Ark Chess Player

That's the kind of person she is; she won't hesitate to risk her life to achieve a goal.

The Originium crystal, condensed with high-density energy, was detonated before it could hit Talulah. Talulah didn't even have to lift a finger; she merely glared coldly, drawing out the Originium fluctuations in the air, rendering W's self-sacrificing attack futile.

"your."

W cursed and fell downwards, no longer having the strength to break the Originium crystals on her body.

Even if she had one, she couldn't throw it up there.

Am I going to die?

W thought to himself, "It seems so."

But what does death matter?

There are many things worse than death.

I'm just... so unwilling! So unwilling I almost cried!

Why couldn't I kill that demon in the form of a dragon girl? Why am I so weak? Why do I keep losing?

W stretches out his hand, towards the command tower, towards the sky, towards the entire Terra—and raises his middle finger.

Fuck you!

"Ugh."

A sigh drifted over.

It wasn't W's voice; she thought her voice was much cuter.

Just as W was about to make intimate contact with the land of Chernobog, a silver-white figure roared in like a raging dragon.

Lin Lu caught W's slender waist in mid-air and carefully tucked her into his arms to avoid crushing her back due to inertia.

The next moment, Lin Lu stomped heavily on the ground, and the metal footplates emitted a red high-risk signal, sparks flying everywhere.

The moment Lin Lu's figure finally stopped, a ditch nearly twenty meters long was dragged into the ground.

A large amount of steam and white mist billowed out, the heat dissipation device activated, and Lin Lu gently put W down.

Lin Lu hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

"W, you should lose weight."

Chapter 442 W Doesn't Die from a Loose Tongue (3K)

Let's move time forward a little.

Chernobog's core city, command center.

"Oh my, isn't this Talulah? Haven't seen her for days, she looks so tired!"

The white-haired, red-eyed Sarkaz girl looked at Talulah, who was in a high position, and said with a smile, "I thought you were completely obsessed with your grand plan to perish together with Lungmen. Not bad, not bad, you're still showing some semblance of humanity."

“W, speaking rudely will do you no good,” Talulah said calmly.

"Huh? Ah, well, I should apologize, leader. I've been a mercenary for so many years that I've forgotten how to speak like a human! After all, none of my previous bosses were human, and the only one who radiated humanity... passed away long ago."

W laughed, it was unclear whether he was mocking Talulah or making fun of himself.

“Sarcastic remarks do us no good, W.” Talulah’s tone changed slightly, her every move exuding the air of a leader. She smiled gently and extended her hand to W. “The Reunion Movement needs the strength of you Sarkaz. There shouldn’t be any more personal conflicts between us. Of course, the Sarkaz will also benefit from this, without a doubt.”

W raised an eyebrow slightly, asking curiously, "Oh? I'd like to hear what the benefits are."

“You are different from others. What you need is profit, not hope, so I will bring you profit! When the core city enters Lungmen, the Sarkaz mercenaries scattered in various city-states like you, and those who control you behind the scenes, will usher in a new era. No matter which country or city-state, it will fall into chaos, and you will be the biggest beneficiaries of this chaos.”

Talulah said solemnly, "After Lungmen is destroyed, no mobile city-state in this world will be safe. The Sarkaz people will rise again and prosper. When you have new goals and new enemies, you will unite as one and will no longer have to worry about... civil war."

—The Sarkaz Civil War.

Upon hearing this key word, W's pupils contracted instantly. She tilted her head back and took a deep breath, barely managing to calm herself down.

"you're right."

"So, W, do you have any further questions?"

"No, what you said makes a lot of sense. May I give you a round of applause?"

W has a habit.

She always takes action before speaking.

W immediately applauded for Talulah, her face full of sincerity, as if she wanted to present Talulah with a wreath, well, the white kind.

Talulah's expression changed slightly. She could sense W's sarcastic tone. This was the first time in her long life that she had been mocked to this extent.

“W, if my frankness can clear up the misunderstanding between us, I will not hesitate to spend my time. In order to ensure a long-term win-win situation for both of us, I can invite you to work together to formulate a plan for the future of the Reunion Movement. Would that increase your trust in me a little? W, we need to support each other to have a chance to solve more problems. We will inevitably encounter attacks from Lungmen, or even Rhodes Island. I need your strength, W.”

"really?"

W wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and choked out, "I'm so touched, sob sob sob."

“Of course it is—” Talulah smiled and extended her hand, as sincere as an Iberian monk, and said softly, “Really.”

Before Talulah could finish speaking, an invisible flame slashed out like a blade. At that moment, Talulah was like the most cunning assassin, every move aimed at killing her target. It was an attack that even the Sarkaz mercenary leader's W attack could not match—how perfect! Anyone else would probably be dead by now.

"Hey, I just said a few careless things to you. It's not like it's enough to make you so angry that you want to kill me, is it?"

Do you think I didn't see your little toy?

"Oh, it really is true."

W secretly threw out a miniature Originium explosive device, which detonated, and flames erupted, instantly engulfing the two people present.

Compared to Talulah's flames that could silently destroy everything, W was even more grateful that the heatwave hitting her was her Originium Blasting Device. The only pity was that the Originium fragments hidden inside seemed to have been melted by Talulah, otherwise they could have exerted their maximum effect.

