Chapter 1068: Chapter 404: Then No One Wins!

New Glass Island, Red Queen District, inside the police station.

The middle-aged man, stripped down to just his shorts and tank top, yet still looking resolute, now appeared somewhat perplexed.

He sat alone in the center of a transparent glass cell, with six clear walls.

The sturdy glass had layers of silver-white complex patterns embedded within, giving it the appearance of some extremely expensive luxury good.

Under the suppression of that lustrous power, the extraordinary force within him was almost completely immobilized.

His hands were bound in front of him, held together by a silver-white hollow triangle. Four or five tentacle-like vines hung down from behind him, vertically connected to the back of his head and spine, rendering him completely paralyzed from the elbows down.

Across from him were several stern-faced Avalonians in uniform.

“–I’ll ask you one more time, why did you kill him!”

The opposite party’s voice was extremely loud, reverberating and echoing through the glass cell. Like the roaring of a dragon, it caused the middle-aged man’s scalp to tingle and his heart to tremble, an overpowering sense of fear making him shudder uncontrollably.

But unlike the inexplicable fear creeping into his heart at this moment, the middle-aged man did not appear overly panicked.

He remained silent, offering no response.

His confidence had its reasons.

Because he could sense very clearly… although these people looked fierce and menacing, he could tell… they had not the slightest intention to kill. This was entirely different from the customs of the Black Hawk.

When faced with such situations, the people of the Black Hawk usually resorted to using torture.

Normally there were two methods–for suspects who needed to be kept physically intact, they would fix them inside an immovable metal cage, then place it either in darkness or under the scorching sun.

As for criminals with basically conclusive evidence, who could be deemed guilty, they might use a blunted saw to sever limbs, or a torture device called a “knee separator” to slowly crush the suspect’s kneecaps. On one hand, this served as coercion, and on the other, as a form of “preliminary punishment.”

At the time of his arrest, the man had even mentally prepared himself to endure torture.

But he soon realized… these people were far too lenient. Not to mention severe punishment or torture, they didn’t even dare to beat him–a fist wrapped in animal hide or a whip would have been good tools, inflicting no serious harm.

An injury of that degree could be cured with a bottle of the cheapest potion for light wounds, leaving no trace behind.

–Thus, the man was instantly at ease.

Since they were so “by the book,” it wouldn’t hurt to play along with them.

The place he was in should be this country’s interrogation room.

Although he indeed couldn’t escape… on the other hand, it was also quite safe here. Other contenders for promotion who wanted to kill him would have to burst in and physically take his life–which meant they’d have to confront this nation, similar to Avalon, head-on.

For a promotion ceremony, this was far too risky a move.

–Even if they had to kill, they would definitely prioritize easier targets.

That way, they might end up getting caught just like him… or they could even be killed on the spot during the arrest!

…That would be just perfect.

Because having been captured here, he had already missed three opportunities to answer questions. As one can imagine, his score must be the lowest among all, making it very difficult to complete this painting.

If he couldn’t possibly win, it might be better to stay here and see how the others lose. After all, this promotion ceremony allowed surrendering…

Suppose he miraculously survived until only the last three were left, and the remaining two triggered some special victory condition that required them to come and kill him, they might end up getting killed by the guards here.

If he surrendered at that time, that would be pure profit!

To vex his opponents and then safely leave. Although he’d have to accept the punishment for failure, it would still be better than dying here or ending up crippled…

Seeing the warrior remained silent, the other party slammed the table: “Name!”

“Grey Falcon, you’ve asked three times already.”

“What’s your real name?”

“I’ve forgotten.”

“Nonsense!”

The other side roared in anger.

Grey Falcon was somewhat helpless: “What can I say? This is a promotion ceremony, and you are just a bunch of fabricated souls?”

Sure enough, the other side didn’t hear a word.

“Where are you from?”

“I come from… Black Hawk Duchy.”

“How did you enter the country?”

“I came to participate in the promotion ceremony,” Grey Falcon sincerely replied, “I’ve said this twice as well.”

“Speak!” When he told the truth, the other party couldn’t hear again.

“…I smuggled myself here.”

The Grey Hawk sighed, feeling exhausted at heart, and smoothly said what the other party hoped to hear.

If he had known earlier that these people were so troublesome, he would have never actively attacked “Sour Wine”.

After making the first choice, that is, the question “Do you think this world is real?”, he encountered Sour Wine.

