Chapter 416

Each tick of the numbers signifies the end of the Miracle. Yuuki, the Yuki behind it all, remains expressionless. Or rather, ever since 'Bloodthirsty Red Moon,' he has shown little empathy for his enemies.

The enemy deserves to die, and I control how he dies; I'd rather squeeze every last drop of value out of him.

He stared directly at the Ode of Courage, watching them break free from the Eternal Night and even approach him. When their eyes met, it was as if he saw demons.

"Come! Fight me!"

"When I return, I will pay any price to kill you!!"

"Kill me! Kill me now!!"

If looks could kill, Yuki would have been torn to pieces. This hatred made Emiya and the others unable to look him in the eye, and they even felt ashamed. If it weren't for the Eternal Night, they would have already gone over and given them a quick death.

Ke Yuki watched coldly as the evil spirits slowly dwindled.

An epic battle that stirs the blood? A passionate clash of will and faith?

I'm sorry, I'll only give it to you if necessary, but right now what I need most is efficiency.

Yuki looked at the Sloth Bishop's twisted face. He needed a reward to make a move, and the reward for a passionate battle was too small, so he wouldn't do it.

"The Eternal Night is growing weak." Robertson held an intricately designed lamp, his voice trembling slightly.

He discovered he was working with a demon, and the horrific state of these Night's Minions was so appalling that even Ms. Mofei, who had a blood feud with them, couldn't bear to look at it.

The detection lights were placed into the Eternal Night, and the rate at which they went out was slowing down; this was a detection method that the Night Watchers had accumulated over thousands of years.

"This proves the records are accurate, but it's not enough." Yuki shook his head and explained in a completely emotionless voice, "I still need to confirm, besides clue five, how many times have they been swallowed by the night regarding the King of Eternal Night?"

"Uh, the eighth time. These henchmen are really tenacious." Klein trembled slightly, realizing that his Inquisition was as harmonious and friendly as a kindergarten.

The gaze of the King of the Night would accumulate; if it were me, I would simply let the Eternal Night endlessly engulf them, and observe coldly from the sidelines. Ah, He has appeared.

A powerful energy surged forth, and the six players who had been engulfed vanished instantly, never to reappear for a long time.

The Eternal Night was deathly silent; nothing could be seen or heard, which inevitably made one feel uneasy.

"They... they are dead?"

"No, the Sloth Bishop and his group aren't stupid. They're waiting for the King of the Night to appear; that's their only chance." Yuki shook his head slightly, speaking without Mona even asking, "But they can't win. That chance was never going to exist in the first place."

The remaining six players fought to the death and could even take down Yuki, but he didn't believe the King of the Night was that weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to all those fancy tricks.

Is it more like a program? If it were a highly intelligent life form, would it give even the slightest chance, or rather, would it not take even a one in ten thousand risk?

He mechanically executes the program; when the monsters in the Eternal Night can no longer hinder his progress, the defense mechanism is triggered, prompting the King of the Night to take action.

Yuki nodded slightly. This was important information. The special conditions triggered by the appearance of the King of Eternal Night would achieve two effects.

"Let's go, let's take this opportunity to venture deeper into the Eternal Night."

Yuki called out to the others who were still in a daze, "Watch the show when it's time to watch, and don't hesitate to take action when it's time to act."

"Wh-how do we get there?" Homura Akemi looked around at the Eternal Night and witnessed the tragic state of the Sloth Bishop and the others. She was starting to have PTSD herself.

Yuki silent. Seeing a strangely shaped monster appear in the Afterglow Space, he immediately pulled out his torch, causing the Eternal Night to shrink rapidly and then obscure the light.

"Of course we'll follow their example and push forward. Don't worry, I've already tested the strength of the Eternal Night. This thicket of thorns can be swept away with brute force."

The night swallowed everyone, and monsters of the night, many times more powerful than those on the continent, appeared. The Red Lotus Fire ignited by the Epic Metamorphosis transformed Yuki into Lighthouse in the subspace.

"Sweep them away, return to reality, remove the veil, move forward for a second, then be dragged back into the night. When the kings fight, we can venture far into the Eternal Night."

Countless twisted monsters appeared in the darkness, some as large as mountains, others as small as needles. Hundreds and thousands of them pounced without hesitation.

They were extremely powerful, but they were merely endless consumables used to slow down the enemy's advance. The truly formidable force was the King of the Night, who, while engaged in a fierce battle with the Slothful Bishop, was unable to stop the invaders.

"So this is your plan, to infiltrate the night in a bizarre way?" The red-clad hero drew his twin swords, and the Soul Annihilation Cannon, controlled by the Night Watchers, was charging.

"Pretty much. Who said you need a powerful Soul Lamp to penetrate the Eternal Night? Strength and a scapegoat can do the same." Yuki stroked the hilt of his sword, watching the monsters rush into view, filling the sky and the earth.

"But this is only one part of the plan. Have you forgotten that there's a powerful epic player lurking outside the Lighthouse? She—"

"He's the lead actor."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Long Waiting Has Been Coming, King of the Night

What to do?

