Treason

Lu Xiu stared at the initial direction of the skill she vaguely sensed, and her beautiful face instantly tightened.

Finn was still laughing wildly.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

Lu Xiu kept looking in another direction.

He stopped laughing, frowned, and followed Lu Xiu's gaze to the solid stone wall, but found nothing.

What are you looking at?

Finn's voice turned somber.

Not just Finn.

The viewers in the Nine Provinces live stream who were initially worried also keenly noticed the change in Lu Xiu's aura.

Whether it was initially triggering the Ornstein and Smough or later arriving at the Sen's Fortress, Lu Xiu was very relaxed, or more accurately, very at ease.

Even with Ray and Enoch Chosen Player, blocking her way, you could tell she was happy.

Yes, I'm happy.

Although the players didn't know why she was happy.

But you can definitely feel her emotions, which is part of her charm.

But at this moment, it was clear that she was very unhappy.

I was even a little angry.

But the problem is, what she's angry about doesn't seem to be Finn hurting her, which is strange.

The players couldn't understand it.

Inside the arena.

Finn looked at Lu Xiu's tense face, and a bad feeling began to rise in his heart.

He could clearly sense that the girl in front of him was somewhat different from before.

But he had no idea what the other side was up to, so he could only suppress his thoughts for the time being—on the ever-changing battlefield, procrastination was a major taboo!

"What are you looking at? Your opponent is right here!"

Finn once again adopted that extremely intimidating stance.

Boom!

The stone slab beneath his feet shattered once more, and his massive body, like a cannonball, unleashed a terrifying punch capable of shattering everything, crushing towards Lu Xiu once more!

The speed is still outrageously fast.

However.

Faced with this ferocious second attack, Lu Xiu did not attempt to block or parry as she had done before.

Buzz!

Just as Finn's fist was about to touch her, the Jump Kit at Lu Xiu's waist suddenly emitted a deep rumble.

A deep blue tail flame suddenly shot out!

Then Lu Xiu completely relaxed her body and skillfully used the powerful instantaneous thrust of the tail flame to directly press her slender body against the stone wall behind her!

Wall running!

Because the movements were so large, even though the thread was still interfering.

But this is not the Neutralize those subtle moves.

Lu Xiu successfully took to the air.

Then, to Finn's astonishment, Lu Xiu ran three steps at an incredibly steep angle across the vertical wall.

That powerful punch slammed directly into the wall where Lu Xiu had been standing, sending shards of stone flying.

Lu Xiu, using the height from pushing off the wall, performed an extremely smooth aerial somersault, her dark blue tail flame drawing a dazzling arc in mid-air, directly circling around to Finn's broad back blind spot.

"Technology-related gadgets?! Titanfall? You can even do that?"

Finn turned around abruptly.

And at the very same second he turned around.

As soon as Lu Xiu landed, she quickly pulled a Consumable from her system inventory with her right hand.

It was a stack of strange paper pieces, thin as cicada wings, with a faint purple sheen at the edges.

Lu Xiu decisively flung the stack of papers above her head!

Splash!

The paper scattered in mid-air and, as it fell, transformed into countless specks of pale purple, sacred light, like a miniature star shower, gently scattering into the girl's slender body.

Finn was taken aback.

He subconsciously glanced at Lu Xiu's health bar.

But Lu Xiu's health, which had dropped by a third, remained completely unaffected.

Not a return item!

What the hell is that?!

Meanwhile...

[Nine Provinces Live Stream Room]

The players from Nine Provinces recognized the item that Lu Xiu had thrown out.

"Isn't that the [Divine Confetti] from Sekiro?!"

"Isn't this an item to increase Mental Strength? Why would Lu Xiu use it?"

"----That Finn on the other side is clearly a muscle monster who fights purely in physical combat, not a spirit!"

"What is Lu Xiu doing taking pictures of flying snow at this time?!"

The light merged into his body.

The viewers in the live stream were completely confused.

Lu Xiu once again manipulated the Jump Kit to dodge the attack, then glided to the side, lightly sliding to the position closest to the Undead Parish outside the city.

