Chapter 374
He pulled the spearhead from the center of the Blood Demon's head, seeing the elegant face filled with astonishment. A strong blizzard swept by, and he glanced back at Misaki Shokuhou and the others standing in the distance, his crimson eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
Gurgle.
Misaki Shokuhou subconsciously swallowed, her scalp tingling for a moment. She hadn't expected that Yuki would actually crush those hundreds and thousands of monsters.
The female demon with the Aether Particles should be at the Monster III level, with rather unique abilities, making her a rare summoner-style player.
These players would hone their summons, hiding behind the scenes to launch a deadly attack, but all of these summons, ranging from extraordinary to Transcendental Grade, were crushed by this man.
A mental storm swept across the battlefield, causing summoned creatures to break free of control. Then, Yuki single-handedly broke through the enemy lines, heading straight for the central army.
This simple and brutal tactic left Aura powerless to retaliate. She didn't even dare to show herself, resorting to the Submission spell to gamble on the chances of success.
They're like clay chickens and earthenware dogs, utterly vulnerable.
My Killer's Book is already stacked to thirty layers, and I'm thirty percent stronger than usual. What are you going to use to fight me?
Yuki twirled his spear. Summoning players still need to advance to Epic rank, otherwise their numerical advantage is useless against overwhelming power. And there just happened to be a top-tier support player next to him.
Even he needed to drink Quiet Dew after the continuous mental storms, and once the undead army became uncontrollable, he would be lucky to be able to exert half of its strength.
A furious charge? Sorry, that's practically free.
"She ran pretty fast, but her judgment was good. I was just waiting for her to come up and die." Yuki turned around and slowly walked down the mountain of corpses. "You did well, Misaki Shokuhou. With so many monsters, if you had a clear strategy for advancing and retreating, it would have taken me a lot of effort."
"You flatter me. The people of the Aether Particles are not fighting on their home turf, so there's no need for them to use their trump cards on the demons." Misaki Shokuhou lowered her head, appearing unusually obedient, without the previous cloying sweetness. This was a sign of respect for a powerful figure.
"Mr. Li, what's the next step? Should we take this opportunity to retreat?"
"The Outpost's area is locked; you think you can escape?"
"This access is incomplete. We can leave as soon as we get away from the Dreadfort. The Demon Extermination Squad left behind an authorized user who can escort us out."
Satoru Gojo is quite a decent person; you can't find fault with him.
Yuki paused for a moment, but he never considered retreating. If he wanted to leave, he would have done so long ago. Even if the Outpost was locked down, it still wouldn't be able to hold him back.
"No, continue. Both humans and ghosts want to defeat them one by one, but I'm the one who started the snowball effect first. Their plan has already failed."
By deliberately disrupting the battlefield, the demons aim to defeat the enemy one by one. Just like at this moment, the well-organized player squads have a clear advantage, and Misaki Shokuhou and the players from several factions are powerless to fight back.
It's like a snowball rolling downhill; the victor in each battle keeps expanding their advantage, from one-on-one to two-on-one, three-on-one, until the balance is completely broken.
But just as the plan was about to begin, Yuki returned at an unpredictable speed, knocking the Monster Front out of the game with a single move. And then, with a bit of luck, the first monster he found was Misaki Shokuhou.
"Uh, then we..."
"Fight alongside me, no retreats allowed." Yuki glanced at her and saw Misaki Shokuhou first take a breath, then slump down like a deflated balloon.
Killing two birds with one stone—crushing Aura's summons was also a show for these players. Now that there's chaos, even if Yuki kills them, he can shift the blame. And players who have reached monster level know very well:
This Mr. Li is more dangerous than any evil spirit.
"You tell me how to fight," the girl said, resigning herself to her fate.
"I need to scan the battlefield with my mental energy to know the current situation and, ideally, re-establish contact with other players." Yuki had already planned this.
"Uh, if I could do that, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state. This wind and snow interfere with mental power, and direct communication can't exceed a hundred meters." Misaki Shokuhou complained, her voice growing softer as she was stared at by indifferent eyes, until finally she could only raise her small white silk hand in surrender.
