Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1457 - 243 Temptation

Pannis sat in silence, even considering this to be the most difficult choice of his life.

He knew Danacus was tempting him, deities of death and darkness often prefer to act like Danacus, not by erupting into direct conflicts, but through threats, temptations, and exploitation, chipping away at their opponent’s defenses, directly influencing their souls. History is replete with countless examples where fearless heroes were tempted and fell into darkness—a triumph that gods of death and darkness take pride in, like the encounter with Demos, the deity of nightmares and sleep, in the deep seas, who is one of such deities.

Many knew that temptations from deities of death and darkness were perilous indeed; they might not lie, but they would never tell you everything. Yielding to their temptations often led to fates worse than death. Take, for example, the Nightmare Spirit that had once tempted Catherine; over time, it was understood that the Nightmare Spirit was a medium left in the mortal world by Demos, a medium for resurrection. Demos would show those who touched the Divine Artifact visions of an infinitely bright future—and indeed, the future was real, attainable by activating the Nightmare Spirit, to gain the power it revealed. But at the same time, he concealed something vital. The catch was once the Nightmare Spirit was activated, it could never be discarded. The bearer would become a vessel for Demos’ resurrection, his Divine Soul controlling the bearer’s mind little by little, until, under perfect conditions, Demos would resurrect from within the bearer, completely devouring their soul.

Demos was just one example, but most gods of death and darkness were similar, with no fundamental difference in their methods, motives, processes, or outcomes. Mortals were generally aware of these facts, and logic would suggest that such knowledge could protect them from deception. Yet, paradoxically, despite being fully aware of their schemes, countless individuals still succumbed to their temptations, abandoning their resolve and harvesting endless regret. They were so adept at manipulating mortal souls, able to pinpoint each person’s vulnerability and exploit it, tempting them with unimaginable costs.

The best method to deal with these gods was to refuse any temptations, to reject any suggestions they made—then their temptations could progress no further. However, while everyone knew what to do, hardly anyone could resist. People are greedily terrible; faced with an irresistible temptation, even if they knew it was a trap, even if they knew the cost would be irrevocable, most would still rush headlong into it for immediate gain, only to be ensnared forever.

One could not entirely blame these individuals for their lack of resolve. Many past victims of temptation had been powerful figures and respected heroes of their times, far surpassing ordinary folk in mind and will. Therefore, it was unfair to criticize them for weakness. They were internally strong, but the cunning of the gods was too great; their timing and conditions were impeccable, leaving no room for refusal despite the victims’ desperate struggles.

Now it was Pannis’ turn. Perhaps compared to others, the temptation before him was severe: acceptance meant the loss of his own life. If such a temptation were presented to someone else, they would likely refuse without a moment’s hesitation. But he was not like others—he was Pannis. A temptation that others would not even consider held an irresistible lure for him, tailor-made for his desires.

Pannis began to feel fear, for he realized he had started to waver, and several times he thought about attacking Danacus. In the end, though, he relied on his reason and suppressed the urge to strike, knowing it was not the best moment. His objective to bide for time was unfinished, and deep down, another thought restrained him from making any rash moves. He knew that once he contemplated attacking to prevent Danacus from continuing, he was already losing—at least in this spiritual battle, he had failed completely, having his weakness exploited, now subject to round after round of temptation until his defenses crumbled. freewebnøvel.coɱ

But Pannis also knew he still had a chance, a possibility to strike back from a desperate situation. His situation was different; others fell to temptations driven by self-interest, whereas his own irresistible temptation was entirely based on Nellie. And Pannis believed that Nellie would never fall for any temptation. Changing her will was utterly impossible, and this was Pannis’ foundation for resisting and counterattacking against the temptation.

Having thought everything through, Pannis finally calmed down. The energy arms of the Bow of Release on either side swiftly retracted, and the verdant Hunting Arrow returned to his fingertips. Pannis sat back down cross-legged on the ground, took a deep breath, and said, "I must admit, it was incredibly dangerous. Your assault nearly led to my complete failure. To borrow your earlier words, I underestimated you at the start—I didn’t expect you to target my greatest weakness and nearly waste all my efforts."

"Why?" Danacus narrowed his eyes, asking in a grim tone, "Are you still so afraid of death?"

"Death? There’s nothing left to fear about that. You understand that I couldn’t possibly be afraid of death, otherwise, you wouldn’t have tempted me with this condition," Pannis responded calmly, shaking his head. "You guessed correctly; I want her to live more than anything. To bring her back, I would pay any price."

"Then why do you refuse?" Danacus asked. "If it’s as you say, you should agree immediately."

"It’s ’I’ who can pay any price, but I have no right to make the whole of Yarran World pay the price for my choice," Pannis responded, reaching out towards Danacus’ body. "Moreover, I don’t have the right to let her, newly resurrected, pay the price for my choice."