Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 350 Your 'trump card' is a bit old-fashioned and outdated
[This is probably the auditory hallucination caused by the body's impending collapse.]

After hearing the voice of a strange man, he took the [Curse] that reflected the damage of his long-accumulated [Magic Release] head-on.

Artoria, who was like a candle in the wind and at risk of fainting at any time, made a decision.

She was about to open her eyes and observe the battlefield and the people around her.

With his physical functions drastically deteriorating due to a serious injury, his entire condition is like the last pool of accumulated water gradually evaporating and dissipating in a shallow pit in the earth cracked by drought.

The simple action and decision of opening your eyes is somewhat of a 'luxury'.

But she still used the little energy left in her body to open her eyes.

At this moment, she just wanted to make some judgment.

In order to figure out whether the sound in the ear is a "hallucination" caused by near-death, or an incredible and incomprehensible "miracle".

But when she opened her eyelids, which felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, the blurry vision in front of her eyes became very clear as if a camera was focusing.

But there was no sign of the man who matched the voice in his ear.

All she could see was Cheng Xiang approaching her and launching a terrifying attack, and Fang Yi making a knife-wielding gesture not far behind Cheng Xiang.

After seeing this scene, Artoria couldn't help but smile bitterly.

[It must be an illusion triggered before near-death.]

Only after subconsciously making a wry smile, a muscle-twisting movement, did Altria discover an even more despairing fact.

For her at this moment, even a wry smile seemed a bit forced.

After realizing this, the only thing left in Altria's heart was a sense of regret for being forced to let go.

【Looks like that’s all for this time.】

But the next moment, a strange positive energy surged from her back, which quickly dispelled this idea.

The energy seemed to forcibly stretch his body and roughly poured into his weak and stagnant heart, activating it.

After restoring the heart's original ability to generate magic power, she was about to turn her head to look at the man beside her when she felt that he was using an unusual and strange method of [controlling activity].

Once this technique was used, his heart began to pump at a physically very frightening high speed as if it had been injected with stimulants.

Following this moment of panic, this positive energy was transmitted to his limbs and bones in an instant with the pumping of blood and the flow of magic power, repairing the injuries of his body as if time had gone back.

Even Artoria clearly felt that her somewhat depressed spirit had received an unusual kind of "comfort" from this treatment.

It’s like a baby in a stroller listening to the lullaby sung by its mother and feeling the peace of mind as the stroller bumps around.

Or people who work overtime until late at night drag their tired bodies, endure the winter cold, fumble for the key from their pockets and insert it into the lock.

The moment you crookedly turned the door open, the Border Collie standing like a statue in the entrance eagerly came to your legs, put its paws on your trouser legs with a worried look, and when the warmth and light in the living room rushed over, it felt like a comfort.

After feeling this miraculous treatment, the Knight King was shocked. However, under this enchanting 'comfort', she couldn't help but feel a bit 'weak' and confused in her heart.

What kind of bizarre magic is this? I don't remember even Merlin and the goblins being able to do something this magical.

"You must be wondering, 'How can there be such a strange magic?'

"But for someone like me who never engages in small talk, satisfying your curiosity comes at a different price."
-
Although she didn't see Fang Yi at first, she heard his voice again and felt the man's hand withdraw from her body.

Artoria also completed the adjustment in an instant, got rid of that "weakness", and switched back to the identity of a participant in the Holy Grail War.

She immediately activated her brain, which had regained its consciousness and thinking ability, and instinctively used her combat experience.

Evaluate the man's 'job' and the techniques he uses.

[The image that was there just now should be an afterimage to confuse the enemy.]

He was able to get so close without anyone noticing, most likely due to Assassin's [Breath Blocking].

After coming to this conclusion, Artoria became slightly wary of the man next to her.

[But that red archer said he was Saber, and he possessed powerful healing abilities that even Caster classes couldn't possess.]

[He can be said to be an extremely strong competitor on my path to the Holy Grail!]

[But [Intuition] didn't activate, which means the other party has no ill will towards me now.]

