Hate Me, Miss Witch!

The city that never sleeps, the thorns of sin.

The gramophone magic circle spread soothing background music, and the graceful bunny girls walked through the feasting and reveling venue, causing bursts of cheers.

The banging of chips, the bartender shaking the ice cubes in his glass, and the sound of high heels stepping on the ground all announced that a wonderful night in the city that never sleeps was about to begin.

Suddenly at a certain moment.

The lights in the entire place went out for an instant, and then came back on.

The next moment, a middle-aged man wearing a white robe walked into the venue.

There was deathly silence in the hall, and even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.

The middle-aged man had an ordinary face and was wearing pure white clothes. He seemed to be an ordinary priest or priest in a small church in a certain town.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the middle-aged man who walked into the venue.

Or to be more precise, it’s the texture painted on his white robe——

The pure white eye of true knowledge.

"It's the audience." "

After a long time, someone spoke, breaking the eerie silence in the venue.

Then the whole casino exploded. Waiters, dealers, gamblers... everyone was whispering to each other, those who understood talked, and the onlookers continued to explain to others after understanding.

"audience".

This is the name of a group of extraordinary people.

Generally speaking, the extraordinary organizations or groups on the Western Continent have obvious tendencies, either towards the order side camp, such as the Three Towers, or towards the abyss, lost kingdom and other fields, such as many cult groups.

However, the "audience", like the Shadow Council, is an extremely rare existence that is active in both the Order camp and the Kingdom of the Lost at the same time, yet can be tolerated by all parties.

The Shadow Council relies on its own strength and the intelligence business needed by both camps, while the "audience" relies on their unique logic.

They're really just the audience.

The two armies were fighting, and the plains were filled with roaring artillery fire...

The battlefield where high-level warriors fight to the death...

Or maybe it's the scene where a major magical invention is born, where the kingship changes, and where the power changes...

The "audience" can be seen at almost all major events in the Western Continent.

The members of the "audience" do not have a clear style of pet beast system like many extraordinary forces, but they are all kinds of strange, ranging from first-level beginners to title-level beast masters.

According to rumors, on the day when the Holy Calendar Era was opened, and in the final battle that ended the "Disaster Land" era, "audiences" of legendary rank appeared.

The only thing the "spectators" have in common is the white robe and the mark of the Eye of True Knowledge on the white robe. They may appear anywhere in the Western Continent. What they are watching may be the establishment and destruction of the kingdom. Or maybe it's just the daily life of a certain civilian...

Moreover, the "audience" will never interfere with the process, and even if it is affected to death on the battlefield, there will never be any retaliatory behavior.

It is as if the "audience" is really what they claim to be, they are just witnesses and recorders of history.

In the city that never sleeps called the Thorn of Sin, the arrival of the "audience" can only mean one thing -

That is, a legendary gambling game against the banker is about to take place.

The minimum amount for each bet at an ordinary gambling table in Evernight City is one Rhine gold coin. Although the quantity is not high, in fact, in the monetary system of the Western Continent, Rhine gold coins are already the highest level currency unit. One Rhine gold coin is equivalent to one The entire annual salary of an ordinary urban citizen, plus smaller units of copper coins and silver coins.

However, this is nothing compared to the upcoming game.

According to the description of a waiter with decades of experience in the city that never sleeps, the banker's gambling game starts every one or two months, but the last gambling game that the "audience" was invited to witness was three years ago.

That time the guest bet on his hereditary territory, which included three towns, and lost everything in the end.

…

The middle-aged man with an ordinary face and wearing a simple white robe walked toward the top of the Evernight City and quickly disappeared into the passage.

The next moment, the metal baffle was raised.

The scene at the top of the city that never sleeps is reflected in the sights of the entire casino gamblers.

It was the simplest gaming table on one side. Viscount Lowry was sitting on one side of the gaming table with an elegant smile, while the young man with half of his face covered by a white mask was sitting on the other side of the gaming table. It seemed that both parties were interested. Very peaceful.

The middle-aged priest in a white robe stood at the center of the long table, looking at everything on the gaming table with a calm face.

He reached out and brushed a silver-white revolver and the box of orange bullets on the table.

"Revolver - "Iron-marked Moon", pure metal structure, no interference from magic circle or spiritual body. "

The priest took out bullets one after another from the ammunition box, and then filled them one by one into the cylinder of the revolver.

"The six pieces of ammunition are identical in quality and appearance, but only one of them is a live ammunition and five of them are blank ammunition."

The middle-aged priest looked at the rotating magazine that popped up in his hand, and tapped his finger in the air.

