People in Yu-Gi-Oh! The hyper-converged audience is also integrated

Chapter 382 Surprise (Part 2)

What is he talking about?
The lover has only one thought on her mind right now.

Place the Divine Stele in the North Pole and the Arctic Celestial Bear in the South Pole to form a connecting loop, then over-summon the Colossus.
This...this is the secret that makes the gods tremble?
The ability to over-summon Colossi is, in a sense, quite frightening.

It's clear that this old gentleman is far removed from human life.

The puppeteer should be glad she fell at the eleventh gate. If she had fought her way in and found out that the "secret that makes the gods tremble" she had been longing for was this kind of thing, she would probably have had her Dao heart shattered on the spot, her rationality wiped out, and then been assimilated into the same kind as the old man in front of her.

Thinking of this, the lover took a half step back without making a sound.

The Pope frowned, turned his head, and gave his lover a look.

The meaning in his eyes was clear—go up and hold him back.

I?
The lover paused, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Let her communicate with this rambling old man? How... how can she communicate with him?

But the Pope's gaze left no room for doubt.

The lover frowned, took a deep breath, suppressed the absurdity in his heart, and forced a professional and serious expression.

He began in the same serious, academic tone: "I disagree with your viewpoint!"

"Oh?" The old man became interested and waved his hand gently, saying, "Please speak."

"You...you forgot something very important." Her lover's cheeks were burning, overwhelmed with shame, making her toes clench tightly.

"When Isolde is awakened, the Colossus... it, it might disturb the sleeping No. 41!"

"Have you considered the consequences? Once No. 41 awakens, Charlemagne will cleave the entire Divine Arts Academy in two with a single sword strike!"

"and then--"

At this point, even the lover herself felt it was outrageous, but since the words had already been spoken, she could only bite the bullet and continue making things up. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she ended with a word that sounded very serious.

"This led to...the fragmentation of the country into warlord states!"

"A fragmented political landscape, huh..." The old man lowered his head in thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table as if he were performing some intricate calculation. "Brilliant."

"Wonderful!"

The old man slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and looked at his lover with eyes full of admiration and the fervor of having found a kindred spirit.

"Your insight is indeed brilliant! It was my oversight; No. 41 is indeed a major problem!"

He paced excitedly back and forth in front of the table. "However, it's not without a solution! As long as we..."

The old man became more and more excited as he spoke, and his gaze toward his lover grew increasingly intense.
The smiles on the lovers' faces froze completely. Was this never going to end?

She looked to the Pope for help, only to find that his patience had run out.

The edges of the secret realm's light barrier have begun to blur; time is running out.

The Pope ignored the fanatical old man and looked past the long table to the deepest part of the workshop, at the towering, dark altar.

That is the true core of this space.

He strode forward, carrying the sun with him, heading straight for the altar, while his lover stayed behind to discuss philosophy with the old man.

The Pope looked around at the objects: hourglass, seesaw, elevator, piston pump, pulley system, accordion bellows.
These things all have one thing in common—

As one thing diminishes, another rises.

But going deep into that altar was not an option.

To be precise, the altar also carries the meaning of 'one thing rising and another falling,' but two things need to be clarified.

What is the sacrifice?
To whom are the offerings made?
The sun's finger trembled as it pointed deep into the altar: "Your Holiness the Pope..."

The Pope looked in the direction he was pointing, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his breath caught in his throat.

He strode forward.

It was a bizarre altar constructed from obsidian and some kind of pale skeleton, the two materials visibly and slowly eroding and shrinking from each other, maintaining a distorted balance.

At the very top of the altar, a pure black card floated and rotated silently, surrounded by a faint black halo.

"That's it...that's it! Hahaha, hahahaha!"

The Pope's majesty and composure vanished at this moment, his eyes blazing with burning fanaticism. He used both hands and feet, disregarding decorum, to climb toward the top of the altar, as if to embrace his one true God.

"No!" A loud shout came from behind, like a heavy hammer hitting the Pope's head, bringing his frantic movements to an abrupt halt and restoring a sliver of clarity.

He turned around stiffly.

The old man in the tall hat looked around in confusion, muttering to himself.

