Act 13 - Be Strong, Be Brave

[Part 1: Madness]

"I won! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

A Xing completely lost his strength and collapsed in the center of the arena.

Duran arrived immediately and took out Universal Elixir from his pouch to feed the General of Tears.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!" Meteor's mental state was extremely unstable. Harmed by Gloria's holy blood, he was in a state of uncontrollable ecstasy. "Hahahahahaha! Duran! Ugh!--"

His muscles were tense, his pupils began to dilate, and the blood in his body continued to flow at an extremely fast rate. His blood pressure rose rapidly with the miraculous effects of the Universal Elixir. Before his body could react, he involuntarily gaggled. Angina pectoris made him clutch his chest, yet he still laughed wildly.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! We won! Duran! We won! I knew you could do it! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Ugh! Ugh! ---- Yue! --"

Duran found it incredible; she was both happy and scared.

She was ignited by the General of Tears's fighting spirit, but after the duel ended, the twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old underling, the man with a bloody face and wounds all over his body, seemed to have gone mad.

The meteor's Madness Index is B+, according to the Polarized Sextant's assessment.

Like every Red Stone People, he was very close to the Madness Butterfly; red itself represents intense, rich emotions. This trait made him more prone to spontaneous madness.

"General of Tears, you need to move, move!" Duran nervously patted Meteor's cheek, then dragged him to a flat position, relaxing his knees which were about to be bent—a very dangerous situation. "I know you're happy, but you need to move now."

"Duran! Duran, did you see that?! Aren't I awesome?!" Bu Liuxing was still immersed in the betting competition, seemingly unable to break free—he was being manipulated by a hazy illusion, captivated by the joy of escaping death.

"You need to rest." Duran struggled to lift Meteor's leg; she saw the deep, bone-revealing wound on her shin slowly healing, and her heart broke.

--What powerful mental strength, what unwavering will!

When Bu Liuxing was charging at the Horse-head Ghost, his calf tendons, fascia, and tibia were almost severed by Bailan the Singer's two swords, with only some skin and flesh holding his legs together.

He kept moving forward without ever looking at the dice behind him. Lady Luck did not favor this hero; one misfortune after another allowed Bailan's attacks to succeed repeatedly, completely crippling his legs!

The fact that Meteor could endure such pain and entrust his life to me made Duran think all the more how fragile this little brother in front of him was.

Didn't he have any doubts at all? Didn't he hesitate at all?

I am also Blood-giving Monster! This knightly duel is a life-or-death struggle! I have the power to decide the fate of the General of Tears!

I am one of those blood-soaked freaks, and according to the survival rules of monsters, the best course of action to remain rational should be to help Gloria Sebastian persecute the General of Tears in a three-on-one situation—yes! I once thought of that! This terrible thought lasted only a fleeting moment.

Even if it was just for a moment, I have to admit it!

I did think about it; I wanted to betray this unreasonable and hopeless nobody in front of me!

Flavia has no way out! I can feel that she is bewitched by [Sing For Me], and the Fairy Tale Kingdom that Mr. Victor wrote for her and wove for her is gradually crumbling.

--The Black Serpent is about to awaken. At this moment, returning to the camp of the Unified Holy Church is the safest choice.

Flavia Cici Marcus needs a new home. She must kill her other self, otherwise, the tug-of-war between these two personalities will cause her serious mental problems, and her self-destructive urges will become stronger and stronger—not acknowledging the other self in her body will lead to self-harm.

Duran, Duran, oh Duran!

Why can't you bring yourself to do it?

Now you are no longer under the jurisdiction of the administrative region, no longer have the Scepter of Commerce to restrain you, and no longer have the status of an employee of the World Health Organization.

This is a wild and untamed land, a haven carefully chosen by Judas for the Red Flash Butterfly —the home ground of the Unified Holy Church.

Was it because this kid's reckless and disruptive tactics in the first round of the duel made it difficult for you to find an opportunity to strike?

No. No. No, no, no, that's not right.

"I can't betray my own heart."

When faced with the intense spiritual pressure of the General of Tears, which bordered on madness.

Duran blurted out her true feelings without thinking, but thankfully, she only said one sentence.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!" Meteor was still laughing maniacally, half-madly. "Not bad! That line is good! Hahahahahaha! Although I don't know what you're talking about! Hahahahaha!"

On the viewing platform, Gloria carried a large plate and walked down quickly as if she were flying.

