Stray

Chapter 253: dying

dying

[There is a problem with your story, Lord Demon. 】 After listening to the narration, Pandora was confused and floated beside the Demon King.

"Huh?"

【If I listened to my family, I didn't come. Would you really summon the, uh, giant monster just mentioned to attack your lover? 】

“…”

Nemo lowered his gaze, the corner of his mouth still smiling.

Although it is still the human appearance she knows, there is something different inside. Pandora gathered himself tighter—the gentleness of the Demon King did not disappear, but there was a bit of icy, inorganic texture in it.

"Yes, this is our agreement." He said slowly, "The world has not yet come to destruction, we need to ensure this. Whether he is It doesn't make any difference whether I'm going to kill me or I'm going to hurt him. I have my responsibility."

【But you said he will never let you down...】

"Yes, he never fails me."

Nimo stood up and stretched out of habit.

"...that's why I'm willing to retreat to my bottom line for him."

He now knew what Oliver wanted to do.

"What a fun new circuit. So when are you going to see me, Ollie? Sly guy."

A few days ago, near the capital of Garland, in the desert not far from the city of Hiram.

It is evening. The night is climbing along the largest desert in the world, the sky has not yet completely darkened, and the pale moon has already risen. The desert glowed a strange red, with sharp boulders standing like rotting tooth roots.

One man and one beast are facing each other.

"I'm ready, the two of you can start anytime." Adrian sighed and didn't say anything more.

Since he was resurrected from death, the magic in his body was like a flood that finally broke through the dam, and it was out of control. It took him a long time to gain full control over this power.

It never occurred to him that the first time he used it was as a guard in a life-and-death battle.

Jesse Dillon has no plans to use his "true appearance", even if he can't match the two in battle, Adrian believes that he at least has the strength Make sure that the battle between the two does not spread to ordinary people.

The city wall-like light shield lit up beside him, pushing outwards in layers, and finally enclosing a rather vast desert. Excessive power drives out all life with consciousness, and even the most sophisticated adventurer will not choose to spy under that power.

The precious greatsword borrowed from Ann for casting spells was inserted into the soil, Adrian looked in the direction of the center of the battlefield—

"One last check."

Oliver spoke first.

"The devil has indeed woken up. The flesh and blood of the underground activities is either Ulysses or Nemo in human form."

"This is our way of resisting risks. External flesh is always the first line of defense." The behemoth affirmed the other party's questionable narrative. "Even if you attack my body directly, it will be 'this animal' who is injured right now."

"You once said that the limit of your flesh and blood on the surface is almost the same as that of Nemo. The relatively large Ulysses can withstand more than Nemo is a lot stronger."

"Yeah, what the **** are you trying to say?" Jessie licked the sand off her nose, sounding displeased.

"I need your help, Jesse Dillon." Oliver breathed out a white breath in the cooling air. "I need a test."

In fact, the chessboard was not as hazy as he imagined. If the Pillars of the World were as terribly cautious as before, the world would have been destroyed long ago.

There may only be two left.

First, the Pillar of the World has absorbed Nemo's intelligence, is observing his own reaction, and evaluating the feasibility of using his emotions to get rid of himself alone - of course, flying to the sun is the best Insurance, but in this way it avoids wasting a civilization that is still observable, starting from scratch.

However, no one knows when the World Pillars will complete the evaluation, maybe next year, maybe tomorrow.

Second, the Pillar of the World has Nemo's heart, so there is no attack.

As for whether the beast underfoot is willing to use something similar to emotion, consider Oliver Ramon's "restraint" in memory as a harmless factor. That is the decision the other party needs to make. If you don't take action, you "will not make mistakes", but...

He does not pray.

There is only one best option, Oliver thought.

"Dylan, no, Jesse. I'll draw strength as lightly as I can, as if Nemo was still around."

"As for the amount of drain, I will control it to no more than the surface flesh and blood of both you and Nemo - within this limit, I will try to use magic to build Your own magic circuit, summon your family and gain power."

"What does this have to do with me? You don't mean to... ah, you're a lunatic."

"Well, I'll hit both of you at the same time."

