Chapter 468
The boy tried to take it, but Yuki stopped him with his hand. The meaning was clear: to sign the contract, he had to provide some solid information, some verifiable secrets.
The communicator is on, transmitting data synchronously to the Skywing Chief and the Netway Will through the players, since this ticket is not Yuki alone can decide.
The boy clearly understood what he meant. After thinking for a few seconds, he replied in a relaxed voice:
"The gods have left this world, but they left behind their offspring. During the exploration of some ancient ruins, I discovered some clues."
"They dwell above the Crimson Moon. In the beginning, this game was truly just a game. You can imagine a group of people high above watching the brutal fighting in the arena, where destruction won cheers, and death and bloodshed were celebrated."
"But because of something, the game got out of control. The Divine Race started fighting amongst themselves and were trapped on the Crimson Moon, while the gladiators broke free of their restraints, as if they really had a chance to obtain the Divine Torch."
Yuki listened quietly. The story wasn't complicated. The so-called "Divine Torch" for the victor was just a pipe dream. However, internal strife among the organizers turned the dream into reality. Fortunately, the rules included a safety net:
Only five 'Gladiators' remain to go to the Crimson Moon. If this hadn't wasted so much time, all the races would have already risen up to demand an explanation.
"Ask him, who is the Divine Race who spearheaded the organization of this Great Game?"
For the first time, Tianyi's voice trembled. Sky City had been damaged too many times, and these legends had long been shattered, but the story of 'internal strife among the Divine Race's still survived, proving that he had not made up the story.
"'God of War' Makuus, 'God of Weapons' Delitri, 'Immortal Spore' Mimira, 'Blood God' Dragushin, they all inherited the bloodline of their respective gods. Respected Skywing Commander, you should know whether I'm making this up or not."
Thousands of miles away, Tianyi remained silent for several seconds before, for the first time, he smiled.
He finally understood the true value of these assistants. For example, they could explore the past, something the Angels couldn't do, nor could they make the pure angels dig holes all over the ground. Some assistants were unparalleled in combat, while others even held the answers.
He marveled at himself for making the right decision; if he hadn't willingly been 'used,' he would never have heard these stories, much less seen the dawn of the game's end.
"So, is what he said true or false?" Yuki asked knowingly upon hearing the laughter.
"It's true, because the god who created the Angels is the God of War." Tianyi sighed softly. This was top secret and couldn't be fabricated, so he made up his mind.
"He knows what the Divine Race are; let's leave the last spot for the Insect Race."
"Agreed. After calculation, the intelligence value is higher than the combat value of the Elves. In order to formulate a battle plan, I need to know more intelligence." The electronic voice sounded, and the Netway Will also chose to agree.
Yuki. He wasn't some kind of prodigy; all his plans were based on intelligence, and he needed to know the weaknesses or strengths of the Divine Race.
He released his grip, presented the contract, and looked at the boy who seemed to have anticipated this moment.
"What should I call you?"
The boy quickly signed his name and joined the war against the Divine Race. With the double guarantee of the Great Game and the Reincarnation Game, mutual trust was established.
"Mr. Rod, you may call me by my real name." He bowed slightly again, his voice short and indifferent.
"Null."
It was him.
In the wilderness, Yuki opened his eyes. His Stand had already brought back the contract, and its expression looked somewhat strange.
It was unexpected, yet also reasonable. If it were him, doing these things wouldn't be difficult at all; in fact, he likely has extensive experience with it.
But doesn't he have a younger sister? Only Blank is unity, tsk, I shouldn't ask.
Yuki is almost certain that the players behind the Insect Race are the Blank siblings from 'Tiger Shark'. This pair are professional players, smarter than Ayanokoji Kiyotaka by several levels.
At that moment, he realized that the Great Game was somewhat similar to No Game No Life, or rather, somewhat similar to No Game No Life Zero.
"Do you know him?" Ikaros asked from the side, and all the players were entitled to listen in, of course.