"No, no, no... The divine child... The divine child is coming..."

His gaze went unfocused as he stared blankly at his lover, then suddenly grabbed her hand with astonishing strength.

"You survived... Divine Child, were you defeated?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, have you found it?"

His lover was in pain from his grip, and a chill ran through her as she wanted to call him a lunatic.

What divine son? What king? What is he talking about?
But she was afraid of triggering some unknown taboo, so she could only stand there, unable to utter a single word.

"I'll give you everything, all of this, all of this, it's all yours!" the old man cried, his eyes pleading. "Play a game with me, okay?"

"A game?" The lover's heart skipped a beat.

"I'll guess what kind of card this is." The old man released his lover's hand, casually picked up a card from the table, and covered it with his palm without even looking at it.

"If I guess right..."

He paused, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth in a sinister smile.

"You will all stay here."

"I'm heading to the future! How about that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge question mark made of light actually popped out from the old man's comical tall hat.

The lover felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

That old man is crazy.

But what's even crazier is that she actually believed what the old man said.

If he guesses correctly, they will be trapped in this bizarre point in time forever, while this madman will replace them and go to their own era.

"cough!"

Just then, a suppressed cough came from the ground.

It was Li Guanqi lying in a pool of blood. He seemed to want to say something, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The old man paused, slowly turned his head to look at him, and tilted his head: "You also want to play games?"

He smiled and casually tapped a small, inconspicuous red button on the edge of the table.

The next moment.

Li Guanqi suddenly opened his eyes wide.

The excruciating pain that tore at my heart and churned my abdomen receded like the tide, disappearing without a trace.

He subconsciously looked down, and the three bleeding holes in his chest and abdomen healed and recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving not a single scar.

"This……"

Li Guanqi slowly stood up, looking blankly at his hands. Apart from being a little weak, he was unharmed.

at the same time.

"what--!"

A piercing scream shattered the silence of the workshop.

The sun, not far away, suddenly turned around, looking in horror at the lover who was screaming.

Suddenly, three striking blood flowers bloomed on her once pristine dress, on her chest and abdomen.

Three bloody holes appeared out of nowhere, exactly the same as the wounds on Li Guanqi's body before!
"how come……"

The lover stared in horror at Li Guanqi, then at the smiling old man, and finally, clutching his bleeding abdomen, his brow furrowed, his body went limp, and he slowly knelt down.

"Lovers?!" Sun exclaimed in surprise, instinctively rushing forward.

"stop!"

The Pope stopped him abruptly, his breathing rapid, staring intently at the old man in the tall hat, his eyes showing fear for the first time.

What just happened?
There were no energy fluctuations, no signs of spellcasting, and not even the slightest abnormality.

This is simply impossible to defend against or guard against!

It's a conceptual attack!

Only this one thought remained in the Pope's mind.

"I'll give you everything, all of this, all of this, it's all for you!" The old man became excited again, tightly grasping Li Guanqi's hand, his eyes pleading, "Play games with me, okay? Okay!"

"Okay, how do you want to play?"

Li Guanqi agreed without hesitation, breathing greedily and savoring the long-lost, whole, healthy body.

This old man definitely possesses some kind of conceptual power.

“I’ll guess what kind of card this is,” the old man said, picking up a card with a mad tone. “If I’m right…”

He pointed a finger at Li Guanqi.

"You should act like a human being."

Then he slammed his fist into his chest.

"I will be a god!"

"how!"

The old man stared wide-eyed at Li Guanqi, his cloudy eyes bloodshot.

"I'll be human, and you'll be a god?" Li Guanqi couldn't understand what the old man was trying to do, but he didn't want to lose the game.

He lowered his eyes and, using the reflection on the table, clearly caught a glimpse of the corner of the card.

It's the border style of the trap card.

"Guess," he said calmly.

“I think it’s a trap card!” The old man pondered for a moment and spoke with certainty.

Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was calm: "That's not right. Didn't you flip it over before? I remember it was a monster card."

"Is that so..." The old man was stunned, like a confused child, and believed him, he slammed down the button on the table that represented [Monster Card], "Then I'll guess the Monster Card!"

