Chapter Thirty-Five: Snowballs and a Sea of Fire

Event Name: [Apostate 2.0]
Introduction: As a spy planted in the Great Tree Research Institute by the Chaos Lighthouse, Thorn has already lost her foothold there. She hopes you can help her slay the Arbor Clone to buy her time to escape.
Requirement: Kill the Arbor Clone
Reward: The character tag "Apostate" will be upgraded to "Serial Apostate."
[Serial Apostate: When maliciously changing organizational relations, greatly reduces the loss of favorability with former organizations and individuals.]
[Note: Completing this event will not negatively impact the assessment objectives.]
[Note: Once the character tag is upgraded, related tasks may occasionally be triggered.]
...

"Hmm... Is my double-dealer potential really that obvious?"

Ash bared his teeth, feeling a bit of a toothache. He genuinely believed himself to be a protagonist, so how did he suddenly stumble into a villain tag, and now, an opportunity to advance to a higher-level villain?

Yet, seeing the final note, he was tempted. After all, character tags were rare, and among those qualified to experience difficulties beyond the ordinary, there were hardly any, making related tasks all the more precious and intriguing to him.

Fine then...

Villain it is!

Ash, feeling somewhat moved, suddenly noticed that Wine Grows Stronger tugged at his sleeve. Turning back in confusion, he saw four glaring words in the other's eyes: "Know Your Limits." Wine Grows Stronger, seeing Thorn's current state, recalled his own past, when this same fellow extorted and coerced him relentlessly, eager to squeeze out every ounce of value.

Ash shrugged, confirming he would let Thorn go. The latter, relieved, immediately felt at ease and quickly stepped before Little Bob, took her Thorn Crown, and personally placed it upon his head. While transferring the energy crystal with her mind, she whispered to him,

"I know where your mother is. Please, you must protect me..."

Upon hearing this, Little Bob's gaze changed, but he failed to catch Thorn's departing glance. Soon, under the arrangement of the Sun High Priest, he embarked on the final journey.

Ash was unaware that his choices had inadvertently triggered a special plot for Little Bob. He watched as the Sun High Priest recited prayers, once again causing the statue to change. A beam of light fell upon the center of the front hall, slowly revealing a secret passage hidden beneath the floor.

"These people really do love building tunnels..."

Ash and Wine Grows Stronger exchanged speechless glances, then immediately followed the three Black Knights into the secret passage. Just then, another heavy artillery shell finally blasted open the temple doors. Before the passage sealed, Ash and the others heard the Sun High Priest's decree: "The dignity of the Sun brooks no offense! Ignorant trespassers must be killed without mercy!"

Click...

The passage sealed, cutting off the battlefield—no sound could be heard anymore.

Wine Grows Stronger asked worriedly, "Do you think they'll hold out?"

"Even with just four Black Knights, they could devastate the Great Tree Research Institute. Now, with the Sun High Priest and the Six-Eyed Prophet, Thorn foresaw the end and decided to defect." She spoke coolly, "The strength of these two ancient sages is not to be underestimated. Instead of worrying about them, we should focus on how to deal with the Arbor Gardener."

"Oh! By your tone, do you have any clever ideas?"

As they sped along, Ash suddenly asked, genuinely eager for her opinion.

"None!"

Thorn merely shot him a cold glare, then stuck close behind Little Bob, falling completely silent.

Ash and Wine Grows Stronger, seeing her reaction, assumed it was simply because the Thorn Crown was now on Little Bob's head, and thought no more of it, instead beginning a quiet discussion.

"Hey, what do you think our odds are?"

"If not ten out of ten, then at least nine."

"Really that high?"

"Yes, that high. Haven't you noticed? Ever since we passed the Nightmare Challenge, it's been smooth sailing—no level has matched its difficulty." Ash glanced at Thorn. "Only when she revealed her trump card did I realize our snowball has grown to the point it can crush everything. Just listen, don't interrupt!"

Ash's words compelled Wine Grows Stronger to listen obediently: "Though I feel we might've missed something in the Living Corpse Nest, at least progress in the Outer Ring Ruins and Central Floating Island wasn't delayed. We may have even, by accident, avoided the death trap Thorn set, since, no matter how I recall, there's no other node to further raise Little Bob's favorability."

