novelraw Chapter 716: I Wanted You to Live, So Why Won't You Live
Chapter 716: I Wanted You to Live, So Why Won't You Live
Arbitrator: ......
Listening to the faint, ghostly voice of [Agony], the Arbitrator found himself completely unable to move, suddenly feeling a chill creeping up from the depths of his being.
Wait, that's not right. I don't have a heart, so how could I possibly feel something like a 'chill' in my heart?
But...
The Arbitrator truly shouldn't have excessive personal emotional judgment. He could even be said to lack his own consciousness. He was like the spirit of the game "CHOSEN'S PARADISE!"
Maintain the stability of the game, uphold the order of the game. That was all.
Why... did he want to kill him? Why does he keep saying I'm his person? I'm nobody's person!
He lifted his head, looking at the [Agony] before him, at the ferocious grin on the other's face.
The aura of divinity on the other party's body had largely faded by now. Compared to when he was fighting [War], he seemed to have weakened considerably.
But the Arbitrator inexplicably didn't dare to face him."Heh heh heh... Remembered now?"
Remember what? I haven't remembered anything!
[I want you dead because your existence disrupts the order and stability of the game.]
The Arbitrator snorted coldly in reply, but failed to convince himself.
Logically speaking, this game should have a share belonging to Agony as well. Where exactly did he disrupt it?
Under Sloth's repeated emphasis, he tried to recall where exactly he had helped the other party within this game.
This recollection turned out to be disastrous. The Arbitrator genuinely started to feel that something wasn't quite right.
From the moment of dismantling this game's puzzle, when he so quickly gave Blank the opportunity to ask questions, allowing her to see the truth of the game clearly.
To when "Sin" produced the Exit Coin, and that lost world, and the gods began to argue.
Why had he so easily opened a loophole this time, treading on the edge of the Rules, letting the gods come to inflict "Punishment" upon him?
And also, back then, just before the final Godslayer Spike pierced "Sin's" head, it seemed he had also provoked the one who made the final move, leading to [Agony] emerging.
Finally, just now!
He had let in too many gods at once, pushing right up against the game's tolerance limit, which directly caused the newly emerged [Agony] and [Lust] to burst through that limit!
How could this be...
The Arbitrator seemed to have fallen into his own memories, lowering his head, unconsciously, his hands slowly coming up to clutch his own head!
This game, Agony's return... was actually propelled by himself?!
It must be a coincidence... Why would he be confused by the other's crazy talk?
At some unknown moment, Sloth, who had been beside him, had walked up to his side, bent down, then turned his head almost 90 degrees, looking up at the Arbitrator's face from below.
"Yo! Brother, you're not crying, are you?"
The Arbitrator's head snapped up. All previous emotions vanished, as if his earlier display had been an illusion. He retreated several steps, using that emotionless, mechanical voice from within the game to address Sloth:
[No matter what you say, I have no relation to you.]
[I have long heard your words possess a bewitching quality, but that is irrelevant.]
[This game was never important to begin with, and if you aren't truly revived... then perhaps, there won't be much opportunity left.]
After saying this, he also didn't wish to have any further exchange with [Agony] here and directly vanished on the spot.
Perfect Life's perception was correct. Back in the day among the gods, [Agony] was also that kind of character, disliked by man and shunned by dog.
After he too withdrew, only Sloth, Xie Antong, and the slowly collapsing game arena remained in the field.
This arena no longer held any need for repair. However, since all power had been drained, its collapse was now very slow, even possessing a certain aesthetic beauty when viewed from afar.
It was like a wildfire that had swept across the plains burning the last patch of turf. The air carried the scent of embers, everything resting in the tranquility before complete annihilation.
Sloth's body swayed slightly. He looked at the figure lying on the ground, sighed, and slowly walked over.
The four spikes piercing his body made his movements exceptionally cumbersome now. As he moved, it was as if the gaps between his bones were filled with rust spots, making him resemble a marionette.
Sitting down cross-legged, in this expanse of darkness with only the two of them, he raised a hand and slowly placed it on Xie Antong's head.
With his other hand, he thumped his own head with a solid *thump thump*, muttering to himself:
"Alright, quiet down. I'm doing serious business here."
"She's had enough bad luck, though her fortune isn't small either. When leaving, I saw [Pleasure] gave her an extra bit of power, but that guy isn't exactly a good sort either..."
Sloth rambled on, unclear who he was talking to. A special kind of power emerged from the hand stroking Xie Antong's head.
And within his mind, a continuous stream of sounds now echoed: [Agony Value +1, Agony +1].
[Agony] was extracting the pain and injuries from Xie Antong's body, applying them to himself! Taking on all of it for her.
It was a peculiar healing method. Xie Antong trembled slightly under his hand, her complexion beginning to improve rapidly, the wounds on her body healing at a visible pace.
Within a few breaths, her complexion had already returned to normal.
Looking at the girl who seemed to be in a deep sleep, [Agony] couldn't help but sigh. No one knew what he was sighing about.
Then his head suddenly dropped forward, supported against the ground by the Godslayer Spike that pierced through his brain, losing all signs of life and movement.
......
As the collapsing edge of space was about to reach the two of them, Xie Antong woke up.
"Mmm..."
It was like having had a wonderful, deep sleep. She had never felt her body and mind so relaxed and comfortable. She couldn't help but stretch lazily, twisting her body like a little cat.
Opening her bleary, sleepy eyes, she sensed a presence beside her that made her feel at peace. But when did her bed become so hard?
Turning her head, opening her eyes, she saw Lu Ce sitting beside her, his head pierced through, now devoid of any sign of life.
!!!
After a few seconds of processing, Xie Antong's heart instantly clenched. Memories flooded back like a tidal wave, and she recalled everything.
Looking at the apocalyptic scene around her, she threw herself towards the person before her, trembling as she hugged his shoulders, her hands frantically feeling around his chest.
The aura of the Godslayer Spike eroded her, bringing waves of pain. Yet something so agonizing was just stuck in his head, in his body.
Where was the Gate of Death!?
He had completely stopped breathing...
A suffocating sorrow filled her heart. The slowly collapsing space around them had reached their vicinity.
Xie Antong's body relaxed. In the end, she nestled into the arms of the corpse before her, tears flowing silently, re-wetting the dried bloodstains on Lu Ce's clothes.
"Even though you did so much, they all wanted you dead."
"They wanted you dead, so you died..."
"But I wanted you to live, so why won't you live..."
Her voice was choked with sobs, like a lover's confession in a crumbling world.
"Would you like to watch a 30-second advertisement to revive the player?"
A teasing voice suddenly sounded in Xie Antong's ear.
——————————————