Chapter 354
[Chaos] bestowed upon him the power of the Supreme Calamity Beast, Erebus.
The King of Salt bestowed upon Chloe, however, the true authority of a god.
Although his share of power was small, and he could not be considered a true apostle acting on behalf of the divine authority, it was enough to make the other bishops feel threatened.
On the other hand,
The Archbishop has never hunted any of the followers of the [King of Salt].
Because of the special nature of their authority, the followers of the opposing side are all consumables. Once war breaks out, they will embrace the enemy and turn into salt together, making them terrorists among terrorists.
Therefore, Chloe's sect has no high-ranking members or deputies; they are all human fireworks waiting to be salted, and even she herself is one of them.
This resulted in the enemy being almost entirely surrounded by soldiers made of salt blocks, with truly devout followers being extremely few and far between.
We are sitting opposite each other now.
A blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man, dressed in a suit with a floral shirt underneath, with deep-set eyes and handsome features, elegantly lit a cigar, flicked his gold pocket watch, and looked around with a playful smile, saying:
"Gentlemen, time is almost up."
"Now, let's talk about whether we've finished our work."
The Archbishop glanced at the other man's ever-smiling, seemingly masked expression, his black robes fluttering as he tossed the stolen brilliance from the Lantern Gem onto the round table, and sneered:
"Ai Huasi, no, it's more appropriate to call you Thousand Faces."
"You're still as boring as ever. This is the remnant of the key to the ideal state; that should be enough for you. Let's get started on the plan and stop with the unnecessary nonsense."
Thousand Faces remained noncommittal, and with a smile recited:
"When that thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, namely Gog and Magog, and to gather them together for war."
"Gentlemen, don't you find this interesting? That being granted me the power to glimpse the future and distort reality, yet is himself trapped in a cage. We hold the key to unleash Satan, and perhaps... we can even become Satan."
The man's tone was meaningful, and he deliberately paused when he said the last sentence, his smile becoming exceptionally bright.
"The ideal state is the promised land where our desires will be fulfilled."
It is obvious that even within the Cult of Disaster Gods, there are occasionally those who are "rebellious."
After all...
Who can become a bishop is not determined by faith and piety, but by hidden talent and resilience. No matter how devout a mortal is, he cannot withstand the distortion and cannot bear the gifts; he is nothing more than consumable material that will be scrapped immediately.
Although the power of the Disaster God naturally possesses the ability to tame and corrupt.
However, sometimes, psychological manipulation is not entirely effective for the insane and mentally ill.
Especially the position of Archbishop; apart from those who are lucky enough to avoid much suffering, most of those who make it to this position have endured inhuman torture and are all somewhat madmen.
Therefore, death could not restrain the thoughts and actions of this group of people; this temple was truly a place where ulterior motives resided.
Chloe remained unmoved; her thoughts seemed to have been salted away, and she recited each word carefully:
"This world is not ideal; only the power of God can give hope. To see the pure white paradise, one must first traverse purgatory. Our Lord's Eden will open during this journey."
As they were talking, another prop used for "ascending the steps" was placed on the round table.
The Archbishop remained unmoved; he didn't care what others thought. His goal was to devour as many [Witch] as possible within the ideal realm.
Among them, the top target was the Dragon Witch, who was severely injured and had entered a state of degeneration.
As for the Thousand Faces' seduction, he considered it a joke. How dare a mere servant covet the glory of the supreme ruler?
Of course, Russell was not angry about this.
Because the Lord doesn't care, so does He.
He can embrace supreme happiness by following the will of Chaos.
Another bishop tossed a piece of material onto the round table, and said indifferently:
"Prepare yourselves, for this time we will 'deny' the [Witch's ] miracles and usurp the possibilities that the planet has given to humanity."
"Ultimately, [pure white] will be overturned, and the entire world will be liberated."
The words had faded.
One by one, the pre-prepared materials were thrown onto the round table. The patterns on the back of the thirteen chairs glowed, and the intense calamity transformed into a tsunami, engulfing the thirteen materials, penetrating the thirteen dimensions, and becoming the foundation of each dimension.
In the end, the entire Tower of Babel, like a harpoon anchored to its spot, vanished in a deafening roar amidst the distortion of space. In an extremely bizarre way, it overcame numerous obstacles and entered the Ideal State ahead of everyone else.
I'm recommending a book.