"While the bet is in progress, this object is forbidden to be extraordinary and no prying eyes are allowed..."

“The eye of true knowledge witnesses.”

After doing all this, he placed the revolver with the ejected cylinder on the gambling table: "According to the rules, the person who pulls the cylinder will have the second hand."

Xia Ya reached out and picked up the revolver, then stretched out his slender fingers and fiddled with the rotating cylinder.

jingle.

The magazine loaded with five blank rounds and one live round began to rotate rapidly. Char's wrist moved slightly, and the rotating wheel made a crisp sound and fit into the revolver body.

Char could clearly feel that the internal details of the gun disappeared from his mental perception at the moment the wheel was embedded in the gun chamber.

It is as if a thin layer of fog has been cast over it. Apart from the simple appearance of the revolver, all the information and details inside it - whether it is the weight of the gun body, the slight vibration caused by the rotation of the revolver cylinder, etc. etc... all seem to have been mosaic-ed, making it difficult to spy on them.

The cover of this information fog is not very strong. It only requires a little effort on his part to break through. However, this also means that his behavior will be noticed by the person who releases the information fog, and he will be directly punished.

This is the meaning of the existence of "audience".

For psychic and perceptive psychics, there are many ways to cheat in the bet.

For example, a beast master with specialized memory can easily distinguish the difference in tactile details on seemingly identical playing cards, while a beast master with specialized perception may be able to judge by the uneven weight distribution just by weighing a pistol. Which cylinder is loaded with bullets.

Of course, the "audience's" information fog and extraordinary bans are limited to the revolver itself, just like the dealer will ensure that no one will peek or slyly cut the cards when the cards are dealt.

But other than that, all extraordinary means will not be restricted. Whether it is relying on a strong memory to memorize and count cards, or using trash talk to break down the opponent's psychological defense, they are all part of the game.

"I have always respected the elderly and loved the young."

"So, the elderly are given priority."

Char pushed the closed revolver across the long table.

"Roulette!"

It was only then that the onlookers below burst out in exclamations, knowing the true content of this gamble.

Compared to the most popular blackjack in the Imperial City, Empire Poker... Roulette is rarely used because of its bloody and rough content, but this does not hinder its reputation.

Roulette does not have the cumbersome and complicated rules similar to many variants of card games, and is quite simple and clear.

A bullet is loaded into the revolver's magazine, and the order of the magazines is rearranged. The two players take turns shooting at themselves until one party loses.

As for the result of failure - of course there is only one.

Even a title-level beast master, without actively contacting the Soul Pact to draw the power of the beast, will only end up dead if he is hit in the head by a bullet at close range.

And if you use extraordinary power to protect yourself, it is a breach of contract.

According to the rules in Thorns of Sin, violators will lose everything, whether it is their wealth or their own lives.

Those crimes that were sealed in the underground of the Nightless City and never seen the light of day were what Lori had accomplished in this way.

But at this moment, the banker standing at the top of the city that never sleeps actually wants to play roulette. Who is that mysterious player?

What kind of means were used to force Viscount Lowry from the throne of the Evernight City to this point.

The gamblers are all players, and of course they are more inclined to support the mysterious man wearing a half-face mask.

The waiters and girls remained calm.

Lori himself certainly lost and won at the gambling table.

But to this day.

The city that never sleeps is still the city that never sleeps, and Viscount Lowry is still Viscount Lowry.

…

In a corner of the casino where a huge noise broke out, Dark Crow frowned slightly as he looked at the figure of the white-robed priest at the top.

"Ranger, Thoros. "

"Audience" is the name for an entire extraordinary organization, but the actual audiences are independent individuals.

And the audience who appeared in the Nightless City in front of him happened to be a person recorded in the Imperial Military Department. He was a six-ring beast master with his own title.

Excluding those legendary "audiences" whose records are unknown and living in history, "Ranger" Soros is already the pinnacle among the current "audiences".

"I didn't expect that Soros happened to be in the imperial capital. If he were a fourth- and fifth-ring audience, he might have been deceived by some means."

"But Soros is here in person. Unless the legendary person who specializes in this comes, there is no way he can interfere with the process of the bet."

Dark Crow frowned slightly as he looked at the scene on the top floor.

"I have read some files and know that Joker should have expertise in the field of illusion."

'But not to mention that Lori is one level higher than him, it is impossible for him to have no countermeasures against illusions. "

If a random illusion trick could work, then Luo Li would not be able to secure his current position as the master of the Nightless City.

"Diris, don't you think our new leader is a little too impulsive?"

