Chapter 23: Nowhere to Escape
The system indicated Ron’s survival odds were only 7%. However, Ron saw 7 as a lucky number, possibly equating it to 100%. After reaching into the evil god’s mouth, Ron grabbed something and pulls forcefully.
Among Ron’s gains from parallel possibilities, experience and knowledge prove most valuable. For instance, since these individuals’ power source was the odd face on their chests, removing that face seems effective.
Ron wouldn’t attempt this in the past, but he now sees it as the only choice. His body couldn’t endure more hits from Adrian, and his strength fell short. Directly attacking the evil god in Adrian’s chest was the simplest solution. Ordinary people couldn’t do it. Their hands would be bitten off instantly.
Yet, now, the evil god’s teeth couldn’t harm Ron’s hand as if something protected it.
Adrian could only watch as the evil god was forcefully torn off, showing disbelief. In the Dual-color World, people couldn’t harm outer gods substantially. Even if the evil god was removed, it grew back instantly.
Killing the host doesn’t kill the evil god; it pulsates on the corpse. Their existence is like an obstinate malady, only eliminable by other outer gods. The Dragon Clan can’t harm the evil gods without borrowing the outer gods’ power. No matter the effort, something prevents the killing of outer gods. Time travelers, however, can injure outer gods with ordinary knives. The principles behind this remains unclear, but practicality matters.
“Adrian shoutsed, ‘Let go!'” instinctively. The forcefully torn-off face emitted a rough shout.
Adrian clenched his fist, trying to deliver a lethal blow to Ron.
Ron, who endured his punches, dodged this weaker punch easily. The roaring flames ache his eardrums but keep him alert.
Without the evil god’s power, Adrian’s punch was weak and easily avoided by Ron.
Ron crushed the fleshy evil god in his hand, his expression unchanged. Adrian, with the evil god removed, had an empty heart position, blood covering the area.
Like a parasite on a fish’s tongue, the evil god devoured the host’s organs and took their place.
Adrian’s heart had already been consumed during the evil god’s development. The heartbeat came from the evil god, not the heart itself.
At the moment of brain replacement, it’s unclear if the host could still be considered themselves. Adrian’s body visibly weakened, turning into a disabled form. Surprisingly, without the heart, Adrian didn’t die immediately. He looked at his skeletal hands with a bewildered expression.
Coughing heavily, he spat out blood. His gaze towards the mayor shifted from wanting to devour him alive to one filled with sadness and regret. Adrian’s coughs grew weaker without the evil god’s support, and flames consumed his frail body.
Upon hearing Adrian call him “Father,” the mayor struggled to lift his eyelids. Now, he recognized Adrian as the son he knew, but it seemed too late.
Adrian continued to gaze at the mayor with much to say, but he stopped responding. With the loss of the evil god, Adrian’s life withered instantly. The evil god, crushed by Ron, no longer pulsed, covered by a layer of frost.
Ron’s hands, burnt and bloody, showed the aftermath of the struggle. Sitting on the ground, Ron looked at the empty snowfield between father and son. The world was silent, and the breaking-ice sounds hinted that the thawing wasn’t complete.
The mayor’s faint voice came, urging Ron to leave. The speech was slow, making it difficult to listen patiently. His son awakened but was killed by Ron in front of him. There was no resentment towards Ron. It seemed like a form of liberation.
At this point, the mayor didn’t delve into why Ron could kill the evil god, only accepting it as a fact. In the past, he implanted the evil god in Adrian for a healthy body. Encountering Ron felt like repaying a debt, albeit with many innocent casualties.
Perhaps meeting Ron this time was a divine revelation. Ron questioned where he could go, the torn magic scroll signaling the end. The people in the ice sculptures would revive soon, and with nowhere to escape, he faced an inevitable fate.
The newly awakened Adrian was not instantly killing the only solace. The mayor pointed to the squirrel, revealing the other hidden magic. This liar had never told anyone the truth.
