Ark Chess Player.

No wonder Kal'tsit had informed the medical department that only she could be responsible for the Doctor's physical examination.

"It's okay, I'm just a little tired."

Lin Lu smiled somewhat awkwardly. Shining's hands were restless; wasn't it inappropriate to touch him all over in front of so many people? "There's no time like the present," he thought. "Why don't you come to my office tonight? We can have a long, heart-to-heart talk. You know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know yours."

Shining misunderstood that Lin Lu didn't want her to continue observing, and quickly withdrew her hand.

"Doctor, after this mission is over, I think you need to talk to Dr. Kal'tsit," Shining said solemnly.

"...That's true, it's not good to keep holding it in forever. I'm a grown man with strong blood in my veins, after all."

Lin Lu seemed to be deep in thought, and thought that Shining's suggestion was excellent.

Shining didn't quite understand what Lin Lu was saying, but it was good that he was willing to go for a medical check-up.

"Although I cannot completely heal your injuries, please allow me to contribute my strength."

"Shining said softly, as she held up a ray of light, its gentle radiance shining before everyone, almost like a tangible entity."

Shining gently placed the warm orb of light on Lin Lu's chest, letting it seep in little by little, soothing the excruciating pain he had suffered from being torn apart by Bozokasti. Even if his body could regenerate, the phantom pain etched into his soul was hard to erase.

Lin Lu felt his nearly depleted Originium energy instantly replenished, and his regenerative abilities returned to normal, causing a tingling sensation in his chest. He had only been wearing an outer layer, with some of his internal organs empty inside, which explained why Shining was so alarmed.

Chen watched silently from the side, merely standing there feeling the afterglow of the magic, yet she could feel her injuries rapidly healing. What kind of powerful Originium Arts was this? No one in the Guard Bureau could compare, no, even in Terra, it was extremely rare.

The value of a skilled healer far surpasses that of a valiant warrior; any nation in Terra would be eager to recruit such a talent. Why would someone so capable be content to remain in a small pharmaceutical company…?

"Doctor, please don't be reckless when you're injured. We're here for you, you'll be alright."

Shining slowly withdrew her hand and smiled gently. Even though she understood Lin Lu's constitution, she felt neither fear nor hatred.

To her, Lin Lu was Rhodes Island's commander, her comrade-in-arms, and her patient—that was enough.

Lin Lu clutched his chest and stood up with Lin Guang's help. He exhaled in surprise. His breath, which had previously tasted blood, now felt refreshed. The bones that had been broken due to the strenuous exercise had straightened, and his back was much straighter.

"I feel like I've seen your healing magic somewhere before, it's amazing," Lin Lu praised sincerely.

Shining's hand trembled slightly as she picked up the lantern. She looked up and gave a flawless smile: "Doctor, you are very knowledgeable. You must have misread it... Yes, it must be."

Lin Lu narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing more.

After all, he was just someone who only had two weeks of memories.

"Alright, everyone follow my command. Our battle is not over yet."

Lin Lu looked at Amida, who was pretending to be dead in the distance. He knew that the real culprit was still inside.

Upon hearing this, Nearl's expression changed, and she quickly raised her shield to shield the crowd. She had personally witnessed the Doctor defeat the enemy with a force that seemed capable of cleaving a moving city. If he survived this, it was unimaginable what the consequences of carelessness would be!

The sorcerer operator, Touyama, looked solemn. She held a tarot card in her hand, and the divination result was the same as what Lin Lu had said.

How could this terrifying monster still be alive, with no sign of weakening?

Seeing Yuanshan's astonished expression, Lin Lu couldn't help but smile. Although he was meeting this Rhodes Island caster operator for the first time, she was quite capable. The reason he chose her to participate was because... she was a fortune teller.

The distant mountains cannot predict their own future, and the diviner cannot see their own destiny, but they can make some preparations in advance through omens.

"Everyone listen up!"

Lin Lu roared and issued the order in his capacity as the highest commander of Rhodes Island.

"Don't get too close, it's too dangerous! Keep your distance! The enemy's main body is inside, shoot him out! Platinum, Blue Poison, fire! Far Mountain, prepare to suppress!"

Platinum and Blue Poison raised their weapons, stared at Amidala who was lying prostrate on the ground, drew their bows, and pulled the triggers.

