"How is this possible?! How could you trigger the crystallization?!"
The black-robed man blurted out in disbelief.
All the settings in his talent crystal were prepared for Xia Zuo. The various restrictions that were enabled were just a condition. If the person who entered was not the right person, even he didn't know what would happen!
Even if it works normally - it's just a waste! Except for Xia Zuo Freeman, if anyone triggers it, it's a waste!
Moreover, his goal was to capture the person with the highest inspiration in the world. How could anyone's inspiration be higher than that of a possible future high priest?!
The talent crystal has been activated. Even he cannot take it back. He can only watch as the crystal suddenly expands and completely covers the black-haired boy in a time that no one can react.
Countless crimson threads were connected to his body, and red light was surging, as if greedily sucking his blood.
However, even at this moment, the black-haired boy's expression did not change at all, and he was still as calm as ever, even giving the man in black the illusion that he had expected this moment.
“——Xize!!”
Among those present, only Xia Zuo reacted to this.
He rushed over almost instantly, and no one stopped him this time. He stretched out his hand, trying to grab Xizel, but found that he and his friend were like people from two different worlds, and he couldn't touch him at all, let alone pull him out of the prison.
The hand I stretched out clenched into a fist, but I didn't catch anything, and the distance between me and my friends was getting farther and farther.
The black-haired boy still couldn't see anything. His eyes were blank. He blinked slowly and said softly in the direction of Xia Zuo's voice, "I'm sorry, Xia Zuo."
He tilted his head, as if he was experiencing something, and then curved his eyes:
“It wants to suck your inspiration, your talent, your life.”
His tone was as calm as ever, the corners of his lips were as raised as ever, but his figure quickly faded, even... disappeared.
"That's the ridiculous purpose of the picket towers... they want to replace you, Xia Zuo."
The Federation wants to capture Xia Zuo alive, whose abilities have been developed sufficiently, for use in their research and experiments, but the Patrol Tower is even more ruthless.
Xia Zuo didn't say anything.
He had a very strong premonition, he vaguely saw the scene of César's death, his hands were shaking, but he couldn't utter a word.
He is afraid.
At this time, Jace and the other two also reacted. They had no time to care about the young man who had triggered the crystal for some reason. They wanted to grab Xia Zuo immediately. However, at this moment, the man in black suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then, his body swelled at a speed that was impossible to react to, and exploded in an instant.
Endless power seemed to be compressed in his body, and the strong sense of oppression instantly shocked Jace and the S-level talent holder who were closest to him, causing them to bleed from all seven orifices and their flesh to crack.
The aftermath of huge energy spread out, and the strange thing was that this energy wave, which could almost kill an S-level talent holder, bypassed Xia Zuo who was not far from the center of the explosion.
However, Xia Zuo did not notice all this.
He only heard his friend's calm voice pause slightly, adding a real, relieved gentleness for the first time.
"Don't feel sorry for me. Take Ursula and go away, my...friend."
The crystal suddenly hummed, and blood-red light flooded everything.
With a "click", the dead and broken crystal fell to the ground, and the black-haired boy no longer appeared in front of him.
At the same time, the entire library, which had been heavily reinforced and was already shaky, collapsed in an instant.
“Boom—”
A huge roar sounded in Xia Zuo's ears.
However, he seemed to hear nothing. He just lowered his head and slowly picked up the gray-black, shattered crystal of talent, allowing the edges to embed into his flesh.
The crystal clear liquid fell on his hand for the first time, blending with the blood stains bit by bit and then slowly flowing down.
He seemed to have lost all sense of the outside world. The tinnitus disturbed his thoughts and abilities. His brain was blank. For a moment, he even didn't understand what the gunpowder that fell out of his eye sockets was.
"boom!!"
Just before the huge rock was about to hit his head, a thick tentacle blocked the damage for him, then tightly wrapped around his waist and lifted him out in an instant!
The girl, who had completely turned into a monster, said nothing, retracted her extra tentacles, and increased her speed to the extreme. At the same time, Ina Jess, who was sitting on the tentacles, gritted her teeth and activated her talent with all her strength, covering the shrunken Ursula and Xia Zuo, who hadn't said anything.
