Chapter 542
He didn't feel a fatal sense of crisis, or rather, the Black Blade felt more troublesome to him than 'fatal'.
The Civilization Miracle sent forth a vision: this outsider would stand guard before the gate, severing the connection between the Chaos Furnace Flame appeared. In that instant, he understood where the strange hourglass had come from.
This person truly possesses the ability to take away the Chaos Furnace Flame.
Doubt and concrete evidence are two completely opposite results. The moment he witnessed 'Total Annihilation,' the god of the sky soared into the heavens, his instincts having already made the choice for him.
The most painful thing in the world is knowing the right choice but not being able to make it, knowing it's bait but having to bite it.
"I'm going to kill you!!"
The most satisfying thing in the world is when I can't beat you, but you still have to move in step with me.
Yuki heard the roar, but it was like celestial music, giving him an extreme sense of pleasure. What kind of skill is it to fool fools? If you want to torture someone, torture this the Almighty god.
Everything in the world is a pawn, not even the gods.
Within the Divine Torch Domain, a streak of light pierced through the wind and snow, rushing straight towards them. Its terrifying killing intent was enough to make one's mind freeze, but Yuki with extreme pleasure, didn't even bother to glance at it.
The enormous door was right in front of them, and pale flames poured out like a waterfall. Inside the golden light of the door, a shadow gradually appeared, which looked like a huge brazier.
Is this the Chaos Furnace Flame?
Yuki's eyes widened. He stood guard at the door, waiting for the brazier to appear so he could sever its connection to the world with a single strike—no, to be precise, its connection to the Reincarnation Game.
The God of the Sky was right. Regardless of whether the main quest was completed or not, severing the connection between the reincarnation item and the game itself is equivalent to forcibly disconnecting the player. The player will instantly return, and He probably wouldn't be able to find Himself even in ten lifetimes.
"In a second, even gods go mad."
Yuki silently calculated in his mind, raised his Black Blade, and felt the almost frenzied killing intent beneath his feet. He knew Sorion's location without even looking.
The Divine Torch released countless spiral light bands behind it; the rule of 'not exceeding the speed of sound' still applied—it was just a simple math problem.
Having dodged the frenzied slashes of the Divine Punishment Halberd, Yuki saw a dark, basin-shaped object appear at the doorway; the seal jointly set up by the six main gods had reached its Limit.
"Two seconds, all actors are present."
Meanwhile, the battle in the Abyss Grade reached its most critical moment. The loyal and brave Demon-Hunting Army threw their spears in unison, pushing those who rushed out back into the Abyss Grade, but there was one streak of light they could not stop.
This person actually went upstream along the waterfall of pale flames, and the flames that could turn everything into Chaos Grade seemed to have little effect on him.
The Flame-Chaser burst forth; He had been lurking in the Abyss Grade waiting for this opportunity, certain that Yuki and the others must have some way of obtaining the Chaos Furnace Flame, otherwise they would have already tried to return.
So He waited. If Yuki and the others couldn't manage, it wouldn't be difficult to wipe out the desperate Sea Demon from behind and fulfill the conditions for his return. But if He could...
Through the 'Desire for Fire', He was able to swim upstream along the 'waterfall'.
Either way, it's a win-win situation. This sudden move caught both sides off guard, and they rushed towards the Gate of the Divine Realm at top speed. The moment they stepped into the domain of the Divine Torch, their eyes blazed with intense flames.
He has a reincarnation item!
No wonder Crown dared to stay until the very last moment; does that mean the Chaos Furnace Flame is also a tool for reincarnation?
The Flame-Chaser never expected to encounter the legendary Reincarnation Item. Looking up from his vantage point, he saw the Sky God rushing about like a madman, and Yuki constantly dodging by the gate. Although he knew this dungeon was not simple, he never expected it to be this exaggerated.
Two, no, three reincarnation items.
He saw the Black Blade and roughly knew Yuki's identity. No wonder the dungeon was so strange; this was 'Taiyi'.
The Divine Torch had a speed limit, Flame-Chaser could not catch up with the Sky God, but what they craved was right before their eyes, how could they give it up so easily?
"Even Taiyi won't do."
Sunlight Spear!
Hundreds of golden spears gathered behind him and shot out in a devastating barrage. Caught in the middle, Sorion was frantic with worry, completely baffled as to how a third party had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The Sunlight Spear doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, but to him, everything was an enemy at this moment.
A miracle. Death of All Things.
The spreading halo caused countless spears to perish, and just then, a furnace spewing out ghastly white flames detached from the door.
It wasn't large, but it did spew forth a continuous sea of fire. At the other end, it was connected to the Gate of the Divine Realm by a black, tear-like substance, leaving one wondering where it led.
