Chapter 507
Isaac froze, hesitated for a few seconds, and then nodded solemnly.
"You're right. If there's really something going on inside, this is like walking into a trap."
"It's good to listen to advice. Our advantage now is that both sides want to win us over. Staying in the shadows, we'll figure out the reason sooner or later." Yuki lit a cigarette, watching the swaying smoke, like a silent sculpture.
Countless pieces of information swirled in his mind, making him miss Hiyori. If Hiyori were here, she would surely offer many suggestions.
Through the intelligence gathered by Mebius and Isaac, he had already analyzed part of the Sky God's plan, but this was only the Ikkaku the iceberg, as the motives for all of them remained unexplained.
Why make things harder for yourself? Since you'll have to solve this problem sooner or later, why raise a tiger only to cause more trouble?
He didn't know, but he understood that this was a war, not a hunt, and war needs a spark, a spark that would cause both sides to break off relations.
How can we get these neutral parties to join the war?
Yuki thought and thought, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table, shattering the wine jar and startling Isaac, who had just grown a brain.
"What's wrong now?"
"You can immediately send a message to your father: Abyss Fortress is on high alert."
These words were far more intimidating than slamming a table; Isaac's eyes widened, round as bells.
"You mean, use Abyss Fortress as a trigger!?"
"It doesn't necessarily have to be Abyss Fortress, but what could be more suitable as the front line of humanity, the fortress guarding the Abyss Grade and the Dragon Clan?"
"But the Sea Demon and dragons can't come out. It's impossible for the people of the Sky Pantheon to fight them on their own."
"No, they can get out." Yuki took a sip of wine, put down the jug, and made the boldest and most absurd conjecture. "Don't forget who forged the shackles on the dragons and Sea Demon. No one can save them except the Supreme God."
The air was filled with the aroma of wine, and on either side of the cracked square table, Yuki and Isaac stared at each other.
The brazier remained, but a bone-chilling cold emanated from it.
Chapter Seven: Trials to Godhood
Countless Petal fell from both sides of the street, and accompanied by the sound of orderly footsteps, the thousand-strong Demon-Hunting Army marched forward on the cloud bricks.
Yuki, riding his winged horse, found the glorious scene unmoving, even ironic.
Participate in the trials, embark on the glorious path of trials, and pass seven tests to become an unparalleled deity.
Every word is brimming with glory, but upon closer examination, one can find that the lines are filled with dripping blood and despicable self-interest.
He saw Moresa, with purple hair and bird ears, standing atop a temple, gazing at him with disappointed and cold eyes.
Yuki naturally declined the offer. He wasn't stupid. Even setting aside the question of whether players would be involved in the "raising a tiger to cause trouble" scenario, since he knew the hunt would turn into war, why should he side with the weak?
Just because she's pretty? Sorry, that won't affect my rationality for even a second.
Two days ago, he and Isaac made many bold conjectures and prepared many plans. Then they went to the Grand Library of the City of Gods and studied the books carefully like apprentices, especially those about the Great War, and discovered a few interesting things.
First, the Divine Race kept very detailed records of the war's progress, even giving each fallen hero a personal biography. This was their glory, and it deserved to be celebrated.
But strangely, this doesn't include the final battle.
That's not right. The final battle saw the most Divine Race perish, so it should have been the most brutal. How come there's no record of it at all?
Secondly, despite being equally defeated, the dragon race has very few records and was practically nonexistent ten thousand years ago.
This is abnormal. Much of the information was found in the Abyss Fortress, such as the social structure of the dragon race and the succession of the Dragon King.
Yes, the dragon race has a strange power structure, taking pride in being 'ancient'. When the previous dragon king falls, his power and memories are transferred to the oldest dragon in the race through a special circuit.
It's quite convenient; there's no need to appoint a crown prince anymore, everyone can just take over in order of seniority.
This leads to another problem: the current Dragon King did not participate in the final battle; in other words, all the dragons who participated in the battle perished.
Do you know why the trial targets demons?
A cold, hard voice came from the side, interrupting his thoughts. A burly man in black armor rode on horseback. He had a square face, a thick neck, and looked very upright.
Mithius, the god of power in the Earth Pantheon, is the general of this thousand-strong Demon-Hunting Army and also the chief examiner of Yuki.
Players cannot act together. Mebius went to participate in the trial yesterday, accompanied by Mithius and six other nameless gods.
"Because we must take concrete actions to show that we are irreconcilably opposed to evil." Yuki nodded in reply.
"Very good. You are smarter than I thought. Evil should be eradicated. The scourge left over from ten thousand years ago should have been eliminated long ago. I am glad that you have chosen to stand on the side of light and Justice." Mithius nodded approvingly.
