Crimson Covenant's Rule Scroll

The Crimson Archbishop's withered fingers slowly traced the newly added lava patterns on the pages, and the dark red tome seemed to gleam with an eerie, blood-red light as if it had just had a hearty meal.

He turned to look at Hoffman, his grin almost tearing his cheekbones apart.

"Now, you can continue to handle these children."

The Steel Remains Star Alliance fleet on the battlefield was now in chaos.

The elite warriors, stripped of their Covenant active metal links, were like puppets with their strings pulled out, rust-red liquid constantly seeping from the seams of their armor.

Lieutenant Triv frantically pounded on the control panel, only to discover that the entire Living Fleet was decaying at a visible rate.

On the contrary, some of the original miscellaneous soldiers in the troops were completely unaffected, but their combat effectiveness was completely useless.

Furthermore, their own Hegemon, Iron Skull Omega, is now dead.

The entire galaxy had changed drastically, and he could only watch helplessly as his fleet was relentlessly devoured by the legion of undead.

"War God of Jiangling Prefecture" charged at the forefront, wielding a dark black longsword. His SSS-level Merrick Saber Technique unleashed a crescent-shaped crimson slash that cleaved the already decaying living warship in two.

"Hurry up! The boss battle is over!"

"Hurry and grab the experience! If Hoffman makes a move, none of us will have a chance!"

The public chat was instantly flooded with messages, and the players' offensive became even more frenzied.

Moreover, most of the enemy soldiers had lost their will to fight, and the attack was no longer as difficult as before.

Hoffman ultimately did not take action, and only ordered a halt three hours later.

The battle was now drawing to a close, with less than 2% of the soldiers still fleeing.

He didn't want to waste time chasing after the remaining warriors.

Inside the main control room, the Crimson Archbishop was reviewing the newly acquired Molten Steel Blood Core.

His dark red book can analyze some of the abilities of the powerful beings he has absorbed.

"Crimson, we will continue our journey to the next galaxy."

"No problem!"

"You're the commander, I'll listen to you."

Crimson waved her hand dismissively, completely unconcerned about Hoffman's arrangements.

The newly Hegemon commands a seasoned Hegemon, a powerful figure renowned in this nearby star system.

If it weren't for Lister standing behind Hoffman, he wouldn't have been able to command the troops.

Although he is nominally the main commander of the mission, he still respects the other party and discusses the mission arrangements with them in advance.

However, Crimson's performance surprised him quite a bit.

She didn't care about the so-called mission at all, and even though she had a strange smile all day long, she didn't interfere with his command in the slightest and truly acted as his good henchman!

Seeing this, Hoffman ultimately left behind an army led by Quasi-Hegemon force.

Let's see if we can reorganize this star system and explore its usable resources in the name of the Machine-Slaying Federation.

The main fleet was heading to the next star system without stopping; its primary mission was to eliminate the veteran Hegemon.

Meanwhile, Lister, who was stationed far away in the Milky Way Galaxy, also received the battle report.

A dozen or so Hegemon were divided into three teams to wipe them out.

The mission is progressing rapidly; the enemy Hegemon' first reaction to the extermination efforts of the Machine-Slaying Federation is either misunderstanding or begging for mercy.

Unfortunately, in a true war of World Annihilation, you are either too weak to pose any threat.

Or perhaps they should have joined one of the World Annihilation forces much earlier.

Otherwise, not taking sides would be tantamount to courting death, and no World Annihilation force would feel at ease.

Lilina's fingertips hovered over the dark matter gate for half a second, and the silver patterns on her uniform cuffs rippled as the authentication was successful.

She took a deep breath, even though it wasn't her first time entering this meditation room, nor was it her first time reporting to Lord Lister.

But every time I enter, I always remember my grandfather Tim's words of advice, and the things my family has relied on to get to where we are today, and my heart grows ever more in awe.

The moment the high-heeled boots stepped into the meditation room, the swirling starlight projection within the spherical space suddenly froze.

The nebulae simulated by dark matter energy all stopped rotating, as if the entire universe was waiting for the girl in the dark blue uniform to speak.

"Grown ups..."

Her voice was softer than usual when she gave her reports, as if she were afraid of disturbing the crimson thread floating in the center of the space.

Lord Lister sat upright in the center of this crimson mass, turning his gaze toward her from the data projection beside him.

"Have the other factions made their moves?"

"Yes! The other six superpowers have already begun their operations."

As soon as she finished speaking, a holographic projection automatically unfolded at Lilina's feet, and the Federal Military Intelligence Bureau's encrypted star map floated up.

She forced herself not to look at the scarlet threads hanging down from the cult leader's body.

