The discovery of the " Power of Fortune " acted like a shot in the arm, greatly boosting the morale of the defenders of the Blood-Red Defense Line. The elite hunting teams achieved remarkable results, with many soldiers who had been stuck at a bottleneck for years breaking through, resulting in a slight but undeniable increase in overall combat strength. However, beneath this seemingly improving situation, a darker and more unsettling conjecture gradually surfaced as the frontline commanders and the headquarters think tank repeatedly deduced its implications.
This hypothesis stems from continuous monitoring of the rifts and analysis of monster behavior patterns.
Inside the intelligence analysis room, Sabo pointed to a blurry image—a scene captured at great cost deep within the contaminated zone: several dark purple ( Vice Admiral level) Rift Demons were besieging a lone human warship. After destroying the warship and consuming all its energy and life, these demons didn't leave immediately. Instead, they circled the wreckage, as if performing some kind of... ritual? A faint, dark, and murky light flickered on their bodies, the complete opposite of the golden light of " the Power of Fortune." Then, that light seemed to be drawn away by an invisible channel, converging into the depths of the rift.
"Look here, and here too." Sabo switched to several more clips, all showing similar phenomena that occurred after monsters completed large-scale slaughter. "They seem... to be able to obtain some kind of 'nourishment' from killing and destruction?"
Allen stared at the murky light, the Power of Zhulong allowing him to perceive something deeper. "It's not nourishment... it's something similar, but completely opposite in nature. If our soldiers gain 'positive feedback' of the world's fortune by killing them, then what they gain through slaughter might be... the Fortune of Destruction? Or perhaps Tribulation Power? It's also the power of this world, but it's being seized, polluted, and absorbed by them through destruction."
Robin, his face growing paler as he perused the ancient texts, said, "In some prophetic accounts of extreme calamities, there's a mention of... 'Their heroes are my food'... Could this be what they mean? Invaders not only plunder land and energy, but their very existence and acts of slaughter are stealing the very 'foundation of existence' of this world?"
A terrifying conclusion is gradually becoming clear:
This war is a two-way hunt!
The defenders who kill the Rift Demons receive a boost from the world's fortune, becoming even stronger.
The Rift Demons, by killing the defenders and destroying civilizations, can also plunder the world's " Power of Existence " (tentatively named Tribulation Power ) and use it as a sacrifice to the dimension behind them!
"If this conjecture holds true..." Ace's voice carried a hint of coldness, "Then every soldier we sacrifice, every warship and town we destroy is essentially 'recharging' them?"
Sabo nodded gravely. "What's even more terrifying is that the ' Tribulation Power ' they plunder might be used for the same reason we do—to summon even stronger beings!"
He pulled up the energy monitoring data of the rift. "As you can see, although the rate of expansion of the rift is basically stable, every time there are large-scale casualties on the front lines, the energy fluctuations deep within the rift, especially those red ( Four Emperors- level) and even more powerful auras, will have a brief and subtle increase in activity! It's as if... the sacrifice has met some condition, making it easier for more powerful individuals to descend!"
The meeting room was deathly silent.
This conjecture is too cruel.
This means that simply defending and engaging in a war of attrition might play right into the enemy's hands! The defending forces grow stronger by killing monsters, but the monsters also accumulate "descent energy" by killing the defending forces and causing destruction. It's a bloody competition to see who can accumulate enough power to overwhelm the other first.
But the initiative seems to lie more with the invaders. They can bear the losses, because the monsters lost are part of the "food" themselves, and even if their deaths are killed by the defenders, it will actually boost the defenders' luck (albeit slightly). But every casualty of the defenders is aiding the enemy!
"We must change our strategy!" Long said decisively. "We can no longer engage in pointless wars of attrition and positional warfare! Every attack must have a clear objective, minimizing our own casualties and maximizing our kill efficiency!"
"All actions must prioritize the protection of our personnel! If we lose our people, we lose both!"
"Intensify the attack on the rifts and nests! We must find a way to interrupt their process of acquiring ' Tribulation Power ' or disrupt their summoning rituals!"
New orders were swiftly issued. Frontline tactics became more flexible and cautious, avoiding direct confrontation with the demonic tide and instead employing tactics such as harassment, ambushes, and precise decapitation strikes. The soldiers also learned of this harsh prediction, their hearts heavy, but they also understood even more the importance of protecting themselves and their comrades—every survival was a way to prevent the enemy from becoming stronger.
Luffy slammed a purple monster into the ground with a punch, watching the golden light enter its body, but he felt no joy. He looked towards the crack, his eyes sharp. "So that's how it is... So those guys weren't actively attacking, but just constantly expanding their territory, waiting for us to come and die? Truly... utterly despicable!"
Zoro wiped the blood from his sword. "Then let's cut them down even faster! Before they get stronger!"
However, everyone knows that this is only a temporary solution. As long as the rift remains and the monster's lair continues to function, this two-way hunt will continue until one side is completely devoured.
The real solution to this impasse still lies on the other side of that crack.