The young doctor's face instantly turned pale. Although he had expected it, learning that he was just a pawn still filled him with overwhelming fear.
The next second, a small knife sliced through the air, precisely embedding itself in his throat. The young doctor clutched his throat and collapsed to his knees, then softly fell to the ground, his life slowly fading away.
Ying looked up and, confirming that the screen above indeed showed zero, finally let out a breath of relief and collapsed onto the ground.
At the same time, as the last doctor died, the final key appeared. Seeing this, Paimon immediately broke free from the cage's restraints and returned to the vast sky.
"Yippee!"
After happily twirling in the air, Paimon turned to face the doctor and beckoned him.
"Hey, you lost! Hurry up and let the villagers over there go."
Hearing Paimon's incredibly arrogant voice, the doctor's eyes narrowed, but he didn't refute her. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
"That's right."
With that, the doctor waved his hand, causing the clones guarding the villagers to return to his side.
Seeing that the doctor was surprisingly easy to talk to, Lumine, who had just woken up and hadn't recovered from the shock, sensed a conspiracy.
Something's wrong, how could he just admit defeat like this?
Lumine tried to think, but the splitting sensation in her head caused her immense pain.
Damn it... it's just something left by that Heavenly Principles, hurry up and recover...
Inside the portal...
After collapsing onto the ground, Ying closed her eyes tiredly and murmured,
"So tired..."
In reality, Ying didn't want to end their lives so quickly, as that would be too easy for them.
But she had no choice. She had already reached her limit, relying entirely on the breath of revenge for Lumine to keep her going.
On the surface, she appeared to be handling everything with ease in front of them, but in her heart, she was constantly calculating her dwindling elemental energy, trying not to waste a single drop.
She had to admit, this kind of battle of wits was truly exhausting.
"Hoo..."
Ying exhaled a stale breath. Without the suppression of elemental energy, blood began to flow from her wounds again, dyeing the ground red.
I can't just lie here anymore... If I do, I'll really die here...
Although she knew this, no matter how hard Ying tried, she couldn't even lift a finger.
Memories of the past gradually flooded her mind, causing Ying to let out a wry smile.
Is this... my life flashing before my eyes...?
Am I really going to die like this? I've come this far, I just need to step into the portal not far away, and I can reunite with Lumine...
Thinking of this, Ying opened her eyes, and a surge of hopeful power suddenly appeared within her. She forced herself to roll over, propped herself up with her arms, and slowly crawled to her feet. She walked towards the portal with trembling steps, constantly cheering herself on in her mind.
I want to live, I want to continue traveling with Lumine, I want to personally witness Paimon escaping her cage, I want to pour out the hardships I've endured these past few days to those I care about...
Finally, Ying successfully reached the portal.
Looking at the portal so close, Ying gave a slight smile, then took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and with great difficulty, stepped into the portal...
Outside the screen, Paimon was staring at the portal with expectant eyes, wanting to immediately throw herself into her host's embrace.
Seeing her happy demeanor, the doctor couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Heh heh heh... Is this the joy of success? It truly is beautiful."
This strange behavior immediately made Lumine feel a sense of foreboding. She quickly shook her head, endured the pain, and charged straight at him.
Although she didn't know what his plan was, as long as she captured his main body, she could unravel everything.
Noticing Lumine's actions, the doctor, who had already anticipated her move, smiled slightly. As he retreated, he ordered several clones to attack Lumine.
Seeing the several doctors rushing towards her, Ying frowned slightly. She nimbly dodged their attacks and casually gathered a Chidori, slaying them one by one.
Seeing her clones so easily destroyed, the doctor raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Lumine becoming more playful.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Not only did you win the match, but you also annihilated them completely. You're the Honorary Knight in the hearts of the people, yet your methods are so cruel."
Lumine had no intention of bothering with him. Seizing the opportunity during his taunts, she clenched her fist, and several lightning bolts appeared out of thin air, striking him precisely. The next moment, Lumine also appeared beside him, drawing her silver sword and holding it to his neck.
Feeling the coldness at her neck, the doctor didn't panic. Instead, a curve formed on his lips.
"Heh... This lightning is weak. You deliberately spare the lives of those who have wronged you. As expected, the Honorary Knight is still kind."
Lumine said coldly,
"Stop the nonsense. Once Ying is safely out, I will let you go."
Upon hearing this, the doctor gave Lumine a meaningful glance, then pointed to the distance, signaling Lumine to look there.
Lumine followed his gaze, and her pupils contracted sharply.
She saw that the portal, which had been active, had inexplicably lost its luster at some point, as if it had never been opened. It stood silently in place, and the screen above had also gone dark, as if it had severed its connection with this world.
Sensing Lumine's surprised gaze, the doctor's lips curved slightly. He shook his head and said with a hint of melancholy,
"I see. Then it seems I won't be able to leave alive."
?!
A premonition flashed through Lumine's mind. She tightened her grip, piercing the doctor's skin, and gritted her teeth,
"What exactly did you do?!"
Feeling the sting at her neck, the doctor didn't get angry. Instead, he became even more gleeful.
"Heh heh heh... For such a wondrous existence, even with all the knowledge I possess, I cannot grasp its essence."
"But I'm different from other people who think they're so clever. I never stubbornly cling to one idea."
"Since I cannot change it fundamentally, I'll focus my efforts on what I can manipulate..."
"Stop the nonsense!"
Seeing Lumine interrupt his monologue, the doctor shrugged and explained to her word by word,
"It's nothing much, I just slightly altered the operational rules of the portal, sending a certain unfortunate little fellow back to the beginning of the drama..."