Chapter 417
"You want to force me to weaken the Eternal Night King? No, that's impossible. Go ahead and fight, I'll take over later!"
There was no answer, not even a response. The group was making their final preparations before the battle, and they pulled out the Chaos Item.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
Hint five was originally meant to be a sign of pity for the player, but at this point it was fatal for Mebius, because the King of the Night only hunts one target. She didn't know how far this place was from the end of the night, but it was certainly very deep inside.
Most likely, they will be swallowed by the Eternal Night, the King of the Night will appear directly, and they will be mere spectators. There are only four possible outcomes.
First, the King of the Night was defeated, and he was eliminated because he was unable to complete Prompt 1.
Secondly, the King of the Night defeated them and then jumped out to reap the benefits.
Third, the King of the Night escaped, but these people went further than him, making a second confrontation more likely.
Fourth, the King of the Night observes coldly, but based on preliminary research, this Boss seems more like a defensive program than a truly intelligent one.
Want to gamble? I hate gambling!
Mebius only believed in experimental data, which required hundreds or thousands of trials followed by calm summarization. But she didn't have time for serious thought right now.
It absolutely cannot be the first one; it cannot be allowed under any circumstances.
They have already paid the price of most of their casualties. Even if there are errors, they have penetrated far into the Eternal Night, and I still have a chance to defeat the King of the Night.
She's no longer thinking about the inheritance; all she's thinking about is getting her 20% share. What's there to say about that?
Before the Soul Annihilation Cannon emitted steam and white smoke, plunging into the night along with the players, she gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and stepped directly out of the torchlight's range.
An endless Eternal Night enveloped him, and a cold gaze fell upon him. Mebius, who should have deliberately avoided the boss and refused to fight until the very end, was filled with joy.
Yes, yes, look at me, look at me now.
The Soul Lamp in her chest quickly went out, but Mebius, transformed into a black serpent, was not swallowed. Relying on the resistance she had developed through self-modification, she stubbornly pressed forward, desperately trying to reach the End of Eternal Night, and then—
That face, contorted with rage, disappeared from Yuki's sight.
Clatter.
Yuki stopped in his tracks, half of his body already submerged in the Eternal Night, a hint of relief appearing in his eyes.
"I won the bet; I was destined to win anyway."
He didn't believe that someone as intelligent as Mebius would dare to stand idly by. But standing idly by wouldn't be a problem; he already had the power to defeat the King of the Night, it was just a matter of risk and cost.
7:40.
He glanced at his pocket watch; in 20 minutes the tide would continue to recede. At that point, at the same pace, the King of Eternal Night would become even stronger, and the damage caused by the Sloth Bishop's desperate efforts would be healed.
"She's really following your script," Mona muttered quietly from the side, having already prepared for a decisive battle.
"She was forced into a corner, and the one who forced her was the King of the Night. Don't worry about her; this kind of player is always confident. Do you remember the nickname recorded in the data?"
"The Immortal Snake" Mebius, a title given to every epic-level player, is someone who, according to the limited records available, is very difficult to kill.
"So she doesn't care about success or failure, she just wants to increase her participation? No wonder you saw her looking relieved earlier."
"Yes, a 20% participation rate means she must ensure that the King of the Night is weakened by 20%, even if it costs her her life." Yuki had every detail under control and waved his hand lightly.
"I will seize this opportunity to delve into the Eternal Night, gather all the favorable conditions, and end this endless darkness!"
The script was based on intelligence and meticulous calculations. Yuki didn't even know if the 'Future Diary' had been used, because everything had made perfect sense so far.
The Slothful Bishop and the others had no better choice, nor did Mebius. They simply did their best in what they were supposed to do, like blades reluctantly and unwillingly slicing flesh off the King of the Night for Yuki.
Nobody wants to be cannon fodder; everyone wants to be the one reaping the benefits. But Yuki showed them the harsh reality:
Only the most cunning and treacherous old fox is qualified to be the fisherman.
As they relentlessly ventured deeper into the Eternal Night, constantly consuming Eternal Night, Yuki hadn't even seen the King of the Night before he pierced it with two sharp blades, riddling it with holes. Yet, even so, venturing into the Eternal Night remained a painful journey.
Motesen perished, Klein chose to self-destruct, the Soul Annihilation Cannon turned into a pile of junk, Sekiro and Homura Akemi lost their fighting ability.
Yuki removed the lampshade and planted the almost extinguished torch in the darkness. Only a faint, Lone Star remained in the endless night sky, and the reunited gazes told him the outcome.
