Chapter 71: You Don’t Understand the Guardian Enough (Third Update)
The mottled fragments of time surged around Grey like peeling wall plaster.
The entire Frozen Water Town, including the dim sky above, revealed multiple cracks and fissures.
Just a moment ago, Grey made her choice.
It was not a choice of d*ath to end everything.
Nor was it a choice to continue to indulge in the hypocritical illusions, unwilling to face reality.
Rather—
It was to acknowledge her own weakness and also to acknowledge the sins she had committed earlier.
To bear the weight of others’ lives and face her future directly.
Even if… that future may not be as beautiful as the illusion before her, and it may lead to a dead end, that was fine.
Because it was a future that belonged solely to Grey,
Something that neither the Evil God nor Fate had the right to take away or defile.
But before that—
What Grey needed to do was to personally shatter the Frozen Water Town before her.
To break this beautiful illusion that she had woven with her own hands.
…
On the other side, in Rast’s mind, strands of azure notifications were slowly passing by.
[Promotion Task “Tower”: Uncover the truth of Frozen Water Town shrouded in fog.]
[Promotion task completed]
[Your Arcana Sequence Long Stage “Tower” has been promoted to the second tier]
[“Library of Fools” has gained new power]
[Tower·Navigator (Unlocked): The second tier ability of the Tower Sequence, your eyes can see through fog and darkness, and even in the darkest, formless sea, you will never lose your direction.]
Indeed, the ability of the second tier of the Tower Sequence Long Stage was “Navigator.”
Rast looked at the lines of azure text in his mind and felt no surprise.
Although the extraordinary knowledge inheritance of the “Tower” Sequence had disappeared in the current world, the general descriptions of its ability effects had still been passed down.
Otherwise, when he first met Hiltina in the Deep Blue Harbor, she wouldn’t have immediately judged him to be a Night Traveler of the “Tower” Sequence.
Boom—
In that mottled and shattered world.
From a distant direction, a brilliant and tumultuous light of the morning star erupted once again.
Hiltina activated “True Name Liberation” once more?
As this thought arose.
In the next moment, a new azure notification flashed through Rast’s mind.
[Your “Bond” with Hiltina. Ingulith deepened, “Library of Fools” has gained new power.]
[“Chariot”·Hiltina’s current bond level has increased from 3 to 4.]
[You have unlocked a new archetype.]
[Night Blade “Infinite Sword”—All things are weapons unlocked.]
What had happened on Hiltina’s side that forced her to use “True Name Liberation” twice in succession?
The price for doing so could very likely be the complete destruction of “Flashing Morning Star.”
Moreover, it seemed that during this process, his bond with Hiltina had further deepened.
However, Rast quickly reined in all complicated thoughts.
Hiltina had placed all her hopes of overcoming the Calamity Echo in a manner of reciprocation, betting it all on herself.
Thus, no matter what had happened on Hiltina’s side, all he could do was trust her.
At this moment, the only thing he needed to care about was—
To completely clear the entire Frozen Water Town… the entire Calamity Echo.
…
Crack—
Crack—
The sound of cracking echoed continuously, turning into fragments of light.
This was a tremendous test for Grey.
Due to countless restarts, Frozen Water Town had long since become a dimension of temporal chaos, a jumbled realm interwoven with countless time fissures.
What she needed to do now was not to rely on the fluctuations of her spirit, unconsciously stirring that great power capable of disturbing time and space.
Instead, she needed to actively engage with her spirit and will to touch and dominate that power.
To no longer let it run wild at will but to completely harness it for herself.
Then, to annihilate the Frozen Water Town in the distorted time before her, restoring it to the original temporal laws.
Undoubtedly, this was an extremely difficult process; it required the power to distort time and interfere with fate… If Grey’s command had any slight flaw, the consequences could be beyond salvation.
Yet, the greatest obstacle she faced was not this.
In the sky above, that grotesque, writhing bl**d moon suddenly surged up.
The bl**d mist within the small town rose, boiling violently like boiling water, condensing into one distorted vortex after another.
Immediately, mad whispers resounded in Grey’s ears.
In her emerald eyes, reminiscent of agate, a hue of bl**d surfaced, laden with a sense of struggle.
At the same time, the bl**d mist suddenly spread out, rushing towards Rast and Grey.
