Chapter 252: The Strongest Strike!

The Saint Song Corporation instance has gone out of control, especially the battle taking place in the square, long exceeding everyone's expectations.

This battle has surpassed a performance, or even a showcase, and gone beyond a monster disaster film—it has become a mythic fantasy spectacle.

The colossal artificial deities in black and white, the two-hundred-meter-tall golden Buddha, the six-hundred-meter-tall Deep Sea Giant…

Not only the surrounding media outlets, but even Booker and the other players themselves found this battle utterly explosive.

So explosive that they dared not get too close just to watch, fearing they might be accidentally killed by an unknown AoE.

When did they first realize this battle had nothing to do with them?

Was it when Schultz orchestrated from behind the scenes, transforming into the artificial god Hymn, effortlessly crushing three opponents at once?

Was it when Feiguang and Chiyue pulled out branches of the World Tree and summoned three powerful reinforcements clearly not from the Wasteland Realm?

Was it when the Son of Sin resonated with Wildo City, causing the instance dimension to ascend?

No, none of those— their eyes cleared long before any of that happened.

From the moment the Son of Sin emerged, they knew this battle had gone beyond bounds.

Having come out of the Mother Nest Research Institute, they had already learned from Wu Chang's true self that the Mother Nest's child had been lost; the instant they saw the massive black shadow in the distance, they knew this was no coincidence—it was a meticulously planned conspiracy.

Even the Mother Nest, drained of so much essence, was enough to make them flee in panic; the Son of Sin, born from the concentrated essence of the Mother Nest, was clearly beyond their capacity to handle.

In their view, even "Peace," the one bold enough to stand up to the Four Organizations, could only be a spectator in this battle, just like them.

After all, we're all Wasteland Realm players—how far could you possibly go beyond reason?

They had already prepared their instance escape devices, waiting only for Feiguang and the others to die before immediately fleeing once the instance seal lifted.

Booker and the others held a favorable impression of Wu Chang; Veronika had even prepared extra escape devices, intending to let Peace leave with them.

Until they watched Peace transform into a six-hundred-meter-tall Sea Giant, wielding divine authority, and delivered two elbow strikes straight to Happy's head—both momentarily held their ground.

At least on the surface, it was a stalemate; Wu Chang even looked slightly ahead.

At that moment, they once again understood that saying: the difference between people can sometimes be greater than the difference between a person and a dog.

As core members of the Four Organizations, they had always been the "people" in that saying—this was the first time they'd ever been the "dog," and it felt strange, unfamiliar.

Gulp.

Booker swallowed hard and asked Colton and Veronika: "Can a Wasteland Realm player really possess this kind of power?"

Not long ago, they had believed they stood near the top of the second tier of Wasteland Realm players, on the verge of the first tier, thinking their gap with the top-ranked players was merely reputation—that in a real fight, they might still have a chance.

But now, not only could they not see the gap—they, as spectators, couldn't even understand the battle unfolding before them.

The most terrifying gap isn't when you see someone's technique and realize you'll never reach their level.

It's when the opponent unleashes a move, and you, like a moviegoer, can only see dazzling special effects and exclaim, "Holy shit, that's awesome."

In response to Booker's question, neither of them gave him an answer—they were questioning their own lives too.

Booker continued: "Do you think Peace will win?"

Colton's expression turned solemn, and he slowly shook his head.

It wasn't because he could discern any technique—he was looking at Happy, and thinking of a monster.

A monster who, ten years ago during the Wasteland Realm era, had slaughtered an entire Rational Realm capture team; if ranked by seniority, Peace and the Painter would both have to call that monster "senior."

Remember, every member of a Rational Realm capture team sent to hunt fugitives in the Wasteland Realm was at the absolute upper limit of the Present World Pillar's power—stronger than even the Present World Pillar's guardians—and even the Painter could only avoid their edge.

Yet that monster had slaughtered an entire Rational Realm capture team.