At first, those scarlet threads were just inanimate objects hanging down, but recently they have become more and more like living things, sometimes even unconsciously wrapping around objects that come near them.

When she came to report last time, three threads had silently climbed up her boots.

Fortunately, the crimson threads of killing intent vanished instantly just before they got close.

"Thank you, sir."

Lilina quickly stepped aside and bowed in thanks.

Lister ignored her. He had recently visited the Eye of Ashes Barrier again, and his control over killing intent had reached a new level.

From the amplified crystalline state of condensed killing intent to this current perception state, which is like a thread, its application is more flexible.

The battle points marked on the holographic star map were indeed as expected.

The Spirit Remains Star Abyss and the Eternal Night Royal Court are the two forces most deeply intertwined.

Not only are the star systems under their control interconnected, but even the extermination operations are conducted by joint armies.

In contrast, the Crimson Covenant and the Star Machine Civilization seem more like simple contractual partners who were forced into an alliance in the past to avoid being jointly annihilated by other World Annihilation forces.

They are currently the weakest of the allied forces.

The current crackdown is being carried out by each side independently.

The combination of the Emerald Royal Court and the Void Corridor is much more interesting.

They don't quite seem like partners; they feel more like the Emerald Royal Court's sanctuary in the Void Corridor.

As the second most powerful force among the original seven, the Emerald Royal Court, though not as powerful as the Church of the End, does not really need to form any alliances.

In retrospect, the partnership with the Void Corridor seems more like a collaboration where they provide military protection, while the Void Corridor provides intelligence, including information from other dimensional universes.

"Go wait over there."

As if Lord Lister had received some kind of message, Lilina immediately stepped back and stood beside the dark matter gate.

She had actually intended to go outside and wait, but seeing that a holographic projection had already been set up in front of Lister, she didn't dare to disturb him any further and obediently waited there as ordered.

The projection showed the image of a polite, smiling middle-aged man.

Lilina couldn't recognize him by his face alone, but the distinctive chains wrapped around his body made her expression tighten.

Needless to say, this must be Bishop Ocas of the Church of the End.

It is also the only representative of the Church of the End that has been active in the universe for nearly ten thousand years.

"Lister, interested in pulling off something big ahead of time?"

Ocas and Lister skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

And when serious matters were discussed, the polite smile on his face inexplicably took on a sinister air.

"Not interested."

The unwavering refusal caused Ocas's smile to falter.

Of World Annihilation currently active in the universe, the only one who can stir his emotions is Lister.

The other world World Annihilation avoided him like the plague.

During our interactions, I mostly found myself being teased and manipulated by him.

Only this one, from the very first day he appeared, maintained this attitude, neither fearing nor rejecting him.

On several occasions, even the utterly calm and uneventful situation could leave him somewhat frustrated.

Aside from the earliest battle with the Void Corridor, Ocas originally intended to solve the puzzle and suppress this new World Annihilation.

But to everyone's surprise, within just a few years, this newly World Annihilation world grew at a rate far exceeding his expectations.

Not only did his rank rise rapidly, but his swordsmanship was also so sharp that it penetrated right to the soul; he admitted he couldn't withstand more than a few strikes from him.

Although I don't think much of Lister's physique and defensive capabilities, the ultimate form of attack is defense.

Ocas finally gave up his thoughts of suppression and punishment, after three hundred years of contact.

Now even he understands that he is no match for Lister, and naturally he is gradually getting the short end of the stick with Lister.

"Aren't you going to think about it? You might regret it later!"

"The job you pulled was to target some World Annihilation, wasn't it?"

"Everyone knows our next goal in the Machine-Slaying Federation. We only have a few decades left, so let's wait and see."

For Ocas to specifically contact him and even suggest "doing a job," he must be eyeing some kind of World Annihilation.

The player has just arrived in Lister and his experience points are increasing rapidly.

All the World Annihilation forces are currently purging veteran Hegemon while also plotting their moves, but no conflict has yet broken out.

Lister naturally didn't want to break the current stalemate; he only wanted to continue accumulating strength.

Only power gave him the confidence to face any means and schemes without fear during the World Annihilation War.

More importantly, the future actions of the Machine-Slaying Federation are as clear as day to the other major powers.

To protect the arrival of the Seed of Eternity!

The mission of guarding a place is simply to stand guard at a certain location. Instead of taking advantage of this time to accumulate strength, it would be a foolish move to provoke conflict and deplete one's own power.

"Are you sure? What if it's related to Soul Crystals?"

"Is it a high-purity Soul Crystal?"

Ocas seemed quite confident, and at this moment he looked at Lister with a half-smile.

Soul Crystals are a resource that is absolutely scarce for any power in the universe.

