Chapter 458

"Don't overthink it, just do as I say and you'll win." Yuki's tone was indifferent. He saw the bald man's mouth gape open and remain silent for a long time, but he still turned around and went to deliver the order.

The reason the Judge sought his cooperation was primarily due to his absolute control over humanity. The Judge could not directly contact the factions within the instance, so he highly valued the obedient Yuki.

The red eyes swept around and found that the strange dust inside the bridge had disappeared. They were already risking their lives to cooperate, so it would be foolish to keep a close watch on them.

Very good, this can be considered an initial step towards mutual trust.

Yuki took out his Future Diary, pulled out his Olden Golden Pen, and quickly wrote on it, adding the last two specialization points.

The mercenary said something that was both right and wrong.

It's supposed to be performed according to the script, but you're the ones who have to perform according to my script.

"When did humans become so powerful?"

Within the illusion formed by the Magic Forest, a beautiful woman with long, pointed ears and blue runes painted on her forehead is looking at a round mirror in front of her.

Her long, golden hair was as smooth as silk, but the mirror-like surface, rippling like water, did not reflect her stunning beauty; it was a battlefield within the outer ring.

The massive fortress, supported by mechanical arms, moved forward relentlessly, spraying various projectiles in all directions. This kind of warfare technology seemed excessively crude to the elves, especially considering the battlefield in the sky.

A mech charged forward, propelled by lava bombs, and transformed into a spiraling beam of light that Piercer through the Dwarves airship, instantly blooming into a flower of fire in the air.

The death of the vulgar dwarf should have been a cause for celebration, but Elven Queen Raphiel of the Elves couldn't laugh. When did humans finally rise to power?

They're nothing but a bunch of rats, yet their strength has grown at an alarming rate. What's even more terrifying is that they have a group of powerful allies, each capable of single-handedly Armybreaker, incredibly strong, and numerous in number.

"What on earth is going on? When did the Great Game become so unfair?" The Queen turned her head and looked at several figures dressed in different styles. Without a doubt, these were all players.

As players of the 'Moonlit Demon Wolf' faction, these werewolves and vampires are really unlucky. One characteristic of the Elves is that they are extremely xenophobic, and no matter how hard these players of dark races try, they can't raise their reputation to friendly.

They were trapped in the Magic Forest, completely unaware of what was happening outside, and were utterly bewildered when they saw the scene inside the magic mirror.

Including that tanky player, they observed a total of three epic-level powerhouses. This is... this is utterly illogical.

"I think this might be the Judge," a dark-skinned man carrying a long sword stepped forward and offered a brief explanation.

"You mean to say that you and your kind are cooperating with humans to achieve a certain goal? And you'll leave once that goal is achieved?" The Elven Queen glanced at her sideways and asked softly, "Are you sure? Judging from the Root of Destiny, they're after those Tin Men. If they obtain the Tin Men's racial talents, humans will become even stronger. Combined with that fighting power, the Great Game could be usurped by a bunch of rats."

Blade licked his lips, refusing to nod. If he guessed wrong, the elves would unhesitatingly turn the entire squad into fertilizer.

This is the most frustrating part; they are confined here and have no way to contact the outside world, so how can they be sure anything?

Useless and ugly garbage.

The Queen uttered the most vulgar curses, never expecting these stinking assistants to be of any use. She looked into the magic mirror, pondered for a moment, and decided that making the decision was actually not difficult.

Yuki used an overt strategy, which was to make all races feel threatened. The growth rate of humans and this group of players were of course a huge threat. On the other hand, he also took advantage of humanity's humiliating history.

A group of rats hiding and scurrying about would be unacceptable to the fastidious Elves, let alone surpass them or even approach them, especially since these rats weren't using their own strength.

If you become stronger through your own abilities, that's one thing, but what's with relying on a bunch of helpers?

"What's the situation with the dwarf, the birdman, and those monsters?"

"The dwarves' territory is the closest, and they suffered the greatest losses. They are vengeful, and the Apocalypse Airship has already taken off. The birdmen are gathering in Sky City, so they must be watching closely. As for the Monster Race, I heard the Annihilation Seeker is lurking nearby."

A handsome young elf reported, his voice as gentle as a harp.

"A bunch of rats have stirred up the whole world; even if they perish, they will die a worthy death." The Queen seemed to be praising them, but she knew that these races were all looking to take advantage of the situation, and that humans were clearly targeting the Machine Race.

"What about the whereabouts of those tin cans?"

"Unable to be observed, but they haven't migrated; they must be preparing for war."

"No, can't those heartless tin can calculate that they are no match for these humans?" The Queen frowned her golden eyebrows, sensing something was amiss but unable to put her finger on it.

Could it be a trap to lure the main forces of each race away and then wipe them out together?

Her eyes darted back and forth between the images of the golden fleet and the Apocalypse Airship, yet she dared not stand idly by.

Humanity's allies are far too powerful. If they then drive the Machine Race out of the game and develop their own strength, wouldn't they be taking advantage of the beautiful elves?