"Not knowing each other is more like a tacit understanding between chess players." Yuki didn't want to delve into the matter. Knowing who the other person was only a boost to his confidence, so he waved his hand.
"He's still deciphering more data. Without our interference, he'd be more efficient, but the intelligence we have now is already extremely valuable."
With a flick of his wrist, a string of words appeared out of thin air. Kong, a socially awkward shut-in, rarely showed up in public. He was straightforward, offering only a few points of summary without lengthy quotations.
First, the Divine Race are not the same as gods. They are offspring and cannot be regarded as a race. They are more like family genealogies. In ancient times, the council of patriarchs decided everything in the world.
Secondly, they possess authority left behind by the gods, and their power is linked to the gods. For example, the authority of the 'Weapon God' is the creation of the void.
Third, they exert pressure on their respective races. For example, the 'God of War' is the master of the Angels, and the latter, as servants, cannot fight him no matter how powerful they are, and there is even a risk of being forcibly controlled.
Fourth, in ancient times, even after the upheavals, they were still able to control the world and convey Oracle. That period was known as the Agent War, where each controlled their own servants to attack specific enemies. The hatred between the Elves and the Dwarves is a legacy of that time.
Fifth, the Agent War lasted for two thousand years. After that, there were no more Oracle, and the Divine Race ceased to exist. The war turned into chaotic slaughter. Today, humans and vampires are allies, but tomorrow they will go to war.
Sixth, most races are evolving, and the Great Game is a process of eliminating the weak. Those who survive now are the elite of the elite.
Each one is priceless; if you let Yuki find them himself, it would take him at least six months, and the enemy won't give you that time.
The Divine Race are definitely observing the Great Game.
Yuki raised his head and looked at the shattered moon; they must have sensed a threat.
How can we accept that these toys, who were once enslaved and manipulated, actually intend to come into contact with the Divine Torch?
Where there is a threat, there will inevitably be action, and response takes time. Therefore, the void is of great value. If it really takes half a year to investigate, believe it or not, the Divine Race are already prepared for battle.
Yuki's specialty is to use speed to defeat slowness and strike first. As long as he is prepared to outmaneuver others, there is no way he will be outmaneuvered by others.
First, something is bound to happen to the Elves; they're a ready-made tool. But this is where the advantage of history being buried comes in. Unless the bloodline of the Divine Race who created the Elves exists and can unconditionally subdue them, even if the two sides make contact, they'll have to spend time outwitting and outmaneuvering each other.
Secondly, Second Cataclysm will definitely occur above the Crimson Moon, with the turning point being at the end of the Agent War, which will cause the Divine Race to completely lose their ability to directly intervene in the land.
Third, these 'gladiators' have continuously evolved because of war, at least in terms of their war machines, they have made great progress.
The moon must have shattered at that time, which is crucial. Yuki was never a reckless man, nor did he have the mentality of a Justice messenger to save the world. If the Divine Race were powerful and invincible, he would not have confronted them head-on.
Based on the results, it can be deduced that the Divine Race can win. In addition, the third point provides tactical flexibility. For example, he cannot allow the Angels to directly confront the descendants of the 'God of War' now.
Yuki turned his head and saw that Ikaros's eyes had turned red, and the pink-haired girl was also calculating frantically, even more rational than Yuki.
A few seconds later, the two looked at each other and made their own judgments.
We can win this battle.
Chapter Twenty-One was too fast, far too fast!
First determine if you can fight it, then think about how to fight it. That's the logical thinking of a normal player. Players who get excited and rush in when they see a boss are long gone.
The moment he received the intelligence, Yuki knew he was in a fighting position. With no more worries, all his plans proceeded simultaneously.
However, a few days were not enough for the high and mighty Divine Race to react, much less enough for other races to find alternative solutions.
"The Sirens has been found, and Miss Mai Sakurajima and the others are preparing to take action. Also, 'Storm Giant Whale' Mesodals has awakened."
Ikaros and Yuki flew through the air, heading towards the other side of the Inner Ring Battlefield instead of returning to the Angels or the Machine Race.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Elves should be keeping an eye on things, right?" Yuki smiled gently when the pink-haired girl nodded.
