Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 298, Section 45: Whose Hand Will the Cup Fall To?

In the photo, between Tian's clenched fingers, a clear tear was ripped into the monster's body, and light shone out from these interconnected holes.

In reality, the fused monster let out a scream that sounded like countless creatures tearing their throats at the same time. Its massive body froze instantly, and you could see that it was being forcibly pried open from the very center.

Scales, bones, flesh—everything was breaking apart. Ink-like filthy blood and fragments of internal organs formed a waterfall, gushing out and pouring into the lake.

"Impossible! How do you know?! What makes you think you know?!"

He let out a roar of impotent rage, his injuries clearly severe enough to take some time to heal.

The photograph in Tian's hand turned to ashes and vanished. He glanced weakly at the angel swooping down, then collapsed to the ground in a spread-eagle position, panting heavily.

A figure landed silently beside him, one step ahead of the angel.

Tian did not turn his head, as if he had expected this person's arrival.

So, without Tian resisting, the figure easily sliced ​​open the skin of his arm with his fingertips, dipped a little blood in it, and tasted it.

"pity."

Ethan, disguised as a vampire with an indistinct face, shook his head.

With just this one sip of blood, he realized that Tian's potential was lower than his own and could not be used to increase his blood energy limit.

It only works if you have a B+ or higher level of ability or the blood of a special extraordinary creature.

However, it can serve as a decent source of blood energy fuel.

"You don't mind if I take some payment, do you?"

Although it was a question, Ethan did not give Tian a choice. In an instant, he cut more wounds on Tian's body, and the gushing blood condensed into a suspended stream of blood, trickling into his mouth.

"Not bad," Ethan commented, casually dispatching a few approaching angels before turning his gaze to the struggling monster in the lake, his figure vanishing from the spot in an instant.

Covered in wounds, Tian watched Ethan leave, struggling to move little by little to the side of a tree, and used all his strength to lean his back against it.

He took off the damaged camera hanging around his neck, and with trembling fingers, pulled out the only remaining blurry photo taken at the Palm House from the album. He stared at it quietly, speechless.

On the monster's violently shaking back, Taki steadied himself, having no time to delve into the details of Tian's strange abilities. He hooked his antlers with his grappling hook, soared into the air, and glanced at the depths of the monster's bloodied and mangled chest cavity.

Amidst the churning filth and writhing black matter, the vague outline of a manor's architecture could be seen, as if its gates were open to them.

The most eye-catching feature is in the main hall, where a statue of an angel with closed eyes stands, identical to those in the Silver Cup Manor, emitting a faint white light.

The silver cup is inside the angel statue!

The thought flashed through her mind, and the grappling hook was thrown out again, hurling her straight toward the statue.

She was quick, but someone could fly.

Ethan, dressed in old-fashioned aristocratic attire, carrying the angel's corpse he had just dealt with, charged straight at the angel statue, leaving a deep red trail of blood in the air.

Taki frowned and followed closely behind.

Just before landing, Ethan tossed the angel's corpse next to the angel sculpture, muttering: Explode!

These angels, transformed from town residents, are fundamentally far removed from true angels. Even though they are no longer made of flesh and blood, they are still within the realm of living beings.

The angel's corpse swelled up and exploded with a loud bang.

Debris flew everywhere, but the angel statue in the center of the hall remained completely unharmed.

“We need to deal with the main body first.” Takii didn’t know his identity, but didn’t mind cooperating for the time being.

Ontology?

Does it refer to this enormous monster, or...?
Beside the angel statue, a demon statue slowly rose, its body pitch black, the exact opposite of the angel emitting a faint glow.

Behind them, the shattered body of the fused monster began to heal, blocking out the moonlight.

The surrounding environment was constantly changing and shifting, and lamps lit up one by one. Only after a few seconds did the speed of change begin to slow down.

At this moment, the interior of this enormous fused monster has transformed into the structure of Silver Cup Manor in the game.

They were in the central hall, with two neat rows of doors.

This dark demon statue is not the real thing.

The real entity is the manor owner who just looks almost exactly like the one in the game, who is walking out of room number thirteen at this moment.

He was tall, with ashen skin, and maintained a basic human form, staring at them with hatred in his eyes.

"No matter who you are, stay here forever."

Taki remained vigilant, keeping an eye on Ethan's reaction out of the corner of her eye.

Ethan suddenly chuckled softly and spoke in archaic French: "Looks like you and I are both old fogies who have survived until now."

This statement was intended to probe the true identity of the manor owner, and its use of Old French also fits the fabricated identity of this Baron Rice.

It can also mislead Muramasa Takii who is standing next to him.

Even if Taki doesn't understand Old French now, he can memorize it first and then go back to find a translator.

The manor owner's expression shifted slightly, showing some surprise, but not much.

He grinned and said, "I am different from you. I am a legend, eternal and immortal."

Before he could finish speaking, he appeared in front of Ethan in a flash, reaching out his large hand to crush the latter's head.