He suddenly flipped the card over.

On the card, the Normal Monster [Lion Wizard] is prominently displayed.

Li Guanqi's pupils suddenly contracted.

How could that be! He could see it clearly; it was definitely a trap card.

"Hahaha, you didn't lie to me, it really is a monster card!" The old man jumped up and down excitedly, like a child who had received a favorite toy.

"Hahaha--!"

"You be human, I'll be a god, hahaha..."

He laughed wildly and grabbed Li Guanqi's arm, but his laughter stopped abruptly the next second.

"wrong……"

The old man's ecstatic joy froze instantly, and then he cried.

Without warning, like a child who had suffered a great injustice, tears and snot streamed down her face as she stared blankly at Li Guanqi.

"You are not Tierra".

"You are not Tiera! You are not!"

He released Li Guanqi's shoulder, looked around blankly, his eyes empty, as if searching for something but unable to find it.

The next moment, he turned his head sharply, his eyes flashing with resentment and madness.

"You lied to me again! You lied to me again!"

The old man went completely mad, his hands moving like blurs as he frantically pounded on all the buttons on the table.

boom! boom! boom!
The entire alchemy workshop erupted in chaos!

The enormous hourglass on the ceiling shattered with a deafening roar, sending golden sand swirling back into the air and creating a bizarre sandstorm. The elevator and seesaw structure crashed violently up and down, emitting a piercing metallic groan, while large pieces of metal fell from the sky.

All the lights went out instantly, plunging the entire space into darkness, with only the towering, pitch-black altar emitting a faint glow.

"You lied to me again—!"

The old man let out a hoarse, broken roar, and an invisible force of rules spread out from him!

puff!

The familiar, tearing pain pierced his back once more. Li Guanqi's body stiffened, and when he looked down, three bloody holes appeared out of nowhere in his chest and abdomen, from which blood gushed.

He clutched his wound, staggered backward, trying to escape this place of right and wrong that was about to collapse.

"Still want to run?"

A cold arm gripped him tightly, with such force that there was no room for resistance.

They are lovers who have been fully revived.

She gasped for breath, glancing at the still-wailing old man, and pulled Li Guanqi away.

"This way," the Pope's voice was icy, "the secret realm is about to collapse, don't kill anyone."

The lover obeyed the order, dragging Li Guanqi along as they rushed toward the altar.

When she saw the pure black card at the top of the altar that was devouring light, she couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart.

Is this the source of all the trouble?

"Your Holiness the Pope," the lover said, quickly approaching, "have you ever heard of the Divine Child?"

The Pope frowned, mentally signaled to the sun, and said, "It's recorded in the Primordial Codex, child. When you become Pope, you can go and read it."

The lovers smiled slightly and said nothing more.

Ignoring the external collapse, the Pope stared intently at the top of the altar and stepped onto the stairs.

He knew he couldn't take the card.

But this trip was worthwhile.

Obtaining the Symbiosis Card is only the first step. To make something of others work for you, you must refine it.

This altar before us is the best refining furnace.

The altar was ready, and the perfect offerings were also ready.

As for the gods who accept the offerings...

Of course, it was himself.

As long as he refines this kid's symbiotic card, he can completely escape the pursuit of the Spirit Binding Division.

Even at this moment, he remained extremely vigilant.

Because, in the past two years, whenever he felt that everything was ready and victory was assured, that persistent bastard would always jump out.

The idea just came up.

Wow——!
A flash of cold light pierced the air, grazing the Pope's cheek before landing firmly on the stone steps in front of him, the hilt of the sword still humming.

Boom!

The secret realm flickered, and pale lightning tore apart the workshop's crumbling dome. Cold raindrops fell from outside the secret realm, pelting everyone.

"This is really troublesome."

The Pope, the Sun, and the Lovers all slowly turned their heads at the same time, looking back at the way they had come.

“Yu Cheng Bi Nai’er”.

Li Guanqi struggled to move his eyes, using his last bit of strength to make out the figure standing at the entrance.

Her black robe was already tattered, the left side of her face was deathly pale, and there was a hideous claw mark on her forehead, extending from her brow to the corner of her eye, as if she had been viciously scratched by some wild beast.

