CHAPTER 1553: CHAPTER 339: THE ATTEMPT

Unchanged, even though Pannis had already stepped into Nellie’s attack range, Nellie’s body made no countermeasures. It was almost as if she was cooperating with Pannis’s plan to stall for time, but the more it went on, the more uneasy Pannis felt. Pannis believed that among all the living mortals, no one understood Nellie better than him, whether it was her thoughts or her combat abilities. He knew her as well as he knew himself, and this was exactly why he was uneasy because he was well aware that none of this made sense.

There was no doubt that Nellie’s combat skills were terrifying. Years of grueling training coupled with countless life-and-death battles had not only provided the knight with formidable strength but also a fearsome battle consciousness. If Pannis fought with his mind, simulating countless reactions in his head before choosing the optimal one, then Nellie fought purely with her body. Each reaction was actively initiated by her body without the need for thought, automatically selecting the best option. Consequently, for most people, losing their consciousness and having their body controlled by instinct would lead to a significant drop in combat abilities, but Nellie was an exception. The more she was driven by instinct, the stronger she became. Once she lost all sense of self, she would turn into an emotionless fighting machine, mercilessly crushing any enemy in her way.

Therefore, after Nellie gave her body over to instinct, the current lack of response shouldn’t have occurred. Theoretically, having been within Nellie’s alert range all this time, an antagonistic Nellie would have faced him with a vigilant stance. As he ignored her caution and took several steps forward, entering her attack range, she should have reacted forcefully despite her poor condition, at least assuming an attack posture. However, now that he had stepped three paces into Nellie’s attack range, she still hadn’t made a move. If he were to move closer to a distance of three meters, he would not only be within her attack range but also within her critical safety limit, and Pannis did not want to find out what that might bring.

He circled around Nellie once again, constantly on guard for a lance that might stab out at any moment, but it seemed Nellie had made up her mind to remain motionless. Even when Pannis once again threw random objects at her head, she maintained her initial stance.

"Snap," the coin elicited no response. "Snap," the sweet treat elicited no response. "Snap," the wad of paper elicited no response. The wineglass—oh, perhaps let’s not go that far. Pannis pursed his lips, placing the wineglass back into his backpack, and muttered in frustration, "What’s wrong with you, eh? Could it be you’re waking up? Don’t joke, that’s just not possible. You’re not clever enough to pretend to be conscious to fool me. Hmm, definitely not; you weren’t even that smart when you were conscious. Huh, not angry, huh? Seems like you really haven’t woken up."

Pannis did not believe that there were any signs of Nellie regaining consciousness, nor did he think that her current state was a struggle on the verge of awakening. Control of the body was in the hands of instinct, and it was impossible for it to contest with consciousness for control. Once consciousness returned, instinct would immediately recede into the depths of the mind, without any transitional process. Or to be precise, even if there were a process, it would end in an instant. But the state Nellie was showing seemed as if even the instinct controlling the body had vanished, leaving her body completely soulless.

This was what Pannis was most worried about, and the reason he had continuously tried to provoke and wake Nellie with various methods since she stopped moving. Although he could not figure out what could have turned Nellie into a soulless shell, regardless of the reason, it was not something he wished to see. So he clenched his teeth hard and made a decision that he himself found rather foolish.

"There’s nothing more stupid than this decision, I feel like an idiot," Pannis said with disdain for himself, slowly backing away a few steps to the edge of Nellie’s attack range, just to the point where one more step would take him out of her reach. Muttering, he added, "Dear me, I warn you, death is painful. I don’t want to experience it again, and what I’m doing is for your own good. You are not allowed to come after me and hit me later, and if you have to strike, do it gently, otherwise, when you come to your senses, I’ll come after you to settle the score."

Despite his useless chatter, Pannis’s hands never stopped moving. His decision was simple: to take out the Bow of Release again, then draw the bow and aim.

Given Nellie’s current state, there was no greater threat than the Hunting Arrow on the Bow of Release, a lethal threat in the truest sense. No matter what was planned, as long as Nellie remained under the control of her instincts, she would react to this—it was the most basic reaction of life, uncontrollable by other factors. If even this couldn’t make Nellie move again, it meant she was in big trouble, the worst-case scenario. However, if this attempt worked and Nellie started moving again, then it would be Pannis who was in big trouble. Whether or not his wish not to die again would be fulfilled would then be left to chance.

"I must really have a deep grudge against myself," Pannis smirked, laughing self-derisively, took a deep breath, and prepared to flee backward at any moment as he slowly pulled back the strange-looking Bow of Release.

As the energy bowstring was drawn taut, Pannis’s heart raced. He couldn’t even be sure what outcome he was hoping for now. It seemed that whether or not the female knight’s reaction was reactivated, it wouldn’t be good for him. He couldn’t help hating himself for coming up with such a foolish plan. Nevertheless, Pannis still hoped to reawaken Nellie’s response, as at least that would mean she wasn’t in trouble—although the one about to be in trouble would be himself.

But reality struck Pannis hard. The Bow of Release was fully drawn, the Hunting Arrow aimed once more at Nellie’s chest, yet Nellie still hung her head motionlessly, not reacting at all to the deadly threat, almost as if she were already dead.

Pannis squinted his eyes for a full minute while maintaining his drawn bow before finally lowering it, his face uncertain as he stared at the female knight’s body, wondering what to do next.