"Ha, such a legend is far too cheap."

A cloud of blood mist exploded on the spot, and Ethan quickly left, leaving the manor owner empty-handed.

The next instant, Takii cleaved through the blood mist and slashed at the manor lord.

The manor owner grabbed the Fire-Breaking Pill, causing it to crack like a spiderweb, but the faint light from the angel statue flowed towards him, and the cracks instantly healed.

"It's all in vain."

Taki's gaze swept quickly over the manor owner's body at close range.

The ram's head badge doesn't seem to be on him.

Sure enough, their previous speculation in the player lobby was correct. That badge must be something that was very important to him, but he didn't want to see it, because seeing it might remind him of some unpleasant past events.

That's why the manor owner's sense of justice was so at ease, hiding the secret in the ram's head badge, since he, having lost himself, wouldn't actively seek it out.

It is now clear that this manor is the original Silver Cup Manor in the game, only it has been assimilated by the manor owner who has completed thirteen rounds of the game.
So, has the arrangement of all the objects remained unchanged?

Ethan had thought of this as well, but he couldn't bring it up himself.

So, for the first time ever, he took the initiative to replace Taki and fight the manor owner to help distract him.

"An angel born from the mud should be called a swamp puppy."

Ethan's words provoked the other party.

The manor owner narrowed his eyes, pulled out the kunai that Taki had thrown, and teleported in front of Ethan in a flash.

Taki quickly found the room of the corresponding small animal and broke in.

This was the tarantula's room. She successfully obtained the potion and then headed towards the study.

All of this was thanks to Uesugi's meticulous summarization and compilation, which he then organized and sent to customers who purchased the information service without reservation.

Otherwise, she really couldn't guarantee that she would remember the servant group's procedures so clearly.

In the hall, the manor owner seemed completely unaware of what Taki was about to do.

However, the pitch-black demon statue suddenly opened its mouth and spat out black water arrows at Taki.

Taki dodged a few times, but finally, unable to avoid it any longer, he drew his demon-slaying sword to block.

It's sizzling!

After gaining this ability, the first weapon she forged was corroded, its surface becoming pitted and uneven, with an ominous aura flowing through its patterns.

It was as if he would kill his master at any moment.

However, as the owner of the Demon Slayer from beginning to end, she was still able to forcefully suppress it.

"go with!"

Takii hurled the Demon Slayer at the demon statue. The demon statue was momentarily slowed, but the Demon Slayer broke in two and was completely destroyed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, she rushed into the study, opened a drawer a crack, poured in the potion, transformed into a tarantula, and crawled inside. The familiar ram's head emblem was inside. She immediately covered the red cross pattern in the wardrobe with her webs, then crawled out of the drawer, slammed into the wall, and reverted to human form.

Having received the badge, Takii stepped out of the room, gritting her teeth against her headache, and chanted the incantation:
“In Hoc Signo Vinces”

The surrounding lampstands swayed and flickered, but made no further move, unlike in the game where they posed no obstacle to the manor lord. It was likely that the manor lord's self-conscious backup plan had failed.

However, this manor owner, who had clearly lost himself, still valued the badge highly.

While fighting Ethan and gaining the upper hand, his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot the moment he saw the badge.

"This is not something you should be interfering in!"

He abandoned his restraint on Ethan and suddenly appeared in front of Taki, his face contorted in a terrifying grimace.

With a headache, Taki barely managed to block the opponent's powerful attack with the Fire-Breaking Pill.

Chi Chi.

The special effect of the Firebreaker Pill, enhanced by the Summoning Hammer, has been exhausted and needs to be renewed.

The manor owner claims to be a legend, but the moves he uses are like the chaotic boxing style of a mad dog, completely without any rules.

It's fast enough!

Fortunately, it wasn't fast enough for Taki to see through it and not be able to use it. It felt even less fast than the previous angel form.

It's a bit like when you're trying to focus on defense, you can't push your speed to its limit.

Ethan observed from the sidelines, occasionally throwing out a few moves, waiting for his chance to strike.

With her keen insight and incredible endurance, Muramasa Takii engaged in a back-and-forth struggle with the manor owner, while also having to dodge the demon statue's spewing attacks from time to time.

The clanging of metal striking metal was incessant. Even without the aid of special abilities, Duanhuowan still performed admirably, at least managing to withstand the manor lord's mad dog punches.

The manor owner appeared out of nowhere behind Takii and threw a punch, which, unsurprisingly, was blocked again.

Using the momentum, Taki jumped into the air and threw out a row of kunai.

The manor owner patted them all down with his arm, then casually waved his hand.

His hand was numb from being hit so many times by Takii's knife.

How can this guy block so well?
It was as if his punch trajectory had been completely predicted.

Ethan, who was watching from the sidelines, seemed to be thinking about something and probably guessed the ability that Taki had shown.

A master in the realm of Soul Travel.

There's no benefit after blocking, otherwise we might have been able to wear down the manor owner to death.

