The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Even if Anser did not hide anything, they might not be able to discover some characteristics that even Anser himself had forgotten.

Only... the person who has been watching Ansher from beginning to end can discover everything about Ansher.

But if that's the case, then it means...

There was a moment of trance in Anser's eyes.

This means that the downfall of Number Nine did not come from his preaching, not from the influence accumulated over time, and perhaps not even from the first time he bewitched Number Nine.

But from the moment they met, she was already hopeless.

However, neither Ansher nor Number Nine himself noticed this decline.

"Mr. Anser, I heard from Ms. Fafner that when you first came to the West Country, you used that power wantonly and enjoyed the pleasure of trampling and dominating others."

Number Nine lowered his eyes meekly and gently stroked Anser's palm: "Three years ago, you were 'betrayed' by Miss Ming Fuluo. You didn't want to trust anyone anymore, so you only trusted that power, the power that could make people unconditionally addicted to you, submit to you, and let you dominate them."

"But now, you almost never use that power. Are you absolutely confident in your ability to control others?"

"No, it's not."

She gently placed Anser's hand on her face and said with a look of nostalgia and reassurance, "Ms. Fafner said that you gave up doing this after a fierce battle with the Grand Duke of Dragon Language, and disappeared soon after."

"You had not yet received the contract at that time, and you were still very young, but you were able to leave such a deep shadow on Grand Duke Long Yu. I think there should be only one answer as to how you did it."

"You used that power on yourself, just for those innocent people who were forced to undergo bio-alchemy and transformed into dragonmen in order to fulfill the ambitions of the Grand Duke of Dragon Tongue."

Until now, Anser had not spoken.

He no longer tried his best to deny the other party's words and the emotions in his heart like he did when facing the counterattack of Xitana and Ming Furo. At this moment, he did not say anything like "this is all your fantasy", but just... remained silent.

That dazed look seemed like he was recalling the past because of Number Nine's words.

“That’s when I really understood.”

Number Nine laughed. "No matter what, you always have kindness in your heart... During that journey three years ago, you wanted to be a righteous adventurer. At that time, you already wanted to change the plight of the West."

She held Anser's hand to her heart and whispered sadly, "But you couldn't accept Miss Ming Fuluo's betrayal, so you decided to make yourself cold and cruel enough during that journey. Even so... you couldn't ignore the great suffering."

"And you realized this, and you hated yourself for the hypocrisy of wanting to save someone even though you had committed a sin. You hated yourself for...being unable to make a decision."

What would Anser be thinking at that time, after defeating the Grand Duke of Dragon Language and saving a group of innocent people who might have been forcibly transformed and experienced inhuman despair?

Would he be pleased with his own righteousness? Would he be happy with the gratitude of these people?

No, he wouldn't, because he knew his determination better than anyone else, and he understood better than anyone else... that it was wrong to do so.

If we continue like this, we will not be able to defeat fate.

"From that time on, you should have chosen this path. As long as you can fight against that enemy, you must achieve it no matter what, and then... you have come this far."

"I walked to Miss Sitana and Miss Ming Fuluo, who were attached to each other and helped each other."

Number Nine…finally reveals the nature of Anser’s dilemma.

"And they turned you into the person you hated, the one who couldn't make a choice. You knew that you had to do whatever it took to defeat the unknown enemy, but you let Miss Sitana and Miss Ming Furo... lead you back to that glorious path."

The just and upright are destined to become a heroic epic and the path of the sun.

But was that Xitana and Ming Fuluo's fault? If Anser had never expected the splendid scene, how could they change Anser so easily? Or...how could Anser really make them return to their hearts?

So Nine said gently, "But that's what you were looking forward to, right?"

"You have done so many commissions and so many things since you came to the West Country. In fact, it is not to relax, but to make up for the regrets in the past. You want to become the sun more than anyone else, don't you?"

I want to change the empire, I want to let the ordinary people of the West live with dignity, these thoughts and ideas are all very real, without any falsehood.

Number Nine could see the torment and pain that Ansel was going through at the moment, so how could he not see... that burning desire.

Was it obvious that he kept backing off from Sitana and Ming Furo because he favored them, or was it that he also had kindness in his heart?

- If Ansir Hydra really didn't have any good intentions, how could he feel hypocritical because of his instinctive rescue to fight against fate?

It is precisely because he always retains the desire to change all this deep in his soul that he cannot accept... that he has done such a thing under the twist of fate, and cannot accept such a thing that goes against his own nature.

But now Anser has been on that path for too long.

Just like what he said in the commission to find a cat in the lower city of Strife Castle.

The way back is always difficult.

Anser never thought about turning back, but the two girls he chose made it possible for him to turn back.

So he was never just cursed by "love", but this love carried the brilliant life that Anser longed for but could not get.

"so what?"

There was no fierce questioning or rebuttal, no bitter sarcasm or ridicule. Anser just calmly and indifferently asked No. 9: "Even if you know all this, what can you do?"