Synopsis: Reincarnated into another world, an Earth fraught with danger, where Alien Race monsters and a mastermind are eyeing the world covetously.
If the materialized dungeon is not eradicated within three days, the monsters will extend their clutches to the stable society.
This is the world of "Leveling Up Alone".
C-Class swordsman Xiao Beiyi was fortunate enough to activate the system and was given the skill to devour the dead, thus beginning a legendary epic spanning countless worlds.
Regardless of their strength, all chat room members possess unique skills, placing them among the world's most powerful.
[Xiao Beiyi]: "My turn! Draw! [Power of Blasphemy] + [Power of the Shadow King]!"
[Gilgamesh]: "Earth Mother Goddess, kneel and worship the God-Slaying Mech!"
[Ninomiyakouji]: "Hahaha, with my 'Midas Touch', I can exchange any item for group points. A dazzling, high-class stay-at-home life is already beckoning me! Everyone in the group, come and work for me!"
[A Cute Furina]: "Why am I the only one who awakened a support skill?! And the success rate is only 0.0005!"
[Hoshino Ai]: "Anyway, welcome to the newbies! I'm Ai, who's good at brainwashing and listening to people's hearts. Please get along well with everyone!"
Book Title: <Sorry, Our Chat Rooms Produce Big Shots>
Volume 1: 328. Episode 7, The Final Sword, Entrance. (5K)
Donghuang Federation.
Great Xia, the Sea Capital.
While various cults of Cult of Disaster Gods have taken up residence in the ideal state and are plotting a conspiracy that will determine the future of humanity, nearly 100 million people have already been vaccinated thanks to a large number of cutting-edge technologies that have been developed.
It's already five o'clock in the evening, and the tail end of summer seems to be coming to an end. The sunset is coming sooner than usual, and the slightly cool breeze is particularly biting when it blows higher up.
The afterglow of dusk pierced through the glass of the Pearl Tower, casting ripples of light and shadow at the girl's feet, giving her hair a radiant glow, and reflecting the face of Golden Lamp onto the semi-transparent wall.
Ji Qianju's outfit is very deceptive: over-ear headphones, a trendy sweatshirt with contrasting prints, and wide-leg pants.
This rebellious and androgynous look is completely different from her usual sweet, cool, and sexy stage persona, and even more so from the Magical Girl known as the Golden Lamp.
The girl gazed at the city bathed in the glow of the setting sun. Her youthful, beautiful features, imbued with a resolute will, reflected as she held her phone, a smile on her face, and spoke to her family on the other end.
"Going home? Does Mom miss me?"
"Yes, I miss you all very much, but I have performances to do and the company's schedule is very tight. I should be able to come back in about two weeks. Don't worry, it's not hard work, and I'll bring you gifts."
The mother on the other end of the phone said worriedly:
"Little Orange, you're a grown-up now, but don't push yourself too hard, okay? I saw that talent show last time, there was a little girl who fainted from dancing because she didn't rest properly."
"Remember, even when you're out, you can't be picky about food. Don't refuse to eat vegetables like you used to."
"Oh, and I saw on the news that [Flow State] is related to magic, so please don't do anything dangerous behind our backs."
Ji Qianju listened patiently to her mother's nagging, and then said without any guilt:
"Mom, you're such a grown-up, why do you still believe in Magical Girl? Besides, even if the guesses online are right, it's impossible for all idols who experience 'Flow State' to be Magical Girl."
My father's laughter came from the other end of the phone:
"Haha, Little Orange, don't listen to your mom's nonsense. Your mom was so excited after watching the news this morning that she rewatched <Magical Girl Sakura>. She's just jumping around with whatever comes to mind."
"Alright, I'm not worried about you turning into Magical Girl and fighting monsters, but the national policy has been released, so you still need to get vaccinated as soon as possible, especially with the nature of your job that involves traveling all over the place."
The man paused mid-sentence, then turned back and added:
"And this Entertainment Industry is a place of fame and fortune, so don't wrong yourself. If anything happens, talk to your dad. If you're unhappy, come back..."
Ji Qianju smiled and chatted until the sunlight faded and the sun had completely set before hanging up the phone, a hint of melancholy on her face.
I'm sorry, Dad and Dad, I lied to you again.
But just as you care about me, the other Magical Girl are also cared about by their own families, so... I have no reason to run away.
