"I'm sorry to bother you, but the Pope you mentioned is dead."

Being permanently suppressed under the Soul-Suppressing Nails is practically the same as kicking someone's boots.

"ah?"

The emperor's expression froze for a second or two before he spoke incredulously, "Boy, don't lie to me. I know how strong that old man is. If I'm not dead, how could he possibly be?"

"Have you forgotten how you got out? He can't get out."

The emperor pondered for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha! This is the retribution he deserved! Boy, did you do this? I must reward you handsomely; how about I bestow upon you the title of Duke of the Empire?"

Jiang Ran thought about this desolate island, so deserted that there wasn't even a single living person there. Come on, this position is truly terrifying, second only to one person, above everyone else.

"Fine, fine. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, you can go and kill yourself, right?"

What are you saying?

Suicide? How polite of you to suggest someone commit suicide right off the bat?

Even though the emperor was in a good mood at the moment, he was still somewhat angry because Jiang Ran had repeatedly disregarded him and made him lose his imperial dignity.

"Are you out of your mind to say such things to me?" The emperor slammed his spear into the ground. "Since my country has become like this, then I will destroy it completely and then go find a new kingdom!"

"Boy, I grant you the title of duke, and then you will be buried with this land!"

"If you're going to find a new kingdom, then go find one. Why do you have to destroy it here? Sigh—" Jiang Ran sighed slightly. "As expected, being buried underground for too long makes your brain less sharp. Fine, even if you don't do anything, I'll run out of lamp oil and have nothing to play with. Since you're unwilling to commit suicide, then so be it!"

Jiang Ran raised his arm, and the Holy Light Crossbow materialized, unleashing a deadly arrow that shot towards the Emperor!

call out!

The arrow struck the emperor squarely in the head, shattering his helmet with a single blow. The impact forced the emperor back several steps, and he roared in anger!

"Boy! How dare you lay a hand on the supreme king! I will strip you of your dukedom and have you executed by slow slicing!"

"Who cares about your damn duke..." Jiang Ran's crossbow disappeared from his arm. "Not dead? He's an important character in the plot."

The important characters in the story cannot be killed by the talent, and if you cannot kill the emperor, you cannot complete the game, and in the end you will only be killed by the emperor.

Therefore, if an ordinary ghost storyteller reaches this point without suppressing all the Soul-Suppressing Nails, it is a certain death situation, because their mission has failed, and this is the punishment for failure.

"But it's precisely this kind of difficult problem..."

If it were just about deciphering the runes, it wouldn't be too difficult for Jiang Ran. However, the five Soul-Suppressing Nails were scattered in five corners of the isolated island, and there were only four compasses. In fact, the seeds of failure had been sown long ago.

Perhaps leaving at the end of the first day would be a good choice.

"Jiang Ran, what do we do? This guy's aura is too strong!" Gwen frowned. "That's right, he's definitely a near-god level!"

"It's alright. The purpose of a riddle is to be solved. If the conventional solution method doesn't work, then try another one!"

"I can't kill him directly with my talent, but you are a unique individual, which is not subject to this limitation. In other words, if you can kill him, we can still clear the game!"

Kill a near-god?

Gwen wore a bitter smile. Only Jiang Ran could utter such a shocking statement as wanting to kill a near-god level being by force.

"All I can say is... I'll give it a try!"

While the emperor was still unable to move, Gwen picked up the scissors and stepped forward, drawing a blue arc in the air!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Gwen's all-out attack only left a shallow wound on the emperor's armor. The emperor's anger turned into laughter: "Such a weak creature dares to challenge the majesty of the king?"

"Use this, it might work!"

Jiang Ran drew the short sword from his back and threw it to Gwen. Holy weapons might be surprisingly effective against these ancient and malicious things!

"good!"

Gwen took the dagger, put the scissors back behind her back, and then plunged the dagger into the emperor's chest!

"It really works!"

The once sturdy armor became as fragile as mud under the thrust of the holy weapon. Gwen's stab landed squarely, but the emperor seemed to feel no pain at all, and his laughter became even more unrestrained!

"Hahaha! You actually dare to dream of killing me?!"

"Those traitors failed to kill me! The Pope and his cronies failed to kill me! Even the high and mighty 'God' in heaven failed to kill me! I am still standing here!"

"And you! A mere brat, how dare you harbor such thoughts, hahaha! You think you can kill me?!"

As the control effect ended, the Emperor stomped his foot, and the shockwave spread rapidly from him. Gwen's body was instantly thrown back about a hundred meters before he could barely regain his footing!

Jiang Ran took out the shotgun he had copied from the mountain. The Emperor was a genuine [Near God] level. If he wanted to defeat him, he could only stall for time as much as possible until Ye Ye and Aransta came to support him. Maybe then there would still be a chance!

The emperor stood majestically before Jiang Ran. If he took another step forward, Jiang Ran would pull the trigger. However, the man did not move forward. Instead, he boasted about his past.

"You seemed quite surprised when you saw me, but I am not like those fools. I was destined to return!"

"I remember now, I remember everything! This is the work left behind by me!"

The emperor raised his hands, as if embracing the heavens and earth: "The Soul-Suppressing Nails cannot suppress me! From the moment I was sealed, I have already mastered most of the power of the Soul-Suppressing Nails. Although this power is not enough to free me immediately, it can still hide the Soul-Suppressing Nails themselves, making it impossible for anyone to find their existence!"

"I don't need anyone to cut my chains; I'll cut them myself!"

"You mean... no matter what we do, we can't find your Soul-Suppressing Nail?"

"Of course, because you will be led in another direction by the illusion I set up, and you will not be able to perceive it yourself. Even if you have something to help you, it cannot guide you to the right place."

According to the emperor, he will inevitably reappear in the world, and this process is irreversible. If this is true, then he is not a punishment for failing the mission, but rather a necessary obstacle to overcome!

If that's the case, how would he kill a near-god?