She jogged down the stairs, walking quickly and steadily, head held high and with an elegant demeanor. The hostess showed no anger at the fact that the arena was almost completely destroyed; instead, she applauded the enemy's brilliant countermeasures.

You're amazing! My love!

She has come to regard the shooting star as "My Lover," an inseparable part of her life. To use a wonderful analogy, it's like finding a favorite item online and spending days reading reviews of the gadget. After placing the order, she checks the logistics information every ten minutes or so, and calls the courier service frantically even before the goods arrive at the Cainiao Station.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" Meteor's mind went blank; he could only laugh foolishly. He was like a drunkard, having eaten his fill at the Dionysus Festival. When he saw his mortal enemy arrive, he greeted him with a smile, but still managed to utter a few harsh words.

"Who the hell is your love! Hahahaha! This woman is so confident! Duran! Look at her! She can still laugh even after losing! I'm so envious!"

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Ugh!--"

The side effects of this ecstasy included bloodshot eyes and excessive intracranial pressure.

Unable to withstand Gloria's spiritual pressure, his Madness Index soared to the heavens, gradually rising from B+ to A-. If it continued for a few more minutes, he could go toe-to-toe with that madwoman, Seventh Brother.

At this moment, the Old Bones remained silent.

His face was full of worry, and although the crystal skull had no muscle, the dimming spiritual fire reflected his sorrowful eyes.

Gloria left behind two platinum coins, bent over to carefully observe Meteor's expression, and after clearly seeing the quality of the meat, she finally left satisfied.

The Hunter King didn't rush to leave. After Gloria had completely disappeared at the end of the arena corridor, he came to Meteor's side, and his topaz-like Five Fingers gently grasped Meteor's throat, seizing his vital point.

Duran was both shocked and furious. "What are you doing?! Hunter King! He hasn't become Blood-giving Monster yet! Are you going to kill him?"

"I need to bring him back to his senses; he can't withstand Lady Goelia's spiritual pressure right now." The Hunter King explained as he began to treat the man, "The pressure point is the carotid sinus, also known as the Gate of Death."

"The Great Rift of All Things records—this location is the Gate of Hell that Homo sapiens cannot hide from."

"It regulates its heart rate based on changes in blood pressure. When it is controlled by a person, the brain issues instructions to relax the heart muscle and stop pumping blood, leading to cerebral ischemia, blackouts, and eventually asphyxiation and brain death."

"Fifty-five pounds of pressure can destroy a person's fighting spirit."

"Pressing for a few seconds can bring the General of Tears out of his state of madness and ecstasy."

Meteor's breathing was still rapid, but the moment his neck was restrained, he stopped laughing.

His heart and lungs gradually stabilized, and the side effects caused by the entanglement of the Universal Elixir and the holy blood gradually disappeared.

Duran's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

She didn't want to see anything happen to the General of Tears. For Duran and Flavia, Xue Ming and Liuxing were their saviors.

Blood-giving Monster may be ungrateful and act solely on the principle of self-interest—but Duran cannot betray his own heart.

It had nothing to do with whether she wanted to "be human" or not. She had long accepted her identity as a cannibal and had never thought about "starting over"—she knew in her heart that she did not have that right.

She simply felt that she couldn't let Meteor die here, and she couldn't let this young man, who was several years younger than her, become Gloria Sebastian's plaything.

This inexplicable belief led her to throw the brilliance jewelry. Not only that, she also had to throw the second stone indicated by the White Snake to help the General of Tears complete the final blow.

Meteor gradually fell asleep, and Old Bones helped the brave man up. Together with Duran, they carried A Xing out.

"You care about him a lot?" the Old Bones asked Duran. "The General of Tears told me—he has a lover, is that you?"

Duran quickly explained, "Hey! Not at all! His wife is Lapis Lazuli Guards, my mortal enemy, and I wouldn't even look at him! Does he even deserve me?! I like women."

"You possess the bloodline of the Blessed One, and I can sense a sacred bloodline inherited from the Aztec feathered serpent god." The Old Bones spoke eloquently about the source of Duran's sacred bloodline, "You actually chose to fight alongside the Nameless One. When I first saw you two sisters, I thought you were hired thugs hired by Lady Goelia to lure the General of Tears to this place."

"Hunter King," Duran retorted curtly, his temper flaring. "You've also become a minion of the Immortals. Is that strange?"

