Chapter 164: Let There Be Light [Double Chapter]

Chapter 164: Let There Be Light [Double Chapter]

If portals represent the pinnacle of military deployment capabilities, then magical shields are the most extravagant three-dimensional defense systems.

Their birth was not the serendipitous invention of a single genius but the culmination of countless mages refining the most basic elemental shields throughout the evolution of magic.

This is a complex system.

Thus, every activation not only consumes staggering amounts of mana but also requires extensive time to initiate.

In an era where gods traverse time and space, a single moment’s delay could alter the course of battle!

The Sparda Battle stands as the clearest example.

Therefore, deactivating the magical shield now would undoubtedly plunge Willis City into grave peril.

Did Yu Sheng'an not know how dangerous this was?

He did.

But he had no choice!

He couldn’t allow the God of Death’s psychological warfare to continue unchecked.

Because he understood one truth deeply: never test human nature.

The first two counts had already been enough.

So Yu Sheng'an struck back.

By voluntarily withdrawing the magical shield, he not only resolved the dilemma faced by the Three Saint Magus of Keville but also staged an empty-city stratagem by flinging the gates wide open.

A masterstroke that killed two birds with one stone!

Now, he wanted to see—would the God of Death dare to enter?

Little did he know, his counterattack stirred peculiar emotions in the hearts of the Three Saint Magus.

—Regardless of whether the Internet God won or lost this battle, this move of his had, in fact, considered both sides, leaving the Three Saint Magus a way out.

Victory aside, in the event of defeat, the Three Saint Magus could fully justify themselves by claiming they had complied with the God of Death’s demand to open the magical shield within the three-count deadline.

No matter how unwilling the God of Death might be to admit it, he would have no choice but to acknowledge this—or risk his credibility crumbling entirely!

From then on, any attempt at co-opting enemies would be doomed to fail.

Realizing this, even though they had already lost much faith in the Internet God, the Three Saint Magus couldn’t help but feel a flicker of gratitude.

Of course, most people wouldn’t grasp this nuance.

They were utterly stunned by Ajef’s audacious words!

For a moment, Willis City fell into dead silence, while the God of Death’s faction was left dumbfounded.

To them, the disappearance of Willis City’s magical shield should have been cause for celebration.

Yet now, no one saw it as a good thing.

Ajef’s uncharacteristic boldness instead filled the Nether Gods with suspicion and unease.

The God of Death, seated high upon his war chariot, furrowed his brow.

Did this count as the Three Saint Magus surrendering?

Or was it the Internet God’s provocation?

Subordinate God Duke, sensing his lord’s dilemma, stepped forward and offered counsel: “Your Majesty, the Fifth Calamity is immortal and indestructible. No matter what tricks the Internet God is playing, we need only send a legion to test the waters!”

The God of Death’s brow smoothed. “Granted.”

Indeed, why fret over schemes when a simple probe would reveal the truth?

Better yet, with the Fifth Calamity at his disposal, the cost of trial and error was negligible. So why waste time guessing?

“Woooo—”

A deep, earth-shaking war horn sounded from the God of Death’s ranks.

A square formation of the Fifth Calamity began its advance, marching steadily toward Willis City to the rhythm of the horn!

Though their footsteps were disorderly, their sheer numbers made the earth tremble, striking terror into all who witnessed it.

The sudden movement of the undead legion sent Willis City into an uproar!

Countless people instinctively turned their gaze toward the city walls, knowing that Ajef, who had ordered the shield to be lowered, was standing there!

The Three Saint Magus of Keville could no longer remain seated.

In unison, they looked toward Yu Sheng'an.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, Yu Sheng'an observed the advancing Fifth Calamity, took a slight breath, and prepared to deploy another psychological tactic to buy time.

However, at that very moment, his eyebrows arched slightly as he chuckled, "Your Highness, God of Death, with your home base under attack, you still have the mood to wage war here? Admirable, truly admirable!"

