Super Righteous Player
Chapter 701 - 242: The End of the Third Loop_1

Chapter 701: Chapter 242: The End of the Third Loop_1

"Well..."

Annan said to Elle with a subtle tone, "In a sense, these hot-headed wizards from the destruction school are quite easy to understand."

Once you get to know them... it’s really as clear as knowing what someone will do as soon as they bend over.

The fundamental principle of destruction wizards is deterrence theory.

They value the build-up of their power without releasing it—thus the more excellent or self-proclaimed excellent destruction wizards are, the less they actively destroy.

Their spells are incredibly powerful, capable of effortlessly blasting walls to smithereens, shattering mountains, and burning down cities, but they usually choose the least noisy and least destructive type when they can achieve their goals.

This is to maintain their "composure" and in turn their "deterrence."

...This is because destruction wizards don’t possess defensive abilities that match their destructive power.

Without fortresses, airships, or high towers—terrains that facilitate spellcasting—they’re often stuck in the awkward spot of having a "kill radius of ten kilometers and a spellcasting radius of one kilometer."

For this reason, destruction wizards have developed another subclass of spells.

Just like the idol school has the distinctions of "similarity law" and "contamination law."

A portion of destruction wizards specialize in instant death spells, what’s known as "silent destruction."

Annan, having used Arthur’s body and experienced his combat style in the Witch Hunting Nightmare, knew Arthur’s method well—it was all about unleashing his floating cannon first and then raining down endless high-altitude bombardments.

And now, Arthur surely hadn’t forgotten that combat style.

But since Arthur was the one left by Selicia to "watch the house" at silver, he had never seen Elle transform into an angel. He was drawn into the nightmare without any warning nor any knowledge of what was happening.

In his eyes, Elle was a mere ritualist... because she didn’t even have any relics on her.

That meant she carried no Curse Binding. Naturally, she couldn’t be a Transcendent.

Arthur’s deductions weren’t wrong at all.

It’s just that he subconsciously overlooked another possibility: besides mortals, beings without Curse Binding included gods and saints.

They had already switched to using sacred contracts, which are incredibly stable, and thus they no longer needed relics to bear the bindings.

So facing such a lovely girl who wasn’t even a Transcendent, Arthur chose the gentlemanly path, deciding to erase her instantly with an instant death spell instead of burning her alive.

The spell he initially intended to use was an instant spell named "Death’s Touch." Whether through a handshake or direct contact with exposed skin... just maintain contact for ten seconds, and it can cause instant, painless death.

The specific cause of death would be the brain instantly melting into mush.

The spell he planned to use afterward, "Heart Stop," was an even more common instant death spell.

Because it was the most powerful offensive spell against humans that a silver-tiered destruction wizard could use—it requires only a pure red ordinary glove to crush a person’s heart from a distance.

This spell was almost impossible to resist.

Even a gold-tier Transcendent had to be shielded by Elemental Power to be immune. If caught off guard by this spell, they could be killed instantly.

It had many restrictions... such as being useable only once every thirteen days, the target must be within the caster’s perception, no third party could interfere in between, and the caster must be making eye contact with the target at the moment of cursing.

But none of that changed the fact that it was the most powerful anti-personnel spell within the grasp of the destruction school. The material was easy to obtain, the consumption was low, and no chanting was required.

This was merely an Order Spell, it wouldn’t increase one’s erosion level when used—and as long as it hit, even beings that could live without a heart would be instantly severely injured.

It had only one flaw.

That was it counted as a type of "instant death" effect... certain rituals existed to resist instant death, and some lower-end Curse Bindings could have that effect. For instance, Annan had seen a Hunter in Roth Fort, who Arthur once defeated, and he was specifically prepared for resisting instant death spells.

It was obvious that he had prepared with Arthur as the hypothetical enemy.

And Elle, as an angel of both the "Skeleton" and "Betrayal" domains, had the special ability to reflect instant death.

If it weren’t for Annan wanting to coax out a little more information from him, the moment after their handshake, it would have been possible to witness Arthur dropping dead on the spot.

—Yes.

Annan continuously retreating wasn’t to preserve "his" own safety... it was to allow Arthur to live a bit longer without being killed by his rebound.

And after Arthur died, Elle asked softly in her heart.

[...Aren’t you afraid, Annan?]

"Afraid of what?"

Annan asked with some surprise.

[He holds no grudge against you, nor does he harbor any hate... yet he still desires to kill you without any guilt. In his eyes, his actions are even just. Such a twisted person... he’s almost like a monster...]

"There’s nothing to be afraid of."

Annan sighed, "You are too naive, Elle. This isn’t just naivety; it borders on weakness."

[But...]

"This is just ordinary interaction."

With Elle’s body, Annan showed a smile of compassionate mercy like that of the Virgin Mary, "It’s just... a slaughter amongst strangers competing for ’victory’."

"He wants to dominate this nightmare, and so do I. But there can only be one person in control... So, I ask you, Elle—who do you trust more? Or rather, who do you think will allow more people to survive if they were in charge?"

[...It can only be you, Annan. It seems he only cares about Selicia and Miss Lucia, so...]

"...Forget it, pressing you like this is too bullying."

Annan laughed and didn’t pursue the topic further.

"Elle’s" emerald eyes, under a completely lightless night sky, also became dark and profound.

——After Arthur died, the sky grew even darker.

The surrounding streetlights crackled with electricity,

It was only nine o’clock in the evening, but it might well be the final circle. Apart from Longjing Tea, the rest should be mostly dead by now.

At that moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the alley.

Longjing Tea’s figure dashed past the outside.

"—Over here!"

"Elle" called out loudly.

Soon, Longjing Tea came back, following the sound.

He saw Elle, in her white robe, standing alone deep in the alley; Arthur lay on the ground in a posture that seemed to say, "Don’t stop," with his left hand stretched forward.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"I thought you had been attacked or had gone mad when I didn’t see you for so long..."

Longjing Tea complained, "So I hurriedly followed."

"It’s not a big deal, all within expectations."

"Elle" lowered her head, glanced at Arthur’s body, looked up at Longjing Tea with a gentle and pure smile, "Now it’s only you left... Will you do it yourself?"

"...Will it hurt less if you do it?"

"I don’t think there will be much difference."

"Then I’d rather do it myself."

Longjing Tea said decisively, "I leave the rest to you, boss!"

After saying this, he raised his own service pistol, disengaged the safety, and aimed it at his forehead.

The next moment, the curse bullet fired—directly shattering Longjing Tea’s skull.

The sheer decisiveness of his death profoundly shook Elle.

[Why could he... face death with such courage?]

"This is where I differ from Arthur, Elle."

Annan said leisurely, "What Arthur sought was merely his own well-being. Although he appeared graceful and composed, it was meant to cover up his nature as a loser—back then, he had sworn to become a major figure at the gold rank. But now, he doesn’t even mention that ambition.

"His confidence has already been shattered. He’s just trying to deceive himself.

"But Longjing Tea and the others are different. It’s precisely because they know... no matter what, I must win; what I want is a perfect victory, benevolent and just. So, under any circumstances, I will never flee—"

——Therefore, they would still choose to believe in me even at the brink of life and death.

They would entrust the hope of escaping this nightmare to me.

Before Annan finished speaking, the deeper and darker night opened its fangs.

From above, it devoured everything in this world.

When Annan opened his eyes again, he woke up in a room that felt very familiar.

It was the bedroom he had seen in Elle’s gallery nightmare.