Let out Another Earth-Shattering Roar!

Jie La Er stood outside the Tower of Babel, the midday sun shining on his face, and the strange looks he received from those around him made him feel momentarily disoriented.

Then he looked into the distance and saw that Ju was squatting there, head down, doing something.

Seemingly sensing something, Tachibana also raised her head, her gaze meeting Jie La Er's, but neither of them spoke.

Jie La Er stood there for a while before walking up to Tachibana and asking in a low voice, "Going back?"

Ju nodded, then stood up, and a metallic clanging sound came from inside her clothes.

Jie La Er glanced down at her, while Tachibana lowered her head even further before softly saying, "Someone's been bothering me, so I haven't had a chance to throw it away."

Ju has always wanted to take revenge on Lyra.

Today's National Congress was something she couldn't miss, but unfortunately, before she could do anything, Ao Li Wei had already set his sights on her.

Jie La Er and Tachibana boarded the Gear Train home.

He couldn't remember the last time he had so openly and legitimately ridden Gear Train.

It seems like it was a long, long time ago that he last rode the Gear Train, but if you think about it carefully, it was only a few days ago. Back then, the person he rode with was Ku De, who was on orders from his superiors to hunt him down.

"Ah, it's Jie La Er. Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you for your contributions over the past ten years."

Since the National Congress had ended, and there were many people who had come to participate or listen, the Gear Train was also crowded. As a result, Jie La Er was recognized by many people, who greeted Jie La Er warmly, just as they had ten years ago when he was still Knight of the Evening Star.

But clearly, his arrest warrant was still posted on every single train car.

Ten years ago, he might have smiled and responded to these people, but now, he simply couldn't smile. He didn't even have the strength to nod in greeting. He just stood with Ju in the corner of the Gear Train, their backs to the enthusiastic crowd, without saying a word.

Fortunately, he didn't receive that much attention.

Soon, people began to focus their conversations on the results of the National Congress referendum.

Yes, the moment Jie La Er left the Tower of Babel, the National Congress passed that resolution with ninety percent approval.

"Execute Lyra God."

Jie La Er slowly closed his eyes, recalling the scene in the conference hall earlier.

Ao Li Wei extended an olive branch to him... no, to be precise, not an olive branch, but a threat.

Ao Li Wei no longer needs anyone's help; all he needs is for Jie La Er to stay out of trouble.

At that time, Ao Li Wei brought Jie La Er an unparalleled sense of oppression. If it weren't for Bai Wei's sudden intervention, Gerald would have almost given in and compromised.

But Bai Wei's voice only allowed him to withstand the pressure and turn away.

Jie La Er rejected Ao Li Wei's offer in front of everyone.

But that was all there was to it. He had no way to continue to confront Ao Li Wei in that situation, so he could only choose to leave, or rather... escape.

Yes, in the eyes of most Lyra People, Jie La Er is now a deserter.

People admire his perseverance over the past decade, but also ridicule and despise him for his lack of courage to face reality.

So even inside the train carriage, those who secretly glanced at Jie La Er held such disdain and contempt in their eyes.

In their eyes, Jie La Er was someone destined to be abandoned by the times.

The Gear Train slowly came to a stop, and Jie La Er, with Tachibana in tow, left the carriage under everyone's watchful eyes.

The car door opened and closed, and just before it closed, Jie La Er heard someone speaking.

"He's called a hero, but he's caused Lyra a lot of trouble over the past ten years, and yet he doesn't even think about atoning for his sins, he still wants to..."

The doors closed, the train departed, and the conversation abruptly ended.

Jie La Er didn't react much, but he felt the hand gripping his clothes tighten little by little.

So he patted the back of Ju's hand and said softly, "It's okay."

Ju let go of his hand.

The two fell silent once again, and then returned to the small warehouse without saying a word.

To Jie La Er's surprise, Ina was already waiting there.

"Father." Ina rushed forward immediately upon seeing Jie La Er, her face filled with anxiety. However, she paused when she saw Tachibana. "This is?"

Jie La Er gently patted Tachibana's shoulder. "You go back first, I have something to talk to this lady about."

Ju nodded, then walked into the warehouse alone.

Then Jie La Er introduced her to Ina: "She is Eric's daughter."

"... Uncle Eric?"

Ina's expression became complicated. She clearly remembered Eric and wanted to know about Tachibana's situation, but she also knew what was most important right now. Before she could speak, Jie La Er spoke first.

How did you know I was here?

