Chapter 497
The snake chain captures all timelines and simulations, extracting their beginnings and endings, collapsing them into a single moment, much like the property of "uniqueness."
It’s as if a segment of a line has been twisted together, forming a starting point.
Just like the save files of Xia'er, which fix an individual onto a specific timeline, the snake chain fixes both space and individual time.
Killing Qiangyin is akin to severing one of those timelines; it will naturally collapse back to the original point set by the snake chain.
In other words, as long as there’s no interference from higher-priority simulations, Qiangyin’s death will inevitably return him to the Vitalis Royal Restaurant at 12:15:05 on July 17th. This is an exact temporal-spatial coordinate where the snake chain converges.
If Qiangyin possessed Xia'er’s abilities, he could surely resurrect at that temporal-spatial node, just like a saved file.
However, he would be consumed by the side effects of the "uniqueness" of the snake chain, losing flesh and blood each time he retraced his steps. This means that his seemingly infinite ability to resurrect is, in fact, limited.
What Xia'er is doing now is akin to placing a node from another realm at the very point where the snake chain converges.
When Qiangyin retraces back to 12:15:05 at the Vitalis Palace Restaurant, he will be directly devoured by that otherworldly node, and waiting for him on the other side is nothing but a suit of pure white armor.
The moment the otherworldly node was placed before 12:15:05, at the instant Qiangyin was unaware of it, he had already lost.
Not to mention, Xia'er has successfully summoned the Anworm, and Qiangyin's only chance to turn the tables—killing Xia'er—has now become a mere illusion.
At this moment, the Anworm beside Xia'er seems to sense something. Its shadowy form is stirring, and the surrounding darkness sways like countless black tendrils. A wave of frenzied anger from the other realm is relentlessly piercing into Qiangyin’s mind.
“You can’t fool me…” Qiangyin’s face contorts with rage, his reason completely consumed by fire. He feels the snake chain still running in his mind, suddenly raising his hands to hover over the illusory piano keys before him. “You can’t trick me! I found you! I’ve already won!”
Thud—
The violent sound waves of the piano instantly take shape, exploding outward like a fierce blast, sweeping in all directions from within.
The raging knight beside him is thrown off balance by the shockwave, and many musicians are reduced to mere pulp by the sonic wave. Qiangyin’s body, after twisting several times, bursts into a spray of blood.
Xia'er watches Qiangyin as if he were a ridiculous clown, waiting for him to accept his punishment.
Before Qiangyin, the silver snake chain erupts with dazzling light, enveloping his entire being. On the uninjured side of his face, flesh begins to dissolve, forming exclusive symbols.
Each symbol seems to inscribe Qiangyin’s madness and hatred, the characters grotesquely twisted.
Soon, Qiangyin regains control over his body, but all memories except for those “saved” in that segment have completely vanished.
Quickly, the silver light transforms into a blood-red hue, and his body feels as if it’s being torn into a completely different space. A spiritual alarm blares in his mind.
Retrace? But this time...
Qiangyin suddenly opens his eyes, only to find himself surrounded by distorted buildings and space, thick fog shrouding the sky and earth. A suit of pure white armor sits before him.
In front of the armor lies a heap of gears and parts, a terrifying left hand, barely alive, rests beside it, while a tumor, resembling a blood clot, crawls over it, continuously supplying nutrients to that mangled hand.
Sensing the figure that fell from the door of reality, the pure white knight slowly raises its head, a cloud of white steam hissing from the seams of its armor.
“Uh... (Falos language) Hello? (Dew Federation language) Hello? (Ansu language) Hello…”
The moment Qiangyin hears Ansu, illusory piano keys appear before him, and he shouts, “Who are you?! Where is this?!”
“It’s you,” the pure white knight raises its hand, and a massive mechanical device crashes down from above, slamming toward Qiangyin—compared to that giant hammer, Qiangyin is as insignificant as a bacterium.
The hammer lands without a sound, but beneath it, Qiangyin has already turned into a puddle of blood.
In the instant the hammer falls, silver light appears before Qiangyin, quickly shifting to blood-red brilliance that envelops him, and the spiritual alarm in his mind blares once more.
Opening his eyes, he sees a suit of pure white armor not far away.
“This is…”
Before he can register the pain from his wounds, several pure white swords pierce through the fog, completely penetrating Qiangyin’s brain.
The silver light once again envelops Qiangyin, followed by that wave of blood-red light.
The intense pain, as if it had never dissipated, jolts Qiangyin awake. The frenzied potion and spiritual alarm scream in his mind. He feels his insides fading away, even his right eye has been corroded halfway, some nerves severed. He can no longer sense the bones and flesh of his right hand.
This time, he sees the pure white armor standing right in front of him.
“You are…”
Qiangyin croaks out.
“Tsk... so hard to kill... let me see...” The pure white knight presses its hand against Qiangyin’s brain, as if holding a watermelon, applying gentle pressure until it bursts.
Crack—
Brain matter splatters, and a silver chain appears in the pure white knight’s hand, only to vanish in an instant.
The moment it touches the chain, the pure white knight recoils as if electrocuted, stumbling back a few steps, staring at the white-haired man before it, who once again emerges from the door of reality.
No, no, no... I didn’t kill the wrong one, did I?
This... this... this aura is...
The pure white armor picks up a necklace hanging from its body and begins to pray to it.
Before it, the white-haired man speaks again.
“You are... where is this...”
“Ah... wait a moment.”
The pure white armor raises its hand, and a white cast-iron cage bursts forth from the ground, locking the white-haired man inside.
It gazes at the silver sculpture glowing red in its hand, seemingly listening to something, nodding repeatedly.
“Okay, um... alright, no problem.”
The moment the red light on the sculpture fades, the pure white knight looks up again at the white-haired human before it.
“Then that’s good…”
The pure white armor’s hand tightens slightly, and the cast-iron cage binding the man rapidly constricts, crushing him before he can even scream.
In the next moment, the white-haired man once again emerges from the door of reality.
His body is already covered in horrific wounds, his right arm barely hanging on by a strip of flesh.
His mind is on the brink of madness from the pollution of the other realm, and the silver chain in his mind shows signs of fracturing.
Boom—
A steel fist strikes, moving so fast it’s impossible to dodge.
Boom—
Qiangyin’s brain is completely shattered, and the silver snake chain finally begins to show cracks.
Qiangyin’s murmurs and whispers fill his mind, as if he has entered a unique space of consciousness. Before him, a massive snake chain, coiled upon itself, floats silently...
Alongside the snake chain, vast fragments of memories flood into his mind from the cracks in the chain.
Accompanying those immense pieces of information are the truths of humiliation and brutal deaths from these simulations...
The terrifying figure with red hair, like a nightmare, is etched into his mind.
He suddenly reaches out, wanting to shatter the illusory red-haired figure before him with a punch, only to find his fist turning to ash as it strikes out.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
In the eyes of the pure white knight, the white-haired human, upon entering its space, curls up on the ground, clutching his head, wailing and crying in madness.
This scene is nothing new to it; this is the expression a lower being should have when facing its own kind.
The pure white knight swings its massive hammer, rhythmically smashing the ground before it.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!
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