Chapter 256: The Last Tournament

The host had never ridden a drop tower.

From before he was selected as host, and even after being selected as host...

He had never ridden a drop tower.

But his current state of mind was truly like being on a drop tower; one moment he was at the peak, thinking his plan had succeeded... and the next, he plummeted to the bottom.

The number of brave ones was decreasing even faster than expected.

When he saw the Shield Brave, Sword Brave, Bow Brave, Magic Brave... and even the hardest-to-kill Formation Brave all decreasing crazily, the host really wanted to have a glass of red wine in this land of obsession, brewed from the unwillingness and resentment of countless minions, to show that he had once again successfully completed his mission.

Lord Taurus was about to gain ten capable subordinates, and the Weirdness Tournament would once again become a hot topic that everyone paid attention to.

Among those twelve lords, Lord Leo loved conquest, while Lord Taurus favored "opportunity."

He would always create various opportunities, whether it was some entertainment program or a competitive program like the Weirdness Tournament.

The Weirdness Tournament could be said to be the most important of Lord Taurus's many projects.

Because it wasn't just Lord Taurus; another supreme existence—Libra—also thought highly of this project.

He had made many investments in this project, including but not limited to "card decks."

Lord Taurus longed to obtain powerful subordinates through "selection."

But at the same time, selection was also a form of harvesting.

And Lord Libra truly longed for someone to stand out and become a leader of a new force capable of influencing the Three Towers War.

In the host's eyes, Lord Libra was someone who was very happy to see chaos.

Whenever a new force was born, he would be very happy. It was rumored in the outside world that Lord Taurus cooperated with Lord Leo in certain cities.

And Lord Libra was the sworn enemy of Lord Leo.

Whenever the host thought of this, he felt... that his own master was the one who truly devised strategies.

Watching the group of brave ones constantly decrease, the host had originally thought those two humans would die.

After all, the gap in combat power between the brave ones and the Demon Kings was too great.

Just like usual, he would be able to select ten qualified individuals to report back to Lord Taurus and Lord Libra.

But gradually, he began to frown.

Something was wrong.

Because Demon King 22 was dead.

Demon King 22 was a Demon King he hadn't thought much of to begin with. It wasn't a pity that he died, but he hadn't expected a duel between Demon Kings to happen so quickly.

Although the host didn't know the details of the battle...

He could see the changes in the number of people in both camps.

Demon King 22 died, and he was slightly surprised; as a Demon King, he had died too quickly.

After all, Demon King 7, Demon King 10, Demon King 19... were all very powerful, and could even decide the outcome against other Demon Kings in an instant.

They all possessed tens of thousands of points, and there was no guarantee they wouldn't have God Cards to boost them.

And among these God Cards, there were three strongest sets.

One set was the Emotional Double-Edged Sword; it could be said that this was an invincible card for both offense and defense, provided by Lord Taurus.

One set was the "Fairness" card deck provided by Lord Libra. Under the inequality, there would never again be a large attribute gap with the opponent.

The third set was provided by Lord Scorpio, called Song of Time. It possessed a powerful rule-based instant-kill ability but lacked defensive capabilities. The Song of Time deck would deal percentage damage to the corresponding health based on the opponent's age. At the same time, it could force the opponent's age to be set to a specific number.

Song of Time, Emotional Double-Edged Sword, combined with any set of Libra's Fairness, was an unsolvable existence.

If one were to say that the brave ones could defeat the Demon Kings, then there were only these two possibilities.

But for so many years, no one had ever been able to draw them.

Because the probability of drawing these God Cards was low enough, and one also needed the relevant "favorability bonus."

The host didn't believe that such a tiny probability event would actually happen.

But gradually, as the data on the field began to change...

He began to doubt his life.

"Demon King 10... is dead?"

The number of brave ones was still plummeting, but the strongest Demon King 10 was dead.

Was it done by other Demon Kings too?

He began to feel uneasy and paced back and forth.

Before long, Demon King 11 and Demon King 1 also died. Only a few minutes apart.

"Damn it! With the current number of brave ones, it's almost impossible to kill a Demon King, how could two die in a row!"

"Don't fight among yourselves! Kill all the brave ones first, then settle the other Demon Kings!"

The host really wished he could go down and intervene.

In fact, he thought that by significantly increasing the number of Demon Kings and completely disrupting the brave ones' lineup, everything would go smoothly and he could wait for his reward.

But things began to develop in a direction he completely hadn't expected.

The number of brave ones was still decreasing.

Formation Brave, all killed in action.

Priest Brave, all killed in action.

Watching the number of Demon Kings not decrease, the host looked like a stock investor watching the market:

"It's fine! The brave ones are falling! It was just a technical adjustment! Don't be afraid! It's a technical adjustment!"

Before long, the Magic Brave and Bow Brave, as well as the Axe Brave who excelled at breaking defenses, were also down to single digits.

"Very good! Kill all the brave ones!"

But there were still a few scattered Sword Braves and Shield Braves left.

The host clapped his hands and said:

"Kill them! Kill all the Sword Braves and Shield Braves!"

Of course, he knew the identities of those two humans, because the drawing of lots could be manipulated.

As long as the Shield Brave and Sword Brave were dead... then it meant those two humans were dead.

But gradually, the host's hands began to tremble:

"This makes no sense!"

Sword Brave, remaining count 1.

Shield Brave, remaining count 1.

Magic Brave, remaining count 1.

There were no more changes; the last three brave ones seemed to have ceased to exist, and no Demon King could kill them.

"Trash! You are Demon Kings!"

