Countless malevolence converged toward Noel.
Even rely standing on the edge, Su Ming’an could feel a chilling malevolence, a pressure he had felt during a eting with the organizers, as if dense, cold needles were pricking his body.
This was a completely different feeling from facing Boss Rabbit.
Suddenly, Su Ming’an felt a movent on his shoulder, a silent shadow climbed onto his shoulder. He almost slapped it away but then heard a familiar voice:
"Su Ming’an, I sll the scent of destruction..." It was Xiaoa.
She had been missing for a long ti and now appeared again like a ghost.
"Xiaoa, was it these Blood Shadows that you made a deal with?" Su Ming’an asked. "Was it them who made you sell out Qiongdi?"
"It seems so..." Xiaoa pondered.
...
[...] Faced with Noel’s denial, the Blood Shadows remained silent for a while.
...
The next mont, they burst out suddenly!
Like a blaze, a luminous glow rose from them, casting a crimson scale pattern. In everyone’s eyes, Noel’s figure was surrounded by a blood-red hue, as if he was in the flas of hell.
His blond hair fluttered amid the sparks, his diminutive figure obscured by the hazy blood light. The barrage in the live broadcast shot up with cries of alarm.
[Oh God! What do these creatures want to do! Do they want to kill him?]
[So Noel Agnini really is on the side of humanity. The organizers want to kill him, do we just watch as hope disappears?]
[A statent from Priest rksa: Noel Agnini is the progeny of the heavens, descended to suffer the mortal’s plight as an ’Adventurer’ to experience the sufferings of all beings. If Noel dies, the heavens will send down divine punishnt to flood and destroy humanity, only Noah’s Ark will allow devout followers of the new faith to survive. Please believe in humanity, believe in the heavens, let those who have sinned co to the church and confess...]
[Famous Casual Player Jin Minhao stated: Noel Agnini is the offspring of Han Country, and the ancestors of Noel all had Han nationality. We welco Noel Agnini’s return to his ancestral ho.]
[Exactly what sort of authority does Noel possess? I don’t believe he has no authority, a clever brain cannot achieve all that. Humans can’t match the gods in wisdom.]
...
An ironic scene occurred.
Noel’s outright lies were accepted as truth by humanity, and everyone firmly believed he had the authority of a deity. Yet, Noel’s only true statent, "am I not allowed a genius mind?" beca the only lie in people’s eyes, with no one believing he achieved his current status through sheer intellect.
Su Ming’an watched Noel wrapped in blood shadows. If Noel died because of this, he would rewind and seek another way.
"Whish whish whish..."
The soft sound of flowing water passed, and soon, those Blood Shadows left Noel, revealing the unhard youth. It was as if nothing had happened to Noel; he was not dead.
...
[World ga license obtained.] A rumbling voice ca, sounding like an enlightening revelation:
[Player (Noel Agnini), after the Ninth World ends, we will forcibly take you for interrogation.]
[The ga continues.]
...
This statent lingered in people’s minds for a while. The thick layers of Blood Shadows, like lting wax, slowly sunk into the ground and disappeared.
The valley regained its silence, and the robots peeking out were shocked by the scene.
Noel’s face was pale, his back slightly bent forward, and he almost stumbled and fell as he turned around.
"Noel," Su Ming’an supported him in ti.
"It’s okay," Noel said, "The organizers don’t have conclusive evidence."
The words of the organizers confird Su Ming’an’s guess—under no circumstances could he openly admit to having the Death Replay. If during an initial loop he had carelessly stated, "I have the Death Replay, leave everything to ," he would no longer exist here.
Moreover, his second guess was also confird—the [Rules] were an absolute factor that constrained the organizers. Without evidence, they could not execute soone, just like a courtroom trial.
They couldn’t even directly pull Noel out of the instance for an investigation; they could only wait until after the Ninth World had ended.
Afterward, Noel inford Su Ming’an of a piece of information—the deity invading Noel said, "The deity currently invading Su Ming’an is the most powerful among the deities."
Having received this final ssage, Noel’s eyes returned to clarity. The deity that had invaded him had seen through Noel’s act and left him. The puppet show ca to an end, achieving a perfect tri-fecta.
