Chapter 151: Can I Be Your Protagonist Now? (Part 3, Three Parts Combined)
The holy sword pierced the flesh and blood, and its sharp sword energy radiated out.
In almost an instant, the brilliant golden ancient mystery spread along the wound, destroying the internal organs, flesh, and blood, as well as every vein.
Time was slow but irreversible.
In the Valley of Termination, under the dim sky obscured by dust.
The desolate wind blowing through the canyon picked up blood, splattering onto the exquisite and cute face of Isadorella.
Although it was boiling blood, Isadorella felt it was bone-chillingly cold.
The mask shattered, and the young man beneath it had blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet he was still smiling.
Looking at the handsome yet softly lined face of the black-haired youth beneath the broken mask.
Isadorella, the King of the Imaginary Belt, froze for the first time in a thousand years.
Distant memories, from the depths of her soul, eroded and worn by the long passage of time, no longer human but more like a god, surged uncontrollably.
These were memories from… who knew how long ago.
At that time, she was not yet the King of Knights Artorius, nor a Throne, let alone the current high and mighty King of the Imaginary Belt, “The Crimson Empress.”
Back then, she was merely the Second Princess of the Freista Empire.
She hadn’t even reached the rank of Legend, and she had to rack her brains to suppress the rebellions of the Oathbound Families, using various political tactics to form alliances.
It was then that she met a black-haired, black-eyed youth from the north.
And because she was short of personnel, she personally invited him to become the Empire’s Sword Holder.
The two did not spend a long time together, but the actions of Shaya Egut, especially his thoughts and words that transcended the era, left a profound impression on her.
And at this moment—
Innumerable details, innumerable thoughts, permeated Isadorella’s mind.
Causing the soul circuits, which had long been covered in dust and could no longer be stirred, to tremble.
Dust fell, and a heart boomed.
The ideal country of Utopia, broadcast throughout Escarnia by Cain before his death, slowly overlapped with the scene she saw in the dream of the Royal Succubus Diris when her memories were revived.
Why did they have similar dreams?
Those who surpass their era in thought are extremely rare. For any king, having one would be a great fortune. How could she be so fortunate as to meet two at once?
Why did she often sense an inexplicable sense of understanding from the Black Knight Cain?
That was, of course, because Cain and Shaya were the same person.
Why was Shaya, at the Four Rings, able to establish a connection with the long-disappeared Azure Silver Witch Sylvia and the Queen of the Night, two Thrones, making them go so far as to protect him by killing an old Legend like Goodrian?
That was naturally because Shaya, in some way, had formed a bond with them in the past history.
Perhaps because of the Historical Echo of that Ancient Azure Court, or perhaps for other reasons.
But no matter what, since Shaya had befriended the master of the White Tower in the Ancient Azure Court five hundred years ago.
He could naturally traverse a thousand years of time to meet her in Escarnia at the end of the Third Era.
These were details that she had subconsciously ignored in the past due to the distortion of the Crimson Moon and her own stubbornness.
But now, as the influence of the Crimson Moon dissipated, and as the forgotten humanity reoccupied her mind.
All the details, all the thoughts, pointed to the only answer.
Cain was Shaya Egut.
And she, in this manner, had personally killed that black knight who had worked tirelessly to help her, her beloved whom she had tried to save even at the cost of establishing the Imaginary Belt—
With the holy sword.
She listlessly released the holy sword in her hand. The dim sky and the desolate Valley of Termination became illusory, dreamlike, and unreal.
Then, Isadorella watched as the young man slowly fell into her arms.
His breath gradually dimmed, like a dying lamp.
The mask shattered, and Shaya raised his head. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were still bright, like brilliant falling stars in the night sky.
“Queen.”
“No, His Royal Highness.”
Shaya’s face was pale, devoid of any blood, yet he still smiled, a brilliant smile.
“It seems I won the gamble this time.”
…
Heaven and earth seemed to disappear. Everything slowed down incredibly.
The world was silent, with only a crisp sound of breaking blade echoing between heaven and earth.
Around Shaya, the azure-blue magical light suddenly retracted, replaced by a faint, dark fluorescence.
Intense pain spread from the wound inflicted by the holy sword, devastating Shaya’s internal organs, as well as every vein and blood vessel.
He could feel his life force being stripped from his body, even his mental perception and senses gradually becoming cold and leaving him.
Without the protection of the Black Knight Mech, Shaya’s body was at most a common Six Rings, and not one specialized in physical reinforcement for close combat.
How could he not pay a heavy price for taking a full blow from a Throne in anger without any preparation or resistance?