This is the Chaos Furnace Flame.
The terrifying aura silenced the battlefield instantly. Information that the God of Civilization had erased using his authority surged forth from the past, like the Left Hand of Sora. Some city lords were stunned, their instincts telling them that this thing was extremely evil, a thousand times more evil than the most terrifying Great Demon City.
It is the mortal enemy of all order and all life, and must be sealed and erased.
"The world was shocked in the fourth second."
The appearance of the Chaos Furnace Flame allowed Yuki to witness the myriad aspects of the world.
He saw that Wan Jun was stunned, all staring at the furnace fire, ignoring the fact that the people in the Abyss Grade were about to escape.
He saw that Sorion's aura was ferocious, causing cracks to appear in the rules of the Divine Torch, and the light bands to break apart.
He was so anxious he was practically going crazy. Sorion even admitted defeat, as if he were returning to the Divine Realm with his hearth still burning, hoping to find another opportunity.
He saw the Flame-Chaser catching up, radiating a thirst for and greed for the flame. Whether it was 'Taiyi' or the God of the Sky, they had to have this Chaos Furnace Flame.
Yuki's gaze returned to the stove in front of him, giving him a peculiar feeling.
The hook connects to the heavens above and the link to the earth below, just like the stem of a leaf, linking the Reincarnation Game. And beyond this world, the giant hand that is slapping down is already very close.
But they didn't know.
The Sky God didn't even know what the Chaos Furnace Flame was, and the Flame-Chaser only regarded it as a precious tool. Only I—
Only then can one understand its meaning and know how to take it away.
Total Annihilation.
Yuki slashed out, not at the furnace itself, but at the tear stain between it and the gate. He had seen this thing in the 'Race Game' and knew how to cut it.
Bite--
A hand composed entirely of pale flames gripped the blade; this hand had emerged from the furnace and carried a Chaos Grade will.
What!?
No one expected that the Chaos Furnace Flame would possess its own consciousness, a powerful will to overcome all obstacles and bring the world to a single, unified state.
Kalpas's eyes widened, Froya was almost in despair, the War General who had just emerged from the Abyss Grade had a drastic change in expression, and the gods held their breath.
Only Yuki remained expressionless.
"In the fifth second, I will inevitably perish."
Puff!
A beam of white light shone from his chest, and the God of the Sky stood menacingly behind him, his halberd slicing a hole in Yuki's chest.
"I told you, this was inevitable!!"
Filled with boundless hatred, His millennia-long scheme had failed, leaving Him only able to lie low and await the next opportunity. This outsider had created a tremendous trouble for Himself.
He must Divine Punishment and torn to pieces!
The Flame-Chaser, who also knew they only had one chance, arrived one after another. Sorion had no time to vent his anger, but before he could even make a move, the Yuki before him was shattered into pieces.
Puppet?!
He didn't understand how this was done, or what he wanted to do with the puppet. He instinctively reached out to grab the Divine Torch, only to find that it was completely out of his control.
Of course, a character in the story wouldn't steal a reincarnation item. Sorion didn't try much. He turned around and saw a huge Sunlight Spear embedded in his chest.
The Flame-Chaser finally caught up. Ignoring the Divine Torch, He transformed into flames and appeared before the furnace, embracing His true form.
Epic Metamorphosis. The Kindling Incarnation.
The furnace's black outer shell burst into flames, but this time the flames were orange-red. The reason the Flame-Chaser could hide in the Abyss Grade was because his Epic Metamorphosis was another form of erosion; he was trying to seize the Chaos Furnace Flame.
Whether it will succeed, the Flame-Chaser doesn't know, and neither does Sorion.
In the eyes of the Sky God, these outsiders are all the same; whether it's the Flame or the Black Blade, they all want to steal the most precious treasure in the world.
The Flame-Chaser was well aware of the Sky God's thoughts. He unleashed a sea of fire before the Gate of the Divine Realm, from which countless strange creatures rose.
Epic Metamorphosis. Embers Rekindled.
These are the life forms that the Flame-Chaser has slaughtered in hundreds of dungeons, more than enough to buy time. The Divine Torch is still suppressing them, and even if the Sky God goes all out, it will take some time.
If we can take away this Chaos Furnace Flame, it doesn't matter if everything we've accumulated is reduced to ashes.
Why can't it be eroded?
Just as Sorion unleashed the Withering of All Things and charged forward with his greatsword and halberd, the Flame-Chaser sensed something was wrong.
It's like discovering a gem on the ground, bending down to pick it up, but no matter how hard you try, the gem won't budge, because it's connected to an entire mountain range below.