"The abilities of people with precognitive talents are very limited. They won't be able to find you in a short time!" Ina's voice came over, with a complicated look in her eyes: "... Use all your strength and leave here."
…
That day.
The news that the Federation's Chief Executive Officer was seriously injured, one of the Patrol Tower elders was dead and another was seriously injured, and the culprit had disappeared without a trace, spread to the ears of all the talent holders.
…
Ursula and Xia Zuo didn't say a word to each other all day.
After the little girl disappeared, she just stayed quietly aside without asking even a single question about the black-haired boy.
She is too quiet.
It was so quiet that Xia Zuo couldn't deceive himself. In fact, his smart friend was just joking and the other person was still alive.
“…Ursula,” he tried to remain calm, but found that his voice was extremely hoarse and trembling uncontrollably, “Cesare…”
In fact, the answer is already very obvious.
If Xizel was there, her aura would be impossible to conceal, forcing them to almost always avoid being hunted down.
Ursula did not stir at all.
After a long while, she said almost woodenly: "You should know best."
"He died in front of you."
The girl raised her head, her eyes were dark, her face was twisted and blank. Her tentacles were all curled up and tangled together.
Only then did Xia Zuo realize that her strange silence was just because she used all her strength to suppress her own abnormality.
She said: "Cesare is dead."
"…Shazo Freeman."
…
…
Césaire Kleist is dead.
—But not completely dead.
The reason why the black-haired boy took the initiative to step into the forbidden prison was very simple. He just wanted to prove his guess and take a quick look at what surprises the mark on his arm would bring him under such circumstances.
——In the previous round, he decided to start over after death because when he sensed the crystal flying towards him, the move that was supposed to target Xia Zuo caused the mark on his arm to move abnormally, causing it to begin to heat up slightly.
After realizing this, Xizel decisively gave it away.
After all, he can save and load the game, it is such an easy way to obtain information, and anyone who misses it is a real fool.
Moreover, he had previously guessed that the talent crystal was able to lock onto Xia Zuo because of his extremely high inspiration. When locking onto multiple people at the same time, only the one with the strongest inspiration could activate it.
Then, as a descendant of a clerical family, do I also have the possibility to open it?
——All the conjectures can be answered if you just die.
Also, Xizel has always been curious about how his family settings will be completed.
It was indeed a little unexpected that the "Eastwood Prison for the Insane" was built by his family, but he still wanted to know more.
After all, in the comic world, his own appearance itself is full of doubts. For the rationality of the comics, this may also be related to his family.
After being successfully locked by the crystal, as a useless man with zero combat power, Xizel was ready to start over. After experiencing it himself, he was even able to chat with Xia Zuo about how this prison wanted to deal with Xia Zuo.
——However, when the crystal really began to absorb his power, he realized something was wrong.
He could vaguely feel that those blood-red threads like blood vessels were trying to dig out all his inspiration, talent, and remaining divine power from his body, and even from the depths of his soul.
But they did not succeed.
In other words – they succeeded, but not completely.
Xizel himself didn't feel anything at all, but the mark on his arm was extremely noticeable. It seemed that there was an extremely terrifying power sealed in it, which directly found the owner of the talent crystal and then poured into it -
The result was that the opponent exploded and died.
Xizel: “…”
When he discovered that the energies had filtered themselves out and filtered through him - deliberately avoiding Xia Zuo in the process - and then ran back and locked themselves in the mark obediently, he remained silent for a rare moment.
At the same time, he felt a pulling sensation coming from a distance, and this feeling was very familiar - it was the pulling feeling that his body was about to be sent to some other place.
Cesar blinked.
In a flash, he had already figured out what his character might look like in the future and what he wanted to express in the comics.
Then, the "dying" black-haired boy gave a gentle enough chuckle.
"Don't feel sorry for me."
——After all, I am not dead.
"Take Ursula and leave."
——You won’t be able to find me here, and it’s easy for you to die.
"…My friend."
——Finally, let me briefly establish the character.
The timing is just right, isn't it?
…
Cesar returned to reality in a good mood.
The comic's will was numb: "Aren't you curious about where you were dragged to?"
The black-haired boy tilted his head slightly, his tone unchanged: "Eastwood Lunatic Prison. The probability is 100%."
Comic Will: "???"
The comic's will choked on its breath and stopped humiliating itself.