However, that faint fluorescent light lingered around Shaya.
It preserved the last trace of his life force within his body, preventing him from dying immediately and retaining his last bit of mobility.
[One-time item “Night Watchman’s Dagger” has been shattered. You have entered “Combat Continuance” state for thirty seconds.]
[Night Watchman’s Dagger]
[Item Category: One-time extraordinary item]
[Item Description: Upon receiving fatal damage, the wearer enters a brief state of defiance, refusing to die for thirty seconds. The item disappears after activation.]
[Remark: Mute the world and listen to the sound of the dagger breaking.]
[He produced something, the Night Watchman’s Dagger!]
This was not a trump card that could turn the tide of battle, but merely a means of survival.
Even if triggered, it did not have the ability to heal or restore injuries; it merely refused death for thirty seconds, leaving only a sliver of health.
Once the half-minute passed, everything would return to normal, and he would still be in his current critically injured state.
Given the vast difference in power between Shaya and Isadorella, even with an additional thirty seconds of continuance, the outcome of the battle would not change.
However, what Shaya intended to do was never to defeat or kill Isadorella.
At the cost of abandoning resistance and willingly facing death.
Shaya used his own blood to awaken Isadorella from her obsessive, inhumane divine state.
This was the most dangerous part of the plan calculated by Yui through myriad simulations.
No one knew how much her soul circuits had been eroded by time and the Crimson Moon over the millennia, whether a sliver of humanity still remained, and if there was a possibility of awakening.
Even Shaya could not be sure.
But fortunately, Shaya won this gamble.
Shaya felt his body being gently embraced.
What met his eyes were not the indifferent and ruthless divine eyes of the King of the Imaginary Belt.
Instead, they were the pair of crimson beautiful eyes of the Second Princess Isadorella, a pair he hadn’t seen in a thousand years.
Tears welled up in them.
“Even though the previous me was no longer the Second Princess or the King of Knights you knew, but merely another existence bearing the name of the former Isadorella.”
A clear and cold voice sounded.
Isadorella gazed at the blood-stained youth in her arms.
No longer the indifference of looking down upon all beings from the clouds, but instead, an unconcealable agitation.
“For someone like me, was it truly worth it for you to go to such lengths and pay such a price?”
However, her questioning words stopped short.
“On that Lantern Festival night, I once made a vow in my heart.”
“On the next Lantern Festival, which symbolizes reunion, we will all gather again at the residence in the Black Lily District, not one less.”
Shaya’s words became somewhat faint with blood loss, but the youth’s dark eyes were still bright, like the morning stars.
Just like the first time they met on the day of the Royal Selection.
“Even if Your Highness changed into someone I no longer recognized—”
“However, as long as I remember your past appearance from beginning to end, that is enough.”
The youth’s answer impacted Isadorella’s mind, leaving her stunned for a long time.
After a long while, the Princess finally gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
“I’m sorry… but I’m afraid I can’t go back.”
Her gaze fell upon the holy sword in her hand.
“Establishing the Imaginary Belt was an existence that defied the laws of this world and the river of history.”
“I’ve gotten too deeply mired here. The time that has been obstructed and altered is now irreversible.”
“Even with the protection of the holy sword… I can’t hold on much longer.”
“Perhaps five years, perhaps ten years, this Imaginary Belt will be corrected by the forces of historical revision.”
“And when history is corrected and returns to its proper course, I, as the King of the Imaginary Belt, will be crushed by the corrective force without resistance and all traces of my existence erased.”
“This is the irredeemable sin I bear.”
“From beginning to end, there was no possibility of turning back.”
Isadorella’s words were somewhat dim, but without much regret.
The moment she killed Merlin and established the Imaginary Belt, she had never thought of going back.
And before being erased by the corrective force and forgotten by the entire world, she was already satisfied to see the young man she longed for one last time.
“I can’t go back anymore.”
“And by your side, there is still the young girl from the Winter Flower’s Ingrit family, and the witch of the White Tower… there are still many people and things worth cherishing.”
Isadorella’s voice grew softer.
The moment Shaya revealed his identity, she knew with absolute certainty.
Whether as the Second Princess of the Empire or as the King of Knights, her relationship with Shaya was merely that of pure, trustworthy companions and subordinates.
Not lovers.
No matter how strong and deep her twisted affection for Cain was, it was merely her own wishful thinking.
From beginning to end, Shaya did not belong to her alone.
He also belonged to the young girl who had contracted the holy spear, and he was the entirety of the Azure Silver Witch’s life.
