ca-book Chapter 1726 Final Chapter: Shore Crossing [71] "You've been named too firmly."
Chapter 1726 Final Chapter: Shore Crossing [71] "You've been named too firmly."
Chapter 1726 Final Chapter: The Shore Crossing [71]: "You are too firmly named."
"Shh!"
In an instant, Lu's body and the blue bat wings disintegrated, like a torrential downpour flowing backward. He appeared behind Su Ming'an, his face as pale as paper, and his right arm had completely disappeared below the elbow.
A light blue dagger materialized in his left hand at some unknown time, and with a "whoosh," it pierced Su Ming'an's back and protruded from his chest!
"—!!"
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
On the chessboard, everyone who witnessed this scene—Evelyn, Xiaoxiao, Yang Changxu, Violet…—had their pupils shrink and their minds go blank.
"You son of a bitch—" Yang Changxu, who always followed the rules, couldn't help but swear. Who would have thought that Lu would go crazy at such a critical moment?
“He’s gone mad. I knew something was wrong with him just now. He didn’t say a word.” Leslie was pale and her legs were weak.
"Su Ming'an!" Xiao Xiao cried out in alarm. They had finally made it this far; everyone else could die, but Su Ming'an absolutely could not.
"He put on such a good act before, we really fooled him..." Joey frowned. They should have realized Lu's true nature long ago; what kind of good person could an arms dealer in the gray area be? His previous gentle demeanor was clearly just a facade. Once he was truly capable of rising to power on his own, his true colors were immediately revealed.
They were about to pounce almost immediately, but couldn't even take a step. Xiao Xiao instantly summoned her priest's staff, Leslie's elemental energy surged, Rimu Sheng crouched low and drew his blade, and Si Nian instantly transformed into a crimson wolf…
The comments section was already in an uproar:
【！？？？？】
【What?】
【Brother Lu, what are you doing?!】
【Ami!】
[Human nature is indeed fragile; even the best allies become stumbling blocks in the realm between humans and gods. Noel is, Ming is, and Lu is.]
[Lu was never a good person to begin with; too many people have been deceived by his outward appearance. A group of screaming little boys and girls surrounding him—have they forgotten what he used to do?]
I still can't believe it...
【this……】
[Su Ming'an...]
……
Su Ming'an lowered his head slightly, looking at the tip of a blade as clear as autumn water on his chest.
With his strength, the road crumbled before him at the slightest touch, making it impossible for him to get close. He paused three times before because he saw or heard three different things.
The first time was the instant Lu attacked; he saw Lu's fingers twitch slightly, displaying an interface to him—
……
You have redeemed "Authority - Named" (10 Silver Stars)
[Firstly, it assigns concepts, definitions, and rules to nameless things. Secondly, it strips or obscures the "name" of things, making them incomprehensible and unmemorable, thus freeing them from the established framework of rules.]
……
It turns out that Lu exchanged for this. Su Ming'an also saw this authority in the store. It is very powerful in giving or taking away concepts, especially the phrase "breaking free from the established framework of rules," which can solve the biggest dilemma that Su Ming'an and others are currently facing.
They are essentially "trapped within a predetermined framework of rules." Su Ming'an's predicament stems from the strong concept of the player protagonist imposed upon him by the curtain; as long as this concept is removed, he can break free from the framework.
However, the price is quite awkward: 10 silver stars. Only Su Ming'an and Lu can afford it. If Su Ming'an were to exchange for this himself, the remaining 3 silver stars would be almost useless for the final battle. It's the most suitable option for Lu to exchange for this.
……
Luke Ricardoss discovered in the Silver Star Shop that all high-value authority was related to "existence".
"Return to Nothingness" signifies termination, "Void" signifies erasure, but "Named" is different; it operates on the positioning of things within the rule system. This authority is absolutely invaluable assistance to Su Ming'an in dealing with the Lord of Dreams.
As expected, the Lord of Dreams flipped the table and forcibly assigned the identities of the thirteen winners as "players." He then used a curtain to separate them from reality, pulling them from the audience onto the stage and forcing them to participate in an additional game.