He couldn't recall the monster's name—it had something to do with happiness or joy. It was said he was originally a special talent cultivated by the Bureau, deeply cherished, once hailed as the Light of Humanity.

But for reasons unknown, one day he suddenly abandoned his brilliant future and defected from the Bureau.

This incident was a top-secret within the Bureau, but among Bai Ta, it was merely a high-security joke.

Still, even enjoying jokes requires selectivity: when mentioning the Bureau's "Light of Humanity" defection, Bai Ta members all chuckled—but when the joke turned personal, everyone instantly stopped laughing.

During the ten years after leaving the Bureau, he continuously recruited core members from other organizations, including Bai Ta.

For instance, Bonas, the legendary hacker of Bai Ta, was swayed by him to leave Bai Ta; the most classic hacking textbook of Bai Ta—"Overview of Multiverse Information Technology"—was written by Bonas himself.

Peace is strong—perhaps even stronger than that monster during the same period—but between them lies a ten-year gap in cultivation.

If Peace were given ten years…

Colton recalled Peace's promotion speed—if given ten years, he might have cleared the Abyss Game entirely.

He sighed: if both stood on the same level, Peace would surely be stronger—but there are no "ifs."

In contrast to Colton, Veronika said: "I believe Peace will win."

Booker asked: "Why?"

Veronika: "Intuition."

At this moment, Schultz had burned himself to shatter Happy's flawless golden body, but Happy made no move to dodge—he exposed his weakness directly toward Wu Chang.

Wu Chang did not continue his attack; instead, he spoke with Happy.

Wu Chang, Schultz, and Happy all deliberately confined their battle within the square's boundaries; the residual energy waves split the area inside and outside the square into two separate worlds, even blocking sound with the energy permeating the space.

This left the surrounding spectators able to see the three speaking, but unable to hear what they were saying.

Booker shrugged—he was about to voice his opinion when suddenly, chaotic noise erupted beside his ear, coming from the direction of the square, as if thousands upon thousands were shouting and screaming.

An invisible sonic wave struck him, instantly freezing his gaze into blankness.

In a daze, he found himself on a mist-shrouded plain, everywhere ablaze with fire, explosions roaring at his doorstep, people around him caked in blood and mud, eyes blazing red like beasts ready to devour any living thing nearby.

This was a battlefield—a battlefield of life or death.

To survive, you had no choice but to kill everyone around you.

As he recognized the situation, two strangers finished off their previous opponents and looked up, spotting the lone Booker.

Both were blood-crazed; through their pupils, Booker saw his own reflection—his eyes were equally crimson.

He drew his two revolvers, one in each hand, pointing them at the two men.

Want to kill me? Then I'll strike first and eliminate you!

Just as Booker was about to pull the trigger, the cries of battle vanished from his ears; the night wind blew through, scattering the suffocating battlefield and pulling his consciousness back to reality.

When he snapped back to his senses, he found himself, Colton, and Veronica standing in a triangular formation, each holding their strongest attack, aimed at the other two.

If the illusion had dissipated a moment later, all three of them would have died together, swept up by the atmosphere.

The instant they saw each other clearly, they immediately dispersed their gathered attacks, all of them shaken.

What just happened?

As they recovered from their shock, they turned to look at the square where the battle had taken place, and saw that Peace had, at some unknown moment, transformed from a 600-meter-tall Sea Giant into a towering black-purple knight over a kilometer tall.

Upon his back rode a steed forged from discarded weapons and broken armor, its body larger than Peace's, in a half-living, half-mechanical state; through gaps in its weapon-and-armor shell, molten steel flowed within, and the white vapor exhaled from its nostrils turned into searing flames.

Hss.

Booker sucked in a sharp breath and shrank his shoulders.

His transmutation's ultimate skill was named Nightmare Cowboy; when activated, it summoned a nightmare from Hell as a mount, its appearance wildly impressive—the skill he was most proud of.