He had the game under his control the whole time. Why did he mobilize so many people to search for the Sirens, while only the two of them were searching for the Insect Race?
The Sirens was merely bait, giving the elves hope and making them believe that the spots were still available; this was only the first layer.
On the second level, Yuki wanted to use this incident to probe for reactions. The Angels had said they would secretly assist, which in a sense meant surveillance.
"That's where things get interesting. Knowing they might not even get the last ticket, they're still so calm. Even the most suspicious race would have to go all in by now."
Yuki produced a second intelligence report, which clearly stated that the elves and Dwarves were locked in a standoff near 'Doom Volcano,' with a great battle imminent but neither side willing to take the final step.
You should know that the Dwarves have already made contact with the angels. Their request is very simple: help them eliminate the long-eared monsters, and the great Dwarves will join their ranks.
This overestimates the Dwarves' strength, but it's enough to show that these long-bearded men are truly in a hurry.
Ikaros's eyes turned red, and after calculating for a long time, he asked, "The Divine Race have already made contact with the Elves?"
"I don't know, but the latter's calm demeanor doesn't make sense. Calculate the frequency of encounters between the two races during their confrontation."
Ikaros remained silent for a few seconds, then his eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly realized something.
"Over the past three days, the number has decreased by 5.17% each time, indicating that the intensity of the war is waning."
"Hmm, it seems the two sides are locked in a tug-of-war. The Divine Race should have started making contact with the Dwarves as well, but the Dwarves are stubborn and their conditions are probably the same as ours—either they get what they want, which makes things very difficult." Yuki paused, narrowing his eyes as if surveying the entire game.
"If the information from Kong is correct, then I can deduce from the side that there are no longer any masters of the Dwarves and elves among the Divine Race. In history, they were still alive during the Agent War, which proves that the Second Cataclysm caused the fall of the elven and Dwarves gods, and the remaining gods can only be lured with benefits."
Ikaros's mouth grew wider and wider, and she flew slower and slower. She found the man beside her to be terrifying.
While its computational power may not be as great as that of Machine Intelligence, it can always find a starting point and deduce a whole host of things by following the clues, and it can also cross-verify with various details.
Even if he were just an ordinary person, such a character would be highly regarded by all factions. But he is an epic-level player, possessing the ability to identify and solve problems.
"I suddenly feel confident enough to keep working with you."
Hearing the pink-haired girl's seemingly random remark, Yuki wasn't surprised at all. This sense of security attracted many people, and it was quite simple.
It's nothing more than power and wisdom.
The two arrived at the other side of the inner ring road. There was no volcano here, or rather, the mountain peaks had long since turned to dust. Instead, there was a deep pit on the ground oozing lava.
Two fleets were facing off in the air, hundreds of kilometers apart. On the right were giant flying trees, lush and verdant, while on the left were airships billowing white smoke, exuding the allure of steel and steam.
The Elves airships and the Dwarves airships, as the top two races in the middle ranks, are generally stronger than the Machine Race. Trying to forcefully defeat them would be extremely difficult for either side.
Therefore, it is necessary to use one tiger to devour another, forcing these two races to determine a winner. But at this moment, Yuki has already guessed that they are not the only ones who want to reap the benefits.
"After the Second Cataclysm, the Divine Race no longer had the ability to directly intervene in the war on Earth, so they needed to borrow a weapon, and coincidentally, I chose all the most suitable ones."
Yuki landed in a mountain valley, looking up at the aerial fleet. The airships and giant trees were all thousands of meters long, with two of them being the largest.
Ancient World Tree, Doomsday Hammer.
These two epic-rated war machines were positioned at the center of their respective formations, serving as the flagships of the Elven Queen and the Dwarves. These two races truly lived up to their reputation as sworn enemies, as their epic-rated configurations were quite similar.
In terms of devastating weapons, the Elves has the Spear of Adun, and the Dwarves has the Void Rift Autonomous Missile.
