As Though a God Walked the Earth

"If you're compatible with it, Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge will transform itself into a form that suits you."

In theory, Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge should have seven forms. There was bound to be one that suited him.

Following Raven's instructions, Shi Hen activated My Guessing Power. A faint white glow lit up in his hand and flowed toward Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge.

He did not understand things like willpower and conviction, but Shi Hen did know how to use Honkai Energy.

As for whether this would work... this was Honkai World, after all. Everything could be explained with Honkai Energy.

Under their hopeful gazes, Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge suddenly shone brilliantly, then... turned into a fruit knife.

Shi Hen had successfully unlocked another new form of Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge. He had effortlessly surpassed Raven, who had wielded this Divine Key for years, displaying extraordinary talent.

"Uh... maybe apples peeled with it will taste better?"

Pinching Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge between his fingers and waving it through the air, Shi Hen could not sense any special power contained within it. It was as if it truly were just an ordinary fruit knife.

He felt like he had been played by a weapon.

By all reasonable logic, as the protagonist of this story, should he not have shaken his mighty frame, exuded overwhelming dominance, and made Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge submit willingly, transforming into the shape of Shi Somebody from then on?

Scratching his head helplessly, Shi Hen could only return Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge to Raven.

He could not seriously take a fruit knife into battle. What if Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge went on strike and screwed him over?

"This... this was just an accident. The organization definitely has other weapons that will suit you."

Taking back the fruit knife, Raven's face could not help turning red.

This was a little awkward.

It was her first time seeing someone rejected by Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge to such an extent.

After communicating with Seven Thunders of Sin's Purge in her usual way for a long time, Raven could only accept the fact that it had temporarily become useless when it remained in its half-dead fruit knife form.

Destroying a top-tier Divine Key with a single attempt, Shi Hen truly was remarkably gifted.

"Oh."

Shi Hen was not particularly concerned about the weapons and equipment World Serpent could provide.

By the late game, everyone would be crafting their own weapons anyway. Who would care whether what they held was a Divine Key or not? (Tactically leans back.)

After all, the great Herrscher of Knowledge could pick up a brick and call it a Divine Key.

As for the early and middle stages... Shi Hen believed he could still massacre everyone with ease, because he was a player with cheats.

"I'm heading out."

As he spoke, Shi Hen equipped a white short robe and a black nylon stocking mask.

When it came to infiltration, he was a professional.

Raven: "..."

A white robe paired with a black stocking mask—was this some kind of new-age performance art?

If Shi Hen had not been carrying a baseball bat, she would have suspected he was planning to rob a bank.

Wait, a baseball bat?

"You're taking that into battle?"

Pointing at the bat in the youth's hand, Raven's expression nearly fell apart.

The target this time was, at the very least, a fully armed Mafia group. Was using a toy for street brawls not a little too disrespectful to them?

"Natasha, don't underestimate baseball bats." Shi Hen sighed, rubbing his forehead. A faint smile appeared on his face beneath the mask. "If weapons had star ratings, baseball bats would be supreme six-star divine artifacts."

They had run through the beginning and end of the story. Calling the baseball bat a six-star divine artifact was not excessive, was it?

In the future, even the strongest people of two different eras would ultimately use baseball bats to settle things in a final showdown.

Knowing Raven could not possibly understand, Shi Hen had no intention of explaining. He merely quickened his pace, leaped from the thirty-third floor, and vanished into the boundless darkness of the night.

He could not shoot spiderwebs, but jumping off a building was no problem for him.

Watching the youth's figure disappear in an instant, Raven shook her head with a wry smile, tightened the hood of her cloak, and followed after him.

As the examiner for this mission, she would not intervene unless necessary, but following close behind to observe the youth was perfectly acceptable.

Like a God Walking Upon the Earth

Deep within the industrial park, inside a spacious and brightly lit conference room.

"Everyone should know what has been happening lately. Tell me, what should we do about it?"

Glancing over the men in black suits seated around the long conference table, Scar-faced Man, sitting at the head of the table, darkened his expression. He folded his hands beneath his chin and spoke in a grave voice.

As an old Mafia organization with nearly a century of history, he had originally been leading his team toward greater success and glory. Not long ago, they had even acquired a mech that had come through secret channels from North America, steadily raising the organization's strength by a huge margin.

Tactical Mechs were ultimate weapons that countless organizations coveted. Not only did they possess destructive power comparable to the main battle tanks of major powers, their defenses were also difficult for conventional weapons to breach.

Although the mech that came into their hands had passed through an unknown number of owners, its performance still far exceeded every weapon and piece of equipment the organization had previously possessed.

But just as he had been fired up with ambition, preparing to seize more territory, expand the organization, and push Blood Axe several more ranks up the Northern Europe server rankings, a baffling enemy had suddenly appeared. Not only had they ruined many of Blood Axe's dealings, they had even killed several executives, plunging the organization into panic.

Even more embarrassingly, they still did not know who their enemy was or why that enemy had targeted them.

"I say we hit back and show them how powerful Blood Axe is!"

A burly man shouted loudly.

Blood Axe was a Mafia organization that ranked among the best in all of Northern Europe. When had they ever suffered such humiliation?

"Hit back? Do you know where they are?"

A voluptuous woman sneered in rebuttal, her eyes full of disdain.

All he knew was fighting and killing. It was embarrassing to be associated with him.

"So what? Are we supposed to just swallow this? We've lost so many brothers!"

A skinny man said unhappily.

If they did not reclaim their dignity, Blood Axe's morale would fall apart.

"That's not what I mean. We just need to be more cautious and not act rashly." The voluptuous woman explained helplessly. "At the very least, we need to understand why the two sides became enemies."

