[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-player-beyond-dimensions":3,"chapter-a-player-beyond-dimensions-a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Player Beyond Dimensions",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2254976,4399,"Chapter 10: Chapter Nine: The Gods Fall! Requesting Continued Reading","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>Dimension Space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here still remained a void of cosmic starlight; in endless darkness, only a distant feather-like nebula loomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his consciousness returned, Deng Ken had no physical form here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The projection before him still showed the God’s-eye view: he saw Guard Captain-Catus waiting below the inn, while the Crow Queen-Teris quietly poured herself a cup of tea, as if aware of everything happening next door, silently awaiting Deng Ken’s choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Hunter-George was purchasing supplies in town—mostly cheap daily necessities—and from his demeanor, he planned to leave soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s will shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The projection before him immediately changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Retire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still the familiar scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A line of text slowly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Retire [End Training]: You will sever your link to your mortal vessel, unable to re-enter the real dimension through it. The mortal vessel will replicate a personality based on your current traits and experiences, incapable of further ability growth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dimension Space will switch to ‘Observer Mode.’ Your consciousness will temporarily fall into slumber until energy fully recovers, then capture the next compatible mortal vessel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Causality Law [Training Settlement]:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Branch One: You accepted Catus’s invitation and joined the Aetius family’s army. Soon, your exceptional strength earned you the Aetius family’s favor; you were adopted and granted the surname Aetius. You rapidly rose to prominence along the empire’s borders, repeatedly achieving victories against Germanic barbarians, aiding in suppressing the Frankish rebellion and repelling Saxon offensives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the empire was already decaying; neither you nor the Aetius family could reverse its fate. As the Huns invaded once more, barbarian incursions against the empire intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scourge of God was dismantling the entire empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six months later, during battle with the Huns, you were struck by multiple arrows and forced to retreat for recovery—but this injury left you with an incurable internal wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three months later, you were besieged by barbarian rebels in Lower Germania, slew over ten enemies, and died of exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In history, you left your name as the adopted son of the Aetius family, regarded by historians as one of the most formidable adopted sons under Rome’s Guardian Duke ‘Aetius.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Last Roman—Aetius?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken strained to recall, but knew little; this figure seemed to be the empire’s final great general, yet his fate was assassination by the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire’s emperors changed frequently—first installed by the army, then assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, later barbarians who became emperors, poisoned, committing suicide, deposed—always a revolving throne. Had the barbarians not been assimilated into the empire’s core, it would have collapsed long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scourge of God?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken knew this—Attila, emperor of the Huns, mentioned in history textbooks; much of the barbarian invasions stemmed from the Huns’ migration across Eurasia, indirectly causing the empire’s collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this is clearly a parallel world; unclear whether history will deviate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ending was far better than the last—at least he wasn’t a beggar anymore, and being a low-ranking imperial officer who died on the battlefield was far better than dying of illness on a street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Branch Two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is the Causality Law’s projection so much slower than the last? Is it due to supernatural forces?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken waited a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the projection display Branch Two’s Causality Law settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Branch Two: You agreed to travel with the Crow Queen-Teris to the British Isles, where, beyond the empire’s vast lands, remnants of the old era’s dark forces still lingered. You encountered many legendary monsters; with Teris’s aid, you slew trolls, ghouls, half-giants, sea serpents, and other supernatural beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, you gained your own legend in the British Isles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You became friends with the legendary wizard Merlin, witnessed King Arthur’s birth and growth, and won the love of the Crow Queen Teris; the ultimate pleasure she gave you gradually made you lose interest in other women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But witches rarely bear children; in middle age, you were ensnared by the Lady of the Lake and slowly drifted away from Teris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeking the prophesied peaceful realm to shelter her kind through the Dark Age, Teris began planning to explore beyond the seas, building a great ship in the British Isles and leading her witch followers overseas to find the ‘Bingdao’ you mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the final moment, you awoke to realize your true lifelong love was Teris, who had endured countless dangers with you; you abandoned everything and boarded that ocean-going vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through peril after peril.