Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1456 - 242: Pannis’s Weakness

Pannis was acutely aware of what this deal meant for him.

Before entering the Realm of the Dead, Pannis had made all necessary preparations, fortifying his inner defenses to be unbreakable. It could be said that almost nothing could sway his decision—no fear, no hesitation, and no turning back. Having attained a level of inner realization, he would never waver under the mental assaults of his enemies or crumble from inner confusion. Even up to the point of entering the Door of Mist, to prevent his weaknesses from being exploited by the enemy, he had even taken the initiative to unveil his biggest secret to the young girls of Nellie’s adventure team—revealing to them his most shameful and regrettable error. This was not only because he recognized the young girls, but also as a way to interrogate and temper his own soul.

Having spoken everything smoothly, Pannis knew that his mental defenses were almost without flaw. No matter how Danacus attacked from any angle, he could no longer pose a threat to Pannis’s inner world. Yet, this was only almost absolute, not entirely. He was equally aware that no matter how he constructed his mental defenses, there was one vulnerability he could never mend—Nellie. Love and guilt made Nellie both his only and biggest weakness. Once touched upon, it could directly impact the depths of Pannis’s heart, causing catastrophic damage.

Indeed, Pannis was resolved to kill Nellie with his own hands, an unwavering determination, but this was based on one premise—that Nellie had lost all hope of survival and was beyond saving. At that point, killing her with his own hands, fulfilling her wish for eternal release, was Pannis’s responsibility as a lover, irreplaceable by anyone. But, what if someone suddenly informed him that Nellie was not entirely without hope? When Pannis suddenly learned that perhaps Nellie could still return to life, revive, and spend her remaining days alive, and only if he, the sinner who caused her tragedy due to his own cowardice, paid with his life could he redeem his lover’s life, could Pannis still remain calm, still be as immovable as before?

Clearly, he could not.

When Pannis heard Danacus propose this deal, he knew that the other had found his greatest weakness and launched a fierce attack targeting this very point. Whether Danacus’s words were true or false was no longer important; what mattered was that his proposed deal brought hope, and it was this hope that fundamentally caused Pannis to waver.

Thus, Pannis’s expression finally changed, and as his expression turned drastically, the Bow of Release appeared abruptly in his hands, and the verdant Hunting Arrow was already nocked on the bowstring. However, reason made him pause his actions, and he did not draw the bowstring but merely prepared.

"Hehehe, it seems that you too have taken an interest in this deal," This time, it was Danacus’s turn to adopt a leisurely attitude as he slowly walked backward defenselessly to his throne and sat down, chuckling lightly, "It was not easy to finally find it out."

"Yes, you finally found it," Pannis stood his ground, his arm muscles twitching several times as he intended to draw the bowstring, but ultimately he refrained from doing so. The Hunting Arrow remained nocked as he said with constricted pupils, "Aren’t you going to elaborate on this deal?"

"Hehe, the specifics of the deal, I’ve already told you," Danacus was visibly pleased, and even his cold expression softened a lot, "Surrender your mental resistance, give me your body to allow me to completely annihilate your soul, and then, this body I am using now will be of no use to me. I won’t need her any longer."

"So, what happens next?" Pannis squinted his eyes and asked, "I’m rather slow and can’t figure out what would happen to Nellie’s body afterwards."

"With a new home for my Divine Soul, she can naturally regain control of her body," Danacus said matter-of-factly, "That is to say, she can resurrect with her own identity, return to the Yarran World, and peacefully live out the rest of her life."

"Does it make any difference?" Pannis pressed, "According to your plan, you will eventually invade the Yarran World anyway, at which point she will still stand before you and use her life to stop your actions."

"Don’t worry, that’s impossible," Danacus shook his head, "She has left me with a great deal of trouble, and it will take a long time to restore the Undead to their original state—a task that is not easy to complete and requires a lengthy process. I won’t proceed with my plans until all this is done. By the time I begin my plan, she will likely have already exhausted her lifespan and turned into a pile of white bones in her grave, so, while it may seem like there’s no difference to the Yarran World, it makes a fundamental difference to her personally. Yes, the difference between life and death."

Pannis fell silent, his head drooping without a word; in the expansive Divine Kingdom, only Danacus’s own voice echoed.

"What do you think, Kyle? Do you accept this deal?" Danacus pursued leisurely, "You feel guilty towards her, feeling that you owe her something, thus you have always wanted to make amends for your mistakes. Now, the chance to make amends is here, exchanging your life for her chance to live on. When you step into death, that’s when she regains control of her body. It’s a fair trade, isn’t it?"

"Yes, a life for a life." Pannis’s fists clenched several times, he opened his mouth to say something, but could not utter a word as sweat beaded on his forehead, and finally, he could only say in a hoarse voice, "Indeed, it’s a fair trade."

"Are you scared? Why are you scared?" Danacus’s cold voice became deep and soothing, like a nocturne wafting from afar in the midnight, "She died because of you. Don’t you want to make it up to her? Shouldn’t you make it up to her? Don’t you want to correct your own mistakes? The debt you owe her must eventually be paid."

"Creak," the string of the Bow of Release was pulled halfway, and eventually released again. Although releasing it seemed to take all of Pannis’s strength, he gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "Of course I want that. To bring her back to life is the greatest wish of my life."

"Then why are you afraid?" Danacus’s voice whispered close to Pannis’s ear, "Just one decision can bring her back to life. What are you hesitating for?"