Let Me Take It from Here

In just a few hours, the Lyra had been transformed into a hellish inferno.

The once towering pagoda has now collapsed more than halfway, resembling a rusty sword that has been gnawed on a thousand times. The two gods, who were originally one, are now fighting around this rusty sword.

No, it shouldn't be called a battle, it should be called a slaughter. They didn't use any divine power or rules, and their descent was incomplete, so their fight looked like two hungry wolves or wild dogs risking their lives for the last piece of meat, their teeth and claws covered in each other's flesh and blood.

But they are still gods. The aftershocks of their roars can melt steel, their broken limbs can crush houses, and even their scattered flesh and blood will transform into hideous God's Servant upon landing.

The servants, wielding bones as swords, continued to fight for their lord until they fell completely.

They do not actively attack the human side, but their enormous numbers still cause great trouble for the Devil Knight who are trying to storm into the Tower of Babel. They have rushed into the main hall of the Tower of Babel several times, but have been forced back each time.

Because there were simply too many God's Servant in the main hall.

As the closest and most central battleground to the heart, the God's Servant within the Tower of Babel are like two waves constantly crashing against each other.

They charged at each other time and again, only to fall again and again. Their crushed flesh piled up and formed new God's Servant, which then continued their charge.

The charging Devil Knight used swords, guns, and every weapon at their disposal, but they could not completely annihilate them.

Because as long as the two deities do not die, the God's Servant who are incarnations of their flesh and blood will naturally not truly die either.

"This won't do!" After being forced back once again by the God's Servant in front of the hall, Ina had no choice but to stop this pointless attempt. "At this rate, we can't possibly reach Ao Li Wei before the last minute... that guy is at the very back of the Tower of Babel."

All the Devil Knight were in a heavy mood.

Because they knew that Ina's description of the final moment had two aspects.

One is naturally You Li's Sword of Order, where the Devil Knight are using their lives to prolong its duration.

Once the Sword of Order collapses, the Lyra God may very well descend into madness, and at that point, the targets of those God's Servant may extend beyond just the servants of the New God.

And the other final moment, naturally, is...

Ina subconsciously raised her head and looked at the battlefield where the two gods were fighting not far away.

Although their battle was still fierce, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Lyra had fallen into a disadvantageous position.

While the wounds they inflict on each other can indeed heal quickly, Lyra is clearly slower than Immortal in terms of healing speed. Although it appears more rational and methodical, it cannot withstand the seemingly limitless energy of Immortal's attacks, much like the God's Servant on Earth.

Lyra's God's Servant are humanoid, resembling warriors, and possess the ability to readily draw steel bars or iron swords from the roadside as weapons.

The immortal God's Servant are like more flexible and insane pollutants; their weapon is their own bodies.

The battle between them looked like a clash between civilization and barbarity, order and madness.

But the latter came out on top.

Once Lyra is killed by the New God, all their efforts will be in vain.

But now, they can't even get into the main hall.

For the first time, they discovered how powerless they were in the face of the might of the gods.

They don't even know if Ao Li Wei is still alive.

Even if Ao Li Wei were still alive, even if they successfully broke in and found and killed him, what good would it do?

Could killing Ao Li Wei turn the tide of the battle?

Even, is it possible to change anything?

They didn't know.

But besides that, they didn't know what else they could do.

Especially when countless comrades in the Fifth District were risking their lives to buy them time, the Devil Knight present found it even more unbearable to be left with nothing but to watch others fail.

"Keep going," someone said. "Don't think about it anymore, there's no time to waste."

"Are we just going to charge in and die like this?"

Are you afraid of dying?

"Who among those who come here is afraid of death? What I fear is dying meaninglessly! We are the last of the group!"

"Isn't that still being afraid of death?"

Listening to her subordinates arguing, Ina felt an indescribable sense of irritation.

She knew the team was in low spirits, but she wasn't good at handling things like that.