"You mean, I have people like you who stand on the side of evil?"
"That's normal, but they're just a bunch of chickens and dogs. Good will always prevail over evil, and they'll be hunted down sooner or later." Mithius sneered, then suddenly asked, "Do you know one of your kind who's gone mad and uses fire?"
Damn it, it really was that unlucky bastard, Kalpas.
Yuki shook his head blankly, cupped his hands, and said, "Although we are of the same kind, we are definitely not companions; the difference between us is vast."
"I know, that's why I absolutely trust you."
Hmm, they seem to know the players quite well?
Yuki raised an eyebrow but asked nothing. Dajun was taking the opportunity to observe again through the gap in the vortex cloud. He discovered that it was a spatial fault, estimated to be several hundred meters thick, but in reality, it was as close as a stone's throw away.
This is the city wall of the City of Gods. Trying to Piercer with brute force is as difficult as ascending to heaven, because countless arcs of lightning flash within the remaining vortex clouds, and even epic-level players cannot withstand it for long.
The army marched out of the city and then took to the air like celestial warriors in mythology. The thousand-strong formation was perfectly orderly, resembling a military parade of a major Eastern power.
Considering that this is flying in the sky, it seems even more fantastical.
Mountains and rivers swept past beneath his feet. Yuki was obedient and honest, asking no questions he shouldn't, and only occasionally checking the map, admiring the scenery of this other world.
This world seems to have no concept of 'village'; all of humanity is concentrated in a dozen or so city-states, making travel in the wild a very dangerous thing.
Most of the great demons who made it onto the trial list are dead, but there are still plenty of evil monsters, so it's no wonder that no one objects to the idea of slaying demons.
Isn't this just hunting wild animals? What's there to be sad about?
Flying northeast, the verdant land was gradually covered by snow, with snow-capped mountains stretching endlessly, majestic and awe-inspiring.
"The first trial target is a Snow Demon tribe," Mithius finally spoke, pointing towards the distant mountains. "The Snow Demon itself."
Do you have any relevant information? I like to be well-prepared before I take action.
Mithius nodded, and a guard handed him a scroll. Yuki glanced at it and understood what was going on.
Legend has it that the Snow Demon were born from ice and snow and were divided into several tribes. This operation can be considered a decapitation strike, which also adds to the existing lore.
Eliminating 3 factions counts as one Snow Demon; otherwise, the main quest would be too easy to complete.
There's a standard for evaluating high-level demons: they can shed their demonic form, and their strength should be comparable to the Sea Demon we killed before.
What if I fail?
If you fall, I will take your place.
What if the target escapes?
Mithius licked his lips impatiently, thinking, "Why is this guy talking so much nonsense? Of course it's a hunt! The trial objective must be completed, even to the death!"
"But what if we can't catch up?"
"Then keep chasing, until you reach the finish line! Only after you complete the trial objective can you come back to me for the second trial!" Mithius the Roar, shaking the heavens and earth, causing continuous avalanches.
Yuki picked at his ear, then retracted his question, "If someone else kills it, does that count as a successful trial?" He roughly understood what this trial was all about.
The challenges progressed step by step, and failing to resolve the objective would block the mission. It seemed these 'heavenly soldiers' wouldn't help either. He glanced at several clearly impatient heroes; he wasn't the only one participating in the trial, and he couldn't keep everyone waiting.
"One last question, will you be arranging the second trial? If you perish, don't worry about it. Just to give you an example, who should I contact to accept the mission? His Majesty Sorion?" Yuki asked again, having been curious for a long time.
This is similar to accepting quests in online games. If an NPC dies, who do you contact to get the next stage of the quest?
"His Majesty doesn't have time to give you instructions! He will only see you once, at most when you pass through the Gate of the Divine Realm and participate in the ascension ceremony!" Mithius was about to explode. This bastard had too many questions, all of which were related to the trial.
"Your Highness Niyin, the Left Hand of God, Tiberius, the Right Hand of God, are in charge of these miscellaneous matters. Now shut your mouth and begin your trial."
I see. I knew that the Sky God was too high and mighty to be an NPC. It would be beneath him to spend all his time assigning tasks to a bunch of heroes.
He had originally wanted to ask the right-hand men of other pantheons if they could issue missions, but seeing Mithius's berserk state, he obediently shut his mouth.
Perhaps it was because Mithius's voice was too loud, but the trial had already begun. In the distance, there was a giant, ice-blue mountain, from which many snowmen were peeking out.
Oh, so this is the Snow Demon.
Yuki glanced at it, unsure how to describe it. It was roughly like 'Mixue Ice City,' only some were bigger, some smaller, some had evolved facial features, and some didn't.