In terms of individual strength, there is the Elven Queen and the Doomsday Cataclysm Armor.
Because of the breakout of the Judge Nine Dragons, the Elves suffered considerable losses, and their overall strength was somewhat weaker.
"They didn't know that the Insect Race had obtained the last ticket."
"Yes, but they can guess we want to be the ones to reap the benefits. If the Divine Race really intervene, we'll have a second option." Yuki surveyed the fleet, which had a distinctly fantasy or steampunk feel, and answered without Ikaros needing to ask:
"If we give them more time, they might actually be able to put aside their prejudices and join forces, and the progress of the Great Game will stall again. I can't let my hand suffer heavy losses knowing that the Divine Race are involved."
"But they already have a choice, and they are waiting for the best price."
"It's useless. I can conquer the Divine Race faster. Remember the premise? 'If we give them more time.' But there are no 'ifs' with me."
Ikaros felt a chill run down his spine at the sinister smile, and didn't dare ask what the other party wanted to do.
There's no need to ask, and there's nothing fancy about it. The situation seems complicated, but it's actually very simple to explain.
Both the Divine Race and Yuki want to be the ones to reap the benefits. The former wants to forge Alliance between the elves and Dwarves, and then bring in the remaining races or individual Magical Beasts to continue delaying the progress of the Great Game.
This alliance requires nothing; it's like a hedgehog, making it impossible for Yuki to take a bite. If he were to force a bite, he would surely end up with a mouthful of blood.
Yuki's idea was simple: he wanted the Elves and Dwarves to fight to the death so he could reap the benefits. He knew that eliminating other races would bring rewards, and by stepping over the corpses of the remaining races, he could reach the Crimson Moon in even greater strength.
The key factor constraining the goals of both sides is time.
The Elves are naturally suspicious and exceptionally intelligent, so they won't be caught in the crossfire. They are waiting for better conditions, since the Angel Alliance is preparing to target the Sirens and can't spare the time for now.
They also need to assess whether to follow the Angel Alliance into the final stage and gain the opportunity to obtain the Divine Torch, or to continue the Great Game and find the best way out.
But Yuki wouldn't give them time to be opportunists. No one could have predicted that before the Sirens was even eliminated, the Angel Alliance had already obtained information about the Divine Race and given the last ticket to the Insect Race.
"Your Excellency Tianyi, lead the allied forces to attack the Dwarves from behind."
"You want to force the Dwarves to make the first move? And incidentally, make the Elves suspect that the Dwarves have reached an agreement with us?" Skywing Chieftain was not angered by Yuki's commanding tone; He was the coldest war machine.
"But this could lead them to unite against us."
"No, the intensity of the battle began to decrease three days ago, proving that the two races made their first contact under the mediation of some force. They are not stupid; they know what this means. However, the Divine Race have been away from the earth for too long. It will take time to determine their identities and to build mutual trust. We should act decisively while both sides are still in a posture of decisive battle and break this stalemate."
Time was of the essence; without giving the other side time to negotiate, would the Dwarves dare to risk being attacked from both sides, entrusting their backs to the elves, and do everything in their power to stop the allied forces?
Without reaching any deal or establishing any contract, they absolutely dare not.
"There's a 73.59% probability that the Dwarves will eliminate the Elves first, just like in our previous encounter, and grab the last spot." The Netway Will made its judgment with cold calculations, finally coming to its senses.
The reason for secretly contacting the Insect Race was to give both races hope.
The combined forces of the Machine Race, Angels, Humans, and Magical Beasts are beyond the capabilities of any single race. Even if they could inflict losses on the combined forces, the annihilation of their entire race would be meaningless.
You think you can join us just by defeating the long-eared monsters? Then you can do it yourselves.
"But what if the Divine Race intervene?" Skywing had one last concern.
"If they could intervene directly, they would have already used their power to unite these two races. Since they haven't, it proves they can't."
The Celestial Wing Chief also received all the intelligence. After a few seconds of contemplation, he opened his eyes and gave orders to the angels behind him.