Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

"Dude, is this intensity really okay?"

"What do you mean there are ten bosses guarding the gate?"

"You mean, even after running through the Blight Village and Blight Town, and then crossing the Blight City, there were still experts?"

"This isn't just 365 li, it's practically 3650 li!"

"I was wrong, I will never dare to slander the map of Chuguang City again."

Aside from the recently deceased legendary investigator, the players who had died earlier gradually returned from their map runs. However, upon seeing the hellish map, they were utterly devastated.

How do we fight this?

As a family steeped in martial virtue, the Blair Knights are the core of the family, consisting of ten knights, all of whom are elites selected from various branch families.

Every knight here is a legendary figure worthy of being displayed on the wall, and even a single straw swordsman's rank far surpasses Ryan's.

Each generation of the Straw Knights is led by the current head of the family. A curse that lasts for a hundred years has completely withered the knight's soul and body, causing his armor to rot and his entire body to wither.

Not to mention, there were ten of them.

Ryan's oil lamp had run out, and his straw sword could go out at any moment.

Should we run away?

This seems to be the best time to escape.

Ryan's reason told him that he could retreat. Having gone this far, he knew that this retreat did not count as breaking his oath.

But his heart told him to stay.

Because he was unwilling to accept it—unwilling as a player, unwilling as a swordsman. He had done so much and finally made it this far, with the boss room just one step away.

Unable to even see the face of the sick princess, he has to run away like a stray dog?

This retreat has rendered all previous efforts futile.

The foundation was burned down in vain, and it was all for nothing.

The Blight Village and Blight Town will be overrun with monsters again during the White Night. After all, if the Blight Princess is killed and sent to the fountain, she may become enraged, and the symptoms of Blight will become more severe.

This is the fate of "withering".

All living beings that attempt to resist their fate of withering will meet the most tragic end.

Therefore, today is the best opportunity.

Since Ryan has no intention of escaping, he has a way to win, even if it means using any means necessary.

【Azure Silver Spirit Ash】

[The remaining ashes of humanity, offered as a tribute and magic to the spirit ashes, can be temporarily commanded if a spirit responds. Each person can only command one spirit.]

Ten portions of Azure Silver Spirit Ashes—these are the ashes left after Kiri was burned to ashes, and also one of Ryan's treasured trump cards.

Even if Ryan were willing, he could only summon one big brother at a time.

With two against ten, the situation won't change much.

Therefore, there is only one way to break this deadlock.

Ryan felt like an idiot. He had spent more than half a month preparing and risking his life to finally obtain ten portions of Azure Silver Spirit Ash, only to use them in such a foolish way. He felt like he had gone mad.

Ryan had no time to consider whether it was worth it.

Since these are the ashes from the burning of Kiri, let's scatter them all in the earthen mound.

That's good enough for this idiot.

As dusk painted the castle in large patches of blood red, Ryan looked at the players, who were now on the verge of despair.

This is natural; the straw sword will burn out. Even if the Lightless can resurrect infinitely, so what? The Sick Knight can also regenerate infinitely.

Moreover, without the Straw Sword, none of them could break through the Dryad Knight's defense.

Morale had plummeted to rock bottom, and Ryan closed his eyes.

One of the conditions for victory is the magic power to sustain the burning flames.

On the way to the city, Ryan killed a dozen or so nobles of higher ranks and accumulated fifteen complete blessings.

Even for Ryan, whose experience bar is extremely long, these fifteen blessings are enough for him to level up twice.

Eden has a special mechanism that restores all the magic power lost after each upgrade using Blessing.

This is why Ryan is desperately accumulating blessings.

Blessings are the fuel that keeps him burning.

Now upgrade your mana regeneration skill by one level, and save one level of Blessing for use during the battle against the Blighted Princess.

Ryan silently recited the mantra, crushed the five blessings, and opened his pale silver eyes.

[lv14→lv15]

[Magic Power 10 → Magic Power 11]

The shattered blessing radiated light, and the players were astonished to find that the boy was enveloped in divine radiance. The once flickering flame was now burning brightly again, dimming the evening glow.

"That's incredible! There's even a second stage!" the uncle exclaimed in admiration. "Mr. Ryan is continuing his legendary legacy!"

Actually, this is the same as the player's upgrade effects.

However, they only crushed one blessing, while Ryan crushed five at once, which made it seem like a much bigger deal.

Ryan emerged from the radiance; the second condition for victory was the complete scattering of Azure Silver Spirit Ash.

Even now, Ryan still regrets it.

Why bother?

Why use it here?

Why use it that way?

Even if I use it, will it be effective? Will there be any response from spirits?

This is a foolish plan.

Forget it.

"The Lightless Ones." Ryan thought to himself, but he spoke anyway, his voice echoing throughout the entire castle. The blazing fire burned fiercely, and the boy cried out from within the light and fire: "Offer your respects, Lightless Ones! Offer your respects!"