"Alright, alright, I can pay a price to establish mental beacons, just like cell towers clear the fog, but that requires someone to spread the beacons."
Sure enough, there was a way.
Yuki obviously couldn't see Misaki Shokuhou's player panel, but since the girl could get close to Monster IV, how could she be helpless against this blizzard? As for how to spread it?
"Your Majesty, you must be very fast."
A girl with long, narrow ears, who had been lost in thought, snapped out of it and opened her mouth slightly, "W-how did you know?"
The girl was very nervous. Normal people would not want to risk their lives for the Demon Extermination Squad, but unlike Misaki Shokuhou, she was very worried about Miss Skadi's safety.
"I just know that you scattered beacons at Ms. Shokuhou's request." Yuki couldn't explain, nor did he want to, and looked up at the sky.
Despite the dense snow and wind obscuring their view, they could see the terrifying energy emanating from the sky. Two epic-level players were locked in a fierce aerial battle, each teleportation covering a distance of a thousand meters, with neither able to break free.
"Satoru Gojo said that Mundus was no match for him. When he was tied down, someone needed to take over the command, and I was forced to take on this responsibility."
Looking down, he saw Misaki Shokuhou condensing amber-colored crystals from the void, while the Tokai Teio, who had invested all his points in 'Running,' was stretching his body. Yuki's words were concise and decisive:
"With me here, we will win."
A blizzard blanketed the entire Dreadfort, obscuring the outside world from view and isolating the interior from each other—this was the core of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons plan.
The twelve demons brought a well-organized reinforcement, naturally giving them an absolute advantage over the scattered Demon Extermination Squad. The Dreadfort was too large, the blizzard provided excellent cover, and there was fighting everywhere, making it impossible for even Yuki to crush them all one by one.
He meticulously calculated every bit of energy, but the prerequisite was to control the battlefield.
"There are more than two hundred battlefields inside and outside the Tenshukaku, including more than twenty battles involving multiple monsters or higher."
"However, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has also realized what's happening and has increased its attack power. Tsk, another monster-level player has fallen."
The Tokai Teio ran incredibly fast, even surpassing Yuki's sprint speed. She was so fast that she herself couldn't launch an attack at that speed, but it was perfect for delivering packages.
Ten minutes later, the mental beacon covered more than 70% of the area. Misaki Shokuhou closed her eyes and, like a signal tower, collected the invisible mental energy ripples, displaying them all in Yuki's mind.
This ability is somewhat similar to that of Chabashira Sae from the Advanced Nurturing High School, but there is a world of difference in precision and strength.
How insidious! Hundreds of battle zones are so far apart that it's impossible to tell who's fighting. There are even demons attacking each other, and the area is full of traps, just waiting for any unlucky soul to come running at the sound of the battle.
Fortunately, I don't have access to privileges, so I quickly dealt with Muzan Kibutsuji using Soul Infection; otherwise, if I had been ten minutes later, the situation would have been out of control.
"416, you take the rest of the team to this battlefield. If I'm not mistaken, it should be some monster-level captain from the Demon Extermination Squad. Get him out of there." Yuki looked at the long-haired white-haired girl, her tone urgent.
"After retrieving it, the squad will be under his command to clean up this and these other battlefields, then hand the beacon over to him, divide into three teams to continue the snowballing process, and finally await my orders."
"Yes, Mr. Li, everyone follow me." The girl wearing a blue beret pulled back the bolt of her rifle, clearly enjoying the tough, disciplined manner of this soldier.
The Monster II player turned and left, followed by players from the Anthropomorphic Front, Demon Extermination Squad, and Ghost Hunter teams. After their practice session, they had finally developed some teamwork.
What's even better is that trust has been rebuilt, and once command is regained, there is no longer any fear.
Misaki Shokuhou turned her eyes to look at the pensive man. He exuded a magical charm that always earned her trust, but upon reflection, she realized it wasn't some Transcendental Grade skill or protagonist's halo.