“Youcheng…” Li Guanqi let out a soft groan.

In that memory belonging to the Serpent Bell, he always traveled through the world's "villains" such as Bakura, Hubert, Kiryu, and Yama.

But in fact, before they became villains, they were all partners of that group of silly protagonists.

"Put him down!"

When Bina saw the severely injured and bleeding Li Guanqi, she let out a roar of suppressed rage.

With a loud bang, his right hand rapidly expanded and deformed, transforming into a ferocious dark claw covered in jet-black scales.

Even though Qi Mengsi repeatedly reminded her not to clash with the Pope.

But a hero's code of honor wouldn't allow her to stand by and watch her comrade die.

With only two trusted confidants left, if we can force the Pope to reveal his abilities now, he will definitely not be able to escape once the secret realm dissipates!
Her mission was thus accomplished.

The sun and lovers stand in front of the Pope, poised to fight.

Outside the secret realm of Gulatia, the army of the Juling Division surrounded the area completely.

Behind the wall of people, Qi Mengsi clasped her hands together, staring intently at the violently flickering light screen whose edges were constantly peeling off.

"Boss, the medical team and bomb disposal team are all in position." A subordinate stepped forward quickly and reported in a low voice.

"I understand." Qi Mengsi replied without turning her head, her voice tense.

The raindrops had suddenly become denser, lashing her face with a chill, but she was oblivious, muttering to herself.

"Please...please don't act rashly, Binael."

Within the secret realm, Binair transformed into a blur of light tearing through the darkness, charging straight toward the altar with an air of fighting to the death.

"That idiot!" Li Guanqi cursed inwardly with all his might.

How can there be such a stubborn and naive person! Can't they see this is a trap?!

Just as Binair stepped halfway up the altar steps, Li Guanqi suddenly raised his arm and swung it with all his might.

A handful of warm blood streaked through the air and splashed precisely onto Binel's face.

The scalding touch and the strong smell of blood were like a bucket of ice water poured on Binel's burning rage.

Her steps suddenly stopped.

She froze on the steps, staring blankly at the man lying in a pool of blood, who could barely lift his eyes.

He refused the rescue.

He drew a line with his own blood.

Bina was momentarily at a loss. The courage and anger she had mustered to rush forward were completely drained by the opponent's weak movement, leaving her only with a sense of absurdity and powerlessness.

She came to save him, but he told her to mind her own business.

No matter how skilled a doctor is, they cannot save someone who wants to die.

"A rational choice." The Pope chuckled, no longer looking at the troublesome woman, and turned to step onto the last few steps, reaching the top of the altar.

The top of the altar is not flat, but a slightly concave circular stone platform, like a plate for holding offerings.

The obsidian and bone that make up the plate are most severely eroded here. The obsidian has pale, bone-like patterns, while the bone is pitch black like an abyss. The two materials devour each other and depend on each other.

It resembles the Yin and Yang, or the Tai Chi symbol.

Standing here, even light and sound are sucked away, leaving only a chilling stillness.

The Pope looked down at everything below, his eyes no longer filled with fanaticism, but only with cold calculation.

He opened his arms as if embracing his own kingdom.

"Bring him up here."

"The offerings are ready to go."

The sun and the lover, one on each side, placed the blood-soaked Li Guanqi on the altar.

Warm blood flowed down his body, spreading across the eerie black and white stone platform, as if adding a glaring red to this distorted yin-yang symbol.

The collapse of the secret realm is intensifying, and the thunder and storms outside are becoming increasingly chaotic.

The lover put Li Guanqi down, his fingers casually brushing against his waist, and took a small step back, clearing his mind.

Seeing this, Binaire, who was below the steps, was furious. She transformed into a black shadow and rushed up again without regard for anything else.

On the altar, Li Guanqi lay on his back, panting, when suddenly a weak smile appeared on his face.

Ignoring the approaching Binaire, the Pope walked to the center of the altar and picked up a bone nail made of pale bones from a groove in the obsidian.

The bone nail was covered with intricate runes.