"Yes, if you can do it. I won't keep it, and you will hurt me too. That's fair."

Oliver bowed his head and gave a solemn salute: "Thank you, Jesse. If your flesh reaches the limit, please remind me."

"Why?"

"I have to stop in moderation. This way, for 'Ulysses', to know 'I believe Nemo is still', the damage can be done Endure—it's like throwing away a piece of cheese and putting in a mousetrap. He won't turn a blind eye to such a good opportunity to observe."

The beast sniffed, raised his chin, and gestured to Oliver to continue.

"'Nimo' is different. My draw may lead to his body being exposed, and he will definitely attack me to protect the surface. Before that, I need Limit tips." Oliver's voice was very determined.

Jessie was silent for a moment, then took two steps closer, bowing her head slightly.

"...but I have to tell you, Ramon. If the Pillars of the World decides to fight back early - you can't take the attack from both of us at the same time, you will definitely die. "

"I know." Oliver rubbed the blade of the Sword of Rest.

"It's no joke." Jesse wrinkled her nose, baring sharp teeth.

"I thought about it."

Oliver smiled.

"The circuit spell is mine, assuming 'Ulysses' confirms my ill will, it can't guarantee that Spell Backlash will kill me - it will seriously injure me , immediately abandon the possibility of booby-trapping me, and fly directly to the sun. Right?"

"I warned you, yes." Jesse said unpleasantly.

Oliver stepped into the fine sand with his feet, and the gray mist began to fly into the sky, extending the complex formation lines.

"Then, under your combined attack, my death will take away the worries of the Pillars of the World. If he can't accept the gentlest draw, I won't have a chance Strong enough to kill him...for the surface, that's the best thing to do."

Jessie stared silently at the man standing opposite.

Oliver Ramon is using his own life as part of a plan, his tone is extremely calm, cruel as another world pillar.

"What if 'Nimo' decides to fight back?" Jesse wasn't going to ignore the grim possibility.

"I thought about it too. It's a real fight, not a game, I understand."

The circle was centered on Oliver and began to extend in all directions. The lines twisted by the gray fog were so thin that they could not be seen clearly. They gathered strength and began to gradually fill the space.

"I know he's going to be in pain, I know he's going to wonder. It's a one-sided attack, and the last thing I want to do in the world - hurt him. This isn't the first time I've hurt him, Jesse. I've personally sent Nemo to the Church of the Penitents and watched him get pierced by a long sword."

"I assured him I would never do such a thing. Then I promised that if things got to the point of no return, I would I will kill the Demon King with my own hands."

“Nowadays, I don’t think things are irreversible.”

Oliver's expression was very calm.

"I have the confidence to control the precision of the power draw, except the moment I die. If the draw is too much for this reason...before Nemo can officially fight back, I will die."

"What if he decides to attack before he reaches his limit?"

"If that's my 'Nimo', I trust him."

These were the last words of the leader of the tumbleweed before the battle, and a real fight followed.

Sleepless and endless attempts, the control of power is like a heartbeat instinct. In response to Jesse's stormy attack, Oliver had a strange illusion - he was dancing on a stage full of knives and traps, and he had to ensure that the candle in his hand would not go out.

As the thread of gray fog expands, his own magical circuit is slowly taking shape - fueled by his survival instinct.

Once you start, you can't stop, and you won't get any results if you stop halfway. The birth of the circuit requires power, and the action of drawing must have alarmed the pillar of the world.

He had only one chance. Oliver tightened every nerve and fought harder.

Jesse Dillon was serious for the first time since joining Tumbleweed.

The sky was covered with overcast clouds, and there was no rain, but the thunder rolled in the gray clouds, and the rumbling thunder directly shook the internal organs. Between heaven and earth, countless light spines are connected, and a piece of flesh and blood will be torn off with a light touch.

The beasts of white come and go in this deadly thorn of white light, while Oliver struggles.

The gray fog continued to disperse all around. The more blood that flowed, the faster it spread.

"That's it." The hair around Jesse's neck blew up slightly, and his huge claws dug deep into the gravel. "As long as you ensure that there is no error in the circuit circle that belongs to you only, and the road is smooth. Plundering will follow instinct, and the closer it is to death, the clearer and stronger it will become."

