At first, the only way Tyrant HIM could think of to end the trial was for the three of them to have a fair one-on-one showdown to determine a winner.
After all, Tyrant HIM had always focused primarily on obtaining power.
But after understanding what Xu Yuan and Annoying Village HIM truly thought deep down, Tyrant HIM suddenly realized that who the final power ended up with was no longer important.
In reality, the reason the three of them had disagreed and insisted on settling who was stronger ultimately came down to information asymmetry.
After all, Tyrant HIM knew very little about Xu Yuan and Annoying Village HIM.
Even though Tyrant HIM and Xu Yuan had once spent quite a long time together, even staying in the same space for extended periods, they had never truly opened their hearts to each other or shared their deepest thoughts, let alone discussed their views on each other's worlds.
As for Annoying Village HIM, Tyrant HIM had already formed a poor impression of him the very first time they met.
The moment they encountered each other for the first time, Tyrant HIM keenly sensed that hard-to-describe confidence radiating from Annoying Village HIM.
That kind of confidence felt as if Annoying Village HIM always looked down on everything from a position high above, treating all things in the world as beneath notice.
At the time, Tyrant HIM had already wanted to complain, "Where does your confidence even come from?"
It really proved that saying, "When you're young, you shouldn't meet someone too dazzling."
After all, the first person Tyrant HIM met was Xu Yuan, so naturally, no one else could catch his eye afterward.
A bad first impression would've been one thing, but what happened later only deepened Tyrant HIM's negative view of Annoying Village HIM.
Back then, Annoying Village HIM had taken the initiative to come to him, expressing his desire to cooperate with Tyrant HIM.
Yet Annoying Village HIM still carried that same lofty, superior attitude, and even tried to scheme against Tyrant HIM.
That alone had already irritated Tyrant HIM greatly. He had only agreed to cooperate with Annoying Village HIM because circumstances left him no choice.
Forced cooperation was already unpleasant enough, but Annoying Village HIM's behavior throughout the partnership only made Tyrant HIM find him more and more unbearable.
Tyrant HIM felt annoyed just looking at Annoying Village HIM, let alone opening up to him.
As a result, the three of them were like people separated by a thick layer of fog.
No one could clearly see what the other two truly thought, deep down, about the two worlds that had nothing to do with themselves.
On top of that, the true HIM had pulled them into the trial land to determine a winner.
So, subconsciously, Tyrant HIM had unhesitatingly regarded the other two as hostile rivals.
Naturally, he assumed from the outset that the other two would not care in the slightest about the life or death of the world he belonged to.
In his mind, once they obtained great power, they would focus solely on solving the problems of their own worlds.
Because of this, everyone would go all out, desperate to win this brutal trial.
After all, before this, they had already witnessed firsthand the awe-inspiring, extraordinary abilities of the true HIM.
They knew that as long as they won the trial, the reward would be that terrifying, world-destroying power possessed by the true HIM.
In their eyes, such an indestructible and overwhelming force was undoubtedly the key to saving their own worlds from dire straits.
Thus, to seize this long-coveted power, they were willing to pay any price, using every means possible to stand out in this fierce competition.
But now, guided by Xu Yuan, the three of them had laid bare their hearts and spoken honestly about how they viewed each other's worlds.
At this moment, the fog that had hung before Tyrant HIM, Annoying Village HIM, and Xu Yuan finally dissipated.
All three understood that none of them wanted to see the others' worlds destroyed, and all three knew that no matter who gained the power, they would not abandon the other two worlds.
Because of this, all struggle had lost its meaning. From the moment the fog cleared, the three of them had already achieved a win-win outcome.
———
At this moment, upon hearing Tyrant HIM's words, Annoying Village HIM couldn't help but look at him in surprise. He truly hadn't expected that Tyrant HIM shared the same view, that he, too, couldn't bear to see the other two worlds destroyed.
Having spent so much time with Tyrant HIM, Annoying Village HIM had never imagined that one day he would resonate with him like this.
Annoying Village HIM stared at Tyrant HIM, his gaze as if witnessing the birth of a miracle, like watching an uncivilized barbarian suddenly have an awakening and grasp the truth of the world.
The shock was so intense it was hard to put into words, to the point that Annoying Village HIM even began to wonder whether he had misheard or was hallucinating.
But the facts were right there, undeniable. Tyrant HIM had indeed said those unexpected words.
This alone showed just how shocked Annoying Village HIM was.
It had to be admitted that the relationship between Annoying Village HIM and Tyrant HIM really was a bit like that of quarrelsome rivals who somehow get along.
Their understanding of each other had always remained on a very superficial level.
Even though they had worked together for quite a long time, neither side had ever felt the urge to deeply explore the other's inner world.
Perhaps it was precisely this ambiguous state, close yet distant, half-understood, that caused their interactions to swing between conflict and unexpectedly strong tacit understanding.
At this moment, Annoying Village HIM finally cast an appreciative look toward Tyrant HIM and nodded as he echoed him.
"It seems the three of us have already reached a consensus."
As he said this, Annoying Village HIM also looked up at the sky and smiled.
"I imagine that even the one who designed all of this never expected that the problem he threw out would be thrown back at himself, right?"
After that, Annoying Village HIM turned to look at Tyrant HIM and said, "I agree with what you said."
"Even though he's the one who set up the game, there's no denying that, just like us, he's also the one who breaks the deadlock. Naturally, he has no reason to stay out of it."
"We've already given the most perfect answer to the problem he set."
"Now it's his turn to solve the final problem."