A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 127: Wolf
"Lin is a hero. Are you sure?"

Ankua's eyes were serious.

Quinn nodded slightly.

"She speaks Chinese, she says it's the language of her hometown."

"The one you taught me. Caillo~?"

“No, not that simple word.”

Quinn pinched his brows, and Ankua could sense that he was in a bad mood.

It seems that it was not caused by the hero, but due to other reasons.

After a while, Quinn slowly said, "I asked Dean Stephens. Lin is the only one in the entire academy who can enter and exit the Abyss freely. She can use arcane magic in the Abyss without any arcane devices. No one knows how she does it."

"Chinese should be her mother tongue. She is very fluent in Chinese, with much more emotion than when she speaks Tamil, and can even understand some bad jokes."

Quinn recounted what happened in the abyss.

Just hide the part related to yourself.

"Finally, the reason the elevator was allowed to be used was because she was a brave warrior."

Ankua stood up and paced back and forth.

He was holding a cigar, a special gift from the Branson family to the British royal family. Quinn sat on the sofa, his posture neither straight nor lazy, his eyes piercing the swirling smoke, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Or maybe I didn't think about anything.

".I feel that relying solely on language and the abyss's certification is not enough to fully confirm that Lin is a hero."

Ankua put out his cigar in the ashtray.

"Killing the hero is a matter of tangible consequences, so there's no room for error. Lin is the most difficult of the five suspects to kill. Once we confirm it's her, we must ensure success on the first try, and also arrange a retreat for both of us."

"A retreat?" Quinn smiled. "Ours?"

"You don't betray the demon clan—"

Ankuya said calmly, "The demons won't betray you either."

"Hey, can you explain what the abyss is?"

Quinn looked at him with complicated eyes.

"Gray fog, armor... Never mind. I don't care about those rubbish Demon King Castle-like designs. Can you please tell me if my world still exists?"

"What do you mean?"

"The scene in the abyss is my hometown, but it is in ruins."

Ankuya was stunned, and a hint of surprise flashed in the eye that was not blocked by his hair.

He pondered for a long time before answering, "That can't be your hometown. The abyss is illusory, and the scenery beneath each entrance is different. As for why you see it that way, I don't know. Perhaps only a brave man can explain it to you. Brave men throughout the ages have been deeply involved with the abyss. Although there are no records in the outside world, each of them has journeyed deep into the fifth layer of the abyss more than once."

".Is that so." Quinn looked away. The fire was burning, and on it was roasting a cockatiel sent from the cafeteria. It was said that eating this thing could quickly restore energy.

"Is the fifth level of the abyss, below, where the Demon King resides?"

"No." Ankuya still shook his head. "The conflict between demons and humans is about the struggle for this world, while the conflict between the Abyss and the world is a matter of survival. In terms of their attitude towards the Abyss, demons and humans are the same and will be contaminated by it. Therefore, the armor you see is not surprising."

".Left behind by the demons?"

Ankua nodded.

"Humanity has simply taken over the demons' duty of guarding the Abyss. As for the gray fog, it's not unique to the Abyss. It existed long before the Age of Gods, before the creation of the world. You can learn about this in history class."

Under normal circumstances, Quinn would inquire about the origins of the Abyss and the demons.

But he's not in the mood for that now.

"Aqua, have you studied arcane arts in the Cavendish family before?"

"Correct."

"Then what impression do you have of Amemiya Ningning's father?" Quinn looked into his dark eyes.

Unlike Amamiya Nene's or his mysterious and pure black eyes, Ankuya's eyes were much darker and deeper, reminiscent of the endless night.

"No." Ankua frowned slightly. "My teacher who taught me the arcane knew him, but he wouldn't tell me who he was. He must be a powerful person. After all, not everyone can marry Lord Cavendish. Why are you asking this?"

".It's okay, just asking."

Quinn didn't continue the conversation.

"I have a guess. It may not be correct, but it is the main reason why I think Lin is a hero."

"explain."

"—Travelers from my world are not affected by the abyss."

"Like me, like the heroes of all generations, and like Lin."

Ankua's eyes widened a little.

The same is true for Ningning Amemiya, but she cannot use arcane magic in the abyss, but Lin can.