No sooner had his voice faded than massive Virtual Screens suddenly materialized above Willis City. Like a frozen ocean, they stretched from the city's edge toward the heart of the battlefield.

The same psychological tactic Yu Sheng'an had once used to dismantle the siege of the Five Great Righteous Gods had reappeared!

"What is this…?"

"The God of War?"

"No, the God of the Sea and Mother Earth are there too!"

The Three Saint Magus of Keville raised their heads to the sky, and the scenes displayed on the Virtual Screens sent chills down their spines.

What they saw was none other than the Four Pillar Gods—War, Earth, Life, and the Sea—launching an assault on the preaching zones of their supposed ally, the God of Death!

"This is an illusion! Fifth Calamity, full assault!"

The God of Death's composed voice echoed from the Netherworld camp, steadying his forces before abruptly issuing the command for a full-scale attack.

Yet, atop his towering war chariot—unseen by the soldiers—the God of Death's eyes widened, his hands trembling slightly.

Because he knew this was no illusion.

His so-called allies had taken advantage of his mobilization against the Keville Empire to launch a coordinated attack on his preaching zones.

Their movements were too swift!

With four against one, they had swallowed countless preaching zones in an instant.

At this critical juncture, the God of Death gritted his teeth and resolved to press the assault on the Keville Empire.

Turning back now would be too late!

Better to trade these preaching zones for the fall of the Keville Empire. Once the Internet God was thoroughly crushed, he would have ample time to deal with those traitors!

"Hahaha, still bluffing even at death's door? Don’t you have the Dark Web? Ask your family and friends—or even log off and see for yourself!"

Yu Sheng'an's mocking laughter drowned out all other noise.

The moment his words fell, the God of Death's heart plummeted.

He considered severing the connection, but it would be meaningless.

After all, cutting off the link was no different from… logging off.

"No!"

"My homeland is under attack!"

"I must return!"

In an instant, the once-orderly formations of the God of Death's army descended into chaos. Countless undead cried out in panic.

But even more undead froze in place, the Soul Fire within their skulls ceasing to flicker—players had logged off.

"Deserves to die!" The God of Death roared in fury, his gaze locked onto Willis City as if he could see Yu Sheng'an's smug grin from the walls. Clenching his teeth, he finally bellowed, "Retreat!"

"Screeeech—"

The sound of retreat reverberated across the battlefield.

Before the remnants of the Fifth Calamity could respond, another sound pierced the air—a deep, resounding war horn signaling attack.

The moment it sounded, the hastily trained players were left dumbfounded.

Some scrambled to retreat, others recklessly charged forward, while a few simply stood frozen, utterly bewildered!

In an instant, the massive undead formation completely collapsed into chaos. From a distance, it looked like a disturbed anthill—swarming everywhere, dense and countless, yet no longer terrifying.

"What's happening?" The God of Death was stunned.

"This isn't our sound, this... this must be the Music Goddess's doing!"

The Nether Gods paled in shock.

However, their experience allowed them to quickly realize what was happening.

Their expressions darkened to the extreme.

In the past, the Music God had been insignificant, barely worth noticing.

But now? A mere shift in a horn's melody had dealt them a heavy blow.

Before the God of Death could issue orders through the Dark Web, a cold voice suddenly echoed from the heavens.

"God said, let there be light!"

A tone laced with mockery and strangeness resounded from the highest skies, spreading across hundreds of miles!

Countless people looked up in confusion but saw nothing—only an endless white flooding the world.

That was light!

The world suddenly blazed with brilliance!

Many instinctively covered their eyes, even turning their backs.

Yet nothing could block the piercing radiance that penetrated everything.

Their vision turned crimson.

As the light gradually softened, the people on Willis City's walls slowly opened their eyes and looked beyond the city.

The sight outside left them dumbstruck, their souls trembling in horror!

The world was no longer the same.

History was a cycle—the scene that had once unfolded before Twit Town on Keville's border was now repeating itself.