The Night Capital remained deathly still, and the thousands of Night Watchers showed no sign of returning to the city. Mebius stood beneath the Lighthouse, gazing at the sky, his face filled with turmoil.

As a super scientist, she actually managed to uncover some clues in that short time:

First, the Lighthouse is a portal that will send those who enter to another space, and like the Dark Night Tide, the two are completely isolated from each other. All eight attempts failed.

Secondly, the Lighthouse's light is gradually dimming, presumably due to the encroachment of the Eternal Night, but this is irrelevant; she can restart the Lighthouse when daylight arrives the next day.

Third, the King of the Night has appeared. According to preliminary investigations, the energy flashes she emitted could not be hidden from her, and she did not appear a second time for a long time, proving that this battle has lasted for a long time.

What to do?

With no clues about the future, the best course of action is to proceed cautiously. There is no force on the continent that can stop her now. She can use this time to not only accumulate trump cards but also take the remaining two powerful Soul Lamp.

As for making a promise with Kisame, that's not even on the table right now; the more lights, the better.

But she couldn't be sure, precisely because she knew nothing about the battle situation above and could only make rough calculations.

One elite Night Watchers, at least four level one Night Watchers, one epic-level player, and five or six other players, plus the Sloth Bishop's group, if they unite, they will be more than capable of dealing with the Eternal Night King.

Even ants can kill an elephant if they work together, and these aren't even ants. As for the idea of unity, if she can relinquish some benefits, why can't the other party do the same?

The Lighthouse's light grew dimmer, and several war aggregates sent inside seemed to have vanished without a trace. After pacing for a few seconds, she raised her head.

That perfect face was filled with determination; this extremely rational player had made his decision:

Go all in! At worst, I'll concede some profits, or even share the inheritance. That pink-haired idiot's talk about never letting anyone know is all bullshit. Am I supposed to just wait to be wiped out?

A 20% participation rate is something you absolutely have to achieve, while you can't get any participation by just standing by and watching.

As decisive as ever, she stepped directly into the Lighthouse, her consciousness momentarily fading as if in a trance. When she came to her senses again, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.

Is this the Afterglow Space?

The snake's eyes quickly scanned its surroundings, making a judgment within a fraction of a second.

Only a sliver of afterglow remained, and all around was endless Eternal Night. In the far distance, there was a Lone Star, which she immediately recognized as the area illuminated by the powerful Soul Lamp.

As expected, they pressed on relentlessly. And rightly so, with their combined power, even the Nameless King would have a hard time stopping them. The most troublesome thing about this boss is that he comes and goes without a trace and can retreat at any time. So we need to go to the End of Eternal Night to prevent him from retreating.

The good news is that the King of the Night seems unable to stop the enemy; these players and the Night Watchers are advancing relentlessly like steamrollers, creating a war of attrition.

The deeper one ventures into the Eternal Night, the weaker the King of the Night becomes. Of course, every step forward comes at a great cost, as evidenced by the few rubbing figures numbering no more than 10.

The bad news is that this group has gone too far. No one knows how far the End of Eternal Night is, but based on a simple calculation of the range illuminated by the powerful Soul Lamp, it has already reached the Limit of five or six lamps.

No, this should be affected by the erosion of the Eternal Night, but who knows how big the original Afterglow Space was? How can we calculate it without parameters?

Mebius hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"Wait for me!"

"Look, the lead actor is coming on stage."

Yuki lowered his musket, and just seconds before the main character was to enter the stage, he shot and killed the Sloth Bishop, who, as expected, failed to defeat the King of the Night.

No one knows how fierce the battle was, or what power the players unleashed in their desperate situation. In any case, the Sloth Bishop emerged with only half a body.

He the Roar madly as he lunged at Yuki, wanting nothing more than to tear a piece of flesh from his body, but the latter simply pulled the trigger expressionlessly, blasting him into Eternal Night.

The wisps of smoke rising from the gun barrel were the only trace of the Slothful Bishop remaining in the world, while Yuki, his expression unchanged, slowly lowered his hand.

Seven powerful Soul Lamp —she took the lamps from another group of players? Her combat strength is almost at its peak; it seems the deal was completed as I expected.

The script is progressing smoothly. At least two veteran Monster IV players would be able to possess powerful Soul Lamp; their entry would disrupt the balance.

However, these two characters weren't in the script, so there was no need to force them into the story. As long as they weren't stupid, they wouldn't continue the mission. Yuki even had some doubts about the effectiveness of the 'Future Diary,' as if the script could develop smoothly even without it.

Returning to the present, he had taken advantage of the Slothful Bishops' desperate struggle to penetrate far into the Eternal Night, though this was not without its price.

Lady Mofei perished, Klein was seriously injured, and Homura Akemi and Emiya sustained some injuries. Of course, no one around them expressed any dissatisfaction; this cost was negligible.

