OBS Chapter 3804 "Desire" and "What If"
Chapter 3804 "Desire" and "What If"
Chapter 3804 "Desire" and "What If"
"I had guessed that you could still produce some unexpected power, but this time you still exceeded my expectations."
The man with snake-like eyes and no nose seemed completely oblivious to his injuries, gazing across the sea at Shad, who was still healing himself.
"You possess such immense doomsday power, yet you're still preventing me from summoning the apocalypse. Do you realize the permanent impact your use of that card had on the world?"
Actually, the impact this time was relatively small, after all, Mr. Snake's Enchanting Lock blocked the power. And Shad originally thought that the other party knew information about those calamity beasts, but it seems that the snake did not know everything.
Shad was unwilling to discuss this issue with it:
"You can't stop me with the strength of your current body, so what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
The snake, however, remained completely unaffected by Shad's provocative words:
"Our final battle will take place on the mountaintop, not at the dock at the foot of the mountain. That's enough now, yes, enough."
Black smoke was still billowing from the two bloody holes on Xia De's left shoulder. Even though the moonlight had enveloped the wounds and the first fire was burning away the toxins, he still felt his left side becoming increasingly numb.
Ms. White, who was wrapped around Shad's arm, was already reminding him that if he held on a little longer she would open the passage, while Shad was certain that the snake on the other side was in no better condition than he was.
The decision was made in an instant; even if he left successfully now, it would only bring everything back to square one. He currently held the upper hand, and he was determined to capture this clone of the opponent.
Then Shad's body transformed into pure silver moonlight and slashed forward again. In the following three seconds, the two touched each other at least ten times on the sea surface.
As Shad took his last step forward despite the discomfort on his left side, the [Spatial Stability Aura] that locked the space was activated the moment he reappeared. This time, appearing from behind the snake, he reached for the snake's heart, but the snake turned its head 180 degrees, stretched its neck, and bit Shad's neck.
The injection of the unknown toxin immediately made Shad feel numb all over his body, but his right hand, glowing with purple light, also pierced through Mr. Snake's left chest.
The heart inside the body wasn't important; what mattered was that Shad felt he had actually touched a ring inside its body. Although it wasn't the main body, if he could shatter this ring here, the snake would likely be in big trouble.
One bit the other's neck, the other pierced the other's chest, and then their free hands simultaneously slammed into each other's bodies. Thunderous waves and black shockwaves sent Shad and Mr. Snake flying through the air in parabolic arcs, landing at different points on the water's surface.
After the snake fell into the water, it quickly crawled up. At this moment, centered on the penetrating wound in its chest, its body was covered with dense cracks.
"A noble destiny"
After gazing at Shad from afar, it leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of black light, and soared through the barrier that enveloped the area, disappearing into the night.
"After I completed my molting, even the Summoner, whose nobility Mr. Ring acknowledged, could no longer suppress my destiny."
Lying on the sea, Shad could no longer mock it. He held the curved sword of [Destruction] in his hand, a pure destiny unrelated to the apocalypse. Black light continued to emanate from the blood holes caused by the snake fangs on his neck and shoulders. In his blurred consciousness, he felt as if his soul was being pulled to another dimension.
Then he understood why those bitten by the Infinite Serpent exhibited abnormalities in their souls upon death; the essence of Mr. Serpent and the Infinite Serpent's venom was actually...
The passage to the outside world had been opened, but Shad had no time to seize that fleeting opportunity to get up and leave.
Things seem to be going according to Mr. Snake's plan, except that in his original plan, the two of them should not be waiting for 1 a.m. in this state of serious injury.
Ms. White's clone was also about to exhaust its power and was unable to transfer Shad outside the barrier, but fortunately, a figure flew in from the outside of the opened hole.
The white snake disappeared with satisfaction. Now free, she needed to stabilize the mountain to prevent it from collapsing. Meanwhile, in his hazy state, Xia De vaguely saw a familiar face frantically embracing him—
It was Sylvie who was sent by Luvia to inform Shad about Ellie's news as soon as possible.
"Shad! Shad!"
The Great Witch of Light picked up Shad, who was lying on the sea, but found that no matter how she called out to him, Shad did not respond. Although his heartbeat and breathing were still normal, he was like Sleeping Beauty in the fairy tale, and no matter what she did, he did not open his eyes in response to her calls.
She immediately carried Shad to the shore. She didn't know what had just happened, but she could sense the power within the two bloody holes in Shad's body caused by snake fangs.
After she landed on the pier with Xia De in her arms, a voice asked behind her:
Do you want to save him?
The great witch with long, wavy brown hair suddenly turned around. On the swaying black sea outside the pier, a beautiful woman's head looked up at her. Even to the witch, that beautiful face was stunning; eyes resembling the color of Shad's pupils looked at her with a smile.
"Want to save Shad Hamilton? I won't lie, he'll recover naturally with time. But I know you want him to recover immediately, so, how about a deal?"
"You are."
