As a player, can you be normal?

Chapter 716 The Ultimate Showdown! The absolute ultimate showdown! Absolutely!

Li Nuo: "What are you pretending for?"

Marger: "Hmph..."

Ma Ge's attempt to show off was ruthlessly thwarted by Li Nuo. The most important thing now is the current script; the twenty-year agreement can go to hell.

What's the story behind Hidechiyo's appearance?

Li Nuo looked at the flickering shadows on the screen.

“This Hidechiyo… seems to be the one we’ve met before.”

The more he looked at it, the more something seemed off.

"Kirby the Star Guardian!?"

Although Kirby in Star Mode looks like Master Roshi, the truth is still obvious through the mask.

"Oh, this."

Marger took an instruction manual out of the drawer and handed it to him.

"look by youself."

The instruction manual contains two brief but crucial pieces of information.

Regarding the refresh mechanism of the Great Maze.

The so-called refresh capability is actually the "celestial convergence".

Or it could be called a subspace portal.

They all mean the same thing.

Peters is the one operating this device; Marger does not have the authority to manage the teleportation mechanism.

"Then this Arale."

Li Nuo pointed to Ala Lei, who was fast asleep on the operating table.

"Hmph...just an accident."

"Wait, that's not right."

Li Nuo raised his hand and used the [Axis Seal] on Marger.

“I can set an even higher one for you…” Malger suddenly slapped himself in the face: “I’ll say it myself!”

Marger was able to set up a mechanism to increase the difficulty for Lino, initially setting it as "monsters of the same origin as player 5900", but who knew that Kos's orphan would run out.

“If the monsters we encounter next are also of the orphan level, we’ll be in big trouble.” Marger shrugged. “So I changed the setting to something that’s hard to kill and useful to ‘me’.”

As a result, the monsters that appeared the next two times were a "giant turtle with 200000000 HP" and Arale lying on the operating table undergoing a physical examination.

"Are there any stones in Castlevania that are designed to target me?"

"It's on the ninth floor, but not on the sewer floor."

After getting the answer, Li Nuo decided not to go to Castlevania. It would be better to finish the script first before showing up, since that malicious stone might cause some terrifying thing...

"Old Ma, continue. Regarding the mechanics, Peters was the one who created Hidechiyo and Kirby, so will Peters create something new?"

"Hmph, most likely, so let's not go out."

"If I defeat you now, the main storyline will end, right?"

Li Nuo's words sent a chill down Malje's spine.

The Great Maze is composed of two things.

First, Peters, that guy has already been dismantled.

Secondly, there's the computer in the room. As long as you defeat Marger and restore the surface world to normal—that is, watch Adam's actions—and proceed in both directions simultaneously, the maze will disappear from the world.

The main quest is to conquer the labyrinth. Marger, as one of the labyrinth's controllers, is also the culprit hiding on the tenth floor who caused chaos in the labyrinth. Defeating him is equivalent to ending the quest.

Actually, the script could be finished by now.

For Li Nuo, the process was simply to add one more step: let Olise show her face in front of everyone, then let her display her protagonist status, and then let Marger and himself play the final boss, only to be cleaved in two by Olise's sword as they went out. That would complete the "protagonist's" main quest.

"If you can't control the direction of the maze, then you can't control the interior of Dracula either?"

Li Nuo asked.

"I can only be responsible for building the participants in the early stages; I have no control over the specifics."

When he said this, Marger also sounded a little helpless.

In reality, managers are like this: they can participate to some extent in deciding who to involve and how to arrange things from the beginning, but they cannot interfere with what happens inside the script.

Even with intervention methods, there will still be some costs for managers.

"Thinking about it this way, being a manager isn't so great either."

"Hmph, who says otherwise? But at least working behind the scenes feels more comfortable than taking risks."

In other words.

What Marger can do now is try to connect the stories by the actions of the players he has placed under his control, creating a new storyline that can influence the course of the world.

