Chapter 478

Mona squinted as the Storm Giant Whale sped forward, attracting the attention of dozens of Divine Race. This was the price of their desperate efforts. The girl stretched and took out various items.

Yeah, I was practically invisible before, now it's time to give it my all!

"Abdulas, the Storm Giant Whale has moved forward. Didn't you say anyone could take it? Why can't this lazybones who made the bet with you do it?"

At the same time, Frieren, holding a staff, was also urging them on. Having seen too much fun before, the somewhat battered 'Annihilation Seeker' raised his head, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Damn it, this is unbelievable! These bird people have no choice, shouldn't we hide behind them and take advantage of their situation?"

This Magical Beasts with ancient dragon blood was very clever. It immediately realized that something was wrong. Logically speaking, this was a six-way, no, seven-way battle, with everyone scheming against each other and no one willing to take the lead.

Forget about the birdmen; they must be afraid of the War God Lineage's control. But why should I be the one to stick my neck out? Wouldn't it be better to wait for them to perish together and then take the spoils?

"Because the results of battles are earned through hard work, the gods will not allow a bystander to obtain the Divine Torch."

"I wasn't just standing by; I've already killed several Divine Race!"

"But you still harbor illusions. In my hometown, there's a saying: high risk, high reward." Frieren's tone was calm, but his eyes infuriated the Annihilation Seeker.

Round-faced girls have a special talent: when they look at you with disdain, as if you were looking at trash, you feel a deep sense of shame.

"Fine, I'll take you with me to our deaths. Those pieces of junk are fighting tooth and nail, but the great Abdulas won't be a coward."

The Magical Beasts flapped its enormous wings, unleashing a torrent of death beams that surged towards the Angels.

"The Netway Will, the Angels, Monster Race have begun their sprint, and humanity is following suit at full speed."

"For mind construct calculations, the best option is to follow, which will increase the success rate by 7.1%, allowing you to use time to control the entire race."

"Calculations show that blindly charging forward would increase casualties by 317%, making it an option that cannot be chosen."

Electronic sounds rose and fell. The Machine Race was actually the most difficult race to infiltrate because all their choices were based on probability, unlike humans.

Humans were already lucky to have seen the Divine Torch. With Slott dead, Lucy, who remained behind, took over the mantle of the race's representative and continued to faithfully carry out Yuki's orders.

The Machine Race has no friendships, and even if they do, they must submit to calculation. In the torrent of data, young Om grew four pairs of steel wings. The complete database impacted her mind, making her look like a piece of cold steel.

The calculations of the mind construct are infallible; she is also extending her data tentacles to master every machine, yet there are no calculations in her mind at all.

She thought of the last time she saw Yuki, on the Sky City after the alliance was formed, the man rubbing his hair.

"Om, what is your wish?"

"Remember my promise. I'm a man of my word, you know that."

"You don't need to do anything, just remember your wish."

Did he foresee the fall of the Netway Will, and that I would inherit it?

This is a long-term investment, just so I can use it when I take over the authority?

The Machine Soul was confused, which was both puzzling and logical. No wonder the Netway Will had restrained her and never contacted Yuki again.

But Om still remembers Yuki's last words.

"In critical moments, follow your instincts and make your choices."

He took a gentle breath, temporarily forgetting rationality and calculation, opened his mouth, and used the data link to convey his will.

"Maximum speed, fleet forward."

"Warning: The choice made by the Netway Will is illogical and violates computation."

Countless mechanical beings voiced their discontent, but Om remained expressionless. In other races, a representative is not absolute and can even be overthrown, but this does not exist among the Machine Race. In this race governed by the Hive Will, the 'Queen' represents everything.

"Implement."

"Yes, execute the erroneous order, maximum speed, assault formation."

Like a thousand boats racing against the current, when the Machine Race also launched its charge, the other races, who had previously held back, became even more aggressive.

It's a bit like a battlefield charge. Even if you know there are Black Hole gun barrels ahead, when the bugle sounds and your allies leap out of the trenches, even the most rational person will be influenced.

Stirring up trouble, especially against a race that has experienced countless wars and is extremely shrewd, requires a great deal of skill. Shiina Hiyori's move was brilliant, creating a chain reaction with the help of Mona and others.

"This is unreasonable!"

Marcus saw everything. When the five races began their competition, the Divine Race who stood in their way were in big trouble. The secrets of the warp had been deciphered by Hiyori, and they could no longer hide. They had no choice but to fight against the other races.

The anticipated infighting will not occur until the last of the Divine Race is destroyed or the Divine Torch is revealed.

But this doesn't make sense!

Marcus felt his rationality evaporating. He knew these servants too well; even when Yuki exposed his plan, he had never wavered so much.

