CHAPTER 1545: CHAPTER 331 ARBITRARY GUESSES

"The third question," Pannis raised his third finger and said, "From the above two questions, I instead feel that Danacus, being in a slumbering state with only a thread of Divine Wisdom awake, is simply incapable of controlling Nellie. If he truly could control Nellie, the situation wouldn’t have developed as it is now. He, too, is a very ancient deity, vastly more adept at manipulating Divine Power than Nellie. If he were in control of the body, having a physical form like he did over a hundred years ago, he would need only a glance, a thought, to cause me great trouble. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to annihilate me if that’s what he really wanted to do. Without Nellie’s inside help, I would find it hard to threaten him. No, not just hard—without me, it would be nearly impossible. Under these circumstances, the fact that he hasn’t taken over Nellie’s body to destroy me suggests that he either doesn’t want to or can’t do it, at least not for the time being. Otherwise, he would not miss such an opportunity."

"Perhaps," Denia nodded noncommittally, "If there really is only a wisp of conscious Divine Wisdom, fully controlling a mortal is indeed not an easy feat, especially one as willful and strong as Nellie. However, why would Nellie suddenly be controlled by her instincts? Do you think that’s also Danacus’s doing?"

"Nellie’s loss of control was very odd to begin with. At the moment when I aimed the arrow at her, she suddenly lost control," Pannis frowned, paced slowly on the spot, and pondered, "Don’t you all think the timing was too coincidental? Let’s imagine for a moment. What if at the split second when Nellie’s behavior became erratic and her aura shifted dramatically, even when she suddenly attacked me, I hadn’t been able to differentiate between the two, or I had identified it, but couldn’t control my own strength, and despite the sudden change, still released the Hunting Arrow in my hand? What would the outcome be?"

"You already said what the outcome would be," Denia spoke, "You would have fired the Hunting Arrow. As for what happens next, it would depend on the actual effect of the Hunting Arrow."

"Exactly, it depends on the effect of the Hunting Arrow. And if we consider the original intention, the eruption of Divine Power from the Hunting Arrow would no doubt destroy the souls of both Nellie and Danacus," Pannis clapped his hands, affirming, "Therefore, theoretically, Nellie’s sudden loss of control would speed up the process of me killing them both. In other words, this is creating pressure on me again, forcing me to kill Nellie quickly."

"So, you’re suggesting that Nellie’s loss of control was also caused by Danacus. He interfered with Nellie, causing her consciousness to temporarily lapse, and then her body was controlled by instinct," Denia pondered, "He’s still using various means to make you act quickly in accordance with his plan?"

"Without a doubt, I can’t see any other reason for Nellie’s abrupt loss of control," Pannis nodded, squinting his eyes and saying, "Now Nellie has the body of a deity, a determined will, and aside from the Danacus inside her, I don’t think anything could have caused her sudden loss of control, especially as it happened after she mentioned that the soul of Danacus was stirring again. If it’s irrelevant to Danacus, I doubt anyone would believe that."

"It does indeed seem related to Danacus, but the significance behind it... let’s leave that aside for now," Denia didn’t concur with Pannis’s certainty, and after looking up silently for a while, she said in a low voice, "Let’s skip it for a moment and discuss it later. What other discoveries do you have?"

"The fourth question, which we’ve already touched on, is Nellie’s combat style," Pannis said, not insisting on the point but nodding and moving on. "During our fight, she entirely relied on her most accustomed combat style, not that of a deity. Frankly speaking, I don’t understand how a deity with a physical body should fight, nor have I had the chance to learn. And I’m not entirely clear on what her exhibited combat style signifies, but I can say for certain that it’s not normal. Hence, I’ve come to the conclusion I mentioned earlier: it’s the instinct of Divinity fused with Nellie. If that’s the case, what’s the deal with Danacus? Theoretically, even if the instinct of Divinity retained a personal mark, shouldn’t it be the mark of Danacus? Or, going further back, it could be the mark left by the traitor Morbis. It should definitely not be a mark left by Nellie. Yet in fact, it’s precisely Nellie’s mark that remains. I believe this confirms another issue: that Divinity and Nellie are entwined. Nellie is no longer just a custodian of Divinity or an executor of theocracy. To some extent, she’s started fusing with Divinity and evolving towards being a true deity. Thus, it is apparent that Danacus, while in slumber, has very limited influence on the outside world. I presume it to be so weak that it’s practically impossible for him to emerge suddenly, consume her soul, and seize her body, at least not until he fully awakes. As for when he might awaken, well, Nellie previously felt Danacus stir, as if he could awaken at any moment. But it turned out that it was just Danacus pulling her into his own sleep-induced sensations. So, whether Danacus is about to awake, or even if he will at all, is still unknown."

"Anything else?" Denia said noncommittally. "Like the fifth and sixth points?"

"No more," Pannis shook his head. "That’s all for now. Why, do you think there is something amiss with my perspective?"

"Not that there’s something wrong, it’s just that some of your judgments seem rather arbitrary," Denia replied thoughtfully. "For instance, you believe that apart from Danacus, nothing else could make her lose control. Yet in reality, just a single Hunting Arrow might be enough to cause her to lose control. Artemis said that she had overlooked this issue before. The mere presence of Hunting Arrows within the Divine Kingdom poses a threat to deities. If Nellie cannot control Divinity, it might trigger an instinctual response to eliminate potential threats."

"However, I’ve been waving a Hunting Arrow in front of her for dozens of minutes," Pannis shook his head. "If it were merely the response to the Hunting Arrow, she would have killed me long ago, not wait until Danacus’s restlessness peaked before suddenly losing control."

"Losing control is a process; it doesn’t necessarily manifest immediately. Of course, your reasoning is also quite sound. I’m just saying that there are possibilities on both sides, which is why I think your judgment is a bit arbitrary, but not that it’s incorrect," Denia said. "And regarding your last point, about whether Danacus’s influence is weak and whether he can awaken—what are your reasons for that?"

"Uh, I haven’t stated my reasons yet," Pannis said, momentarily taken aback before scratching his head and offering an embarrassed smile. "That’s from later in the fight."