"So, we're all under someone else's roof and have no choice but to bow our heads." The Hunter King understood Duran's unspoken meaning.

Crossing the corridor and exiting the T-junction, Duran began to speak on a sharp and sarcastic topic.

"Haven't you ever thought about rebelling, Hunter King?"

Hunter King: "Rebel against what?"

In that instant, Duran's eyes shifted rapidly, and her expression became one of disbelief.

"With such powerful soul might, haven't you ever thought about this?"

"What if one day, upon regaining her freedom, Gloria raises the flag of rebellion and rebels against her?"

When faced with this question, just like when the shooting star asked, "If I take you back to the station, will the good cat be happy?", this Old Bones simply remained silent, unwilling to answer.

[Part ②: Blood of Dishonor]

Since the Old Bones remained silent, Duran wanted to press him for an answer.

"You..."

"I am powerless against fate," the Old Bones emphasized. "What defeated me was not Gloria Sebastian, but myself, my own fragile heart."

Duran's eyes widened. "Why?! Why?"

"Bu Liuxing has already drunk the second cup of holy blood, and he can feel the magical charm of [Sing For Me]. Only when you actually throw the dice can you understand how wonderful that feeling is." Old Bones spoke of the source of Bu Liuxing's madness, "It is a prayer full of expectation, hope, and positive energy, and an indescribable pleasure when kneeling before the gods."

"I lost to this feeling, I lost to this sense of ritual."

"The same applies to Bu Liuxing; this is not a simple gamble."

"My duel with Gloria was similar."

"The devil's dice can unleash my full potential. If I roll them well, I will be invincible and overcome all obstacles. If I roll them poorly, it's just bad luck."

"This beautiful illusion dragged me into the abyss, winning again and again, time and time again."

"The price is merely to drink blood, to drink the holy blood of Gloria Sebastian."

"Why not? I am but a withered skeleton, nearing the end of my life. After tasting the holy blood, this body can still exude some vitality, and can even exchange wounds with the Wings of Light, and can rely on dice to compete with monsters in physical strength."

"I lost to greed. After thirteen rounds of duels, my mindset has changed."

"When I first came to Shambhala, I wanted to write a perfect ending for 'The Great Rift of All Things.' To leave some treasures for future generations, to spend the rest of my life in Great Xia, and to take on a few disciples to enjoy my old age."

"Later, this weak and ugly body continued to lash my soul. The stench it emitted, the pigment deposits on its skin, and the spots that covered it made it grow weaker day by day. It became more and more timid. What had it turned my soul into?!"

"Under the allure of the holy blood, I once again felt as if I had returned to my youth, as if I could relive that glorious moment of radiance and imposing presence."

"To survive, to gain this power, to take control of one's destiny with the dice."

"In that instant, I lost all my chips, and willingly knelt before Dionysus, begging Gloria Sebastian to donate my blood."

"As you can see, I have become a possession of Dionysus."

Duran couldn't believe it--

--A king who has experienced the harvest season, a spiritual supreme being who has endured the spiritual pressure of Ming De's true form, would Flash Butterfly of this level willingly kneel before Immortals?

What Magic Power does Gloria Sebastian possess?

"You're working for ogres." Duran was sweating profusely. "Hunter King, Gloria eats human flesh. She's the same kind as me. I know what Blood-giving Monster is like."

"We are good at disguising ourselves; our hearts and blood are cold, ten degrees colder than Homo sapiens."

"Our feelings can be faked; we've long since become numb—we've become freaks."

"You should know more about Blood-giving Monster than I do, why?"

Why would you be captivated by this illusion?

"I don't understand, Hunter King! I can't understand!"

"Before I met the gunsmith and the General of Tears, I thought all the passion, all the tears and smiles in my life were reserved for Flavia! My heart was too small, too small to hold anything else."

"I am a selfish cannibal, and I still believe it now! If I really reach a dead end, I will lose control of my body, and all the evil thoughts in my head will immediately come out! This body can only breed cannibalistic beasts! I would do anything for a bite of human flesh!"

"My soul has lost a part of its function! It can no longer feel the connection between people! It's sick."

"It branded me with the Vita Imprint, and along with the Holy Blood, it turned me into a beast! Just as humans cannot comprehend the pain and pleasure of animals!"

"But the General of Tears and the Gunsmith gave me a second chance!"

"Hunter King, why? When you still possessed a human heart and human form, you should have understood this feeling better than I did!"

