Chapter 1318: A Fifty-Fifty Decision

“Are you certain you can win?” The Nightmare Lord did not look away.

They held each other’s gaze for a long time before Roland answered. “Of course I can win this war. Give it another century, and even if you retreated into the depths of the Blackstone region, your race would still be annihilated by humans. But I cannot wait a century. The Oracle’s warning says the crisis is already close. I must reach the Bottomless Land as soon as possible, and I need your help to do it.”

“Wh—what?”

“Help me defeat the demons faster.” He crossed one leg over the other with deliberate ease. “Your Western Front army, specifically. Tell me how you process God’s Stones of Retaliation. Tell me the capabilities of the King and the grand lords. The weak points of Spider Demons. That is why I reached out to you personally. Anything you can think of—”

Bang. Valkries’ palm came down on the table. Coffee sloshed out of the cups.

“Don’t get too cocky, human male.” She pressed her voice down by main force. “You can kill me, but don’t expect me to kneel before you and beg, and don’t for a moment think I will betray my race. Help you defeat the Western Front army? Dream on.”

“Insolence!”

“Do not show such rudeness before His Majesty!”

The witches spoke nearly in unison. The air in the restaurant pulled itself tight as two sides measured the distance between them.

“What exactly is happening at that table?”

“A lovers’ quarrel?”

“The numbers don’t fit for that.”

“Still, the girls beside him—”

“The Peninsula girl is in a different class entirely. Who on earth is that man?”

“So envious…”

In his mind, Roland rolled his eyes. The murderous intent was thick enough to chew; there was not a shred of romance in this scene. “Enough,” he said, waving Phyllis and the others back with feigned casualness, then turned and regarded the Nightmare Lord across the table. “Don’t you think that refusing to face reality is a greater betrayal of your race?”

“Reality?”

“Reality.” His voice hardened. “If the Oracle’s warning is not a lie, then only two paths remain for every civilization: see the Battle of Divine Will through to its end, or end this endless war once and for all through the Realm of Mind. And the consequences of your choice—don’t tell me you have no idea what they are.”

He did not let her speak. “After everything you have observed in the Dream World, you should understand how much I can raise humanity’s overall strength. If no new legacy shard appears, your race as it currently stands cannot face us. If this war drags on for decades, how many of your people will you sacrifice, and what price will you pay? Unless—that is what you wish to see?”

“Then they will be dying honorably on the battlefield—”

“No. They will be dying for a meaningless lie.” The correction came flat and final. “And because legacy shards exist, this war will never stop. Hatred and suspicion will carry the fire into the Blackstone region until your race no longer exists. I am the only person who can prevent that. Once I am gone, the eradication of demons becomes inevitable. Weighed against losing one front-line army—which choice benefits your race more? The answer is not difficult.”

Valkries’ face had gone the color of ash. She said nothing.

“In truth, we are probably very nearly out of time. If we miss the window, there will be no way back.” He uncrossed his legs, leaned forward slightly. “Are you still holding to your original answer?”

After a long, flat silence, the Nightmare Lord said coldly, “Human male—why should I believe you? According to the Oracle’s words, once you become god, who can guarantee you will spare my race? Your word alone?”

“You have no other choice. On one side is the possibility of continuation; on the other is certain extinction. That is all.” Roland softened his tone. “The purpose of war has already shifted. What was impossible before is possible now—if you can hold a different perspective, both races can survive.”

Valkries pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Roland did not wait. “I know this is a difficult decision. I don’t expect an immediate answer. You can go.”

She lifted her head. ”…That’s it?”

“What else? Should I chain you up and torture you, or simply kill you here? As I said—you are free, at least for the moment.” Roland took out his phone. “One more thing: give me your number. I can keep you informed of developments on the northern front. It may help you decide—and don’t forget, the future of the demons rests with you.”

Valkries resisted every instinct she possessed and gave him her number.

She was already rising when Roland called after her.

“One last question. Do you think what the Transformer did a thousand years ago was wrong?”

Valkries stopped. She did not look back. She left.

“Your Majesty, are you truly going to allow a grand demon lord to move freely through the Dream World?” Phyllis asked, her worry undisguised.

“That is not quite what she is anymore.” Roland shook his head. “Did none of you notice? She is already not the grand lord she was.” A demon who had lost her magic stone without dying—and instead acquired a corresponding identity here—could mean only one thing. “She is now part of the Dream World.”

Roland was certain humans would win this war. But a hundred years and ten years were not the same. He needed to break the demons’ will to resist in the shortest possible time, to clear a path to the Bottomless Land before the Oracle’s clock ran out. The Nightmare Lord was one card in his hand—whatever she decided, it could not alter his course.

But no one complained of having too many cards at a critical juncture. If they could turn an ex-grand lord, the pressure on the First Army would diminish in ways that mattered.

After all, time was what he lacked most.

“The winner iiiiiissssss—Fei Yuhan!”

The arena erupted.