As a knight, he had always believed no mount could rival the nightmare's allure—until he saw Wu Chang's steed.

Looking at the beast whose shoulder height exceeded a kilometer, he realized his once-proud little thing now seemed utterly useless.

The giant knight Booker and the others saw was none other than Wu Chang, activated into his transmutation's ultimate skill. "Ultimate Skill: Knight of Discord."

"Skill Description: By fusing with the Source of Chaos, unleash the power within your flesh, temporarily transforming into a constantly collapsing Knight of Discord. During skill duration, you are regarded as a Lesser Deity."

"Within your area, any conflict grants you additional attributes and slightly extends the duration of the Knight of Discord."

"While in Knight of Discord state, all your attributes double; bonuses are unaffected by dimensional barriers, but cannot exceed the barrier's upper limit. Cooldown: Two instance planes."

"Lesser Deity: Damage dealt to non-divine beings increased by 50%. Damage received from non-divine beings reduced by 50%. Immune to most abnormal states. When affected by abnormal states, duration and effect reduced by 60%."

"Note: Your arrival brings discord and chaos. Discord and chaos cause old order to die, yet also usher in the rebirth of peace and order."

When previously using the Chaos Power, he absorbed 40 points of energy from Mercury, 35 points of life from Akso, and 40 points of strength from Peren.

Combined with Master of Breaking Through, plus the Knight of Discord's bonuses, Wu Chang's current stat panel is:

Player Nickname: Jin Guang's High-Price Buyback of Dungeon-Produced Antiques.

Life: 292 (111+35)

!

Strength: 500 (302)

Agility: 129 (64.5)

Endurance: 153 (76.5)

Energy: 462 (219+12)

Inspiration: 162

Willpower: 176

(Values in parentheses are pre-Knight of Discord bonuses)

If Wu Chang's current stat panel were screenshot and posted to the forum, it would instantly confirm he was using a cheat.

Especially his strength—directly maxed out at the Wasteland Realm's upper limit: 500 strength points. To any other player, such a number would be unthinkable even in dreams.

He didn't know if any true six-stat warriors existed in the Wasteland Realm, but he knew none of them were as six as he was now.

Immense power filled his body, as if cramming a strong man into the smallest child's outfit—he desperately needed to burst his clothes, needed to vent.

Yet even while attacking, he had to maintain restraint.

Becoming the Knight of Discord granted him deeper mastery over the Power; upon completing his transformation, he had been lost in the overwhelming strength and accidentally relaxed his control, releasing the Power outward.

In the blink of an eye, the Power nearly killed Booker and the other three.

Luckily, their high internal energy drew the Power's attention—if the Discord Power had spread indiscriminately across Wilmore City then, by the time Wu Chang returned, at least a third of Wilmore's population would have died from mutual slaughter, and Main Quest Three would have failed outright.

Wu Chang manipulated the Power, driving it toward the flaw in Joy's palm. Instantly, the previously unshakable Joy's eyes filled with purple-black energy, and he swung his hand back, slapping Mercury.

Mercury, seeing the incoming slap, emitted a flash of light from his body and swapped positions with Peren, the farthest away. Peren didn't even have time to scream before being slapped to death.

He died utterly—Akso's Healing Specialization couldn't save him.

Akso frowned at Mercury. Mercury shrugged: "We're all leaving anyway once this starts. Early or late, it's the same."

Akso: "Then why didn't you leave?"

Mercury: "I'm afraid of pain."

Having slapped Peren to death, Joy stared at the blood in his palm; golden light suppressed the purple-black Power, restoring his clarity.

Wu Chang teased:

"Well? Can this foreign thing now shake your True Divinity?"

Joy did not answer, but the seriousness and wariness on his face, along with the constantly shifting hand seals in his hands, answered for him.

As Joy's hand seals changed, a chorus of Sanskrit chants echoed around him, and a massive lotus platform condensed above his head.

The lotus platform grew with the wind, instantly covering the entire square—including Wu Chang's giant Knight of Discord form.