They did not even know who the enemy was, yet they wanted to charge in so desperately. Did they think they had lived too long?

The several idiots who had died recently had already proven that this enemy was no simple small fry. They had to be treated with caution.

"Heh. If we knew anything about the enemy, we wouldn't just be sitting here."

Someone scoffed.

"If they don't show themselves, are we supposed to keep sitting here forever?"

Another person sneered in agreement.

"Exactly! I'm not going to be some turtle hiding in its shell!"

"Then go out and get yourself killed. At least you won't spray blood all over me."

For a moment, the two factions with opposing views argued more and more fiercely, as if they would pull out pistols and put a bullet in each other's heads the next second.

Watching the scene grow increasingly out of control, Scar-faced Man's expression hardened.

He understood the immense pressure everyone had been under lately, but this was still far too ugly.

They were Blood Axe, a Mafia organization that ranked among the best in all of Northern Europe. How could they behave like this!?

"Actually, I know where the people you're looking for are."

Just as Scar-faced Man could no longer hold back from stopping them, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out, instantly silencing the conference room.

"Those people are..." Scar-faced Man had just been about to ask when he followed the voice and saw an unfamiliar figure in a white robe at the end of the conference table. His expression changed at once. "Who are you!?"

When had this guy appeared? Why had no one noticed him!?

"Since you asked so sincerely, I'll be merciful and tell you." Resting both feet on the table, Shi Hen shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. "If nothing unexpected happens, I should be the person you've all been discussing."

The moment those words fell, everyone present changed expression.

Seeing the Mafia members' reactions, Shi Hen's lips curled into an amused smile.

Raven had naturally chosen tonight as the time for the operation after careful consideration, because only now could they wipe out the upper echelons of this Mafia organization as quickly as possible.

Today was not World Serpent's first confrontation with the Blood Axe Mafia.

Over the past half month, World Serpent had acted like an experienced hunter, constantly driving Blood Axe into an ever-tightening corner until it had recalled all of its executive-level personnel and fallen into this trap designed to catch them all at once.

Although Blood Axe was one of Northern Europe's notable Mafia organizations, compared to World Serpent, the uncrowned king of the underground world, it was like a little lobster waving its claws before a giant whale in the deep sea.

They were simply not on the same level.

World Serpent only needed to cast its gaze upon Blood Axe, and Blood Axe had already been forced to a dead end.

Of course, World Serpent had not chosen to act against Blood Axe because it had abused prohibited weapons or committed countless evil deeds. It was simply because those people had gotten in World Serpent's way.

More than half a month ago, Blood Axe had robbed a shipment belonging to World Serpent, drawing the serpent's attention from then on. Those Mafia members might never have understood who the unmarked crates had belonged to.

Given World Serpent's scale, this was not an issue worth much attention. It only needed to lift a finger to teach this lawless Mafia group a lesson they would never forget.

But who could blame them when a newcomer happened to need a stage to display his strength?

With a simple decision from Gray Serpent, the Blood Axe Mafia became Shi Hen's debut upon joining World Serpent, and Raven's interference then turned it into a certain youth's entrance examination.

As for whether these Mafia members would have any objections... Raven and Gray Serpent both believed they probably would not.

"Die!"

After several seconds of shock, the Mafia members finally came to their senses and roared in fury, pulling their pistols from their clothes almost simultaneously.

Bang bang bang bang bang...

Without the slightest hesitation, they opened fire. Every gun was aimed at the white-robed, masked man who had suddenly appeared, and the muzzle flashes erupted in rapid succession like a string of firecrackers.

Having experienced hundreds of street brawls and bar shootouts, the Mafia members knew that anyone who could sneak into the conference room without a sound was no ordinary person. One careless mistake could cost them their heads.

But unfortunately, their enemy's strength had already surpassed anything experience could make up for.

"Are you done?"

Still seated in his place without moving an inch, Shi Hen patiently allowed the Mafia members to empty their magazines.

After the round of shooting ended, the Mafia members were completely stunned.

In front of Shi Hen, more than a hundred bullet heads floated densely in the air, as if held firmly in place by an invisible force.

"Mon, mon—"

With a flick of his finger, a bullet head instantly shot out and pierced through the speaking Mafia member's skull. Shi Hen gently advised, "Please don't say that. It would hurt my feelings."

As a pure-blooded human, Shi Hen had always refused to accept such baseless slander.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"

Meeting Shi Hen's utterly calm gaze, the Mafia members hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Shi Hen wore a white robe and a black mask, and he obviously did not look like a good person. But since he said his heart was fragile and had even politely said "please," how could they not believe him?

"Very good." Shi Hen nodded in satisfaction. "It seems everyone here is reasonable."

Sure enough, the ancients had not deceived him.

If you encountered someone unwilling to reason, all you had to do was carefully discuss physics with them, and they would become very willing to reason.

"Who exactly are you, sir? Blood Axe shouldn't have offended you, should we?"

At the critical moment between life and death, Scar-faced Man, as the leader, stepped forward and asked Shi Hen in a deep voice.

Hearing their boss speak, Blood Axe's executives nodded repeatedly.

Though the underworld was known for chaos and disorder, they still had rules of their own. They would not make enemies without reason, much less provoke an opponent as terrifying as Shi Hen.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand." Shi Hen shook his head helplessly. "Just consider yourselves unlucky."

Under normal circumstances, accidentally offending World Serpent was not a major problem. World Serpent was too vast to wipe out an entire group over some minor incident.

If it concerned itself with every little matter, even expanding World Serpent's armed forces a hundredfold would not be enough.

Running into the special period when World Serpent had a newcomer joining could only mean Blood Axe had truly terrible luck.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed.