Chapter 343
Is this person an imposter?
The Fool's Mask was an excellent disguise, but it did not increase Kento Nanami's strength. This one strike exposed his true nature. If it were Asura Witch Spirit, she would have felt tricked and gone berserk. However, the Witch God's reaction was very rational.
Where is it really?
He raised his head and looked down at his mausoleum, but could only see a large swath of mist rising from the bottom. He was somewhat puzzled as to why the strongest player was hiding behind the scenes, yet dared to let a bunch of minions fight against him.
To catch the thief, first catch the king!
There was no need to even consider it. Once the Empty Realm Authority was activated, he could simply use his will to go to the bottom. But at that moment, a spiral-shaped gate unfolded on the stairs, and countless green ghosts rushed out from inside.
War Authority. Ghost Legion.
Hayasaka Ai stood in the center of the group, and the ghosts that floated out formed a dividing line on both sides of the Stairway to Heaven, which also made the already Hollowfication Witch God solidify again.
The rejection reaction of authority severed the will in half, and the Witch God looked down with a gaze that was hard to comprehend.
It is an insult to have one's authority taken away by another player, and for the other player to use it at this time is even more laughable.
They had no idea what war was, no understanding of how to use this authority, and simply used it as a blockade line.
"Are you really willing to be his stepping stone?"
The Witch God muttered to himself, wondering if he had been asleep for too long. The Game Players had already been updated and iterated upon. Didn't he remember players always wanting their teammates to be scapegoats while they themselves reaped the benefits?
"Fine, since you're Isshin to die, I'll grant your wish."
The Witch God pounced down amidst the surging lightning. Having been kept at bay for so long, He was getting impatient and wanted to see how much these people could weaken Him by risking their lives.
Like a blooming cosmos, the shimmering 'Petal' turned hundreds of ghosts around into nothingness, piercing through layer after layer of defensive items and crashing directly into the three players who were coming.
Thump--
In a mere instant, Yanzhu and Yomi were sent flying backward, and all the remaining flames and nearby spirit beasts were annihilated. With a casual wave of his hand, the Witch God enveloped them in two orange-red magma spheres.
The temperature of tens of thousands of degrees instantly melted all living things, but the sphere exploded, and two people covered in charred soot rushed out.
Weak, but hard to kill.
The Witch God glanced at the pale-faced Hiyori. He could sense the effect of the Sacrificial Chain and understood that this item had limitations. He gathered lightning into a shield, deflecting the Roar flames, and then fixed his gaze on Nero.
The Desire of Fear.
The Rome was unfolding his treasure when he was stared at by the power of desire. He began to tremble as if he had fallen seriously ill. Fortunately, the ghosts that filled the surroundings used their rejection reaction to separate the power. However, not far away, Mena Ryougi pounced and quickly hugged Nero.
Boom!
The Thunder Spear shattered the steps, the residual electricity annihilated the ghosts, and the Witch God spiraled down, leaving a long, narrow afterimage.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
The light arrow came from the bottom, about to hit the super-fast-moving Witch God, when it exploded with layers of ice.
Click.
The ice wall couldn't stop it for even a millisecond. The Giant was rapidly shrinking, annihilating the so-called forbidden magic, and suddenly appeared in front of Yomi Isayama. Looking at the girl's constricted pupils, he raised his hand and cut off Chaotic Crimson Lotus's head, then turned around and slapped her.
Boom--
The sea of flames shattered as if it had crashed into a dam, and then a beam of light Piercer through the middle, as if it had predicted the enemy's location.
The Witch God raised his left arm, causing the pillar of light formed by the treasure to shatter. He glanced around and calculated everything in an instant.
The ghost formed a cage, trapping itself in the center. Several unavoidable arrows flew from afar. This kind of causal archery technique was quite interesting, but unfortunately, the ghost itself was too weak to break through its defenses.
The purple-haired girl raised her staff high, and the next Light of Annihilation was gathering; the swordsman spreading flames relentlessly hacked at the barrier; the little girl took out defensive items as if they were free, her blue eyes reading fragments of the future; the blonde girl sat calmly, doing her best to stop her own teleportation.
"A well-coordinated punitive expedition, but it was useless."
The Scatterlight Arrow was crushed in his palm. With a light step of his raised right foot, countless arcs of lightning annihilated the ghost. With a single thrust of his spear, he sent the swordsman flying. The authority of darkness blocked his vision and severed the future.
"In your words, authority is merely a qualitative change; what is truly invincible is—"
"It's about strength."
Boom!