"All you can do is hide?!"

Finn was surprised that Lu Xiu could use the side props of technology so skillfully.

The attack missed once again.

A growing sense of foreboding made him speak again.

Lu Xiu ignored him, only glancing at the increased Mental Strength, and then closed her eyes during the three seconds the item took effect.

[Special Skill: Anti- Visual Mindscape]

Buzz!

An invisible Mental Strength spread out instantly.

In an instant, a complete mental image of the environment was constructed in Lu Xiu's mind.

Her already terrifying perception range was amplified further, making everything around her transparent, while individuals with strong life fluctuations shone like torches in the night.

She saw Finn charging towards her like a raging inferno.

But that wasn't her goal.

Her gaze followed her right side, following the invisible and intangible Mental Strength, moving forward.

To traverse distances.

The final image is fixed on the Bell Tower.

Jian Ning's hand, which was playing with the silk thread, suddenly stopped again. If she had just noticed that the gaze was just an illusion, then...

At that moment, it was no longer an illusion, but a real and tangible feeling of Lu Xiu's icy gaze.

"Got you," Lu Xiu said softly.

It's a long story.

But in reality, it only happened in an instant.

As Lu Xiu spoke, she stretched out her arm and clenched her fair hand in mid-air.

A glimmer of light flashed and disappeared, as if something invisible had been forcefully grasped in her hand.

The hair tie tied to her high ponytail, which was originally inconspicuous, suddenly burst into light.

[Item: Ellen's Red Headband]

[Active Effect: Steal - Activate!]

[Hint: The target's unknown active skill has been successfully observed using "Anti- Visual Mindscape"!]

[Hint: Triggering the "Ellen's Red Headband" Steal effect----]

[Judging in progress----Target's skill sequence is extremely high, Steal success rate is being adjusted----]

[Passed!]

[Successfully Steal!!!]

[However, due to the extremely high skill level, only a portion of the abilities Steal.]

[You have forcibly stripped the [Delusion] Root Skill's [Hunting Thread] ability! This ability will be forcibly sealed for the next 10 minutes!]

at the same time.

On the Bell Tower of the Undead Parish outside the city.

The woman who bore a striking resemblance to Jian Li, and who was leisurely swinging her snow-white legs, suddenly froze with a smile.

A very soft, crisp snap.

The few transparent threads wrapped around her fair fingertips snapped without warning, turning into a wisp of light and completely dissipating into the air.

At the same time.

A system notification popped up.

[This belongs to Ellen, and to Ellen's only friend.]

Jian Ning was taken aback.

She instinctively raised her hand again, wanting to unleash the skill once more.

However.

The moment her fingertip moved, another grayed-out system notification popped up.

[Hint: Your Root Skill Ability 1 has been forcibly Steal and sealed by an unknown force. Remaining unlock time: 9 minutes and 59 seconds!]

"

Jian Ning's eyebrows furrowed suddenly as she looked up towards the direction of the Sen's Fortress.

How could that Architect Steal the sealed skill from such a great distance—without even seeing him?

How did you do that?

But soon...

She couldn't care less about that.

Because a familiar vibration was transmitted—

Most importantly, his gaze remained fixed on her.

A chill she had never felt before instantly crept up Jian Ning's spine.

She realized something, stood up abruptly, and the composure that had been on her beautiful face vanished.

"Boss, what's wrong, meow?"

Behind her, a girl wearing cat ears opened her eyes. "Why was the skill interrupted?"

"Let's get out of here! I—"

Jian Ning had just opened her mouth.

But before she could finish speaking, her arms suddenly and uncontrollably rose up.

The girl wearing cat ears looked up in surprise and clearly saw that several familiar silk threads were wrapped around Jian Ning's wrist, forcibly making her raise her hand.

Her eyes widened slowly, her face filled with undisguised horror.

Isn't that the boss's skill?

What happened???

At the same time.

The room where the Demon used to reside.

Finn's heavy punch, accompanied by a gust of wind, slammed into Lu Xiu's face once again.