Yes, humanity is too ignorant to know the secret of the Divine Torch, and may actually dare to ignite the fuse of destruction in one fell swoop.

Gritting her teeth, the Queen suddenly felt a deep hatred for these filthy and ignorant rats, and wanted to remind them that Great Game cannot be played to its end.

Forget it, the ignorant should be silently annihilated. Once war breaks out, no race will allow humanity to survive.

"Order--"

Splash!

The palace servants and warriors all knelt on one knee, making Blade and his men quite embarrassed, but no one cared about them.

"Activate Morton Spear, and we'll attack!"

Chapter Fourteen: Listen to this, you should thank us!

A single hair can affect the whole situation.

Yuki found it strange that, despite the intensity of this Great Game, it was like a curve suddenly reaching a trough; the fighting never stopped, yet acts of annihilation of races were extremely rare.

This is abnormal. At least according to the history that Hiyori and Frieren have discovered, hundreds of races participated in the Great Game at its inception, and many powerful races were annihilated.

But at this stage, the intensity has actually decreased. The killing continues, but decisive moments are becoming increasingly rare.

While dealing with the Judge, I need to gather most of the races and figure out the reasons.

Yuki never operates in a single thread; this is an implicit goal that he and humans cannot achieve on their own, so he needs the 'help' of the Judge.

They had limited time, didn't explore the instance deeply, and had little interest in it. They couldn't simply jump in after observing from the sidelines and use their powerful abilities to accelerate the process.

Neither scouts nor scouts could stop the Judge. Dio Brando crushed them all without even lifting a finger. According to the background story of the Reincarnation Game, they had already participated in this Great Game. Therefore, in the eyes of other races, the Judge, Yuki, and humans were one.

The threat was immense; a terrifying force was gathering around them, which only made the Judge more anxious. They weren't sure if any race would take action on their own initiative.

If so, wouldn't the Judge become henchmen? The plan doesn't include any role for the Elves or Dwarves.

Yuki was worried that players of these races would cause trouble, but as time went by, this risk never materialized.

"The more powerful the race, the weaker the players assigned to them—that's a brilliant tip!"

Because of their weakness, without Shiina Hiyori's unconventional strategy, players would have had little say in the game within the past month, and it seems they don't even have the authority to act independently.

"Players belonging to the Sirens and Insect Race should be very strong, but the Sirens only appeared twice before retreating, and the Insect Race didn't appear at all from beginning to end."

Fingers tapped out a rhythm; the two races and their respective players were completely invisible, as if they were observing from the shadows.

Whether they wanted to get a bargain or gather intelligence, Yuki wasn't in the mood to deal with them right now.

Death Canyon has arrived, but the mist has cleared from the vast valley. As for where the Undead that once inhabited this place went, Yuki knows better than anyone else.

Beyond the valley lies the dried-up sea, and beyond the sea lies the headquarters of the Machine Race, that steel mountain that resembles a honeycomb.

"No, there are clearly undead here." The Judge had been here before and immediately noticed the anomaly.

"From what I've observed, the Undead and the Angels are mortal enemies. Perhaps the latter eliminated them. You can go and ask them."

The person on the other end of the communicator immediately shut up. If they could ask, would they have bothered going through all this trouble to find Yuki?

"It's the smell of battle, don't you feel all hyped up?" That was Dio Brando's voice, and no one knew where he was hiding.

The script is only a few steps away from completion, so of course we're having a blast.

Yuki grinned, his voice extremely serious. "No, I'm very nervous. If a fight breaks out later, even I might not be able to escape."

The fortress's radar waves probed the surroundings, revealing high-energy fog in all directions; Dwarves, Angels, Elves, and Monster Race had all arrived.

Apocalypse Airship, Morton's Spear, golden behemoths, and patrolling 'Annihilation Seeker' —the humans and Machine Race on the stage are almost irrelevant, as a pack of tigers lurks nearby.

"Once you deal with Ikaros, you can return. I still have to deal with this ambush. Whether we win or lose, humanity is doomed."

"Hahaha, the friendship of Judge is hard to come by anyway. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you if you survive." Dio Brando laughed wildly, seeing it as inevitable.

The reason these races remain inactive is simply because no one is willing to bear the losses, or rather, no Machine Race will flee in the face of their onslaught.

He realized that all races were afraid of them, which was normal. Race representatives were extremely important, and if his squad was truly determined, even the Nine-Ringed Archangel would die.

Ideally, humans would fight the Machine Race one-on-one, but they are too slow, which is the price of acceleration.

"We can't afford to get into a stalemate, I'm afraid these natives will be tempted to intervene." Dio Brando paused, then said in a commanding tone, "Charge forward, force the target out, then you take advantage of the chaos to escape, it's that simple!"

Yes, it's that simple, but our entire team prepared for this moment for a whole month.

Yuki a deep breath. To be honest, he wasn't entirely confident either. For example, he wondered if the various races might take humans with them while eliminating the Judge, which was why he left a backup of Lucy.