Within dozens of miles centered on Willis, the earth had liquefied, magma churned, farmlands and forests burned to ashes, and the Fifth Calamity standing upon it had been reduced to dust!

Blistering heat waves surged forward, scorching mages' robes and even activating their magical armor, forcing shields to emerge!

A gust of wind swept up endless white powder, cascading into Willis City like a sandstorm ravaging a desert's edge.

Further away, the endless undead retreated in terror.

"Bastard, die!"

A figure burst from the undead army, charging toward Yu Sheng'an in the sky—none other than the God of Death Sawyer!

"God bless Keville! Charge! Charge! Charge!"

From Willis City's walls came the furious roar of Saint Magus Dandell!

—Even he, not the brightest, knew which side to stand on now.

If he didn’t offer his pledge of allegiance now, would he wait for the Internet God’s reckoning after the war?

Under the Saint Magus's power, the liquefied earth rapidly cooled, freezing over for miles, paving an assault path for Keville's mages and warriors.

"For the Empire!"

"God bless Keville!"

"Kill—"

The once-fearful Keville soldiers erupted with courage, their hesitation gone!

Countless mages, warriors, and elemental puppets leaped from the walls, surging forth like a broken dam, unstoppable and overwhelming!

As far as the eye could see, the charging masses gradually stretched into a wedge-shaped triangle, their varying speeds forming a spearhead!

Like an eagle spreading its wings, they struck the undead legion with thunderous force!

Meanwhile, high in the heavens, the God of Death, clad in dragon-scale armor, crashed into Yu Sheng'an's light domain.

"Roar!"

A furious bellow split the sky, resonating like a dragon's roar.

No!

That was a dragon's roar.

The God of Death, charging into the light domain, suddenly saw his body expand and stretch. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an ancient dark dragon over ten zhang in length!

This was none other than the Nether Authority—Soul Swap!

That is, through the Nether Authority, one could temporarily swap souls with another, gaining the special abilities of that soul!

The more complete the soul, the more perfectly its abilities could be replicated.

The stronger the soul and the longer the swap lasted, the more Source Essence was required—even increasing exponentially.

Most importantly, only one soul could be swapped at a time. During the swap, the original soul's power would be entirely sealed, with the exception of godhood.

In other words, the one now battling Yu Sheng'an was an ancient dark dragon wielding the Nether Godhood!

"Boom!"

The ancient dark dragon violently collided with the sound barrier, instantly stirring up endless white mist in the air.

The sound barrier, a death vortex that served both offense and defense, was passively activated by the dragon's charge, furiously grinding toward it.

Unexpectedly, the ancient dark dragon's body suddenly sprouted scales, directly resisting the death vortex and producing metallic tremors.

This scene made Yu Sheng'an's pupils dilate!

After all, his death vortex could even shred the arm of the God of War—though that had merely been a divine projection.

But the current God of Death was also just a divine projection!

Was this the power of the Dragon Clan?

Or was this the power of the God of Death himself?

"Scram!"

Yu Sheng'an roared, his words carrying force.

The word "scram" transformed into endless mechanical waves, crashing into the ancient dark dragon and forcibly halting its charge ten zhang away!

"Roar!"

The dragon bellowed, spewing dark breath from its maw, which condensed into a bloody miasma that enveloped the sound barrier, frantically seeping inward.

"Sizzle…"

The light sphere Yu Sheng'an had used to pursue the God of War reappeared above his head. Endless radiance shone upon the dragon's breath, burning it like oil poured on snow, emitting a sizzling, crackling sound.

"Roar!"

The ancient dark dragon exhaled another breath, its already massive body swelling further in the wind, growing larger and larger.

Now, the dragon resembled a lump of dough, kneaded by an invisible force into a hundred-zhang-tall giant.

—It was none other than an ancient Titan God!

However, compared to the solid form of the ancient dark dragon, this colossal Titan appeared illusory, like a phantom.

Clearly, the Titan soul the God of Death had obtained was but a fragment.

Otherwise, it would never be so ethereal.

Yet even so, it was terrifying enough.