Everyone hoped Su Ming’an’s divinity would overco his humanity, enabling him to lead the people rationally. Only Yuanyuan and Noel hoped his humanity would overshadow his divinity.
This was the difference between followers and companions.
"Su Ming’an, I’ll answer the question you once asked , whether I could see things in color," Noel said. "In fact, my vision is still mostly dry black and white. But there are so things that I can see in color. Guess which ones?"
Su Ming’an, "Those children?"
"..." Noel paused for a while, "You are right, but there might be other answers."
Su Ming’an opened the system interface; he had just received many system notifications.
Now would be a good ti to check the rewards.
...
[You have unlocked (One Dinsion and a Half), earning the Equipnt: Hand of Redemption (Red Level)]
[Hand of Redemption (Red Level·Evolvable): "Yasa, no one stands by my side."]
Physical Defense Value: 5 points
ntality Defense Value: 5 points
Type: Special part, hand equipnt.
Skill (Copy): You can copy a skill from another player, enjoying 60% efficacy of that skill. Copying requires the consent of the one being copied from. Cooldown Ti for copying a new skill is one day.
Note: This equipnt cannot be transferred or sold. It is an evolvable type of equipnt; each ti you use the copying skill to save a key NPC, the equipnt’s evolution bar will continue to grow. (Current equipnt level: lv.1)]
...
Su Ming’an took out this piece of equipnt; it was a [hand] equipnt. It did not belong to conventional equipnt slots like [head], [torso], [legs], [feet], [bracelet], [necklace], [ring], and could be equipped on the palm. Not many people possessed this kind of special part equipnt, effectively adding an extra equipnt slot on the body.
The Hand of Redemption resembled a white glove with blood-red patterns similar to those of otherworldly flowers, but the material was more flexible than silk, capable of resisting general swords. Even just by wearing it, it could protect the palms.
He and Noel tried it out and copied Noel’s [Puppet Threads] skill. [Puppet Threads], which uses one’s ntality Points for determining influence, could control enemies with lower ntality Points, but it consud more mana, making it less practical than Spatial Vibration.
The copied skill would remain stored in the [Hand of Redemption] and could be used at any mont until Su Ming’an copied the next skill. Its replacent cooldown was one day; he would have to wait a day before he could copy a new skill.
Although Noel was the one who had unlocked [One Dinsion and a Half], the rewards he received did not compare to the Hand of Redemption that Su Ming’an acquired.
"Maybe because you are Acto, the top leader gets the best rewards," Noel said.
Su Ming’an’s gaze continued downward.
...
[You have completed the Main Quest: Gaining control of the Dawn System.]
[You have earned 5000 Faction Contribution Points.]
[Current Faction Contribution Points: 25,928.]
...
[You have accepted the new main quest: Catastrophe Year 72]
[Quest Hint: Lead the majority of humanity to survive until the 72nd year of the catastrophe.
Quest Reward: Faction Contribution Points 5,000, a part of Acto’s mories.
Quest Failure Penalty: Kaius Tower process fails.]
...
"Alright, let’s go," Su Ming’an lifted his head and looked towards the sky shimring with a layer of golden-red light. The rolling light, like thick honey, marked the end of the unceasing snowstorms in the Ruined World.
"Where to?" Noel said.
"Dawn is coming," Su Ming’an said, "We’re going to claim the last Chess Piece."
...
When Su Ming’an returned to the City of Gods, Lin Guang was nowhere to be seen.
As [One and a Half Dinsions] was activated, most of the programs in the City of Gods returned to initialization, and the defense systems nearly shut down. Lin Guang chose to evacuate, taking with him so high-end technology and manuscripts, leaving the City of Gods behind.
Su Ming’an ascended to the rooftop, and using AI Yeah, he successfully infiltrated the City of Gods’ systems and took over this highly advanced city. Noel went to fetch Yuanyuan.
Cloning Ming stood by, surprised, "I thought Lin Guang would destroy this city, not leave you so many resources. I didn’t expect him to leave almost everything behind and just walk away alone."
"What did Lin Guang take with him?" Su Ming’an said. Although Lin Guang didn’t take much, whatever he took must be extrely important.
