God against god

"General", Du Tiancheng.

Beneath the water curtain of [Azure Sea Sky Dome], the only "Tier 5" and God of Power in the current version, "General," appeared before the "Emperor."

The two deities, who had risen from the Deity of "Player," stood face to face, yet remained utterly calm.

How did you get here?

The emperor looked at the general and asked.

The general spoke in a low voice, "Like you, as a 'Player,' you accepted the team invitation... You're not the only one who is both a 'Player' and Deity."

After Lin Yu briefly left this [Instance] space, he used the [Team-up Card] again in the God of Game' Divine Kingdom.

Therefore, when he returned to the [Instance]... it was only natural that the "General," as a teammate, could also appear here.

"You seem to have misunderstood something, General," the Emperor began. "I didn't come through a 'group invitation.' I'm part of this [Instance], chosen by the 'Diviner.'"

"If I were here as a 'Player,' how could I possibly still be able to wield 'Authority' at will?"

At this point, the emperor paused for a moment.

"So, you are actually... unable to wield the power of your Authority right now, General."

"You want to kill me now? That's a pipe dream."

The general shook his head upon hearing the emperor's words.

"You've misjudged too," the "Emperor"... Although I came as a "Player," I, like you, am capable of wielding Authority.

As he spoke, the "general" stretched out his hand and pointed at the "emperor."

"If you don't believe me... then try it for yourself."

The emperor looked at the general, raised his long sword, and turned the blade that was originally aimed at Lin Yu towards the general.

"Then I... will give it a try."

As soon as the words were spoken, the bell rang again!

The struggle for "conquest" and "Domination" unfolds, with the purest Authority and authority pressing down on the "general."

There are no superfluous means, only the purest Authority.

After all, the emperor was well aware of the general's Authority.

"Power"—before such Authority, any superfluous actions or embellishments are meaningless.

When that overwhelming power of "conquest" pressed down on him, the general's response was quite simple.

The power of "strength" also surged from his body!

There were no unnecessary clashes, no collisions of Supernatural System or [Item], only the purest clash between "Authority" and "Authority".

The energy released from the collision alone, even under the general's conscious control, nearly knocked Lin Yu over.

If it weren't for the unfolding of [Azure Sea Sky Dome], the collision between these two Deity would have been enough to undo Tengshe's previous efforts and cause this final spatial structure to collapse.

Just from the names, you can tell that "power" and "conquest" are direct, brutal, and violent forms of Authority.

Not all battles between Deity are so simple and brutal, involving a direct clash of Authority and power.

But...

The God of Power and the god of conquest, the emperor and the general—it will surely be so!

"I had long anticipated that we would clash, and today's outcome... is not far from what I expected!"

"You can indeed invoke the power of your Authority, how do you do that?"

The emperor looked at the general and asked.

The general stood tall and straight, looking directly at the emperor. "I have no obligation to answer your questions."

"As you would say, Du Tiancheng," the emperor continued, "But... you are already Deity, why do you still strive so desperately?"

"You are no longer on the same level of existence as any of the mortals here, not even Demigod... Why would you oppose me for their sake?"

The general said coldly, "Is wielding Authority and becoming Deity just to put yourself on a pedestal? There may be differences in the levels of life, but these differences are definitely not about 'high or low, noble or base'... Whether you call them mortals or Demigod, in my opinion, I would rather call them 'comrades' and 'the masses'."

"My original intention will not change... But I'd like to ask you, am I prepared to sacrifice myself here? Do you? Emperor... do you?"

The emperor said in a low voice, "I also have [this], Du Tiancheng. Don't think that only you are great and noble. I did these things not for personal gain... I am already Deity. What personal gain could I possibly have in doing these things?"

"I simply believe that you are on the wrong path—by doing this, you cannot save everyone; in the end, you will only cause the deaths of all living beings in the world and all sentient beings in the Ten Realms."

"You think you're great and right... but in my eyes, you're nothing but laughable and pathetic—as Deity, you should face reality."

"The 'Death game' is irreversible—do you really think you can delay it? Even if you do delay... what's the point?"

The general was slightly surprised upon hearing the emperor's words.

"So that's what you meant... I thought you were just pretending to be a 'Player' from the Previous Version, but now it seems you really have seen me before..."

As he spoke, the general answered the question earnestly, "I believe I can stall for time. I, we, and millions of other 'Player,' will eventually be able to resolve this 'Death game' over a long period of time."

