The Might of Throne (Part One)

Swords were sharp, but when no one wielded them, even the sharpest blades were mere ornaments.

Power was enticing, but if no one could wield it, even the most terrifying power was nothing but empty talk.

A sword needed a hilt to become a deadly weapon.

Power, naturally, had a hilt of its own.

The difference was that any living creature could be qualified to grasp a sword, but only a god could be qualified to grasp authority.

The Contaminated Novelist had once told Su Bai that many great gods existed in this world. They possessed unfathomable authorities, and they also had to fulfill the responsibilities those authorities bestowed upon them.

After connecting all the details, Su Bai suddenly realized that the "authority" the redback spider had spoken of referred to his Oracle-Wrath.

And the "Satan" the redback spider had mentioned could only be the god qualified to wield Wrath.

In other words, "Satan" had chosen Su Bai and bestowed "Wrath" upon him.

But why?

Su Bai's mind was pulled back once more to the operation ten years ago, the one that could only be called a "miracle."

The doctor who had knelt on the floor, choking back sobs and shedding tears.

The child who had lain pale-faced in the hospital bed.

They had both done the same thing-prayed devoutly.

Then a humanoid creature wreathed in scarlet flames had walked into Su Bai's dream.

So that had not been a dream.

Supporting Chu Ning, whose clothes were soaked in blood, Qingxue retreated steadily.

But soon, they had nowhere left to retreat.

Hundreds of little spiders surrounded them, throwing themselves at the pair like moths, one wave following another.

Qingxue, who had always been timid and fearful, suddenly mustered the courage to burn her boats. Her pair of pristine white wings rapidly unfurled, tracing two arcs through the air and sweeping up a vast expanse of holy, scorching white light. It formed a semicircular shield around them, protecting the two while instantly burning dozens of little spiders to ash.

But that did nothing to stop the spiders' frenzy. They seemed incapable of fear or terror, and continued to hurl themselves recklessly at the holy, scorching wings.

Pff!

Pff!

In just a few seconds, dozens more little spiders perished in the sea of fire.

The sight was like moths flying into a flame.

The ancients often said that moths flying into a flame were overestimating themselves, but if a swarm of moths flew into the fire one after another, it was no longer overestimating themselves-it was perseverance.

One little spider after another paid with its life, gradually tearing the holy wings until they were streaked with blood. Gaps appeared one after another, and spider after spider burrowed through them. Clearly, it would not be long before they tore the wings to shreds.

But now Qingxue had no other choice. She could only grit her teeth and hold on.

"Let me," Chu Ning said, coughing up blood. With a hand trembling constantly from the excruciating pain, she slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her eye. She picked up her blood-soaked baseball cap from the ground, put it on, and gently lowered the brim until it was level with her eyebrows.

She slowed her breathing and staggered into a steady stance. In a flash, she slipped out from behind the wings and yanked both hands downward through the air, actually pulling out two constantly flickering bolts of lightning, solid as substance. Holding them like daggers, she leaped into the swarm of spiders, slashing, chopping, and stabbing like a butterfly dancing through the Dark Night. Her daggers struck with precision and grace, freely reaping those cheap lives.

Human courage truly was something as wonderful as a work of art.

But courage could not put food on the table.

For the dancer's footsteps had always left glaring trails of blood.

Wherever Chu Ning passed, little spider corpses fell with a hiss, along with scraps of her flesh, pieces of her clothes, and strands of her hair.

Perhaps, when her baseball cap fell once more, her life would fall with it.

Such a story could be called tragic and heroic, but not beautiful.

Su Bai was witnessing this story unfold with his own eyes, yet was powerless to stop it.

Everything before his eyes seemed to twist. His mind lapsed into momentary confusion, and a loud buzzing filled his head, as though ten million mosquitoes were beating their wings beside his ears.

Through the haze, he heard a voice whisper in his ear-Please pick up the authority you left behind and announce to this world the descent of a god!

Wrath!

Wrath!

Su Bai's eyes were scarlet as blood, his face twisted and ferocious. His muscles creaked all over, and his entire body moved erratically like a writhing mass of flesh.

The strands of silk binding his body snapped one after another, and the web covering him was utterly set ablaze by an invisible flame. The savagery from the deepest reaches of his bloodline slowly awakened.

Seeing that Chu Ning and Qingxue were about to be swallowed by the swarm, Su Bai could no longer suppress the frenzied fury bursting forth inside him. He abruptly rose to his feet.

"Throne."

Suddenly, a low murmur came from afar, exploding beside everyone's ears like thunder.

Su Bai had only just stood up when he crashed to the ground with a boom! Seven or eight of his ribs broke, and it felt as though a dozen tons were bearing down on him. Even breathing became difficult.

The hundreds of little spiders flying through the air were like hundreds of balloons being punctured. Amid a single, sharp explosion, their already brief lives came to an end.

The few remaining unhatched egg sacs fell to the ground under the pull of gravity, like the apple that had fallen toward Newton. Then, as though crushed by a hydraulic press, they burst, splattering pus and blood everywhere. The little spiders that had yet to hatch quietly perished before they had a chance to see the wonders of this world.

Qingxue was closest to the direction the voice had come from. The moment it rang out, her mind suffered a tremendous shock, and her eyes rolled back as she fell unconscious. Her bloodstained wings slowly dissolved in a white light.

Chu Ning lay in a sea of green blood that reeked of gore, coughing up blood incessantly, yet a radiant smile bloomed on her face. It was hard to imagine that someone as cold and aloof as her could also have a moment of such relief and joy.

Throne.

Divine Oracle Sequence 37-Throne!

A high-level Oracle that only the man who lived in legend could use in all of Great Xia.

Captain of the Suzhou Squad, Grave Keeper number 007, Li Ming.

He had arrived.

Then there would be no more problems.

Li Ming sat by the entrance with his phone in hand, reading the text message Su Bai had sent him an hour ago. Clicking his tongue, he said:

"You three needed fighter jets and missiles to deal with one little spider that had fallen in rank... Are you kidding me? Have you ever looked at the stockpile of firearms and explosives those lunatics from the Tomb Sweepers stuffed into our armory? Those missiles carry nuclear warheads. Fucking nuclear warheads, understand?

Even the smallest payload could instantly destroy every building and living thing within ten kilometers, and you were only going to use one against a single dorm building!? Those little bastards from Section Seven were pointing in my face and cursing so hard they nearly woke eighteen generations of my ancestors, and I still had no idea what had happened.

If I hadn't checked the text Su Bai sent me in time, I wouldn't even have known how capable you were. You almost blew Suzhou University off the map. I'm angry, very angry."

Li Ming stood up and walked onto the rooftop. He glanced at the chaotic scene, finally fixing his gaze on the redback spider ten meters away, and continued:

"I'm not angry that you wanted to blow up Suzhou University. As far as I'm concerned, that place isn't worth a fart. What pisses me off is that you fucking idiots had already decided to blow it up, so why didn't you hurry up and get far away? You're so young, yet you had to go showing off, acting like some righteous heroes. Who the fuck indulged that rotten habit of yours? Get rid of it, and fast!"