He raised the bone nail high and aimed it at Li Guanqi's chest cavity.

"Rest in peace, my child."

Just as the Pope swung the bone nail!
A sudden change occurred!

The dying Li Guanqi suddenly sprang up, a gleaming dagger appearing in his hand, and thrust it straight at the Pope's throat!

At the same instant, his lover beside him also moved!

She drew a similar dagger from her waist with her other hand, and like a viper emerging from its hole, stabbed it towards the Pope's back!

"too slow."

The Pope remained unmoved, his expression tinged with mockery.

Pfft——!
The bone nail fell so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to see it, striking first and piercing Li Guanqi's chest.

At the same time. *Pfft!*
Another dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh.

The lover froze, looking down in disbelief at the knife tip protruding from his abdomen.

She turned around with difficulty and saw the sun's expressionless face.

“Your Holiness is always right.” Sun’s voice was icy as he abruptly drew his sword, swung the hilt back, and slammed it heavily against his lover’s neck.

The lover let out a muffled groan, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Haha...hahahaha..."

Li Guanqi laughed loudly, spitting out mouthfuls of blood that stained the Pope's robes red.

There was no pain in that laughter, only an indescribable madness and pleasure.

"Are you joyful to go to God's kingdom, child?"

The laughter inexplicably irritated the Pope.

Unable to speak, Li Guanqi coughed up mouthfuls of blood, letting out muffled, hoarse laughter: "Hahahahahaha."

Seeing Li Guanqi nailed to the altar, Binaire held back no longer. She exploded into a swirling cloud of dark mist, increasing her speed by three points as she charged straight at the Pope!
The Pope sensed a sense of crisis.

He quickly spread his arms wide, palms facing the sun and his fallen lover.

The sun understood something, and a fanatical piety appeared on its face. It knelt on one knee, closed its eyes, placed one hand on its chest, and chanted loudly:
"For the glory of the Order of the Fathers!"

boom--!
An invisible, terrifying suction force erupted from the Pope's palm!

The sun and the lover's bodies withered at a visible rate, their life essence completely devoured by the Pope.

The pitch-black shadowy mist was already overhead, and a ferocious dark claw emerged from the mist, tearing through the air with the force of thunder, grabbing for the back of the Pope's neck!

Outside the secret realm, a pale white bolt of lightning tore through the sky at that very moment.

"Stop it."

The Pope took a deep breath and growled.

"time!"

Om-!
The whole world was put on pause.

Raindrops falling from the cracks in the dome froze in mid-air, like suspended crystals.

The lightning that tore through the sky transformed into a still, grotesque, enormous painting.

The shadowy mist that Binel had transformed into, along with that deadly dark claw, came to an abrupt halt less than an inch from the Pope's neck, without even a ripple of movement.

The entire collapsed workshop fell into an eerie, absolute silence.

Li Guanqi's maniacal laughter froze, forever frozen in that moment.

The reaction limit of the human eye is one-hundredth of a second; any change that takes less than this time cannot be detected.

The Pope's ability is to slow down that one-hundredth of a second by a factor of ten thousand.

For him, one-hundredth of a second in the outside world is one hundred seconds in his life.

For those one hundred seconds, he was the only god in the world.

The Pope glanced coldly at Dark Claw, who was right in front of him. Under normal circumstances, this arrogant woman would already be a corpse.

But now, he has more important things to do.

He turned around and looked again at Li Guanqi, who was unable to move on the altar.

We must enjoy these perfect offerings and altars that we've worked so hard to find.

The pope's face lit up with a morbid excitement at the thought of the "delicious" experience he was about to enjoy.

He reached out and gently stroked the bone nail in Li Guanqi's chest, his fingertip stained with warm blood. He then brought it to his lips and licked it lightly.

He closed his eyes, revealing an expression of utter ecstasy.

"Awesome."

"Ah~ what kind of card could it be?"

"What a wonderful child."

He leaned down, got close to Li Guanqi's ear, and whispered perversely while making cuts across Li's chest with a knife.

No matter what world you're in, opening blind boxes is always an exciting thing.