This was a counterattack from the source of pollution within Frozen Water Town.
In Grey’s countless loops of distorting time, this old Frozen Water Town had fused with the pollutant at the source of the bl**d mist, twisting into an inseparable whole.
At this moment, if Grey wanted to confront the future and shatter the illusion of Frozen Water Town,
It would also mean that once this twisted time was corrected… the pollutants that had merged with Frozen Water Town would be simultaneously obliterated in the corrected time.
Such actions naturally provoked fierce resistance from the pollutants.
Even though all the marionette threads had been annihilated into nothingness by the brilliance of True Name Liberation, the vast bl**d mist—belonging to the pollutant itself—still existed.
Previously, under the protection of that invisible fate, the pollutant could not truly harm Grey.
Whenever Grey truly faced d*ath, the invisible fate would guide her toward another development trajectory.
But at this moment, Grey was actively trying to bind, suppress, and dominate that difficult-to-control power with her own will.
Transforming the ripples of fate into her own power, no longer just unconsciously triggered, but able to be manipulated according to her own will.
Yet this also meant that the protection from fate had been forcibly suppressed by Grey and no longer existed.
At this point, she was no longer the favored child of destiny, but merely an ordinary person powerless to tie a chicken.
…
“No… Brother Rast…”
“I can’t suppress the source of pollution in Frozen Water Town.”
Grey only had time to leave this brief statement.
In the next moment.
Boom—
The bl**d mist surged recklessly, completely engulfing Rast and Grey.
At the very instant of being consumed by the bl**d mist, countless mad whispers echoed in Rast’s heart.
Madness, despair, downfall, wrath, and many other negative emotions… surged into Rast’s heart in an instant along with the whispering voices.
If one were to simply summarize the content of these chaotic whispers.
It would roughly be “Suddenly, a madman sharpens his kn*fe at night; the imperial star sways while the comet rises,” and “Heavens born all things to nourish man, yet man returns none of it to Heaven.”
If it were an ordinary person, they might not even withstand a second of these whispers and would immediately fall into servitude to the bl**d mist, indistinguishable from those marionettes who had lost themselves.
However, being trapped in Frozen Water Town and bound within the distorted time, having experienced countless cycles… seemed to agitate the state of the pollutant at the source of the bl**d mist somewhat.
Now, the protection that had enveloped Grey finally dissipated, and the bl**d mist became frantic, attempting to swallow, pollute, and ultimately corrupt Rast and Grey into its own servants.
At the same time, it could also achieve its goal of gaining the coveted power of fate from Grey.
“Brother Rast, I can’t hold on any longer.”
“k*ll me…”
“As long as you k*ll me now… the twisted time in this entire Frozen Water Town, along with the source of the pollution, will be buried with me.”
“At that time, you and Sister Hiltina will be able to escape.”
“k*ll me…”
The sorrowful cries of the girl resonated through the bl**d mist.
She was pleading with Rast to k*ll her… before she was completely corrupted by the bl**d mist and turned into a servant of the pollutant, ultimately turning her weapons against Rast.
Before, Grey had also sought d*ath, but her mindset during those two pleas for d*ath was entirely different.
The first time she sought d*ath, she believed that dying would repay all her sins and karma, liberating her completely in a clean-cut manner.
To say it was a plea for d*ath was more like an escape.
But at this moment, Grey’s plea for d*ath was to protect others.
To bury that pollutant of Zhuyue at the cost of her own life so that Hiltina and Rast could escape from the deadlock of Frozen Water Town, and to protect many unfamiliar people from the disturbance of the pollutant.
However, in the next moment.
In Grey’s ear, Rast’s light laughter suddenly rang out.
He stepped in front of Grey and gently stroked the disheveled, dirt-covered hair of the little girl.
Clearly, Rast himself was also engulfed by the bl**d mist, his body covered in dense lines of bl**d, enduring the same pollution that Grey was experiencing. That chaotic and mad whispering, for Grey, had eroded her own will and mind in just a few seconds.
Yet, Rast’s bloodshot eyes remained clear and bright, like a pure star suspended in a lake.
“I don’t like stories that require someone to be killed or sacrificed at the end to make everything seem complete and fulfilling, to be memorable.”
“Some people always say that only tragedy can leave a deep impression on the audience, unforgettable, and elevate the theme… but in my view, the source of all tragedies lies solely in the weakness of the story’s protagonist.”
