His grip tightened around the halberd in his hand as he looked down hesitantly at the masked figure beneath him. Clenching the weapon's shaft tightly, he was engaged in an internal struggle.
Should he continue?
As he hesitated, Perfect Life slowly spoke up with indifference: "You possess the greatest strength and physique in this world, hailed as the number one man. Surely you're more than this? Dragging things out in such an undignified manner?"
His gaze fell upon the terrifying wounds covering the other's body, causing his brow to twitch uncontrollably.
This regeneration speed!
The gaping wounds were visibly closing at a rate discernible to the naked eye, with blood rapidly coagulating. Moreover, this halberd of his was a legendary weapon - something he wouldn't even dare bring into the real world. Yet when he stabbed this completely defenseless guy earlier, he encountered tremendous resistance, as if piercing something far tougher than flesh.
And now all these holes were healing rapidly?!
Perfect Life: "......"
This couldn't be a normal human body... This must be true physical transcendence. Even during the East Sea Tournament just hours ago, he hadn't felt this way.
Raising his halberd slowly, he aimed it at Sin's neck below. "This strike will take your life. Get up. I don't believe you're truly dead. Stop pretending - you can hear me, can't you?"
Lu Ce: zzZ.
Whatever nonsense this was, he was already sound asleep, completely oblivious.
Veins bulged on Perfect Life's hand as he hesitated for a long moment before suddenly thrusting downward!
Clang!
Just as the halberd's edge was about to pierce the other's neck, it abruptly changed course, violently embedding itself into the marble floor beside them as if cutting through soft tofu!
Perfect Life's expression darkened as he glared at the prone figure. Had he not pulled back at the last moment, that strike could have truly shattered the other's neck!
—He couldn't bring himself to do it.
What did this mean? What kind of assurance did the other have? It couldn't possibly be true indifference toward his own life.
"We have no enmity between us. I wanted to see a player stronger than myself in the game, not... this. It's rather disappointing."
With that, he stored his halberd and crouched down, passing his glowing white hand over the other's body from head to toe without touching.
"This doesn't make sense..."
"This life force and sensation don't feel like an avatar or puppet either."
"......"
After running through all possibilities in his mind, Perfect Life shook his head and stood up. His furrowed brows gradually relaxed as he flashed a carefree smile and waved his hand.
"If this is all there is, it's rather dull. I don't know why, but the you here seems vastly different from the you outside. Whatever your plan is, whether you're the real body or a puppet... since you want to sleep, sleep then."
As he spoke, he stood and prepared to leave. His time was running short, and since this "Sin" couldn't even be bothered to look at him properly, there was no point in further discussion. When true opposition was necessary, their battle would come naturally. He wouldn't alter his principles for anyone—not even the world's strongest!
But after taking just a few steps, he paused again, frowning as he turned back.
From within the ruins, a figure stretched luxuriously before slowly sitting up, appearing to yawn.
"Ah~... Mm, so comfortable."
Cracking his joints, he felt thoroughly refreshed from his nap—until he noticed the surrounding devastation and ruins.
"Huh? What happened here?"
Then his gaze landed on Perfect Life before him.
"You are...?"
Perfect Life was first speechless, then his mouth twitched before he outright laughed.
"Oh? Back among the living? Done pretending to be dead?"
"Pretending?" Lu Ce looked around. "Sorry, I was actually just asleep. What happened?"
"Oh? Then why not sleep longer?" Perfect Life's tone carried intended sarcasm, but coming from him, it sounded genuinely concerned. Given his life experiences, sarcasm wasn't something he was accustomed to.
"Ah, thanks for your concern. I'd love to keep sleeping, but considering how little time I have awake, I should stay up while I can."
The Laziness Mask displayed a kindly smiling expression as it spoke. Among all the masks, this one was remarkably amicable.
"So you're awake now?" Perfect Life took two steps forward until he stood directly before him. "Answer me—during your capture phase, did you catch anyone?"
Lu Ce, now in a relatively "refreshed" mental state, pondered earnestly before replying gently, "No idea. I was resting the whole time. Actually, you're the first person I've seen."
Perfect Life felt a chill.
"And your plans going forward?"
"Plans? Probably take another nap in about ten minutes. That's the only thing I'm certain about."
"Ha?" Perfect Life laughed outright, feeling his intelligence insulted. "Do you find this amusing?"
"You seem rather agitated," Lu Ce remarked leisurely as he sat cross-legged in the ruins, spreading his hands toward Perfect Life. "Obsessing over the future blinds you to present beauty. Those intangible things haven't even arrived yet, yet they've already exhausted you. But that's meaningless. Right now, all I know is that in ten minutes I'll enjoy another good nap—and isn't that nice?"
The figure wearing the dark green mask suddenly became philosophical. Among all the masks, this one appeared the most gentle and benign—yet its madness seemed even more absolute, to the point it didn't even seem like madness!
Perfect Life frowned. The words left him unable and unwilling to refute them. He simply said, "Then what about perfect clearance?"
"What perfect clearance?" Lu Ce spread his hands again. "I've never considered such things. Whatever's meant to be mine will be mine eventually."
Perfect Life stared at him for a long moment before suddenly exclaiming in approval, "Good! That's confidence!"
To Lu Ce's surprise, he no longer seemed intent on leaving. Instead, he found a large rock nearby and simply sat down on it, appearing to settle in.
"Hmm?" Laziness slowly turned its head with a questioning look.
Perfect Life's handsome face broke into an extraordinarily confident smile.
"Courage is humanity's highest virtue."
"Though I don't quite understand your meaning, since you dare..."
"I'll go crazy with you once!"