The Pope's gaze suddenly turned cold. He swung his hand and plunged a knife into Li Guanqi's heart. With a twist of his wrist, the still slightly beating heart was completely ripped out.

He held his heart high in the lightning, as if offering a sacrifice to some non-existent god, his face full of piety and fanaticism.

"God loves the world...?"

He recited it softly, but his voice caught in his throat halfway through.

Using the dim light of the altar, he carefully examined the "offerings" in his hands.

wrong.

His smile gradually froze.

What about the symbiotic card?

Normally, the symbiotic card will integrate with the host's heart, but there will always be one or two corners sticking out.

But the heart in his hand, apart from a bloody hole, had a smooth and intact surface, with no trace of the card at all.

Could it be that……

He forcibly extinguished the absurd thought that had just popped into his head.

No, it's impossible.

This kid's symbiotic card must be special, completely hidden inside his heart. Yes, that must be it; after all, it's a fragment of spacetime, so it's normal for it to be a little special.

The Pope took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable restlessness in his heart.

He switched to a smaller, sharper knife, and with the gentleness of handling a priceless treasure, carefully cut open the heart.

He was afraid that if he used too much force, he would damage the card he had been dreaming of.

however--

Cut it open, and there's nothing there.

I cut again, but still nothing.

He had dissected the entire heart into pieces; there was nothing left but flesh and blood.

No card.

There is no symbiotic card in the heart!
"Impossible...this is impossible!"

The Pope's breathing suddenly became heavy. He threw away the rotten flesh in his hand and pounced back on Li Guanqi like a madman.

He no longer cared about papal decorum or divine elegance; his hands transformed into claws, frantically churning and rummaging inside Li Guanqi's chest.

Like a homeless person who has been starving for three days and three nights, searching for food to fill their stomach in a garbage dump.

Since there was nothing in his chest, he moved downwards, taking out the organs from his abdominal cavity one by one, crushing and tearing them apart.

Liver, no.

Spleen: Not present.

Stomach? No!

Nothing at all!

"No...this...how could this be..."

The Pope stopped moving. He was covered in blood and knelt blankly on the altar, his eyes vacant.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Li Guanqi's face.

The maniacal laughter on that young face before his death was frozen in time, and the curve of his lips now seemed full of silent mockery.

The image of him laughing maniacally while spitting blood kept replaying in his mind.

Why would a dying person laugh so happily?
Why does a sacrifice nailed to the altar... look like a victor?
"Could it be that……"

The Pope's pupils contracted sharply as a detail he had deliberately ignored, yet which was incredibly fatal, suddenly exploded in his mind.

From beginning to end, he ignored one of the most basic questions.

If this person truly possesses a fragment of time and space, then he, like him, is a chosen one.

How could they be caught so easily? And yet they can't escape?
At first, he thought that Li Guanqi's ability had strict activation restrictions.

But actually, there is another possibility.

It was something he never dared to imagine, and if proven true, it would make him a huge laughingstock.

The Pope's gaze was fixed on the back of Li Guanqi's neck, where there was an unnatural, tiny bump, covered by blood and hair.

His hand trembled uncontrollably as he slowly reached out.

My fingertips touched that skin; it was cold and stiff.

The Pope gritted his teeth, and with a sudden burst of force, his fingernails pierced deep into his flesh!

puff.

He gripped it tightly and then swung it away.

He ripped out a bloody chunk of flesh and dropped it on the ground.

In his palm, there was something cold and hard.

The Pope stiffly lowered his head, inch by inch, to look at his palm.

It was a blood-stained one—

Metal eyeball.

"Hahaha--"

The Pope's laughter echoed across the empty altar, initially low and deep, then growing louder and sharper until he was trembling with laughter and tears streamed down his face.

He gripped the cold metal object tightly in his palm.

The audience's prelude.

A fantastical creature.

He meticulously planned and maneuvered against the Spirit Control Bureau, even sacrificing six of his most loyal subordinates, only to ultimately seize... a mere virtual toy.

On the altar, the body of "Li Guanqi," which he had personally dismembered, was silently turning into specks of light and dissipating.

Like a farcical play, the curtain has fallen.

And he was the clown who was being played around with.