"The Skeleton Corps told me," Ina whispered. "Did they already know you were here?"

"No." Jie La Er shook his head. "Ao Li Wei told them. Ao Li Wei only found out today, because he only gained that power today."

Ina's expression turned grim. "You mean..."

"Yes," Jie La Er said softly. "Ao Li Wei now possesses a certain degree of divinity, as evidenced by the fact that all Lyra People can hear his voice."

Possessing a certain degree of divinity...

Ina never imagined that a mortal could wield the power of a god.

"Could it be those corpses from last night?" This was the only possibility Ina could think of.

Jie La Er nodded.

The information about divinity was naturally given to Jie La Er by Bai Wei.

Ao Li Wei is now the most powerful being in Lyra besides the two true gods.

Before those two true gods awakened, the entire Lyra was an extension of his eyes and ears.

He was naturally able to find everything related to Jie La Er.

Of course, the presence of Bai Wei can reduce the effect of such one-sided spying to some extent, but not completely.

If he were to fully intervene, Ao Li Wei would very likely become aware of Bai Wei's presence.

"Father..." Ina asked, "Are all the things Ao Li Wei said earlier true?"

As a father, Jie La Er naturally knew what Ina meant by "those things" when she asked.

It was naturally the influence of the Lyra God.

Jie La Er also got the answer to this question from Bai Wei.

"Yes," Jie La Er said softly, "It's all true."

Ina, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope that Ao Li Wei was lying, received the same answer from Jie La Er, and the last glimmer of hope in her eyes vanished.

"Then... if that New God descends, will everything be alright?" Ina asked softly.

"I don't know, Ina." Jie La Er shook his head. At this moment, he didn't want to lie to his daughter. "After the New God descends, what changes will occur to Lyra, whether for better or worse? That's a matter for the future, and no one can say for sure. But what I do know is that the process of the New God's descent will cost many people their lives."

How many people?

"One third."

"... a district?"

"No, one-third of the Lyra."

Upon hearing this, Ina's body swayed involuntarily.

One-third of the Lyra —that's such a huge number that Ina didn't even dare to think about it.

"... But no one will believe you."

"Yes," Jie La Er said softly. "I know."

The father and daughter fell into a long silence once again.

After an unknown amount of time, Ina finally raised her head and looked into Jie La Er's eyes.

"Let's leave here, Father."

Click.

The heavy door was pulled open.

Blood gushed out like a tidal wave, and a wave of scorching heat rushed towards them, instantly raising the temperature of the entire room considerably.

Behind that gate was a heart, several meters in diameter, beating slightly.

The heart has a very strange shape.

It looks as if it was cut off from top to bottom with a knife, and then the knife stopped when only one-third of it remained. This makes it look like a heart split in two, or like two separate hearts with only a small part connected together.

Whether it's one or two, the differences between the two parts are very obvious. One beating vigorously, like a healthy young person, while the other appears dim and weak, like an old person in their twilight years.

"How beautiful!"

Ao Li Wei stood before this enormous heart and spoke softly.

This is the core part of the Tower of Babel.

There were more than twenty people in the room, all of whom, except for Ao Li Wei, were wearing heavy protective suits.

"Beauty?"

Next to Ao Li Wei was Huo Ge Ni, who seemed somewhat puzzled by Ao Li Wei's description.

"Yes," Ao Li Wei said calmly, "Isn't the battle between gods beautiful?"

"If that's the case..." Huo Ge Ni also looked at it carefully, and then said with a smile, "It is indeed beautiful. There are many people who will never see such a scene in their entire lives."

"Heh, yeah." Ao Li Wei looked at Huo Ge Ni. "How much time do we have left?"

"Twenty hours," Huo Ge Ni said. "According to our calculations, in twenty hours, Lyra will be completely killed by the Lord, who will then be reborn on Lyra's corpse and descend into this world."

"Ah, only twenty hours left?" Ao Li Wei looked at the weak part of his heart and said softly, "In twenty hours, the commander will arrive, and we will accomplish a feat that no one in this world has ever done before—to kill the god of war."

"Yes, Your Bishop the Pope." Huo Ge Ni gave Ao Li Wei a solemn bow. "From this day forward, you will be remembered in history."

Ao Li Wei did not refuse the title "Your Majesty," but simply smiled faintly before looking at the "people" behind Huo Ge Ni: "Isn't it about time?"

As soon as Ao Li Wei finished speaking, one of the men walked straight toward the robust heart area.