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You barely escaped the pursuit of the Kraken and discovered Bingdao, still untouched by colonizers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was inhabited by terrifying monsters from the mythic age who had settled there to flee humanity; you faced your greatest crisis—a mature dragon. Teris died protecting you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the final battle, you realized your sword, your arrows, could not pierce the dragon’s scales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did you understand: you were merely an ordinary man with slight martial skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All along, Teris had silently protected you; your legends and fame were all her doing, her bestowing honor upon you, forging your tale across the British Isles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You were merely an ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the dragon’s blazing breath, you embraced your lover’s body and turned to ash in the flames.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dimension Space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken suddenly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the Causality Law’s Branch Two outcome, unable to shake off his shock for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the projection changed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Causality Law Interference: Root Law!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Crow Queen-Teris infused her final magic into your soul; your soul is transcending reality’s laws!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mortal vessel left a legend in the real world, becoming a key figure in Arthurian tales, revered as Arthur’s second mentor who taught him archery and mounted shooting in youth, and in the Bingdao legends, recognized as the first human to challenge a dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mortal vessel fused with world laws, ascending to Lower Spirit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Demon Hunter-Deng Ken! [1st Mortal Vessel] [Lower Spirit] [Witch’s Love] (Can be transformed into a cross-dimensional avatar form, entering all captured real dimensions via summoning ritual.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Characters flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“Retire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——“After retiring, Causality Law projections will merge with reality’s laws. The 1st Mortal Vessel will enter Dimension Space as a ‘Lower Spirit’ avatar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken rejected it without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this ending was better than the last, he could never accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on his understanding of Dimension Space, once he severed the mortal vessel’s link, the vessel could no longer gain power at his astonishing rate. The second Causality outcome clearly relied entirely on Teris’s hidden efforts; a mere knight-level mortal could never defeat so many supernatural beasts, let alone forge his own legend across the British Isles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all Causality Law outcomes, this was the only one where Deng Ken lived past middle age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More crucially, this was the one where the enemies were most dangerous—yet he remained unharmed until they reached Bingdao and encountered the dragon dwelling there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken realized at once: Teris had protected him all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his ascension to Lower Spirit hinged on Teris injecting her final magic into his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris perished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Hunter-Deng Ken endured as a spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was witch’s love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken suddenly wanted a cigarette; his head buzzed, and he sighed softly: “We never even held hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did this turn into romance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither ending was good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken now understood: unless his power reached a certain level, in this turbulent age, severing the mortal vessel’s link would almost certainly lead to its tragic end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After severing the link, the vessel’s power would no longer surge—it would retain only his current strength: melee comparable to a seasoned infantryman, archery equal to a forest hunter, horsemanship and mounted shooting similar to nomadic horse archers; all-around decent, a balanced warrior. Such a man could serve as a minor officer in the imperial army, seizing opportunities to earn merit and promotion—but in the empire’s collapse, dying peacefully of old age was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rome had been sacked again and again; the entire European map was a tangled mess; few escaped a grim end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken already had his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door, saw Catus being supported in the inn’s lobby, then knocked firmly on the neighboring door, gazing at the veiled Crow Queen-Teris, and said slowly: “I’ll escort you to the British Isles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you’ll have to pay me a large sum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Extra pay!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the Causality Law showed us dying together, that’s just a replicated personality based on traits and experiences!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still need extra pay!