Why was Taiyi able to take it? Was it simply because of the sword?
The Flame-Chaser realized what was happening, looked up and around, preparing to first erode the Black Blade, but after looking around...
Where's the knife!?
You can argue about it all you want.
The blizzard unleashed by the Heart of the Frost Goddess was completely evaporated, without even a wisp of water vapor falling.
In the distance, a head emerged from the sea, and Yuki rose and fell with the waves like an ordinary person, creating a spectacular scene.
The sky was ablaze, and the raging sky god was tearing apart the fiery clouds in droves, sparing no expense. In the distance, the battlefield was in chaos. Some Demon-Hunting Army were still obstinate, while others had finally realized what was happening. But how could they possibly withstand the onslaught of the annihilating heroes when their formation was in disarray?
People kept rushing out of the Abyss Grade rift, squeezing the defending Demon-Hunting Army towards the center. Anyone who touched the fiery waterfall would instantly turn into smoke with a 'whoosh'.
By this stage, the sky god's plan had failed, the gods had fled the perilous place, and the Chaos Grade fire was futilely pouring into the Abyss Grade, but He had no time to adjust.
In Sorion's eyes, all outsiders were the same; if the Yuki could be taken, the Flame-Chaser could be taken too. But the truth was—
"He cannot take it away. No matter how powerful a player is, as long as they are still within the game's framework, it is impossible to sever the connection between a dungeon and the game. And the only one who transcends the framework is Taiyi."
This is the core of Yuki's entire plan. He couldn't possibly hand over the Chaos Furnace Flame to the Flame-Chaser; he only wanted the latter to make an attempt. Once they did, he would solidify their hatred.
The Epic Metamorphosis has been triggered; it's impossible to tell the sky god, "Sorry, I can't take it; let's call a truce."
"Quickly crush the Demon-Hunting Army. The Flame-Chaser's aggro won't last long. The Sky God has usurped the authority of the other five gods and is no longer a simple Epic IV-rank."
"You... you're not dead!?" Mebius replied in surprise.
"Nonsense, knowing I couldn't beat Sorion, I was already planning to slip away." Yuki sneered, using Stand User in battle was too rudimentary.
This was just a smokescreen. The Stand User and the Fool's Mask were used to deceive people, and then he used [Akarin Possession] one last time to escape. Of course, this also required Sorion's cooperation.
To avoid a war of attrition, the Withering of All Things killed all the deadly particles, giving Yuki a safe space where he could not use his Transcendental Grade powers for defense.
Yuki had no time to explain, much less to boast. He ceded the battlefield, and his plan remained unchanged from beginning to end.
"With the Flame-Chaser ' 'help,' quickly regroup; the Sky God won't give up."
"But what if the Flame-Chaser can't stop Him and brings the Chaos Furnace Flame back to the Divine Realm?" Mebius wasn't blind; this was something Sorion couldn't even imagine.
"I'm not dead yet. If I can get that thing out once, I can do it again." Yuki grinned. The God of the Sky was unaware that the Reincarnation Game was about to slap him. On the surface, he had countless chances.
Luring the tiger away from the mountain, shedding one's skin like a cicada, using someone else to do the dirty work—what's the final outcome?
Mebius fell silent, gazing at the epic scene unfolding in the sky. The Flame-Chaser and the gods were locked in a life-or-death struggle for something, with neither side having any room to retreat. He even felt a pang of pity for them.
"What if the Flame-Chaser really intend to just coast through the dungeon and don't come out to 'help'?"
"It's alright. I'll give the Chaos Furnace Flame to Sorion, trading time for space, to help you defeat the Demon-Hunting Army first. His involvement just saves me some effort." Yuki paused for a moment, as elegant as a gentleman:
"The two battlefields switch back and forth, deceiving and revealing, which has confused Him. He knows everything, but because He lacks some information that He can never know, He has to follow my lead."
If the God of the Sky knew that the Reincarnation Game was watching, he wouldn't be in a hurry at all; in fact, it was He who should be calm and composed.
That bastard, he's got Sorion figured out from every angle.
Mebius pursed his lips, suddenly no longer in a hurry to return; his expression changed at this thought.
"You've plotted against me? Wait, I don't want to fight a Tier IV Epic monster to the death!"
"Heh, schemes can never replace strength. I need your and Kalpas's power to quickly crush the Demon-Hunting Army and gather all our forces—"
Yuki gazed at the sky, but not at the burning sea of fire; rather, he saw something far more deadly above it.
Despite the immense pressure, he remained calm and chose the option with the highest probability of success.
"Follow me to Godslaying!"
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Invincible, Did You Ask Me?