But at this moment, it's exactly the opposite of the lyrics of Mixue Ice Cream's "You love me, I love you".
They were terrified; banners fluttered in the sky, and spears stretched like a forest. The divine army's arrival here was certainly not a mere visit.
They were puzzled; having lived in the snow-capped mountains for generations, they couldn't find a target to do evil.
Some snow Giant emerged from the cave, knelt on one knee as if to show reverence to the heavenly soldiers and generals, and casually asked what they were doing there and how the humble snowmen should entertain them.
There was no answer, only the raised shield and the drawn bow of light. Yuki around and could feel the greed that was visible to the naked eye.
According to the law, ordinary soldiers who perform well in the hunt can also obtain trial slots, and several ascended gods are even more eager to try, wishing they could replace Yuki.
How ridiculous! This is what gods are supposed to be? Is this how they become gods?
He looked down at the earth, kowtowing repeatedly, asking the Snow Demon, "Where have I offended you?" Seeing Mithius raising his right hand beside him, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Hear my command! Slay the demon!"
The trembling of the light bows blended together, and countless light arrows poured down, creating a thunderous echo.
The Blood Demon were caught off guard and were decimated by the tracking light arrows, filling the snow-covered mountains with sharp screams.
They fled, any resistance was instantly killed, and the ice spikes they were shot at were weak and powerless, unable to penetrate the defensive shield at all. Even hiding in the giant mountain was meaningless.
A massive magic circle unfolded in the air. Mithius took a step forward with a cold smile, opened his palm, and gestured towards the snow-capped mountain more than ten kilometers away.
Rumble--
The phantom of a giant hand appeared at the top of the mountain and actually pulled it out, just like digging out an ant nest, turning over the soil to reveal thousands of terrified Snow Demon inside.
"Kill."
At a command, the thousand-strong force dispersed into dozens of small formations, each with a shield wall and spears, while archers fired in unison from the center, charging towards the fleeing Snow Demon from all directions.
A massacre, a thorough and planned massacre.
The Snow Demon were utterly powerless to resist; any resistance crumbled before this killing machine. They fled, were shot, and stabbed to death, their icy blue blood making the mountains even more beautiful.
Is this what Destruction Mission is like? Utter destruction. No wonder Mona said that the seniors' troubles weren't really troubles.
Yuki didn't go to watch the slaughter, but observed the tactics of the 'heavenly soldiers and generals'. He felt a sense of unease. In front of the icy blue river of blood, the daily scenes were torn to pieces.
He had killed countless people, but he only killed those who were already dead, and he had no interest in slaughtering the weak.
What's so special about this? If blood can signify power, then I could wipe you all out by myself, wouldn't that make me incredibly powerful?
Yuki quietly clenched his fist, just then Mithius's loud voice rang out again.
"What are you standing there for? The Snow Clan's Great Demon has appeared; it's your turn to attack!"
Yuki snapped out of his daze and peered into the slaughterhouse. To the naked eye, all he could see was a carnage, but amidst the mountains, a beam of golden light shone down into the earth.
"Tracking magic?"
"Nonsense, if I don't point out the target, are you going to go find them one by one?" Mithius stretched out his large hand and said coldly, "The trial has begun. This figure of light will follow the Great Demon for three days. I'll wait for you for half a day. Bring back its head and you'll pass the trial."
"And what about after half a day?"
"I've already said it, the others still have trials to go. You'd better come find me with your head!"
"What if I still can't find it within three days?"
Mithius took a deep breath, nearly smashing the bastard's head in with a punch. "During that year's cooldown period, you either dig three feet into the ground, or you'd better wait patiently!"
Yuki nodded. This news was the same as what Isaac had said. The trial was an exam, and of course, the exam was difficult. The Demon-Hunting Army were the examiners, not babysitters.
The exam lasts three days. After that time, you either have to search the entire continent for a beacon, or you have to retake it a year later.
Ugh--
The celestial horse swooped down, which shouldn't have taken half a day at all, because the battlefield had already been prepared by the Demon-Hunting Army. The Snow Clan Great Demon could either flee or fight to the death. If it was hit by the tracking magic, it couldn't escape. Even if it killed Yuki in a fight to the death, it still couldn't defeat Mithius.
The meticulous plan had been laid out clearly long ago.
The icy air rushed towards us, the snow-white earth magnified in our eyes, and ice spikes attacked from time to time. Before we even got close to the Yuki, we were intercepted by the Demon-Hunting Army.
This is the backup strategy. It would be difficult for an epic-level player to take on an entire race alone, but with thousands of helpers, the Snow Demon's numerical advantage cannot be utilized.
Of course, the trials still need to be completed by the players themselves; the blood of the demon race is a declaration of their stance and a testament to their strength.