Love, Gun, Cupid

What else could Lin Jiade say? He had done his best to ensure that the Oracle of Death would successfully point to the King of the Forest. It was Di Tao's own excessive curiosity that made her unable to escape quickly enough, which led to the Oracle possessing her and turning her into Lin Jiade's tool.

As time went by, more and more deadly incidents appeared around the King of the Forest. In Lin Jiade's eyes, the King of the Forest seemed to be an employee of the Umbrella Corporation in Raccoon City. He was Kayako's neighbor, Kuchisake was his colleague, had just finished watching Sadako's videotape, received a letter from his pen pal, Yasakani no Hitoshi, and called a prostitute to learn that her name was Miss Mary. She was preparing to go on a business trip to Silent Hill.

It didn't look like it could survive at all, but the King of the Forest deftly fought off numerous death phenomena, and beautiful stripes, like moonlight, appeared on its body.

"Do those blessed by the Oracle have any resistance to the Oracle?" he murmured.

Du Juan hadn't explained this setting, but at this moment, Lin Jiade realized it on his own. The divine oracle was activated, but it was also partially blocked; he needed to make up for the gap in between.

He laughed, but the laughter was not mournful. A celestial weapon appeared in his hand, with crimson flames clinging to its blade.

“I have a friend who is stern-tongued but kind to me. She put a lot of effort into teaching me how to live as a swordsman.”

Unfortunately, I lack the talent to become the swordsman she envisioned. Moreover, for a time, I was blinded by greed and opportunism, forgetting my duty as a human being, which disappointed her.

This is a regrettable matter. When I am hurt by other people's regrets, I also reflect on whether my own mistakes have caused harm to others.

I want to apologize... and make it up to her. Although I'm not a swordsman, I remember her teachings: to live with dignity, to face death with courage, and... what emotions constitute a swordsman's power.

As Lin Jiade recalled the moment the truth was revealed, his world collapsed, his memories disintegrated, and a surge of rage at being fooled and deceived overwhelmed him. As a result, fragments of the contract flew off, causing flames to flare up on his sword.

He recalled the night the truth was revealed, how utterly devastated he felt, and how he shut himself off in his dreams. Then the reed warbler cleaved through his dreams, sharp as a hook, merciless, and the repeated deaths in his dreams severed Lin Jiade's negative emotions.

Wei Ying said that she would not mock his negativity that night. She would use her body as a furnace, her skirt as fire, and her hands to caress his head, so that his broken heart could be rebuilt and reach a stronger state.

Lin Jiade opened his eyes. Rage was his power, but he did not let anger consume him; instead, he controlled it. The chain that Du Juan had implanted in his heart could not stop this power of rage.

Lin Jiade remembered Wei Ying's swordsmanship. He assumed a fighting stance, and the program of the King of the Forest made him automatically ignore the dead eagle and the manipulated earth peach. Amidst the layers of death, he saw the one that posed the greatest threat to him.

The King of the Forest threw his hook, and Lin Jiade crouched low, hoisting his sword onto his shoulder. The iron hook and the youth met halfway, the hook tip colliding with the sword blade, sparks flying, leaving joyful ripples on Lin Jiade's shield.

The crimson flames cleaved through the iron hook, advancing alongside Lin Jiade. The closer they got to the King of the Forest, the greater the resistance Lin Jiade felt. However, the shoulders and shield beneath the blade compensated for the force, propelling the crimson flames and black death toward the King of the Forest.

"This is……"

The hat maker who had worked with Lin Jiade was equally astonished; her impression of Lin Jiade was still from the battle at the Dry Gate Hotel in early December.

“That’s interesting. Is there a problem?” Tianlong asked.

“He’s improved so fast…” the hatter said. “A month ago, he looked like he couldn’t fight at all, but now he’s suddenly become quite skilled.”

Tianlong, also a combat expert, analyzed: "That kid's swordsmanship has changed. It was originally a low-end knock-off of Mumian's. Humph, how can something a woman practices be suitable for a man to use?"