Under Joy's ability, the lotus platform gradually flattened, gilded with Jin Guang, transforming into a giant golden gong.

A gong resembles a cymbal or a gong; shaped like a rounded cap, it produces a loud, sustained metallic clang when struck.

The golden gong now hovering over the square was only one piece—insufficient for music, but more than enough to crush a person.

The massive golden gong was like a lid placed over the sky; even Wu Chang's enormous size felt trapped beneath it.

It wasn't an illusion—it was his Inspiration telling him: this move cannot be escaped.

To form this golden gong, Joy had consumed nearly all his energy; his once-glowing Buddha body now dimmed, barely able to protect himself from the Power's influence.

It was as if a Buddha statue had scraped off its own gold leaf and coated the surface of the golden gong in the sky.

Wu Chang clicked his tongue. Had he provoked Joy too much? Had he forced him to go all out?

If he apologized now, would Joy retract his technique—and then slowly be worn down by his Power?

Probably not.

Since that won't work, then let's go head-to-head!

His entire body was brimming with energy, desperate for an outlet.

Wu Chang prepared himself mentally but did not strike immediately, because of Main Quest Three, he had not allowed his power to influence Weiduo City and thus extend the duration of his ultimate skill.

His Warlord Knight transformation had a time limit; any probing or feint was merely wasting his transformation time—he had to unleash his strongest strike before the transformation collapsed.

First, as a knight, the Warlord Knight transformation granted him armor and a warhorse, but gave him no suitable weapon.

He pulled out the Wang Zuo, activated the Treasure Skill, and transformed the Wang Zuo into a golden greatsword.

"Item Skill: Treasure"

"Skill Effect: Any energy-containing item can be used as decoration, transformed into a gem on the Wang Zuo, supplying it with energy. When gems are embedded in the Wang Zuo, the Treasure Mode activates, allowing it to shift into three special forms: greatsword, armor, or scepter."

Perhaps due to fear of inflation, the Wang Zuo could not alter its own size; the golden greatsword it conjured exceeded two meters in length—massive for an ordinary person, but in Wu Chang's hands, it was too unwieldy even as a toothpick.

But this did not stop him.

He pulled out the False Miracle, then spoke to Schultze, who lay barely alive on the ground:

"One last favor—use your will to cover all of Weiduo City, make them all believe that this golden greatsword in my hand will become my perfect weapon, unbreakable and unstoppable."

Schultze did not ask what the prayer would accomplish; his eyes swept once over the golden greatsword and the False Miracle, then he immediately understood and acted.

Under Schultze's will, countless threads of black and white surged into his body, then, guided by his will, sank into the False Miracle.

The False Miracle instantly became a colossal tree, swaying with the dawn light; the golden greatsword in Wu Chang's hand began to lengthen until its size matched Wu Chang's current physique.

The golden greatsword already possessed sharpness; now, with the collective will of Weiduo City's residents "enchanted" upon it, a faint black-and-white glow rippled along its edge.

The light was unremarkable, but anyone who looked upon it felt their eyes pierced by its piercing sharpness—as if it could sever even a glance.

Wu Chang tugged the reins, sheathed the golden greatsword at his waist, turned his horse, and aimed it at the Golden Bell above.

He took a deep breath, thinking that if this strike failed, he would have to use the Wood Carving of Wuqu Star Lord.

Hu—

As Wu Chang exhaled, a thunderclap split the sky; he spurred his horse upward, leaping into the air and charging toward the heavens, stepping on nothing but air.

As he neared the Golden Bell, he fully charged the Iai-do technique, combining it with the Wish Enchantment, the golden greatsword, the Desecrator, divine lightning, and his now explosively high stats.

Where the blade passed, even space was cleanly split into two smooth halves.

At this moment, Wu Chang unleashed the strongest sword strike of his player career, the blade aimed directly at the Golden Bell.

(End of Chapter)