Chapter 438: Chapter 423: Path of Asura (First Update)

After Juan Canyun returned to his country, both his fame and his market value rose at an almost doubling rate… Originally, Juan Canyun’s market value was around three million, which was considered fairly decent in the League of Conflict, especially for a newcomer.

However, after returning to his country, Juan Canyun received poaching invitations from other clubs, with the Night Sprint Club unhesitatingly offering an annual salary of twelve million, a terrifying amount.

“Young man, just because you’ve won a world championship, doesn’t mean you should get cocky,” they said.

Behind Juan Canyun, Black Pot Cook and Mama Has a Dog stood, looking at the stack of club invitations on his desk.

“Inflated… I’m not inflated… I have no intention of leaving the Vibrant Nucleus; I just don’t know how to deal with these things, and whether I can throw them away,” Juan Canyun said. He had won a world-class championship just one year into the League of Conflict.

This was something no rookie had ever accomplished in history, and as a rookie, Juan Canyun certainly didn’t know how to handle… this pile of club invitations that were thrown at him.

“Just throw them in the trash can, or shall I burn them?” asked a senior player who shared a dorm with Juan Canyun… The Vibrant Nucleus had a total of twelve resident players, and Juan Canyun was the youngest among them.

“Burning them isn’t good; it pollutes the environment. Just throw them in the trash can,” said Black Pot Cook, a man of action, who, as he spoke, tossed the whole pile of invitations from Juan Canyun’s desk into a large trash can outside the door.

“And a small question, man, I want to ask you something as someone who has been through it all.”

After throwing away those invitations, Black Pot Cook sat down next to Juan Canyun’s couch and brought up a topic that the surrounding teammates were all very interested in.

“Spit it out… has any female host or… female anchor approached you?”

“Ew, Black Pot, what kind of question is that?” Mama Has a Dog immediately felt something was off.

“Just caring about the psychological growth of a newcomer! A young, successful player like him must have many girls admiring him!” Black Pot Cook said, getting excited, when suddenly Juan Canyun stood up from the couch.

“Senior, the quarterfinals of the Holy Spirit Challenge are about to start,” Juan Canyun said.

“I see… then you go,” he replied.

Hearing the change in Juan Canyun’s tone, Black Pot Cook stopped making silly jokes and watched Juan Canyun leave the elective lounge.

On the corridor to the VR training room, Juan Canyun’s thoughts were quite scattered. This year, at the age of nineteen… at nineteen, he had reached goals many people never achieve in their lifetimes, standing on the global honor stage and claiming the title of champion.

It was impossible for Juan Canyun not to be excited or swollen-headed. The night he won the championship, he didn’t even know how many posts he made on his microblog; but what replaced it was the overwhelming attention he received.

All kinds of interviews, friend requests from various social circles, and a pile of bizarre invitations were things a person of Juan Canyun’s age simply couldn’t handle.

But what Juan Canyun had to deal with now… was the ever-absent Mrs. Calamity, who, yes, had left more than half a month ago and never returned.

After the world championship, Juan Canyun even tried to find Mrs. Calamity in the Pirate City of Black Tide Island, but the response he got was, “Who are you? Where are you from? You want to see our boss?”

This made Juan Canyun feel as if Mrs. Calamity was deliberately avoiding him, so the only chance he now had to speak with Mrs. Calamity was during the semifinals of the Holy Spirit Challenge.

He and Mrs. Calamity had both advanced… but to be honest, Juan Canyun did not really hope that Mrs. Calamity would win, because her opponent was the avatar of Fureya’s.

It wasn’t that Juan Canyun was partial to Fureya but rather…

“The forum’s tempo exploded; they are collectively asking the dog planner to let Fureya win.”

“Two AIs meeting like this is quite normal, really don’t understand what kind of matching mechanism the Holy Spirit Challenge uses.”

“I also cast a vote for Fureya.”

When Juan Canyun arrived in the training room, he overheard the players discussing exactly what he was worried about.

For so many days of competition, Fureya’s avatar had become like a character crowdfunded by players to participate in the quarterfinals, embodying too many emotions of the Holy Spirit players.

The players in Holy Spirit all hoped that Fureya would win this challenge, so if Mrs. Calamity defeated Fureya, Juan Canyun couldn’t even imagine what kind of transformation Mrs. Calamity’s image in the players’ eyes would undergo.

But Mrs. Calamity herself didn’t care about these things.

“It’s starting!”

Some player shouted in the training room, where a huge hanging television was usually used for analyzing matches, but now it was being used for live broadcasting the Holy Spirit Challenge.

Juan Canyun watched the scene on the television, with barrage comments continuously floating across the live broadcast, numerous players shouting for the dog planner to have mercy, and for Mrs. Calamity to go easy.

But unfortunately, maybe the dog planner heard the players’ cries, Mrs. Calamity certainly did not… As soon as she entered the arena, she displayed the brutality expected of a pirate.

The moment Fureya clashed with Mrs. Calamity, Mrs. Calamity fired scattershot from her hand-held musket, causing Fureya’s attack moves to stiffen; then with her modified left, a heavy punch landed on Fureya’s abdomen.

This punch was so heavy it felt like it had hit every player’s heart, and the pain nearly spilled out from the barrage.

‘No, madam!’

‘It hurts!’