"Mainly the contents of one room..." Cloning Ming led him downstairs and pushed open a door, "This room was always kept in strict secrecy, and Lin Guang took almost everything from here, perhaps sothing destructive enough to end the world, just in case he decides to return one day..."
Su Ming’an stepped into the room and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
The wallpaper of the room was blood-red, and the lighting dazzling like a fierce sun.
In previous cycles, he had seen this room filled with his portraits and photographs, like an art exhibition. Now it lay bare.
Lin Guang took only these things and didn’t take any high-end weapons.
"..." Su Ming’an was silent for a mont: "Let’s go, there’s still much to be done."
...
The activation of [One and a Half Dinsions] was like adding an extra layer to the world, shifting the original damage and cold to another layer.
Dying soldiers revived, the chill winds ward up, and barren sands sprouted with new life.
It was like the arrival of spring.
The frontline soldiers were spirited, but the people of the Deity faction were in full retreat. Due to the dinsional reduction and enhanced firewalls, many among them suddenly lost the whispering in their ears—as if the deity had abandoned them.
"Deity, where have you gone...?"
"Why, why can’t I hear your voice anymore, why...?"
Suddenly, the soldiers of the Deity faction heard the rumbling sound from the City of Gods and turned their heads in elation, thinking it was support from the City of Gods—
But they could only see the thunderous artillery from the City of Gods approaching like a torrential rain of fire.
"Boom—Boom—Boom!!"
On the grueso battlefield, limbs flew, and blood splattered. Su Rin, Andeveis, Bairde, and Anita faltered as they watched the legion of the Deity faction wiped out under the City of Gods’ artillery, rendering their intervention unnecessary.
"It was... done by the City Lord!!" Anita exclaid. This situation could only an that Acto had seized control of the City of Gods.
"As expected, he always wins," Andeveis said.
"..." Su Rin watched the brutal scene.
They led their troops to retreat several kiloters to avoid being swept up by the artillery from the City of Gods. The soldiers of the Freedom Faction were struck with awe; Yasa Acto, in their eyes, truly ascended to an omnipotent deity.
As the Deity faction’s legion was right at the gates of the City of Gods, already within the range of its artillery fire, the soldiers were caught in a pincer attack with no chance to escape.
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
Before them lay a hell-like scene, the flas swept through like a tsunami over the Deity faction, swallowing their struggling bodies and tears.
Everything was so ironic.
—Those who regarded the City of Gods as the Holy City, ultimately perished under the bombardnt from the very sa City of Gods.
No one knew that what led the Dawn War to this stage, aside from the efforts of Su Ming’an and others, also included a deity always advising Su Ming’an—a deity who, with His words, gradually destroyed His followers, driving the Deity faction into a corner.
Believers in the deity died because of the deity.
The City Guardian of the Deity Faction, Ming, laughed loudly up at the vast, gold-red sky before self-immolating in front of the city walls without taking a step back.
He died alongside other City Lords who fought until the very end.
...
The sixteen-year-long Dawn War was declared over.
...
When the million-strong army and people of the Freedom Faction arrived at the City of Gods, they saw, as if celestial angels had pushed open the grand doors of the sanctuary, the pristine white gates of the City of Gods silently opening—
The young man with black hair stood at the gate, encircled within the forged purity of steel, his stunning features glowing with a warm flush.
He wore a long white robe, previously worn by Lin Guang, capable of resisting strong attacks.
He slowly lifted his gaze, looking directly at the surging millions, exuding an ethereal dawn light, as if born directly from radiance.
As if caught in a dream, people held their breath—
"The deity..." Anita murmured.
"I am Acto," Su Ming’an said.
Anita then ca to her senses, her face showing embarrassnt.
"...City Lord, have we won, is this a dream?" Andeveis murmured.
"No, you succeeded," Su Ming’an said. "Congratulations on the victory, Freedom Faction."
"The Deity Faction has disintegrated, will the future... be a world where everyone can live happily?" Bairde said next to him.
"It might be," Su Ming’an paused, then said, "or it might not be."
He looked up at the sky.
...
Dawn breaks.
In people’s eyes, it seed as if morning stars were hidden.
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