Back in the Land of Corruption, You Li, not her, was in charge of setting the mood within the team. But right now, You Li isn't here, and she's really not good at... no.

Ina also felt the frustration rising in her heart, and she immediately realized that the more this was the case, the less she, as the leader, could show any negative emotions.

Everyone can break down, but the captain can't.

In a daze, these words echoed in Ina's mind.

But she couldn't immediately recall who had said those words to her.

Is it You Li, or... his father?

If You Li or his father were here, what would they do?

Ina couldn't help but think this way, and then she really remembered something.

Long ago, her father had also brought her and her brother to the Tower of Babel.

That was when she was very young. She only remembered that her father held her brother's hand with one hand and carried her in the other, showing off to people as if he owned the whole world, while also introducing the towering tower to her and her brother.

"Let as many as we can get in; it's better than them just watching from the outside!"

"That would only destroy the last hope!"

As their argument grew increasingly heated, Ina suddenly spoke up, "No, there is another way."

Everyone looked at her.

Ina unfolded the map, pointed to an unmarked corner, and said, "There should be a passage here that leads directly to the top floor."

"Directly to the top floor?" The subordinate was quite surprised. "There's such a passage? How did you know?"

"... Because this was once a special passage belonging to the Night Star." Ina said softly, "According to the rules, in special circumstances, the Knight of the Evening Star can bypass all procedures and directly confront the bishop of the Tower of Babel."

The Devil Knight looked at each other in bewilderment.

"But that was more than ten years ago. I don't know if that passage was also shut down after Xiaoxing was dismantled... No, it can't be." Ina's eyes gradually hardened. "It must still be there. We'll go there. This is... an order!"

Upon hearing Ina issue the order in an unquestionable tone, all the Knight ceased their arguments and bowed in unison. "Yes!"

Ina nodded silently, but in her heart she was praying.

Please make sure you stay.

This is truly our last hope.

Fortunately, they arrived at their location on the map twenty minutes later.

And indeed, the passage was still there.

Only...

"What's this?!"

The first Devil Knight to enter the passage exclaimed in surprise.

Ina immediately followed, and after witnessing the scene in the passage, she couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

Because there are also God's Servant in the passage.

But they were all dead God's Servant.

They were piled up densely in the passage, their bodies looking as if they had been churned by a meat grinder, making the entire passage look like a mess. A viscous liquid, which was hard to tell if it was minced meat or blood, was flowing down the steps in layers.

"How so?!"

"Who did this?"

Why don't they regenerate?

A series of questions arose in everyone's minds.

But what surprised Ina the most was...

Right now, who else besides her would know about this passage?

No one in the entire Devil Knight knew about it.

Could it be...?

Her eyes widened, and she immediately drew her Blazing Fire Sword and charged forward without hesitation.

Ao Li Wei opened his eyes and looked at the figure slowly walking towards him.

"Oh, so you've come after all," Ao Li Wei said casually.

Jie La Er stopped in front of Ao Li Wei.

At this moment, he was emitting white steam all over his body, a side effect of the [Overload].

Jie La Er's clothes were also covered in the blood and flesh of the God's Servant, and the Chainsaw Sword that had cut through that flesh was still trembling slightly, making him look less like a warrior and more like a Butcher.

Even with such an image, it pales in comparison to Ao Li Wei.

At this moment, Ao Li Wei's body had been completely stretched apart.

It looked like a giant human skin, with the internal organs scattered beneath it, a truly horrifying sight.

But Ao Li Wei's expression remained calm, as if he felt no pain whatsoever.

"I thought you were going to leave," Ao Li Wei said. "This city has nothing to do with you anymore."

Jie La Er looked Ao Li Wei in the eyes. "Do you really think I'll leave?"

"...Heh." Ao Li Wei laughed. "Well, I have to admit, I'm not surprised you came here. You've always been like this...stubborn, the kind of stubbornness that can't see the situation or the future. Just like now, you came here, gave your life, but got nothing in return, it was all meaningless."

