"Are you sure you can win?" Nightmare did not avoid his gaze at all.

They stared at each other for a long time before Luo Lan replied, "Of course I can win this war—if I had another hundred years, even if you hid in the Black Stone Domain, you would be wiped out by humans. But I can't wait that long. The God's Messenger's warning indicates that the crisis is imminent. I must reach the Bottomless Land as soon as possible, and that requires your help."

"Wh-What?"

"Help me speed up the defeat of the devils—or rather, your Western Front army." Luo Lan crossed his legs. "For example, the method of processing God's Punishment Stones, the abilities of Kings and Grand Dukes, the weaknesses of Spider Devils, etc. This is why I took the initiative to find you. Anything you can think of—"

Bang! Vakiris slammed her hand on the table, spilling a little coffee from the cup.

"Don't be too arrogant, male!" she said, suppressing her voice. "You can kill me, but don't expect me to kneel down and beg for mercy. As for betraying my clan, forget it! Help you defeat the Western Front army? Dream on!"

"Impudence!"

"Don't be rude to His Majesty!"

The witches shouted almost simultaneously, and the atmosphere became tense, as if it had dropped to freezing point.

"What are those people doing at that table?"

Voices of other people talking quietly also came from the side.

"A couple arguing?"

"Uh... the number is obviously wrong, right?"

"But speaking of which, the girls around him are really beautiful!"

"That peninsula guy is even better, okay? Damn, who exactly is this guy?"

"I'm so envious..."

Luo Lan rolled his eyes inwardly. The killing intent on both sides was almost overflowing. Where was there any sign of romance? "Alright, restrain yourselves." He waved his hand casually, pretending to be nonchalant, and let Phyllis and the others back off first. Then, leaning back in his chair, he looked down at Nightmare. "Don't you think that refusing to accept reality is a betrayal of the clan?"

"Reality?"

"That's right!" Luo Lan's voice suddenly sank. "If the God's Messenger's warning is not false, then there are only two paths in front of all civilizations: one is to carry the War of Divine Will to the end, and the other is to completely end this endless cycle of war through the realm of consciousness! And what consequences will your choice have? Don't you have any idea in your heart!"

Without giving the other party a chance to retort, he raised his voice slightly. "Having been in the Dream World for so long, you should also be clear about the level to which I can raise the overall strength of humans. Without new Legacy Shards, you simply cannot compete with them with your current strength! If you fight for decades, how many people will your clan have to throw in, and how much of a price will you pay? Is this what you want to see?"

"Then they will also die gloriously on the battlefield—"

"No, they will die in meaningless lies!" Luo Lan corrected. "And due to the existence of Legacy Shards, this war will never have a day of reconciliation. Hatred and suspicion will cause the flames of war to extend to the Black Stone Domain, until your clan ceases to exist! The only one who can stop it from happening is me. Once I'm gone, the destruction of the devils is only a matter of time. Compared to losing a vanguard army, isn't it obvious which approach is more beneficial to the clan?"

"..." Vakiris's face was ashen, and she didn't say a word.

"In fact, our time may be running out. If we miss the opportunity to end the war, then there will be no other exit from this path." He put down his leg and leaned forward slightly. "Do you still insist on your own opinion?"

After a long silence, Nightmare said coldly, "Male, why should I believe you? According to the God's Messenger, once you become a god, who can guarantee that you will spare my clan? Based on your words alone?"

"You have no better choice. On one side, there is a possibility of continuation, and on the other, there is certain destruction. That's all." Luo Lan softened his tone. "The purpose of the war has changed. What was impossible in the past doesn't mean it can't be done now. As long as you think from a different perspective, both races can survive."

Vakiris kept her lips tightly closed and didn't say a word.

Luo Lan didn't wait any longer. "I know this is a difficult choice, so I didn't expect you to give me an answer immediately. You can go back now."

She raised her head in disbelief. "...Just like that?"

"What else? Tie you up and torture you in every possible way, or just kill you? I said... at least for now, you are free." Luo Lan took out his phone. "By the way, give me your number. That way, I can tell you about the war in the north as soon as possible. This may help you make a decision—don't forget, the future of the devils is in your hands."

Despite her reluctance, Vakiris handed over her number.

Just as she was getting up to leave, Luo Lan stopped her.

"I also want to ask you a question—do you think Sistalis, the Thousand Shapes, did something wrong a thousand years ago?"

Vakiris paused slightly and left the restaurant without looking back.

"Your Majesty, are you really going to let a Devil Grand Duke move freely in the Dream World?" Phyllis asked worriedly.

"Not really," Luo Lan shook his head. "Haven't you noticed? She is no longer the Devil Grand Duke she once was." The devil lost her Magic Stone, but did not die immediately, and even had a corresponding identity. This can only mean one thing—"Now she has become one with the Dream World."

Luo Lan was convinced of humanity's victory, but winning in a hundred years was not the same as winning in ten years. He needed to hurt the devils in the shortest possible time, so that they would completely lose their will to resist, thereby clearing a path to the Bottomless Land. Nightmare was just one of the cards in his hand. No matter what choice she made, it would not change this decision.

However, at such a critical moment, no one would dislike having more cards in their hand. If he could win over a former Devil Grand Duke to his side, then the pressure on the First Army would undoubtedly be reduced a lot.

After all, time was the thing he lacked most at the moment.

...

"The winner is —————— Fei Yuhan!"

"Wow—!" The audience burst into warm applause.

She waved to tens of thousands of spectators, then walked off the stage in the endless flashes of light and entered the 선수휴게실 (contestant lounge). This was a "match" with a predetermined outcome. Even if her opponent did not deliberately concede as instructed by the town guard, she still knocked him to the ground within the first minute of the match.

In the past, such a stage appearance would not bring her any joy, but this time was different. Because she saw Vakiris, who had been gone for a long time, return to the venue.

And several hours ago, the other party had left the martial arts hall almost at the same time as Luo Lan.

After changing her clothes, Fei Yuhan boarded the association bus and quietly waited for Vakiris's arrival.

The expectation in her heart had not subsided. She had not experienced such a feeling.

When the other party appeared in her field of vision, she even heard the sound of her chest pounding.

As Fei Yuhan had expected, Vakiris sat in the seat next to her.

"I won today's match."

"Ah... congratulations." Vakiris said distractedly, which was a rare expression for her.

"Thank you. It's a pity you didn't sign up for the competition. Otherwise, I would have been able to appreciate the strength of an excellent martial artist from the Caggard Peninsula."

"There will be opportunities," she replied.

"Of course, there will be opportunities." Fei Yuhan smiled slightly.

Even without reading expressions, she could tell Vakiris was being perfunctory. However, since she knew that the other party came from another world, and that world seemed to be quite ancient, she could completely use some more direct means to obtain information.

After the staff returning to the sanatorium were all present, the bus started.

When the vehicle was driving to the suburbs, Fei Yuhan quietly extended her fingers towards the other party's shoulder bag—this bag was a going-away present that she had bought for Vakiris, and before that, she had flipped through this bag countless times, knowing its shape like the back of her hand.

There was an unfinished area between the city's main road and the newly built road, but it did not affect traffic, at most there was some shaking and dust. It was at the moment when the tires rolled over the uneven road surface and bounced up that a condensed natural force suddenly appeared from her fingertips, and then gently swiped down.

As if it was just a natural fallback.

An inconspicuous decorative piece on the bag fell into her hand.

And hidden inside was a miniature recorder.

"Extra-long battery life, small and exquisite, filtering noise, guaranteed quality"—this was the advertisement that the store made when she bought the recorder online. Next, it was time to verify it.