In the Eternal Night, it was truly impossible to move an inch. They had to fight their way out physically. Except for Yuki, everyone did their best to break free from the darkness and return to reality as soon as possible.

Then, the Soul Lamp is subjected to a one-second scouring, striving forward, and before the light goes out, it is shielded again, willingly pulled into the night.

This cycle repeated itself, and they advanced quite a distance. Space had no meaning in the Eternal Night; it could only be calculated using the powerful Soul Lamp as a parameter.

"The area covered by about three torches is not enough, far from enough."

Using the lives of junglers as currency, Yuki traveled about halfway before decisively stopping. He then pulled out a powerful Soul Lamp and created an isolated island in the Eternal Night, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath.

By this time, the Slothful Bishop and his men had all been wiped out, Yuki was trapped halfway. Looking back, in the last remaining glimmer of light, a blue-haired woman appeared.

Oh, it's Mebius. No wonder he's so cautious.

Yuki recognized her at a glance—one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Fortunately, he was used to it now and wouldn't have much extra emotion because of her appearance.

That explains it all. The strange biological weapon was created by her, possessing extremely strong resistance to darkness, and embodying the essence of survival tactics, making it virtually invisible in the early stages of the dungeon.

In addition, if it were her, the success rate would be higher.

"Hidden in the night, preparing in secret, leaving all the public appearances to the Nameless King, even I can only catch a glimpse of her beauty at this moment?" Yuki a deep breath. This was a very difficult opponent, but the smarter and more cautious you were, the more thoroughly he would outmaneuver you.

"It's Mebius, the 'beautiful and dazzling Savior,' an epic-level player." Mona was already flipping through the intelligence; as expected, there wasn't much information recorded. "By the way, she told us to wait."

This name... Elysia's a player too? She doesn't seem like a player at all.

Yuki paid more attention to the faction name, hesitated for two seconds. "A powerful faction?"

"Yes, a powerful faction, with a good relationship with Valhalla, having cooperated several times before," Emiya replied softly. The death of the Sloth Archbishop had greatly impacted him, and this powerful opponent was even slightly stronger than him, yet he hadn't even managed to touch the hem of this man's clothes before dying a humiliating death.

Cooperate?

The thought lasted only a moment before Yuki it, for 'Taiyi' couldn't tolerate any extra emotions, and the only person he could trust in the entire instance Mona.

"Never mind her, let's move on."

Well, isn't it a good thing to have an epic player collaboration?

Everyone was baffled, but having witnessed the man's methods, no one dared to question him.

"She has even more powerful Soul Lamp; what if she just sits there waiting for us to deal with the King of the Night?"

"Don't worry, she wouldn't dare. When do you think was the first time I took the initiative to risk my life?"

Mona thinking for a moment, Mona tentatively replied, "The Central Battle?"

"Yes, the Nameless King is the one worth the risk, and His value hasn't been fully exploited yet." Yuki glanced at the torch beside him, a torch that originated from the Nameless King and could go out at any moment after being pulled out of its socket.

The second torch was planted, and as everyone stepped in, the torch behind them went out completely, Yoruichi contracted, but visually, Yuki had taken another big step forward.

"From Him I received the hint of the Slayer, and according to hint 1, how could Mebius dare to stand idly by?"

"But what if she's waiting to get a bargain?"

"Impossible. Because of the shrinking of the Afterglow Space, she arrived too late to judge how far I had traveled. That's the real reason I cut off my own escape route." Yuuki Yuki around, looked at the blank faces, and gestured towards the distance.

"See, she's getting anxious now."

Damn it, damn it, damn it, how dare you ignore me!

One torch after another was set down, Mebius quickly caught up. She didn't care about retreating; she repeatedly pulled and extinguished the torches, allowing the two sides to close in rapidly.

Just as Yuki had thought, without any reference points, she didn't know how far Yuki had ventured into the Eternal Night; judging solely from the visual effects, it must have been very far.

Some things didn't make sense. As the chase continued, she could see the number of people ahead: four Night Watchers, four players, and three Soul Annihilation Cannon —all showing signs of battle, but—

The Slothful Bishop and his gang were all dead? They willingly became cannon fodder? How could that be!

Damn, the error is bigger than I thought.

The second piece of bad news was that, due to the shrinking of the Afterglow Space, her starting point was significantly behind that of Yuki. After careful calculation, she realized that even if all seven torches were extinguished, she still couldn't catch up with him.

"Hey, wait a minute, we're open to discussing anything."

Mebius stopped in her tracks. She had reached the Limit of what she could go, with no end in sight. The Eternal Night separated the two Lone Star like a moat, the width of which was roughly the area illuminated by two torches.

Yuki ignored him and continued forward, also approaching his Limit. Then he waved his hand, signaling everyone to prepare for battle.

Is he forcing me to confront the King of the Night? Is he trying to weaken Him through my actions? If we start a war now, can I win?

Mebius gritted his teeth, because due to the error at the starting point and the lack of a reference point, even the smartest brain could not calculate how far it was from the End of Eternal Night.