Oliver gasped heavily, raised his still intact left arm, and countless gray fog condensed into ice blades, poking straight at Jesse. At the same time as he moved, the movements of the gray fog filaments were not chaotic at all, and they were frighteningly precise.

He can hold on.

The filaments are centered on the desert, drill into the underground abyss, and expand to the surrounding surface. It first covered the city of Hiram, and then spread to the whole of Garland.

Not enough.

The sun rises and sets, alternating the heat of the day with the cold of the night. The battle continued without rest or pause.

The black armor on the chest was smashed in half, the metal pieces collapsed into the chest, and blood was dripping. Oliver didn't care, and avoided another attack from Jesse-a thick light thorn from the bottom of the bowl pierced from the ground, and several light thorns immediately wrapped around him, almost mashing him into flesh.

His circuit spell is not complete.

What day is it?

The ice wall surged up behind him like an ocean wave, and along with the gray fog, forcibly cut off countless light thorns. In the pain and exhaustion that made his eyes black, Oliver continued to attack.

The three-dimensional array formed by the gray fog firmly continued to move away.

Jessie grinned, her long white hair stained with bright blood. As the gray mist filaments expanded between the heavens and the earth, the giant beast's footsteps were a little flimsy.

"This should have been a simple question." The blood stained the beast's fangs. "Die, or successfully complete your own circuit before dying—but, Ramon, if it's just me and Nemo 'flesh and blood,' you're going too far."

"I didn't take more, and I didn't grab it roughly, you should know very well."

Under the action of the light thorns, Oliver's right arm had almost no flesh left, and the tragic bones mixed with blood were directly exposed. But he stood still, his voice eerily calm.

"Your gray fog has covered Garland, Alban and Willard, and it has not stopped!"

Jesse let out a roar of a beast, and pointed fingernails from blood dripping claws.

"I don't know the condition of the abyss... At least this is the surface that belongs to me, you can get the power of my flesh and blood just by absorbing these three countries .What are you thinking?"

The fur of the beast exploded completely, and countless pale lightning radiated: "Now, if you are deceiving me—"

"If I told you, you would really think I was crazy."

A gray fog wrapped around the bleeding arm, forcing it to keep moving. The Sword of Rest is covered in blood and dust, but its owner has a smile on his face.

The ice shield suddenly stood up, blocking those pale flames and lightning.

"Not enough," he said softly.

"Walton, Pride, Hatfield. Half a world away, Oliver Ramon. Your greed will kill you."

Jessie's voice was hoarse and blood was oozing from the holes in her pointed ears. Unlike Nemo, as the gifted party, he is not strong in his own control over the race he takes over, so he is especially sensitive. Oliver Ramon did not take away the power beyond the agreement.

But at this scale, if Ramon wanted to…

This is the end, Jesse can't think of a better way than to finish the fight - after all, he is already attacking Oliver Ramon, and he opponent is now on the verge of death.

Drawing is still gentle and unhurried. Compared with the blood-covered figure on the opposite side, this restraint made him shudder.

Jesse felt fear for the first time.

Then the offensive was more intense, and the desert surrounded by the light shield hardly had much sand left. The white light squeezed, burned, and swallowed.

In the middle of the battlefield, the human figure seemed a little lonely.

"My circuit...just a little bit."

Oliver sighed, the ice shield around him began to collapse, but his voice remained steady.

Under the bright light, there was no haze in those green pupils.

The **** ice shield stood up again and again, even if it was swallowed by pale flames in the next second. Oliver procrastinated resolutely as he dragged the time, a faint force running along the gray fog on a terrifying scale.

Jesse could feel the bones in her body breaking, so the appearance was originally transformed from a human form, and it is even difficult to maintain it now. With blood filling his throat, he looked in Oliver's direction with complicated eyes.

My body is about to reach its limit, but it’s a pity.

Oliver Ramon was a step too late.

Whatever Ramon was trying to do, for now, that plan didn't work out. And just like they said in advance, they put the flesh and blood as a bet, and the other party put their life as a mortgage.

It's time, really sorry.

"I warned you," Jesse muttered, a little sad.

