Chapter 148: As Long as Justice Prevails, Even if the World Perishes

When killing one person, watching a life fade away, one feels a kind of fear and sorrow.

When killing ten people, it is the madness and power of controlling the lives of others.

However, when the number begins to reach the hundreds, this emotion starts to become numb and calm. It is just like doing some familiar work; no emotion will seem to have any interest within the numb and monotonous process.

Then, what if the death toll rises to ten billion? At that time, not even a feeling would exist. Because all of this is nothing more than a number, a number so abstract it is blurred. This number might mean the heart's blood of countless people, great nations and futures, and might represent infinite possibilities, but it is still just a number.

For Li Ang, for the Star-Bearer, these numbers, no matter how magnificent or spectacular, do not have much significance. Because all of this, in the end, is just a line of numbers. A blurred concept that can be calculated, predicted, and even resisted. Even now, the vengeful spirits composed of those numbers have arrived before them, yet the Star-Bearers still do not waver.

They are no longer controlled by Li Ang's mental link; lapses have begun to appear in their actions and paces, and there are even some errors in their movements; they are no longer the perfect machines they once were.

But they are still resisting, resisting very stubbornly, completely different from what people estimated at the beginning.

At the very beginning, people were even optimistic enough to think that under the heavenly soldiers of their Salvation Army, coupled with Li Ang's perverse actions, the Star-Bearers would have long since surrendered at the first sight of them, and they would only need to face that god in the flesh and his final Wu Hun Zhe Wei Dui.

By that time, the Chaos Gods would suppress his flames in the Subspace, and they would thoroughly kill his army existing in the real world, as well as his physical body, sealing away this desire for self-destruction.

But the plan was relatively perfect; it is a pity that a huge problem appeared at the very first step on the path of execution.

Because not a single one of the Star-Bearers was surrendering; they were still resisting stubbornly.

Behind the Antarctic Pivot, the layered mountains and ridges, and the automated outposts and fortresses built by players, have become rows of death gullies. These interactive defensive lines, which can be used from both inside and outside, made people realize the significance of fortress science for the first time.

It is very clear that when the Star-Bearers built this position, they had already considered the concept of what their side should do after an external enemy first occupied the Antarctic Pivot. They perfectly crafted a whole system of death fortresses; every time a fire support point was removed, there would always be more artillery fire bombarding back from behind.

Step by step, the Salvation Army advanced arduously, every pace carrying the fresh blood of tens of thousands of people. The entire vast Antarctic plain was almost dyed red by each other's blood; countless heavy-armored warriors bathed in the blood of their comrades and let out roars, charging toward the Star-Bearers' positions without ever stopping. It can even be said that they were using their own lives to block the Star-Bearers' artillery bombardment, using their blood to open a path for those who followed.

Demons fell, dragons took their place; dragons fell, giants took their place; every large-bodied and immortal creature bore the brunt of artillery and gunfire, marching forward like a swarm of ants in a fire.

Moreover, the battlefield was not only filled with such bloody and cruel roaring sounds; there were also questions and roars from others.

Some who were once close friends, some who considered themselves to be righteous, were slaughtering each other on the melee battlefield, utilizing stages created by one Subspace ritual after another to carry out targeted massacres, letting both sides be affected. And the direct manifestation was that those who were friends, those who were brothers, would directly run into each other to complete their destined battle.

"Why! Why must you enter death with this world-destroying demon king!"

"Death? When has there ever been death? My master has promised that we will ascend to the Starry Sky and enjoy eternal, immortal peace; and not just us, even you who are resisting right now are the same."

The Star-Bearer Elf parried the Sword Dancer's longsword, their exquisite face full of indifference and stubbornness.

"Because justice is on that side. Because we cannot sleep on one planet forever. We should not live like slaves; we should have a better life. You haven't seen it at all, and you cannot imagine our life. Losing oneself? Having no self-will? That kind of thing simply doesn't exist."

