Chapter 476
Marcus remained calm, certain that Yuki lacked the power to break the rules; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown himself at all. He calmly said, "Planning is like a game of chess. You have your plans, and I have my ways of dealing with them. Why don't you stay here and chat with me? You don't need to worry about anything else."
No wonder I'm worried!
Kong held his breath. What a brilliant move! The worst option would have been to clash head-on with all five races. Just as Mr. Rod said, the Divine Race no longer had the strength for a direct confrontation.
Both sides are trading blows, with Mr. Rod using himself as bait, and He exchanging him for something other than intelligence. His purpose is, of course, simple:
The Angels are servants of the War God Lineage and naturally have influence over those bird-men. While they were imprisoned here, a series of plans were certainly unfolding.
This alliance is fragile. Even if they control a portion of the angels to fire on their own forces, it could trigger a massive melee. They're just sitting here waiting for the progress bar to fill up. Needless to say, Marcus will be the one to finally get the Divine Torch.
The ultimate conspiracy is an open conspiracy. You know perfectly well that the Divine Race want to form an alliance to fight amongst themselves and to put on a final show to please the Divine Torch, yet you are powerless to stop it.
His psychological analysis can almost predict the future, so the question is, how do we break this deadlock?
"It's actually the most troublesome rule-based item. No wonder it broke my Epic Metamorphosis." Kong looked around but couldn't see any other Divine Race. Clearly, this space was special and might be very close to the Divine Torch, unable to accommodate too many people.
The 'Game Players' is also a qualitative change in the rules system. For example, in the clone game just now, the original body will only appear when each clone is destroyed, but without any prior knowledge, he was sent here.
"It seems even the legendary 'Blank' has no weakness." Yuki saw the boy's conflicted expression. There was no need to waste time asking anymore; he was actually thinking much deeper.
Marcus specifically targeted a few players; putting everything else aside, humanity is probably completely lost right now. And that Phantom Lineage is perfect for framing people; without my help, my seniors might not be able to control it. Even if they could control the Angels, what if humanity starts trouble?
"Brilliant, hidden in the shadows, either remaining completely hidden or striking decisively." Yuki laughed. There was no use in rushing; if he could easily escape, the other party wouldn't have wasted so much breath.
He is not a god and cannot be as precise as a clock. All he can do is prepare enough backup plans to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations.
"Thank you for your praise. Someone as intelligent as you would have a contingency plan in place even for the slightest hint of something," Marcus returned the compliment. At this point, maintaining harmony was no problem.
As long as the key figures are absent, he has ten ways to instigate infighting within the Angel Alliance, and everyone can simply be good spectators and enjoy the war.
"Then, may I say 'General'?"
"Cannot."
"Why? You want to kill me, but it's no use. I merely borrowed the rules of the Divine Torch." Marcus spread his hands, looking helpless.
This person is definitely at least Epic Tier III, and is as stubborn as a mule, refusing to be swayed by either soft or hard tactics.
"Why would I kill you? You're with us, aren't you?" Yuki slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder and glanced sideways at the aloof God of War of War.
"Are you really so sure I wasn't on guard at all? The secret to pushing the Divine Torch to its final stage, you're keeping it from me?"
Ha, that bluffing is really ridiculous.
The God of War scoffed, the God of War stared intently, the God of War hesitated.
He suddenly became uncertain.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The War of the Gods!
No, he couldn't possibly know that I could borrow the power of the Divine Torch.
History? The moment I gained this power, I confused the rules of history; the entire ruins will not include a single word about what happened after the Civil War.
Memories? Even more impossible. The souls of Divine Race are incorruptible. If he knew that, he would never have used himself as bait.
Predicting the future? Changing the future?
None of this works against the Divine Torch.
'Above the moon, anyone who obtains the final answer will be invited to my side, and then the Divine Realm will be sealed off.'
This is the rule He established using the Divine Torch. No matter what kind of clones, consciousness transfer, or other strange and wonderful skills are used, none can escape this rule. To put it bluntly, it's about keeping the secret here so that no one else can know it.
Logic told Marcus that this person was bluffing, but his intuition always felt that something was wrong, because this person was very smart and cautious, as evidenced by his immediate judgment that the rules of the Divine Torch were effective for both sides.
If Dimitri hadn't risked his life to lure this person out, the chances of failure might have been several times higher. In order to test Yuki, he sent away a lot of Divine Race, which allowed him to roughly discover the existence and rules of 'Shared Reading'.
'This Divine Torch is pretty awesome.'
Just as Marcus was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Yuki had already taken out the Witch God's Soul Crystal to try it out. The purple light did not unfold at all. This Chaos Item had no effect on suppressing skills such as rules, foresight, causality, and instant death.