“Not only in physical strength but also in spiritual weakness.”
“Because of physical weakness, the tragic story protagonist can only helplessly watch others sacrifice for him, unable to do anything.”
“Due to spiritual weakness, he will either cry in sorrow or rage in impotent fury after sacrifices and tragedies occur… yet he has never thought to stand up before the tragic end…”
“To use his own hands to transform that originally imperfect story’s ending into one that everyone wishes for.”
Rast’s words were calm, showing no signs that he was standing in the bl**d mist, enduring the mad whispers and pollution.
“Since the only obstacle remaining is the pollutant at the source of the bl**d mist.”
“Then, wouldn’t it be better to directly shatter the very source of it all?”
“That’s not going to work!”
Grey’s consciousness had become somewhat blurred in the whispers, but upon hearing Rast’s words, she still let out an urgent wail.
“I can feel that the bl**d moon is just a projection.”
“The true body of that pollution source is hidden within the bl**d mist, which will continuously create illusions to interfere… and the body of the pollutant can change positions within the bl**d mist at any time, making it impossible to find.”
“Previously, many had attempted to enter the bl**d mist to unravel the source of the pollution, but they all lost themselves deep within the bl**d mist…”
Grey thought of that somewhat weak and shabby man, Mr. Foden, who was the first Guardian she encountered in Frozen Water Town.
At that time, he had walked step by step into the depths of the bl**d mist wearing armor pieced together by his “Origami Magic” ability, never to return.
And at this moment.
Brother Rast… seemed to be walking the same path as that Uncle Foden.
This made Grey unable to help but raise her voice to stop him, wanting to prevent what she saw as no different from a d*ath wish.
She had already borne enough sins.
She didn’t want to see anyone else d*e because of herself.
But, the next moment.
Grey sensed the hand that had been stroking her head gently release.
The hand was not robust, yet had prominent joints, radiating warmth.
“There’s no need to take any risks.”
“There’s no need to gamble your life and all you possess on changing the tragic ending of the story…”
“In this world, how could there be such a good thing?”
“However, the difference between the weak and the strong of spirit… lies in the former only hating and lamenting when everything is irrevocably lost, regretting their prior actions.”
“While the truly strong of spirit will d*e only on the path of rewriting the ending.”
Rast’s words remained calm, and a pitch-black military dagger silently fell into his hand.
Around him, it seemed the bl**d mist gained awareness of their conversation and began to billow violently.
Countless illusions surged within the bl**d mist, invading his entire field of vision.
Canaan, Starry University, Xiao Ai, Hiltina…
Even his past in Deep Blue Harbor, the eighth black silk dancer, the female diplomat, the Iron Cross, the Coachman, Iron Cross Leader, and Captain Langley…
Those myriad intricate illusions flashed before Rast, seeking to distract him, preventing him from discovering the body within the bl**d mist.
However, facing those myriad splendid illusions closely related to him, Rast merely tightened his grip on the military dagger in silence.
“So you see, Grey…”
“You still don’t understand the ‘Guardian’ enough.”
“This has never been a matter of winning or losing or how certain one is of success.”
“It is a matter of standing here, to protect something.”
Rast’s wrist turned slightly.
The arc of the military dagger flashed and vanished.
When the arc light dissipated, Rast’s eye sockets had become hollow and bloodied.
And atop the military dagger, an intact eyeball had appeared.
This was a scene difficult to understand for ordinary people; just seeing it would elicit moments of phantom pain and make it hard to imagine the agony such self-mutilation would entail.
Yet Rast’s voice still resonated beyond the bl**d mist, clear and distinguishable in Grey’s ears.
“The ‘Guardian’ you long for is not as glamorous as you think…”
“It’s actually a group of individuals who strive for declarations they make to sound grand and for appearances that look good—”
“Just madmen.”
With that, Rast locked the last remaining empty archetype slot of the “Library of Fools” onto “Infinite Sword·All Things Are Weapons.”
In the next moment, with the activation of the Night Blade…
He defined the eye he had just cut from himself as a “weapon.”
…
PS: The update of 13,000 words is complete.
Also, in a few days, I will change the title of the book; the new tentative title is “Night World Player,” so please don’t get lost QWQ
(End of Chapter)