"But the way you look now, isn't it just that you've been brainwashed! Only brainwashed people say they won't be brainwashed!"

"The same words returned to you; how can you be sure that the Chaos Gods are correct?"

Sword lights crossed; on the chaotic battlefield, the sparks bursting from the clashing swords illuminated each other's faces.

They were once close friends; the Star-Bearer Elf would naturally find their own partners and life relationships on Orivien. They were once inseparable, sharing each other's secrets and hobbies, and even believing they could die for one another. But now, in the face of a true divergence, they walked toward opposite sides without hesitation, and firmly believed that the other was the one who was wrong.

"Believing in the lies of the Chaos Gods, believing in the promises those monsters made to you. That is the Chaos Gods, that is the master of demons. You are actually able to believe the lies those monsters tell you; who exactly is the one being brainwashed? Who exactly is the one being stubborn?"

The Star-Bearer Elf's footsteps were light, the longsword in their hand unfolding an elegant arc in front of them like petals, making it impossible for anyone to tell where the sword light came from. And several holes instantly appeared on the body of the Elf who was fighting them.

Pain, blood, and the enemy's words—these should have been fatal blows to an Elf, but now, four-colored lights lit up separately.

The Elf who had originally been gradually suppressed to a disadvantage actually recovered to their original state within a few breaths, and was even more powerful.

"Look! This is the promise the Chaos Gods gave us!"

The instantly robust Elf swung the Star-Bearer's longsword away with one strike, roaring as they slashed down at them, as if they were holding some kind of heavy weapon.

"They are using Subspace promises; these monsters have bet everything they have to fight you! We are all risking our lives too! Recall it well! All your previous promises, and your current actions! Is killing tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of people really what you want!"

"What we lost was only bitterness and past poverty, but what we gained is eternal prosperity! It is precisely because of the existence of the Chaos Gods that we have reached this step! Why is it that you just don't understand!"

"Only evil gods would promise eternity!"

"He is not an evil god! The blessings of your Chaos Gods have twisted your will!" Blades clashed, and countless brilliant lights flew everywhere on the melee battlefield. These final results, reflected from fate and the Subspace, proved that their endings were often mutual destruction.

This was a good thing; it meant that fate had not yet reached the final node, and the Star-Bearer had not truly absorbed the essence of the Subspace to begin his most terrifying rule. Relying on the sacrifices of countless people and the help from the Phoenix King Orivien, they arduously advanced toward a certain pass.

That was the natural pass closest to the Antarctic Giant Tower, already reinforced by Chaos Runes. Stationed on it were over forty thousand elite Star-Bearer Elves and ten thousand Wu Hun Zhe Wei Dui. Likewise, their leader was the renowned Warmaster Wufuruike. This powerful God-Chosen, blessed by the power of the Chaos Gods twisted by the Star-Bearer, was carrying his black iron greatsword, stepping on the city wall, and laughing loudly as he watched the Salvation Army gathering like a small stream.

"Hahaha, look at you!"

The voice amplified by psionics resounded throughout the entire battlefield, letting everyone hear Wufuruike's heavily accented Empire language.

"You came here without breaking through all the defensive lines; it seems our ally players have betrayed us? But it looks like you don't have many players yet; I believe there are also many players who understand who the real monsters are."

Wufuruike stood on the city tower, looking at the Salvation Army gathered below, and smiled while stroking his chin. Runes of four different colors flickered on his body; when Li Ang was analyzing the power of the Subspace, he bestowed these immature and impure powers within his own body upon the Wu Hun Zhe Wei Dui and Wufuruike himself. These first batch of test subjects possessed power far greater than all their successors.

But because the experiment itself was too dangerous, and the consumption ratio was very serious, Li Ang began to use the factory system to build new-era Wu Hun Zhe after building about thirty thousand Wu Hun Zhe Wei Dui. But now, purely comparing power, the old-model army was still more powerful.