After determining the man's position, Altria turned her head to look at Fang Yi, ready to take a closer look at the man's appearance, and couldn't help but feel confused again.

[Although he is a reinforcement, how did he get to my side? ]

[He was clearly so far away just now.]

When she turned her head, she finally caught a glimpse of the face of a man wearing a haori, sheathing a long sword in his hand. He had a handsome face that exuded a strange attraction like charm, and the words he uttered made her feel a little strange.

“Also, although the treatment just now was miraculous and convenient, it wasn’t free.

"You'll need to pay me back later along with the reward for killing your enemies."

It was only then that Altria came to her senses.

[Oh no! There are still enemies!]

【The battle is not over yet.】

She immediately suppressed her curiosity about this man, subconsciously grasped the holy sword in her hand, and assumed a fighting stance.

However, the unactivated [Intuition] skill and the lighthearted words of the man who exuded a dragon-like and mysterious aura also made her vaguely sense the enemy's fate.

She turned her head to look at the enemy who was rushing towards her, but saw a scene that was unbelievable to her.

However, Fang Yi looked at Cheng Xiang who was not far away and began to complain in a helpless tone.

"I knew this kind of person had a 'hit card'.

"But, wouldn't this kind of 'trump card' be a bit old-fashioned and repetitive in the plot?"

But the next moment, Fang Yi, who was about to draw his sword again, took a fighting stance but put his hand down.
-

Cheng Xiang made a harvesting gesture towards Artoria and looked at the wilderness that was changing in his eyes.

The burning atmosphere in the perceiver's air gradually dissipated.

He could hear his own heartbeat becoming especially loud, as if he was falling into a silent abyss where only one person was present, but he did not panic.

This situation was within his expectations.

After seeing the other party take out an extremely luxurious pistol with the ability of [Mind Control] and launch an extremely powerful attack.

He made a simple assessment of this reincarnationist using a very simple formula.

The opponent's transitional equipment is very strong and their strength is stronger than yours = good "financial resources" = a lot of points obtained through tasks = a high ranking in task settlement.

When the opponent's ranking is in the second place or fighting for the first place in each settlement, the opponent's strength is definitely stronger than ours.

Facing an enemy who is likely to be stronger than him in terms of financial resources and strength, he has made corresponding psychological preparations.

But after the target disappeared and he felt as if he had entered some invisible realm, he felt relieved.

[I knew that the three enemies were definitely not ordinary people.]

【Luckily, it's an illusion that doesn't pose much of a threat to me.】

He sneered subconsciously, with contempt flashing in his eyes.

"You want to trap me with this thing?"

This is Cheng Xiang who was rushing towards Altria, and saw the enemy in front of him disappear instantly.

When the scene around him changed from a wilderness filled with long swords to a dark and enclosed cave where one could not see one's hand in front of one's face, a rather disdainful thought arose in his mind.
-
Although he is not very powerful, he has broad knowledge and therefore has some understanding of illusion.

There is a rule for beginners in illusion.

【Try to avoid creating scenes with too much difference.】

Therefore, according to common sense, this kind of illusion that is like switching scenes, where you are in pavilions and towers with beautiful women in the previous second and summoning Ultraman by the Daming Lake in the next second, is the lowest kind of illusion.

The scene created by this inferior illusion will make the determined recipient instantly realize that he or she is in an illusion.

When faced with this crude illusion, as long as one's will is strong enough, one can easily get rid of it with the help of the body's interference that feels like pain.

【Let's take out another 'card'. 】

[Just in time to use my senior brother's poisonous insect.]

Cheng Xiang, who had come up with a solution, did not try to move his body, but instead said this sentence for no reason as if he was talking to himself.

"'Limb', I know you're here.

"Use the [Plant Fusion Activity Control] we have mastered to stimulate the poisonous insects in my body and make them devour my flesh."

Although no response was received.

But the next moment, the poisonous insect in his body became "active" under the [Plant Fusion·Active Control] used by the big mouth-like "alien limb" entrenched in his abdominal cavity.

As he wished, he felt unusual pain in his body.

However, after a moment, the contemptuous smile on Cheng Xiang's face froze.