"Haha...hahahaha..."

The Pope laughed even louder, appearing completely mad.

Just as his laughter reached its most hysterical moment, a sinister voice sounded close to the back of his neck.

"surprise".

The Pope's laughter stopped abruptly, and his blood froze instantly.

This voice...

"boom!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out behind me, like some kind of glass container shattering.

This feels like...
He stiffened abruptly, his neck making a cracking sound as he slowly turned around.

In my line of sight, a broken, vacuum tube-like device turned to dust.

Behind the dust stood an unharmed Li Guanqi.

He was tilting his head, his face displaying an expression of keen interest, as if he were studying an insect.

(A Dream of Purgatory)

"you!"

Humiliation, anger, and terror—countless emotions overwhelmed the Pope's reason in an instant.

He roared and poured all his strength into the dagger in his hand, stabbing it recklessly toward Li Guanqi's heart!
However, the speed he was so proud of was laughably slow in the eyes of his opponent.

The Pope felt a sudden numbness in his wrist as the dagger was effortlessly caught between two fingers.

He didn't even see Li Guanqi's movements clearly.

"Your time is up." Li Guanqi's tone was calm and indifferent.

Snapped!
Snapped!
Snapped!
Three crisp sounds rang out simultaneously, like the dull sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh.

The Pope's movements froze in mid-air as he stared in astonishment at a heart still beating faintly in the air.

A heart... inlaid with an epic symbiotic card.

His gaze struggled downwards, landing on the gaping, bloody hole in his chest.

"You," the Pope subconsciously reached out to Li Guanqi.

But the other person only held his heart, brushed past him, and left only his back view.

"God...son..." the Pope murmured, the light in his pupils completely fading, and he slowly lost his life.

Li Guanqi casually detached the symbiotic card from his heart.

Holding the dagger, expressionless, he stabbed himself three times in the chest and abdomen.

puff!puff!puff!

The three holes that were exactly the same as those on Li Guanqi's body appeared on his own body.

"hiss……"

Li Guanqi's brows furrowed sharply, but a twisted smile spread across his lips.

"It really fucking hurts."

He muttered a curse under his breath and placed the Pope's Symbiosis Card into the altar.

The refining process was proceeding in the most brutal way; the symbiotic card merged into his body in less than three breaths.

He pulled out the pale bone nail that was embedded in the altar, still bearing specks of light left behind when the fantastical creature vanished.

The crazy old man in the tall hat had somehow arrived at the altar and was squatting next to the Pope's corpse, curiously poking at it.

“Old sir,” Li Guanqi called out.

The old man raised his head blankly.

Li Guanqi handed over the bone nail, saying, "Can you do me a favor?"

He lay back down in the center of the altar, in the same posture as the previous "sacrifice," and then pointed to his chest.

"Do it again, just like before."

The mad old man was stunned for a moment, then his cloudy eyes burst forth with a light of wild joy.

He snatched the bone nail, held it high, and a sinister, twisted smile appeared on his face.

"Happy to oblige!"

Boom——!
A pale white flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating his crazed face.

He swung his arm down suddenly, and the bone nail, with a whooshing sound, pierced Li Guanqi's chest with perfect precision.

Position, angle, force.

It was exactly the same as when the Pope pierced the nail.

"boom!"

At that very moment, the entire secret realm, like a glass dome pierced by this attack, collapsed with a deafening roar!
"90 points, well done."

"It's been a long time since anyone got such a high score."

The old man's calm narration echoed in Li Guanqi's mind.

In a daze, the black halo on the altar suddenly expanded, and the secret realm vanished like smoke.

"Splash—" Outside, a torrential downpour was in full swing.

The five bodies on the altar, mixed with spatial fragments and rain, fell simultaneously from the sky.

Li Guanqi looked up and finally saw the card name clearly—the card that made the old man say, "You be human, I'll be a god, how about that?"

[The Great Reversal Puzzle].

World-destroying level.

Pay all your activations, guess the type of a card, and if you guess correctly, choose two items to exchange.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Five bodies landed one after another, crashing heavily into the muddy water, splashing up murky water.

The army of the Soul-Binding Division, which had been waiting for a long time, swarmed forward.