From Dark Crow's perspective, compared to the great nobles in the imperial capital, today's sword holders are simply the weaker side, otherwise they would not be wiped out again and again.

What they should do is to endure and wait, just like the family motto of the "Dark Knight" Fulen family - hide in the shadows, wait and accumulate strength, and wait for the time to come.

As the newly appointed leader of the sword holders, Xia Ya directly led them into the thorns of sin, and even directly revealed to the opponent the trump card that he had information about.

Although relying on these intelligence trump cards, Soros was successfully forced into a life-and-death gamble.

But correspondingly, it also means that Xia Ya also forced himself into a desperate situation.

That was the king of gamblers. Whether it was gambling, cheating, or upright table games, what had Viscount Lowry not experienced in the past few decades?

Putting his own life on the gaming table, and doing it in the opponent's area of ​​expertise, in the eyes of Dark Crow, Joker's behavior would undoubtedly cost him his life.

"Although in theory it is exactly what you said."

"However, is it really useful to just tolerate it, show weakness, and hide yourself in the darkness?"

"Although I have never joined, as far as I know, the previous sword holders have always adhered to the concept of hidden growth, but in the end their endings did not change at all."

Diris, who also wore half a mask, only revealing her fair and delicate chin, also took a sip of the wine in the glass and spoke softly.

"Hide yourself in the dark and restrain all your minions. In name, you are suppressing your growth..."

"But if things continue like this, when the time is really ripe... we who are used to forbearance and have long forgotten how to wield a sword, will we still be able to lower the hanging sword of punishment?"

"His Highness would give up choosing the sword wielder from the old round table and cronies, the many five-ring or even title-level experts, and instead invite him who was an ordinary student at the time and had just broken through the third ring. Maybe he wanted to bring about some changes. …”

"It's a completely different change from every sword holder in the past."

"I can understand what Your Highness means." Dark Crow frowned: "But this is not a reason to use one's own shortcomings to attack the other's strong points and risk death recklessly."

"I understand your concerns."

Diris looked at the scene at the top with her pure eyes: "To be honest, I don't think Joker's illusion can work."

"But, after all, the leader is the person chosen by His Highness himself, and since I have known him... he has never let me down."

"What surprises might it bring this time?"

As she spoke, Diris turned slightly sideways and glanced at the blond girl next to her.

Although wearing a half-mask of the same style, Aurora never participated in their conversation.

She just sat silently in the corner, her eyes locked on the top, Xia Ya on the side of the gambling table.

As someone who has entered Char's dream and often acted as an intervening presence, Diris is very aware of the tacit understanding between Aurora and Char that outsiders cannot understand.

If Char really fell into a life-and-death crisis, Airola would have gone berserk long ago, just like what happened to Lieutenant Colonel Sieg when Char fell into a coma not long ago.

And now that the blond girl is still waiting quietly, it means that everything is still under control.

For no reason, Diris also had some expectations for what was going to happen next.

…

Stab——

The metal gun body of the revolver made a harsh friction sound with the wooden tabletop, and then stopped in front of Viscount Lowry.

In a gentlemanly manner, he picked up the revolver.

Viscount Lowry didn't care at all about Char's previous trash talk. Among the thousands of gambling games he had experienced, there were countless words that were a thousand times more unpleasant, but he could always remain lazy. smile.

In his opinion, it was just the cry of a loser. He was indeed old, but he was still a lion on the gambling table.

The city that never sleeps is the territory of the lion. He patrols it day and night, watching countless high-roller gamblers kneel down in fear after failure, wailing and lamenting for mercy.

The information fog on the revolver still exists, obscuring all information and details in the chamber.

The arrival of Soros, the six-ring "spectator", was unexpected by Viscount Lowry, and made cheating on the revolver a wishful thinking.

But it doesn't matter. Viscount Lowry does know a wide variety of cheating and cheating techniques, but he has never bothered to use such tricks. He only knows these tricks to see through his opponent's cheating.

Even with that little trick, he couldn't become the king of this city that never sleeps.

"One hundred souls."

"Deal done."

A dark and profound voice sounded deep in Viscount Lowry's soul.

The next moment, Viscount Lowry pointed the revolver named Iron Pattern Moon at his chin.

boom--

The muzzle of the gun shot out white smoke and fire, but no bullet was fired.

A blank round.

This is a matter of course.

He is a beast master, but he is not good at fighting. His current rank of fourth ring is entirely due to the pet beast he accidentally contracted.

To be precise, it is not appropriate to say pet beasts... because what they signed was not a traditional master-slave contract, but a transaction contract.

