Chapter 973

After hauling Filia up and tossing her onto the lawn between them, Li Ang looked up at the rising sun, then fixed his gaze on the bewildered Prince Andre.

“I’ve given you the person—can you stop the sun now?”

“…”

“You’re not planning to break your word, are you?”

“…”

I didn’t plan to break my word, but your reaction… isn’t quite what I expected.

Watching Li Ang hand over Filia without a second’s hesitation, Prince Andre opened his mouth instinctively—but no sound came out.

What he truly wanted to see was Li Ang’s helplessness and torment before making this impossible choice, the despair and agony in his heart as he chose, and the suffering and regret afterward—but…

Why the hell are you so damn decisive?!

…

“The sun can’t stop yet.”

After glancing at Filia, who was equally stunned on the ground, and assuming Li Ang was merely putting on a brave front, Prince Andre gritted his teeth:

“The condition I gave you a moment ago wasn’t to hand me Filia—it was to hand me her corpse. So… wait a minute!”

With a sharp cry of surprise, a massive clock face suddenly flared to life behind Prince Andre.

As the shorter “hour hand” on the dial ignited, Li Ang’s movements slowed by sixtyfold; the [Cutting Silver Dagger], which had been a blur of silver, now revealed its true form—and the startled emerald-eyed girl barely dodged it.

He actually moved…

Seeing the silver dagger that would have slit Filia’s throat if not for his intervention, Prince Andre’s face darkened.

“Why?”

After dispelling the effect of the hour hand staff, Prince Andre stared at Li Ang’s calm expression and demanded in a low voice:

“You really believe I’d save her?”

“I don’t think you’d save her—I think you’ve been wrong from the start.”

As he retracted the [Cutting Silver Dagger], Li Ang, equally relieved inside, replied with a strange expression:

“I don’t believe you’d save her—I believe you misunderstood the whole thing. Why do you think forcing me to kill your own sister by threatening the lives of your own people would torment me?”

“…”

Silenced by the question, Prince Andre stared at Li Ang for a moment, then slowly shook his head:

“No—you’re lying to me. I don’t believe you’re this calm. Someone like you couldn’t possibly be indifferent…”

“No, are you seriously still going on?”

Interrupting Prince Andre, Li Ang snapped with irritation:

“You told me to choose—I chose. You backtracked and said you wanted a corpse, so I went ahead and gave you one. I’ve gone along with your madness this far—why are you still spouting nonsense?”

“How about this: I’m actually quite good at acting. If you really want to see me break down, sobbing in agony, I’ll put on a show for you right now—how’s that?”

“…”

“No! You’re lying to me!”

After staring into Li Ang’s eyes for a moment, Prince Andre drew a deep breath and declared firmly:

“You’re saying all this to provoke me—to make me kill you out of rage!”

“And once you kill me, you’ll have no reason left to harm anyone else—only by doing this can you save both Filia and all the citizens of Krook Kingdom from my hands!”

“…”

“Fine, whatever you say…”

Faced with Prince Andre’s irrational stubbornness, Li Ang, thoroughly worn out, asked wearily:

“If I really planned it this way, how exactly are you going to punish me? First kill your own sister, then roast all your citizens under the sun, just to make me suffer?”

“…”

I did have that plan—and that’s exactly what happened—but why does it sound so absurd coming out of your mouth?!

Killing your last living relative, then destroying your own kingdom and people—all just to make me suffer? Just hearing that description makes it the most ridiculous thing imaginable.

Even more ridiculous is that I still can’t be sure whether it would even hurt him.

If I’m wrong—that he never intended to sacrifice himself to save everyone, and truly doesn’t care—then I’ll be more of a fool than any fool could be…

Through Li Ang’s words, touched by a sliver of normal human logic, Prince Andre, who had been consumed by rage and ready to abandon everything to retaliate, froze completely.

Don’t act—fool.

Act—still a fool.

Act but fail to understand—fool of fools.

His life seemed to have no second option anymore. After Li Ang spoke those words, no matter what he did now, the end point would inevitably lead to the same outcome.

Fool!

…

“Honestly, why don’t you just surrender?”

Seeing Prince Andre’s twisted expression, Li Ang paused, then cautiously suggested:

“Your painting’s been cut—I’m sure those fake parents made from fragments of souls are gone forever. But I have some connections in the Death Realm, plenty of acquaintances—I might be able to arrange for you to meet your real parents again.”

At Li Ang’s words, Prince Andre’s eyes widened sharply.

“You… what did you say?!”

“I mean—if you choose to surrender now, I might be able to let you meet your deceased parents again.”

Recalling what he knew of the Death Realm, Li Ang explained:

“In the Death Realm stands a place called [City of Regrets]. Souls burdened by overwhelming regrets and remorse, unable to move forward, dwell there temporarily—until they resolve their regrets or are forgotten by all the living.”

Considering your family situation… well… their regrets and remorse must be crushing, and many still remember them—so they’re probably still waiting for you in [City of Regrets].”

After describing [City of Regrets], Li Ang looked at Prince Andre, trembling all over, then stepped forward and extended his right hand.

“Prince Andre, if your conviction is strong enough to carry you through the long [Path of No Return] and reach the threshold of [City of Regrets], you might see your family once more—to apologize for your mistakes…”

“What do you say? Interested in my proposal?”