In the rain, a daring riot police officer cautiously stepped forward.

He crouched down, his trembling hand first probing the Pope's neck, then abruptly withdrew.

Immediately afterwards, he ripped open the Pope's magnificent robes, which were soaked in blood.

The hollow chest cavity was exposed to the cold rain.

"Dead...dead! The Pope is dead!"

The riot police officer's voice was hoarse, tinged with a hint of unbelievable elation.

"Symbiosis Card!" another person exclaimed, "His symbiosis card is gone!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding members of the secret service stirred, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes, like searchlights, began to search frantically through the mud and ruins.

"Medical team! Where is the medical team!" A frantic shout drowned out the sound of rain and noise.

Ignoring the priceless corpse, Biner scrambled to Li Guanqi's side, pressing her hands tightly against the bleeding hole in his chest, but warm blood still couldn't be stopped from seeping out from between her fingers.

Soon, Qi Mengsi trudged through the mud and water, followed by a whole medical team.

She looked at Li Guanqi, who was covered in blood and barely recognizable, and then at Binaier, who was unharmed but somewhat disheveled. Her tense nerves finally relaxed.

"It's good that everyone is alright." She reached out and pressed her hand on Bina's shoulder, her voice somewhat low. "Li Guanqi's sacrifice... you don't need to blame yourself too much."

"No!" Binaire was almost crying, pointing at the person beneath her, her words incoherent. "He still has a heartbeat! Look! This...this...he can still be saved!"

"Heartbeat?" Qi Mengsi was stunned.

She lowered her head, and the moment her gaze fell upon Li Guanqi's chest, she froze on the spot.

Although the clothes there had four large holes, the area around the heart was intact.

Her mind went blank.

The King's prophecy...was wrong?
how can that be!

"What... exactly happened?" Qi Mengsi asked, her voice filled with a clear sense of bewilderment.

"Let's save them first!" Binel stamped her feet anxiously.

Qi Mengsi came to her senses, raised her palm, and gently pressed it against Li Guanqi's body.

Countless emerald green vines and flower buds appeared out of nowhere, quickly climbing all over his body and gently plugging the four still-bleeding holes.

The medical team immediately stepped forward and hurriedly lifted the unconscious Li Guanqi onto a stretcher.

"Let me tell you!"

With the crisis over, Binelle caught her breath and gestured excitedly, "The situation was terrifying! Your fiancé was covered in blood and dragged onto that dark platform. The Pope took a white bone nail and 'plop' stabbed it into him!"

"I was frantic at the time, I rushed over without thinking..."

Boom!
Qi Mengsi withdrew the chop she had used to strike her head and interrupted her impatiently.

"Didn't I tell you not to clash with the Pope?"

She scolded him, but then sighed with relief, "It's good that you're alright."

After saying that, her gaze fell back on Li Guanqi.

The King's prophecy has never been wrong.

How exactly did he survive?

Where did the Papal Symbiosis Card go?

Qi Mengsi's gaze hardened again, and she looked up to order the scene to be sealed off:

"We'll dig three feet into the ground to find the Pope's symbiosis card!"

The order was given, and the administrative staff and interns stationed in Latia immediately sprang into action, joining the search party of the secret service members. In an instant, beams of flashlight beams crisscrossed the muddy ruins.

In the chaos, Chu Chan staggered through the crowd, his gaze fixed on Chu Linfeng lying in a pool of blood.

He reached out, but stopped an inch away from the cold body, his arm trembling violently, unable to utter a sound.

"Waaah—!" An extremely untimely baby's cry pierced the tense atmosphere sharply.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yimi X rolling around in the mud with her bare legs exposed, only covered by Tang Xin's coat.

Xia Sheng ignored the baby's cries, walked to a corner, squatted down, picked up some mud with his fingertips, and washed the fragments out in the rain.

It was just some more glass powder.

When Li Guanqi said to hide it well, there was also this glass powder behind that rock. Qiqi stood in the rain, looking at the mess on the ground, and then looked up at the sky.

A sliver of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds and shone on her face.

The rain stopped.

(End of this chapter)