She, who had never even expressed her feelings, did not have the right to selfishly possess him.
“For me, for you to cross time to see me one last time…”
“is enough.”
Isadorella forcefully suppressed the surging, heart-wrenching sorrow within her.
Then, she forced a reluctant smile.
“Let me first use the holy sword to protect you and return you to normal history…”
“For you, that correct world has people and things more important than me.”
She raised the holy sword, and golden radiance shone brightly.
She was about to wield the ancient mystery to carry Shaya back to that correct history.
However, the next moment.
She was astonished and looked up.
“Your Highness.”
“Sometimes, if you can’t persevere, you don’t have to force yourself.”
In Shaya’s hand, two illusory beams of light slowly appeared.
They were the phantom images of a pair of gloves and a die.
The effect of the “Night Watchman’s Dagger” refusing death was nearing its end, with about five seconds remaining.
However, five seconds—
was enough for what Shaya intended to do.
Although his face was devoid of color, Shaya’s dark eyes gleamed.
In the next instant.
The phantom image of the gloves slowly dissipated.
The die spun slightly.
Finally, it settled on the side showing six dots.
[Thief’s Gloves (One-time use)]
[Rarity: Purple]
[Category: Extraordinary Item]
[Price: Fifteen]
[Description: After wearing, target an object to activate. Randomly steal two items from the target. The item disappears after use.]
[Remark: Steal? Steal!]
…
[Die of Destiny (Phantom)]
[Rarity: Purple]
[Category: Extraordinary Item]
[Price: Thirty]
[Description: After rolling the die, the luck value is determined by the number of dots on the face. The item disappears after use.]
[Remark: All in!]
…
The Thief’s Gloves and the Die of Destiny were items Shaya had seen on the Time Sand Mall’s interface the first time he opened it.
From the moment he saw them, Shaya realized their combined use.
The Thief’s Gloves, which simply randomly stole two items from a target, had little significance on its own. The concept of “item” was too broad; anything from a wallet to a button could be stolen. The success rate of stealing a target item was not high.
If he accidentally stole underwear or something similar, he might be arrested as a pervert on the spot.
However, with the enhancement of the Die of Destiny, everything changed.
As long as he paid enough price and rolled a perfect six,
Then, according to the principle of “what the heart desires comes true,” the target of the Thief’s Gloves could shift from a random item to a predetermined option.
The reason why the Thief’s Gloves had a purple rarity, comparable to rule-based items like the Die of Destiny,
was precisely because what it could steal was not limited to physical objects.
It included many illusory, non-physical concepts.
For example, the identity of the King of the Imaginary Belt.
And also—
the very cause and sin that led to the alteration of history and the backlash of the corrective force.
Of course, if this ability to directly steal the source were activated, and the enemy was inherently adversarial, it would inevitably trigger resistance, weakening or even nullifying the theft effect.
Otherwise, Shaya could now find any Ancient God and directly steal their power.
Only when the target completely trusted him and was unguarded could the Thief’s Gloves achieve maximum success rate.
This was also why Shaya risked attempting to awaken Isadorella’s human side.
…
BOOM—
A colossal mystery surged around Shaya.
In a very short period, it even surpassed the mystery contained within the holy sword.
Isadorella’s crimson eyes snapped open, looking at the frail figure in her arms in disbelief.
A solidified river of time emerged from around Shaya, roaring and surging, making the young man’s form appear illusory and transparent.
Although Shaya was in her arms, Isadorella clearly felt that the body in her embrace had disappeared, leaving no tangible touch.
The two were so close, yet it felt as if they were separated by two entirely different timelines, unreachable.
The canyon trembled, and the heavens and earth roared.
It was not just the terrain of the Valley of Termination, but the entire world was collapsing.
The holy sword in Isadorella’s hand let out a clear chime.
The historical corrective force, which had always descended like a mountain and could only barely resist with the holy sword’s protection, suddenly dissipated, no longer pressing down on Isadorella.
BOOM—
Within the Imaginary Belt, the real material world dissipated.
The river of time overflowed through the cracks created by the Imaginary Belt, making everything around them shimmer with light.
Countless scenes from the past, belonging to the future, and not belonging to the same temporal node intersected in this dissipating time, then collided and dissolved.
“Life is an end.”
The young man’s voice echoed in Isadorella’s ears, yet it seemed to span an entire world.
“Life is a pilgrimage of accumulated suffering.”
“But, Your Highness.”
“I believe that the legend of the King of Knights.”
“is definitely not a story of death and severance.”
Shaya’s face remained pale, but the solidified illusory river of time around him grew stronger.
