Threads of Fate

A torrent of questions swirled in Lin's mind. He desperately wanted to know all the answers, because he had returned to this world in a state of complete blankness.

"Hehe, anyway, we won't say where the others are, even if we torture me, I won't say."

That's what they say, but Lin felt that Elysia seemed to be really looking forward to him actually using torture?

With her bright, smiling eyes, the pink-haired girl stared at him, who was speechless, and stood with her hands on her hips, looking like she knew there was nothing he could do about it.

As for Griseo... she didn't know where Kosma and the others had gone, which suggests that little Griseo is not suited for the job of a spy.

Meanwhile, after successfully obtaining the second treasure, Vill-V and Kosma walked out of the treasure location and were surprised to find that two people had been waiting for them for a long time.

Chrono and Ying, two old partners, one of them was holding two tree branches as if drawing a sword, while the other... one of them was lying on the ground, staring at them fiercely.

"Chrono, even if the mission is to pretend to be a savage, there's no need to be so convincing. You're too dedicated." Vill-V adjusted her pirate captain's hat, a roguish smile playing on her lips. "But do you think two people can stop the greatest magician of this century?"

"The next magic trick to be performed is... making a person disappear!"

One person emerged from the treasure site after them; that was Aponia, the second treasure. It seems the three treasures belong to three people, and the only ones who haven't appeared yet are Qianqi and Pardo.

"The situation is very favorable for us..."

Vill-V looked confidently at the cautious Sakura, and... the Chrono howling wildly at Aponia.

"It's pointless," Kosma briefly reminded him. After all, this wasn't a fighting game; even if you knocked everyone else down, you wouldn't win.

It would be better to help other people who are still looking for treasure.

"Hmm... that's right, then let's leave for now."

With a smile, Vill-V removed her pirate captain's hat, reached inside, and took out the sphere she had used earlier, throwing it on the ground.

"Bang!"

After the light and smoke dissipated, the three of them had vanished without a trace before Sakura and Chrono.

Sakura put down the "sword," looked at the empty space in front of her, and sighed, "Sigh..."

What is all this nonsense...?

Meanwhile, Lin's side dispatched Prometheus, who was skilled at finding treasure locations, while Elysia's side also had a hidden expert who had been diligently searching for treasure.

Is there really treasure on this island?

The fluffy cat ears twitched, and the girl pouted suspiciously as she walked through the woods, her tail wagging unhappily behind her.

She originally planned to catch a lot of fish and sunbathe during this vacation, but this game disrupted her vacation plans.

But the news of the treasure instantly filled her with excitement. Even if she wasn't a member of the mole's camp, she would definitely find all the treasure before anyone else.

She had been searching for two whole days, and almost all the places where the treasure should have been hidden were just some meaningless challenge rooms or clues. And judging from the clues Elysia mentioned, the so-called treasure was not a valuable or rare item.

Pardo immediately lost most of her interest.

However, Elysia still assigned her the task of finding the remaining treasure. Even though she wasn't very interested, Pardo didn't want to spoil Elysia's fun. She thought it was a good thing that Alicia was able to play games with them.

Pardo always thinks of Lin at this time, and even the most lively girl will have her eyes dimmed.

Brother Lin never called her by her full name; he always called her Pardo...

"Um?"

With a slight twitch of her ears, the cat-eared girl heard footsteps coming from ahead and immediately hid in the bushes. She stared at the figure emerging from the front with her heterochromatic cat eyes.

"Heat source detected. According to the database, the source is 'Pardofelis', 15 meters directly in front, crouching."

Oh no!

The other person's mechanical voice made Pardo realize who it was—the most terrifying enemy a thief could face!

Looking up, she saw a girl with data-filled eyes walking towards her.

"Wow! Xiao Chu! You, you stay away!"

Pardo was so frightened that she scrambled behind a tree, her legs trembling as she peered out at Prometheus, who stood motionless and expressionless.

Compared to "Serpent Sister" who frightened her in her behavior and "Chrono Brother" who frightened her in his temper among the Thirteen Heroes, what Pardo was most afraid of was Prometheus, who had little presence and almost never acted on his own unless ordered to do so.

This android girl, who normally only mechanically executes the orders of Vill-V or May, always stares at Pardo with a chilling gaze. She is certain that it is not an emotional gaze that simple Artificial Intelligence can have; it can even be described as somewhat hostile.

Pardo didn't know what she had done to offend this "Terminator" whose fighting power was definitely above hers, but in any case, she often avoided Prometheus, fearing that he would suddenly produce a cannon and blow her head off.

"What happened, Pardofelis?" Prometheus asked Pardo, standing there dumbfounded.

"N-nothing, we're on different sides now. Let's each search for our own treasures and keep to ourselves, okay?"

"... No, since you're the enemy, you should be disabled so you can't find the treasure."

"Ah?"

Pardo clearly saw something that shouldn't exist in Artificial Intelligence flash in the red eyes that should have been devoid of any human emotions.

"Why... why are you so hostile towards us..."

"Because... you are my younger sister."

"...What?"

At this moment, a sly look appeared on Prometheus's usually innocent face. She said to Pardo, who hadn't quite caught up in the moment, "I should have been the 'little sister,' using the identity of the 'little sister' to do what I wanted. But after you came, our attributes overlapped."

What is the reason for this?

But the mechanical girl didn't explain any further; she lunged forward and shouted, "Pardofelis, surrender!"

Wow!

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Threads of Fate

The struggle within the game erupted on the second night and lasted for three full days.

Lin couldn't understand why a game would make everyone participate so involuntarily, insisting on determining who was better.

And they even enjoy it.

"Bang!"

