Chapter 63 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 63: Allegiance It was Hei Ge. At the last moment, he arrived, with that familiar smile, and a flash of silver light slashed through, decapitating Qu Yan once more, just as cleanly and swiftly as he had in the plaza earlier in the day. Qu Yan's dual abilities of attack and defense couldn't be employed simultaneously, so as his head was severed, his assault ceased. An Heyu stood there, behind the cascade of red liquid, looking up in shock at the person behind the second-floor railing. Simultaneously, Qu Yan’s lone head widened its eyes, blood vessels spreading across the whites. His power kept him alive; blood threads connected at the severed neck, as if he could reattach his head if he willed it. Yet in that moment, he forgot to reattach it, and instead uttered an incredulous cry, naming someone who shouldn't be there at all. "Hei Ge?!" He twisted under the restraining hand, his hair disheveled, but kept his bloodshot eyes open, trying to clearly see the one holding him. Qu Yan's voice broke: "No, impossible! You should already be dead!" Caught by his ability, killed thoroughly by his ability, bled out—this was supposed to be the outcome! His invulnerable S-rank ability couldn't have failed, his proud power, his capital for creating death at a whim, couldn’t have gone awry! "Why are you still alive? You shouldn't be alive!" he refused to accept, shaking his head furiously, "Is it an undead? An undead controlled by the Scavenger?" Li Li, the one questioned, just chuckled softly, lifting the head for him to see below. Those crimson eyes looked towards An Heyu, her smile seemed permanently etched onto her lips. Such arrogance and nonchalance, like victory was firmly within her grasp. Nothing could defeat her. "Let him see," Li Li said, her crimson eyes narrowing playfully beneath the silver mask, "who he killed in the day." "What do you mean?" Qu Yan twisted his eyes to look behind him at the youth. An Heyu sighed softly, much like he had retreated before her many times. In an instant, an almost shattered undead appeared before Qu Yan—purple-haired like him, bearing a resemblance in the brows, but with a face full of terror as if enduring extreme pain. It was Qu Ran, who had come to the Four-Way City with him but went off solo hunting. "The one you killed during the day was him," said a light-hearted voice from behind. Qu Yan understood. He had been toyed with from the very beginning! The one he killed was merely his blood relative, and what he saw was just the youth's hand covering his eyes, imposing an illusion. He had stood on the stage like a clown, killing his cousin, yet he had believed he’d succeeded brilliantly. A low laugh by his ear seemed to mock, the red threads connecting his head and body trembled, and Qu Yan’s nostrils flared and contracted rapidly. He wanted to strike this youth behind him, who brought him endless humiliation, with a fatal blow—but he couldn’t! His powerful S-rank ability still had limitations; he couldn't attack before healing his own neck, or he would collapse and die directly! The red threads surged from the cut, sewing it back together like needles and thread. The youth holding his head just maintained that carefree smile, releasing his grip. As if he relinquished a meaningless restraint, after all, she couldn't sever those red threads. "I will kill you, I will kill you!" In an instant, Qu Yan’s head reattached to his body, and he turned, ready to confront the youth who made him a laughingstock. Yet in the moment his head was stitched, the silver arc of light flared again. The sewn flesh split once more, the dark-haired youth's lowered eyes filled with indifference. "I'm still here," Li Li said slowly. She lifted her leg, kicking forward, her long boot striking Qu Yan’s body. In the next moment, the railing shattered, and his body plummeted to An Heyu's feet below. The red threads stretched through the air, scattering drops of blood. Above, Li Li looked down, casually lifting that head once more. "Mr. An," she spoke, her tone as relaxed and casual as ever, her words stretching out as if holding some deeper meaning. But she didn't call him 'noble sir'; she called him 'Mr. An'. She was asking the individual An Heyu, the man stripped of his noble facade. And An Heyu realized this. He looked up, meeting those crimson eyes. "Have you made up your mind this time?" Li Li asked. An Heyu's golden eyes seemed briefly clouded; he pressed his lips tightly together, as if trying to see clearly and understand the person before him fully. Was that a human or a demon, or perhaps Mephistopheles who tempted Faust into the abyss? Qu Yan, decapitated once more, was still raving, "Impossible, this is impossible! Are you mid-tier? You can't possibly be mid-tier!" As if Hei Ge being high-tier could salvage his nonexistent dignity. He accused An Heyu, "There can’t be high-tier members in the former Ability Guild! You've deceived the Empire! Scavenger, it was you who released false information making us think Hei Ge was mid-tier!" "You betrayed the Empire!" Yet below, the