Strength is the foundation of trust; above that, there is the ability to plan with perfect logic, because no one likes to follow a mindless brute.
"But more importantly, it's about self-confidence—the kind of self-confidence that comes from surviving countless life-and-death situations and overcoming all difficulties."
I really want to access his memories and see how exciting the story is...
Her legs, encased in white over-the-knee stockings, rubbed gently together, and her star-like eyes became alluring. Confidence is a precious quality in the Reincarnation Game, because no one can control their own Destiny, and anyone can perish at any moment.
Why is Misaki Shokuhou so horny again?
Yuki noticed the gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly. He was currently focused on Misaki Shokuhou, as it would affect his thinking speed.
"Have you found the Mena Ryougi?"
"Hmph, she really is a lolicon." The girl cursed under her breath, then focused her attention. "Found her. She seems to be actively approaching the beacon. By the way, are you planning to use a two-pronged approach?"
"That's right. On the one hand, we should accumulate small victories into a major triumph, gather our strongest forces together, and disrupt their plan to defeat them one by one."
"But if they do that, they'll also gather their forces, and everything will be back to square one."
"If I'm not mistaken, Sukuna will be back soon. Two epic-level characters are enough to break the balance." Yuki out, ignoring Misaki Shokuhou's screams, and tucked her under his arm, disappearing into the snowstorm.
"But that's exactly what I've been waiting for—for them to come together."
With her humanoid radar in hand, Yuki is slowly turning the tide of the battle and regaining control of the battlefield. Moreover, Misaki Shokuhou is not just a humanoid radar; her remaining spiritual power still allows her to control the battlefield.
A perfect match; this ability is truly a perfect match.
Whether it's intellectual decline or a loss of focus, even a Yuki when facing Yuuki can come at a terrible price.
Gradually, his snowball grew bigger and bigger, until eventually, before he even arrived, the enemy had already retreated.
Yuki reunited with Mena Ryougi, took Taihou away from the Golden Knight's Lance, and joined forces with Zuo Qianhu to kill one of the Twelve Demons. The enemies besieging Saito Hiraga and Terry Bogard fled in panic, only to encounter Skadi and the others who were forcibly breaking through the encirclement.
The blizzard continued to the Roar, but Yuki regrouped his team and they marched unimpeded, as the only one who could stop him, Mundus, was locked in a fierce battle with Satoru Gojo.
"Yomi, lead the Demon Extermination Squad to sweep through the area inside the walls and gather everyone together. Don't worry, they're panicked too, and Mundus can't spare the energy to command either."
"Kisho Arima, I'm sending Zuo Qianhu and Terry Bogard to reinforce you. Get your Dante out of here, and immediately find the item that creates the blizzard. If this continues, all players below the Transcendental Grade level will be wiped out."
"Tanjiro Kamado, evacuate the wounded. Extraordinary-level players don't need to participate in the battle; just wait for the outcome."
Even Satoru Gojo couldn't be distracted. After the Demon Extermination Squad was completely thrown into chaos, Yuki decisively took over command, as if he had expected it. His orders would not be questioned.
It was all planned out in advance, wasn't it? I underestimated that Satoru Gojo.
Yuki wasn't surprised; it was clear that Satoru Gojo had given prior notice and devised a contingency plan, just like the players from the various factions behind him.
Only the strong survive to the end. When they regrouped, the initial casualty figures were drawn up, and indeed, the casualties were heavy, with each player team losing more than half of its members.
This undoubtedly escalated the conflict to a fever pitch, so no one suggested taking the opportunity to retreat; the deal turned into a revenge battle.
If you're unjust, I'll be unjust too. Since you're biting me like a mad dog, let's settle both old and new scores together.
'Heh, they said they were doing everything they could to cover the retreat of players from all sides because things were going badly, but in reality, they were just using the situation as a pretext. Now, even if you told them to leave, nobody would actually go.'
Yuki licked his lips, not showing much aversion, because he would have done the same if he were in his shoes.
Those who dared to participate in the war were all elites from their respective factions. They suffered heavy losses but gained nothing; how could they possibly return home to explain themselves?