Now, he controls his anger, drives his anger; his anger is powerful, and yet it is rational… It's quite interesting to maintain reason while being angry. Perhaps he has two mentors who have guided him down two completely opposite paths?

Rafaam accompanied Tingfeng all the way, who looked annoyed. But when she saw Lin Jiade facing off against the King of the Forest, she exclaimed in surprise, "Is this kid crazy? The King of the Forest killed me in one move. How dare he go up against the King of the Forest?"

A moment later, after witnessing Lin Jiade's killer move and self-transcendence, she spat: "Pah, so he was hiding something. If I survive, I might be defeated by him, and that would be incredibly embarrassing."

Qi Yanli was packing her things. She had already told her family the good news and bad news: she had been promoted to a senior professional title, but she wasn't number one. She was extremely disappointed and didn't want to stay a moment longer. At that moment, the audience's exclamations made her look up.

Is he like that?

The diamond elf was somewhat confused. She had fought Lin Jiade in the virtual space. Just that afternoon, Lin Jiade was only of average skill and she had been chasing and beating him. But now, he seemed like a completely different person, as if he had a strong belief and was throwing himself into it without hesitation.

Qi Yanli knew the power of belief, but could belief really bring about a complete transformation in a few hours?

Those geniuses are possible, but Lin Jiade is not a genius. Lin Jiade is not a genius, but he did what geniuses do. He used wondrous magic (she didn't know it was divine revelation) and, in conjunction with the Earth Peach, actually gained the upper hand in the confrontation with the King of the Forest.

"This must be the power of love, just like how I gave up everything on the First Continent to come here for my beloved."

Cui Mufenglian gazed tenderly at her boyfriend. As Karksa passed by, she pursed her lips; for her, the most painful thing was watching others flaunt their love.

However, Kalxa discerned something from the broadcast footage: the power of love? Hmph, the only thing capable of causing trouble for the Oracle's protector could be another Oracle.

Lin Jiade is not a divine protector, yet he possesses a divine oracle. According to imperial law, this is an extremely serious crime... This is going to be quite a show.

Chapter 122 The Final (23) (14→13)

"Great! Our Lin Jiade is finally listening to me! I've told you so many times, a swordsman must follow the guidance of his heart and do the right thing, instead of letting external things restrict his actions."

His movements couldn't yet be called beautiful, but at least they were no longer as ugly as the kapok tree's.

The warbler excitedly shook Jasmine's shoulder. She finally understood what Lin Jiade had been saying, which seemed to have no context. She had finally defeated Kapok and become Lin Jiade's mentor in the field of martial arts. Overwhelmed with emotion, she even shed a tear.

Jasmine, feeling dizzy from the shaking, rolled her eyes. She had no idea when Lin Jiade had become "ours." It was true that Lin Jiade was a shared bicycle, but she didn't remember Wei Ying scanning the code to ride it.

But Jasmine knew. The friend Lin Jiade spoke of was Wei Ying, and the one he felt guilty and wanted to make amends to was also Wei Ying. In the swordsmanship he displayed, Jasmine could see Wei Ying's shadow.

Wei Ying could accompany Lin Jiade in this way. But what about her, his respectable girlfriend? She left no trace; at least, in the most crucial moment, she was not in Lin Jiade's memories.

Thinking of this, Jasmine hiccuped with jealousy, flames shooting out of her mouth and almost setting the room on fire.

Gladiolus quickly tried to smooth things over: "We all know that Miss Cuckoo's oracle played a decisive role in all of this. The King of the Forest was fighting against the death summoned by the oracle while also dealing with Lin Jiade..."

“Even so, this force is illogical.” Jasmine looked at Reed Warbler. “It can only be that you did something.”

Wei Ying awkwardly looked away. This involved a shameful matter. Before she and Lin Jiade were united, she almost took Lin Jiade as his Oracle Protector. The ritual failed in the end, but Lin Jiade was enhanced, so he was able to better use the skills she taught him and fight the King of the Forest in a low-powered version of the Oracle Protector.

“However, don’t get your hopes up too high,” said Reed Warbler. “The King of the Forest is Diana’s oracle and protector, and it’s Diana’s holy day now. He could kill Lin Jiade with just a blood transfusion.”

"However, Miss Azalea's divine message is extremely powerful..."

Gladiolus was deeply impressed by the Cuckoo's Oracle. Korobochka was a high wall of despair, but the Cuckoo's Oracle easily shattered it. Theoretically, the King of the Forest was not as strong as Korobochka.

Reed Warbler was somewhat surprised: "You didn't know either? It seems that the oracle protectors of the empire and you magic researchers or sorcerers are not in the same circle."

Okay, let me explain briefly. You can't use shields that deal with physical attacks or magic/witchcraft to deal with the damage from the Oracle. The only thing that is resistant to the Oracle is the Oracle itself.

The strength of an oracle depends on how seriously the celestial observer takes the oracle to the protector, and also on the strength of the celestial observer themselves.

In short, the elder sister's divine pronouncements could instantly kill mortals, but they wouldn't be so easy against someone who also possessed divine protection.

Jasmine suddenly thought of something: "Lin Jiade isn't a divine protector, but he released a divine oracle in front of everyone. Could it be...?"

"If Jianlan hadn't told you, would you have known that Lin Jiade was releasing a divine oracle? And Jianlan knew because she learned that the cause of this strange phenomenon was a divine oracle."

From most viewers' perspective, Lin Jiade had merely used a strange spell.

Jasmine then added, "But there are always people like Gladiolus who know the oracle."

“Oh, that is a problem. After all, the number of Oracles is limited. There’s only one spot available. If the people in front don’t make room, the people behind can’t get in.”

Wei Ying said casually, "However, this is easy to solve. Just kill one of the Oracles, make room for Lin Jiade, and that will solve the problem of his use of the Oracles being legalized."

What kind of solution is this?!

Gladiolus and Jasmine exchanged a glance, and Gladiolus said, "Killing the protectors of other Celestial Observers will turn into a battle between Celestial Observers, won't it?"

"Oh, not really. It's like if you kill your neighbor's dog, they can choose to sue or call the police, but they can't just come over with a kitchen knife and demand your life."

In short, trust your sister; there's always a way to resolve this.

Wei Ying's beloved older sister lacked confidence in herself. She seemed somewhat uneasy beside Diana because Lin Jiade had gained the upper hand after using the oracle, but had not yet managed to defeat his opponent quickly.

Diana commented, "It's a very ingenious composite oracle. First of all, it's a deception. It wraps the inner, truly effective oracle in a layer and replaces it outwardly with something like human magic or witchcraft."

Because of its deceptive appearance, its victims will try to defend themselves with magic or witchcraft, but the inner oracle of death will penetrate the ineffective defenses and bring death to the victim.

I witnessed such an ingenious oracle during the Trojan War; it first aided the Greeks, but then became their nightmare on their return journey, because one of them raped his priestess.

Poor Athena, she was originally a native Greek goddess with three aspects (a young girl, a mother, and an old woman), but her glory was usurped by the Indo-European god Zeus, who split her powers, with one of them even becoming a Gorgon.

Athena's rebirth from Zeus's mind signifies her submission to outsiders, making her one of the main gods' subordinates, assistants, and key figures in the Greek mythological system—illustrious but no longer the most illustrious.

However, Athena retained the power of wisdom, and thus learned the art of usurpation from the outsiders. The ancient celestial observer appeared before the world in a new guise.

Du Juan laughed, "That sounds like a very inspiring story, Moon Goddess. However, I'd rather discuss what happened in the virtual space. Who do you think will win the bet?"

"The current King of the Forest is now constrained by your oracle, and is evenly matched with the current Lin Jiade—a rare dual-oracle protector blessed by two oracles. I guess the appearance of the Mars-based oracle on him must have been an accident."

