"Ah, I see. You've truly lost all hope of ever leaving this place."
"What do you know?"
"I know quite a bit. In fact, I know you weren't always the tyrant you are now. I know you tried to leave this place, but you discovered something that took all your hope away."
Gunlaug was baffled, and so was everyone else.
"Heh, if you know that, then you also know it's impossible to leave this place. Sleepers can't win against that."
"But what if we could? Now, we have a fair chance of escaping."
"What good is baseless hope? I can't do it, and since I'm the strongest here, no one else can."
"You? The strongest?" I asked. "Well, as the saying goes, among the blind, the one-eyed man is king."
Gunlaug strode forward, his golden armor shifting like liquid metal, his massive two-handed axe materializing in his grip. "You think you can challenge me, boy?" His voice rang through the hall.
I exhaled calmly, my body shifting into a balanced stance. "I don't think. I know."
With a roar, Gunlaug swung his axe in a devastating arc. Instead of dodging, I stepped in, intercepting the strike with Heavenly Hand of Defense. Absorbing the force, I redirected it back through his body—Gunlaug's own strength turned against him. The golden tyrant staggered back, his weapon nearly wrenching from his grasp.
Capitalizing on the opening, I launched forward, fingers curled like talons—Mount Tai Dragon Claw. My strike dug into the gilded armor at Gunlaug's side, piercing through and drawing blood. The golden tyrant growled, retaliating with a brutal downswing.
The swing faltered as I applied a bit of pressure against it, the trajectory shifting just enough for me to sidestep smoothly. Before Gunlaug could react, my leg lashed out in a brutal arc—White Tiger Crescent Moon. The force sent Gunlaug skidding backward, his armor cracking where the blow landed.
The tyrant's breathing grew ragged, fury mixing with disbelief. He raised his axe once more, but I moved in like a phantom. With a single smooth slash of my sword—Shi Huang Yan Cut—I carved through Gunlaug's weapon, slicing it in two. The severed blade clattered to the floor.
[Your memory is destroyed.]
Gunlaug dropped to one knee, staring at me in stunned silence. The room was deathly quiet.
"You—" he gasped. "Impossible..."
I stepped forward, my voice calm.
"You see, there's always a bigger fish."
"Now, listen to me. I know you lost hope. You think it's all meaningless, that it's better to live like this. But I know we can get out—with your help, with your people's help, we can truly escape. So I ask you..."
"Fight. Just one more time, and I promise we will get out of this hellhole."
At my words, a flicker of clarity returned to Gunlaug's eyes.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked, uncertain.
"I know it. There's so much waiting for us. I—no, we," I said, gesturing behind me, "refuse to stay in this place forever. So pick up your arms one last time—for those who can't fight for themselves."
Gunlaug seemed convinced. The five who had stood beside him when he sat on the throne stepped forward and knelt beside him.
"See that, my little Star? This is how you convince people. Now that this is settled, get me something to eat—I'm starving."
"Hahaha!" Effie let out a heartfelt laugh and shook Sunny. "He really is insane, just like you said."