[Azure Silver Apostle, Lord of First Light City, Ryan Luming, issues you a chapter-ending quest!]

At this moment, all nine players present received the same message.

A tribute to straw and ashes

[Task Rewards]

【Azure Silver Spirit Ash】

This is the first time Ryan Lumin has truly given out rewards to players.

He gave the player the nine extremely precious portions of Azure Silver Spirit Ash that he had obtained from killing Kiri.

Because of the properties of Azure Silver Ash, Ryan can only use one copy at a time and can only summon one spirit.

But to overcome the dreaded knights before them, one portion is simply not enough; they must all be sown into the soil.

There is only one solution.

That means giving the spirit ash to the players.

But Ryan knew it was a crazy and foolish plan.

Players aren't naive; after reading the description of Azure Silver Spirit Ash, they knew it was precious. Inevitably, some greedy players would take the Spirit Ash and run away immediately.

Eden's mission was never mandatory.

The plan will fail if even one player takes the items and runs away.

You don't even need to run away, you can just commit suicide. You'll get the stuff, and you can always revive anyway.

This is something Ryan can understand perfectly well; if he were a player, he would have done the same.

This is a gamble, but human nature is inherently vulnerable to gambling.

He didn't run away; he was betting that the other players wouldn't either.

He's betting on the players' filial piety!

The players fell silent. They realized the value of what they had—it was a lifeline. But since it was already in their hands, wouldn't it be better to hoard it?

It might save a life in a critical moment later.

As for using it in team battles?

What if you use it yourself, but someone else keeps it?

Ryan stopped thinking about the outcome of the gamble. If he lost, he deserved it. It was his own fault for being stupid. He was clearly not that kind of person, but spending too much time with stupid people made him lose his mind.

Without considering the consequences, with the white night approaching, he simply dragged his straw sword and walked alone calmly toward the Knights of Withered Disease.

One step, two steps...

As Ryan took his third step, a radiance surged forth from behind him.

He then heard the cry of the knight's spirit.

"The night is dark and devoid of light, withered trees and decaying stumps."

"This straw body of mine, I will ignite it."

—Let us pay our respects to the straw that has been burned to ashes.

Chapter 75 The End of a Century-Long Fate

The sun has set, but the day has not yet risen.

The entire sky was a glassy blue, with large clumps of clouds spread across it, and the castle was also covered in this deep and tranquil blue.

This moment, known as the 'Blues Hour,' lasts for about twenty minutes and occurs after sunset and before sunrise.

But the blue glass was now tinged with a yellowish hue.

Kiri's older brother once said: Straw is the remains of golden wheat ears that have been stripped bare. We burn straw in winter, and we bloom rice flowers in spring.

This is the significance of the Straw Knights.

When the ashes left after the burning of the Kiri—the Azure Silver Spirit Ash—were scattered into soil bags by the players, the barren and withered land was transformed into a field of beautiful rice blossoms.

Golden light shone brightly, and this land, cursed by a century of drought, shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

Ryan was surprised that the players actually used all the Azure Silver Spirit Ash, and not a single one of them kept it for themselves.

The knights, who had withered because of the curse, were liberated in the blazing fire and briefly reborn from the ashes.

In the warm and peaceful divine kingdom, the knights heard the battle horns once more and responded with that respect and oath. After thirty years, they once again stepped onto the barren battlefield!

But this time it is not in a withered state, but in a radiant abundance.

A brief moment of brilliance in the world.

Second place, "Golden Knight" Grisha, the vice-commander of the Straw Knights.

He had eyes as bright as gold, a towering figure like a mountain, and dragged a greatsword that was half a person's height. His golden armor was adorned with dazzling light. He was the first knight to answer the call, just as he always was at the forefront of every charge of the knightly order.

Anthony Blair, the third "Sword of the West".

Norman, one of the four "Knights of the Rice Flower".

Five "Sword Forging" Jacks.

...

More and more knights emerged from the ashes, not ugly monsters, without withered white skin, without twisted spores, without foul-smelling vines. They were all the most handsome young men, each wearing gleaming armor, their cloaks fluttering in the evening breeze, the knights in the prime of their lives.

At the very front of the Knights was only one person.

"Straw" Simon Blair.

Inheriting the bloodline of Lu Ming's ancestors, Simon also has long golden hair, but compared to the bright yellow of Lu Ming's family, Simon's hair color is closer to golden yellow, the color of wheat ears.

Ryan still remembered what Simon Blair looked like when he first met him: emaciated, his body rotting, his hair dry and yellow like stalks of straw. Now, seeing Simon Blair's original appearance, the impression was completely different. Ryan couldn't help but suspect that the Blair family probably chose their head of the family based on looks.