red-haired youth, the nobleman who should have heeded these words, seemed to not hear them at all. He merely lowered his head, looking at the devastation, and at the red blood near his feet that nearly killed him. Then he raised his head again, looking at the ever-smiling devil. Qu Yan's presence seemed insignificant now; the world’s most vivid hue was that profound black. That was a vortex, an abyss, madness pressed to the extreme. "Hei Ge, every time I feel you’re just using me, you somehow make me feel you regard me as a companion." Showing a wry smile, An Heyu said, "Huyu’s matter, Qu Yan’s affair, Yue Qing’s incident, it seems everything was within your plan, and you presented this grand scheme to me as a trial, letting me make a choice." The dark-haired youth above smiled with curved eyebrows, neither refuting nor agreeing with his words. The fake death, the banquet, the request to protect his brother, Qu Yan’s sudden assault. Perhaps, all the way back to that morning when Hei Ge spoke that sentence to him. Each event seemed to weave a massive spider’s web, wrapping his body and mind, binding him tightly. A choice? That was no longer a choice. "I never really had a choice," he said, "not four years ago, not now." He had thoroughly realized the absurdity of his errors and self-proclaimed protection, how laughable it was. There was no other option left. Yet he seemed to release a heavy burden, mirroring Li Li’s relaxed smile: "You’re right. I can't walk this path with Huyu." "You are alone, and so am I," he said, "but thank you." For giving him this opportunity to shatter the delusion of familial togetherness, the fantasy of having close ones nearby. Under the orange candlelight, the family gathered around the table, laughing through a reunion holiday, those days were long gone. He should truly look forward now, for the sake of that irretrievable past, he must move on. By following the one above, who never retreats, extreme and fearless, marching forward relentlessly. He took a step back with his boot and knelt down on one knee. His red hair fell across his face, he straightened his chest, placing a hand over his heart. And then said, "From this day forth, I shall be your rear guard, your tool, your advancing army." "Hei Ge, I pledge my allegiance to you." He closed his eyes, yet felt nothing had ever been clearer than this moment, "Please be the banner leading me forward, guiding my path." He declared, "This is my choice." At this moment, space seemed to constrict, the distance between top and bottom seemed to vanish. Only An Heyu’s calm, powerful voice remained, echoing in the corridor. At last, Li Li chuckled lightly, stepping forward to the shattered platform. "A rational choice," she praised. Then she released her hold, letting Qu Yan’s head, futilely thrashing like a useless ball, fall into the space between above and below. "Two hundred meters north, Yue Qing’s body lies there." Her voice held a hint of expectation, a hint of encouragement. Li Li looked down at An Heyu beneath, her smile deepening: "I’ll give you a knife, use it to complete your first revenge." Instantly, Qu Yan’s head emitted a bloodline blast, connecting his head and body. A golden halo expanded, accurately locating the warm body within the domain. Analyze, control. Qu Yan’s body was fully reassembled, and he glared fiercely, swinging his palm: "Traitor—!" The red line stormed towards him in an instant! Golden ripples surged, the deep-blue-haired man appeared in the hall. Cold ice spread, freezing the red line, solidifying it mid-air. "What!" Qu Yan stepped back. He hadn’t known Yue Qing's ability could reach such a level! This was his nemesis! But it was too late now. The red-haired youth tightened his grip on an ice dagger, sidling up beside him. He struck with precision, severing forcefully. Coldness seeped into his skull, the chill spreading and freezing his blood, trapping his expression at that moment — a moment of such panic, stripped of all noble grace. "Then I'll be a traitor," he declared. In the next second, the head fell to the ground, rolling to rest by his feet. The red-haired youth set the ice dagger aside, picking up the head. Then he knelt down, offering the head to the person above. "The thing you wanted," he said. And then, under Li Li's amused scrutiny, he couldn't help but add, "But honestly, this thing has no real value, Hei Ge. Can't we just skip claiming this?" Li Li was amused. The mother hen remains a mother hen, but at this moment, as she looked down and their eyes met — gold meeting crimson. He had severed his hesitation, his past, and willingly stepped into the future she had mapped out. "I'm not fond of it either," she replied. The milk tea stands are saved. She snapped her fingers. A long sword materialized in the air, driving through the head. In the next instant, the sword, along with the head, soared out into the open ruins, aimed for the clear blue sky. It then pierced through the flock of white doves in the 'Heart' Plaza, scattering them in flight. Nailing the head she'd vowed to take, precisely at the place she had mentioned.