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris showed a flicker of delight, her sapphire eyes like crescent moons; she decided instantly: “Agreed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s strength was formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least under God’s-eye view, the power he displayed far exceeded his actual combat skills—even the Demon Hunter-George feared him, for Deng Ken had killed nineteen enemies in three days, all real soldiers. On ancient battlefields, slaying one armored warrior was enough to earn promotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With God’s-eye view active, the faint aura of killing intent beneath Deng Ken’s cold, handsome face had already intimidated his companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the inn, Guard Captain-Catus watched Deng Ken speak with the witch, his face darkening with disappointment. Such a fierce warrior, if joining the army, could surely achieve glory; his courage and strength alone could inspire others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Deng Ken knew his true limits: without God’s-eye view, he was only slightly stronger than a seasoned veteran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joining the army now was no good choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given his nature, becoming an independent warlord would be far more comfortable than serving in the empire’s decaying bureaucracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to stand out now would die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Chinese history, none of those who rose early in a dynasty’s final days survived to the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guard Captain-Catus, supported by men, departed; before leaving, he cast a deep glance at the witch. The caravan would carry her for other reasons—after all, the Aetius family still had ties to ancient priests who served the gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris’s lineage traced back centuries to Trivia, one of the alternate names of Diana, one of Rome’s Twelve Major Gods, representing a divine aspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire’s polytheism was syncretic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take Diana: she did not originate in Rome; she was the Nemesis goddess, “Diana of the Woods,” a great nature deity worshipped in forests near Lake Nemi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diana began as a Roman woodland goddess, but later absorbed the Roman moon goddess Luna, becoming Rome’s primary moon deity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Romans favored absorbing foreign deities with similar domains; around the 6th–5th centuries BCE, Diana’s cult encountered the Greeks. By the Roman era, she absorbed the Greek goddess Artemis, becoming the goddess of hunting, plants, and beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diana also absorbed the Greek goddess Hecate and the Carthaginian sky goddess Coelestis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire’s polytheism was an ever-expanding process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the empire’s conquest of the European continent, it absorbed Greek religion and Greek mythology, incorporating Greek deities such as Castor, Pollux, and Apollo into its own pantheon, blending them together. After suffering a devastating defeat against Carthage in the Second Punic War, Rome, following an oracle’s decree, introduced the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele into its religious system to break free from Carthage’s grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, the Persian deity Mithra and the Egyptian chief gods Osiris and Isis also became objects of Roman worship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deities of conquered peoples were generally absorbed into Rome’s pantheon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the origin of the term “Pantheon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This resembles the attitude of the Son of Heaven’s subjects: if a spirit can be used, absorb it whole as part of ourselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pantheon is now closed, no sacrifices permitted; since Christianity became the empire’s state religion, the priests who once served the gods vanished one by one, some even tried as evil sorcerers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris’s lineage traces back to this: those endowed with supernatural power are more inclined to worship deities, for they cannot comprehend the origin of their own magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of this that the forest dryads sought her aid and called her “High Priestess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had this still been the era of polytheistic faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris would never have gone into exile; she would almost certainly have been the chief priestess of the goddess Diana, holding immense social status, equivalent to a church archbishop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hecate’s epithet Trioditis was translated by the Romans into the Latin term Trivia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the origin of the Crow Queen—Tris: her lineage served Diana after she consumed Hecate. Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft and death, and thus the priests of Trivia were brutally suppressed by the Church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps in the Middle Ages, some witches burned at the stake had later awakened magical power or learned witchcraft through certain means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before the empire’s fall, many sorcerers were direct inheritors of the polytheistic priesthoods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or put more plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If gods truly existed in this world, the entire Pantheon combined wouldn’t suffice for one God to crush—ultimately, secular power replaced polytheism entirely with monotheism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priestly systems, passed down for over a thousand years since ancient Greek times, were all branded as “heretics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient Olympic Games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Held since 776 BCE, every four years, until banned by the Roman emperor in 394 CE, lasting 1170 years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient Olympic Games were banned, the Pantheon’s doors sealed, the sacrificial fires extinguished, polytheism became history, and the priests who once served the gods faced the end of their age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Inquisition quietly formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Crow Queen—Tris said—“Our age has ended…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gods have fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris sought only a land to shelter her kind; through prophecy, she glimpsed the future and foresaw that monotheism would unify the faith of the European continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a clash between faith and divine authority above secular power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>God won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>",2271,"2026-06-19T13:13:01.402Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b9602c772656c1b88df26c1d440191928a84ac99057aa15ad898a546f0824d36","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-11","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-9",195,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-player-beyond-dimensions-cover.jpg"]