Chapter 212
It discovered rules of the deathmatch that even it didn't know, and right under its nose, it brought the audience to the brink of defeat, especially the latter, and the timing was very clever.
If it's done too early, the ritual will be disrupted, and the apostles will enrage and kill everyone, leaving the enemy with no chance to resist.
If it's too late, the Blood God will bestow equal destruction.
It glanced at the sky, where a terrifying pressure was gathering, and then calculated its own ascent speed.
It was just right.
Judging from the current situation, these rats will be able to enter the pillar of light before it leaves, and then escape together using its path.
They actually guessed that my goal wasn't to kill you.
It took a deep breath, dared to make a judgment, and then carried it out without wavering.
"This Kevin is quite a character; I'll remember you." The apostle offered the highest respect, even though it didn't approve of Yuki's style. "As a token of appreciation, I'll leave you a final gift—"
"All survivors, gather at the Skull Mountain!"
This sound was a roar, even drowning out the deafening the Scream.
Damn it, what have I ever done to you?
Yuki looked up at the black dot in the sky, wishing he could rush up and skin the apostle alive.
If you're going to run away, then run away. Why are you making things difficult for me, not even leaving me a way out?
He saw the blood-red pillar of light in the distance, and his heart, which had just settled, jumped again. Survival was just one step away, but how difficult it would be to take that step.
Ahead, figures moved about, and the Cult members began to converge on the massive Skull Mountain. Mai Sakurajima and Hiyori had little fighting ability, so they could be said to be waiting in comfort.
Behind him, citizens who had also left the arena caught up. The Thunderclap was an area-of-effect attack, triggering a deathmatch.
Looking up at the sky, it was ablaze with orange flames, like a pool of pulsating blood, and some irresistible force was rapidly gathering.
Besides, not everyone has arrived yet.
"Senior, how much further?" Yuki walked straight down the long street. Fortunately, most of the Cult members had been led to the other side of the circle, so they wouldn't be able to get back so quickly.
"About a kilometer, the pursuers have all headed in your direction. We're safe for now." Mai Sakurajima said breathlessly. It was both good news and bad news.
The senior students escaped the pursuit, but were then separated by members of the Cult. How were they going to break through the defenses? They couldn't very well go around to the other side of the circle.
"Find a car, drive straight over here, and wait for my signal." Yuki thought for a few seconds, made a decision, and also found an SUV by the roadside.
"Everyone get in, Hayasaka, you sit in the passenger seat."
Yuki was the first to climb into the car, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands.
Concept Enhancement. Extreme Speed.
A glint of light flashed, then he shifted gears, pressed the accelerator, and the tires screeched as he shot off like an arrow.
Ugh--
The street scene rushed past on both sides, everyone's face was tense, and through the windshield, they could see that the scene ahead was not good.
At the end of the straight street stands a Skull Mountain about 100 meters high, its peak shrouded in a red beam of light that extends all the way up to the sky.
But at the foot of the mountain, dozens of Cult members were lined up, with figures rubbing against each other on both sides, clearly growing larger and larger.
The oppressive force overhead grew heavier and heavier; there was no time to fight them now.
"I suddenly found myself back in Crimson Moon City," Hayasaka Ai said abruptly, her face filled with nostalgia.
At that time, it was a race against time, with blockades ahead and pursuers behind. The three of them drove the small truck toward the checkpoint and flew across it before the suspension bridge was raised.
At least the people here don't have long-range attack capabilities, and I'm not the same person I was back then.
Yuki felt a pang of nostalgia and floored the accelerator.
"Recall the incident after you're safe, hold on tight."
Concept Enhancement. Steelflesh.
Energy is released.
The Singer's White Veil.
The off-road vehicle accelerated once more. Master-level Reinforcement Magecraft, combined with the released soul energy and Chaos Item, transformed the off-road vehicle into an indestructible Tank, crashing head-on into the crowd along the long street.
Bang, bang, bang!
Even though the Cult members in front of him were incredibly strong, he was still sent flying from the spot by the impact. The SUV Piercer, crushing his skull, and the front of the car lifted up the steep slope.
Inside the car, Zhang Jin and the others were shaken violently, but Yuki kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Hearing another crash coming from the other side of the mountain, he slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel.