Du Juan covered her forehead: "My dear sister, I'm sorry you had to see this."

"However, this cannot change the outcome of our bet, for I came before you and incorporated him into my own light, and I have always respected people's will to resist."

But you are different; you are still too young.

Du Juan laughed and said, "But Goddess Moon, even in the Heavenly Realm, there is no such thing as the older the better. Apart from those stagnant and decadent civilizations in the colorful Milky Way, people are all looking forward."

Times have changed, Moon Goddess, that's why I'm confident I can win the bet.

Chapter 123 The Final Round (24)

One of the main reasons Lin Jiade wanted to play football as a teenager was his vanity in wanting to have everyone's attention on him.

Now, he has given up football, but has successfully drawn everyone's attention to him... even though this rookie, who has only been in the world of superhumans for less than half a year, knows nothing about it.

He carried the celestial weapon, its blade moving against the direction the chains had come from, cleaving them in two. Before the severed chains fell to the ground, his sword clashed with the King of the Forest's weapon, the metallic groan making his ears bulge and his hands go numb.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

The impotent rage of the ground peach seemed to be a spice of the battle. Lin Jiade was neither sad nor happy. The teachings of the reed warbler appeared in his thoughts and were reflected in his actions.

The phantoms of swords and limbs danced in his eyes. Every breath, every heartbeat, every muscle undulation, every step he took allowed him to take control, judge his opponent, and think about how to change the next and the next sword strike.

Why fight the King of the Forest? Can he even fight the King of the Forest? Does it matter? No! It doesn't matter. What matters is that the sword is drawn. Every swordsman longs for a formidable opponent who goes all out to demonstrate the skills he has learned.

Now, the King of the Forest, who could fully enrage and empower him, was right before him; this was fate.

Di Tao launched a surprise attack on the King of the Forest's back. She leaped onto his back and thrust her two swords at his neck, but the attack was blocked by the shield. Then, the King of the Forest reached out and grabbed her by the neck.

The King of the Forest could have easily crushed her neck, but Lin Jiade's aggressive stance forced him to throw the earth peach. Lin Jiade dodged to the side, and when he looked back at the King of the Forest, the latter's sword was already slashing towards his face.

The black death wrapped around the King of the Forest's arm, halting his slashing motion. Lin Jiade swung his sword, cutting through the King of the Forest's shield and, in doing so, his breastplate. Through the gap, Lin Jiade glimpsed a sight that shocked him.

He froze, his composure broken—a fatal mistake in a life-or-death confrontation. Without hesitation, the King of the Forest thrust at Lin Jiade, the tip of his sword shattering Lin Jiade's shield and striking his chest.

At the critical moment, two swords flew in front of Lin Jiade, taking his place in death. Just as the swords shattered, someone grabbed Lin Jiade's waist, and then his vision spun around.

"Hey, wake up!"

The mochi riding on him patted his cheek: "Are you crazy? One minute you're good, the next you're bad!"

“I saw the jersey…” Lin Jiade replied.

"what?"

Under the influence of the oracle, Di Tao "willingly" transformed herself into an animal, carrying Lin Jiade away from the battlefield. Fortunately, death still clung to the King of the Forest, preventing him from arriving immediately.

As they ran, Momo suddenly realized something and said, "Is that the jersey you wore that summer?"

“How come… Oh, you’re a kapok tree too? Never mind then.” Lin Jiade said, “It’s that jersey, I remember the stain on its chest… Why, why is the King of the Forest this thing?”

Anxiety arose in Di Tao's heart. She vaguely guessed that she had been implicated in Lin Jiade's magic. If the King of the Forest did not die, she would become Lin Jiade's tool.

So, at this moment, she wholeheartedly wanted to work with Lin Jiade to take down the King of the Forest, but who would have thought that the crazy King of the Forest would wear his jersey under his armor.

Di Tao didn't understand why Lin Jiade's jersey was on the King of the Forest. Perhaps this was just a tactic used by the King of the Forest to shake Lin Jiade's resolve.