Night World Players

Chapter 237 This time, I bet on myself to win

"Last, a second-year student at Star University, a Night Traveler, whose registered Nightblade is 'Copy Eye,' whose effect is to record and copy, to a limited extent, any extraordinary abilities he has personally witnessed."

"He rose like a comet in less than a year, rapidly advancing from the initial stage of the extraordinary realm to the peak of the sixth rank. However, his background and resume are no longer verifiable. The first time he appeared before the world was as a transfer student who joined Star University, as if his previous experiences never existed."

"Based on investigations conducted in the capital over the past few weeks, and a summary and analysis of their name, appearance, Nightblade, background, personality, etc.—"

"There is a greater than 70% probability that this Night Traveler from Starry University... is the same person who participated in the Battle of the Broken Shore in the Sixth Era and assisted Cecil in killing the legendary Noah of the Abundance Sequence, and is also a member of the Coast Guardian organization with the same name."

"For some reason related to the Night World, he successfully survived the end of the era and lived from the Sixth Era to the Seventh Era."

"The so-called Nightblade 'Copy Eye,' capable of copying the extraordinary abilities of others, is essentially the foundation stolen from us by the first generation of Guardians in the Fourth Epoch—'The Fool's Library.' After its full revival, 'The Fool's Library' possesses the power to encompass all things and reproduce all abilities of all twenty-one sequence levels."

In a secluded house on the outskirts of the capital city.

Someone seemed to be talking to themselves, or perhaps taking notes or having a conversation with someone.

"My divination abilities and prophetic relics are ineffective against this extraordinary individual named Rast... He has been disturbed and interfered with by a higher power, protected by the angelic status, which has shrouded his fate in an impenetrable fog."

"My initial guess is that this is the successor of Cecil in the Sixth Age. The blessing that the guardian Gree bestowed upon her is a blessing from her. She is an angel of the destiny sequence. With my current abilities, I am not yet able to overcome this protection and see through the fog to see her destiny."

"Furthermore, because the 'Library of Fools' also records the abilities of the Angel of Fate, Gray, she might be able to disregard the difference in rank and instead perform divination and prophecy on me... My move to the Imperial Capital may have already been detected by her."

"The University of Stars, whose creed is to explore the night world and suppress the twilight calamity... has an irreconcilable conflict with us and there is no possibility that they will assist me. Therefore, I tried to negotiate with King Aaron of Granville, using the relics as a bargaining chip to obtain the Empire's assistance in our pursuit of the Coast Guardians. At this moment, there is only one week left before the agreed reply deadline."

"The other party possesses the Holy Sword, and at the very least, they have the combat power of a quasi-angel. Moreover, as the ruler of the empire, if we receive their assistance, the guardians will have nowhere to hide."

"On the other hand, if the Empire refuses, I will try alternative solutions, such as taking the close friends of this generation of shore guards hostage... to force them to show themselves."

His voice seemed to pause slightly before he chose to add another sentence.

"Finally... there have been some unusual developments in the Granville Empire recently. They announced the next heir to the throne and will be getting married today. The specific intentions behind the Empire's move are not yet clear."

……

About five kilometers from that house, far from the city center of the capital, it was located on a viewing platform nestled in the mountains.

This terrace, located halfway up the mountain, is normally used by forest rangers to overlook the mountains and monitor forest fires. It serves as a monitoring station where they can immediately report any signs of a fire.

In a sense, it is also the origin of Hiltina's family's so-called "Forest Ranger" title.

Then Last knelt on one knee and squatted in the stands.

In front of him was a slender sniper rifle, its iron-colored metal body reflecting the moonlight.

The scope reflected the silent world in the night, and the window of the house where the tomb guardian quasi-angel stood.

Long-range sniper rifle "Seven-zone field".

Like "Iron Moon," these are the two weapons that have accompanied Rust the longest. They were with him long before Rust became a Night Traveler and before they became a Crest Armor... They have accompanied Rust all the way from the Iron Cross hell of Deep Blue Harbor to this day.

At this moment, under the blessing of the "Mechanical Spark," a relic representing the pinnacle of science and technology and the culmination of the Sixth Age civilization, this old steam-age firearm has truly been reconstructed and sublimated, and given a brand-new look.

A distance of five kilometers exceeds the effective range of almost all modern firearms and optical sights.

But in Rust's eyes, the gravedigger's lip movements were clearly visible, and he could even guess what the other person was saying from the lip movements.

"Distance 4730 meters, wind speed 1.3 meters per second, direction southeast of east, fluctuating within 0.2... temperature 8 degrees, humidity 44%, ballistic deviation expected 0.7."

A female voice, mixed with static, came through the headset that Last was wearing.

This is Ingrid's voice. She is serving as an observer for Rust. As a former member of the military, she is naturally familiar with the procedures of sniping operations.

Based on the marksmanship that Rust honed during his hundreds of years in the purgatory of the Iron Cross in Deep Blue Harbor, he would normally not need any observers to assist him in a regular sniping operation.

But what is happening now is not a conventional sniping operation... There are almost no successful precedents for sniping at a distance of five kilometers, so no amount of caution is too much.

"Distance 4730 meters, wind speed 1.4 meters per second, direction southeast by east, humidity 45%."

“Last…do you really want to do this?”

After a long silence, Ingrid finally couldn't help but speak.

She knew that the person she had sworn allegiance to was not a reckless man, and that whatever Rust decided to do had been carefully considered and would not be swayed by the opinions of others.

But Ingrid knew even better that the target was a true quasi-angel... who had already stepped into the realm of legend, and with just one more step, he would be a true angel.

This was a risky move with no precedent and no precedent to follow.

If he makes even the slightest mistake, he will face an abyss of no return.

"I can't hide behind a woman and protect myself by sacrificing her."