On the other hand, this blocking really didn't seem to consume any energy. Anyone could do it, and the rhythmic clanging almost put him to sleep.

If this continues, even in standby mode, his health won't be able to outlast these two living fathers!
Is this the legendary story of the eldest brother fighting the second brother and killing the third brother?
Ethan is still very ambitious.

He wanted the silver cup.

He wants Muramasa Taki's blood too!
But if he keeps watching them work like this, he'll be the first one to give in.

There was nothing we could do; it exploded.

"With the blood of the moon, from the abyss of eternal night. By the crimson of surging blood, by the putrid blood that breeds in the darkness, this dark prison is crowned with blood. Thus it is complete!"

Muttering a string of spells he had prepared long ago, a mixture of Old French and Latin, Ethan decisively detonated the hemoclotting spores (Note 1).

In an instant, a large plume of blood mist burst forth from his body, completely enveloping the hall.

The manor owner was taken aback; the blood mist had actually obscured his senses.

Taking advantage of this moment, Takii ran to the angel statue based on her memory and tried to pray, but unfortunately the angel statue did not respond.

Inside the blood mist, the manor lord was entangled by Ethan in his burst mode.

The body was constantly attacked, splintering into pieces.

The faint light from the angel statue tried to heal him, but it was disoriented by the blood mist.

Taki looked at the badge in his hand, then pressed it directly to the forehead of the angel statue: "Can you hear me? Tell us, what do we need to do to end this game that's already over?! Hugo!"

The faint light flowing from the angel statue stopped, as if it were struggling with something.

Taking advantage of this opportune moment, Taki said, "Don't you want to end this farce? It's meaningless, an eternal life that means losing yourself!!"

"Remember, do not let greed and hatred cloud your judgment; the Holy Grail does not belong to humankind!"

Click.

The angel statue had developed a crack.

It seems that those words were very impactful, triggering important memories for him.

The power of rhetoric is beyond imagination.

Within the blood mist, a roar from the manor lord echoed simultaneously, his voice tinged with regret.

"I am not Hugo! I am an angel, the angel of eternal freedom!"

Taki wanted to repeat that sentence a few more times, but the demon statue next to him seemed to have recovered from its disconnection and spat at Taki again.

"You're disgusting!" Takii's eyes narrowed as she threw out her summoning hammer, dodging the demon's saliva.

The psychic hammer struck the angel statue.

Bang!
After using up the last of its chances, the Spell Hammer disappeared.

At that moment, the angel statue opened its eyes, which had been sealed for countless years.

Seeing that it was effective, Takii secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised the ram's head badge again, and shouted the incantation.

This time, the faint light surrounding the angel transformed into a powerful beam, like a prism tower, which entered the lampstands on the walls, converging to form a spear of judgment light that struck the manor lord.

Debris flew everywhere, and the manor owner's shoulder was shattered.

He stared incredulously at his shattered wounds, not so much surprised by the injuries themselves, but more horrified that his original self, which had disappeared for many years, had returned.

This shocked him even more than the death of his own body.

Even if his physical body dies, it won't matter much; the water is immortal, the silver cup is eternal, and he can easily be resurrected. But if his true self were to awaken...
“Coo coo… I…” The manor owner’s eyes were full of struggle.

The demon statue beside it closed its eyes unwillingly the moment the angel statue opened them.

"You dare to get distracted!"

Ethan was preoccupied with the matter, and he didn't have much time. This idiot manor owner couldn't do any harm to Taki, and Taki had a hard time breaking through his defenses, which prevented him from having the chance to reap the benefits. He had to deal with the two of them himself.

The light gathered by the angel statue bombarded the manor lord's body again and again, causing his waist, arms, head, and body to gradually crumble under the bombardment.

The crimson in his eyes slowly faded, and his killing intent gradually disappeared. He simply mechanically defended against Ethan's attacks.

Finally, the angel statue gathered one last, intense beam of light, as bright as sunlight, and crashed down upon it.

Smoke and dust billowed, and the manor owner evaporated on the spot, disappearing into the pillar of light.

The angel statue's light dimmed rapidly, its eyes fixed on Muramasa Taki.

He let out a sigh whose meaning was unclear.

"Thanks."

He reached out and inserted his hand into his split abdomen, slowly pulling out a dirty, grayish-white cup.

"silver cup?"

This silver cup looks completely different from the one Takii saw at the end of the game; they are two completely different things.

"Perhaps you can help me escape this painful cycle."

It's unclear whether he finished speaking, but the radiance on the angel statue had completely dissipated.

Taki didn't pick up the silver cup immediately because Ethan was right above her.

　Blood Clotting Spores (Ethan's Pact with the Underworld Ending Reward): Spores nurtured within the body, requiring blood energy for nourishment. They can be detonated when necessary, creating a crimson domain that enhances abilities within the domain. There is no cooldown or energy consumption for using these abilities. However, using them reduces maximum blood energy. A one-time use item.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)