Round Twelve, carousel round.
By this stage of the match, one of the eight random players had already been eliminated. His health had reached zero, and his board had dimmed, transforming into a dark gold tombstone icon that hung on the right side of the screen.
The remaining seven players continued their fierce battle. The pace had clearly quickened: most had reached level seven, four-cost units were beginning to appear in batches, and the contest over front- and back-row positioning had grown increasingly intricate.
When the carousel prompt for this round appeared, the image at the center of the screen switched to the display platform. Players picked in order of health, from lowest to highest. The first to choose this round was a random player with only 18 health remaining.
He urgently needed a high-quality unit to steady his position. Otherwise, the next round might be his last.
The units on the display platform appeared one by one.
When the first group appeared, no one in the Main Control Hall reacted much. It was a two-cost Dai Mubai holding a Giant's Belt, a common midgame placeholder—not worth spending first pick on.
Dugu Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly when the second group appeared.
It was a three-cost Hu Liena holding a Tear of the Goddess, a quality accessory for a Spirit Hall comp. If she could get it, her Spirit Hall synergy would increase from three stacks to five.
But what truly silenced the room was the third group.
Light gathered at the center of the display platform, and a tall, slender figure slowly materialized.
It was the projection of a young man clad in blue-and-gold armor. In his left hand, he held a sea-blue trident, its surface rippling with shimmering waves.
In his right hand, he gripped a massive, dark-red sword wreathed in blood-red lightning. It gave off an aura utterly opposite to that of the Sea God Trident in his left hand: one side held the vast, gentle embrace of the ocean, while the other seethed with the merciless slaughter of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
A line of gilded text hovered above his head:
Dual God Coexistence · Tang San · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
One body, two godhoods: the Sea God and Asura God stand side by side. While wielding both the Sea God Trident and the Asura Demon Sword, his first skill each round triggers the effects of both divine powers simultaneously.
The Main Control Hall fell silent for a full three seconds.
Ning Rongrong's mouth fell slightly open. Only after a long moment did she manage to ask, "...Tang San? Dual God Coexistence? What does that mean?"
Yi Chen didn't answer right away. Leaning back in his chair, he gazed calmly at the unit's projection, as though he'd known all along that it would appear in the pool.
"It means exactly what it says," he replied mildly. "In the future, Tang San will inherit the godhoods of both the Sea God and the Asura God, becoming the first Spirit Master on this continent to coexist with two gods. This unit is a projection sample taken from that timeline."
Xiao Wu stared at the unit, her expression too complicated to put into words.
She had known Tang San longer than anyone else. They had been companions ever since Nuoding Academy, and she understood his talent and ambition better than anyone. Yet the weight of the words "Dual God Coexistence" still exceeded her comprehension.
"Then right now..." Xiao Wu's voice sounded a little hoarse. "He shouldn't be anywhere near that level yet, should he?"
"Of course not." Yi Chen remained calm. "This unit is a projection of 'future information,' not a real-time scan of the current timeline. S1's pool contains not only the powerful figures of the present but also promising candidates who might reach godhood in the future. Tang San is just one of them."
He lifted his chin, indicating that they should keep watching the display platform.
The fourth group lit up right after. It was the projection of a woman wearing a dark-purple robe and a crown of thorns. Dense, dark-purple mist swirled around her, filled with the faint, wailing shadows of countless skulls.
Her eyes were a strange purplish black, like the entrance to an abyss. No one dared look directly into them.
The label above her head read:
Rakshasa God · Bibi Dong · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
Heir to the Rakshasa Godhood, with her Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor Twin Martial Souls fused as one. Each time she defeats an enemy unit, her spell power permanently increases.
Ning Rongrong drew in a sharp breath. "Bibi Dong? Isn't she the Pope of Spirit Hall? She's a god too?"
"In the future, she will be," Yi Chen replied succinctly. "She inherits the Rakshasa God's godhood and becomes one of the female gods on this continent. Of course, that happens in another timeline. In this one, she's still only the Pope of Spirit Hall, with a long road ahead before she becomes a god."
The fifth group lit up next. It was the projection of a golden-haired woman in a pure-white robe, six golden wings unfurled behind her. Every feather radiated a warm, sacred light.