After the game started, the world that Lu Yan saw was different from that of others. He saw "conceptual lines" wrapped around everyone, which were colorful and varied in thickness.
The lines on Su Ming'an's body are the most dense, including orange-yellow friendship, bright red love, deep blue betrayal, pitch-black destruction, and bright yellow ideals... all connected to the nothingness above the curtain.
Evelyn's storyline is about "loyalty and protection"; Xiaoxiao's is about "love and regret"; Yang Changxu's is about "faith and dedication." Su Ming'an's storyline, however, is the most complete, powerful, and unwavering. He is the "King of the Red Team," the "First Player," the "Savior," the "Beacon," and the "protagonist who must survive to the end, bearing all hope and despair." He has been "named" too thoroughly, and his character has become too rigidly defined.
The more labels that can't be removed are attached to a person, and the more things they have to do, the easier it is for them to become a puppet in a game.
—If we consider “Su Ming’an’s existence in the curtain game” as being given a forced “name”, then stripping him of this “name” would free him from this framework, and the game would no longer be able to define or bind him.
The road is not about killing Su Ming'an, but about killing Su Ming'an's "reputation".
Therefore, seeing that the game was about to begin, Lu immediately attacked Su Ming'an. This strike wouldn't truly kill Su Ming'an; it would only strip him of his identity, turning him into a blurred existence, bringing him out of the game's veil and back to reality. This was the only way to leave the veil when the curtain couldn't be broken—to strip the game character of their identity, making them an outsider once again.
So when Lu Ci came, Su Ming'an was stunned for a moment because he had thought of these things.
However, trusting Lu meant letting himself be stabbed through the chest… After what happened with Noel, Su Ming'an couldn't entrust Lu with his trust. Su Ming'an only hesitated for a moment before immediately retaliating. If it was true betrayal, he couldn't just offer his neck to be slaughtered.
He paused a second time because he heard Lu Shen's voice:
"Trust him. I will cooperate with Lu and Ming. I will inform you of the existence of the Source Point Curtain and break it from the outside. Lu will help you get out from the inside. With this pincer attack from both inside and outside, the curtain can be broken."
Then, Su Ming'an paused for the third time, just before he was about to kill Lu, when he was thinking to himself:
First, if Lu truly betrayed him, there was no need for such a blatant attack; he had had many opportunities before. Second, Lu Shen was on his side and had no reason to be his enemy for the time being. Third, even if Lu truly betrayed him and pierced his chest, he had the "Faith" authority to guarantee his survival. If he discovered that Lu did not intend to activate his authority, he could immediately activate the "Devour" authority to counterattack. Given the absolute difference in strength, the greatest cost would only be the further corruption of his soul. Fourth… Lu was already dying, but made no other moves, which did not seem like betrayal. Fifth, if he did not adopt Lu's method, he would need to reveal his final trump card to break this deadlock, and now was not the time.
Even though everything seemed to prove it wasn't a true betrayal, Su Ming'an couldn't be certain until the very last moment. This was caution, a shadow of suspicion, and also a responsibility to everyone.
Therefore, in that instant, Su Ming'an's movements stopped, while Lu Shun flashed behind him, the dagger piercing through his chest.
While everyone else was in shock, anger, despair, and sorrow... Su Ming'an's eyes were filled with only silence.
He turned his head, briefly meeting Lu Hailan's eyes, and then—
"Buzz—!!!"
The moment the dagger pierced Su Ming'an, it was as if he had been plunged into a rippling pixelated ocean.
A buzzing sound reverberated throughout the entire chessboard space. Countless golden, silver, and shimmering runes burst forth from Su Ming'an's body!
Broken, flying, spinning.
[Hero], [Savior], [Idealist], [Beacon], [Loophole in the Rules], [Focus]...
His body began to become transparent, transforming from "existing in this game" to "existing beyond the definition of this game".
