Rhodes Island does not exist.

“Protect all of you at the same time.” He moved his right hand, which was gradually regaining feeling, and gripped the wooden handle of the pickaxe again. “If I can block the Reaper’s attack like I did before, then I can block it a second time… but that’s all, because I can’t kill her.”

“You’re quite the smooth talker.” Skadi’s words carried a subtle hint of trust amidst her bland disdain. “But if it’s about killing, I’ll do it. After all, it’s my specialty.”

"Is your profession really murder?" the doctor asked.

“Probably.” Skadi’s face was covered in beads of cold sweat. “If this skill and this greatsword weren’t made for killing, they would be meaningless.”

"Then what is the purpose of the killing?" the doctor asked again. "You must have a purpose, whether it is base or good."

“I forgot.” Skadi’s answer came without any hesitation and was devoid of any emotion.

Just like herself.

"Is that so?" The doctor nodded without saying anything more.

As the two were talking, the Reaper also turned its gaze to the closed circuit behind them.

In the doctor's eyes, an illusory red line segment was forming between her and the locked circuit.

At this moment, he understood the meaning of the line segment.

It represents the Reaper's aggressive tendencies and the path she will take to launch her attack.

It was precisely because the Doctor saw these paths that he was able to stand between Skadi and the Reaper.

"It seems they plan to bypass us and go straight to their ultimate goal," the doctor thought to himself.

That is indeed the case.

The harvesters have begun to move.

Her eyes were fixed intently on the closed circuit, and she was like a wolf staring intently at its prey.

But she is clearly not Rupert.

The red horns on her head indicated her Sarkaz identity.

From this perspective, the locking loop also appears to be a Sarkaz.

Forget it, at this point, getting caught up in race isn't important.

In this Rhodes Island, race isn't even a symbol.

The illusory red line segment is becoming real.

The doctor gripped the pickaxe tightly in his right hand and stepped back toward the location of the locked circuit.

Then, the reaper disappeared.

And just like when he blocked Skadi's attack before, the world seemed to slow down in the Doctor's eyes.

He couldn't explain this, and could only conclude that his Originium Arts had been improved as his memories returned.

After all, at the beginning he couldn't even do the most basic observation and analysis.

"Whoosh-"

The Reaper's figure appeared in the air like an illusory cloud. She bypassed Skadi's side, drawing an eerie figure eight as she headed straight for the closed loop.

Judging from Skadi's reaction, she was probably completely unaware of the Reaper's actions.

If the Doctor hadn't possessed this suddenly evolved Originium Arts, he certainly wouldn't have fared much better than Skadi; ​​he would have met his end without even knowing what had happened.

But now it's different.

Now that he has this ability, he has to do something about it.

"Crack."

The soles of the shoes rub against the ground.

As the Reaper moved along the line segment that the Doctor had envisioned in his eyes, the Doctor also stood on her inevitable path.

He planned to repeat his previous tactic of protecting Skadi to protect the locking circuit.

But this time, the line segment disappeared.

As the Doctor stood between the closed loop and the Reaper, the originally solid red line suddenly twisted its direction, forming another unusual trajectory.

Without a doubt, it was the doctor's actions that changed the Reaper's behavior.

In other words, the Reaper also observed the Doctor's actions and changed its own strategy in response to the Doctor's actions.

This makes sense, because she is quick-witted and meticulous.

But at the same time, it is also very unreasonable.

From the Reaper's past and present movements, the Doctor noticed something.

He was being deliberately avoided by the Reapers.

At first, she also targeted the Doctor as her primary objective, prioritizing him with both swords and bombs.

But after her initial attempt failed, she noticeably toned down her advances toward the doctor.

The fragmentation grenades they originally used were replaced with fragmentation-free ones. After the doctor blocked the attack that was supposed to be aimed at Skadi, they quickly retreated after letting out a surprised cry.

Now, she originally only needed to simply eliminate the Doctor, the stumbling block in front of the closed loop, but because of his appearance, her behavior has been constantly changing.

This is not reasonable.

-

My heart is now completely consumed by the anniversary celebration; perhaps I will never experience joy or sorrow again in this lifetime.

The following is the thank-you section.

Thank you to 花水飴"carmenothuyeg for the razor blade and monthly pass, thank you.

Chapter 225, Part 223: The Rain of Life

We all share the same hometown.