Her face was dignified and immaculate, and a golden sun emblem adorned her brow. She seemed bathed in divine radiance, inspiring an involuntary urge to bow in worship.
The label above her head read:
Angel God · Qian Renxue · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
Heir to the Angel God Position, with her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul fully awakened. At the start of combat, she grants the whole team a shield based on her own health.
The sixth group lit up. It was a pitch-black projection wreathed in dark-red lightning: a tall, straight-backed young man with a stern face, dressed in dark armor and holding a scepter ablaze with the flames of destruction.
His eyes were a deep, dark red, as if lava flowed in their depths. The air around him warped faintly, and the aura he gave off instinctively made people want to step back.
God of Destruction · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
One of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, wielder of the Law of Destruction. When his skill hits an enemy unit, it has a chance to directly destroy half of its current health.
The seventh group lit up right after, its aura utterly opposite to the darkness of the God of Destruction. It was a young woman with a gentle face, wearing a jade-green dress. Her long hair fell like a waterfall, dotted with tiny buds and tender shoots.
Soft, emerald-green ribbons of light encircled her. Wherever they passed, tiny floral apparitions formed in the air, as if spring would remain forever at her side.
God of Life · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
One of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, wielder of the Law of Life. Each round, she restores the team's lost health by an amount equal to a certain proportion of her own spell power.
Dugu Yan's gaze swept back and forth between the God of Destruction and the God of Life units. She murmured, "Their auras... they're complete opposites."
"The Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm each govern their own laws. Destruction and life are opposing concepts to begin with."
Yi Chen answered casually, "But they belong to no faction and take no part in disputes among the secular powers. In the pool, they're simply two independent high-cost units. Whoever gets one can use it."
The eighth and final group appeared: two figures side by side, the God of Goodness and the God of Evil.
The God of Goodness was a beautiful woman in white, surrounded by soft white light that brought peace to anyone who looked at her.
The God of Evil was a sinister-looking man in black, wreathed in dark mist, his gaze sharp as a blade.
Their temperaments were polar opposites, but the frameworks of their projections were joined, as if they were two inseparable sides of the same coin.
God of Goodness and God of Evil · 5-Cost · God/Versatile
Two of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, wielders of the Laws of Goodness and Evil. When both are fielded at the same time, they trigger the Twin Bond, granting the whole team bonus stats.
With that, all eight groups on the display platform had appeared. Five-cost god units made up six groups, while only two groups held low-cost accessories. The quality of this carousel was absurdly high.
The Main Control Hall stayed quiet for a while. Ye Lingling was the first to speak, her voice cool and measured. "Can anyone get these god units right now?"
Yi Chen shook his head. "At level seven, the odds of finding a five-cost unit are only one percent. It's theoretically possible, but extremely unlikely. Unless someone gets unbelievably lucky or deliberately saves up to roll heavily at level seven, these five-cost units won't truly enter the market until level eight or even level nine."
He paused, then added, "But the carousel is an exception. Its units are randomly refreshed by the system, regardless of your level. In other words, even if you're only level five, you could still get a five-cost unit from the carousel—provided you have enough health to survive until the round and are high enough in the picking order."
Ning Rongrong's eyes settled on the Dual God Tang San unit. She fell silent for a few seconds, then murmured, "If someone gets that unit, wouldn't they be able to steamroll everyone in the early game?"
"In theory, yes." Yi Chen didn't deny it. "The God synergy gives a unit carrying it alone a twenty-five percent increase to all stats, and immunity to one lethal hit in each battle. It doesn't count toward other synergies, nor does it benefit from their bonuses. Put another way, a god unit is a universal add-on, independent of any comp. You can slot it into any lineup, but it won't help you complete a synergy."
He looked at the eight groups on the screen and added one final remark in an even tone. "The carousel is about to begin. Picks go in order of health, so Lingling chooses first. Decide for yourselves: take a five-cost god and bet on the future, or play it safe and pick a low-cost unit to round out your comp."
The carousel countdown appeared. Ye Lingling had the lowest health among the seven remaining players, giving her first pick.
She stood, swept her gaze over the display platform, and made her choice.