Under the howls of numerous players, Fureya’s body hit the wall of the map… clumsily sliding down.

“You can feel pain, puppet,” Mrs. Calamity, while reloading her musket, observed Fureya from a distance and said, “Want to help the Holy Spirit on the battlefield? That is a noble wish, but you’re not ready yet, forfeit…”

“Fureya said they could try once more.”

Fureya struggled to her feet slowly, standing up as a blast of frosty mist erupted from her body, instantly enveloping the entire arena.

Fureya’s figure also disappeared within the mist.

‘Has it entered the second phase?’

‘I was instantly defeated by Fureya with this ability…’

Juan Canyun watched the barrage of cheers in the live broadcast and could guess what Fureya was planning to do next.

What abilities Fureya’s avatar had mastered over the past half-month were more or less known to the players. The most dangerous ability at this stage was this state of merging into the frost mist.

The frost mist would reduce the players’ mobility on the field, and once Fureya appeared, if the players were not quick enough to defend, they would be instantly decapitated by Fureya’s scythe!

However, this move was useless against the Lady Calamity, a planar pirate.

‘Wait, have you guys forgotten what the traits of a planar pirate are?’ someone in the barrage had already realized the traits of a planar pirate.

The moment Lady Calamity was enveloped by the frost mist, she dashed toward where Fureya had disappeared without a hint of confusion. She stopped halfway, lifting the pirate cutlass in her other hand and slashing violently behind her.

The frost-encrusted giant scythe collided with Lady Calamity’s cutlass, which seemed about to melt, and hot steam burst out at the moment of their crossing, obstructing their vision.

At that moment, deadly ice spikes burst from under Lady Calamity’s feet, piercing directly into her abdomen. The blood that hadn’t had time to solidify was immediately frozen into frost.

But Lady Calamity endured the pain, using the strength of her waist to break the ice spike that had pierced her abdomen, at the cost of exacerbating her abdominal injury.

And in that instant, Lady Calamity placed the muzzle of her handgun against Fureya’s forehead.

“I rarely give an enemy so many chances to live,” Lady Calamity said as a hurricane burst from her, dispersing the mist that shrouded her and Fureya.

The live broadcast screen froze on the scene of Lady Calamity holding the handgun to Fureya’s forehead, and the barrage once again plunged into a frenzied wailing rhythm…

Fureya’s health was only a third remaining. A full hit from Lady Calamity’s shotgun could completely deplete Fureya’s remaining life!

However, under the impact of the extreme cold, Lady Calamity’s health was also slowly reduced to half, and Fureya’s giant scythe was already pressed against Lady Calamity’s nape.

It would take only a moment for either side to decide the victory, either Lady Calamity would be beheaded by Fureya, or Lady Calamity would shoot Fureya in the head.

But there was a high probability that Lady Calamity could withstand Fureya’s beheading strike and then take Fureya directly.

This being, initially designed to serve the Holy Spirit and having experienced countless slaughters in the star charts as a planar pirate, was still too naive in comparison.

“I know what your wishes are…” Lady Calamity only needed to pull the trigger to kill the puppet before her, but she knew the power of her own handgun that could potentially blow up the puppet’s face.

The most malicious thing to do to a woman is to strike her face, but Lady Calamity, though brutal, was not malicious.

“Make way! I’ll help you achieve it! Facing me with such difficulty, do you think you can win anyone going forward?” Lady Calamity’s words made Fureya hesitate slightly.

She pursed her lips, her eyes clearly filled with hesitation and struggle. In fact, Lady Calamity could have taken this opportunity to directly kill Fureya, but she gave the puppet time to think.

“Among the Fureyas… half believe you are trustworthy. The gods won’t let us openly express these thoughts, but Madam Pirate, you should understand…”

“I certainly understand that feeling, being treated as a puppet and an object.”

Without further hesitation, Lady Calamity pointed her gun at Fureya’s chest and pulled the trigger.

And the conversation between Lady Calamity and Fureya wasn’t recorded in the live broadcast. To the viewers, it seemed like Lady Calamity just shot Fureya in the chest outright.

Multitudes of buckshot blasted open on Fureya’s chest, and the flames burst out like numerous blossoming crimson flowers, sending Fureya flying backward to the ground.

‘What to do… I feel I might turn from a fan to a hater of Lady Calamity.’

‘Madam, please don’t! I beg you!’

Lying on the ground, Fureya still had a sliver of health left since her face wasn’t hit.

Lady Calamity walked over to the fallen Fureya and once again aimed the gun at her.

To the players, this was probably an extremely cruel scene! Absolutely, heartbreakingly cruel!

Fureya reached out and gently tugged at Lady Calamity’s leg.

The emoticons of tears and rage began flooding the live broadcast.

‘Release that Fureya! Let me fight!’

‘Is it still possible to switch to the planar pirates’ opposing faction now?’

Lady Calamity certainly knew Fureya’s status among the Holy Spirits and also knew the negative impact pulling the trigger would have on the planar pirates.

But the Fureya lying on the ground whispered the words “please” softly.

This… was the moment Lady Calamity finally made up her mind. She aimed at Fureya’s hand clutching her leg and pulled the trigger, completely depleting Fureya’s health.

“I will win…” Lady Calamity looked at Fureya, who had closed her eyes, lying on the ground, and said, “I must win! No matter what the sacrifice!”