It was a demon from the spiritual abyss, and the content of the transaction was simple, just as every demon did...one party provided the soul, and the demon gave him a short-term boost of luck.

By relying on his deal with the devil, Viscount Lowry won all the key bets, and the Nightless City also devoured countless people's lives through bets.

The evil that was rampant in the city that never sleeps was originally to satisfy the devil's greedy appetite for souls. However, after Lori became Borgia's white glove, he also indulged in the evil that held the power of life and death for others. In pleasure.

Lori put the revolver down, the elegant smile on his lips unchanged.

If it is a card game, such as blackjack, then Viscount Lowry may be temporarily at a disadvantage due to insufficient calculation power and memory. After all, luck in card games is important, but unless luck is so strong that it will always be the greatest. Hands of cards, otherwise there is the possibility of relying on powerful skills to make up for the gap in luck.

Only roulette is the simplest and crudest form of gambling. Under the fog of information from the "audience", it becomes a pure competition of luck.

If the live bullet lands in the 135 chamber, one side will win, and if it falls in the 246 hole, the other side will win. There is no room for technical intervention.

If we say that the only possible game in roulette is to use psychological warfare to make the opponent fearful and afraid of shooting himself, so he actively chooses to admit defeat.

From this perspective, the first mover in roulette will undoubtedly have the upper hand in terms of momentum, which is why Lori calmly accepts his first move.

Lori looked at the mysterious man with an unchanged face across the table, and slowly pushed out the silver revolver.

In this game of pure luck, he who can trade luck with the devil is undefeated.

This mysterious man may have wanted to use a simple and crude gambling method like roulette to minimize his advantages in gambling skills and experience, but he didn't know that it was his cleverness that ruined his last meager victory. possible.

In this way, the possible hidden dangers can be cleared up... and after the other party is defeated, we can also take the opportunity to investigate the source of his information and his own origins.

The information displayed by the other party set off alarm bells in his heart. If he did not figure it out, Viscount Lowry would not be able to rest at ease.

Thinking like this, Viscount Lowry saw the mysterious man wearing a white mask also raised his revolver.

However, what he aimed at was not his chin, but his temple.

"Persona."

A byte of unknown meaning came out of the other party's mouth, and then the trigger was pulled.

boom--

There was still white smoke and fire, but no bullets were shot out. Likewise, there was no giant Orpheus substitute appearing behind him.

In the casino below, gamblers burst into cheers.

As players, they naturally watch the excitement and don't take it too seriously. Of course, they all hope that the banker, who has embezzled so much wealth from the gamblers, will fall from the altar.

Suddenly, countless malicious eyes were cast on Viscount Lowry, looking forward to his next shot to make his head bloom.

And it turns out that this sense of blood and excitement that may be splashed with blood at any time is far more eye-catching and exciting than the mere collision of cards and chips.

Good luck.

Viscount Lowry looked at the scene in front of him, his expression unchanged.

From a purely probabilistic perspective, the probability of Char's shot hitting is 20%, and considering that he completed a lucky deal with the devil, the probability of Char's shot being a live bullet is even higher.

This shows that the other party's luck is not bad. If he didn't have the devil's deal, he might really be a loser.

Of course, Viscount Lowry is not anxious about this. This is a game of pure luck, and he is already in an invincible position.

Still wearing an elegant smile, he waited for the other party to send the revolver back.

"Dark Crow, Nightingale."

"I've read the files of sword holders from past generations. Do you know what my biggest feeling was after reading it?"

"The combat power is not strong enough, the organizational discipline is not strict enough, and the confidentiality mechanism is not good enough that the information is leaked?"

"neither."

"These are just reasons for a single defeat, but they cannot be used as excuses for twenty-seven defeats."

"In my opinion, the biggest failure of sword wielders in the past was--"

"Can't handle pressure."

Accompanied by the calm words of the black-haired boy, there was the sound of the trigger being pulled again.

"And since I'm your boss now, I have to teach you a few things first."

"The Sword Bearer's Rules, Article 1..."

“Stay graceful under pressure.”

next moment.

Viscount Lowry's pupils suddenly widened, along with all the onlookers below.

boom--

Fire and smoke filled the air, but the mysterious man wearing the mask still stood there, unscathed.

"What's going on? Didn't the deal come to fruition?"

"No, the deal is done, and your luck has improved as you wished, just as it always has."

Deep in his soul, facing Luo Li's question, the dark and profound voice just gave such an answer.

Thinking of this, Lori's mind calmed down a little.

He has made more than one deal with the devil, and of course he knows what the other party is capable of.

Although such spiritual demons are greedy and can even be described as evil, they will only abide by transactions and contracts.