The emperor sighed, "Foolish! Why did you treat the 'Death game' as an enemy, as a problem to be solved...?"

"Our starting points are different, so our paths will naturally diverge," the general stepped forward, "So... let's not say any more, Comrade Emperor."

"There's no point in bringing up the past. As for the future... fighting is more important than talking!"

His "power" Authority surged again, completely reversing the emperor's Divine Power!

The emperor, not to be outdone, also stepped forward.

"Yes, it's still unknown who is right between us, but... only the winner will have the opportunity to prove it all right."

"General, I will win this time."

"Even though you can certainly unleash your full power now... I wield Authority in two ways."

"'Strength' isn't special enough to allow you to defeat two opponents at once."

As the emperor spoke, he also stepped forward.

The power of "Domination" is integrated with "conquest," transforming the originally intangible oppression into a noble and tangible golden light!

The gold that had changed the entire sky color before, the gold that symbolized the "emperor," almost completely overwhelmed the general's "power"!

Compared to the "advantage" the general had just gained, the emperor's suppression this time was almost decisive.

Even a layman, someone who has never been in contact with Deity or Authority, can sense that... the emperor is about to win!

The emperor's power had almost completely occupied the space.

On the general's body, cracks appeared one after another on his light green vest and loose camouflage pants due to the pressure.

"Yes, that's how Authority works, that's how Deity are... I know it very well."

"Especially for the two of us with our style... it's definitely a disadvantage for one to fight two."

The general said, putting his hands behind his back.

"Fortunately, over the years, aside from plugging that hole, I haven't been completely without progress."

As he spoke, another kind of "Authority" emerged from his body and merged into his "power"!

The general, who had been completely suppressed by the golden light, suddenly burst forth with a blazing, dazzling, and scorching crimson color. The power of his Authority also solidified, pushing the golden light back inch by inch.

The emperor was taken aback.

"You... have acquired a second Authority?"

"Not long, but she has certainly mastered it," the general said, hands behind his back. "It pairs somewhat well with 'strength,' though not as well as your 'conquest' and 'Domination'... After all, this pairing of yours was chosen by her, wasn't it?"

The emperor's expression was solemn.

"So, what is this 'Authority'?"

"The power I condensed myself, compared to pairing with 'Power,' is now on par with yours, probably because it inherently has a certain restraining effect on you, a feudal Emperor," the general said softly, his tone carrying a hint of accomplishment, as if he had completed a complex craft. "The name of this Authority is... 'Struggle.'"

The emperor frowned. "God of Strength and Struggle, that sounds awkward... I thought it would be 'War'."

The general shook his head. "War and Struggle are not the same, not at all. War is a universal form, while Struggle... is specific, purposeful, and has a clear target."

"Struggle is about moving from the bottom up, from the oppressed to the oppressor."

"You want to 'conquer,' you want to 'Domination,' you want to represent all the 'Player' and even the masses who aren't Player, you want to bow down to the 'Death game'... You want to create terror in this [Instance], to elevate the 'Diviner,' and to bring suffering to the masses, all for the 'better future' you speak of... I absolutely disagree!"

I will Struggle you to the very end.

The general looked at the emperor, his eyes resolute. "You say you're prepared to sacrifice yourself, but I don't believe it, and I don't think so either."

The emperor brandished his sword. "You've said so much, but you still haven't won!"

The Authority of power between the two sides remains deadlocked.

The general nodded.

"Yes, I didn't win... The Struggle at the 'Deity' level is still undecided, 'Emperor,' I admit that."

"Since you say you're prepared to sacrifice, let's continue—next, it's time for the 'Player' part."

As the general spoke, he took his hands out from behind his back and raised them in front of him.

Do you remember how you activated your "Heart Domain"?

Before the "emperor" could answer, the general activated his "Heart Domain".

Behind him, Projection of numerous "weapons" appeared.

From exquisite swords, spears, and halberds to crude pitchforks and woodcutters; from advanced automatic weapons to primitive bronze blades; from massive cannons and missiles to miniature spikes and needles...

Various weapons were arranged and solidified within his "Heart Domain," transforming into controllable Entities!

"Authority... is ultimately external. As 'Player,' what we should ultimately rely on most is our own 'Heart Domain'!"

The general spoke with a strong, resonant voice.

It was less of a conversation with the "emperor"...

His words sounded more like a reminder or instruction to someone.