That guy was a Legal Mage–he wanted to make a pact with Grey Hawk for mutual non-aggression, non-persecution, mutual assistance, and protection, forming a temporary alliance. Legal Mages on the Path of Authority could indeed do this after reaching the Fourth Level. Drafting a temporary contract to bind both parties’ actions…

However, Grey Hawk did not trust Sour Wine.

Sour Wine was the last to enter the ritual, not to mention that such an ally was too weak, even if they formed an alliance, they stood no chance against any of the first three–Grey Hawk had a special ability to sharply evaluate the threat of the opponent. The top three contenders in this promotion ritual were on a completely different level, any of them could wipe out the rest.

Fortunately, this ritual was not a fight-to-the-death battlefield; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a chance.

But in this ritual, only two could survive to the end and win.

If he were tied to Sour Wine, it meant that all the others would be enemies, and there was no way he could survive–on the other hand, acting alone might allow him to sneak into a spot while the top three were busy fighting each other.

However, if he let Sour Wine go and form an alliance with any of the top three, it could tip the scales against the remaining two. Legal Mages are incredibly troublesome; once positioned where others couldn’t immediately interfere, a Legal Mage could control at least three of the same level, rendering them immobile.

Furthermore, because the opponent was a Legal Mage, Grey Hawk couldn’t understand those dense and intricate patterns at all. It was wholly possible that a seemingly insignificant clause in the contract contained bindings targeted at him. For safety’s sake, he couldn’t dare sign a contract with a rival competitor.

–So while pretending to read the contract, Grey Hawk suddenly ambushed and killed Sour Wine.

As a Sword Saint…once he was within three meters of the Legal Mage, even if Sour Wine was still on guard, it was useless.

Grey Hawk killed Sour Wine effortlessly with just two moves.

He didn’t even use a sword–his fingers formed into the shape of a blade, that was his sword.

The first “Sword” slit Sour Wine’s mouth, silencing him and stripping away his Word Spirits abilities; the second “Sword” aimed directly at the throat, piercing through his right arm used to block, decapitating him along with half of his forearm!

He immediately searched the corpse, cleared the bloodstains, and left the scene.

Yet for some reason, no matter how he hid, he just couldn’t shake off the pursuers behind him.

That feeling…it was as though he was being watched by a Transcendent on the Path of Beauty. But he checked over and over again, confirming there were no sculptures or paintings around that could trigger the surveillance of the Path of Beauty–all possible ones had been completely destroyed by him.

Less than ten minutes later, he was held down by more than sixty people.

Over sixty Third Level Inspectors, along with several Fourth Level Legal Mages under heavy protection.

…There was no choice, the equipment of the city’s Transcendent forces was too advanced.

They could rely on some device to fly at high speeds–and they could create a kind of simple shield. That shield, which could withstand one attack, also caused him a lot of trouble.

Although that shield was too frail for him, capable of being shattered with a single elbow strike…

If only he had a knife in his hands, he might have attempted to break through!

Their firearms didn’t shoot weak projectiles that his body could easily withstand. Those guns seemed to be infused with the power of the Path, shooting a continuous silver light that weakened his Strength; there was also a kind of net that, once thrown, would automatically spread and emit a paralyzing silver glow upon contact.

He didn’t even see the Gryphon Legion or those Legal Mages taking action, and yet he was captured by a bunch of Third Level Inspectors!

The guard force for this promotion ritual was too strong!

And yet, he had killed someone in a deserted place; how had he been discovered!

…But it didn’t matter.

After calming down, Grey Hawk chose to accept his fate.

Putting himself in others’ shoes–if he couldn’t beat them, then neither could anyone else. He was a warrior, and fighting was his specialty.

He had been too arrogant…during the first choice, he actually had the chance to jump into one of the first two paintings.

But because the third painting offered such high points, he wanted to try completing it. Even if he died here, completing that painting and earning six thousand points would be enough for him to revive and win.

He didn’t flee at that moment, and later, there was no chance to do so.

Upon hearing Grey Hawk’s words, the other party asked, “Do you have any other accomplices?”

Grey Hawk’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Wait, could it be…

“Yes! There are!”

He immediately spoke up: “If I give them up, can I get a reduced sentence?”

Grey Hawk felt he had found the trick to this promotion ritual–

If the guard force of this city is so strong and its rules so peculiar, then let the other contenders who come to this painting try their luck as well!

–If I can’t win, then no one else should think of winning!