"This is..."

Executive Li struggled to turn his head. Amid the shattering roar, he caught sight of the Knight ablaze atop his horse, along with his ferocious smile.

In the thundering sound, he stood there, stunned. "What on earth... is this thing?"

No one answered.

After the initial greeting, the White Horse neighed. It uncomfortably lifted its hooves in the space that was too cramped for it and stomped down.

Thunder erupted again from the colossal sound, trampling the nearby Sublimators into mud.

Then, it charged forward once more!

The Knight upon the horse raised his weapon high and brought down his Sword Blade, bestowing destruction.

The air thrummed with a strange silence, pierced only by roars and screams. Yet, it was as if the Knight atop the White Horse advanced to a triumphant death march, silently bringing down sabers and swords, swinging the heavy Axe Blade, and thrusting out dazzling radiance.

He charged onward, cutting a swath through them.

It was as if he tore through layers of thin paper, effortlessly ripping apart one life after another.

No excuses allowed, no discussions permitted, no hesitation tolerated.

This place had indeed become a battlefield; all that remained was a fight to the death.

Amid the screams of his subordinates, Executive Li shivered. Behind the burning azure flames, he finally glimpsed a pair of crimson eyes, brimming with a brutality and darkness like the Abyss itself.

The next instant, the White Horse and he crossed paths.

Piercing shrieks tore through the air as flashes of cold light overlapped. Leveraging the White Horse's high-speed charge, the 'chords'—once difficult to execute while standing—were unleashed with fluid grace.

As the crisp sound of a Golden Coin striking the ground echoed, the Knight, having charged to the end of the hall, slowly turned the White Horse.

The bloodied White Horse snorted, exhaling two plumes of steaming breath. Its iron hooves scraped against the floor, striking sparks. Once again, it charged!

Death!

Death swept in!

.

.

Yuan Zhao gasped for breath, awakening tiredly as if from a nightmare.

He then realized he was lying in an infirmary. Above him was a white light, beside him a rack with IV drip bottles, and in the next bed lay a peculiar old man.

The ancient old man, his heart like dead cinders, leaned against the raised headboard of his bed, staring blankly forward, motionless.

"You're awake?"

Older Cousin's radiant smile appeared beside him. He lowered his head to study Yuan Zhao's astonished expression, completely indifferent to their location, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

After taking a couple of drags, he pulled over a trash can and flicked the ashes into it.

"Am I... out of the game?" Yuan Zhao finally asked after a long moment.

"Ah, that's right," Older Cousin nodded. "Because of the Curse and using that Forbidden Move, your Source Substance was seriously damaged. You fainted right after leaving the field. But it's okay; a few days of rest with an IV, and you'll naturally heal."

"Oh..."

Yuan Zhao nodded, only half-understanding. Then, he finally remembered what he had done. His gaze froze, and he looked at Older Cousin, his expression growing uneasy.

"I'm sorry, I... that is..."

"I saw everything."

Older Cousin nodded. He wasn't angry, just calm.

He was like an eternal optimist; no one had ever seen him angry.

He always acted like a cheerful big brother. But for some reason, whenever he wasn't smiling, Yuan Zhao always felt a little scared.

"Yuan Zhao, you shouldn't have gotten involved in Huai Shi's business," he said suddenly. "If you want people to treat you as an independent adult, you need to learn adult ways of doing things. Adults have to weigh the pros and cons."

His words made Yuan Zhao's heart sink.

"Doing that will only create friction between the Yuan Family and the Lin family, and you didn't gain any actual benefit. It's not the choice a mature person should make."

"I..."

Yuan Zhao was silent for a long time, mustering the courage to explain himself. But then, he saw a pleasant smile spread across Older Cousin's face. "But, always being a boring adult probably doesn't win you many friends, right?"

"Huh?" Yuan Zhao was stunned.

But Older Cousin reached out and unceremoniously ruffled his hair, praising him bluntly and directly, "Anyway, as your Older Cousin, I still think you handled that pretty well. Cool!"

"Is... is that true?"

Yuan Zhao stared at him blankly, finding it hard to believe.

"Of course, it's true! Carrying that kid Huai Shi when you broke through the encirclement—you looked totally awesome!"

Older Cousin nodded and patted Yuan Zhao's shoulder. "Although what you did isn't something to be praised or encouraged... you've grown up, Yuan Zhao."

He smiled, gratified.

Yuan Zhao scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. Just then, he heard hurried footsteps outside the hospital room, along with the voices of nurses and doctors trying to stop someone.

He froze for a moment, as if he'd realized something, and his expression suddenly grew anxious.

Older Cousin's smile, however, turned into one of schadenfreude.

"Anyway, you have about five minutes before your cousin comes rushing in to beat you up. Before that, enjoy the revenge your friend has enacted for you."

He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.

Finally, he patted the young man's shoulder and left.

The door closed.

In the silence, Yuan Zhao looked up, stunned, at the image appearing on the screen.

Clean white tiles. A wisp of steam slowly rising.

Amidst the gentle music from a record player, a familiar, soft voice drifted out.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.