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that so?" Ao Li Wei twisted his body, and his skin-like form immediately made a tearing sound, as if it were about to collapse at any moment. But his expression remained unchanged, with that mocking smile always on his face. "Now that things have come to this, you still want to fight for Lyra. What is the point? You've persisted for so many years. Will anyone thank you? Will the Lyra God thank you, or will the Lyra People thank you?"

He gradually raised his voice.

"No one, Jie La Er, no one. Because in Lyra's rules, you are not a hero, you are just a tool, just a cog in the machine always doing your job. Would you thank a machine cog? Would you thank a wrench that's been used for over ten years? No, you wouldn't, because this is your job. Doing it well is what you're supposed to do, and not doing it well means being eliminated. Under these unchanging rules, day after day, year after year, the Lyra People have no wealth, no future, and not even the ambition to advance. We are born as cogs, and we will die as cogs. All of this is just so that the city of Lyra can function, so that the Lyra God can live!"

Ao Li Wei roared out the last sentence.

Ao Li Wei had revealed the underlying operating logic of Lyra City in this way, hoping to see surprise or anger on Jie La Er's face.

But Jie La Er's face remained calm.

"Oh... it seems you already know." Ao Li Wei gradually regained his composure. "But then again, you've already gathered so many clues; with your intelligence, it's impossible that you couldn't guess it."

Yes, Jie La Er already knew the operating logic of Lyra City.

Essentially, Lyra City was created by the Lyra God to sustain life.

He built the vital organs into towers, and then connected them with Lyra People.

Every Lyra People is like the blood flowing through the body of this giant.

The streets and gear tracks connecting the various sub-towers are like blood vessels.

The critically injured and dying Lyra God lived on in this way, using human labor to replace His irreparable organs.

That's why He implanted the rules into the minds of every Lyra People, forbidding them from leaving or doing anything superfluous.

In order to survive, what He needs most is order and stability.

"Since you know all this, then you should understand that I am the one seeking a new future for this city." Ao Li Wei looked into Jie La Er's eyes, his face still bearing a mocking smile. "But you still oppose me. You refuse to let this city embrace the future, you refuse to let the people in this city embrace the future, just for the sake of your pathetic loyalty... You are too selfish, Jie La Er."

"Perhaps," Jie La Er said softly, "But since you know the truth about how this city works, why didn't you tell him yesterday? Why didn't you tell all the Lyra People?"

Ao Li Wei's smile faltered for a moment.

"Is it that you don't want to say, or that you know you can't say?" Jie La Er said. "The Lyra God is incomplete, so that New God, that is, the God of Eternal Life you speak of, was reborn through the body of the Lyra. Isn't that also incomplete? Doesn't He need the Lyra People to maintain His body?"

Jie La Er paused.

"If He doesn't need it, why does He frantically devour the corpses of the Land of Corruption?"

"Ao Li Wei, stop with the high-sounding words."

"You've already said what you really want."

Jie La Er looked into Ao Li Wei's eyes and said, word by word.

"All that you've done is to cover up your so-called 'unlimited ambition'."

"You support the New God only so that you can get a share of Lyra's power."

"You don't care where Lyra is headed in the future, nor do you care whether the God of Eternal Life is a tyrannical god or a gentle god."

"All you care about is yourself."

"Otherwise, why would people address you as— Your Pope?"

"Lyra has no Pope."

But after Jie La Er finished speaking, Ao Li Wei's smile completely vanished.

He looked at Jie La Er's left eye and said calmly, "Does that eye really allow you to see this far?"

"This eye has really helped me a lot," Jie La Er said. "Otherwise, I would still be going around in the fog."

"Is that so? So now do you think you've emerged from the fog?" Ao Li Wei's body made a tearing sound once more as he reformed, gathering his power and arching his body high, looking down at Jie La Er. "Do you think you've seen through the truth of this world, and witnessed Lyra's future?"

