Editor: Junyans
“Today, I hereby declare,” said the lawyer in charge, “that the scepter of the Shi Empire has finally found an heir strong enough and cruel enough—”
With his voice, the light around him dimmed.
This was the keyword and audio recognition—Xia Tian had guessed correctly that the lawyer in charge had the right to designate the successor in special circumstances.
The situation in the arena always changed rapidly, requiring the spokesperson to have various abilities of giving on-the-spot judgment. For example, three days ago, an explosion in the arsenal had caused 15 units of sub-storage to disintegrate into ashes. What had been stored there were all top-notch thermal weapons, and even if the treasure map was fire resistant, it couldn’t possibly be protected in case of an explosion of that extent. This meant that the original route of players having to find treasure maps had to be canceled on the spot.
Therefore, the NPC lawyer in charge needed to have some core authority and make use of them well, so as to control the game’s pace, make temporary plan changes, and guide things in the direction desired by the planning team.
But now, the “Spokesperson of the God of Destiny” was sitting on the ground miserably, next to a group of murderous thugs. His authority was still very high, but things had already gone out of his control.
“Today, I hand over the authority of the Empire to you.” Angus said to Xia Tian, “The world shall be under your feet, with endless corpses stretching across the horizon—”
His voice was hoarse, dry, and desperate. It matched the oath quite well.
And at the same time, it was getting darker and darker, not just in the banquet hall, but in the whole world. Outside the window, dark clouds were amassing in the sky, as if something big was about to happen.
The music has long since stopped playing. The confrontation was over, and the arena had turned into another space that had a tastefully-chosen spectral darkness. It was like the darkness of the night, with an extremely weak flow of light that made people yearn more and more for brightness.
In the darkness, Xia Tian’s surroundings lit up.
The light was a sacred-looking light gold, and it fell on Xia Tian’s hair, eyelashes, and skin. He was injured all over but under the gold color, everything seemed to have been purified. He no longer looked wretched or fragile. Both his wounds and his body seemed to possess a significance that was beyond the comprehension of the human mind.
Countless golden bones appeared under his feet out of thin air, extending boundlessly in every direction.
The banquet hall was no longer a banquet hall, but some ancient, desolate and sacred place, where everything the eyes could see was of great significance.
Then, some unseen power summoned the golden light on the skeletons. The light rose and pooled, brushed against people’s bodies, and gathered in the same direction. Anyone could see that this was by no means pure light, but real matter.
As the light departed, the remaining skeleton fragments lost their luster and appeared dull and fragmented, resembling cascading shadows on the floor. It seemed as though there was a divine power within the battlefield, entwined with the bones of the deceased, and now, it stirred to life with the arrival of a special person.
The mysterious power gathered in front of Xia Tian, then transformed into a long sword thrust into the floor.
In the darkness, this scene drew everyone’s attention. Xia Tian was stunned for a moment, unsure if what stood in front of him was a real sword. He stared for two seconds before reaching out to pull it up.
It was real.
The blade of the sword brought up an arc of golden light under his action, prompting those nearby to instinctively take a couple of steps back, even though they were already positioned at a considerable distance.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
In the next moment, the sword in Xia Tian’s hand transformed into golden sand, radiating a captivating and surreal glow. Like a living entity, it flowed from his fingertips and met with the black Doomsday Beast on his cuff. It seemed like a harmonious convergence of black and gold rivers. The organizers had once again skillfully employed modern technology to evoke an enigmatic power that defied logical explanation.
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Jakowski thought that Xia Tian was probably anxious to death, hoping for the coronation to end quickly so that the medical team could come in.
The half of his body exposed outside of his armor still bore the punishment of the planning team, all injured and ensanguined with the blood of battle. He was just a half-grown young man, a petty criminal of the Lower City, but he was literally pushed to the throne. The whole world had surrendered at his feet, claiming him to be the omnipotent God of War.
This time, they gave him the “God of War Scepter.”
The armor looked very cool, with a cold mechanical texture and a worn out golden effect, as if it really came from a mystical time of remote antiquity. It was the work of one of the top designers of the Upper City. Jakowski knew exactly what he wanted to create, and there was always someone in the world who could do it for him.
It covered half of Xia Tian’s face. Goggles blocked his left eye, and he would be able to see the data analysis of all the creatures in his field of vision, as well as the attack interface.
The battle armor, to some extent, erased his human aspects, making him appear invincible and detached from the mundane world. He had transfigured into a godly weapon.
Xia Tian was injured to a shocking degree, but it only enhanced his splendor. Jakowski concluded that his judgment was right. There was a kind of power in Xia Tian, and it would shine more and more brightly under the strong light.
The “Doomsday Beast” turned into a heavy gun and ambled on his left arm. Its functions were completely open, and its baleful aura was chilling.
For a moment, Jakowski felt that the whole building was shaking.
Then he thought that he had probably drank too much. This was the Upper City, and it was impossible to have an earthquake here.
He continued to stare at the screen in front of him. The high number of views sent a shuddering current through him. When the number of people gazing at the peak ceremony of the Upper City’s entertainment show reached such a level, the brain could no longer form a clear concept.
“Views” was inherently powerful, and in the Upper City, its power was unparalleled.
This was the god he had made.
