Chapter 2502: Scissors, Rock, Paper

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

The slave who had just won a match had truly transformed into a paper figure. His facial features and limbs were all intact, and he hadn't lost any vitality, but his form was now as thin as a sheet of paper.

"Is there anything amiss?" Lu Ye asked.

The slave shook his head. "Reporting, my lord, there's nothing wrong."

Lu Ye nodded. It seemed, as the Mirage had previously stated, that this was its domain, and the lives of everyone within it were under its control. Thus, even if someone was crushed into a paper figure or cut into several pieces, there would be no actual threat to their life.

This must be another highly sophisticated illusion.

"Brother Ye, I get it now," You Die whispered, leaning closer. "That form must be designed to counter the hammer."

Lu Ye's expression became strangely complex. "This game is called Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

How incredibly bored must the Mirage be to find such a game so enjoyable? Lu Ye had foolishly expected some high-level, complex gameplay, maintaining a sense of vigilance and apprehension throughout.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors?" You Die mused for a moment. "It's a simple and fitting name."

Judging from the previous two matches, the contest was purely one of luck. Under the Mirage's power, neither participant knew what form their opponent would take, making it impossible to predict or prepare. Therefore, the chances of winning for both sides in this game were fifty-fifty.

Lu Ye certainly couldn't manipulate the outcome. As for the Mirage, judging by its past actions, it likely valued the gaming experience more, so it wouldn't cheat either.

Lu Ye felt a pang of anxiety, as luck had never been on his side.

Two matches had concluded, with one slave lost from each side. Lu Ye quickly selected another.

The third match began. As before, under everyone's watchful eyes, the misty light dissipated, and two identical treasures suddenly appeared.

They were two sky-covering nets that swiftly surged towards each other. After a brief clash, each returned to its respective side.

Lu Ye had expected a draw, as that was the rule he understood. But to his surprise, when the two clashing figures returned, their bodies were shattered, scattered as if they had been chopped into pieces.

Was this a mutual destruction? Lu Ye frowned slightly. It wasn't entirely unacceptable; after all, if the enemy didn't gain an advantage, his side suffered no loss.

The clashes continued, with wins and losses on both sides. Although Lu Ye believed the Mirage wouldn't cheat, he remained somewhat on guard. Yet, as he observed, Yuan Xi, the Mirage's transformed form, seemed completely engrossed in the utterly childish game. Whenever her side won, she'd burst into laughter; but if she lost, she'd lament and grumble as if she had suffered a great loss.

The pace of these clashes was quite fast. In a short while, both sides were left with only four figures.

On Lu Ye's side, besides You Die, there were Cui Can and Fan Wu.

On Yuan Xi's side were Ya Yi, Fu Wei, and Huan Qing.

Just moments ago, Ya Yi had defeated a formation master from Lu Ye's side. The poor formation master had been completely flattened by the hammer Ya Yi transformed into and was now sorrowfully sitting by Lu Ye's feet.

Although Ya Yi won, she couldn't bring herself to be happy. No matter which side she was currently on, her heart was always with Lu Ye's. She wanted Lu Ye's side to win and lead everyone to escape the Mirage's entanglement, yet she was the one who had won.

"I'll go!" Fan Wu stepped forward, facing Ya Yi from a distance.

Fan Wu, old and astute, looked directly at Ya Yi as he spoke, seemingly trying to convey a message. But how could the Mirage let him succeed so easily? With a snap of its fingers, a misty light enveloped both figures.

Moments later, when the light dissipated, Lu Ye's heart sank, knowing Fan Wu was in trouble.

Because he had transformed into golden-silver scissors this time, while Ya Yi had become a giant hammer!

Fan Wu's features on the golden-silver scissors twisted in pain. Yet, even so, he let out a cry and charged forward, unable to control himself. He then watched as Ya Yi, whose expression was equally pained, flattened him with the hammer.

When Fan Wu returned to Lu Ye's side, his expression was downcast. "I have disappointed my lord," he said.

Lu Ye comforted him. "It's a matter of luck; it's not your fault." Then he turned to You Die and Cui Can. "Who's next?"

"I'll go," Cui Can said, clenching her fists, with a look of fearless resolve.

"Don't be nervous, and don't overthink it," Lu Ye said. "Follow your instincts when choosing. As long as you don't pick a form that's countered, you can defeat your opponent."

According to the Mirage's rules, even identical forms resulted in a mutual destruction, counting as a loss for both. Only one of three outcomes—win, lose, or draw—was possible.

"Understood!" Cui Can nodded, her confidence visibly boosted.

Another clash began. It had to be said, although the game was childishly simple, Lu Ye was genuinely a bit nervous. If Cui Can lost again, only he and You Die would remain on his side, while the opponent still had four. In a luck-based duel like this, the fewer participants, the smaller the chance of winning.

The misty light dissipated, and Lu Ye quickly saw the forms of Cui Can's and Ya Yi's treasures. His heart immediately sank.

