The empty sword scabbard suddenly flickered, and a sword hilt embedded with a ruby appeared.
Virad’s gaze froze, then darkened.
His throne gem was a sapphire; a sword appearing in the scabbard with a ruby meant he had lost another portion of his subjects and one attack opportunity.
This was already the third sword Bai Youwei had obtained…
“Perhaps this is the last one.” Virad curved the corner of his mouth and slowly looked up toward Bai Youwei. “After such a long interval, I thought all those subjects had died off. Unexpectedly, your subjects brought you another sword… Ah, if I recall correctly, four people went in, didn’t they?”
Bai Youwei pressed her lips together, staring at the sword without a word.
Virad studied her expression, his smile slowly widening. “This was inevitable, wasn’t it? It’s impossible for four people to go in and all four come out alive. In fact, having three subjects emerge victorious is already a miracle—after all, among your few subjects, there are the old and the young…”
Bai Youwei gritted her teeth and glared at him coldly. “You really do talk too much.”
“Ha…” Virad laughed. “Between the two of us, one could die at any moment. This is the final stretch of our lives, with only each other for company. Perhaps we should talk more—like… ah, yes, like cellmates waiting together for sentencing. How’s that comparison?”
In Bai Youwei’s eyes, there was only revulsion.
“Tell me, I’m genuinely curious.” Virad watched her with keen interest. “You clearly intended to enter this battle alone. Those four subjects must be people who matter deeply to you—which is why they were willing to risk joining the fight. Now you’ve obtained three swords, meaning at least three people safely emerged victorious. There’s still one left… who do you hope it is?”
Four subjects—if you had to sacrifice one, who would you want it to be?
Your most loyal best friend?
Or your still-young, obedient little brother?
Or perhaps the elder who has always cherished and supported you?
And… the partner you are most deeply attached to and cannot bear to lose?
“Why don’t you…” Virad’s voice mixed with a raspy laugh. “Why don’t you ask the Inspector? Ask whether the reason that last sword hasn’t appeared yet is because… someone has died?”
Bai Youwei’s pupils contracted sharply, and she drew a deep breath.
“You talk far too much.” She looked at Virad, her gaze sharp and fierce. “You’ve lost that much blood—you’re nearly finished. I’d rather ask you: with all this talking, is it because you’re so terrified of death that you’re trying to disrupt my choices?”
Virad narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered. “Actually… aren’t you nearly finished too?”
Both of them were in terrible condition. For some unknown reason, the wounds inflicted by the King’s Sword refused to heal properly.
Even with all the labyrinths Bai Youwei had completed, the wound on her abdomen still showed signs of tearing open again, while Virad’s injured arms continued to bleed in a slow, steady trickle.
They could not use healing items, and their bodies’ natural recovery could only slow the deterioration. The two sat upon their respective thrones like grasshoppers tied to stakes, waiting for fate to reap them.
“Don’t you want to know the answer at all?” Virad asked again.
Bai Youwei drew her sword and said coldly, “No. Right now, I only want you dead!”
She thrust forcefully toward Virad’s abdomen!
The sharp blade plunged in—yet it was as though she had stabbed into a void. The sword in her hand instantly dissolved into flickering points of light and vanished without a trace—
Bai Youwei stared in stunned disbelief, her eyes wide.
“What terrible luck…” Virad could not suppress his laughter. “Little one, you struck my shield. According to the rules, my shield count increases…”
Bai Youwei immediately looked toward the Inspector beside them.
Tu Shenshi gave a slight nod. “The Sapphire King receives a second shield.”
Virad smiled broadly at Bai Youwei. “What ever shall we do? I know you desperately want my life, but now… it seems I simply cannot die.”
—