Super Righteous Player
Chapter 832 - 371: My Enemy?

Chapter 832: Chapter 371: My Enemy?

As fourteen red lights slashed through the sky, illuminating the dim stone chamber.

The Rotten Husband let out a pained wail once more.

This time, however, Annan did not feel the previous sensation of dizziness that came with entering a nightmare.

Because the power that Annan had taken from the Rotten Husband, combined with the immense pain the Rotten Husband endured during the fourteenfold execution, had already made him exceptionally weak.

With the weakening of the Rotten Husband’s abilities, his use of the Idol School’s spell to create a virtual dueling arena akin to a "personal barrier" was also directly shattered by Annan.

That is to say... Annan was not released by the Rotten Husband again.

Rather, he had violently and utterly destroyed and torn apart the Rotten Husband’s gameplay space!

After Annan returned to the basement, "Dmitry" immediately supported him with concerned hands.

Meanwhile, the Rotten Husband opposite him suddenly shook and nearly lost his balance.

The next moment, dozens of deep wounds, showing bone and even penetrating internal organs, abruptly appeared on his body. He deflated rapidly as if he were leaking.

Blood gushed forth like a fountain, splattering from within the Rotten Husband’s body, and his white robe was quickly saturated with dark red. The rich aroma flowed throughout the entire basement, causing the minds of The Winter Hands around to become dazed.

The Rotten Husband supported himself on a nearby table and took a good while to stand up again.

Where his left hand had propped before, a bloody handprint remained. After his left hand lifted away, the tacky blood handprint dried quickly, becoming a slightly reflective mark under the candlelight.

"[Care to gamble, Your Majesty?]"

Annan looked towards the panting Rotten Husband with a sly grin and asked in a strange tone, "What do you think, sir?"

"... Okay."

The Rotten Husband hoarsely replied, "I am willing to accept the bet."

His complexion was originally very pale, and his eyes were covered by a white jade crown, so his face was unclear. But even so, it was obvious that the Rotten Husband had become weakened.

Whether it was the Rotten Husband or Annan.

They both knew clearly in their hearts.

The conspiracies the Rotten Husband had plotted in this nightmare were no longer feasible.

In the nightmare, he really had no means to affect Annan.

Even if Annan were killed directly here, it would be meaningless to Annan himself.

It was only through the use of the Thousand-Faced Phantom Tower’s dueling rules and the formation of a ritual with the power of "Miss Good Fortune"... and by having both parties "voluntarily" join in this ritual.

Only in this way could the damage within the nightmare be projected back onto the real body.

Because the Rotten Husband himself was not an entity within the nightmare. He was an "outsider" who used Divine Arts to forcibly intervene in this nightmare.

He was corporeal and possessed Divine Power.

But even so, it was not possible for him to kill someone directly in the nightmare. After all, this was not an Otherworld-level nightmare, and even if truly slain by a deity within the nightmare, at most it would only count as dying once and falling out of the nightmare.

Because this nightmare was merely difficult in level and did not feature the "replay" characteristic. Even after a purifier’s death, they would not forget what had happened within the nightmare.

—But indeed, killing someone directly through a nightmare was not entirely impossible.

Although "damage caused by others" within the nightmare would not affect the real body.

The "willing sacrifices" made in the nightmare were indeed meaningful.

For example, if you use mystical knowledge or set up rituals in a nightmare, the price cannot possibly be paid by the "playable characters" within the nightmare, but by the entities outside the nightmare.

If it’s the "Genesis Secret," the uncontrollable power could even destroy the purifier’s physical body.

From beginning to end, it was all Rotfiend’s plot.

Otherwise, with Rotfiend’s personality, he would certainly have used the "Blade of Oblivion" to attack Annan directly—it was precisely because Rotfiend knew it was pointless, since Annan would be thrown out of the nightmare when it ended, that he made such a big detour.

As long as Annan agreed to duel with him, after Rotfiend explicitly told him "I know this is a nightmare," accepting the duel contract with Rotfiend.

Then the challenge was not aimed at "Rotfiend playing as Rotfiend" and "Annan playing as Annan," but at their true selves outside the nightmare.

The game rules of the "Thousand-Faced Phantom Tower" must not be defied.

This is Lady Haoyun’s realm, where even gods are bound by it. But to trigger the ritual, a premise is that "both parties must pay an equal price."

Rotfiend was willing to use himself as the wager, to balance the scales, to be able to harm Annan outside the nightmare.

Even so, as long as Annan didn’t "accept" the duel, Rotfiend had no way of forcing him. At most, he could directly declare Annan as the loser, double-defeat, and knock Annan out of the nightmare.

Before, Rotfiend used a divide-and-conquer strategy on Kafney, dispersing her will, and breaking her spirit. This was preparation for provoking Annan’s anger.

Annan was indeed incensed. He also indeed agreed to duel with himself.

—This point, Rotfiend had indeed guessed correctly.

But what he didn’t expect was...

This was Annan’s countermeasure to the scheme.

Annan had precisely seen through it—at the moment when Rotfiend called him "Your Majesty Annan," Annan immediately realized... This was Rotfiend’s true self.

And Rotfiend wouldn’t just be coming over to catch up on old times.

He must want to kill Annan directly through the nightmare, given the precondition he had been warned by the Silver Baron not to set foot on the land of Noah’s kingdom!

Based on the original theme of this nightmare, "summoning Rotfiend to play a game."

The strategy Rotfiend would adopt, would surely be based on the "duel rules" of the Thousand-Faced Phantom Tower. While this meant that Annan could be injured, or even die in the ritual... equally, Rotfiend would have to put his own true self as the wager, to fit the basic principle of "fairness."

Then, for Annan, this was also an opportunity—

No matter what kind of trick Rotfiend intended to use.

Whether it was to obliterate Annan’s consciousness, erase Annan’s essence, shatter Annan’s soul, or take away Annan’s Transcendent abilities or mystical knowledge... it also meant that if Rotfiend lost the bet, the roles would be reversed, and Rotfiend would become the punished one.

"...Did you, from the very beginning..."

Rotfiend, whose wounds were gradually healing, took a breath and asked in a low voice.

"Correct."

Annan said with a smile, "The moment you allowed me to draw those three cards, fate was already sealed. Everything that happened afterward was within my expectations."

"...From the very beginning, I shouldn’t have let you draw cards."

Rotfiend somewhat regretted, "If you were missing that piece of information, I might not have lost."

"Daydreaming."

Annan’s expression did not change in the slightest, "Otherwise, I would have just crushed you another way. The gap in talents between us is like a chasm.

"From the very beginning, the only mistake you made was choosing to be my enemy."

Young Annan’s eyes were as profound as the abyss.

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