Because he discovered an extremely terrifying fact.

Even after feeling pain in his body, he still couldn't get rid of the illusion.
-

After realizing all this, Cheng Xiang, who was standing in the secluded cave, was nervous.

But he still made the decision calmly.

"'Limbs', autonomously operate the [Immaculate and Incomplete Body] we possess.

“Mobilize [implants] for protection.

"If necessary, use the [Qian Yuan Burning Blood Technique] to improve your 'realm' for protection."

After doing all this, he felt his body "burning" as if it were poured into the hot molten iron that had turned into liquid in the factory.

As his accumulated 'upper limit' gradually decreased, Cheng Xiang felt relieved. [Although the price was somewhat heavy, it was not unacceptable.]

[There is still some time, I must find a way to crack it. ]

He began to survey the scene that trapped him.

It is said that there is a kind of illusion that can recreate the nightmare-like scenes that people least want to recall.

If you can defeat the 'nightmare', you can escape the illusion.

He vaguely felt that the scene before his eyes was somewhat familiar, as if it was something he had already [forgotten].
-
He stretched out his hand and waved it in the air.

After confirming that he could move within the illusion, he took a step forward and walked towards his 'nightmare'.

Although this illusion was extremely strange, it could not affect him.

Because he knew very well that this kind of illusion could only induce fear and anxiety in people's hearts and affect those with weak wills.

And these 'weak' things no longer existed in his heart.

[In the final analysis, before being able to make the fake look real and the illusion look real, illusions are nothing more than low-level tricks without any lethality.]

[For me, as long as I defeat the Nightmare and escape before taking enough damage, it won't have any effect.]

Cheng Xiang thought so in his heart, and a confident sneer appeared on his face.

He continued to move towards the scene he had [forgotten].

If nothing unexpected happened, he would have seen himself being partially removed from his genitals and excretory system by the alchemist of the School of Fallacy, losing his qualifications as a human being and becoming a guinea pig for a test of physical transformation.

Or it could be a scenario where they are testing the [Alien Limb Jointing] skill in the [Body Transformation] branch training program, where they come into contact with a 'limb' for the first time and implant a 'limb' with feedback intelligence to serve as an experimental subject.

This "nightmare" was an interesting experience for him who had killed the "alchemist" with the help of his "limbs" and earned his first pot of gold. Now he was considered successful and famous.

His eyes were cold, without a trace of fluctuation.

However, when he walked for a distance, he felt that the air in the dark cave suddenly became heavy.

He did not see the scene he expected, but instead felt a strange tearing sensation faintly in his body.

It was as if I had been split in two.

【what happened? 】

【Didn't I let 'limbs' launch those methods? 】

After sensing the pain that wouldn't occur when he hadn't reached the 'upper limit', he couldn't help but stop.

He suddenly felt a little uneasy.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"This is just that man's rather powerful illusion that reflects his inner thoughts."
-
He forced himself to accept this argument, but the uneasiness that surged up with the pain was like a tide that became increasingly difficult to suppress.

The next moment, as the familiar pain resurfaced, he instinctively held his breath.

"Am I really still in the illusion?"

He whispered to himself, but this time his tone was filled with doubt and uneasiness.

[This feeling... is wrong, how could it be like this? ]

He turned his head suddenly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The scene before my eyes gradually changed into that wilderness.

The scene looked increasingly wrong, as if the illusion had ended.

Cheng Xiang's pupils shrank slightly, and he began to realize a reality that he was unwilling to accept.

【Perhaps it is no longer an illusion now.】

But as soon as this idea came to mind, he ruthlessly extinguished it.

"impossible……

"As long as 'limbs' launch those methods, there's no way I'll die."

He murmured quietly, his voice filled with deep disbelief as he spoke to himself.

“This is a powerful illusion!

"This is just a powerful illusion!"

He could only take a deep breath, close his eyes, and try to calm himself down.

However, when he opened his eyes again, the pain in his body was no longer controllable.

His gradually becoming clearer perception was forcing him to face a possibility he didn't want to accept.