After a while, it suddenly remembered something and reminded him horribly, "Wait, I can usually cover up for you, but if the storyline of whether this important supporting character really died or was faked, the comics might make readers think you're really dead just to attract attention!"
Xizel nodded calmly: "You are right. This is exactly the effect I want."
“But don’t forget, if the readers think you’re dead, even if you’re still alive, you’re still living like Final Destination!”
You might get hit by the suspension cabin as soon as you enter!
Xizel: “…”
He calmly lent a helping hand to the IQ of the comic will: "I am just temporarily taking "Cesare Crest" offline, but this does not mean that I will not appear in the comics during this period of time."
So what do readers think Cesare Kleist is dead?
As long as he appears in the comics with another identity, what does the dead Cecil Crest have to do with his new character?
The comic's will that understood everything at once: "..."
Cesar Crest You have a dirty heart...!!
Dead characters, or characters who voluntarily sacrifice themselves to save the protagonist, are more likely to become popular and draw a lot of attention.
Not to mention that Xizel obviously had other plans for this identity and was just waiting for a second harvest.
——As for what to do during the gap between the fake death exposure?
Of course, it’s to put on a new vest to make your presence felt!
Comic Will: For a moment, I didn't know whether binding him was a right or wrong decision.
"... Have you come up with an idea for your new character?" The comic decided to change the subject.
Xizel calmly opened the computer and said, "I have made some arrangements, but... some details are needed."
——I wonder if a blind, divine and transparent agent called “Son of God” can make these comic readers like him?
…
This time, César stayed in the real world for three days.
He dealt with the things that were left over from before, and made an appointment with Dr. John to check his body to reassure him and prove that he was gradually getting better - although the speed might be a little slow.
After finishing these personal things and slowly working on perfecting his new character, he leisurely logged onto the comic platform to browse the reader feedback that he had not had time to read before.
After several experiences of finding himself painted strangely, César was able to browse the pictures in which he appeared calmly, until he saw the "Kleist's
████".
Xizel: “…”
Xizel calmly found the comic's will and said kindly: "It seems that you also know that this name cannot be easily released."
Comic Will: "..."
Without wasting any more time with the comics, Xizel went through the comments first as usual and then went to the forum.
An excellent comic should take care of all the protagonists, and each has their own advantages and highlights. Obviously, "Absolute Talent" cannot be said to have achieved the ultimate, but it is also very successful. The latest episode is full of ups and downs, exciting and thrilling, which makes fans feel very satisfied.
Of course, there are more and more CP fans, and basically the three main characters are a hodgepodge.
Looking at the grand occasion in front of him, the comic will sighed: "Have fun, you will die if you push the next chapter."
Xizel: “…”
The comic will couldn't help but ask: "Wouldn't this be a bit too abrupt of a death?"
Xizel shook his head calmly: "No. When the truth comes out later, they will convince themselves that these are all foreshadowings."
The comic will was choked again.
"What's more," the black-haired boy raised his eyebrows slightly, "people die very quickly in comics nowadays. I think they should get used to it."
Comic Will: "...I thank you on their behalf, really."
Xizel smiled slightly: "Don't be so polite."
The black-haired boy sitting on the ergonomic chair lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. After making sure that he had missed nothing, he chose to return to the comic world again.
…
The feeling of opening my eyes this time is different from before.
Cesare's body travels between two worlds, and his poor physical condition can accompany him into the comics - although the double standard is that in order to maintain the balance of the real world, the abilities he obtains in the comics world cannot be used in the real world.
But now he felt that his body had become very light, as if he had never been sick.
"Lord Crest."
A voice suddenly sounded beside him, with a tone of obedience and respect.
Xizel did not respond, but sat up first.
——It seems that the reason he felt something was wrong just now was because there was a stranger beside him.
As a person with a strong sense of territory, Xizel's perception has always been sharp, especially when it comes to issues related to his own territory.
But this time, he just felt something was wrong, but he couldn't tell that the problem was that there was someone standing next to him.
Having already formed a certain guess about this person's strength in his mind, Xizel blinked his eyes to make his vision clear, and then observed his own condition and the surrounding environment.
——His appearance has not changed. After all, when he returned to the real world, his body was created by the will of the comics and could not be destroyed or changed. To a certain extent, this is actually the same as "Crest's Fairy Godmother", which is also a life-saving ability.