You Die was also extremely surprised. "When did this girl's luck get so good?" she wondered aloud.

Sure enough, this clash would once again be a victory for Ya Yi.

Moments later, Cui Can, her body flattened, walked back dejectedly, silently retreated behind Lu Ye, and then squatted down.

"Hahahaha, who else?!" Yuan Xi stood with her hands on her hips, laughing wildly and disdainfully, as if she were the one who had secured the victory.

But then again, Ya Yi's luck was indeed exceptionally good; she had single-handedly defeated three of Lu Ye's key figures.

"Do you understand?" Lu Ye secretly transmitted to You Die.

You Die nodded. "I get it!"

"It's up to you!"

You Die confidently stepped forward. Yuan Xi stopped laughing and watched her with a playful expression.

The misty light appeared, and when it dissipated, Lu Ye's expression turned to shock. You Die's form was a sky-covering net, but Ya Yi's was golden-silver scissors!

He was furious, glaring at Yuan Xi. "You cheated!" he accused.

Yuan Xi offered a faint, knowing smile. "Who's really cheating here? Do you think I can't see through your intentions? This little girl has chanted the same incantation twice in a row; wasn't she trying to secretly convey information to you? I already told you this game must be played fairly and justly. Since you broke the rules, don't blame me for resorting to a small trick."

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Lu Ye retorted stubbornly.

He had never intended to openly manipulate things right under the Mirage's nose, but he had understood the message Ya Yi had secretly conveyed just now, and You Die had too. That's why You Die had chosen the sky-covering net form.

Under normal circumstances, Ya Yi should have remained in the giant hammer form, but she was golden-silver scissors. This was clearly wrong; the Mirage had secretly interfered.

"No!" Ya Yi's pained voice rang out, her features twisting on the giant scissors.

Yet, it couldn't stop the giant golden-silver scissors from slicing the sky-covering net into several pieces with a 'snapping' sound.

You Die returned, her body fragmented.

Ya Yi returned to her original form, kneeling on the spot and weeping bitterly. "Mistress, I am guilty, I deserve to die! Please punish me, Mistress!" she cried.

As a direct lineage insectoid of You Die, Ya Yi's unwavering loyalty to her would never change, no matter how great her future achievements. She had never once harbored a thought of harming You Die, yet under the game's rules, she had just sliced her most beloved Mistress into several pieces.

Even though she knew her Mistress couldn't truly die from this, the sight had caused her immense psychological distress, nearly driving her to a breakdown.

You Die sighed. "It's not your fault. Get up."

Ya Yi continued to weep bitterly, unable or unwilling to rise from her kneeling position.

Lu Ye glared fiercely at Yuan Xi, whose expression turned cold. "Everyone was having a good time," she stated. "But you just had to pull a stunt like this. I detest sore losers more than anything in my life. I will punish you severely!"

Seeing that she seemed genuinely angry, Lu Ye's heart jolted. He quickly said, "Please calm your anger, Senior. We lost this round."

He couldn't afford to truly anger her. Although hope was dim, there was still a chance to contend. Even if they lost, it would only add another hundred years to their confinement, but if she truly chose to punish them, the consequences were unknown.

Only then did Yuan Xi's anger subside slightly. She raised a hand and pointed to her own eye, her expression a clear warning. "I'll let you off this time. There won't be a next time, and don't try any more tricks under my nose!"

"Understood!" Lu Ye nodded.

"Then let's continue!"

Lu Ye turned and surveyed his surroundings: a group of defeated and disabled figures. From their original eight, only he was left, a lone figure.

In contrast, the opposing side—Ya Yi, Fu Wei, Huan Qing, plus the Mirage itself—still had four.

Lu Ye found himself in a difficult position. One against four. Winning one match was possible, perhaps even two, but winning three or four like Ya Yi had was highly unrealistic.

But with things as they were, there was no other option.

He stepped forward.

Ya Yi was still kneeling there, wailing in agony. Even though You Die had told her it wasn't her fault, she couldn't seem to forgive herself, her expression one of utter despair.

A good opportunity!

Ya Yi was clearly distraught. In this state, her good luck might not continue to hold.

"Let's begin!" Lu Ye called out, his voice low.

The misty light arose, enveloping his entire body, and Lu Ye could no longer see the outside world. His mind raced, unsure for a moment which incantation to choose. But then he recalled what had just happened and vaguely felt that Ya Yi likely wouldn't choose the giant hammer form again, to avoid further trouble from the Mirage.

That left only the sky-covering net and the golden-silver scissors.

In a flash, Lu Ye made his decision, and the sound of his incantation began.

When the misty light dissipated, Lu Ye felt his body twist and transform, splitting into two halves, one gold and one silver, intertwining and roaring as they condensed into a giant pair of scissors.

He looked up, his heart immediately settling. He had bet correctly!