As a platinum-level assassin of the Kazimierz Unarmored Alliance, the silver-haired, brown-eyed Kuranta girl knows how to stab her blade into the gaps in the armor, find the gaps between the tightly linked pieces, and penetrate the most vulnerable part of the structure.

Lin Lu used all his strength to chisel a hole in Amida's head, and now it's full of flaws. How could Bai Jin possibly fail?

The armor-piercing arrow whistled through the air, piercing precisely into the depths of Amida's battered skull even at a distance of a hundred meters. Fresh blood splattered; the hard skull had been rendered useless, for His opponent possessed the eyes of a pegasus.

Platinum was terrified. When her Pegasus Vision expanded, she saw a person inside the monster's head.

A living, breathing person was staring at her with eyes that hated everything; it was utterly terrifying.

Blue Poison appeared behind Nearl. Although her small crossbow had an excellent range, it couldn't take down a person from a hundred meters away with the ease of drawing a bow and shooting an arrow like Platinum. However, Blue Poison's combat strength was not bad, or rather, the power she could unleash was even stronger than Platinum's.

As a toxicology expert, Blue Poison has different methods for dealing with different enemies. She is proficient in various toxins and can even formulate medicines based on the racial characteristics of the opponent, achieving 200% effectiveness. Once upon a time, on the coast of Iberia, she encountered an Old God far larger and more terrifying than Aya Midara, but she still chose to fight, because she knew there was no way to retreat.

Blue Poison was defeated in that battle.

A village in Iberia was destroyed.

It was a village of only five hundred people. To outsiders, this number might seem insignificant, but to the inhabitants of Iberia, it was a large settlement. It was the hope for the Iberian people's heritage, yet it was tragically destroyed, and the surviving residents went mad. Some began to grow fish scales, some lost normal language skills, and some had their heads distorted into bizarre shapes… Ultimately, that dilapidated village disappeared into a corner of Iberia, and no one could find them again, as if they had been hidden away.

Blue Poison knew very well that sooner or later he would face the same situation again.

She had been preparing for this day for a long time.

"What is honey to me is poison to you."

Blue Poison held his breath briefly before pulling the trigger.

A poisoned arrow, gleaming with a bluish-purple light, pierced through the air and struck.

Blue Poison doesn't possess Platinum's exceptional combat talent or unparalleled marksmanship.

But she never slacked off, never neglected her duties, and continued to do what she was supposed to do despite the incomprehension of others.

This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future.

The poisoned arrow struck Amida's head. The creature seemed to sense a strong sense of danger and tried to dodge the arrow. However, all of its limbs had been severed by Lin Lu beforehand, and its head was half-pierced through. It was just a hair's breadth away from killing the real mastermind.

"Wow..."

Chen Huijie expressed her feelings.

Amida's head is melting.

Countless tentacles convulsed wildly, like dying insects making their final struggle.

The enormous almond-shaped stone bone was dissolved by the venom, and a human figure gradually emerged from the water.

This person was Mephistopheles.

Chapter 414 My Turn, Draw Cards!

Mephisto emerged from the remains of the Old Gods.

He was no longer human; half his body was corroded by filthy blood, and Amidala's eyes peeked from his bloody wounds. Almost all his skin had been peeled away, and with each step he took, he scattered black, poisonous dust, casting a shadow over the desolate land.

Mephistopheles raised his mutated right hand, sharp as a claw, each finger like a dagger. He pinched an arrow from his chest and easily pulled it out; the wound healed instantly, without even a physical healing process.

He smiled.

The laughter was shrill, like the wailing of a vengeful ghost.

Mephistopheles was a plaything of the Old Gods from beginning to end. He called himself the player, but he didn't even qualify to be a piece.

Lin Lu calmly watched Mephisto drag his mutated body toward him, using his data-driven spiritual domain to capture information about him.

"……Hopeless."

Lin Lu said softly.

Mephistopheles was a sacrifice.

When he offered the lives of countless Oripathy-infected as sacrifices to summon Amidala, imprisoned in the Grail Dungeon, he became part of the ritual altar. Mephistopheles naively believed he could control everything, unaware that he had never truly lived for himself.

Lin Lu suddenly felt very bored.

A feeling of shared sorrow welled up in his heart; Mephistopheles was a tool, but wasn't he just as much?

Lin Lu took a deep breath; he decided to send this unfortunate opponent on his way.

"Yuanshan, suppress!"