These things were ethereal and intangible, visible only to Lu and Su Ming'an, who held the authority to "name" them. Lu gazed at them, muttering to himself, "Su Ming'an, you're too firmly 'named'..."
……
First layer: [Red King]...Stripping
[Second Layer: [Curtain Focus]...Peeling Away]
[Third Layer: [Game Protagonist]...Stripping Away]
……
A crisp sound.
"Snapped!"
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Su Ming'an suddenly vanished, turning into a pool of melting jelly.
The stars are vast, the ocean is silent.
……
Su Ming'an's consciousness was like a wandering soul, drifting in a state of "namelessness".
He did not feel the coldness of death, but instead felt an unprecedented lightness and weightlessness.
As if layers of heavy armor woven from countless expectations and responsibilities were being peeled away, the nails and wedges that had once firmly fixed him in the position of "game character" were all loosened—[Hero], [Savior], [One Who Must Move Forward], [Savior]... He was finally erased from the outline of a carefully drawn, richly colored painting, and transformed into a being that could roam freely inside and outside the canvas.
His consciousness, like a small boat that had broken free from all its ropes, was thrown into a bizarre and fantastical torrent.
Before him stretched an endless expanse of broken building blocks, floating upside down. They resembled the wreckage of a devastating explosion: [“Fighting for…”], [“Victory, my…”], [“Release Zhai Xing, take…”]. The words that once defined him had transformed into floating fluorescent light, like ghosts drifting through the ruins.
Unfinished conversation bubbles rose like soap bubbles, sending out indistinct echoes—fragments of his conversations with countless people: "Goodbye, thank you..." "Clearing all obstacles for you..." "Did I help you this time..." The voice was familiar yet distant, as if seen through thick frosted glass.
He moved with a light and agile gait, traversing an invisible and intangible labyrinth.
Like giant building blocks, squares, triangles, cylinders… stacked together to form a labyrinth with no exit: [He stood atop the ruins, his black hair flying in the wind, an indomitable flame burning in his eyes…]; [In the conference room, everyone's gaze fell upon the ever-silent young man…]; [“Awake?” Lu Shu seemed to be sitting at the table, sipping tea…]
He glided by like flowing water, leaving no trace.
He drifted in a dizzying stream of consciousness, feeling as if he were wandering in a vast ocean of collective unconsciousness, where the reality he once stood on was an iceberg on the surface, and he had now plunged deep into the ocean.
Suddenly, a clear and familiar voice reached out to him:
"Su Ming'an, come this way..."
It is God Lü.
More accurately, it is Ming.
Lu Shen established a connection with Ming, thus finding Su Ming'an floating in the sea of consciousness and assisting the "dead" Su Ming'an's consciousness to head towards the Demon Mother Goddess. If Lu Shen hadn't abducted Ming, he truly wouldn't have been able to find Su Ming'an in the vast sea of consciousness; only someone like Ming, with a point of resonance, could locate Su Ming'an's soul.
Following the direction from which the sound came, Su Ming'an moved with a light and graceful gait, as if transforming into a white bird, passing through the consciousness of others. He saw the figure of Lu Shen, a large, snow-white wolf.
"Finally, I've met you. Come with me." Lu Shen floated on the sea of consciousness, looking at him.
"How's the curtain doing?"
"Don't worry, they're all fine... except for Lu Licarbos," said Lu Shen.
"Because of filling?"
In the last second before Su Ming'an's consciousness left, he saw golden pixels pop out of his body and surge toward Lu, as if chains were binding Lu.
—After Su Ming'an left, the vacuum of this "name" needed to be filled, and Lu took the initiative to fill this void with his "real name" and existence.
“He won’t die, don’t worry. At most, he’ll have some unbreakable connection with the Lord of Dreams…” Lu Shen said. “A name is the shortest curse…it is both a shackle and a release.”
They swam through the soft stream of consciousness, and Su Ming'an saw countless twisted and mottled souls, swimming through a long, revolving lantern.
The ocean of consciousness of all beings.
Countless fragments of consciousness slid past them, each representing the consciousness of a life.