Xin Meng shouted, there was no hesitation.
“We can’t beat him. Having you here won’t help. Just go!”
Qi Xiaokui gritted her teeth, unwillingly glanced at Xin Meng, and shouted to the sky, “I surrender!”
As soon as her voice fell, her body suddenly vanished, and Dong Xiu’s sword struck empty air, the tip hitting the ground with a thud, leaving a white mark.
“Why did you do that?!” Xin Meng looked at the dead Xiong Jiabao, feeling very upset. This boy had just found himself, becoming brave and responsible, someone who could be called a man. Everyone thought he could live better, yet he was inexplicably killed by the person he was closest to!
“Li Yougen is dead. As long as we follow the plan, we can clear the game!” Xin Meng said angrily.
“Hmph,” Dong Xiu turned around, adjusting his blood-stained glasses, mocking, “What plan? It’s just your wishful thinking. I never clearly stated that I agreed to participate.”
Xin Meng frowned.
At that time, Dong Xiu had indeed only said, “Not a bad idea.” Had he already started to twist the concept at that moment?
“Even if you disagree, you could have brought it up. Why kill Xiong Jiabao and Qi Xiaokui?” Xin Meng said coldly.
“Because they are on your side. Even if I brought it up, what’s the use? Three against one, you still win.” Dong Xiu glanced at Xiong Jiabao’s head. “Letting him die without pain is already my mercy.”
Xin Meng simply couldn’t understand. “What is the reason? Do you just want to win this game? If you’re worried about being punished when you go back, I said I could let You Yi come to bring you back. There’s no danger to your life. Isn’t there a faster way to clear the game?”
“Sure, of course, it’s good,” Dong Xiu stared at him fiercely, “For you, it’s certainly good. The Demon King’s legacy will be obtained by You Yi and taken to the next game. I won’t even get a sip of soup.”
“The Demon King’s legacy?” Xin Meng was taken aback.
“Yes, I want more than just clearing the game,” Dong Xiu suddenly revealed an ambitious look, his expression abnormally excited, extending his hand and clenching it into a fist, speaking rapidly and passionately, “I also want to obtain the Demon King’s power. If I can get it, I can clear the next game directly!”
He looked at Xin Meng. “To obtain the Demon King’s legacy, one must personally kill the Demon King and then eat his heart. If in the end, the one who obtains the position of the Demon King is You Yi, with his strength, I won’t have a chance to kill him. It’s better to let the Rage Demon take the position. I have plenty of ways to kill that brainless fool!”
Xin Meng sneered, “I see, so for your ambition, we should all become your stepping stones, right?”
Dong Xiu picked up his sword. “No matter what, you can’t escape. The Rage Demon gave me a good thing. With it, even if you shout surrender, you won’t be able to get out!”
In a flash, a yellow, semi-transparent barrier appeared like an inverted bowl, enveloping the two of them. Xin Meng reacted quickly, immediately spinning around and stabbing with his dagger, but it couldn’t penetrate!
“You really want to kill me?” His heart raced, an ominous premonition growing stronger. His heartbeat quickened, and he gripped the dagger’s handle tightly, his palm gradually becoming clammy.
“It seems you have no self-awareness at all,” as if he had already caught his prey in the palm of his hand, ready to crush it at any moment, Dong Xiu was no longer anxious, smiling as he spoke to him, “I can say that among the entire team, the one I want to kill the most is you.”
Xin Meng struggled to remain calm. “Even if you kill me this time, so what? You Yi won’t let you go, and in the next game, we will be revived. Aren’t you afraid of retaliation then?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? The Rage Demon will protect me. Their strength is comparable now, and You Yi can’t touch me,” Dong Xiu said with a smile, “And once I obtain the Demon King’s legacy, will I still be afraid of you in the next game? Hmph, it’s you who should stay far away from me.”
Xin Meng wanted to say something else, but Dong Xiu interrupted him, “Alright, don’t try to buy time. It’s useless. This barrier isolates all connections with the outside world. Time inside is frozen. No matter how long you delay, you won’t reach the end of the game.”
What? Time inside is frozen? Xin Meng was shocked.
The original plan was no longer feasible, but before he could find another way, Dong Xiu lunged at him with a sword!
“Die! Xin Meng!” The hoarse roar unleashed Dong Xiu’s pleasure and madness!
Xin Meng immediately raised his dagger to block. With a clang, the blades met, and Xin Meng’s hands went numb, nearly losing his grip on the handle!
Fortunately, You Yi’s dagger was incredibly hard and sharp, not only blocking the sword but even carving a small notch into it!
Dong Xiu’s expression darkened, and he immediately withdrew.
He couldn’t let the distance increase; otherwise, it would be disadvantageous for him. Xin Meng decisively ignored the pain in his hand, gripping the dagger and immediately chased after him. However, Dong Xiu was indeed more skilled, dodging left and right, not allowing him to get close, instead using his long sword to continuously obstruct and even attack him, while Xin Meng, with his short dagger, couldn’t reach Dong Xiu’s body at all!
The two fought together. Initially, Dong Xiu could only defend against Xin Meng’s pursuit, but the situation quickly reversed. Dong Xiu’s long sword danced with vigor, pressing back, while Xin Meng was forced to retreat, only able to passively block with his dagger. But the long sword was sharp and held the advantage, and soon Xin Meng had several cuts on his body, the deep blue sportswear stained with blood, turning into patches of deep purple, the strong smell of blood permeating the air.
“Huff, huff… damn it!” Xin Meng gritted his teeth, panting as he blocked and retreated, his steps chaotic and movements forced. Sweat nearly flowed into his eyes, but he had no time to wipe it away. Soon, he felt his back hit an obstruction; it was the barrier. He had no way to retreat!
Dong Xiu raised his sword, aiming at Xin Meng, and stabbed down fiercely!
The tip of the sword was about to pierce a large hole in his thin chest!
In a moment of crisis, Xin Meng suddenly rolled to the side, tumbling on the ground, and the sword stabbed into the barrier. He had dodged!
However, it seemed Xin Meng’s good luck had run out. He twisted his ankle while rolling, and it quickly swelled and turned red. The pain made him break out in cold sweat, and he found himself sitting on the ground, unable to stand…
“Let’s see how you run now!” Dong Xiu walked in front of him, his blood-stained smile terrifying and filled with the joy of about to achieve his desires, finally twisting into a grimace. He gripped the sword tightly, raised it high, and then stabbed down hard at Xin Meng’s head! “Your time of death has come, Xin Meng!”
Xin Meng instinctively closed his eyes, raising the dagger to block his head, feeling empty inside. At this moment, he was no longer afraid; he just hoped that You Yi wouldn’t be too angry when he found out…
He had already prepared for death and even had the thought that even if he lost, You Yi would definitely win in the third game. The position of the Demon King could only belong to that man!