"Mr. Zhang, jump out of the car. You go first."
Zhang Jin paused for a moment, glanced at Yuki's expression, and immediately knew what he wanted to do. He then looked at the sky and patted Yuki's shoulder heavily.
"Brother, you're a true friend. I'll scout ahead for you."
After saying that, Zhang Jin didn't waste any more words. He opened the door and jumped out of the car, then rolled several times on the steep slope made of skulls, clutching his head, before stumbling and running towards the top of the mountain.
He has now exhausted all his strength, and the greatest help he can offer is to personally try to figure out how to return while Yuki Mai Sakurajima.
"Zhang Jin is a man of character; he knows very well what is more important." Hayasaka Ai glanced at the departing figure, without a hint of blame.
"Nonsense, otherwise, how come he was the only one to survive out of seven groups of players?" Yuki turned the steering wheel and floored the accelerator, the SUV swerving around the side of the mountain like a gecko.
Hurry, hurry, hurry...
He kept muttering to himself, his dying instincts pushing his nerves to the Limit; the Blood God's 'gift' was very close.
The front of the car rose and then fell heavily back down. With the swaying, Yuki finally saw Mai Sakurajima and Hiyori.
The front of the black sedan was already dented, proving that the Bloodlight City Cult was far stronger than the Living Corpse, actually using their physical bodies to block the oncoming machinery, and judging from the looks of it, they hadn't been killed yet.
"Hayasaka!"
Without Yuki even needing to remind her, the maid kicked the windshield away and extended the Death Knell.
Bang!
The last bullet rang out, ready to tear the car apart. The red-suited cadre who had dragged Mai Sakurajima out was blasted into a cloud of Blood Mist.
The killing intent on the entire battlefield instantly intensified; Hayasaka Ai had clearly interfered with the deathmatch and violated rule #4.
"But at this point, I don't care about you at all."
Yuki stepped on the gas, and the SUV sped off. He pulled the handbrake, and amidst a flurry of flying skulls, the vehicle suddenly drifted and came to a stop right next to the black sedan.
"Kaguya, bring them over here!"
Before she could finish speaking, Yoruichi the car door and pulled the blood-covered Mai Sakurajima and the unconscious Shiina Hiyori into the car.
Yuki glanced back; his senior's head was clearly broken, Hiyori had exceeded her mental Limit.
It's good that there's air in the air.
"Senior, cooldown skill."
Yuki didn't reveal the destination, but instead slammed on the brakes and sped towards the mountaintop again. However, the team was already in sync, Hayasaka Ai was enveloped in a halo of light.
[Light-Covering Prayer Rite (Master Level)] Immediately targets a player, reducing their cooldown by 100%.
Death Knell was fully loaded in an instant. Hayasaka Ai finally understood why Yuki had made her eat the Lucky Candy ahead of time, and extended the huge silver revolver out of the front window.
The vehicle bounced wildly, and everyone swarmed around it. She no longer needed to aim; she simply fired straight ahead.
Bang! Bang!
Gunfire roared, and any enemy who dared to stand in their way was blasted to pieces. The SUV crushed skulls and corpses, and all four tires were stained blood red.
The pillar of light connecting heaven and earth was right before their eyes, and at the same time, Zhang Jin's ecstatic voice rang out.
"Brother, touch the beam of light and then exit to return in two minutes. Come over here quickly, I'll cover you."
The secret had already been discovered; all that remained was to verify it. Everyone in the car was infected and was just one step away from survival, except for Yuki.
We can't make it; there's not enough time.
Yuki looked up at the sky and saw that the ripples in the sky had turned into spirals, and the burning blood-red flames condensed, bulging downwards into a large area. Looking at the top of the pillar of light, the black dot of the apostle had almost disappeared.
'The first main quest is slightly simpler. Players can team up to throw a fight, concentrate all their forces to kill the Apostle, and then return. The Adam is roughly equal to Adam; if you make good use of hint 4, you can gang up on him and kill him.'
'Main quest two is more troublesome. The correct strategy is sacrifice: some players fight to the death in the arena, while others try to reach the light pillar as soon as possible. Anyone with even a modicum of strength can last for two minutes.'
A flood of information rushed through his mind. He couldn't use either of these two options. The former was blocked by Adam, who was absolutely unyielding and incredibly powerful. As for the latter, how could he possibly abandon his senior and Hiyori?