After all, legends spoke of the ancient Titan Gods as beings born from the cores of stars, innately capable of manipulating domains!

Driving mountains, overturning heaven and earth—like a dragon's breath—were merely their natural instincts.

In extreme cases, they could even merge with a domain, becoming the domain itself, plucking stars and seizing the moon.

"Internet God, you will pay for your arrogance!"

The God of Death, now in Titan form, roared before suddenly abandoning Yu Sheng'an and charging toward Willis City!

His earlier assault as a dragon had been less about blind rage and more about buying time for the Fifth Calamity's retreat!

Though his Fifth Calamity was said to be undying and capable of infinite resurrection,

resurrection still came at a cost.

And Yu Sheng'an had been far too ruthless!

He would rather waste a massive amount of Source Essence than let his cannon fodder be destroyed.

Originally, using the Fifth Calamity to drain the Internet God’s Source Essence had been the God of Death’s established strategy—he had even welcomed the sight.

But now was not then. The sudden betrayal of the Four Pillar Gods had turned the situation on its head!

In those small and medium domains, the power of the gods was severely restricted, forcing them to rely on their subordinates to fight.

Thus, he couldn’t afford to lose all of his Fifth Calamity here!

Otherwise, by the time he gathered enough undead corpses to supply his players, his preaching zones would already be overrun!

—He knew the power of the Four Pillar Gods better than anyone.

Once his preaching zones were lost, his Fifth Calamity would collapse without a fight.

Now that his main forces had retreated, all that remained was ruthless retaliation against the Keville Empire.

If he was going to suffer, the Internet God wouldn’t get off easy either!

"Deserves to die!"

Yu Sheng’an’s face paled in shock!

The divine projection of Ajef standing atop the city walls suddenly opened its eyes, preparing to deploy a sound barrier shield!

"Boom!"

A blood-red shield abruptly materialized above the city.

"CRASH!"

At the same moment, the hundred-zhang Titan slammed violently into the crimson barrier. For an instant, savage energy raged unchecked, and rolling shockwaves shook heaven and earth!

Yet the blood-red shield stood firm, unyielding!

The sight left the God of Death stunned—

And Yu Sheng’an even more astonished. His Divine Perspective instantly locked onto the shield’s source!

Within the Keville Imperial Palace, Kexian, the eleventh monarch of the Keville Empire, sliced open his palm and pressed it against the throne’s armrest.

—He had used the royal bloodline of Keville to activate the powerful Magic Array laid down by the founding emperor!

The Keville Empire had four pillars—Saint Magus Dandell, Saint Magus Qimoer, Saint Magus Beixi, and Keville’s monarch, Kexian.

Together, they formed the empire’s highest authority—the Pillar Council.

But Kexian had always been a low-profile figure, barely participating in the empire’s governance while still enjoying its tax tributes.

Now, Yu Sheng’an finally understood why.

"Break for me!"

The God of Death roared!

Boundless Source Essence burned wildly as he harnessed the Titan’s power to compress the domain’s atmospheric pressure, vowing to crush Willis City!

"Scram!"

Yu Sheng’an bellowed.

A sound barrier abruptly enveloped the blood-red shield. As the Titan’s impact shattered it, the fragmented barrier formed a terrifying vortex of air currents, ruthlessly tearing into the Titan’s body.

Yet such an attack couldn’t even pierce the dark dragon’s hide, let alone harm the Titan.

However, while the death vortex couldn’t breach the Titan’s defenses, it effectively drained the God of Death’s kinetic energy, greatly reducing the pressure on the blood-red shield.

Moreover, the God of Death’s Soul Swap wasn’t permanent!

Nor did he have time to waste here.

Locked in stalemate, his eyes bloodshot, he suddenly turned his gaze toward the mages fleeing the city and raised his right hand with a vicious grin.

"Undead Conversion!"

A horrific spell descended without warning!

The God of Death cackled in triumph!

If he couldn’t destroy Willis immediately, then he would cripple its population instead!