In the ideal world, if humanity fully inherits that legacy, there is a chance that related technologies will rapidly expand. Only in this way can the problem of the number of Magical Girl be solved, and the masses be better protected.
At present, the Countermeasures Bureau has not found a way to improve disaster resistance.
The vaccine injected into the public is not some magical antibody, but a special kind of nanorobot that can remain in the body for 6 to 9 months, during which time it will absorb any disasters it encounters.
If the situation is severe, it will sacrifice local flesh and blood to gather the calamity energy in one place, forming a nano-sized protective film to seal off the interior and prevent multiple infections.
Even so, if kept in a high-concentration environment of hazardous gas, it can only help humans live for 1 to 3 hours longer.
"I want you to live in a safer world."
Ji Qianju's goal is not to go in for training or to become an instructor, but to join the action group and carry out the missions issued by Dream Weaver to find the civilization heritage that her side needs most as quickly as possible.
Unlike past archaeological discoveries, the revitalization of the ideal state will restore the entire civilization's region, and even the universe, to its original state. Anyone who wants to seize precious technology and knowledge will inevitably have to deal with local powers.
After a period of random thoughts, the girl withdrew the spell that covered an entire district, left the Pearl Tower, and walked along the Bund. She mingled into the vast crowd illuminated by neon lights, gazing at the peaceful streets and making a wish in her heart.
I hope everything goes well.
Nighttime, First People's Hospital.
Xu Ling sat beside the private hospital bed, hugging a small dinosaur doll, excitedly pinching her cousin's big white legs, and said:
"Wow, Tong Bao, look! Even the hospital TV is connected to the Flash Dance channel!"
Pei Xiaotong slapped her cousin's hand away and looked at her suspiciously. She felt that Xu Ling was particularly fond of her newly grown thighs and had secretly pinched them seven or eight times today.
After the little girl pinched it back, she complained:
"Now all that's missing is a leader endorsing the show and urging the whole nation to watch Flashdance. Won't the Flashdance contestants' fanbase increase several times over today?"
Xu Ling scrolled through Weibo and replied:
"That's really exaggerated. Qing Bao's Weibo followers have already soared to 87.95 million, and it's expected to break 100 million tomorrow. It'll double again in a few days. Top celebrities all have this kind of follower growth trend."
"But there's nothing we can do. Everyone's realized the problem now. Before, they complained about having too many regions in <FlashDance>, but now they wish they could cram seven or eight more into their own country."
It's a very simple principle.
Assuming that Flash Dance is a platform for nurturing Magical Girl, then the Little Idol who emerge from it and go on to become part of the world are likely to be future National Treasure, directly symbolizing the strength of a nation's disaster resilience.
It's like watching Marvel, where superheroes are always busy saving New York. If you don't have your own superheroes, you'll fall behind, and falling behind means you'll be vulnerable to attack.
Therefore, whether you like idols or the stage is no longer important at this point. What matters is that your region's "Flash Dance" cannot be inferior to others.
Netizens from all countries are now engaged in fierce competition, comparing their own Little Idol and starting a new round of electronic cricket fighting.
Some have even claimed, based on various intelligence reports and speculations, that Magical Girl have secretly replaced nuclear weapons as the new standard for measuring international power, and that they could become a trigger for disrupting the existing balance and igniting World War V.
Then, the person who promoted and made this statement was soon taken in for questioning, accused of promoting reactionary forces and undermining international peace. He was subjected to harsh ideological education and detained for a day before being released.
It can only be said that the popularity of "Flash Dance" is based on reality and has been elevated to an incredible level. Not to mention the Little Idol at the center of the storm, even the major bloggers and traffic accounts related to it are experiencing a surge in followers.
Of course, some people now believe that magic is related to "Flow State," but that doesn't mean that "Flashdance" and Magical Girl are directly related. On the contrary, some established world-class idols are more worthy of suspicion.
Pei Xiaotong curiously took her cousin's phone and exclaimed in surprise:
"Ling Bao, your Weibo account has 4.67 million followers! That's fast! I remember it only had a little over 2 million before, right? At this rate, you could practically support me and I wouldn't have to work anymore!"
Xu Ling pinched the little girl's cheek and said with a smile:
"Dream on. At most, I'll give you some New Year's money, but I can double your salary as appropriate."
"Let's not talk about this anymore, the show is starting!"
The logo of Dream Weaver Rabbit flashed by on the TV screen.