The remote island in the Pacific had become lively. Over time, everyone had gathered here, and after moving away from the Godslayer Spike's range, they all felt much more comfortable. The earlier sensation of losing seventy percent of their strength had been quite unpleasant.
Yet no one dared set foot on the island, as another Godslayer Spike still stood there. The entire sea area grew crowded as everyone watched the man and woman on the island.
Xie Antong seemed oblivious to the crowd, staring blankly at the face before her while her other hand caressed his right hand.
It was him...
It had to be him.
Why wouldn't you come see me after removing your mask? If only I'd received a signal—just one sign that you wanted me to follow you—would things have turned out differently today?
Her hand slowly moved upward toward his chest—her final hope. She wanted to check if the Gate of Hell might still be embedded there.
*Slap!*
Lu Ce casually swatted her hand away, his voice faint as a whisper: "So many people are watching. Don't get handsy."
The crowd watched their intimate exchange in bewilderment. Perfect Life appeared particularly uncomfortable, clearly unprepared for this development.
When Sun first saw Sin's severe injuries and the woman beside him, his first thought was that she must have been the one to wound him! What an extraordinary woman! Would this lady consider joining the Heaven and Earth Society? But soon his common sense kicked in—that seemed unlikely. Besides, her figure looked vaguely familiar.
As for Chiyo Eine, her eyes had gone completely vacant, appearing even more hollow than Xie Antong's—utterly devoid of focus.
Meanwhile, within the Dragon Group's elder council, heated debates erupted as they processed the unexpected closeness between these two individuals. Long Jiu wore a complicated expression while the Illuminati members looked livid—neither side knew how to resolve this situation.
Continue fighting? On what grounds?
Ultimately, Long Jiu spoke first on behalf of the Dragon Group, glaring at the Illuminati and representatives from several families. "Enough pointless bickering. Isn't it time for some explanations?"
"Secretly gathering Godslayer Spikes, ambushing within our borders, setting up formations, luring the top player into a trap—those people who provoked him earlier were all part of your scheme, weren't they? Stop playing dumb."
Many other players also directed hostile looks their way. Though none stood on Sin's side, they too had been caught in that Godslayer Spike formation earlier. The excuse about targeting Sin was just pretext—everyone knew it.
Matthew: "......"
He gritted his teeth in frustration, seemingly at a loss as their plan appeared thoroughly derailed. Their original design had been to provoke Sin, gradually painting him as a demon in the world's eyes before having the Illuminati emerge as saviors who'd anticipated everything, using the Godslayer Spikes to eliminate him.
As a bonus, they'd trap the world's top players within the formation too. While not intending actual harm, this show of strength would establish their authority, officially bringing the Illuminati from shadows to center stage—the first step toward global leadership.
They'd even carefully calibrated their operatives' strength—not too weak, but not strong enough to provoke the Dragon Group or appear as outright aggressors. Yet from the beginning, Sin's indiscriminate slaughter and the Dragon Group's passive observation disrupted everything. Then Sin's power exceeded expectations. The Godslayer Spikes ended up serving him perfectly, enabling his massacre.
Before the formation completed, that initial runaway girl came charging back like a madwoman with the final spike! Every step had gone disastrously wrong—not a single aspect succeeded! The Illuminati's luck couldn't have been worse—they clearly hadn't checked their fortune before acting.
After speaking, Long Jiu also seemed puzzled by Sin's sudden severe injuries. Turning to Xie Antong on the island, he asked: "Miss, are you alright? That spike beside you...is it affecting you? Perhaps throw it farther away?"
Xie Antong didn't answer, only mechanically turning her head. Her eyes seemed to emit dark energy as she stared at Long Jiu. "May I ask something?"
"So the Dragon Group was present all along."
"So you knew this might be the Illuminati's conspiracy."
"So you knew Sin...was innocent?"
As she spoke, dizziness overwhelmed her, muscles near her temples twitching violently. "And you all...just watched them beat him like this?! Not one person thought he didn't deserve to die? During that Tokyo incident, didn't he help save the world?"
Long Jiu: "?"
His eyes widened as if bearing an enormous false accusation. Even the Illuminati side nearly toppled into the sea in shock.
Are you even listening to yourself? Damn it, weren't you absent earlier? Spouting nonsense without witnessing anything!
What do you mean 'beat him like this'? Why not mention how we got slaughtered instead! 'Didn't deserve to die'? If we'd run slower we'd all be dead! This is absolute injustice!
"Ahem...there seems to be some misunderstanding. Actually, we also want to know what happened to him..." Long Jiu said awkwardly.
Suddenly, a voice from the Illuminati called out to Xie Antong: "You told us you had no connection to him. You lied."
"Shouldn't I have lied?" Xie Antong retorted. Then, glancing at Lu Ce who hadn't moved for ages, she suddenly smiled. "Now there's a connection."
"I like him."
"We were married."