With a single order, the troops deployed in advance immediately sprang into action. This was also one of the requests he had agreed to from Ye Chang'an.
Seven days had been enough for him to deploy the forces. He just hadn't expected there would really come a time to use them.
"Child, did you foresee all this when you made that request?"
"If so, did you also foresee that the Arbiter who appeared would be you?"
"Even so, am I still supposed to kill the Arbiter as you requested?"
Old K muttered to himself, his expression complicated as he watched the Arbiter on the screen.
What should have been a perfect closing performance had taken such a turn at the very end.
Even he couldn't quite make up his mind.
Who would arrange firepower in advance just to get themselves killed?
And looking at the Pseudo-Arbiters kneeling all over the screen, Old K doubted whether that firepower would even be enough.
Maris alone, who could casually create three thousand square meters of ice, would be hard enough to deal with.
"Sigh, we'll do all we can and leave the rest to fate."
Old K sighed and made another call, contacting the countries around Germany and telling them to prepare for war.
The massive force appearing in Germany was definitely going to head in some direction. They first had to determine whether it would go west or east.
If it went east, it would pass through Shenzhou. If it went west, it would cross North America.
Mu Continent, located on the other side of the planet, was relatively safe.
But safety was only temporary.
~
~
"Go. Bring trial upon this place."
Arbiter Chang'an cut off the livestream and looked westward. The enormous floating stage slowly began moving under the control of a Pseudo-Arbiter.
The Death Warriors on the ground followed on foot. Several million of them surged forward, packed together like an ant nest, while more Death Warriors constantly joined them.
They didn't need to follow him. Arbiter Chang'an had not ordered them to.
Though an Arbiter could have made them do so, Arbiter Chang'an had never done that.
These people—no, these Death Warriors, these Pseudo-Arbiters—were all following of their own accord.
~
Before they had even left Germany's borders, the army Old K had deployed blocked their path.
"Fire!"
The commander gave the order, and dense streams of gunfire poured toward the army of Destruction.
Arbiter Chang'an raised a hand indifferently. His authority activated and began to recreate something, but what appeared was not military weaponry.
It was musical instruments.
Arbiter Chang'an: ???
PS Cocoon of the End: This vessel was flawless in every way, but something about it just felt indescribably off.
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: All the Pseudo-Arbiters Have Rebelled
Pianos, flutes, xiaos, zithers, suonas, erhus, accordions—a huge pile of instruments materialized from thin air under Arbiter Chang'an's authority.
He was somewhat stunned, unable to figure out why he had produced these things.
As the Cocoon of the End's shadow, he knew very well that his authority was not meant to recreate musical instruments. It could recreate anything—as long as he understood the "explanation" behind the creation.
So what he had wanted to recreate just now was the weaponry in the soldiers' hands, yet what came out were all kinds of gaudy instruments.
And once activated, it couldn't be stopped. All sorts of instruments kept popping out and floating around him, leaving him utterly bewildered.
The bullets were practically at his face already!
Fortunately, he wasn't alone. There was a whole group of Pseudo-Arbiters beside him, and any one of them could casually freeze every incoming bullet in midair.
This person had acquired a Destruction energy technique for using telekinesis.
"..." Arbiter Chang'an remained silent. Only after one of every type of instrument had appeared did he finally see the weaponry he wanted.
Expressionless, he aimed the recreated guns at the enemy troops. Their muzzles spat fire with a rat-a-tat-tat, sending a storm of bullets toward them.
As the Arbiter of Reason, he could control anything he recreated with a mere thought.
That was, aside from one flute that was automatically playing music—it wasn't under his control, and he had no idea who was controlling it.
He ignored it, focused only on wiping out the enemy army.
Yet the bullets he fired were also frozen in midair, and it was still that same Pseudo-Arbiter who had done it.
"Chang'an, why are you attacking them?" The Pseudo-Arbiter who controlled telekinesis asked in confusion. The other Pseudo-Arbiters also turned to look at him.
They didn't understand why their side was being attacked, nor did they understand why Arbiter Chang'an was attacking the other side.
"...This is their trial." Arbiter Chang'an didn't want to explain, but he explained anyway.
After all, they were his own people... though he himself wasn't human.
"What kind of trial?" Maris asked blankly, casually creating a vast wave of cold air that froze every weapon in the army.
"...A trial to see whether they are qualified to be called our kind."
"Ooh~ How do we test that?" Maris asked again.
"...Either destroy me, or be destroyed by me."
Maris: ???
Other Pseudo-Arbiters: ???
They were collectively dumbfounded, staring at Arbiter Chang'an in shock. Maris took the lead in asking the question.