Yes, you are on guard, making it difficult to instigate internal strife.

Yes, you have cracked the secrets of the warp, preventing the Divine Race from spying on you in the shadows.

But that doesn't justify rushing ahead and desperately attacking the Divine Torch.

'Those accomplices are fanning the flames? Impossible. They can't control their own race, and why would they do the work for someone else?'

Marcus saw the girl on the back of the blue whale, the one who had been assassinated by the Void Lineage. It was very risky to be the first to stick your neck out; her left chest was pierced by Void Blade, yet she still made the Storm Giant Whale move forward.

What happened to the promise that players would never trust each other? Why... why do they seem like a team?

'The referees, coaches, and players are all my people, what makes you think you can mess with me?'

Yuki also saw the scene outside, and all that remained was boundless ecstasy.

Shiina Hiyori did an even better job than expected. Yuki never imagined that the girl could follow the clues and not only stabilize the situation but also break through the Divine Race's warp.

This instigation was perfectly timed, utilizing the psychological principle of 'blind obedience'; with just a gentle push, it's difficult to turn back.

"You think the reason I took Ikaros and Sora away was to keep these two outsiders from interfering with the plan?"

Yuki looked at the incomprehensible God of War and smiled cruelly. If there was any element of luck involved, it was that he hadn't expected the Netway Will to be invited in as well, which had been a great help.

Om took over the authority; the Machine Soul had already taken on its own form, and the foreshadowing he had laid in the past was finally revealed.

The Machine Race charged with unparalleled ferocity, disregarding casualties, which in turn fueled the fighting spirit of the other races. Some were initially struggling to hold on and wanted to retreat, but they gritted their teeth and persevered.

Everyone knows that the Machine Race is absolutely rational, and every choice is calculated. Their reckless charge must mean they've discovered some secret. So what are we waiting for? Let's follow them!

"A chain reaction; even though they realized something was wrong, no one was willing to back down, and the effect was even better than I expected."

Yuki looked at the incomprehensible God of War, saw Sora deep in thought, and saw Ikaros with his perpetually blank expression. The answer was actually quite simple, but it was beyond common sense, something he could only imagine but dared not believe.

"Marcus, won't you fight me to the death?"

A murderous gaze suddenly focused on him, and the God of War was no longer composed. The malice hidden in his chest almost made his divine body explode.

Yes, He could forcibly eliminate these three players, but what would be the point? The Divine Torch is just one wisp away from appearing, and by then He will be at his last gasp. How can He then fight against the remaining enemies?

Whether angels, Magical Beasts, machines, humans, or insects, none of them are qualified, nor can they possibly obtain the Divine Torch!

The number of players is infinite; even if you kill these few, there will be even more powerful ones. Only by obtaining the Divine Torch and establishing new rules can you break free from the curse.

We have to resort to the backup plan. I don't believe these people will stay united forever.

"Are you really so persistent, trying to turn this world into a hunting ground?"

Marcus's words startled the three of them. They hadn't realized it during their fierce battle, but now that they were back in a standoff, they realized something was amiss.

This God of War seems to know the players very well.

Yuki narrowed his eyes. At this point, he didn't want to provoke the other party into actually taking him away. Some things began to connect.

"I Abomination you players."

These are Marcus's exact words, and then there's a line in the background music that played when the war started. "[So-called Divine Race, we are all just ants.]"

Yuki and Sora exchanged a glance; they were both very good at analyzing clues and had incredibly vivid imaginations.

Forsaken? Lost Ones? It doesn't seem like it.

"Stop overthinking. I might as well tell you something." Marcus glanced at the slowly breaking light band on the wall. The rules of the Divine Realm were being quietly lifted by Him, and He needed to hurry back to the normal world to clean up the mess.

Do you know who created the rules of the Great Game?

His tone was indifferent, yet it held a hint of expectation.

"The gods." Yuki without hesitation; in a sense, the Divine Race were also victims.

"So what do you think the gods are?"

"You're not trying to say the gods are players, are you?" Kong scoffed. How could that be? He had just entered Epic Tier II and knew that Epic Tier IV was much stronger than him, but he couldn't possibly create a world or become a creator.

Yuki remained silent. He knew it was a psychological tactic, yet he had a vague sense of familiarity with it.

The gods created the world, set up a brutal killing game, and then inexplicably left. The word "left" sounds so familiar.

"Why is it impossible? What's the difference between the Great Game and the Reincarnation Game? It's about endless killing, climbing higher by stepping on the corpses of the weak, and never seeing the end. Those caught in the game can never be saved."

The God of War clenched his fist, his Incandescence ambition written on his face, and a long hymn echoed throughout the space.