The growth of the soul cannot be separated from this thing.

Of course, relatively speaking, other World Annihilation powerhouses only serve as a crucial and comprehensive supplement.

But for Lister, a powerful swordsman whose every strike directly confronts the soul, it's a different story; he couldn't help but be tempted.

"High-purity Soul Crystals? Are you sure?"

Lister wasn't particularly interested in just Soul Crystals.

Within the Soul Barrier of the Milky Way Galaxy, Soul Crystals are produced periodically.

Although the amount is not large, it is more than enough for his needs.

In fact, he no longer needs Soul Crystals. The next stage of Saber Soul Mastery requires high-purity Soul Crystals to break the shackles.

He thought there wouldn't be any new developments in the short term, but who knew that Ocas would bring him a pleasant surprise.

If it really is a high-purity Soul Crystal, then he definitely won't let this ticket go.

"Of course I'm sure."

Notification: High-purity soul energy substance detected...

Even through the holographic projection, Ocas still managed to simulate the aura of the black powder in his hand into his projected senses.

Unlike ordinary Soul Crystals which are gray and misty, this high-purity Soul Crystal is only powder, but the powder is pure black.

Moreover, that pure soul energy is indeed different from ordinary Soul Crystals.

"Tell me, how will we split the profits after it's all done?"

"Haha! I knew you needed this!"

"Seven parts, three parts: me seven, you three."

"73 won't do, it's too little!"

"Let's split it 50/50, that's fairer."

"This information was provided by me, and everyone needs high-purity Soul Crystals..."

Ocas's expression and aura changed inexplicably, and the chains on his body also began to fluctuate rapidly.

Seeing that Lister remained unmoved, his face quickly returned to a polite smile.

"However, it's not impossible!"

"In fact, it wouldn't be impossible to give you everything."

"What would you like?"

Hehe~! You can't give me what I want right now.

"When the Eternity Tree Seed gives birth to the Power of the Planes, our Church of the End will need a share of the spoils."

Really.

Ocas came to discuss anything that wasn't simple.

"Your Church of the End also needs the Power of the Planes?"

"It wasn't originally necessary..."

"However, the two from the Emerald Royal Court have grown stronger than expected. Our Archbishop believes it's due to the Power of the Plane."

"Furthermore, they're willing to go to such lengths for the Eternity Tree Seed, so..."

"Can!"

"However, I will only share half of it with you if the Seed of Eternity successfully survives and there is a surplus of Power of the Plane."

Information about the Seed of Eternity is becoming increasingly transparent.

Lister had never encountered the energy resource of Power of the Plane.

However, judging from the Emerald Royal Court's experience, its value should be far higher than that of Soul Crystals.

The fact that the Tree of Eternity is immortal and indestructible across multiple dimensions clearly indicates that this is a high-level source of power.

If Lister truly planted the Seed of Eternity, he would inevitably become the target of everyone's criticism.

The alliance with the Church of the End in the past was merely a superficial cooperation.

A mere three hundred years of cooperation is itself a very short period of time among cosmic powers.

It's also a good thing for Lister that he can now be deeply bound to the Church of the End through the Seed of Eternity.

"No way! At least 10%!"

"Then one percent."

Neither side had ever come into contact with the Power of the Planes, but that did not prevent them from assessing this energy.

At least Ocas and the Church of the End behind him acknowledge the value of this energy.

"Great! But a contract is needed."

After saying that, a contract appeared in Ocas's hand.

The next instant, it was delivered directly into his hand through a holographic projection.

"Hehe~! This is a contract forged by the Crimson Covenant."

"Their overall strength is so-so, but they are indeed skilled in contracts."

"This contract borrows some of the rules of this universe. If you breach this contract, our Church of the End will accept the consequences."

[The Crimson Covenant's Rule Scroll (SSS): A rule scroll forged by stealing a portion of the current universe's rule power; the contents drafted on the scroll will be completed in the form of rule power.]

It wasn't a contract scroll at all; the system scan revealed it to be a location-based rule scroll.

The agreement signed above wasn't a contract, but rather something that was transformed into a part of the rules of this universe and was executed accordingly... No wonder Ocas was so confident.

The rules are now filled with densely packed clauses, all concerning the future distribution of Power of the Plane and preventing loopholes.

Lister carefully read through the book several times before finally imprinting his own killing intent onto the scroll of rules.

In an instant, countless fine, scarlet threads were reflected in Lister's pupils, and an invisible force surged into his body.

He clearly sensed that an invisible shackle had been placed on him, but fortunately, the feeling of being shackled was fleeting.

Warning: Unknown rule intrusion detected!

"Notification: Intrusion into cosmic rules detected; the District 71 Mastermind has intervened..."