The easy path won't work, and this time there's no interference from the 'Future Diary' either, because writing a script requires understanding each other, and the success rate of imagining things out of thin air is too low. Yuki originally saved up a few specialization points, planning to use them after thoroughly investigating the Divine Race.
'They managed to get there before me; it's a pity I always hold back a little something.'
Yuki's composure was genuine. Before landing on the moon, he had ordered his senior to follow him because he knew that the Divine Race had spatial abilities and he was afraid of something unexpected happening.
Theoretically, it's almost impossible to ambush an Epic Tier II player, but Yuki is a cautious player, and he'll take precautions unless the probability is zero.
However, the 'Adolescence Syndrome' has a time limit and cannot follow him forever, but he already knows that his senior has succeeded.
I completely forgot about my dear senior just now, but I suddenly remembered her. This reverse verification is really useful!
"No contact with the outside world, looks like we're in the same boat." Yuki, carrying his gun, now laughed, "You knew I was in contact with certain accomplices, you should have been more careful."
"When I activated the rules, you didn't have this ability." Marcus said expressionlessly, his friendliness completely gone.
He had been careful enough; this message absolutely could not be leaked, not even for a millisecond.
The path to the Divine Torch is forged in blood; only the most chaotic, grandest, and most frenzied war spectacle can please the gods.
Every living being of normal intelligence desires to be the victim of another.
"Alright, even if you can transmit messages instantly, how will other races know if it's true or false?"
"Simple, just walk the same path he took." Yuki pointed to Sora, who was gradually coming to her senses, with a helpless expression. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. They're not smart enough to investigate themselves, are they? Besides, you've kidnapped us; it's a bit like you're trying to hide something."
Marcus's eye twitched slightly. He knew the boy's abilities; to find clues so quickly—could there be another person with such a capacity?
It's not impossible. For example, the Angels, though they haven't reached the core, already have a considerable understanding of the Divine Race.
But He couldn't verify it, just as Yuki said, that the rule of 'sealing off the Divine Realm's also worked on Marcus.
"You're wavering." Yuki wasn't in a hurry. He quietly probed his surroundings, sensing the flow of every energy particle.
Spatial movement and ranged attacks are prohibited by the rules, but physical rules have no effect. Oh, He is from the War God Lineage, which is advantageous to him. Or perhaps even the Divine Torch cannot set absolute rules?
Marcus was deep in thought and didn't care about Yuki's little tricks, but the composure and arrogance on his face had vanished.
He discovered that his plan was not as perfect as he had imagined, and the man was more cautious than expected.
'What backup plan did I leave behind? Impossible. I invited everyone who received the answer, even the servants around me were involved. No one could escape my observation.'
Psychological tactics, a feigned composure tactic, yet he should have already discovered that fighting is not prohibited here, and he showed no intention of leaving.
There's a logical contradiction. Don't worry about what the enemy says, but look at what they do. If your general makes a move, are they really not worried?
An eerie silence fell over the Arcane Grade hall. The kings faced each other, but there was no earth-shattering battle; only the sparks of their thoughts clashed as they tried to understand each other's ideas.
After a long while, the bronze-colored hand pressed on the armrest, and the God of War stood up.
"Yes, you have successfully shaken my confidence." Marcus strolled forward, and with each step, as if a magical girl were transforming, a piece of golden armor would appear on her body.
If the young man had appeared very handsome just now, he now exuded an air of authority and sharpness.
"Mr. Rod, but don't forget, if you kill me, you won't get out, but if I kill you, I'll eliminate a potential threat. Do you know why I don't do it?"
Kong and Ikaros were on high alert, and dozens of warriors around them also drew their melee weapons, realizing that ranged attacks were useless here.
"You want a sure win, and you're not willing to take any risks." Yuki calmly looked at Him, loosening his joints. He knew from the beginning that the Boss was meant to be defeated, not chatted with.
"I'll return your words to you: even if I kill you and we can't get out, you still won't win. Or rather, it's you who desperately wants to see the outside world, because without you, the Divine Race can't handle any emergencies."
Slap slap
Applause approached along with the footsteps. The God of War of War, who had been far away, was now right beside them. His towering figure, over three meters tall, exuded a powerful sense of oppression, and his golden-red heavy armor made him look even more like a warrior.
"You even considered the ruling structure of the Divine Race." Marcus, holding a helmet with a long tassel, Yuki with some admiration.
The details are handled very well. Each of the five races has its own agenda, which is certainly an opportunity to divide and weaken them. However, without a clear leader, even if He takes Yuki away, it will not affect the overall situation.
Click.
He put on the helmet, which fit perfectly, and his entire body was completely covered by golden-red armor. Then he reached out and grasped a magnificent greatsword that was as large as a door panel.
The air vibrated, carrying a melodious yet melancholic song, like the lament of countless dead souls.