Last continued to gaze at the world reflected in his sniper scope, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Besides," he said, "it's not just the Gravekeepers who hate me, this despicable thief who stole the 'Library of Fools.'"

"There are quite a few things I need to settle with the tomb keeper."

"The leaders of Cissell, the Shadow Servants, the townspeople of Frozenwater, and countless fellow shoreguards who died in the Battle of the Broken Shore... there are too many to count."

"So, it's not a question of whether or not to do it—"

"It is something that absolutely must be done."

"Last said softly."

"Once upon a time, in those ruins that were engulfed in flames."

“There was a heartbroken woman who entrusted everything she had to me… her status as an angel of destiny, and her future—she bet on me to win.” “So, this time, I’ll bet on myself to win.”

His voice was calm, yet possessed the majesty of a king.

To Ingrid, it carried an unquestionable authority.

"I understand now. I overstepped my bounds and forgot my status as a subordinate."

"As per your request, all preparations have been completed."

Ingrid's respectful voice rang out.

She stopped asking questions and continued to perform her duties as an observer, reporting the information needed for the sniping at very consistent intervals.

"Distance 4732 meters, wind speed 1.4 meters per second, direction southeast by east, humidity 45%."

"Distance 4730 meters, wind speed 1.5 meters per second, direction southeast by east, humidity 43%, there is a window obstructing the target and the sniper's line of fire, but it can be penetrated by armor-piercing rounds."

"Distance 4731 meters, wind speed 1.4 meters per second, direction southeast by east, humidity 44%, the target appears to have ended the conversation and is expected to leave the room in ten seconds."

……

The information needed for the sniping came in steadily, and was then received by Rust, who analyzed it into a clear and distinct picture in his mind.

He slowly adjusted his breathing rhythm, and the exhaled air turned into white mist and dissipated in the cold early spring night.

Last opened the magazine, made a loading motion, and then closed the magazine again.

During this time, no physical ammunition was loaded into the sniper rifle's magazine, but a crisp sound was clearly heard in the seven-point field of view—the sound of a bullet being chambered.

As the sound of a gun being chambered rang out, Rust fell completely silent.

In proportion to his rising body temperature, the light in his eyes vanished, and the world around him seemed to freeze instantly.

The ripples of thought subsided, and not only sound but also emotion was sealed off... Within mere seconds, Last's spirit was completely in harmony with the surrounding environment, merging and ultimately becoming one with it.

He entered a state of flow, in which his mind was empty and merged with the world around him, becoming one with it.

Every high-level superhuman possesses extremely keen intuition, which helps them perceive the murderous intent emanating from the outside world.

In the case of a normal sniper shot, there is no need for an actual hit. The gravedigger quasi-angel can keenly detect the momentary killing intent as the bullet is loaded and the trigger is pulled, and then quickly evade.

But Rast was different. At this moment, he transformed himself into a soulless, empty shell... The machine itself has no spirit or mind, it simply follows predetermined instructions and therefore cannot possibly harbor any murderous intent.

Therefore, even with the intuition of a quasi-angel, the powerful tomb guardian could not discern the location of Rast. It's like how one can sense killing intent from another wielder, but how could a falling meteorite possibly possess killing intent, even if the latter poses a far greater threat than the former?

As dusk fades and the world falls silent, time seems to slow down.

Just as Hiltina was a pure swordswoman, wielding a rapier was tantamount to dominating the battlefield...

The moment the bullet was chambered, the "temperature" of the Rast took over the sniper rifle, the surrounding terrain, and the entire world seen through the scope.

Deep within my heart, golden words are burning brightly.

Your connection with Hiltina Ingrid has deepened, and the "Library of Fools" has gained new power.

[Chariot - Hiltina's current bond level increased from 6 to 7]

You have unlocked a new original text.

Nightblade "Infinite Blade: Fantasy Collapse" is now unlocked.

[Infinite Blade: Fantasy Collapse (Unlocked): A higher-level ability than True Name Release, it doesn't break the seal, but rather destroys the weapon at its source, unleashing ultimate destructive power in the process.]

[WARNING: After activating "Fantasy Collapse," the weapon used will be completely destroyed at the structural level, beyond repair and restoration.]

Perhaps spurred by the forced marriage by their parents, the bond between Rust and Hiltina, which had been stagnant for a long time, finally broke through its shackles and reached an unprecedented level of seven.

Therefore, the Fool's Library finally unlocked the higher-level abilities of "Infinite Blade," abilities that surpassed "True Name Release."

Fantasy Collapse – as the name suggests, is the complete abandonment of the entire weapon, unleashing a power far surpassing True Name Release at the cost of destruction.

However, the cost is self-evident: it is a complete destruction at the structural level, unlike True Name Liberation, which has the possibility of being repaired after use.

At this moment, what Rast is using is "Fantasy Collapse".

There is no bullet in this world that can kill a quasi-angel—whether it's an armor-piercing bullet made of high-strength alloy or a high-explosive bullet.

Just as in the echoes of history, a single thought from the Angel of Judgment could trigger a mechanical catastrophe that swept across the entire western continent... human technology still appears far too weak in the face of true mythical creatures.

Therefore, in order to kill a quasi-angel, one must be prepared from the very beginning to destroy all weapons along with it.

Under the influence of "All Things Are Martial Arts", the "Seven Domains" themselves are transformed into a bullet and fired.

The trigger was pulled, the bullet left the chamber, and the gunfire rang out.

boom--

In Rust's hands, the sniper rifle that had accompanied him through so many years suddenly shattered, turning into countless metal fragments that scattered in mid-air, beyond any possibility of repair.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, countless extraordinary individuals involuntarily looked up.

Then, I saw a blood-red starlight rainbow piercing through the twilight at the edge of the sky.

(End of this chapter)