"One of them told me to fight back! The other told me to be brave!"

Why did you fail at this stage? Why?

The Old Bones raised his palm--

Upon closer inspection, the outer side of the golden finger bones is covered with dense, fine nerve fibers, much like human nerve fibers.

"I have drunk too much holy blood. This is not something that can be achieved overnight. I can no longer remember when this change occurred."

"For the General of Tears, this change may come even faster and more violently, because he fights with anger and courage—an excessively rapid metabolism will accelerate the erosion of the sacred blood."

"The Universal Elixir is unlikely to eradicate Gloria's essence, even though the duchess once said that as long as it takes no more than an hour and a half after drinking the holy blood, drinking the Universal Elixir will restore her health."

"She didn't lie to me, nor did she make the General of Tears."

"However, during the process of spiritual interaction, [Sing For Me] will gradually transform the essence of our soul."

As he said this, the Old Bones gently scratched the back of A Xing's hand.

--The sharp finger bones drew a very deep wound.

In the vascular slits at the anterior joint of the humerus, within the red and yellow joint cavity, one can also see these "psychic nerves" that resemble golden threads. This is evidence that [Sing For Me] still remains in Meteor's body.

Although the sacred blood had been expelled by the Universal Elixir, the Blood Ceremony not only did not stop, but continued silently, subtly transforming A Xing's essence.

This caused his Madness Index to gradually increase, and his resistance to Gloria's spiritual pressure to become weaker and weaker, because the Blood-giving Retinue could not disobey the Blood Lord's orders.

Pellegrini once used this method to gradually transform Mali Pero, allowing Mali boy to possess Soul Might ahead of time. At that time, facing Pellegrini's brainwashing, Mali Pero had almost no power to fight back. He was Pellegrini's blood slave. Later, after Mali fully mastered the power of the [Storm Eye], he was finally able to close his mind and use blind spots to deceive the Blood Lord.

When the Hunter King faced Gloria, he was already an elderly man in his eighties.

He was no match for the Immortals, whether in body, spirit, or even soul—his mind was gradually altered under the influence of the holy blood, eventually sliding into an abyss, drinking the blood of lost honor and reputation.

Those deeply involved in gambling, victims trapped in pyramid schemes, may know they've made a mistake, or understand they've reached a dead end, but there's no turning back.

Because the body and brain are already constantly being used, there isn't enough heart and strength to change fate.

"Why didn't you tell him?!" Duran understood, but his anger only grew stronger. "Why? Hunter King! If even the Universal Elixir wouldn't work, you should have warned him sooner! That's how you lost!"

The Old Bones showed no remorse whatsoever; instead, his tone turned icy.

"I have already told General of Tears the reason for my defeat. At the end of the first duel, greed pushed me into an abyss. I have no face to return to the Nine Realms Platform to face Ming De. From now on, I can only live a muddled life, relying on the coffin of my life contract, becoming a loyal servant of the God of Wine. If the coffin is destroyed, my soul will be scattered and I will never be reincarnated. Moreover, if General of Tears knows about this..."

"I don't care!" Meteor looked up, perhaps the new wound on his arm had woken him up with pain. "That woman likes to cheat! I knew it wouldn't be that easy!"

"She'll definitely resort to some underhanded tactics to make me obey."

"How can I fight her without drinking her blood? I can't even take the first step! How can I get to her? How can I cut off her head?!"

"Since she's so arrogant, I'll be even more arrogant than her!"

Duran couldn't understand this logic. "You know it's a trap, yet you continue to drink blood and fight; you'll become the next Hunter King!"

"I haven't even participated in the harvest season yet! How did I suddenly become a senior?!" A Xing grinned, raising his arm to apply medicine to treat his injury, ignoring the golden spiritual threads in the joint cavity. "Believe in this voice! Duran! Believe in this voice!"

"Believe this sound! My fist is cracking! It has strength again! I can do it!"

"This blood can't change me. Today I'm going to laugh out loud! Laugh until I throw up! What about tomorrow? What will tomorrow bring?"

"Am I going to go completely insane? No! No, no, no!"

"So many important people, so many fun things to do, they're all waiting for me!"

"The baby's still in my wife's belly, let's keep working hard! Let's keep striving!"

"These monsters must remain in Shambhala forever! We can't let the children become the next General of Tears! I don't want to see anyone cry anymore! I don't want to cry with anyone!"

"I will definitely win!"