"You want to kill them?"
Arbiter Chang'an nodded, only to be questioned in return.
"Who are you?" Maris's face turned icy as she demanded coldly. The Pseudo-Arbiters all watched Arbiter Chang'an like tigers eyeing prey.
They were not Death Warriors. They were Pseudo-Arbiters who retained a certain degree of self-awareness.
Though their consciousnesses were incomplete, they had still sensed that something was off about the Chang'an they followed.
"I am... Destruction!" Arbiter Chang'an hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not use this vessel's name.
The instant he spoke, all manner of dangerous objects aimed themselves at him.
Because Maris and the others followed not Destruction, but Chang'an.
As loyal listeners of Chang'an Melody and fanatical fans of Sleepless Chang'an, the deepest memory left in their remaining consciousness was Chang'an.
Especially the victims of those experiments. What had supported them through those cruel experiments was Chang'an Melody.
During those years filled with despair and pain, Chang'an Melody had been their only comfort, while Ye Chang'an, who had recorded Chang'an Melody, had become their sole faith.
They loved Chang'an Melody so much that even when their bodies came to hate it, they still couldn't stop loving it.
After all, Ye Chang'an, who recorded Chang'an Melody, was worth it!
As a superstar, he had solemnly apologized to nobodies like them before the cameras of a global livestream. Of course they liked him.
Even with only remnants of consciousness left, they still worshipped Ye Chang'an like a god.
That was why, once Ye Chang'an became an Arbiter, they had offered him their loyalty without hesitation.
To them, when they were still human, Ye Chang'an had been a god.
To Pseudo-Arbiters on Destruction's side, an Arbiter was a god.
With both layered together, there was no reason not to offer their loyalty.
But that loyalty did not belong to Destruction. It belonged only to Chang'an.
And so, the current scene came to pass.
"Give Chang'an back!"
Several thousand Pseudo-Arbiters roared in unison, ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.
Arbiter Chang'an looked wordlessly at the Pseudo-Arbiters. The scene was terrifyingly quiet.
Only that flute, controlled by no one knew who, continued playing Chang'an Melody.
At the end of the tune, Arbiter Chang'an spoke.
"Do you... want to undergo a trial as well?"
"Rumble..." A continuous barrage of attacks triggered explosions. That was the Pseudo-Arbiters' answer.
Trials meant nothing to them.
"Very well!"
As the smoke cleared, Arbiter Chang'an emerged unscathed from the melted ice, his crimson eyes glaring furiously at the Pseudo-Arbiters.
He should not have had emotions, yet he felt something called anger.
Because he had felt betrayal.
"You will now prepare to face trial."
Arbiter Chang'an spoke through gritted teeth. His authority activated, recreating an overwhelming sea of weaponry in the blink of an eye.
As an Arbiter, he was powerful because he possessed a flawless vessel.
Thus, the amount of Destruction energy he could mobilize in a given time was enormous. With a single use of his authority, he could instantly create firearms as numerous as the stars.
Then, fire!
"Rat-a-tat-tat~"
A hail of bullets was no longer enough to describe this scene.
This wasn't shooting bullets at them.
This was smashing them with bullets.
He wanted to crush these traitors to death.
But several thousand Pseudo-Arbiters were no pushovers. Each activated their abilities to defend or counterattack, leaving Arbiter Chang'an scrambling to deal with them.
His authority limited his performance, because there were only so many things he could recreate at present.
It was like having a million in cash but only being able to buy spicy snack sticks.
He was so angry that he actually started thinking.
—Hm? This is... swordsmanship?
Seeing Tai Xu Sword Form within the body's memories, he suddenly understood. With a flick of his hand, he produced a sword and charged into battle against the Pseudo-Arbiters.
~
~
"Uh, sir, it looks like they're having an internal conflict." A soldier set down his bone-chillingly frozen firearm and spoke.
"I can see that, damn it. Do you need to tell me?" the officer snapped. After glaring at him, he turned back to watch the people fighting on the stage, deeply puzzled.
—Something about this doesn't seem right. Better report to headquarters.
He connected to the wartime communications network and reported the situation to Old K. At that moment, Old K was also staring blankly at the satellite footage from the scene.
"Aren't these people and the Arbiter on the same side? Why are they fighting each other?"
Old K didn't understand. Old K was utterly shocked. Old K decided this was a scenario Ye Chang'an had arranged long ago.
After all, the Pseudo-Arbiters were led by Maris, Sleepless Chang'an's manager. She had definitely been instructed on how to respond.
Old K was instantly relieved.
Before you continue