Now that the racial issue of the "Drow Elves" has been resolved, and the interference of the Great Labyrinth's will "Peters" has also been largely resolved, all that remains is to conquer the labyrinth and how Adam will conquer the world.

But Li Nuo felt something was off sitting here.

When the last play ended, he saw the king's shadow, and also the woman named Angel behind the king.

in case……

He was just wondering what if... Marger became the new "king".

"I am Angel!?"

Thinking about this, Li Nuo was about to lose control.

Marger suddenly pushed him away and leaned in front of the screen.

"Look at this! It's the anime I've been wanting to watch the most!"

"what?"

Li Nuo leaned closer.

The two of them pressed their faces close to the screen, the light from the screen illuminating their pupils as if radiating anticipation.

"Ahhhh... Old Ma, you did a great job."

"Hmph, I like this one."

……

Time goes back to fifteen minutes ago.

At that time, Li Nuo had just entered the dog hole.

Wells is conquering elves and knights.

At this moment, Hidechiyo and Kirby are fighting a group of Minotaur.

Here's a description of where each party is located.

The castle has twelve floors.

Li Nuo and Malger were in the sewers on the basement level.

Above, on the first floor are Nanami, who was turned away, and Tom, who dared not enter the city.

Cha Bai and Au Li She were digging for treasure chests on the sixth floor.

Wells and the elves are on the tenth floor.

Peters, Hidechiyo, and the other players... all went to the twelfth floor.

The blame can only be placed on the guy who pressed the skip button without explanation. From another perspective, this shows how careful Marger was in selecting his team. Among this group of guys who almost never fight amongst themselves, there will always be a few who will step forward and risk their lives, something almost unimaginable among Li Nuo's group.

In fact, this is what the "Endless Corridor" should have been like. It's an environment that the king created for the players by using himself as a target. It's just that Li Nuo and his group arrived during the most dangerous and turbulent period.

Let's first focus on Hidechiyo and her group.

Swish!
Hidechiyo severed the Minotaur's arm with a single strike, and Kirby rushed over and slammed it against the wall.

Dozens of players were lurking behind these two.

Watching these two completely unrelated creatures from another world fight monsters is a very... very boring experience.

But there are always experienced players to help you level up.

Peters stood at the very back of the group of players.

"Logically, the monsters here should be very powerful, so why are there so few of them?"

The girl in black stockings kicked him in the butt.

"Stop overthinking it, come on, you idiot!"

Although Peters didn't like being treated this way, he had no rights as a "Ghost-type" Pokémon.

The monsters have been cleared out, and the player can use items to determine that the destination is the top floor of the maze.

On the way, Hidechiyo deliberately approached Peters.

"Ah ah ah..."

Although Hidechiyo wanted to speak, she was mute.

Peters squinted.

"You don't need to say it out loud. Just think about what you want to say in your mind, and then let down your guard against me, and I will know what you want to say."

Mind reading.

This is an ability possessed by many high-dimensional demons, and even elves with high-level magic power can use this skill.

The world is a melting pot; many things that look different actually come from the same source.

Hideyo followed behind Peters, thinking about what she wanted to say.

Peters frowned slightly.

The girl in black stockings nudged him.

“In the name of the trainer, I command you to use ‘Speak the translation to me’.”

"Does such a skill exist!?"

Peters is a great comedian.

Can I say?

He asked Hidechiyo, who nodded.

So, Peters asked the girl in black stockings a question first.

Who is Dante?

"One of the strongest demon hunters."

Who is Li Nuo?

"what?"

Peters gleaned very little information about Li Nuo from the black-stockinged girl's mind; it was mostly unreliable.

"Dante is looking for a man named Lino."

The girl in black stockings was dumbfounded.

"Would you like to tell me the whole story?"

Peters saw no monsters on the road and, since he was bored anyway, and Hideyo didn't refuse to tell him what had happened, he began to give a brief explanation.