"Close your eyes and wait to die?!"

Because of Lu Xiu's unusual behavior.

Finn grew increasingly uneasy, his fist moving faster and more forcefully towards Lu Xiu's throat.

Swish!

Lu Xiu suddenly opened her eyes.

This time she neither dodged nor made any attempt to block.

She simply raised her fair, slender, and even somewhat delicate hand and, with incredible speed, placed it directly on Finn's incoming forearm.

Neutralize!

"Court death!"

Finn felt Lu Xiu's palm touch his arm and suddenly exerted force again!

With the [Edge-less Prison] domain buff, the opponent actually dared to take the attack bare-handed?!

However, the next second...

Finn's expression suddenly froze.

Because Lu Xiu also exerted force with her palm, at the moment she exerted force, Finn felt his fist being pulled in a subtle, completely irresistible, and strange direction, instantly changing direction.

Lu Xiu's palm, following the momentum of Finn's forearm, very slightly guided and stroked to the side.

Boom!

Finn's powerful, all-out punch, carrying a violent gust of wind and shockwave, grazed Lu Xiu's ear and slammed into thin air!

At the same time, it is because of the Neutralize.

Finn's massive body instantly lost its balance.

"Neutralize?! Neutralize in a dungeon?! Neutralize in real life?! Are you kidding me?!"

Finn realized what this was, his eyes widening in disbelief. His body staggered forward uncontrollably, falling several steps before he could barely regain his balance and awkwardly turned around.

Then he stared intently at Lu Xiu, who stood rooted to the spot without moving an inch.

An incredulous exclamation.

At that moment, he wondered if it was just his imagination.

In the dim firelight, he seemed to see countless transparent threads spreading and intertwining wildly in the shadow behind Lu Xiu, which had been empty just moments before!

The threads outlined a huge, invisible spider web in the air.

The beautiful girl with a high ponytail stood at the very center of the spider web, coldly watching him.

A hint of fear finally surfaced in his eyes.

Anxiety increased exponentially.

But the problem is!

He still doesn't know what happened!

At the same time.

[Nine Provinces Live Stream Room]

The players, who were initially filled with despair and confusion, witnessed this scene.

At that moment, everyone fell into a deathly silence.

Two full seconds later.

The entire screen was instantly flooded with a dense array of question marks!

"??????"

"Holy crap??? What happened?!"

"Yeah----what just happened???"

"Neutralize?! Neutralize from Sifu?! Not only does she know Deflect from Sekiro! But she also knows Neutralize from Sifu??? No! Did Lu Xiu Constructed Instance according to her own abilities, or did the instance grant her this ability?"

Is that outrageous???

"What the hell is this?! Ignoring the difference in power?! How can such an exaggerated attack be deflected?! Is this some kind of dungeon skill coming to life? And the opponent even has a domain buff, right?! How is this even possible?!"

"Wait, is it that powerful?! Then why didn't Lu Xiu use it just now??? Why did she get punched just now??? Does this require preparation???"

Inside the arena.

After Lu Xiu casually Neutralize Finn's heavy punch, she slowly turned her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the thick wall once again, looking towards the direction of the Undead Parish Bell Tower.

Her left hand, which hung naturally at her sides, was loosely holding several almost transparent silk threads.

Next.

Lu Xiu suddenly looked away and raised her head.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the void, as if looking directly at a broadcast camera, and she declared, "Jian Ning! Traitor!"

"From this moment forward! You're permanently blacklisted in my instance!"

After Lu Xiu spoke...

Finn was taken aback.

All the players watching the live stream were equally stunned.

Who is Jian Ning?!

And—treason?! What on earth is going on?!

While everyone was in shock and confusion.

Lu Xiu withdrew her gaze from the camera, and her left hand, which was loosely holding the silk thread, suddenly clenched into a fist.

"I can tolerate the enemy's plots and encirclement—"

Lu Xiu took a deep breath, her gaze finally returning to Finn, who seemed to have some understanding and whose expression had become even more unpleasant.

But I will never tolerate betrayal!