Chapter 3013: Professor Fu's Blade

Even surrounded by falsehood, her professionalism remained completely unhindered.

Even someone with Professor Fu's vast experience had to admit in that moment that fortune takes turns.

The flair he had displayed during Classmate Su Gao's advancement to the Demigod Realm—this time, it was her turn to show it off.

The reason they had dismantled two shops in the blink of an eye was simple: both shops were fake.

After the Temporary Folder shattered, it simply revealed another Temporary Folder.

True to its reputation for being despised by men and dogs alike, the Blasphemy Monarch had played this hand brilliantly.

Its seemingly desperate maneuvers to find a loophole and escape had merely been a feint to cover its true objective.

The contest between the inner demon and blasphemy had never ended; the Blasphemy Monarch had not missed a single opportunity to commit blasphemy.

Indeed, generating another Temporary Folder the instant the first one shattered—and even dragging Classmate Su Gao into it—was undoubtedly the handiwork of the inner demon.

The previously mentioned risk of being unable to extricate himself had manifested in the most sinister form possible—

Under the Inner Demon State, he had actively sealed his own Transcendent Perception, then let himself believe he had already broken the inner demon and returned to his usual dullness.

Had he failed to realize this, the Anchor Point of his self-awareness would have shifted entirely, consigning the wooden-headed Mechanical King of the Abandoned Prison to history. Yet, sinister as it was, in all fairness it wasn't too surprising.

After all, the moment Fu Qian decided to act with the inner demon and engage in his rapid flip-flopping to furiously court death, he had anticipated exactly this kind of risk.

As a top-tier player of idealism, how could he not be well-versed in the classic philosophical problem of "self-examination" and its hidden risks?

The reason he still dared to pull off such an uninhibited stunt was, naturally, because he had been carrying an insurance policy on him the entire time.

...

Classmate Su Gao's Echo had always professionally countered all manner of heresy and evil.

Ever since he had planted the inner demon in himself back at the Tower, she had displayed an unusual vigilance, as if watching Professor Fu get possessed by an evil will.

Throughout his subsequent rapid flip-flopping, Su Gao's stance had repeatedly shifted right alongside his, demonstrating a deeply reliable acuity.

Therefore, for Fu Qian, an external insurance policy—one that could grant him sudden enlightenment at a moment's notice—had completely taken shape.

First, no matter how flawless the inner demon seemed from his own perspective, Classmate Su Gao considered it to be something bad.

Second, no matter how obscurely the inner demon entangled him, it could never escape Classmate Su Gao's discerning eyes.

In short, having such a capable player to entrust with this heavy responsibility gave him the leeway to execute more uninhibited maneuvers. As for all this explanation, it sounded entirely like he had brought this upon himself—so where was the Blasphemy Monarch in all of this?

Even if he hadn't encountered the other party, this perilous situation of sabotaging himself could still have entirely occurred. Why drag that veteran into it?

At first glance, that was indeed the case. Even before burning himself with the Flame of Frenzy, Fu Qian hadn't been completely certain that the Blasphemy Monarch hadn't fled.

But on one hand, the most definitive data was right in front of him: another plus-ten to inspiration, proving that someone had just hand-delivered a veteran-level kill to him.

On the other hand, the once-again shattered Chaumont's Small Shop tended to prove that the Blasphemy Monarch had indeed tampered with things inside. If the inner demon had truly and completely gained the upper hand, why bother drawing a snake with feet by generating an extra Temporary Folder?

Returning directly to the real Drifting Street, adjusting his Rank in the form of an inner demon to walk the earth, and thoroughly digesting the fruits of victory would have been the logical and reasonable choice.

Therefore, this other folder faintly reflected a third-party power apart from the inner demon and the Tyrant.

The Blasphemy Monarch had not given up its efforts. After feigning an escape to let people lower their guard, it had actually staked everything on a single throw to counter-blaspheme.

The result was that it both helped the inner demon gain the upper hand more efficiently and caused the inner demon to make a move that violated common sense.

As for why the Blasphemy Monarch believed "joining forces" to eliminate the Tyrant first was the right move, that question was indeed quite subtle.

But from Fu Qian's perspective, he didn't really doubt that it could pull off such delicate micromanagement.

Do not forget that he had long ago experienced the other party's style of "rule by inaction." Just like the Persuader's "momentum," the Blasphemy Monarch often stuck to people like dog shit—it didn't require any conscious thought.

As long as it activated its authority, the process ran entirely on autopilot.

In short, under their combined force, the Tyrant's will had been severely suppressed, resulting in the perilous situation just moments ago.

It was a pity that despite exhausting all clever schemes, Classmate Su Gao, acting as an insurance policy, was simply too reliable.

Even the "fake her" inside the Temporary Folder had unhesitatingly judged that Professor Fu had become a monster, fearlessly slashing out with that sword strike.

There was even an added paradox here: as long as Su Gao was present, there was a risk of being exposed.

But for him to believe that the Temporary Folder was real, Su Gao had to be there.

In the face of "Professor Fu's Blade," trying to cover every angle was simply too difficult a task, even for someone as powerful as the Blasphemy Monarch.

The final result was that, prompted by Su Gao, he decisively burned himself with the Flame of Frenzy, forcing the inner demon and the blasphemy to scatter completely.

And the Blasphemy Monarch had even surrendered a kill, gifting him a total of thirty points of inspiration thus far.

It could only be said that some things really shouldn't be spoken lightly; during this encounter, the Blasphemy Monarch's very first sentence had been a mockery of his pain tolerance.

As a result, all its schemes were ultimately ruined by the agony brought on by the Flame of Frenzy. And at this moment, Su Gao slowly easing her hand off her sword hilt had already served as the best possible proof of the King of the Abandoned Prison's innocence.

Crack—

Furthermore, accompanying her movement, an extremely faint shattering sound actually echoed from the scabbard, easily bringing to mind the scene of the blade shattering just moments prior.

Even though the crushed sword had been the one inside the Temporary Folder, it had actually carried over here?

Was this the Power of Echo? All sorts of boundaries had become blurred in the face of it.

Realizing that he had ruined Classmate Su Gao's weapon after all, Fu Qian couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in that moment.

Although the person in question didn't seem to mind this minor loss, merely gazing over quietly.

"Thanks for the hard work."

Meeting her gaze, Fu Qian gave a slight nod and thanked her for her hard work once more.

"Can I try this Skin on?"

And in the next moment, he turned toward Chaumont and repeated another sentence.

"...Please, go ahead," Excellency Chaumont generously gestured.

Unsurprisingly, certain gasps of awe were triggered once again as the two Old Men, who had the least grasp of what had just transpired, exchanged bewildered glances.

Heh—

After numerous twists and turns and countless back-and-forths, the moment of donning the imperial yellow robe had finally arrived.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Fu Qian took the fur cloak from the Puppet Demigod's hands and draped it over himself once more.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, even the size seemed a bit more fitting in that moment, giving him the bearing of a sovereign ruling the world.