Yes, knowing all this, what can Number Nine do?

She didn't even know what Anther was facing. She was just inventing an unknown enemy based on Anther's reaction. No. 9 was not as good as Xitana and Ming Furo, not as good as Crow and Rhine, not as good as too many people in terms of ability, talent, or everything she knew...

What else could she do except understand herself to this extent?

"What to do...isn't this very simple?"

Faced with this unsolvable problem, Number Nine for the first time showed such a pure and warm smile on her face, which was completely different from the girl she used to be.

Just like she used to be.

"Just be the sun you wish for."

She smiled sweetly: "Just go do what you want to do, fulfill your long-cherished wish, and run towards the glorious future with Miss Xitana and Miss Ming Fuluo, isn't that good?"

"How can I—"

Anserben subconsciously wanted to refute, but when he saw the innocent and sweet smile on Number Nine's face, the words were choked in his throat.

He thought about...what Number Nine wanted to do and what he could do.

He finally understood why Number Nine said that she was the only one qualified.

“This question has been simple from the beginning.”

Number Nine boldly held Anser's fingers tightly, as if to feel every inch of the warmth in Anser's palm. He closed his eyes and felt it carefully, while whispering softly:

"If Miss Xitana and Miss Ming Fuluo love you wholeheartedly and are willing to sacrifice everything for you, then you don't have to worry and can continue on your path of doing whatever it takes."

"It's a pity that they are not, so this path won't work."

"In that case...wouldn't it be better to take another route?"

She opened her eyes, and those originally creepy and scary dark pupils were now filled with indelible tenderness.

"You walk the perfect and glorious path with them, and let someone who can give everything for you walk the vicious and dark path."

Marina Lancemalos, a madwoman who gave everything for the one she loved, spoke such...cruel and crazy words so firmly and tenderly.

She would walk through the thorny forest, the rotten and muddy swamp, the dark valley, and everything for Anser... the road that caused Anser pain and suffering.

And Anser only needs to become what he wants, the sun that shines on everything.

"...What are you talking about?" Anser's calm tone became a little unstable. He stared at Marina's dark eyes, "Do you think this is making a choice? What's the difference between me acquiescing to you and indulging you to do this and me doing it myself?"

"How could you acquiesce to me?"

Marina laughed cheerfully. She stood up, twirled her skirt happily, and said with a charming smile: "Have you forgotten how cunning I am? I can see into your mind, Mr. Anser. I can do..."

Make the choice that Anser wanted to make but didn't make.

In other words... she had the awareness and ability to make a decision even before Ansel said it out loud, or even when it was just a thought that flashed through his mind and he had no intention of putting it into practice.

Yes, this is Marina’s talent... no, it is the ability that the only person beside Ansel who is willing to give everything for him must possess.

The crimes she committed and the evil she did were never condoned by Ansel, but rather... her "self-righteousness".

You can never be wrong, self-righteous.

"And the most crucial point, Mr. Anser."

The flying skirt slowly fell down, and the dark witch bent down, held Ansel's cheeks with both hands, and pressed her forehead against his.

"This is more important than my talent or your predicament, and it is the key to gaining your recognition."

She opened her eyes and gazed into the sea-blue eyes that had never been so close to her. She spoke happily in a nostalgic tone, calling out to her lover:

"You don't love me."

Ansir Hydra would never fall in love with someone who sacrificed everything for him.

Therefore, he would not fall in love with such a stupid and crazy woman; therefore, no matter what happened to this stupid woman, he would not fall into the dilemma of being unable to make a decision like he did when facing those two girls.

Abandon what should be abandoned, abandon what should be thrown away... As long as this stupid woman did anything wrong, he could make a decision easily and without hesitation.

Yes, the "love" that Marina talked about to Suslen, which could finalize the matter, was neither her love for Ansel, nor Ansel's love for her.

It's because Marina knows better than anyone else -

You don't love me.

Chapter 8: It’s Not Too Late to Awaken (K)

Xitana spat out a mouthful of blood, and the demon wolf with a red and black aura behind it raised its head and roared.

There were no longer any living creatures within thirty meters around her. There were torn dragon heads, ripped-off wings, torsos beaten into mud, and thick white bones broken... The wolf beast in the Shura purgatory wiped the blood from its face, its dark red eyes filled with the joy of fighting and a bit of uncontrollable fatigue.

The girl clenched her hands, which were shaking from the long and intense fighting. She looked up at the sky and soared into the sky just as a huge flying dragon was about to cross the defense line. The flying dragon was still flapping its wings when the phantom of the red-black magic wolf penetrated its chest directly, holding its sternum tightly, and then tore a bloody rain in the air.

Hitana stepped on the dragon corpse that she had torn in half, and while shaking the already dead dragon into meat paste, she used the force to fly towards another dragon that was trying to break through the defense line, smashing its head, tearing it apart alive, and killing it... She repeated this cycle over and over again. Her figure, as if covered in blood, drew countless crazy blood lines in the air. The wails of dragons and the roars of demon wolves resounded through the sky, making every extraordinary person who had not yet evacuated feel a chill in their hearts.