"Mebius lost, but she's definitely not dead. She must have used some method to temporarily remain in the Eternal Night. Heh, she's probably hoping I'll win soon."
Yuki told a sarcastic joke, but no one responded; everyone was exhausted, just trying to conserve his energy.
Robertson clutched his arm, which had been severed by the Night Scythe, and his glasses were cracked, but his expression was like a raging fire as he looked resolutely at Yuki.
Using countless corpses as stepping stones, no Night Watchers has ever ventured so deep into the Eternal Night. Even if Yuki falls, it will still be an epic tale. But he knows that when the truth is revealed, this man will never be defeated.
Everyone's expression was similar, their faces filled with anticipation. They had been exhausted from repeatedly escaping the darkness, and the final step should rightfully be taken by the king himself.
How far have we traveled?
"The Limit of the seven torches, and not far ahead lies the end of Eternal Night." The scholar-like Night Watchers's face was filled with fanaticism. No one could go to the end of Eternal Night, not even get close.
"Sigh, Mebius is even worse than I imagined. He's quite clever; once he's achieved his goal, he immediately tries to save his life and shift the blame to me. Oh well, maybe we'll have a chance to work together in the future." Yuki sighed, his face full of regret. Sometimes he really liked hot-blooded young men.
She probably hates you to death, and you still want to cooperate?
Everyone was speechless, just staring at him blankly until Mona took off the badge from her chest and handed it to Yuki with a smile.
"The final step depends on you. I'll cheer you on."
Due to repeated wear and tear, each player's Soul Lamp was very weak. Everyone suddenly realized what was happening and took off their badges.
These Soul Lamp, when gathered together, could probably keep Yuki going for just one more second, but now, taking even one more step means life or death for everyone.
The torches, flickering like candles in the wind, could be extinguished at any moment, plunging us into Eternal Night. Those insane monsters would give us no respite; at most, we could break free a few times, but then everyone would die.
"This was part of your plan, wasn't it? At least we can erase some of the power of Eternal Night." Emiya's expression was complicated. Now that he thought about it, he was the captain, so why was even Mona's presence so insignificant?
But he also breathed a sigh of relief; if all the players died here, and prompt six was achieved, Illya and Akiha Tohno could survive.
"Don't look like a martyr. Illya still needs you as her brother." Yuki steadily accepted the lamps one by one and said with a smile. Apart from Mona, he hadn't had much contact with the other players, but he had seen the interactions of all the old acquaintances.
The heroic spirit looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Are you really the Hidden Sage of the 'Aether Particles'?"
"It's the real deal. Look, Shunsui is using a detection device right now." Yuki glanced to the side and told the man who had taken out a rag doll to quickly put it away.
As the most chaotic and powerful faction, Aether Particles does indeed have many epic-level players, but this guy is even more powerful than that dragon and that Skeleton King, his entire body is brimming with professionalism.
Emiya didn't want to uncover the secret; he was simply driven by curiosity. This kind of monster was priceless in any faction, enough to make someone a powerful warlord.
But considering the old cunning man's methods, he felt that going it alone was reasonable.
This cunning old fox not only betrays the enemy, but can also turn his own people into stepping stones if they're not careful. He should be kept at a distance.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Okay." Yuki. With so many people around, it wasn't appropriate to do anything unusual with Mona. The girl clenched her small fists, her azure eyes seeming to shine.
He said nothing, but turned and walked into the Eternal Night, feeling the powerful tide rushing towards him, mixed with indifferent gazes.
He sprinted at full speed, the darkness like a surging tide suppressing his progress, but with the Epic Metamorphosis, he broke free of the restraints and struggled forward for a distance.
Then, the feeling of being devoured became uncontrollable, and the only Lone Star disappeared from his eyes.
Is this true Eternal Night?
As he had done dozens of times before, he stood in the pitch-black night, but unlike before, the epic upheaval was ablaze with crimson flames, Yuki no longer seemed like a bystander, but rather sharp as a knife.
Ahead, a figure somewhat resembling Ulquiorra's Resurrección stood at the edge of the light. He was entirely black, his features obscured, and a slit opened at the mouth, revealing shark-like, deathly white teeth.
Its jet-black body was covered with a pair of bat-like wings, and its surface was marked with dark green lightning and Black Hole of various sizes. Without a doubt, these were the wounds inflicted by Mebius.
She had just been defeated when Yuki rushed out. Just as she had expected, the King of the Night had no intelligence and hunted according to a program. Otherwise, she should have used cannon fodder to distract Yuki and had time to repair her body.
