Chapter7-Defeating the Protagonist, Gaining Points

Moreover, at the beginning of each tier, there was a half-step and quasi designation, signifying a level surpassing the five-star of the previous tier. 

For instance, a half-step General-tier surpasses the 5-star Elite-tier considerably, and a quasi General-tier is very close to the 1-star General-tier standard.

The Holy Army warriors protecting Little Robert were at the 2-star Elite-tier level. 

Most paladins would be between 3-star and 4-star Elite-tier. 

However, the light hammer strike by Paladin Elizabeth, which sent more than a dozen Stin Empire Holy Army knights and their horses flying, was undoubtedly beyond the 5-star Elite-tier, reaching close to the General-tier level!

Yet, from her shining golden armor, Little Robert couldn't discern her exact status among the paladins. 

He only knew, based on hearsay, that the higher the status of a paladin, the more robust and splendid their armor would be. 

This female paladin's armor covered only her shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, and above the knees, including her knees and feet.

Her bare arms and legs were exposed, showcasing her valiant and agile figure. 

Yet, her moves were extraordinary. 

The divine power of light she wielded was so immense that it momentarily stunned Little Robert.

However, in his view, if he crushed his necklace, he could merge with his negative persona and instantly unleash half-step lord-tier strength, which should be enough to deal with her. 

But... this person wasn't even the real antagonist?

Little Robert was truly baffled, a sense of dread creeping into his heart.

Just then, his necklace called out to him again. The negative Little Robert spoke, "I have something I haven't told you, but with the situation being critical, I think it's time to share."

"There's a way to use the power without crushing the necklace. After all, I don't want to vanish so soon. If we fully develop and then merge, we will both exist. But if you crush me now, our consciousnesses will conflict in your brain, fighting for control, and you might even go berserk!"

"This 'Darkblade' is a weapon I have condensed in the necklace's space. Take it and use it. While it won't let you wield half-step lord-tier power, the Abyss of the Demon World's contamination within it can influence ordinary paladins, giving you a better chance to escape. Flee to the city, seek the protection of the Stin Empire!"

Hearing this, Little Robert's heart pounded wildly. 

Ahead, the Holy Army knights were being swiftly defeated by the female paladin. 

Her divine light energy was released at will, sometimes as a hammer, sometimes as a whip, a shield, a spear, and so on.

Moreover, the light energy could penetrate the Holy Army's amulets, passing through enchanted armors and striking the knights directly.

At that moment, Little Robert felt his window of opportunity rapidly closing. 

He promptly drew a black longsword, a gift from his negative persona within the necklace, and hurled it towards Elizabeth in the distance. 

Unfortunately, the sword, though it successfully hit Elizabeth's armor, vanished like snow under the blazing sun in just an instant.

"How... how is that possible?!" exclaimed the negative persona from within Little Robert's necklace.

"Now, merge immediately!" the negative persona urged urgently. "We can't afford to wait any longer!"

In the next moment, Little Robert was seized by Elizabeth. As he crushed the necklace, a burst of golden light enveloped him and Elizabeth, transporting them to Beaconburg. 

They appeared in the Paladin Hall of Honor, in front of Alan, the eternal leader of the paladins.

Little Robert, stunned, looked up at Alan after being thrown to the floor by Elizabeth. 

The surroundings had changed in an instant, and something about Alan seemed eerily familiar.

Then, Little Robert began to speak, "Could you possibly be..."

Now, the negative persona had merged with the main persona. 

The collision of these two forces turned into a tumultuous torrent within him, which then transformed into an explosive surge, sweeping towards Alan. 

This shockwave was of half-step lord-tier strength, powerful enough to kill an ordinary General-tier being.

However, as it reached Alan, the chaotic energy seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace. 

In the next moment, Alan, looking at the "Holy Child" before him, smiled with interest. 

Then, he reached out and effortlessly extracted the unmerged negative demonic energy from within Little Robert's body, holding it in his hand like a translucent purple flame.

Little Robert's physical form fell into a daze. 

Alan, eyeing the pale purple "soul entity" in his hand, asked sternly, "Are you the reliance of this protagonist?"

"I..." The pale purple entity, Little Robert's negative emotions and Demonic Power fusion, panicked under Alan's grasp. "You... you are that one..."

"Spare me, please!"

With a "thud," Alan squeezed, and the contaminated and negative consciousness energy in his hand instantly disintegrated into nothingness. 

Then, he turned his attention to the items on the level 1 protagonist, Little Robert.

Alan was curious to see if Little Robert had any other "cheats." 

In his hands, Alan discovered a broken necklace, sensing a peculiar fluctuation from it.

[Ding! Successfully confiscated the broken necklace of lv1 protagonist Little Robert.]

[Submit to the system to recycle and obtain 30 points, or spend 60 points to repair the item. 

Additionally, spend 10 points to inquire about the specific usage of this item.]

Alan: "Just recycle it."

The next moment, the necklace vanished. 

Alan's personal panel showed an increase of 130 points. 

It seemed that 100 points were awarded for resolving the protagonist.

After the merger and subsequent forced separation of the negative persona, Little Robert's consciousness had reverted to a "rebooted" state, his memory almost wiped clean, losing his protagonist status and qualifications. 

The main persona, the transmigrated soul, also disintegrated, moving on to reincarnation.

Alan easily crushed the "cheat." 

Moreover, when he crushed the amalgamation of negative consciousness and demonic energy, he gleaned some information. 

This negative persona wasn't just Little Robert's darker side but also contained a fragment of demonic will from the Abyss of the Demon World. 

This will might belong to one of the Ancient Ones, resurrected and claiming energy from the corpse of the ninth demon king.

In other words, had Little Robert truly risen to power, that resurrected Ancient One might have regained control over him.

Additionally, within that bundle of consciousness, Alan discovered information about several hidden caches of the demon race. 

Therefore, this protagonist's "cheat" was not only a necklace capable of separating light and darkness, absorbing negative energy, foreseeing disasters, and using this power to heal and bless others. 

It also held the potential to uncover Demon World secrets, infused with the power of the Abyss of the Demon World, for future enhancement.

Hmm... not bad at all. Unfortunately, due to Alan's intervention, this protagonist lost his chance to grow. 

And the source of the abyssal demonic power that had granted him part of its strength also lost a puppet that could have potentially developed further!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for accomplishing your first protagonist kill. You are the first among all antagonists to kill a protagonist, earning the title "Pioneer Antagonist!"]

[Title Attribute: Provides the antagonist with a higher level of concealment. Now, all righteous protagonists will have to pay a greater price to discover you!]

Following this, Alan checked his current panel status.

[Name: Alan]

[Faction: Antagonist]

[Codename: Light]

[Current Identity: Paladin General of Beaconburg]

[Level: Lord-tier]

[Points: 130]

[Fate Favor: Veil of Shadows, yet Dawn Breaks Slightly]

[Antagonist Level: 1]

[Antagonist Level Skills: None]

[Ranking: 1]

At this moment, his points had reached 130, and his Fate Favor status had improved slightly. 

Then, he began to ponder what he could do with his points.