They had never seen such a bizarre monster. As long as she could survive a period of time in the melee, it would be almost impossible to cause any harm to her. If they wanted to defeat this leader dubbed as a natural disaster, they could either use overwhelming force to harm her or rely on numbers to exhaust her.

But now, the high-level dragon species were almost completely suppressed by Hydra, and Hitana Lancemalos... had been fighting on the battlefield for a whole day and night - and she had both arms broken in the battle with a fifth-level dragon species yesterday, but her energy is still not exhausted.

But even though she had left an indelible mark of the God of Killing in the hearts of the extraordinary people in the past few days, and she was so enthusiastic about fighting and hunting, her face was full of solemnity and anger.

"How can there be so many of these damn lizards?"

After kicking the huge dragon head with a diameter of two or three meters, Xitana fell from the air and looked at the seemingly endless dragon tide in the distance, cursing: "What giant dragon? It's obviously a cockroach! And Ming Fuluo, where have you been!"

In the end, Anther did not stop Hitana from going to the battlefield to resist the dragon disaster, because in her eyes, this was not only a salvation for the civilians of the Western Country, but also a way to help Anther fight against fate. Now Hitana could not find anything more meaningful than this, so Anther could not stop her no matter what she did.

It just so happened that Anther didn't want Ming Furo to continue to maintain the ex machina, so he let them act together on the defense line. Although both of them were only level four, with the high-level combat power basically swept away by Anther, these two contracted heads were enough to start a massacre on the battlefield.

And if Hitana seems to be the biggest god of death on this battlefield, then Ming Furo is the real "god of death".

As a high-end force, the mechanical deity gave Anser a power that was almost invincible below the sixth level, but Ming Furo was originally best at ruthless slaughter at the middle and low levels.

Six hundred and sixty-six autonomous floating cannons were scattered throughout the front lines and fired crazily. No one could remember how many sub-dragon species the floating cannons had killed in the past few days. No matter how unbelievable it was, to Ming Furo, it was just a meaningless number.

"I just went deep into the Tiantu Mountains."

Iron-gray particles condensed beside Xitana, and light flowed in Ming Furo's palm, projecting the scenery of the mountains standing in the center of the continent and reaching the sky.

"You're crazy!" Xitana shuddered violently, obviously frightened. She widened her eyes and said in disbelief, "Aren't you afraid of being torn to pieces by the old monster hiding in there? Didn't Anser warn you not to take advantage of your special situation and try to run in to peek?"

The special nature of Nidhogg allowed Ming Furo to bypass the perception of many crazy dragon species. She had previously mentioned to Anther her plan to sneak into the Tiantu Mountains to find out the truth, but was rejected by Anther.

The fact that Flamel and the future Blue Sky Wolf Emperor can come and go freely in the Tiantu Mountains does not mean that the mountain range that has stretched across the continent for hundreds of thousands of years or even longer is free of danger. Ming Furo does not have to worry about physical damage due to the special nature of her body, but the price is that her soul is particularly vulnerable to harm. Anser does not even know what kind of dangers are lurking in the Tiantu Mountains, and it is impossible for him to agree to Ming Furo's aggressive request.

He thought that with Ming Fuluo's rationality and calmness, no matter how much she wanted to help him, she would not do such a reckless thing, but she did it anyway.

"Do you think this is a solution?" Ming Furo asked back, "It won't be surprising if fate releases Ivora. If we delay for another two days, all the extraordinary people may escape. By then, it will take Anser a lot of time just to deal with the raging dragon disaster. What about Ivora? And..."

"…And what?"

When Xitana saw that Furo's face looked a little strange, she began to have a bad feeling in her heart.

Ming Fuluo waved her hand to summon the floating cannon, which blasted the nearest Asian dragon several hundred meters away to pieces. She lowered her eyes and said in a deep voice, "I'll tell you about that later. It's very important. We must do it while Anser is not here. As for now, I will tell you about the Tiantu Mountains first, and by the way, I will force back this wave of invasion."

Then she followed closely behind Xitana, and quickly explained on the battlefield where blood and flesh were flying everywhere: "I knew my limits and didn't go too deep, but I also made a very important discovery."

The miniature scene projected on Ming Fuluo's palm showed countless giant dragons flying towards her, which made her scalp numb. Xitana's eyes twitched. "Is it really endless? How can there be so many?"

"Look more carefully." Ming Fuluo magnified the scene on the light screen, "See what these dragons are doing."

With a casual punch, a red-black energy wave was sent out, smashing a land dragon into pieces. Shitana frowned and stared at the light curtain, then her expression gradually became horrified.

"Hell..."

She murmured in disbelief, "They're... killing each other?"

The group of dragons in the light curtain flew into a deep valley in the Tiantu Mountains, and then started fighting each other like crazy!

"The Tiantu Mountains, or rather the Dragon Clan...some unknown huge changes have occurred."