She raised a hand to the tens of thousands of people filling the stands, descended from the ring through the unbroken strobe of camera flashes, and walked into the contestants’ lounge. This was a competition whose outcome had been decided long before anyone took the stage. Her opponent had not thrown the match—the Defender’s orders forbade that—but she had put them down within a minute.

In the past, ascending the stage had given her nothing. No pleasure, no satisfaction. Just the thing itself.

But this time was different. Because she had seen Valkries—gone so long—return to the arena.

Several hours earlier, Valkries had left the arena at almost the same moment as Roland.

After changing, Fei Yuhan had boarded the Association’s bus and settled in to wait. The anticipation she felt was something she had no previous name for. When Valkries’ figure finally appeared in her sightline, she could hear her own heartbeat.

As she had expected, Valkries took the seat beside her.

“I won the competition today.”

“Ah… congratulations.” Valkries said it with a faint distraction—unusual for her.

“Thank you. It’s a pity you didn’t enter. I would have been glad to properly appreciate the strength of an outstanding martial artist from Cargarde Peninsula.”

“You’ll have a chance.”

“Of course. A chance will come.” Fei Yuhan smiled.

She did not need to observe closely to know that Valkries was answering on reflex, not in earnest. But since Valkries had come from another world—an ancient one, clearly far behind in its technology—more direct methods were available.

Once the last passengers returning to the sanatorium had boarded, the engine turned over.

When the bus reached the suburban outskirts, Fei Yuhan quietly extended a finger toward Valkries’ handbag. She had bought this bag as a hospital-discharge gift and had checked every inch of it before giving it over. She knew its seams and its clasps the way she knew the bones of her own hand.

There was an unfinished stretch between the main road and the new city road, but traffic moved through it without trouble. At worst, tires hit rough ground and raised dust. In the instant the bus rolled over the uneven surface, a thread of condensed Force of Nature appeared at her fingertip and drew lightly downward.

The motion looked like nothing at all. A natural recoil.

An ordinary decorative flap from the bag dropped into her palm.

Nested inside it was a tiny recording device.

Ultra long battery life, small and exquisite, filtered background noise, guaranteed quality. That had been the online store’s advertisement when she bought it. Time to see whether they had been honest.