There was a guy named Dante who accidentally triggered various strange portals to other worlds, causing all sorts of chaotic connections. Later, with the help of a priest named Lino, Dante finally managed to return home.

I was teleported away again after only two days.

This time, they were transported to a modern city in the same world as Hidechiyo and Ryu Hayabusa. Hidechiyo had briefly worked with Li Nuo, and Dante asked her to make sure that Li Nuo quickly killed all the bosses he hadn't yet defeated if they were to meet him someday.

Why do that?

The girl in black stockings didn't understand.

Hidechiyo's animated "Abba" was translated by Peters.

"Because one of the dark-skinned guys is probably one of the culprits behind Dante's various teleportations."

"who is it?"

"A madman-like businessman, the specifics are unclear."

“Li Nuo…”

The girl in black stockings had heard Milo mention Li Nuo before. He was supposedly the most powerful guy in their group, and there were rumors about him in the big guilds of Shafa. The rumor about Li Nuo was: Don't talk to that guy, or you'll be deceived.

"Hidechiyo said that she had something to give to Li Nuo, which can be considered as a deposit for Dante's advance entrustment."

Peters said this.

The girl in black stockings was shocked.

"Impressive, they actually got the most skilled witcher to commission them to hunt witches..."

She thought of the White City that had appeared not long ago, which was said to be the area ruled by a group of god-like players in the "Corridor of the End," and boldly hypothesized that players were also the protagonists or supporting characters of a game in some worlds.
"arrive!"

Someone shouted from ahead.

They had reached the steps leading to the upper level.

Strangely, there haven't been any monsters left so far.

Peters was still talking to Hidechiyo, while the girl in black stockings listened intently.

"It was a complete accident that I captured you... I'm sorry."

Although he was the will of the Great Labyrinth, he was still the leader of the Elf race, and he still possessed a dignified humility.

"If you find that Li Nuo, how do you give him the deposit Dante gave you?"

Hideyo shook her head and pointed to herself.

"You want to give yourself to her?"

Upon hearing this, dozens of players turned to look at them.

Hidechiyo quickly shook her head.

Peters then realized what was happening.

"Dante asked whoever met him to give him something useful as a deposit, and then he would return it to you when you met Dante?"

"Mmmmm~"

This Hidechiyo is as naive as a fool; she's spent her whole life slaying demons.

"Oh, I see. I also have something to give them."

Peters said no more. He had longed to leave this planet, and thanks to the old man's arrival, his wish had been fulfilled. He wanted to find Cha Bai and give her the true meaning of spatial magic as a return gift.

But these players also started to wonder what Li Nuo was.

Why does he seem so familiar with Hidechiyo? Why is even Dante looking for him?

These guys had no idea of ​​the Witcher's impressive feat of wreaking havoc on a city in two hours, nor did they know what that guy had done during the World War.

With the sound of footsteps, they had arrived at the eleventh floor.

This is a long, loop-shaped corridor.

The hollow area is blocked by frosted glass.

Scattered monster corpses lay in the corridor. The one who killed these monsters was Milo, who was sitting on a bench that could restore health, looking haggard.

Upon seeing the main force appear, Milo got straight to the point.

Have you ever seen a clone of a player?

Milos.

The girl in black stockings walked out of the crowd. Among these players, Milo was the highest level and the strongest. Even though the remnants of the old era were weak at the time, they were still towering figures in the eyes of the new era.

"No, there are very few monsters."

Some players possessed tools to detect signals from strange creatures, yet they still couldn't find anything unusual.

In other words.

There aren't many monsters in Castlevania; the higher the level, the fewer monsters there are.

This is not reasonable.

This also means that the most dangerous situation is about to begin.

Peters then looked at the frosted glass separating the hollow area.

"Is there a problem?"

“I think so too, but there’s a magical seal on the glass, so it can’t be opened by conventional means. I guess the staircase connecting to the twelfth floor is also behind the glass. I do have a weapon that might be able to blow the glass open.”