It showed no emotion, no expression; it simply stood there, arms outstretched, black mist gathering and stretching in its palm, quickly forming a scythe, then raised its hand—
Clang!
Yuki drew his Bloodblade, and a giant, pendulum-like scythe suddenly slashed down from above without a sound, the shadow rushing towards him.
Bang!
Gunshots rang out, and the monster that had silently approached his chest retreated to its original position, leaving a fist-sized hole in its chest, the embers of the soul bullet still burning inside.
Yuki looked at him and blew away the white smoke from the muzzle of the gun.
"I've kept you waiting, King of the Night."
Chapter 23: Confronting Taiyi
Without the upperclassman or Hayasaka, Yuki rarely faces off against the Boss in a one-on-one fight.
But he remained calm, stemming from his confidence in his plan; every guess and every step of his scheme was perfectly timed.
The King of the Night is incredibly powerful, capable of fighting against the combined might of the Nameless King and Mebius, the two Slayer, and has an unlimited number of opportunities to escape back into the Eternal Night to fight again. But as the old saying goes:
"I wrote the screenplay."
He will only appear when needed, and when that is determined by Yuki.
"Just a brainless watchdog. I can't waste too much time on you; the important stuff is yet to come."
With a slight tremor of his Bloodblade, he watched as the round hole in the King of the Night's chest healed like putty, while green lightning relentlessly flickered across his body.
Well done, Mebius, this 'poison' is beyond common sense.
The monster felt no pain. Its dark body twisted, and four arms holding scythes grew from its back. Then it raised its left foot.
Without a sound, without afterimages, without sonic booms, He appeared silently before Yuki, and with five scythes slashing down simultaneously, He cut Yuki into several pieces, then turned His head 180 degrees behind His back.
The master-level Moonlit Ghost Step made Yuki equally fast; before the afterimage of the severed figure could dissipate, the muzzle flash and the black blade mark appeared simultaneously.
Milliseconds had become a luxury. The Soul Blunderbuss and the Night Scythe clashed incessantly, and Yuki grew increasingly excited as the battle progressed. This wasn't the excitement of Battle Maniac encountering a formidable foe, but rather confidence in his calculations.
Epic I, He only has Epic I. Of course, with the advantage of terrain, it is difficult to defeat Him at the same level. Fortunately, I will not be completely restrained by Him.
Bang!
The shrapnel crashed down like a giant wave, but the King of the Night didn't try to block it head-on. Instead, he deftly disappeared into the darkness. At the same time, the purple Lighthouse shone even brighter.
Bang!
As the King of the Night was illuminated, the second bullet followed, sliced open by the scythe and bursting into a massive fireball.
Explosive Incendiary Round.
The fireball had barely appeared when the crimson spear pierced through it, and the scythe behind it closed in, trapping it between them. The monster raised its head and saw Yuki emerging from the moonlight.
Thump--
A straight punch slammed into his face, causing his featureless face to cave in, as if he had been thrown into Black Hole. The immense suction force prevented Yuki from pulling his hand away. His eyes rolled as a scythe came slashing down at his waist.
Clang.
A cut about an inch deep was made in the black armor, Yuki ignored the pain and activated the gloves he wore on his fists.
Evil Blood Glove.
Soul Corruption.
The virus invaded from within the body, which startled the King of the Night was wielding several scythes. He spat out Yuki's hand and tried to retreat into the night, but found that he had lost control of his body.
Soul Corruption. Puppet Strings.
Crimson threads connected the glove to the gaping hole in the King of the Night's face. At the same time, the Bloodblade from a spear into a knife, leaving crimson marks in the air.
Both arms were severed, and thick night air gushed from the wounds. The monster felt no pain, and the night air distorted into thousands of tiny black needles.
Eternal Night Pierce.
Ding ding ding ding...
Sparks burst from Yuki's body. These black needles were extremely hard, leaving dense dents. After being deflected, they quickly stabilized, having pierced him countless times.
Even for a tanky Monster IV player, this move is enough to turn the opponent into a sieve. No amount of High-Speed Regeneration will help, and even the Insect Demon Armor can only withstand it a few times.
The Eternal Night Pendulum.
Just as the black needles enveloped the area, the night condensed into several giant scythes, each a hundred meters long, sweeping in from all directions.
"You really want to leave me?"
Yuki's eyes darted around. Even the Lighthouse formed by burning his soul could only illuminate a range of a thousand meters. Once the King of the Night entered the Eternal Night, he would become a shadowless assassin.
"Don't even think about it."
A qualitative change in the soul. Void Conversion.