This may be related to bloodline. Amamiya Ningning's father was a time traveler, and this resistance to the abyss was passed on to her, but it is no longer as complete. Lin's resistance to the abyss is as complete as Quinn's, so she was chosen by the academy to save people.

"Lin learned space magic in order to find her homeland. This might explain her strange behavior. Perhaps the soul that traveled through time wasn't an adult's?" Quinn shrugged. "It's hard to say, but the identity of the hero should be confirmed."

Ankuya folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes in deep thought.

".Lin is very difficult to kill."

"I'm not sure if the academy knows about her identity as a hero. If they do, the power to protect her would probably be quite high. But even if they don't know, Lin is very good at defense."

"If you want to kill her, you have to get her out of the academy. Otherwise, with the Undead Totem and the academy's surveillance, there's no chance. She knows spatial magic, and you have to be wary of teleportation. There are many factors to consider, and we have to be quick. If that guy comes back, there's no chance."

"That guy? Who?"

Ankuya said calmly, "Lin's mentor and Grindelwald's headmaster. He's the most powerful wizard of our time. He's currently dealing with the Sea of ​​Mist, and no one knows when he'll return."

The air fell into silence.

After a long time, Quinn said in a low voice: "Take her out of the academy, maybe I can find a way."

"any solution?"

"I established some personal connections with her in the abyss." His voice was indifferent. "Give me some time, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Ankua's eyes fell on Quinn's face. He seemed a little different today.

In the past, Quinn was not enthusiastic about the task imposed on him. Although he did not slack off, he basically followed Ankua's plan and never took the initiative to put forward any ideas.

"I'm curious about what you experienced in the abyss that caused the change in your mentality."

"Didn't I tell you everything?"

"There should be something left unsaid."

"."

Quinn bent down and picked up the cigar, and Ankua lit it for him with his wand.

Quinn had never smoked before, especially strong tobacco like cigars. After trying it, he gave up smoking and threw it to him. It tasted like fire.

"Aqua. I want to go back and take a look."

Ankuya took the cigarette he had smoked and smoked it slowly without any disgust.

"Then you take care of Lin, and I'll find a way to kill her. After the hero dies, we'll run away together. I'll take you back to the Demon King's Castle and have His Majesty help you return to Earth."

"Heh," Quinn laughed cheerfully. "That's so easy to say." "The contract His Majesty signed with you is called the Command Seal."

Ankua ignored his somewhat playful gaze. "In the academy's whale skeleton library are Merlin's research notes on the Command Seals. You can take a look at them when you get a chance. The binding force of the Command Seals applies to both parties. As long as you complete what His Majesty requires, His Majesty will be forced to send you back to your original world."

"Isn't she a god? Would she be bound by a contract she made herself?"

Ankuya was silent for a moment.

"Yes. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

". In the middle." Quinn sat up straight. "Someone in the Abyss said something interesting to me. Anyway, I don't have a choice. I can only take a gamble on whether to believe the Demon King or not. But I believe you."

Ankua was slightly stunned.

"I'll take care of Lin, and you figure out how to kill her. After the hero dies, we'll run away together, go back to our own homes, and never see each other again." Quinn clapped his hands, as if he was planning where to steal some French fries tomorrow.

Ankuya said helplessly:
"You better be able to handle her."

He raised his head, blew out a puff of smoke, and placed the cigar on the table.

"You don't look very well. Take a rest today—"

"Ah."

The two were silent for a long time.

"What? You want to eat grilled cockroach?" Quinn looked at him in surprise. Usually, Ankua would leave after saying something like this. He never talked about anything other than work, just like he was not curious about why Quinn wanted to go back to Earth.

Ankua organized his words.

"You..." He stared at the cigar on the table and paused before continuing, "I know the Abyss can dig up some not-so-good memories. Most people don't retain any memories after being affected by the Abyss, but I don't think you do."

"I mean, I just happen to have some free time now, so I can chat with you." He then added, "Don't hold back on anything that's on your mind. If you hold it in for too long, your extraordinary qualities will get out of control."

Quinn laughed.

"No way, Aqua, are you concerned about me?"

".I just don't want the plan to assassinate the hero to go wrong, like one person being missing." His voice turned cold again, returning to his usual cool demeanor.

".It's not like I'm holding it in."

Quinn turned his back to him and walked over to the stove to tear the meat from the cockroach.