"...I warned you that doing nothing is the best option."

Oliver Ramon showed his defeat before the circuit was built, even though he had a crush on the human...

A convention is a convention.

An extra-thick light thorn was the first to break through the ice shield, slamming through Oliver Ramon's chest. Then the second and third.

The human seemed to be stunned, then slowly fell down, and the ice shields were all broken in an instant.

The beast let out a low whimper and staggered forward, waiting for the smoke to disperse.

Oliver Ramon lay peacefully on the sand, his entire body devastated. If it were an ordinary human, he should have been a corpse. There is no heartbeat, no breathing, only blood seeps into the soil.

Unlike Adrian, Oliver is no longer his family. Even myself, I can't do anything now.

Adding the variables of the Pillars of the World, Jesse has been unable to calculate anyone's fate, but he can still speculate with experience and get very reliable results. He had imagined this possibility, but he thought...

Jesse nosed over each other's shoulders.

The body is collapsing, he really can't maintain the animal shape. A figure who was also seriously injured appeared - Jesse Dylan, wearing a disfigured and dilapidated shabby robe, knelt on the ground, coughing out blood. The long blond hair is covered with dust.

At the last moment, Ramon lost control for a moment. As he put it, it was dying out of control.

And his body should have collapsed along with it. Fortunately, his body was on the surface of the earth. The timely replenishment allowed Jesse to maintain this position. Whole flesh.

Wait, there's something wrong.

As far as I can see, Oliver Ramon is indeed dead. But that gentle learning did not end with his death. The ingestion continues, albeit weaker.

Jessie frowned.

Confirmed that Oliver was no longer conscious, he directly connected the flesh and blood to the main body, and quickly recovered the physical strength of this body. That drawing couldn't hurt him at all. Now that the array has lost its owner, even if the pillar of the world wants to fight back, it will find it faster than himself.

As if responding to his conjecture, the pillar of the world was still curled up quietly, without any movement.

What happened?

The shield of light surrounding the desert dissipated, and the white cloak fell, followed by a cleansing spell. Jesse turned his face to the side—Adrian Cross was on one knee, examining Oliver Ramon, who looked unmistakably dead.

"I'm sorry," Jesse said stiffly.

"No." The knight commander reached out and covered Oliver's green eyes. "I think Mr. Ramon chose you over me for a reason."

"Now I will hesitate and waver. And you will absolutely abide by the promise and will not stop because of his misery."

Adrien settled, no sadness in his voice.

"His circuit is complete, under your final blow."

"But he—"

"I heard that call, and you and Mr. Wright, as beings of the same level, would not hear it. Oliver Ramon is still alive. Although Human beings in this condition will surely die..."

"But I don't think he's human anymore."

The author has something to say:

The pillar of the world with a wealthy family is a conscientious social animal.

Then one day, he found a small painful swelling in his stomach.

Situation 1: [The Pillar of the World without Nemo’s Memory and Emotions]

Lack of understanding of this mass, it is impossible to judge benign and malignant.

Pillar of the World: Come on, I'll take a leave of absence and cut it off! Although it will cost a lot of money and delay work, it is still life-threatening.

Situation 2: [The Pillar of the World with Nemo’s Memory and No Emotions]

Have the latest test results of this swollen mass, and found that although it still exists, it continues to absorb its own nutrition, but it is likely to be able to take some medicine (booby) casually. Benign type of resolution.

Pillars of the World: Maybe it will be cancerous or not, then take some medicine and see. If the medicine doesn't work, I'll ask for leave to cut it off. Unnecessary losses are still to be considered.

————

Sorry Ollie! (Breaking sound)

But if the Pillars of the World did dissolve Nemo's feelings, the logic for Ollie does look something like this. So just because the Pillars of the World didn't act immediately, it doesn't mean that Nemo's will is still there.

I personally think it is a decision to maximize profits_(:з」∠)_

Jesse's proposal, the translation is actually: You see he knows you may be harmless? If you don't want to kill yourself, don't get stronger, don't absorb nutrients, don't make him uncomfortable. Maybe he will continue to socialize and decide not to operate.

Sorry Ollie! (broken again)