This Steel Fortress inherited from the Orcs is just so-so; if it's destroyed, it's destroyed. And no matter what happens, I can always escape the encirclement, so focusing on clearing the dungeon won't waste much time.

Yuki naturally had a contingency plan. Neither his senior nor Mona could control their respective races. What he was gambling on was something else entirely.

The core secret of Great Game is why progress stagnates. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that this slow, insidious process, like boiling a frog in water, will only lead to destruction if we continue.

"Then I'll provide you with an opportunity to meet, a platform for cooperation. If you're stuck, I'll help you move things forward."

"At least, I can basically control the Machine Race."

Yuki stood up and waved to Slott and the others, who were numb from the enormous stage.

"Advance to the fortress, enter the absolute defense perimeter!"

Ignorance breeds fearlessness. Under the watchful gaze of a hundredfold force, the massive mechanical arm pierced the earth, allowing the Steel Fortress enter the canyon, which clearly triggered alarm bells.

Across the dried-up sea, at the edge of the horizon, a Steel Peak split open, and countless war machines, reflecting a cold glint, soared into the sky.

A dark cloud made of steel was forming in the distance, and when the image was transmitted to the bridge, it sent chills down one's spine.

The Machine Race hadn't left; their entire race was here. Their vanguard soldiers, their giant, squid-like ships, and their countless mass-produced machines—thousands upon thousands of their trailing flames converged into a single mass, like twinkling stars in the night sky.

The Apocalypse Airship circled overhead, Morton's Spear stopped, and joining the battle at this moment would be extremely foolish. The Ironhide Horde's entire race was fighting desperately, which was no joke, and there was even a desire to watch the show.

With such limited human strength, we can't withstand three salvos. We'll have to see how those powerful allies fight this battle, how they use quality to crush absolute quantity.

Thump.

The Steel Fortress stopped, and the patrolling chariots around it also came to a halt. Since the humans were not under mental control, it was obvious that moving forward would only lead to death.

"They were scared."

"Nonsense, humans have never been fearless creatures. Because of clue 2, I can't use mind control to make them charge forward."

Yuki stood on the deck. Beside him was a spatial rift, and Dio Brando was looking at him with his arms crossed in the standard JoJo Pose.

"You just wanted the humans to issue a declaration of war, and then wait for the Machine Race to accept it, right? That condition has been met."

The Great Game between races is sacred, inescapable, and brooks no interference from a third party, unless that third party is an accomplice of the race participating in the game.

In this backstory, Yuki experimented on the Orcs, and the humans who came from afar abandoned their tactics. Now, the Machine Race has chosen to fight, and the game has begun.

This isn't a hint or a restriction on players; it's more like a rule for the faction within the instance. You can lose, you can win, you can draw, but you absolutely cannot do nothing and immediately start using the "golden" item.

"Ha, you are indeed very clever." Dio Brando grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth. "But I'd like to know, why would the Machine Race, renowned for their calculations, accept the challenge?"

"Perhaps they have too much stuff in their lair to move, or perhaps they feel embarrassed to be challenged by humans. You can ask them yourself for the specific reason." Yuki retorted casually. These questions were inexplicable and did not need his explanation. He simply raised his right hand and pointed into the distance.

"She's among them. Now you should figure out how to fight her."

The Judge has a special ability: to accurately distinguish between players and story characters, and if all conditions are met, even their faction.

Despite the countless Machine Race blocking his way, Dio Brando could still sense the players' presence.

With her there, given the hostility of this group of junkies, there's no way they'd obediently hand over the person.

Dio Brando grinned, revealing sharp, white teeth. "Simple, charge in together, crush these scrap metal, and surround and kill her."

"Including me? This isn't what we agreed on." Yuki frowned immediately. He was only responsible for issuing the challenge and then drawing out Ikaros.

The task is complete; it's time for a refresh.

"If you don't go, how can they go? If they don't go, how can the battlefield be chaotic? If the battlefield isn't chaotic, how can you run away?" Dio Brando looked like he had no room for negotiation. He had already used his stand-in to send his subordinates to the front line. How could this powerful melee fighter leave?

"Don't worry, you guys just need to draw the fire, you won't be the main character."

Dark clouds were approaching from afar, and there was no time to think. Yuki solemnly and pressed the communicator button.

"Forward! Everyone back inside the fortress! Shields at maximum power! We won't lose!"

Almost under his pressure, the patrolling chariots were retrieved, while the Steel Fortress forward. A male and a female Judge appeared beside Yuki, serving both surveillance and assistance.

A pale yellow defensive shield unfolded, Yuki saw the male Judge display hundreds of black command flags, while the female Judge raised their hands, making the air in front of them incredibly viscous.

Are you a player who specializes in defense?

Yuki unmoved. As a martial artist who only knew how to use his fists, he was naturally powerless in the face of this vast battlefield, so he stared at the countless stars unfolding in the sky.