This thing looks like a snake and a rooster combined together. Its appearance is really beyond the scope of food, but it tastes surprisingly good.

"Today, Celia was nearly contaminated by the Abyss. I killed her to save her."

"so what?"

"Maybe a little. Guilty? Maybe."

Ankuya looked up blankly, his eyes full of confusion.

".Is that why? She's not dead, you're saving her."

"She looks a bit like someone I used to know." Quinn's voice lacked joy, as if he was simply stating something that had nothing to do with him. "That person is dead."

"So? You killed her?"

Quinn didn't answer.

He paused. "I originally thought I wouldn't feel guilty, but now I think I was kind of deceiving myself."

".foolishly."

Leaving this comment, Ankua stood up and walked straight out the door.

"Since the hero has been confirmed, Celia doesn't matter anymore. If you feel guilty, go visit her at the school office instead of messing around here. I'll leave Lin to you."

boom.

Looking at the closed door, Quinn squatted on the ground and muttered after a long time: "That's right."

Late at night, after taking a long-awaited hot bath, Quinn checked under the bed and then got into bed.

The suitcase containing "Heaven's Gate".

and an ordinary but exceptionally long branch.

I don't know how Amamiya Nene managed to get the katana out of the academy and put it in his room before it was detected. But now the Dark Evil Dragon Ichimonji Norimune has transformed back into a branch, so I can only ask Amamiya Nene tomorrow.

He collected his thoughts, opened the system, and saw a prominent promotion notice in the lower left corner of the operation page.

[It has been detected that the host has completed the "Useless Person" promotion task. ]

[Currently, you can consume one thousand soul fragments to advance to the eighth level of the Hero's Fate - Sekiro.]

[Soul Dust: 1170. Promoted?]

Quinn simply chose to confirm.

Just like when he was a useless man, he didn't feel any changes.

There was no mental pain of sinking into bottomless darkness like when being promoted to a thief, but the system page suddenly disappeared.

Until the "ding" sound was heard again.

So fast?
[Detected the generation of the extraordinary characteristics of 'Sekiro' in the host. 】

[According to the special ability of the Useless Man's potion formula, some of the magic circuits of 'Brave Merlin' and some of the organs of 'Demon Lord Cardeus Lotalia' have been strengthened.]

The long-lost pain of muscle tearing came from the left arm again. The flesh and blood dissolved and the fascia separated. This time it seemed much more intense than the last time. The magic circuit in the left arm was undergoing a process of thickening. It felt like the blood vessels were bursting the muscles.

But the strange thing was, even though it was more painful, Quinn felt much better than last time.

His pain threshold seemed to be different from before. He could easily endure this pain, which was far worse than that of a knife cut or a broken bone.

My vision became dim and my eyeballs felt like they were burning, but it was surprisingly bearable.

Not only was it bearable, the pain even made Quinn's mind clearer, as if the more pain he felt, the more agile he could feel the world—

[Sekiro, if you hesitate, you will be defeated.]

A strange sense of familiarity washed over Quinn, and he felt as if he had heard these words somewhere before.

[Loading the promotion ceremony——]

Quinn was stunned. What the hell?
ceremony?

The boss once said that after a combat transcendent reaches Sequence Five, if he wants to advance further, he cannot just take potions, but also has to follow a fixed ritual.

But, this is only Sequence Eight, what kind of ceremony is required?
A flower in front of you.

Quinn found himself back in the living room, holding the Dark Evil Dragon Ichimonji Norimune in his hand, which had transformed into a katana.

The fire was burning, and the flames cut distinct strips of light and shadow across the room.

[Rebound: You can attempt to deflect physical attacks with your shield or any weapon, temporarily disabling the opponent—provided the timing and direction are correct. However, as a trade-off, all your blocking actions will significantly increase your stamina consumption. The stronger the enemy, the more demanding the conditions for triggering the Rebound.]

[Shadow Dies Twice: Your roll has been enhanced. Now you can dodge all physical attacks—provided the timing and direction are correct. However, as a trade-off, all your rolls will significantly increase your stamina consumption. The stronger the enemy, the more demanding the conditions for a perfect dodge will be.]

[The ceremony begins——]

【Please defeat your shadow.】

Before Quinn could react, the shadow on the ground suddenly moved.

The identical long sword flashed and cut off Quinn's head.

(End of this chapter)