W wasn't very knowledgeable about magic, but she knew perfectly well that no matter what kind of spell it was, its power couldn't compare to the purest form of energy use. Explosions were art, heat was justice, the range of shrapnel coverage was truth, and shockwaves spread good news wherever they swept through. This was what a man she hated to death had taught her at the Tower of Babel; that terrifying upright ape had once said... No matter who the enemy was, as long as they were blown to pieces, that was enough.

As the flames died down, Talulah stood unharmed, looking at W with some surprise.

"Your little toy... can actually neutralize my Originium Arts. It seems I underestimated you, W."

"Haha, go to hell! This little toy you're talking about took me hours to make, can't you show it a little respect? And also, can you please not hit people when they're talking?!"

W rolled over awkwardly, trying to make himself look like he was tying his shoelaces, and then calmly stood up.

The spot where she had just been was instantly melted, leaving a large hole, and the sweltering air made her throat itch.

So that's how it is. You wanted to use this to shut her up?

She doesn't!

"Remember to aim properly next time," W said cheekily.

Talulah raised an eyebrow slightly, her patience was wearing thin and she was about to explode, but she still told herself to stay calm.

"W...why did you choose to stand against me? What good would it do you to become an enemy of Reunion?"

"Huh? You're the one who struck first! I call this self-defense, that's right, I have to kill you before you can kill me."

Talulah sighed, "It seems we have nothing more to say."

"You're only just realizing this?" W took a deep breath. "Why didn't you think of this when you targeted my people?"

"I see. I misunderstood your character and thought you were like that old dragon, someone who could arbitrarily weigh lower-level fates on a scale. I didn't expect you to be so considerate. You really are a lovable demon with flesh and blood," Talulah said with admiration.

"That's right, I'm so cute."

“Playing the fool can indeed conceal part of your true intentions, and it’s quite effective.” Talulah nodded, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “However, your true thoughts are even more absurd than I imagined.”

"Oh? I can take that as you thinking you know me very well? Wow, your little head, so engrossed in weaving schemes, isn't just filled with water and flour. I thought you'd turn into a sticky paste if you shook your head!" W exclaimed in shock.

“W, you want to stop me from attacking Lungmen with the Core City,” Talulah said calmly.

"—"

W's expression changed.

Seeing this, Talulah smiled smugly.

"If you simply wanted revenge, why choose this time? It would have been wise to strike when Lungmen and I were locked in a life-or-death struggle, both severely weakened. You're a mercenary, a seasoned one; even the demons would follow your orders. You're perfectly capable of understanding the situation. To be honest, I'm starting to like you, W. You bring me a certain pleasure. Your foolishness is almost charming, and the thought of losing you would diminish my enjoyment fills me with regret. Are you really the crazy, desperate man you portray, W?"

"...What's going on? Are you interested in me? Sorry, think about it calmly, there's absolutely no way we can be together, it's hopeless, give up."

W made a disgusted "Ugh" sound, looking at Talulah and suppressing the urge to vomit.

Talulah was unfazed. She slowly took out a two-handed greatsword and stood it in front of her.

"Ugh! You're ready to pull out a knife the moment someone rejects you? Someone like you will be single forever!"

"I've already laid it all out, yet you still refuse to drop your mask of hypocrisy. I truly admire you, W. Although I don't know how you got in touch with the people at Rhodes Island, I've seen through your little tricks all along; I just haven't said anything."

Talulah gazed out the window behind W and spotted Rhodes Island's transport plane.

"Enough with the nonsense. When you're reduced to pieces of flesh, I'll have someone collect your remains, build a grave, and come chat with you from time to time—if you still have any scraps of flesh left!"

W pulled out the remote control from his hand, struck a pose like Yoshikage Kira, and pressed the red button deeply with his thumb!

A simple Originium switch, remotely operated, with a chain reaction explosion and a diameter of fifty meters, making it the top choice for suicide bombers.

W never considered escaping unscathed. To think that she could defeat a monster like Talulah without sacrificing anything was wishful thinking. W wouldn't mind sacrificing a part of her body to kill Talulah; at worst, they would both die.

however--

There were no flames, no burning, and no massive explosion that shook the command tower.

W stared wide-eyed as she pressed the remote control buttons repeatedly, but nothing happened.

The hundreds of Originium bombs she had painstakingly set up, which she had painstakingly twisted and turned to burrow into the steel foundation, all went unresponsive.

Goodness, she knows why now.

The places where the Originium was originally buried have all become deformed, melted, and sunken.

Molten iron dripped down, igniting the surrounding scrap and emitting a foul stench.

Talulah infused Originium Arts into the greatsword, channeling heat into the steel foundation. The radiation spread in a circular pattern, directly melting the structure and properties of the Originium device. Even if it still possessed power, it could not be detonated remotely.

A reasonable judgment, as expected of me, great job.

It's that simple to figure it out. If you can't make it in the mercenary world, then become a detective.

W nodded slowly. Very well, it seems this time it's completely over.

"Don't rush, I'll give you time to try slowly."