Dozens of steps were shattered by the lightning strike, and the scattered lightning caused the defensive magic to flicker. Frieren instinctively retreated, only to see a lightning spear thrown at her. She and the Bell beside her vanished into nothingness.
How many more times can you use it?
The Witch God did not pursue the magician, but looked at Shiina Hiyori, who could barely stand. The girl had used the Sacrificial Chain twice in a row, and even using the Void Puppet as a scapegoat, the feedback from her five senses was unbearable.
Upon being locked on, his heart stopped beating instantly.
Swish--
Each attack cleared everything within a hundred meters. Hayasaka Ai activated her Bloodline skill to rush to the rescue, only to find that most of the ghosts summoned by the Authority had been wiped out, and the front line was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Without the War Authority, the Witch God's teleportation could kill everyone, but what good is the authority when the two sides are several orders of magnitude apart in strength?
It's unstoppable, utterly unstoppable; He is far stronger inside the mausoleum than outside.
Hayasaka Ai can see that the Witch God's wounds can be healed instantly; this is something that players have worked incredibly hard to achieve.
The ghostly body moved rapidly using shadows, and neither Death Knell nor Storm Cleaver could break through its defenses, yet even a wisp of lightning could make it tremble with pain.
The Witch God has his eye on her. Eliminating Hayasaka Ai will allow him to reclaim another authority, and without the repulsion effect, he can eliminate players much faster.
"Stop running around aimlessly and making futile struggles."
The guards had been defeated, Witch God was like a shadow, so fast that even Shadow Jump could not escape. As for his Gun-Kata, it was as laughable as a dance.
Everyone knew how important Hayasaka Ai. Nero, Yomi, Frieren, and the Flame Pillar did their best to entangle her, but apart from the light arrow flying from afar, no one could make the Witch God stop.
'Aren't you coming out yet? Once I reclaim my authority, the remaining players won't last two minutes.'
The Witch God did not go all out; as a cautious and cunning old fox, He focused most of His attention on His surroundings.
This is the moment when victory is assured, but also the most dangerous. It's time to play whatever cards you have up your sleeve.
'A person should have the ability to monitor the battlefield.'
With a casual flick of her wrist, she sent the Death Knell's bullet flying, and the scattered arcs of lightning caused the girl's left arm to disappear, transforming into bolts of lightning that crashed into Nero, who was trying to intercept her, and like a steamroller, pushed the players to the bottom.
This is illogical, and it doesn't align with the players' willingness to risk their lives.
The Witch God had the upper hand, but he was increasingly puzzled. Apart from the mist at the bottom, every inch of air inside the tower was under surveillance, yet the hidden arrow had not been fired.
The real black-haired swordsman is gone, and so is the pale-faced demon. These two players are clearly the real threat; there's no reason for us to stand idly by.
Could they really be enemies? But I haven't detected any signs of a battle. Given their strength, even Soulless Ones couldn't possibly escape my surveillance.
The Witch God, casually suppressing the players, suddenly remembered something:
When the black-haired swordsman woke him up, he displayed a spatial manipulation ability, but it was suppressed due to the difference in their strength.
"The concentration of the giant island should be able to be deployed smoothly. I see. They really are the enemy, using the stripping space to evade surveillance, and you—" The Witch God was no less foolish than Yuki, and the muffled thunder seemed to be laughing comically.
"So you're just using someone else's power to intimidate others, aren't you!"
Interesting, very interesting. These players deliberately created a mystery, but a lie is a lie. If those two players were there, they would definitely have made a move.
"Then you all deserve to die. I'll wait for their victors later."
With no worries left, the Witch God increased his strength, making the already shaky players completely unable to withstand him.
Divine Punishment.
Thousands of lightning strikes annihilated the fragile ghosts one by one, completely tearing the battle lines apart.
Lava Tide.
The Roar lava surged down the steps, forcing the players to the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven. Whatever was at the bottom would soon be swept up by the tide.
"Then reclaim your power."
The Witch God had locked onto Hayasaka; her companions were in dire straits, and a single charge would be enough to kill the girl.
Lightless World.
For a moment, Hayasaka Ai could see nothing but the inescapable aura of death rushing towards her. She made no attempt to dodge or defend herself; all of this was a futile struggle.
She raised her head, a contented smile on her face.
"Hehe, you guessed wrong."
"Even on his deathbed, he was still creating mysteries; it's so ugly it's hard to look at."
The Witch God could see the smile on the girl's face, but he didn't care at all. The logical chain was already in place, and the cause and effect were clear. To put it another way, she was simply trying to weaken herself to gain an opportunity.