Angus came over, knelt on one knee in front of Xia Tian, and continued, “Everything in this world shall be your obedient subjects—”
According to the rules, he had to kiss the barrel of the gun. Jakowski knew he would do it. Anyone who could get an amnesty order was absolutely tamed to the core, and there would be no residue of self-esteem left in them.
Angus did. He went over to kiss the barrel of the gun, his expression solemn and formal.
But it didn’t work. Xia Tian’s gun was pressed against his chest, preventing the other person from getting close.
Xia Tian didn’t shoot. He couldn’t afford to. He needed to end the ceremony as fast as possible. Wei Xi’s life was hanging by a thread.
The God of War approached Angus, pointing the barrel of the gun against his chest, and said, “Bang!”
Jakowski heard a loud “boom,” and the whole building shook.
He stood up uncertainly and looked around. For a moment, he thought it was thunder and lightning. Then he realized that it was not. The roar had come from under his feet.
His mind was still occupied with Xia Tian’s smile from just now, which was beautiful enough to make people stop breathing. It was the smile of death. As such, Angus was finished. Within an hour of the end of the game, Xia Tian’s worshippers would send him to the altar. Because their God had spoken.
And Xia Tian definitely knew about it—
Someone was pounding at the door outside. Jakowski heard someone screaming in the hallway, panicked, as if it was the end of the world.
Then he heard a loud boom, and the whole Earth shook.
He turned and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared into the distance.
The main building of the Floating Gold TV station was extremely tall, with the planning center perched high on the top floor, overlooking the wide-sweeping view of the lakeside of Yingkong Lake.
Yingkong Lake was the biggest pearl in the crown of the Upper City. Most of the time, it was as smooth as a mirror, as if a piece of the sky had been cut out and placed in the city.
Yingkong Lake had its own climate system and adopted a premium membership access system. In the evening, at a fixed time, it emitted a glow, and the scene was simply beautiful beyond words. If you were watching in person, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between heaven and earth.
But at this moment, the mirror-like lake had changed. The wave crests were like countless white dragons frantically scurrying away in a disarray. The luxurious sailboats were like toys, disappearing under the waves in a flash.
The surrounding trees shook like reeds and fell down in pieces, as if some extremely terrifying beast was about to emerge from the lake.
The island sank, and the Yingkong Clubhouse, along with those grandly dressed people who struggled too late, slanted and sank into the water along with the sinking island. The whole world produced the sound of something ginormous breaking, and the earth screamed and roared like a dying beast.
A lightning bolt zigzagged across the sky, illuminating the ominous layers of dark clouds. It felt like a giant dragon was about to cleave the sky into two.
It took Jakowski a moment to realize that Yingkong Lake was sinking.
The anti-gravity engine failed, the ground collapsed, the lake water cascaded downwards, and the dying roar lingered in the air.
Another bolt of lightning shot downwards, as if it were a punishment from heaven, striking the surface of the lake and illuminating half the sky. A fire broke out in some areas, its flames rising wildly, as if responding to the thunder.
In front of him, the floor-to-ceiling glass shattered into pieces with a “bang,” the shards cutting through his skin. Violent vapor rushed to his face, mingling with the sensations of pain and the scent of blood.
A young man in the headset was still screaming when a shrill, fanatical voice interjected into the channel, dominating all the jumbled talk.
The man cried, “Someone has announced that they were responsible for the collapse of Yingkong Lake!”
“It’s a sacrifice! A sacrifice to the God of War—”
Jakowski stood in the midst of the raging storm and laughed.
He watched as this once-arrogant gem of the Upper City’s crown sank down, resembling a deceased behemoth, sending shockwaves through the entire floating city.
In dedication to the bloody God that money had created.
Hundreds of billions of cubic meters of water smashed down. And under Yingkong Lake was District N7, a dead city, and a small half of District N8, another dead city.
Later, according to statistics, the disaster had killed a total of 133 people, all of whom were residents of the Upper City. There might have been deaths down in the Lower City, but no one cared and no statistics were kept.
In Jakowski’s impression, those places were only inhabited by mutated creatures, a realm of death.
The hometown of Bai Lin, the God of War.
Now, it had become a swamp.
He thought it must be beautiful there now, with rainbows hanging across the sky and the sun finally shining down. The person who had dedicated the oblation had said that it was the grace of the God of War.
Whoever it was that had made the sacrifice, he must have chosen it carefully; it was full of symbolism.
Minkov Jr. sat on the highest rooftop of his house, looking like a wet bird as the cold wind blew over him, carrying moisture which drenched him.
Sitting in the gale of destruction, he stared at Yingkong Lake, his eyes fanatical and fearless. He looked as if at any moment he would spread his wings and fly away.
Inside the immersive mode, Tian Xiaoluo sat beside him. On another high-rise building, she also watched the scene in delight, with an expression like a child witnessing a grand fireworks display.
Minkov Jr. pointed at Yingkong Lake, turned his head, and smiled at her.
“This,” he said, “is what’s called a big spectacle.”
This is a fanart of that scene:
So cool
no,no,no my friend…it’s beautiful…
i swear this novel will be the end of me…i have just realised the most maniacal laugh i have EVER done[well,according to my friend]
😈