As he approached, the divine power dissolved the protective barriers around him.

So his clothes melted away, his skin melted away, even his flesh and bones melted away, but he did not stop at all, and walked to his heart, and was then swallowed by his heart.

In an instant, the heartbeat on one side became stronger, while the heartbeat on the other side weakened further.

"We must strictly control the timing of resupply." Ao Li Wei looked at the rows of "stimulants" behind him and said calmly, "Even for the Lord, taking too much of this at once can easily cause problems. I don't want to take over a ruin where nothing is left."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Huo Ge Ni nodded. "I will keep a close watch on things. I will stay here until the Lord awakens."

Ao Li Wei nodded slightly. "Then I'll leave it to you. I still need to keep an eye on that guy."

"You mean Jie La Er?" Huo Ge Ni, somewhat surprised. "Do you still need to worry about him now?"

"Just a little bit of caution," Ao Li Wei said casually, then walked out of the room.

He didn't explain it clearly to Huo Ge Ni.

With his current power, theoretically, the only place in the Lyra that is not affected by him or perceived by him is this room, because of the existence of the gods.

But the problem is, Jie La Er has one too.

Although he wasn't as powerful as he was here, Ao Li Wei's influence on Jie La Er was indeed limited; otherwise, he would have made Jie La Er kneel down in the conference hall.

... Is it because of that eye?

That's probably the only possibility.

Visas' Corpse Pieces... they're truly something to look forward to.

But...

Ao Li Wei slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

When the New God descends tomorrow, that eye will surely be his.

Ao Li Wei left.

Huo Ge Ni then turned his attention back to his heart.

His next task was simple and tedious: every hour, he would send a divine puppet into the heart of the New God to "replenish" Him, ensuring that He could kill Lyra within twenty hours.

In fact, such supplies are not safe, because these divine corpses are chaotic and uncontrollable.

Such forced growth may indeed make the New God stronger in a short period of time, but it will also make him more violent, and the harm he brings when he descends may also be doubled.

This is what Ao Li Wei had said earlier: if all these corpses were allowed to enter at the same time, the New God might completely lose his mind and destroy the entire Lyra upon his arrival.

So, does this mean he has the power to destroy Lyra?

Thinking about this gave Huo Ge Ni a bloodthirsty thrill and excitement.

Tsk... I'd better not think about it too much. Destroying the Lyra won't do him any good either.

He shook his head, dismissing the crazy idea, and then, as he prepared to examine the condition of the divine corpses, he suddenly felt that something was amiss.

Huo Ge Ni observed for a moment, and then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Because he discovered that all the divine corpses had been facing him without him noticing, and the black lenses on their masks were reflecting his face from all directions.

Something's not right!

Huo Ge Ni instinctively tried to leave, but a divine corpse behind him suddenly stepped forward and covered his mouth.

The remaining divine corpses acted at the same time, seizing his various limbs.

These divine corpses are rigid and unable to make any further movements, like restricted contaminants that can only pull and tug.

But ironically, they possess the same power as pollutants.

So I swiped it.

Huo Ge Ni was then brutally torn into countless pieces.

Flesh and internal organs fell off together.

In an instant, he was killed in the most cruel way, without even being able to utter a cry of pain.

After Huo Ge Ni's death, one of the divine corpses removed his mask, revealing a deathly pale, chinless face.

But the tongue inside the mouth remains flexible.

Bai Wei slowly turned around, looked at the weak heart, and forced a smile.

The cost of [Domination] is rapidly melting this divine remnant; he can now issue at most one command.

He didn't speak immediately, but slowly stepped forward to the weak heart, and then slowly raised his hand to stroke it.

The scorching heat relentlessly devoured his pale hand, causing his skin, flesh, and bones to melt away rapidly.

But Bai Wei seemed to feel no pain at all, and said softly.

"To die like this is far too pathetic, Lyra."

"I think you're not reconciled either."

"Since that's the case, why not give it another shot?"

Before his body completely dissolved, Bai Wei chuckled and issued the last [Domination] command that this mutilated body could produce.

"Go ahead!"

All the remnants of the divine beings raised their heads at the same time, and then, with unstoppable force, proudly entered the weakened heart.

"Bang, bang, bang."

My weak heart beat faster and faster, like a war drum being pounded.

"Come on!" Bai Wei laughed as flesh dissolved, "Let's have another earth-shattering roar..."

"Roar!"

I recommend a book by a fellow reader; you can check it out if you're interested.