At the beginning of life, at the beginning of all Terra, at the beginning of all matter.

In the beginning, how did those tiny creatures shape their bodies?

Why did the organisms that differentiated into different forms during evolution choose their prey and come up with the definitions of carnivores and herbivores?

What is going on in the mind of a creature that ruthlessly kills its own kind?

Don't ask why.

That was inevitable, it was natural, and it was inevitable.

Because for such creatures, there were no other options from the very beginning.

So don't ask why orcas eat dolphins instead of seaweed.

To an orca, the dolphin's adorable eyes and beautiful skin are not that important. To it, they are just a bag filled with flesh and blood.

So the orca tore open the dolphin's skin, crushed its skull, and then ate everything inside.

-

There was a burnt smell in the air.

The pungent stench from the burning protein flowed down the sides of the doctor's nose.

Black smoke billowed from Skadi's body like thin threads.

The Reaper bypassed the Doctor's body and charged toward the closed circuit.

What happened to Skadi?

The unusual situation alerted the doctor, forcing him to divert his attention to the female hunter's condition.

His eyes inevitably focused on the part of Skadi emitting thick smoke, and he poured his Originium Arts into Skadi and began to analyze it.

He saw red lights flashing.

It was an incredibly wondrous heat source, like starlight, now embedded near Skadi's shoulder blades and waist, clinging to the corners of her clothing, burning the flesh beneath her fabric fibers.

When did this happen?

Could it be that the seeds were planted when the Reaper passed by Skadi in a figure-eight pattern?

"Di."

Just as he was thinking, he heard a sound like an electronic clock.

Or rather, it's an electronic clock counting down.

"Whoosh-"

A figure in red and black passed by the doctor.

While focusing on Skadi, the Doctor ultimately missed the opportunity to intercept the Reaper.

The Doctor has to protect both Skadi and the closed loops she is protecting, making it a two-front war.

Of course, he may have been quite adept at fighting on two or even multiple fronts in the past, but now he is just a novice who has just begun to regain his former abilities and can only move forward by relying on his intuition.

So, let alone fighting on two fronts, he was even too busy taking care of himself.

If the Reaper hadn't been deliberately avoiding him, he would have already returned to his happy old home with Ghost Shark and was ready to offer a finger as a sacrifice.

In other words, PhD students who cannot simultaneously manage both research areas face a choice.

He has to choose between Skadi and the locked loop.

Or to put it another way—he has to give up either Skadi or the locked loop.

But the premise is that he can actually save the one he chose.

"Di."

The countdown sounded loudly.

The Reaper's phantom had already passed the Doctor by a full body length and was getting closer and closer to the location of the closed circuit.

Can he catch up with the Reaper?

The answer is no.

Since that's the case, we can only choose Skadi.

This choice has nothing to do with emotions or experiences; it is only related to the probability of success.

The doctor took a step and headed in the opposite direction from the harvester.

The black smoke emanating from Skadi was growing thicker, and she noticed the Originium explosives clinging to her body. She quickly dropped her greatsword, intending to remove them.

In the Doctor's perspective, the flow of time slows down because of his Originium Arts observations, so he can clearly see how those high-energy Originium explosives work through his insight and analysis.

He was even confident that he could directly sever the circuits of those Originium explosives and render them harmless.

But the harvesters don't think so.

A skilled hunter kills his prey; a good hunter plays with his prey.

In the hunt, skilled hunters often deliberately sow seeds of mercy, then strike with hammers and knives just before their prey is about to be caught.

The same goes for the harvesters.

Because the countdown she left on those Originium explosives didn't actually serve any countdown function.

It's just a small toy that can make sounds.

and so.

"boom!"

Shoulders, waist, legs.

Trinity.

The crimson light pierced Skadi's body like a sharp blade, causing fiery thorns to bloom in three places on her body.

The doctor's focused analytical perspective was immediately filled with pure heat.

Everything happened so suddenly and quickly, leaving him and her no time to prepare.

He just stood there and watched, watching Skadi explode in front of him.

But a hunter of the deep sea is still a hunter of the deep sea. Her resilient body was not torn to pieces by the triple explosion, and the scene of flying flesh and splattered organs did not appear before the doctor's eyes.

The violent explosion tore her flesh apart and created huge wounds on her body, but she remained standing in place.