'Since the apostle wants to leave the instance, where does this exit lead?'
'This is definitely not the Blood God's territory. If it wanted to die, it wouldn't need to leave; it could just sit here and wait for the destruction to finish.'
'This pillar of light must be within the rules of the Reincarnation Game, so why do I have to exit to return?'
With the summit in sight, Yuki felt the world slow down as he frantically pondered every possibility, observed every detail, and calculated every second. Finally, he responded to every intuitive feeling.
Ugh--
Without any intention of braking, Yuki instead floored the accelerator, and the SUV surged up the steep slope, all four tires lifting off the ground.
"You idiot, what are you trying to do!?" Mai Sakurajima screamed as she experienced weightlessness, appearing from her perspective as if she were flying into a burning sky.
Hayasaka Ai and Kaguya Shinomiya's expressions changed drastically. Didn't Zhang Jin say that they should back off after touching it? Jumping from this height would be fatal.
Concept Enhancement. Ascension.
Yuki didn't answer, but instead freed the off-road vehicle from the constraints of gravity, propelling it upwards like a rocket and plunging into the ten-meter-thick pillar of light.
Swish.
Instead of being thrown off, the SUV seemed to fly into the sky, freezing in place for a moment—or rather, floating upwards, followed by a feeling of weightlessness.
"We're flying towards the heavens," Hayasaka Ai whispered. The feeling was unique, but there wasn't time to savor it.
[Main Quest 2 completed. Return to the dungeon to begin the return countdown.]
The murmured voices rang in everyone's ears. Kaguya hurriedly opened the door, only to find that she couldn't leave the pillar of light at all.
She's still rising, still soaring towards the heavens. Even if she could 'swim' out, so what? Would she just be free-falling from hundreds of meters in the air?
Zhang Jin was waving his hands below. Clearly, the Spirit Particle Communicator had been cut off. The city, a ruin, was becoming smaller and smaller. She instinctively turned her head to ask Yuki what to do, but saw the latter leaning back in his seat, staring at the end of the beam of light.
"Don't panic, this is another way."
Yuki was watching the disappearing apostle, who was also looking down at him with a very interesting expression.
Puzzled, shocked, incredulous.
The apostle truly hadn't expected Yuki to dare perform the aerial car stunt, and followed him in directly. It had been looking down the whole time, and when it saw Zhang Jin being the first to touch the finish line, it felt both regret and secret delight.
One mouse actually met the return requirements and escaped; but the other mice were doomed. The blessing was about to descend, and they would be annihilated in the countdown. How could one not feel a secret joy at the feeling of failing at the last minute?
"How dare they follow me? No, as a player from a closed world, how could they possibly break through the spatial barrier with me?"
The apostle was stunned. This pillar of light was the path to survival that Wu Raian craved. Could it be that the boy named Chun had deceived him?
He didn't quite understand, and felt that the ignorance didn't seem feigned, but the sky was already within reach, and there was no time to continue thinking.
"Fine, if we ever meet again, I'll get the reason out of you."
What kind of look is that?
Yuki noticed the apostle's strange gaze, as if he were not worthy to leave with him.
So where does this road lead? Is it the 'ascension' that Ayanokoji mentioned?
There was no time to think it through, because the burning sky had reached a critical point, and in the center of the vortex, the protrusion was constantly elongating, as if it were being shaped.
Sword?
The Khorne's Sword!
Yuki blinked, then a chill ran down his spine as he picked up Hiyori and jumped out of the car.
"Run!"
Everyone knew the object in the center of the vortex was in trouble, and it frantically thrashed its limbs as if swimming in the air.
Fortunately, thanks to the flying vehicle, the top of the beam of light was only a few hundred meters away, but the giant sword was already about to emerge.
"Come closer, hold me tight." Yuki spoke quickly, and Hayasaka Ai was already on his back, Mai Sakurajima wrapped her legs around his neck, Kaguya had no way to get close, Yuki reached out and lifted her slender neck.
The posture was very unseemly, but no one cared now. Yuki squatted down, stepped on the roof of the car, and compressed his legs to their Limit like a spring, snatching the Storm Cleaver from Hayasaka's hand.