"The chaos has been brought under control, and the momentum is gradually being reversed. Even with this blizzard, they dare not and will not hide." Yuki raised his head, the light above him had been flashing for more than two hours. If he led a group of monster-level players into the battle now, he would probably kill Mundus on the spot.
Without this epic player, who will stop the snowball effect?
"But Sukuna's return is also imminent." Mena Ryougi muttered softly, still somewhat dazed. How Yuki up as the commander of the faction war? This doesn't make sense.
Yuki silent, which was the biggest hidden danger, but the dice had already been rolled, and there was no way to give up halfway.
"How long do you think it will take to come back?"
"I don't know Sukuna, but I can say it's very close. That group of people are waiting for you at the top of the Tenshukaku."
Manas Consciousness is calling the police. She wants to get rid of it now. Yuki has only brought the battle back on track, and the outcome is still uncertain.
As time passed, the Killer's Book was dropping, and the four-hour Limit was fast approaching, so Yuki stopped wasting time.
"Follow me, we're going to the top of the Tenshukaku."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped up the roof like a spring, his figure quickly disappearing into the wind and snow. The dozens of players exchanged glances, knowing full well that the outcome was still undecided.
"I'll go with him. I can't swallow this insult no matter what." Misaki Shokuhou snorted. Of the seven players she brought, only three remained.
"I'm going too. Those monsters in the Great Tomb are really tough to kill. This is a good opportunity." Saito Hiraga didn't mention any favors anymore; he was only considering the interests of his own team.
He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Great Tomb, and this time he was almost killed by that vampire. He didn't know when a similar opportunity would come.
Skadi followed silently, it was a hunter's instinct, Terry Bogard was even more excited, with the 'Battle Maniac' involved, he had to lend a hand.
Not to mention the Ghost Hunter, as his closest comrade-in-arms, Zuo Qianhu never thought of retreating and admired Yuki's flawless strategies.
"If we don't go, it seems a bit out of place?" Taihou scratched her face; the tactical armored deck was full of holes. "Mr. Li saved my life; if we go back, that girl will scold us."
"Mr. Li is an experienced commander, like a supercomputer that never makes mistakes. He must have a contingency plan. This reminds me of 'Commander'." The silver-haired tactical android was expressionless. 416 was carrying out the mission according to Yuki's orders, and as he said, it was turning the tide.
Commander...
Taihou's expression froze instantly, anger and longing swirling on her charming face, taking several seconds to return to normal.
"Alright, for that reason alone, I'll fight alongside him to the very end!"
The unusual movements of dozens of monster-level players could not be concealed, nor did they need to be. They climbed up the rooftops, approaching the battlefield of Eternal Night.
This was a completely open and calculated scheme, and because it was so decisive, the other side, which had just withdrawn, didn't have time to adjust.
According to the original plan, after failing to defeat them one by one, we should immediately concentrate our forces to help the Demon King deal with Satoru Gojo. However, before they could join the battle, Yuki arrived one after another and launched a series of combined attacks.
"With the public access medium lost, reinforcements from the Borderlands cannot enter the site."
"Food is sweeping the battlefield; they're already familiar with the terrain of 'Dreadfort,' and the Thunder Witch and her forces can't stop them."
"Satoru Gojo has unleashed the 'Unlimited Void,' and we cannot intervene until he and Lord Mundus have determined their victor."
"Players from other factions arrived, led by Li Dan. They re-established communication, presumably using some kind of mental ability, and left a beacon inside the Dreadfort."
"The Monster Front has left the Dreadfort; they've withdrawn from the battle."
All bad news. Yuki wasn't giving them a chance to breathe; he acted even faster than they could implement their contingency plans.
Fortunately, there's only half an hour left, so they can't cause any major trouble.
The exceptionally ugly Kokushibo glanced at the hourglass. This was the time for Sukuna's return, a necessary prerequisite for the start of the war. If both epic-level players from the demon side were present, how could the Demon Extermination Squad dare to start the war?