Below, the entire casino was silent.

No one knows why Char will do this. Continuous shooting is indeed allowed by the rules, but this is equivalent to taking the risk of one shot for the opponent. Only a fool would do this, or he knew the magazine from the beginning. The location of the bullet inside.

However, no fool can stand on the gambling table with Viscount Lowry...

And unless they are legends, no one can cheat in front of a six-ring "audience".

For a moment, countless eyes were fixed on Xia Ya's slender back. Countless people began to guess his identity, while others were trying to figure out the meaning of Xia Ya's words just now.

Legend is here to play roulette with a gambling boss? How can it be.

And what does he mean by "sword bearer"?

However, Char's movements were not affected at all by the focus of thousands of eyes.

He just raised the silver-white revolver named "Iron Pattern Moon" again.

"Countless failures in the past have worn away your energy and also made you lose yourself."

"You have positioned yourselves as the weaker side, chosen to hide and hide, and muddle along in the cracks of the big nobles' targeting and oppression. As long as you survive for a moment of peace, you will consider yourself a victory."

"But, have you ever thought about it?"

"What is the connotation of the so-called "sword holder"? "

In the eerie silence of the entire casino, Xia pointed the gun at his temple again.

"We are the Sword of Damocles hanging high in the sky."

"Whether they are demigods or saints, when they reach the borders of the empire, they can only tuck their tails between their legs under the edge of the hanging sword and follow the laws and order of the empire."

"So, the one who should be afraid, the one who should hide, the one who should hide in the shadows and cowardly survive - is not us, but our opponents."

"Sword Bearer's Code, Article 2——"

"Always remember who is the prey and who is the hunter..."

"They are the prey and we are the hunters."

Click——

Trigger pulled.

One thousandth of an instant later.

boom--

The hot firelight once again shined at the muzzle.

But the scene of the mysterious man's head being pierced and his blood disintegrating did not happen as Viscount Lowry expected.

Viscount Lowry couldn't hold on to his elegant smile.

If he could still use the third shot, that gun should have shot him, so that's why it was a blank bullet.

Then the fourth shot failed, which made Lori really panic.

"The transaction really didn't go wrong?"

"everything is normal."

Lori was silent for a few seconds, then spoke suddenly.

"Reraise, five hundred souls."

"Deal done."

It was still a deep and dark response, but Lori felt a little calmer.

This bet was too crucial and he couldn't afford to lose.

According to common sense, the moment the wheel magazine stops rotating, the position sequence of live ammunition and blank ammunition has been fixed.

But in fact, under the cover of the fog of information, even the audience himself cannot know everything about it.

Therefore, in a state where no one observes the internal sequence of the bomb nest, the perturbation of lucky amplitude can still take effect.

It seems unreasonable, but there is a supernatural and mysterious world in this world, and this conclusion was reached only after Lori experimented many times.

Then--

He was among those in the audience who had already held their breath.

Looking silently at the black-haired mysterious man in front of him, he raised the revolver again.

As if aware of the condensed gazes around him, the mysterious guest turned his chair slightly and glanced at the people below.

The corner of the mouth that was not covered by the mask showed an indifferent smile.

"This world is darker than you imagine. Simple kindness and the Holy Mother have no meaning here."

"So, sometimes, you can only do what you think you should do if you are crazier, more vicious, and more cunning than those insidious, cunning, and crazy villains."

"but--"

"Although it is very far away, very ethereal, and sounds a bit unrealistic, and even a bit like painting a pie, I actually like Her Royal Highness, Sieg, and the ideal and future that you have described to me."

"Because I don't want to live in a world where kindness is regarded as a weakness."

Snapped--

The hammer hit the primer of the bullet and made a crisp sound.

In the rising firelight and white mist, the still calm and indifferent voice came.

"The Sword Bearer's Code, Article 3."

"In order to fight against evil people, you can become crazier and more evil than the evil people."

"But during this period, keep your ideals in mind and don't forget your true heart."

"I don't want our prey to become those former comrades one day."

The wheel magazine rotated sixty degrees.

At this point, five of the six bullets in the cylinder have been fired.

Only the last one is left.

Xia played with the revolver in his hand for a moment, and then gently pushed it out.

Wow.

The revolver slid across the table.

Then, he froze in front of Luo Li, whose face was ashen.

"So--"

"it's your turn."

There are 8,000 chapters. I originally wanted to divide it into two chapters, one in the morning and one in the evening, but I felt that the chapters would be broken, so after thinking about it, I posted them together.

By the way, please give me a monthly pass!