Chapter 1318 - A Fifty-fifty

Decision Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations “Are you sure you can win?” The Nightmare Lord didn’t avoid his gaze. They stared at each other for a long time before Roland replied, “Of course I can win this war—give it another century, even if you hide in the Blackstone region, you’ll still be wiped out by humans. But I can’t wait that long, the Oracle’s warning indicates that a crisis is imminent, I must arrive at the Bottomless Land as soon as possible and I need your help to do so.” “Wh… What?” “Help me defeat the demons faster—i.e., your Western Front army.” Roland crossed one leg over the other. “For example, tell me how you process God’s Stones of Retaliation, the abilities of the King and the grand lords, the weak points of Spider Demons. This was also why I reached out to you personally. Anything you can think of—” Bang! Valkries slammed her hand onto the table and coffee splashed out from the cups. “Don’t get too cocky, human male!” she said, forcefully suppressing her voice. “You can kill me, but don’t expect me to kneel before you and beg for mercy, and even more so, don’t think that I’ll betray my race! Help you defeat the Western Front army? Dream on!” “Insolence!” “Do not show such rudeness in front of His Majesty!” The witches almost yelled in unison and in an instant the two sides were ready to launch into a fight. The temperature of the mood seemed to drop to freezing point. “What the hell are they doing over at that table?” The muttering of other people in the restaurant at nearby tables could be heard. “A couple’s quarrel?” “Uh… the numbers clearly don’t fit.” “But speaking of which, the girls beside him are gorgeous!” “That Peninsula girl is clearly better, okay? Damn that guy, who exactly is he?” “So envious…” In his mind, Roland silently rolled his eyes. The murderous intent was practically overflowing all around him; there wasn’t an inkling of romance in it at all! “Enough, let’s all control ourselves.” He pretended to unconcernedly wave his hand for Phyllis and the others to hold their attack, and then leaned back on the bench and looked down at the Nightmare Lord. “Don’t you think that rejecting reality is betraying your race more?” “Reality?” “Correct!” Roland voice suddenly turned grim. “If the Oracle’s warning was not a lie, then there are only two paths that lay in front of all civilizations: One is going through with the Battle of Divine Will to the very end. Two is end this never-ending war once and for all through the Realm of Mind! And as for the consequences of your choice, don’t tell me you have no idea!” Not giving her a chance to retort, he raised his voice a little, “After staying in the Dream World for so long, you should be clear how much I can raise the overall strength of humans. If a new legacy shard doesn’t appear, it is impossible for you to face us with your race’s current strength! If our war drags on for decades, how many people will your race have to sacrifice and how large of a price will you have to pay? Unless, that is what you wish to see?” “Then they will be dying honorably on the battlefield—” “No, they’ll be dying for a meaningless lie!” Roland corrected. “And because of the existence of legacy shards, this war will never rest. Hatred and suspicion will spread the flames of war to the Blackstone region, until your race ceases to exist! The only person who can stop that from happening is me. Once I am gone, the eradication of demons will be inevitable. In comparison to losing one front line army, isn’t it obvious which decision will benefit your race more?” “…” Valkries’ face was ashen, she didn’t say anything. “In reality, it’s likely that we are almost out of time, if we miss the chance to end the war, then there will be no way out.” He uncrossed his legs, leaned slightly forward and said, “Are you still holding onto your original decision?” After a long period of silence, the Nightmare Lord said coldly, “Human male, why should I believe you? According to the Oracle’s words, once you become god, who can guarantee that you will let our race off? Just from the words you just said?” “You have no other choice. On the one hand is the possibility of continuation, and on the other hand is certain doom, that’s all.” Roland softened his tone. “The goal of war has already changed, what was impossible in the past is possible now, as long as you think about it from another perspective, then both races can live on.” Valkries pressed her lips together and didn’t speak. Roland didn’t wait until she did. “I know this is a difficult decision, so I don’t expect you to reply immediately. You can go back now.” She raised her head, not daring to believe her ears. “…That’s it?” “Otherwise? Should I tie you up and torture you or should I directly kill you? I’ve said so… at least at the moment, you are free.” Roland dug out his phone. “Oh yes, tell me your number so I can inform you about the war on the north side as soon as possible. This might help you make your decision— don’t forget, the future of the demons is in your hands.” Although completely unwilling, Valkries handed over her phone number in the end. Just when she was about to stand up and leave, Roland called out to her. “I still want to ask you a question—Do you think that the Transformer from a thousand years ago did the wrong thing?” Valkries’ figure halted for a moment, then left the restaurant without looking back. “Your Majesty, are you really going to let a grand demon lord move about freely in the Dream World?” Phyllis asked worriedly. “That’s not the case.” Roland shook his head. “Didn’t you gals notice? She is already not the grand demon lord she once was.” A demon who had lost their magic stone without dying immediately, but instead gained a corresponding identity could only mean one thing. “She is now already one with the Dream World.” Roland was certain that humans would achieve victory, but doing so in one hundred years or in ten years was different. He needed to leave the demons in pain with the shortest amount of time possible and get them to completely lose the will to resist, cleaning out a path to the Bottomless Land. The Nightmare Lord was no more than a card in his hand—no matter what decision she made, she couldn’t change his decision. But likewise, nobody would complain of having too many cards in their hand at such an critical juncture. If they could win over an ex-grand demon lord, then the pressure on their First Army would undeniably lessen. After all, time was what he currently lacked the most. … “The winner iiiiiissssss—Fei Yuhan!” The entire arena burst into a thunderous applause. She waved her hands at the tens of thousands of people in the audience, descended from the battle ring amidst the never-ending camera flashes, and entered the contestants’ lounge. This was a ‘competition’ where the outcome had been decided long ago. Even though the opponent didn’t intentionally go easy on her as according to the Defender’s orders, she still KO’d them within a minute into the match. In the past, ascending the stage like this didn’t give her any pleasure at all. But this time it was different, because she saw Valkries, who had left for a long time, return to the arena. A number of hours earlier, Valkries left the arena at almost the same time as Roland. After she finished changing, Fei Yuhan boarded the Association’s bus and waited quietly for Valkries’ return. The anticipation in her heart never rested, she had never experienced such a feeling. When Valkries appeared in her view, she could even hear the thumping of her own heartbeat. As Fei Yuhan had predicted, Valkries sat in the seat beside her. “I won the competition today.” “Ah… congratulations.” Valkries said a little absent-mindedly. For Valkries, this was rare behavior. “Thank you. It’s a pity you didn’t sign up for the contest; otherwise, I would have been able to properly appreciate the strength of an outstanding martial artist from Cargarde Peninsula.” “You’ll get a chance,” Valkries replied. “Of course, a chance will come.” Fei Yuhan gave a small smile. Even without carefully observing her behavior, she could tell that Valkries was paying her lip service. But since she knew that Valkries came from another world, and that world seemed to be extremely ancient and technologically behind, she could all together use more direct methods to attain information. Once the people returning to the sanatorium had all boarded the bus, the bus’s engine started. When the bus entered the suburban area, Fei Yuhan quietly reached out her finger towards Valkries’ handbag—she had bought this bag for Valkries as a hospital discharge gift and checked all over the bag innumerable times before she gave it to her. Thus, she knew the shape of the bag like the back of her hand. There was an unfinished section between the main road and the new road of the city, but this didn’t affect the traffic. At worst, there were some tremors in the ground that raised dust. In the instant when the tires rolled over the bumpy surface of the ground, a streak of condensed Force of Nature appeared at her fingertips and lightly stroked down. It was as if it was a natural pullback. An ordinary decorative flap from the bag dropped into her hand. Hidden inside was a tiny recording device. “Ultra long battery life, small and exquisite, filtered background noise, guaranteed quality.” That was the advertisement that the online store made when she bought the sound recorder on the Internet. It was time to put it to the test.