As Milo spoke, he took a submachine gun out of his weapon bag. Looking at the glossy black gun, he seemed to be encouraging himself, trying to muster his courage.

"No... I can't do it."

He lowered his head and handed the gun to the girl in black stockings.

"I really can't use this gun, so I'll give it to you."

The girl in black stockings glanced at the gun's stats.

"A shit-shooting gun!?"

"It's very powerful, but it's disgusting!"

"Nonsense, who would use something like that!"

Long ago, Marger gave Milo the first version of the universal spit gun, which was extremely powerful. The bullets could not only explode like grenades, but also spread poison gas, and it was disgusting.

Of the group, only Hidechiyo stared intently behind the glass.

She sensed an exceptionally powerful demon behind her, a demon far more terrifying than herself, a combination of things that no one present could possibly defeat.

Demons, as terrifying as an abyss.

boom--!
Suddenly, the entire area began to shake violently.

This is accompanied by the disappearance of the frosted glass.

Behind the clear glass lies a massive "colosseum".

Hideyo clung to the glass and saw the terrifying demon right in the center of the arena, Mai.

"Damn..."

Xiao Wu got up from the ground, her face full of doubt, her eyes like those of a deer, revealing a look that made people want to cherish her.

"what happened……"

She remembered that it was the "Entering the City Song" that caused brain damage, leading her to go on a killing spree in the city.

Then, he was inexplicably teleported away. During the process, due to mental confusion, his demonic power was released to the critical point. Before collapsing, he used his clone to forcibly move part of his mind away and reclaim the demonic power that he could not control, but he also fainted as a result.

Xiao Wu looked up and saw a group of players watching her from the stands above.

"What is this... Why are you looking at it like it's an auction item?"

Right now!

Around the seating area, a large number of monsters appeared, all of them from Dracula's Castle.

A winged, fleshy camera appeared. This camera only had one eyeball, and it flapped its wings and circled around Xiao Wu.

"The contestants are ready!"

Bang!
In the center of the venue, a nurse wearing a miniskirt appeared, holding a microphone, and shouted loudly while striking a pose.

"Everyone! Whether you're an intruder or one of our monsters, you must all be tired of level-based games, so the Evil God has spoken!"

The nurse snapped her fingers.

"We will be holding a tournament, a battle between clones and adventurers. Of course, any monsters that look disgusting can also participate."

The players were completely bewildered.

The place, which was quiet just a moment ago, is now filled with the roars of monsters.

Xiao Wu calmly stood up, squinted at the creatures around her, and calculated how long it would take to kill them all.

Meanwhile, Hidechiyo was watching her. She had never seen a demon with such a powerful aura, and yet it was just a seemingly harmless girl with a ponytail.

Suddenly, the venue erupted in a deafening roar of fireworks.

The door behind the nurse presenter opened.

She stepped out of the clone that was fighting against Xiao Wu.

The nurse host said, "Ms. Muto Sora, you look like a leading lady who stepped out of an adult film."

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth.

The nurse host said, "Perfect timing! One of our clones has had a similar experience to yours."

The one who walked out of the gate was a clone of Lu Li.

With a wave of her hand, the nurse host transformed into a rope bikini and shouted excitedly.

"Round 1 Showdown!"

"H-manga male protagonist vs. SH-manga female protagonist!"

"Please place your bets now!"

……

Looking at Xiao Wu's bewildered expression on the screen and the theme of this battle, Li Nuo gripped Marje's shoulder with a look of deep affection.

"Old Ma... well done, I've been wanting to see those two fight for a long time."

"Wait, something's not right."

Marger frowned slightly.

"The host just mentioned an evil god."

"Isn't that you?"

Li Nuo said.

"The entrance song we played when we first entered the city was projected by you."

"I thought it was a mechanism that Castlevania came up with itself."

"what do you mean……"

A sense of foreboding arose in Li Nuo's eyes.

Marger's face turned slightly pale.

In Castlevania, there is another Marger, and he is not a clone.

(End of this chapter)