Lin dodged the beam of light that streaked through the night with a backflip. He couldn't be sure if it was real or just an illusion, but he was certain that even if it wasn't real, the other party's ability could make it appear as reality.

Three beams of light, like clusters of pollen, swept away the leaves and hurtled towards Lin. Alarm bells rang in Lin's mind. He narrowly avoided the beams with a difficult gymnastic move, his gaze dark as he stared at the closed-eyed Nun not far away.

This has gone beyond the bounds of a joke, hasn't it?

"Aponia, why?" He didn't hide behind the cover. For Lin, the cover was more of a burden, since it was too easy for this Nun to ignore it.

The island nearly devolved into a massive melee. Prometheus fired the first shot, and then the two factions clashed over clues to the last treasure and its ownership, each one determined to settle scores and seek revenge.

The one who approached him was Aponia, the Nun whom Elysia had placed third among the Thirteen Heroes. Just from that ranking, one could imagine how dangerous this woman was.

Even though he already knew about Aponia's special abilities and personality through the records, he still suffered greatly when he actually faced her.

Most importantly, he didn't know why the other party was so fixated on him, leaving him no chance to escape and find the treasure.

This question has been asked many times, but perhaps Lin is already at his limit and will soon be defeated. The Nun with her eyes closed pondered this time and said, "Hmm... In Vill-V's words, we'll beat you to your knees and take you back."

"Because Pardo was captured by Prometheus? Wait! I'll contact her and get Pardo back to you!"

"No..." Aponia smiled slightly. On the pure Nun's face, such a gentle smile was as flawless as moonlight, yet it made Lin feel uneasy. "It doesn't matter what Phyllis does, it's just a game anyway."

Completely disregarding Pardo's remarks silenced Lin, who was about to say something, for a few seconds. He stiffly opened his mouth and waved his fingers.

"Then... why?"

"Didn't I tell you? I just wanted to take you back." A faint crimson light shone through her slightly open eyes on her pretty face.

They made no attempt to hide it.

This seemingly innocent Nun made no attempt to conceal her vile desires! In this deserted place, with no witnesses and Lin suffering from amnesia, she was able to unscrupulously reveal the "defiled" desires that had always been hidden beneath that face!

This Nun... she's completely broken, isn't she?

Lin subconsciously touched the ring on his hand, a keepsake supposedly given to him by Aponia before he lost his memory, and the cross on his chest...

"A mission?"

"No."

"Your strategy?"

"No."

"..."

"I just plan to spend some time with Lin for a while."

There's no need to say more, or rather, it's pointless to say more; Aponia is clearly not someone who can be easily persuaded.

There's nothing we can do.

Lin gritted his teeth and decided to fight to the death. He still needed to find the mastermind behind this, so he couldn't let his progress be delayed like this!

He crouched low and launched an attack on Aponia, charging like a bullet—

It was done in seconds.

Lin lay on the ground with a blank face. He was not injured, but he was unable to move. According to the data, Aponia was the most powerful psycho-sensory Flame-Chaser recorded by the Fire Moth. Without taking into account the influence of her powers, she was as powerful as the Herrscher of Reason. That was true. He had suffered a lot.

"..."

He stared sternly as Aponia walked barefoot towards him, humming a song Lin couldn't understand. He slowly lifted his rather long dress and sat down next to Lin.

The blonde Nun gently cradled Lin's head with her hands and placed it on her lap. "Are you planning to go find the 'mastermind'?"

"..."

As a psychic-sensing Flame-Chaser, it's not difficult to probe her thoughts, which is why Lin doesn't want to get close to her. Compared to Su, Aponia too unstable.

"Lin, I can sense your confusion. Are you unsure of who you are?"

Lin turned his head away, like a sulking child, but in fact, he wasn't throwing a tantrum; he was just unsure how to answer Aponia.

He was certain that he was "Lin", but he always felt that something was missing.

He needed to do something urgently, but he had lost his memory and couldn't remember what it was.

Aponia looked up, and the moonlight shone on her face and on Lin.

It's very similar to that day.

Lying on Aponia's lap, Lin's mood gradually calmed down. Was Aponia using her power? Or did this clergyman possess such magic?

He gazed at the full moon, a thought forming in his mind, and asked, "Can you find out who organized this game?"

"I know who it is."

Without hesitation, Aponia answered Lin, which made him slightly turn his gaze to her eyes... He couldn't see them.

His view was blocked by a huge object, so large that it blotted out the sky and he could see nothing but the fabric that was pressing down on his face.

"Aponia... could you move a little further away?"

"Why?"

Why...?

Lin hesitated for a moment, then, remembering that Aponia was among the three names Mobius had mentioned, he felt a sense of impending crisis.

It's as if if you say just one wrong word, something unpleasant will happen next.

Aponia gave him a feeling of being both close and distant; her vague emotions and feelings were conveyed through her words, but she didn't say it explicitly, maintaining this balance between desire and purity.

Lin thought for a moment and said, "It's a bit boring."

"Um... I'm sorry."

The Nun straightened her kneeling legs, allowing Lin Neng to lie down slightly lower. Her gentle, warm eyes gazed at his dark green pupils. Upon noticing the only abnormal emerald green in his clear eyes, she gave a smile, but one devoid of warmth.

Lin asked Aponia, "Can you tell me? Who is it?"

"..."

The Nun's calm eyes seemed to be pondering something. After a moment, she placed her hand over Lin's eyes.

"Lin, is it right for a hero, a noble person, to sacrifice his life for the survival of the despicable?"

She was still staring at Lin, but she wasn't looking at Lin himself.

In her eyes, the Threads of Fate was already teetering on the brink of collapse.