The corrective force of the correct history roared and changed direction.
Instead of heading towards Isadorella as before, it surged violently towards Shaya.
And so, in an instant.
Isadorella understood everything.
Shaya, by some unknown means.
Had not only stolen her authority and identity as the King of the Imaginary Belt…
But also the sin of establishing the Imaginary Belt and altering history.
And then, he had shouldered it all upon himself.
BOOM—
The material world completely dissipated, and not a single trace of its original appearance in Escarnia could be seen.
Instead, it was the roaring river of time.
Not an illusory projection in the Prime Material Plane, but the real river of time.
With unstoppable, irreversible power, it was about to wash Isadorella away, forcing her to return to the correct history.
The holy sword’s radiance shone, but its light now seemed dim.
Before this, the holy sword had consumed too much power. Coupled with the loss of the King of the Imaginary Belt’s authority and support, the remaining power was insufficient to keep her in this time and space that did not belong to her.
Yet, even so, she forcefully wielded the holy sword’s last remaining strength.
Isadorella stood firm within the collapsing time, looking upstream in the river of time, at the illusory world being bombarded by the corrective force, at the single figure there.
Although bearing the full sin of Isadorella’s distorted history and becoming the target of the corrective force.
Yet, in the constantly collapsing and disintegrating Imaginary Belt, Shaya’s expression remained calm.
Behind him, the phantom image of the palace, the Hall of Thrones, appeared. Countless broken black metals slowly gathered behind the young man’s slender figure.
Finally, it transformed into a black iron throne.
Just like the identity of the King of the Imaginary Belt he was currently shouldering.
The young man sat on the black iron throne, gazing at Isadorella across the roaring river of time.
“Why…”
“Why would you do such a thing for me?”
From the Silver-haired Princess came a cry of despair that even she herself could barely recognize.
She hadn’t even expressed her feelings.
They weren’t even lovers.
Yet, what he did for her far surpassed the scope of ordinary lovers.
He bore the sin that would be crushed into dust by the corrective force and forgotten by the entire world.
“Why…”
Shaya pondered this question as he sat on the black iron throne.
He had lost his conceptual Undying Body, lost the ability to act recklessly.
Yet, even so, he still chose such a dangerous path.
This was not in line with Shaya Egut’s usual style of conduct, but more like something Cain would do.
But Cain was merely a false facade, and with the disappearance of his Undying Body, he should have already ceased to exist in this world.
“Because of guilt.”
“And also, greed.”
Shaya looked at the swaying, graceful figure below and said softly.
“In the past, I treated everything in the Historical Echoes with a carefree, game-like attitude.”
“I acted to achieve quest rewards, to boost character affection, and put on one layer after another of a righteous persona. Once the goal was reached, I could just leave the Historical Echoes.”
“However, for Your Highness, and for Sylvia, that deeply etched emotion was real.”
“Because of a scumbag’s words, I made girls wait for me for five hundred years, a thousand years, in a dark tower, on a lonely throne, even bearing sins that history would not tolerate.”
“Although Your Highness and Sylvia don’t mind… I do.”
“I feel… only by experiencing the same thing can I be worthy of accepting this emotion.”
Shaya’s voice softened slightly.
“I do have feelings for Your Highness, perhaps from the time we fought side-by-side, or perhaps even earlier, before I even noticed myself.”
“And I am a very greedy and petty person.”
“Therefore, I cannot accept that Your Highness fell in love with Cain, not me.”
Shaya sat on the throne, his gaze profound.
“My true name is Shaya Egut, and Cain was merely a non-existent, righteous facade that I created.”
“In my opinion, there’s no difference between that and being cuckolded.”
“I hope Your Highness falls in love with me, the one and only Shaya Egut in the world, not some Shaya Ingrit, Cain, Holy Knight, or any other identity.”
His words paused slightly.
On the black iron throne in the Imaginary Belt, the lone figure of the youth fell into Isadorella’s eyes.
It slowly overlapped with the thin figure who stood alone against an army at the Valley of Termination, turning his back on all beings.
“Your Highness.”
The black-haired, black-eyed youth tilted his head slightly, a faint smile on his lips.
The flowing afterglow of time fell on his profile, sculpting his features distinctly and deeply.
“Now, I—”
“Can I be the sole protagonist in your story?”
The roaring river of time swept away the last remnants of the holy sword’s power, and with it, Shaya’s unfinished words.
Isadorella, swept away by the flowing time, was carried downstream in the river of history.
Watching the solitary figure on the throne recede further and further, until he finally disappeared.