Sylvie's expression was quite unpleasant. Of course, she knew what it was, but she just didn't expect to encounter it at this moment.
Fortunately, a second unfamiliar voice followed immediately, this time coming from the side of the pier closer to the land:
“Madam, I thought you wouldn’t target anyone close to Shad Hamilton; that would be rather unethical.”
The blond man in the white robe spoke, holding a rolled-up parchment in his hand, with a mysterious expression on his face.
"What if" looked past Sevier, who was holding Shad, and onto "Desire," who was smiling in the water:
"I just wanted to help her. Whether or not to make the deal is her own decision. You see, I didn't use any coercive measures."
"And I didn't appear by chance. After arriving near this island, even without joining the stage, I witnessed some destinies. If that interesting soul hadn't appeared, Sylvie Aurora, you should have met me alone in Coldwater Harbor in 1853."
Sylvie didn't understand what she was saying, but Shad would have understood if he hadn't fainted, and "if" he understood even more clearly.
If the outsider hadn't appeared, the person investigating the damp chapel beneath Aurora's mansion during the Coldwater Harbor "sea return" incident would certainly have been Sylvie Aurora, the mansion's owner at the time, and she would also have been the one who discovered the secret passage and encountered the mermaid who was about to escape.
However, due to the appearance of Shad, the Great Witch of Light, who should have been connected with the unknowable relic "Desire" early on and thus gained great power, missed that encounter. As a result, most of the scenes that should have belonged to her in the story of "Whispering Verses" disappeared.
Of course, this is actually a good thing, since even with Adele Isabella using the power of the council to help Sylvie control the terrible gifts from "desire," Sylvie still died before the end of the world.
Now, the "mermaid," having glimpsed this possibility due to the chaos of fate, has once again sought out the witch she was supposed to meet. Fortunately, Iluna's sudden call in the cedar forest before the final battle ultimately worked, and the Unknown Relic [If] spoke to the Unknown Relic [Desire]:
"Leave now if you don't want to get involved in this story."
As both are unknowable relics, Sylvie doesn't know which of the two is stronger, since she can't beat either of them. But she understands that "what if" is obviously helping her.
And the beautiful woman's head in the water was still smiling:
"I have no intention of fighting you, but is it really right for me to leave like this? Sylvie Aurora should have played a pivotal role in the epic of the Sixth Age because of her encounter with me, but now she has missed that opportunity, and look at her now~"
I can read her mind. She craves greater power, worries about being surpassed by other young witches with far less experience than her, is jealous of the Earth Witch who has advanced to the thirteenth rank, and hopes to play a greater role alongside that interesting soul.
And I can give you that opportunity now—Witch Sylvie Aurora, don't you crave this power?
Sylvie admitted that some of her thoughts had been correctly guessed, but she still firmly shook her head:
"I don't need these things. I'm very satisfied with my life now."
Sevier was well aware of the cost of dealing with this thing, and "Desire" said with a smile:
"I came here simply following my original destiny. Now that we've met, destiny will naturally draw us together again. I refused this time, but we'll meet again in the future. Of course, if every time there's an interesting soul helping you, you can choose not to care about me."
After saying that, she smiled and fell silent. Sevi understood that this wasn't a threat, but simply a statement of fact. The "what if" scenario from the pier offered another option:
"So, how about we play a 'what if' game?"
This was said to Sevier:
"The venom of the serpent of doomsday fate briefly pulled his consciousness into that world of endless yellow sand; the power of desire resonates with the fate you may have once possessed; and I can show you a story that will never happen."
"If" unfolded the parchment scroll in his hand, strings of golden runes flew out, swirling around him and writing a story that Xivi couldn't understand:
"By playing this game, you might be able to awaken Shad Hamilton ahead of time, or even obtain your own Ring of Destiny; but if you fail, you will accept the gift from the lady in the water, and you will indeed become stronger as a result. In any case, this game will completely sever your fate ties with the lady in the water, and I can guarantee that."
Sylvie remembered that Shad had said "what if" he had given her a Ring of Hope, and had even kindly revealed the secrets of the Tower of All Things. Knowing she was no match for anyone at this moment, Sylvie chose to believe "what if" rather than "desire."
"I want to play the 'what if' game."
She was prepared to face the power of the unknowable relic, but the moment she agreed, Sylvie and the unconscious Shad disappeared in a golden light on the dock pier.
Holding an unfolded parchment scroll, the question "What if?" is posed to "Desire" in the sea:
Do you understand what the fate you see means?
"I didn't understand before, but seeing you made me understand."
"So, why have you appeared at this moment? Is it to seduce the witch, or to help Shad Hamilton?"
The head in the sea continued to laugh, but she was slowly paddling away from the pier:
"Whether it's temptation or help, it doesn't matter. What matters is the result, isn't it? Although I don't know what you want to do, you 'early people,' your preparations and plans will surely make this world more interesting."
As the head disappeared into the water, the man on the pier vanished as well. Shad and Sylvie did not return. This "what if" game was clearly completely different from Iluna's three previous experiences.