Those terrifying Wu Hun Zhe armies standing on the city wall were several meters tall, wearing anti-magic armor, and coordinating with the Star-Bearer Elf army standing in the gaps holding firearms, they looked coldly at the army below the pass.

This was not a pass that could be taken in the short term.

The mountain peaks on both sides of the mountain road were reinforced by Magic and rituals, and only the road in the middle could be used for an attack. But even if they could attack, what they had to fight was a terrifying fortress built entirely of anti-magic steel. Even if they used giants and dragons to pile up, letting those transcendent lives attempt to cross the sky, the Giant Tower in the rear could still teach them a lesson.

The Antarctic Giant Tower itself also had a series of defensive equipment; although the angle toward the ground was not very good, hitting targets in the sky was the simplest thing. There would be no dragons or angels stupid enough to want to challenge the power of dense psionic bombardment.

So, looking at the scattered armies below, Wufuruike was exceptionally proud.

"However, you do have some means. You are playing quite happily with the gifts the Chaos Gods gave you. Yet, we possess their power as well. Before the Antarctic defensive line, please stay here forever."

"Don't worry, it won't take long before we are brothers. The power of the Star Child is our power, and our power is the power of the Star Child. Slight interference and shielding cannot shake our determination. Sooner or later, you will enjoy our true power. Soon, the Lord's power will condense, and you..."

Wufuruike was saying this laughingly on the city tower, while the two Star-Bearer auxiliary soldiers around each Wu Hun Zhe Wei Dui slowly pulled out their high-powered firearms.

And the next instant, sword tips pierced through Wufuruike's heart and skull.

Under the horrified gaze of all the Salvation Army, the Star-Bearer Elves' firearms also instantly blew up the heads of all the Wu Hun Zhe. Before anyone could even react, the entire pass opened toward the left and right. A thin figure wearing a crown was standing in the very center, and after igniting and burning Wufuruike's corpse, he looked up at the Salvation Army.

It was the Phoenix King Orivien.

He specifically used his own authority, used the Star-Bearer Elf signal cutoff, replaced the garrison of the pass, and launched a sneak attack to open the gates.

"I didn't expect it would take you so long to reach this defensive line, and you even continued to supply energy to Li Ang... This is much worse than planned. However, if you abandon your incompetent and weak actions now, perhaps you can still buy some time."

Orivien looked at the people below and pointed to the high tower that soared into the clouds behind them.

"There is no time for you to perform games. Wufuruike is dead; now lead the team to remove every psionic node. We only have about seven days left, and next, we still have to attack that Giant Tower. Only at the very top floor can his ritual be completely undone."

"... Wait a moment, Phoenix King Orivien, I have a question I want to ask you. Why did you abandon the promise the Star-Bearer Lord made to you and turn to help us?"

"I stand on the side of justice."

Looking at the blood-stained leader who had flashed over from the crowd, Orivien said very coldly: "As long as justice prevails, even if the world perishes. As long as I can let the Elves continue, it doesn't matter what I do. I placed bets on both of your sides, and whoever wins will let the Elves continue forever."

"How can you tell?"

"You need the historical records and observations of long-lived species, and you also need the Elves to help you stabilize the history of the past. Most importantly... you need the Elves to help you resist the resurgence of the Star-Bearers."

Orivien's voice was calm and indifferent, filled with a mechanical sensation.

"Li Ang is indeed the strongest Star-Bearer Lord, but as long as there is a trace in the Subspace, then a resurgence is inevitable. You don't actually think that after killing Li Ang, you won't need the Elves—creatures that already bear the Subspace Brand—to help you resist the God of Self-Destruction again, do you? You need the Elves; this is a necessity."

"..."

"Hurry up, Salvation Army. You don't have much time left. No matter who wins, a new era will begin. There are seven days left until our final era."

Waving a hand at the people behind, Orivien's figure flickered and vanished once more into the mountain pass.

(I already want to die... I must make a detailed outline in the future...) (End of this chapter)