Jie La Er shook his head. "No, I can't see the future yet."

"Ha, it's not that you can't see it, it's that the city of Lyra itself has no future," Ao Li Wei said. "They're too close to God, far too close. Never before have the people of any church been so deeply influenced by the divine as Lyra. One day they can believe in order and rules because of Lyra's existence, and the next day they can believe in ambition and freedom because of the ascension of New God. They think this is progress, but it's not, it's not at all. They've merely evolved from one tool to another."

"No past, no future!"

"In a place like this, who can't be a god?!"

"Why can't it be me?!"

He roared loudly, his words seemingly imbued with divinity.

Immortality has gained the upper hand; he can now reclaim some of his previous power.

So he regained his vision.

He saw the people of Lyra running frantically towards the city gates.

I saw the Lyra City burning fiercely.

Seeing the already battered and bruised Lyra God, who could collapse at any moment.

Seeing the immortality tearing at the body of the Lyra God at will.

He also saw that in the secret passage leading to the top floor, Devil Knight wielding Blazing Fire Sword were cutting down the God's Servant who tried to block their way, charging towards them, led by Jie La Er's daughter.

Everything about this city.

Everything was under his control.

Ao Li Wei gave a disdainful smile, then looked away.

Then a roaring Chainsaw Sword came hurtling towards them.

With a soft "pfft".

Jie La Er plunged the Chainsaw Sword directly into Ao Li Wei's head.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Ao Li Wei let out a desperate scream.

He wanted to retaliate, but then he heard four more sounds.

Jie La Er found four steel bars and nailed his limbs to the ground.

"Jie La Er!"

Ao Li Wei tried to say something, but before he could open his mouth, the roaring Chainsaw Sword tore his head apart.

Although the power of immortality allowed him to recover quickly, as soon as he recovered, he was torn apart again.

This caused Ao Li Wei great distress.

He just won't die, not that he won't feel pain.

"I can't see what the future holds," Jie La Er said, stepping over Ao Li Wei's body and walking toward the two hearts. "But I can see what the past was like."

He stood before the two hearts, his body hissing as if it were being set on fire.

This scene made Ao Li Wei feel a sudden chill run down his spine.

What is he trying to do?!

What kind of power is that?!

Jie La Er looked at the two hearts and said softly.

"You're right, if the people of this city can only live as cogs in a machine forever, then there is no future." He raised his hand and reached towards the heart. "Being too close to God is definitely not a good thing."

Outside the Tower of Babel, Immortal, who had almost completely killed Lyra, suddenly sensed something, abruptly raised his head, and looked towards the Tower of Babel.

At that moment, a human-like fear was revealed on His face, which was obscured.

He immediately put down the dying Lyra and roared at the Tower of Babel.

"Puff".

Ao Li Wei jerked his head out of the Chainsaw Sword and roared at Jie La Er's retreating figure.

"You want to sever Lyra's connection with the gods?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

His response was Jie La Er's gradually crumbling body.

The Tower of Babel was shaking.

The same was true inside the passageway; it seemed as if it could collapse at any moment.

As Ina was about to reach the top floor, she suddenly clutched her chest tightly.

She seemed to sense something; the intense unease almost tore her heart apart.

This familiar feeling.

Could it be...?

She abandoned the enemies in front of her and rushed desperately towards the top floor.

"Vice-captain! We can't move forward!"

Ina ignored her.

No, no, no.

She just kept repeating those three words in her mind.

Finally, she reached the top floor.

Then I saw that figure, now completely engulfed in flames.

"Father!"

She screamed it out with all her might.

But all she gave him in return was a smile.

With a "bang".

The passageway collapsed completely, blocking the last route.

"Why."

A soft sigh.

"Alright."

"Let me take over now."

I'm on a tight deadline, so I'm posting this now and will fix it later.