The difference is that the effect of this ability is really strange. If it cannot be fully explained, it can be equivalent to chronic suicide.
Moreover, because the body has no autonomous will, everything that may happen in the comic world is extremely uncontrollable.
Xizel noticed that the place where he woke up was a secret room made of an ore that he could not identify, and it was engraved with runes of unknown functions. Even under him, there seemed to be a huge magic circle.
…It seems that this thing pulled me back from the crystal.
Retracting his gaze and thoughts, Xizel's eyes finally fell on the person who spoke at the beginning.
He was a masked man, tall and sturdy, with a lot of iron elements on his clothes. At first glance, he looked extremely powerful and indestructible.
However, such a person waited quietly and obediently beside the black-haired boy until the other woke up.
Noticing his gaze, the man in the iron mask saluted and called out again, "Lord Crest."
Xizel raised his eyebrows slightly, not considering that he was also a member of Crest's tribe, and asked directly: "Who are you?"
"You are my master."
The man said calmly without any hesitation.
That is a status similar to that of a domestic servant in the Crest family.
"In that case, tell me everything you know."
Even though he opened his eyes and found himself in a completely unfamiliar place, there was no trace of panic on the black-haired boy's face. Instead, he was exceptionally calm and naturally grasped the dominant position.
"First of all, let me make one thing clear. I don't like you to answer one question after I ask one."
The black-haired boy added lightly.
The man lowered his head: "Yes."
Through his businesslike narration, César finally understood what his identity was.
——The last descendant of the Crest family, and also a genius who once again possesses the qualifications of an agent after a thousand years.
Xizel: “…”
I understand. Anyway, the question is, what special characters must appear at the same time as the protagonist.
He continued to listen calmly, and finally filled in the gap in the part about the Crest family in the library.
——Thousands of years ago, due to their timely withdrawal, the Crest Family preserved relatively intact strength. The Eastwood Prison for the Insane that they established was feared by countless people, and every head of the Crest Family would be the warden of this prison.
After gaining a firm foothold, they finally had time to secretly support another clergy family, protecting them from the dark pursuit and helping them hide among ordinary people in the marginal areas.
Since then, the Crest family has been guarding this prison and no longer entering the world, until... a child with the qualifications of an "agent" was born.
This child is too important and special to this God-forsaken world. Such a big thing cannot possibly go unnoticed by people outside.
Thinking of the madness of the group of people outside and fearing that something unpredictable might happen in the prison, the Crest family acted decisively and paid a huge price to conceal his presence and his birth, while also leaving several layers of insurance on him.
——The black eye mark is one of them.
Of course, the Crest family also has predictive means.
After observing that one day in the future, there might be a power that could threaten César's qualifications, they sealed the powers of several powerful talents of the Crest family in César overnight. This was equivalent to a talisman for their own child. As long as there were bad guys who set their sights on the child's qualifications and inspiration, they would kill him!
Hearing this, Xizel looked subtle: "..."
So, between him and Xia Zuo, who is the protagonist?
From this point of view, he was fully armed at the beginning, and compared with Xia Zuo, the other party suddenly looked extremely pitiful.
The man in the iron mask continued to add settings for him.
——When César was sixteen, he became the last member of the Crest family. The burden of the warden of the Eastwood Lunatic Prison instantly fell on him.
However, there are two conditions for becoming a warden:
One is that the talent level reaches S level, which is easy to understand.
Second, as an agent, he still needs to enter the world...
Preaching.
Cesar closed his eyes in pain.
…It turns out that the purpose of his appearance was to preach.
As for the reason for coming to Xia Zuo, it was also explained. When the distance was not far, a sober priest could of course sense the location of a priest who was still confused - and the breath barrier set up by the family was gradually disappearing.
Cesar: Thank you.
Apart from being in and out of prison three times, he really didn't do anything to spread his faith.
The comic will also remained silent. After a long while, he comforted her dryly, "Look at the bright side. At least your new vest is legitimate now."
——On the surface, he is an ordinary devout believer, but in reality he is a clergyman with the status of an agent.
On a deeper level, it is the protagonist's best friend who died.
Cesar: Very good, very interesting.