But you are too weak; you don't have that opportunity.
But just then, the Witch God raised his head and saw a dazzling burst of fire suddenly erupt in the sky, his consciousness sending him a blurry image:
A black-haired girl, seemingly invisible and even forgotten by herself, holds a familiar-looking hunting rifle, pulls the trigger, and ignites the throne.
Huh? Why? On what grounds??
When the image was transmitted to the Witch God's mind, His first reaction was that He had been under an illusion.
To ensure the safety of the divine throne and to obtain a continuous supply of energy, the Witch God deliberately left two statues, which were then infiltrated by a player who looked quite weak?
Impossible. In front of me, no form of invisibility can hide anything. No, that kind of archery technique based on causality is not suppressed.
Only the Reincarnators are unaffected... wait, such a weak player is a Reincarnator, but the two strong ones aren't? What kind of logic is that!?
One guess after another emerged and was rejected, leaving the Witch God utterly bewildered, yet reason still guided His analysis:
This is a chain-like conspiracy, involving various decoys. Their goal isn't to weaken my main body, but rather to weaken this tomb?
These small fry are a diversionary tactic, luring me away from the divine throne to create an opportunity for the female reincarnators. That gun was used by the black-haired swordsman; because it's a level 5 item, it can be used by any player.
No, cutting off the corridor bridge was also part of the plan. With nearly half of the energy supply missing, the throne couldn't replenish it in a short time, and it also used its own guesses to hold back the three statues.
A new chain of logic quickly formed, but He still couldn't figure it out.
Did the players actually fight amongst themselves? How could such weak players be reincarnated? Even if they were reincarnated, they could still be mass-produced, right?
The reason is no longer important; what matters is that after so many twists and turns, the Witch God has heard the sound of the piece being placed.
General.
Chapter Thirty-Four: War Witch God
Call out--
A blur pierced through the mist as a black-haired swordsman approached from behind, carrying a black-haired girl with a bow on his back.
The two sides had only gone up a few hundred steps. The players' retreat was due to exhaustion and also a deliberate act. But when the man charged like a tiger, the Witch God suddenly awoke.
These are the real reincarnators, a strange reincarnator extermination team!
"Go back and put out the fire. The three players on the outer perimeter are definitely not going to be able to hold us off. Once the corridor bridge is open, our energy can be replenished quickly."
The thought had barely formed when He didn't return to His throne. It turned out that Hayasaka Ai had pounced on him, and He was the last ghost.
They were absolutely fearless, as if they had no fear of being killed by the retreating Witch God.
Unable to teleport, the Witch God had no choice but to transform into lightning and run back quickly, pulling two giant statues with him at the same time.
Thump! Thump!
Two Witch Spirit statues, fifty meters tall, completely blocked the long staircase. Their greatswords and halberds seemed to sweep across an army. Yuki held Hiyori in one hand and Frieren under his arm, not even glancing at the statues blocking his way.
The light of the Noble Phantasm grazed overhead, mixed with spells and flames, forcefully blasting the statue's attack back. Yuki leaped and slipped through the gap.
We're catching up.
The statues behind them couldn't turn around because Nero, Yomi, and the Flame Pillar had caught up; the Witch God couldn't summon any more help either, because the three War Orphans had the remaining statues firmly entangled.
This was a short but intense race, with the finish line being the rapidly burning sky. Drawing on his experience of escaping the first time, the Witch God transformed into lightning, but it couldn't outrun his own full-speed sprint.
One hundred meters.
As the distance closed, the Witch God retreated while attacking Hayasaka Ai, who unleashed her masterful Gun-Kata and Shadow Jump techniques.
The situation was fraught with danger; those few seconds were even more perilous than when she faced Adam. Fortunately, she already possessed a level 7 physique, so even if she were hit by residual electricity, she wouldn't die instantly.
The maid is like dancing with a ball of lightning in her arms. If she can't dodge, she uses Shadow Jump to move to her side. When her skills are on cooldown, she dodges with all her might. If she faces a wide-range attack, Hiyori, who is held in the puppet's hand, will activate the 'Sacrificial Chain' to make the puppet a scapegoat.
Fifty meters.
The Witch God sensed something was wrong. This woman was incredibly good at dodging, and her teamwork was impeccable. In moments of certain death, her companions would always use their skills to cover her, as if they had rehearsed it many times.
For example, the archer riding on Yuki's back, with both sides moving at extremely high speeds, somehow managed to hit his target with unerring accuracy, despite the most difficult shots being aimed at him?