Chapter 65
The gun spat fire, and the azure bullet pierced through his forehead at close range, flipping over as it traversed his skull, exploding a large hole in the back of his head. Blood blossomed against the transparent glass behind him.
"Victory nineteen times in a row!"
Ji Di took the handgun from the corpse's hand and walked up to Xia Er, shouting to the crowd below, "The 'girl' isn't infallible! She's starting to feel the fatigue! If you want to win, now's your chance..."
What was she trying to do?
At this moment, Xia Er was almost certain that her opponent also possessed the ability to manipulate shadows.
Xia Er watched coldly, allowing Ji Di to continue stirring the emotions of everyone in the audience, pushing the gamblers to tread a bloody path to the stage.
She regained control of her body, but Xia Er made no attempt to resist. Instead, she cooperated, executing the next gambler with a single shot.
Xia Er was curious to see what tricks her opponent had up her sleeve.
Twenty victories... twenty-five victories... forty victories...
One hour... two hours... eight hours...
As the rounds of death continued, Xia Er's stamina began to wane.
In between, her gun had "misfired" several times, landing in Ji Di's hands. Yet, each time Ji Di fired, it resulted in a self-inflicted headshot.
Bodies piled up on the steps, but the crowd below had turned bloodshot, as if they had lost their sanity. It was at this moment that Ji Di placed a vial of third-tier "Chosen One" potion on the stage.
Almost everyone's gaze was drawn to the "Chosen One" potion. Those gamblers yearning for a turnaround, for a meteoric rise, had lost all sense of reason, rushing to fill the spot left by the previous challenger as soon as they fell.
Fifty victories... sixty victories... seventy victories...
Ten hours... twelve hours... fourteen hours...
The gamblers below had nearly cycled through half their ranks, yet more continued to arrive at De Dun Manor, caught up in this frenzied atmosphere.
Xia Er's finger on the trigger had grown numb, her mind gradually succumbing to fatigue, mechanically pulling the trigger based on what she saw.
Several times, she had seen bullets hurtling toward her forehead, yet she almost pulled the trigger on herself—repeating the same action for so long had left her numb.
Xia Er's stamina was increasingly difficult to maintain, and at times she had to rest briefly before continuing to the next round.
But the entire hall seemed to be ablaze with enthusiasm.
With each shot Xia Er fired, Ji Di's voice grew more and more high-pitched, eventually becoming almost shrill.
Even Ai Wei Na and A Dai Er raised their hands and clapped vigorously, while even "Crown Guard" Ni Ya raised her fist, celebrating each of Xia Er's kills.
Unknowingly, they had all become one with the atmosphere.
Eighty victories... ninety victories... ninety-nine victories...
"Bang—!"
It was only after Xia Er trembled and raised her hand to shoot the last bullet through the head of the gambler across from her that she could no longer control her breathing, and the revolver slipped from her right hand.
That familiar voice echoed in her mind once more.
"You are the 'Gambler' chosen by fate... Drink it, this is the will of the Mother Goddess, Sa Da Na..."
Xia Er's mind buzzed, the stacked bodies before her blurring into double images, as if she were a drunken person, her thoughts beginning to slow.
She forced herself to focus and looked down at the crowd.
Beneath the steps littered with bodies, all the excited and arrogant gamblers seemed to have come to a halt.
Their faces were devoid of expression, standing calmly on the blood-soaked ground, gazing up at Xia Er.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a silver armor trembling. Soon, the armor broke free from some restraint and charged toward Ai Wei Na, who was looking up at Xia Er, scooping her up and running toward the exit of the hall.
"In the endless darkness, I call upon you, Sa Da Na..."
"In the rifts of time and space, your existence transcends all..."
"Silent whispers echo in our hearts, bringing endless fear and awe..."
"…May this child, under your guidance, surpass mortals and step into eternal darkness..."
Inside the glass chamber, Ji Di's low murmurs echoed in Xia Er's mind. The gamblers below had all knelt, including A Dai Er, who was mixed among them—her eyes glazed over, murmuring something.
"Did you hear? He has granted permission."
Ji Di slowly raised her hand to remove her mask, revealing a face lost in ecstasy. She looked in Xia Er's direction and said, "He says you can begin the ritual now, girl."
【Calm Reflection Lv.2】
A cool sensation washed over Xia Er's mind, clearing the chaos that had just clouded it.
She looked up at Ji Di, summoning all her strength to squeeze out a few words.
"You... are a 'Missionary'..."
The "Ascetic" path is not unique to the Savior Goddess Church—Ai Wei Na had mentioned this before. A simpler way to ascend this path is to become a cultist and brainwash others.
The Ji Di before her was not a "Gambler," nor a casino manager...
No.
She was both the casino manager and a worshiper of an evil god.
And the vast majority of people in the casino had unknowingly been brainwashed into cultists.
"You are quite perceptive, child."
Ji Di gazed at Xia Er with her grayish-white eyes, resembling those of a corpse, smiling as she said, "A genius like you is perfect to become his follower."
Xia Er's right hand was uncontrollably raised, reaching for the "Gambler" potion before her.
"Don't worry, child."
Ji Di stepped closer to Xia Er, gently wiping the blood splattered on her face with her fingers, softly saying, "When you hear him and feel him, you will thank me."
Before Xia Er, a system screen unfolded, a countdown flashing before her.
【Countdown: 00:11:58】
Only eleven minutes remained.
This day-long slaughter, with a death toll of one hundred, was finally about to come to an end.
Xia Er's right hand was guided to pick up the "Gambler" potion, while her left hand twisted off the cap, aiming the stormy lightning within toward her mouth.
A tingling pain surged from Xia Er's throat into her veins, her mind began to spiral into chaos, and the sound of her heartbeat expanded in her mind with each thump, until it consumed every bit of her auditory perception.
"Child..."
A sacred voice rose in Xia Er's mind, providing a slight relief to her throbbing head.
Xia Er didn't notice the blood tears streaming from her eyes as she opened them on the platform made of corpses, looking at Ji Di standing at the gambling table.
Behind Ji Di, it seemed as if black holy light was swirling, and deep within that light, dark clouds rolled. Just as she tried to peer further, Xia Er's mind was pierced by a sharp pain.
"Ugh..."
Xia Er raised her hand to clutch her chest, feeling a warm hand resting on her head, dispelling all her fear and pain.
"Child, what is your name?"
Ji Di knelt before Xia Er, lifting her chin gently, asking softly.
"Xia Er..."
"Beautiful name."
Ji Di's smile widened, "From now on, just call me Priest."
"Yes, Priest."
"Now, can you tell me about your relationship with those who disrupted our plans?"
"Pl...an?"
Xia Er looked up in confusion at the kind face before her.
"It's alright, child. I was too hasty."
Ji Di smiled as she brushed her fingers over Xia Er's eyes, "You should rest now..."
A wave of intense drowsiness swept over Xia Er, bringing her a sense of peace.
"Say it with me, Mother Goddess Sa Da Na above."
"Mother Goddess Sa Da Na above..."
Xia Er's consciousness slowly descended into darkness...
...
In an instant, a blinding silver light tore through everything. Xia Er stood in place, staring at the gray-white version of herself before her, her heartbeat quickening.
What... is happening?!
【Save character data?】
Looking at the system screen before her, Xia Er took a moment to steady her breath, then refocused her mind and looked ahead.
"Save to No.3."
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