"Only from the very first encounter with Little Bob, nothing happened, and his favorability shifted directly from hostile to indifferent. Guess, if we'd been a bit later clearing the Corpse Nest, what would have happened?"

"You don't think Little Bob's intervention wouldn't have increased favorability, do you?" Wine Grows Stronger was incredulous.

"What if? Little Bob was cold as ice at first; I doubt he'd develop camaraderie with us." Ash shrugged. "Anyway, even if my guess is wrong, it's true that raising Little Bob's favorability to sincere helped us avoid the death trap—no disagreement there, right? So, when we reached the Inner City, we'd already survived two nearly fatal team-wipe levels, and those ordeals made our snowball twice the size."

Hearing this, Wine Grows Stronger began to catch Ash's drift and offered his own perspective: "After entering the Inner City, Little Bob's role grew more pronounced, and his storyline became increasingly central. If the Dark Forest always revolved around the Gardener, then the protagonist of the Life Forbidden Zone has been Little Bob from the start. Hey, don't you think his abilities fit the assessment's theme? And why is Thorn's ability crystal a crown?"

Freed from the constraints of his thinking, Wine Grows Stronger expanded his imagination, which inspired Ash, too. Too many coincidences, and they cease to be coincidences. Don't forget, Little Bob is also the bearer of the Blood Vine Necklace, the indispensable third link for the final task.

"You're right. Seems I must pay close attention to both your lives!" Ash nodded solemnly. "Just following Little Bob's thread, we've uncovered the Six-Eyed Preacher and Thorn. Then, the matchstick's chain reaction grew our snowball two more sizes. We even managed to awaken the Sun High Priest and Six-Eyed Prophet before the Great Tree Research Institute breached the Sun Temple."

"If those seven Black Knights and the Institute's forces perish together, or only one or two survive, the resulting time disadvantage would be immeasurable. If the Arbor defeats the Gardener and charges from the Sun Stair, his strength would become terrifying. With just us—cats, shrimps, and mice—even if not wiped out, the combat difficulty would rival the Nightmare Challenge."

"But now, the situation is different. The Gardener and Arbor haven't settled their duel, our strength has greatly increased, and we hold items that counter Arbor. As long as we focus on him and act accordingly, I refuse to believe we can't achieve a perfect rating!"

Ash's impassioned speech left Wine Grows Stronger with no grounds for rebuttal. The other's words echoed in his muddled mind, dispelling all worries, and the invisible pressure of nightmare difficulty vanished. Looking at the approaching end of the passage, he couldn't help but anticipate the scene he'd envisioned.

"Luckily this guy's not rotten beyond remedy, otherwise I'd have to consider calling the police..."

Wine Grows Stronger speculated about Ash's real-life identity. The latter, oblivious, focused on their surroundings. Unlike the previous two, this passage was riddled with Blood Vine roots, requiring extreme caution while running. Some places were completely blocked. Fortunately, the three Black Knights cleared the way, making the journey smooth and swift to the passage's end.

Thud... Thud...

The leading Black Knight pushed at the hidden door, found its mechanism sealed by the Sun Stair's roots, and beckoned Ash and the others to step back. He unleashed a fierce burst skill, smashing the door open and bursting into the Sun Stair's inner chamber—a world bright as fire.

Surging heat poured in, hot winds roaring impressively. Ash and the others, utterly unprepared for such a sight, followed the Black Knights out of the passage and into the vast interior of the Sun Stair.

Flames!

Everywhere the eye could see was suffused with fire. Strangely, though engulfed in the sea of flames, Ash felt no harm. Thanks to Thorn's reminder, he realized these were the soul flames of the Sun Stair.

Since the Sun Stair itself bore no soul, nor the structure to contain soul flames, the fire ritual gave it a soul, but it remained in perpetual combustion. Because of the endless burning, it consumed too much energy, preventing it from devouring the Fire King's flame or completing its ultimate transformation. To avoid extinction, it was forced into dormancy to conserve energy.

Otherwise, the fierce battle between Arbor and Gardener amid the fire would have awakened it long ago!

Ash ignored Wine Grows Stronger's bewildered look, gazed at the central battlefield within the Sun Stair, and laughed quietly, relaxed: "As expected, it's almost exactly as I predicted!"