[The gods depart, the Great Game]
[The lament of the Divine Race, all fallen]
[Noble bloodline, yet a tragic fate]
[The so-called Divine Race are nothing but ants.]
It even comes with its own background music?!
Yuki gripped the Storm Dragon Spear. The people around him had already formed a battle formation. He had been preparing for the Boss battle for a long time and deliberately discussed it in public. Sure enough, he wasn't the only one who got involved.
His heart was racing; this scene reminded him of the bosses in Souls-like games.
"Oh, and one last thing for you." The voice came from under the helmet. The God of War slightly bent his knees. "There's no role for the survivors in this whole plan, because—"
"I Abomination you players."
Before Yuki react, Marcus had already disappeared from his sight. With his level 9 physique granting him dynamic vision, he saw a blurry shadow sweep in like a whirlwind, or like a whirlwind scattering clouds.
The leading Battle King Worm was instantly reduced to a pile of minced meat, purple sap flying through the air. Before the two mechanical vanguards could even catch a trace of it, they were reduced to a jumble of broken metal with cables flying everywhere.
The death laser was suppressed by the rules and became non-aggressive. The beam saber successfully appeared and was then swept up by the storm.
It happened very quickly, but it was more than just fast. The rules of the Divine Torch left people bewildered, creating a battlefield most suitable for the God of War of War.
Ikaros's first reaction was to teleport, but he didn't move an inch. He gathered super-high energy for the anti-ship cannon, but Marcus ignored it.
Rules: No spatial movement, no long-range shooting.
Thump--
Before he could even gather a protective shield in his frantic rush, he had already been sent flying by the greatsword. This fast-paced battle relied entirely on muscle memory, but the habit itself became an obstacle.
Brush.
A torrent of energy came from the side, like a giant sword of light cleaving dozens of huge cylinders in two. Marcus easily dodged it and stepped into the void.
"Servants of the God of Machines, you are not skilled in hand-to-hand combat."
The giant sword should have disintegrated into thousands of beams of light that covered everything, but the Netway Will could not do so. It clumsily controlled the giant sword to slash back, and the six steel wings quickly closed, forming a tightly sealed iron ball.
Clang!
Sparks flew, and a crack was cleaved through the super-strong alloy. The spreading force caused the ground to crack, and the resulting sonic boom sent all the Machine Race soldiers who had risked their lives to provide cover flying backward.
Pure physical strength, extreme physical strength, with the aid of rules, has a huge advantage, but it's not just that.
The Netway Will defied the laws of physics, flying only a few meters away. Data streams unfolded before him like a waterfall, creating a spatial barrier. A large sword, resembling a door panel, spun in his wrist, its entirety turning pitch black.
Swish--
With a single sword stroke, he parted the 'waterfall' and plunged his finger into the steel angel's chest. Marcus hesitated for a moment, then saw the Netway Will in his palm shatter like glass. He slowly turned around and looked at the boy.
Epic Metamorphosis. Substitute Game.
Startled, the God of War had completely lost his previous composure and elegance, becoming as pure as a killing machine; his sword strike had actually cleaved through the data turbulence.
"The core of the War God Lineage is plunder, the ability to seize a certain power from the target of destruction and transfer it to oneself, much like us players." Yuki stood in front of Sora, and in just one second, the boundless hall was completely demolished.
He looked around. The information also mentioned that the War God Lineage would create a 'Second Self,' which was somewhat like an external eye, allowing one to overlook the battlefield from a third-person perspective and dominate multiple opponents.
"It seems you really did a lot of research. It's not easy to figure this out in such a short time." Marcus turned around. He looked somewhat like Corncob from a certain hammer, but Yuki was no less so.
Demon Possession activated, Epic Metamorphosis unfolds, and the Stand User lurks in the shadows.
Yuki held the Storm Dragon Spear in one hand and raised a round shield made of Immortal Crystal in the other. Behind him, the Netway Will, Ikaros, and the remaining soldiers lined up in a row.
The four epic-level figures were already quite formidable. Yuki had never considered a one-on-one fight with the Boss. The golden-red armored God of War remained silent for a long while before slowly raising his greatsword.
Giant Spirit Lineage: Power Stacking.
Layer upon layer, layer upon layer, and layer upon layer, until finally turning into pitch black.
Void Lineage: Void-Piercing Slash!
With pure hand-to-hand combat skills and a simple, unadorned sword strike, Yuki thought.
Stand User. Void Alchemy.
The overflowing soul energy is the best material, refined into purple crystals, and Concept Enhancement follows.
Steel Block.
The Stand User didn't have as many thoughts Yuki; he focused solely on unleashing his skills, even pushing them beyond their Limit, but it was still useless, only holding out for a mere 0.01 seconds.
Swish--