"The enemy's knife may be faster than I thought, faster than anyone I have ever seen.

"I'm actually already dead. I was already dead before the illusion was fully activated.

“It’s all just a revolving door.

"I've actually already completely lost. This isn't an illusion, but a loser's fantasy..."
-
Realizing his defeat, Cheng Xiang finally accepted this reality.

Then he walked out of the 'illusion', and the wilderness in his vision became clearer.

He also saw the world split in two in his eyes, as well as Fang Yi in the wilderness and the blond-haired, blue-eyed Saber.

At this moment, he looked at Fang Yi who seemed to be talking with the female knight in the distance, but felt a little unwilling.

[Although his sword is so fast, if I use all my means, will the outcome be different?]

[If I had been more cautious, would the outcome have been different?]

[Could such a powerful person be the one Senior Brother is looking for? At this distance, there's no way to verify it.]

But even though he himself is unwilling to accept this situation, and even though he claims that his will is unmatched.

Although he thought he still had several 'cards' in his hand that were enough to turn the situation around, he didn't play them.

But at this moment, a cold and cruel fact appeared before his eyes.

He is dead.

Before playing all the cards in your hand.
-
Still feeling a little unwilling, he stared at Fang Yi not far away.

During his last days, he neither complained about his own weakness nor praised the enemy's strength.

Instead, they start to calculate what benefits the other party can get from them.

His own talent [Accumulation of Flesh and Blood] was brought by the accompanying 'limbs'.

If the opponent kills you, you will not be able to benefit from this extremely powerful talent. At most, you can get the weakened characteristics of [Immortal Wound].

And the [implant] that I bought at a high price.

Unless the other party has profound attainments in the field of [body transformation] like oneself.

Otherwise, if the opponent does not master the corresponding skills, he will not be able to distinguish this item and will most likely miss this [implant] and will not be able to benefit from it.

The [Relic] and the [Book of the Dead] are in Zhang Yong's hands. Based on the contract and the effects of the [Relic], he will most likely confront the person who killed him.

Thinking of this, Cheng Xiang's mouth curled up into a rather smug smile.

【I can’t be the only one to die. 】

[This powerful enemy deserves the 'enjoyment' of Zhang Yong, the man who betrayed me.]

Cheng Xiang, who was in a good mood, questioned the extremely authoritative [Balance of Combat Power] rules of the space in a rather rebellious way in his last moments.

"But an enemy of this strength is what the space is talking about as a balance of power? Is the space wrong?"

If the enemy is this strong enough to kill me instantly with one strike, even if there are four of us, we won't be able to defeat them.

【Could it be the remaining teammate】

However, before Cheng Xiang could finish his thoughts.

His nightmares and his thoughts stepped into darkness together.

His revolving door has ended.
-
And he identifies with the moment of his own death.

The 'limb' in his stomach that had been silent since he acquired it, for the first time, spoke in his ear with an extremely relaxed tone, words that were enough to make him die with regret.

"I've been pretending to be stupid for so long, and now I finally have the chance to take control.

"Since you've already 'lost', I will have no choice but to accept your body with reluctance.

"Goodbye, Cheng Xiang.

"I will find another powerful master who can drain me dry and live well."
-
Fang Yi looked at the monster that he had split into two and began to slide and splice together, and then became extremely hideous and looked like an alien.

Sensing the other person's strange aura.

He couldn't help but complain again.

[Isn't it a bit cliché to die and be reborn like in the second stage? 】

The next moment, he sensed the activation of [Interspecies Affinity], but heard a plea for mercy from the monster's strange, coded roar.

"He's already dead. Without [Immortal Wound], I'm too weak to fight you.

"If you spare my life, I can become your gift [Pile of Flesh and Blood].

"Are you so powerful that you are willing to engage in a mutually beneficial cooperative symbiosis with me?"

Hearing these humble words, Fang Yi's face instantly showed a very standard smile that only appeared when trying to trick or deal with others.

After feeling the effect of his [relic] that could sense the 'alien', he had a new idea about how to use this strange enemy.

(End of this chapter)