"The Crimson Moon is shattered, the lineage withers."

"The slaughter is like a sea of blood; war pleases the gods."

"Great Game, Great Game, the Divine Torch is reborn, the rules are being redefined."

"With our blood, we will rebuild the Divine Race and sever the ties to the heavens—"

"Take control of your Destiny!"

The hymn was chanted repeatedly, and the three players had strange expressions. It was like a riddle, but it didn't stump the three veteran players, especially Kong, a player in every sense of the word.

What is this, breaking the fourth wall?

A character in the game tells him that if he wants to break free from the game's control and take control of his own Destiny, it's not entirely unheard of. For example, Yuki's encounter with Director Fukawa in the 'Demon Hospital' is quite similar to breaking the fourth wall.

The gods are the players, and their sudden departure is due to the 'Great Cataclysm,' a turning point in the history of this Reincarnation Game.

Yuki investigated many things, and all the signs indicated that the 'Great Cataclysm' was related to Taiyi. In layman's terms, Taiyi rebelled. He caused the Reincarnation Game to lose its ability to think independently and weakened its control. Without this premise, he would have died ten thousand times over.

The Great Cataclysm also brought about a special effect: Taiyi severed the Reincarnation Game, causing the 'reincarnators' to lose contact with the Borderlands. The so-called reincarnators should be players of epic level or above. They are participating in another game, competing with opponents of the same level in the Reincarnation Game.

The real work of the Reincarnation Game is selecting the reincarnators. The so-called big shots and small fry are nothing more than a bunch of caterpillars being raised in a vicious cycle.

Wait, the Witch God's Soul Crystal isn't working. Could it be because the Divine Torch is related to the Reincarnators?

Yuki taken aback. He had initially thought it was because the 'Divine Torch' was too high-level, but now he realized that the Witch God's Soul Crystal was ineffective against reincarnators and also against the 'Pantheon'.

The players looked at each other in bewilderment. What was originally a simple path to getting rewards by defeating a boss had become complicated, involving a deeper secret.

"You mean... this world was created by the players?"

"To be precise, it's not weak players like you. The so-called Divine Race are nothing but puppets they created themselves. The whole world is their playground, and all races are just a bunch of performing animals. Do you know what a circus is?"

Hatred and shame flashed across the God of God of War's face. The psychological tactics had worked, but at the cost of some dignity. These secrets would not be recorded in any documents.

Hiss.

Yuki gasped, suddenly realizing that 'Taiyi's' aura had risen infinitely. Even though he could now freely modify the terrain and Move Mountains and Fill the Seas, it was still hard to imagine how terrifying a top-tier reincarnator could be.

The amusement park, each time he returns, he seeks pleasure in this world, watching the performances of all races as a high and mighty deity.

Physical desires are too base; for example, Mechanical Believers can satisfy all your desires. True pleasure comes from controlling the Destiny of all races and looking down upon all living beings.

He turned to look at Ikaros, who was in a daze, and then at Sora, who was lost in a fantasy. The story was too outrageous for even them to imagine.

Time, space, Destiny, cause and effect, and life are all toys. If we don't leave, this world can restart a hundred times and create countless Great Game.

"So they left, and this world was repurposed, becoming a copy of the Reincarnation Game?" Kong felt his throat dry. Epic-level players could find out a lot of information, and he couldn't help but praise 'Taiyi'.

Without Him, he was nothing more than an ant, and countless 'good days' awaited him.

"Yes, I don't know what's wrong with the Reincarnation Game, but your expressions make me feel much better." Marcus wasn't just telling a story; he was also observing Yuki and the others and noticed that they weren't in despair.

As an NPC in the instance, He naturally didn't know anything about 'Taiyi' or the Great Cataclysm, but He could guess that the gods' sudden departure must have been due to some unforeseen event.

After all that, it turns out everyone's a victim.

Yuki shook his head. He didn't want to tell the other person the story of 'Taiyi'. There were other people around, and he dared not say anything like, 'I am Taiyi, quickly kneel down and kowtow to thank me.'

'How did this turn into an information exchange competition? But this Marcus has really changed my opinion of him.'

Yuki both eccentric and admired this God of War. His plan was the only way to solve the problem at its root. Otherwise, even if the world were rebuilt, the players would still cause trouble. Even if they weren't born evil, they would still have to carry out the mission in order to avoid being wiped out.

"You want us to back down?"

"I don't ask for pity, I just want to tell you my wish. I know the players are also victims. Could you give me the Divine Torch? I will compensate you." Marcus opened his arms, staring intently at Yuki.

He didn't actually need to say these words, but Yuki was so formidable that he had cornered Him, leaving Him no choice but to implement his backup plan.