"Yes!"

Operator Faruzan was already prepared, holding a sparkling Originium crystal ball in her left hand and a tarot card in her right.

"My turn, draw a card!"

"The Tower of the Void".

"The Chariot That Soars Through the Sky"

"Break the emperor's scepter."

The three tarot cards flew toward Mephistopheles, who was walking slowly, and the corresponding power of the tarot cards manifested as a physical form.

Towers, chariots, and the power of the emperor descended from the sky, casting blurry shadows in the void and suppressing Mephisto's actions.

An explosive burst of magical light flashed, and Mephisto's steps faltered, as if a mountain were pressing down on him. Blood mist rippled, toxic dust billowed, and the density of crystalline dust in the air surged to its peak in an instant. If this were Lungmen city proper, half the city would become a hellish place of high Originium radiation; unless Lungmen made a drastic decision, it would become a dead city.

Amida's eyes seemed to be completely focused on Mephistopheles. They all opened their eyes, and the chilling aura instantly dropped the temperature by ten degrees. Everyone present, except for Lin Lu, felt their heart skip a beat.

Yuanshan nearly dropped the crystal ball, but fortunately Lin Lu put his hand on her shoulder in time to steady her.

"Don't be nervous, I'm here."

"Ah."

Yuanshan pursed her lips, feeling the warmth of Lin Lu's palm, calming her restless heart.

She solemnly took out a tarot card, a card that should not be used unless absolutely necessary... and now was the time when she had to resort to it!

"The priestess destroys everything."

As the fourth tarot card descended, the illusory projection became much clearer, and even the terrifying aura emanating from Mephistopheles was suppressed.

Yuanshan's expression was solemn; she couldn't hold on for long, as this was her most powerful spell.

If even this can't subdue Mephisto, then there's nothing she can do.

However... she absolutely cannot accept just giving up like that.

True duelists will draw their next card even when their life is as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind!

Holding the Originium Crystal Ball in both hands, Yuanshan unleashed a spell imbued with mystical energy towards Mephisto like a tidal wave, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

Lin Lu's cobalt blue eyes sparkled with flames as his brain raced, analyzing the overall situation.

"The Shining".

Yes, I'm listening.

Lin Lu looked at Shan Ling, who remained unfazed even as the mountain collapsed before him. Shan Ling looked back at him, her gaze calm, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.

"Shining, deploy a magical barrier. Protect our operators; they absolutely cannot inhale the dust." Lin Lu pointed to Chen Huijie, who was itching to act but afraid of disrupting Rhodes Island's command, "And her too."

Chen Huijie's shoulders trembled; she felt a little uncomfortable being called out by name so suddenly.

She hasn't joined Rhodes Island yet!

"Yes, doctor."

Shining smiled gently, raised the lantern in her left hand, and shook it lightly.

A warm light emanated from everyone, a magical shield from the Shining Spirit, a semi-transparent crystalline barrier protecting them from the scattered poisonous dust. Moreover, it could also block enemy attacks.

Dogmatic stance.

This is Shining's strongest magical barrier. If even Dogma can't stop it, then the only thing left to protect his friends... is this sword. I really don't want to have to draw that sword again; so many bad memories will flood back.

"—!!"

Mephisto let out a guttural roar under the priestess's projected spell, half his body's eyes turning bloodshot, his mutated right arm swelling. He took a sudden step forward, crushing the card. His crimson eyes darted around, staring directly at Nearl, or rather, past her, at the calm and collected Lin Lu. The charred Originium dust spread again, quickly engulfing the surroundings, attempting to obscure the setting sun.

"Woo..."

Yuanshan's body swayed heavily, and even the Originium Crystal Ball in his hand developed a crack.

“Yuanshan retreated and focused on recovering from the mental fluctuations caused by the spell backlash. Thanks to you, I have found the law of victory.” Lin Lu chuckled. He was not lying; the time Yuanshan bought him allowed him to concentrate on observing Mephisto’s attribute changes.

Holding the broken Originium crystal ball, Yuanshan didn't show off, but nodded and stepped back.

The moment Lin Lu returned to Rhodes Island, a new message was added to the tactical training of all operators.

"On the battlefield, you must absolutely obey the commander's orders."

These rules were specifically formulated for Lawyer Lin.

"Blue Poison, can you control the spread of this dust?"

"Eh?"