But then, the host comforted himself again... It doesn't matter, a dozen Demon Kings can be instantly killed by three brave ones? Three brave ones with at most a few thousand points can instantly kill me?

Demon King 7 killed in action, Demon King 6 killed in action, Demon King 15 killed in action, Demon King 23 killed in action, Demon King 13 killed in action...

Almost at the same time, the host saw the number of the Demon King camp begin to decrease crazily.

And those three brave ones were still there!

He began to lose his mind; he couldn't imagine what kind of situation could cause five Demon Kings to die all at once...

He finally thought of it: could it be that someone really drew the strongest card deck?

The host's hands didn't just tremble anymore; his whole body began to tremble.

Demon King 8, Demon King 9, Demon King 19, Demon King 18, Demon King 17, Demon King 2, Demon King 4...

More and more Demon Kings died.

The ones still alive were Demon King 3, Demon King 5, Demon King 12, Demon King 14, Demon King 16, Demon King 20, Demon King 21...

Of the twenty-three Demon Kings, only seven remained in the end.

And the ones he had arranged to offer to Lord Taurus and Lord Libra, the highest quality Demon King 7, Demon King 10, Demon King 19...

These three were already dead.

The three strongest Demon Kings died randomly, just like some brave ones with no presence.

So much so that the host looked at the number of survivors... still puzzled.

"Wrong... the system is wrong, there must be a problem with the Weirdness Tournament, right?"

He began to ask the void. But no one responded to him.

The only response he got was the cold "death notification."

Demon King 21 killed in action.

Demon King 14 killed in action.

The host was very eager to go to the arena and see for himself what was going on.

Why were the Demon Kings dying crazily? Why couldn't the last three brave ones just die?

Demon King 12 killed in action.

The expression on the host's face was already manic:

"It's fake, hehe, it's all fake! You can't fool me!"

Demon King 3 and Demon King 16 killed in action.

Two Demon Kings died at the same time.

Out of the seven Demon Kings, now only Demon King 20 and Demon King 5 remained.

Logically speaking, when the number of people on the field is less than ten, the game should be able to end.

However, the game has a minimum time limit; before this time arrives, even if all contestants are eliminated...

The game will not end.

……

……

On the massive battlefield, Wen Xishu is riding Demon King No. 20. On the Demon King's back, there is not only Wen Xishu, but also a Demon Warrior and the Shield Warrior Zheng Zai.

At this moment, Wen Xishu says with a ferocious grin:

"Hi, my little cutie, where are you hiding?"

The Demon Warrior behind him is trembling.

It is that monster who, at the very beginning, thought of inciting conflict between Demon Kings to seek a chance at survival.

Wen Xishu actually found it, and it was quite tenacious, holding on until Wen Xishu arrived.

Wen Xishu's past experiences in the Weird Tower have all been related to "Qualifiers."

Jack, Jennifer, the An brothers... in any case, completing explorations of the Weird Tower and Desire Tower can expand one's connections for the Three Towers War in the future.

This time, he also thought that he must keep one who can be of use to him and help him in the future.

That tiny rare species covered in sharp spikes was the one Wen Xishu took a fancy to.

Being able to think of how to survive under the pressure of fear and despair is one of its merits...

Being able to evolve into a rare species by only eating carrion without devouring others shows it is good at judging the situation; in an environment surrounded by strong enemies, it can always survive safely—this is the second merit.

And, being able to see through the patterns in the previous round is the third merit.

Wen Xishu's timely rescue, combined with his powerful abilities and his special status as a human...

Soon recruited this "rare species" named Abudu.

Considering that his own speech carries a sarcastic tone that would affect the results, Wen Xishu let Zheng Zai be responsible for the recruitment the whole time.

Verbal combat, how to incite emotions, is also something a qualified Weird Tower person needs.

Zheng Zai still has talent.

"Are the leaders and masters born with higher status?" "If you want to become cannon fodder, then you don't need to reach the third round." "Making the wrong choice in life once can very likely lead to eternal damnation." "The apocalypse is not suitable for human survival, but the humanity in your bones shouldn't have been discarded yet, right?"

These words soon moved Abudu.

Wen Xishu has to admit that Zheng Zai is truly a good seedling; he is so talented.

Of course, Abudu's being moved did not last long, because the Demon Kings they were facing were too terrifying.

And even more terrifying than the Demon Kings is that Sword Warrior who doesn't speak easily, but is full of sarcasm whenever he does.

Abudu truly suspects that this Sword Warrior is the biological son of the competition organizer; how could he possibly draw such a card?

Watching one Demon King after another fall, watching those existences that easily crushed him begin to flee in a sorry state...

He feels very vindicated inside, but his whole body is also trembling.

Because this man is simply too strong.

At this very moment, the Sword Warrior gives Abudu the feeling of being a true Great Demon King.

The final Demon King No. 5... is constantly avoiding the Sword Warrior's pursuit, without a shred of desire to fight.

The Sword Warrior also looks like a complete villain:

"Guess how you're going to die?"

"I'm going to shove your head up your own ass."

"I really want to use you to challenge the most bizarre death record in the Weird Competition!"

Are the lines of a warrior defeating a Demon King really this unjust?

Demon King No. 5 doesn't dare to show its face at all.

But Demon King No. 5 cannot escape; although the Sword Warrior's speed is not fast enough, Demon King No. 20 has become the Sword Warrior's mount.

And the time for the Weird Competition is still very plentiful.

……

……

Demon King No. 5, killed in action.

The host, while saying "it's all an illusion," is also praying for "Demon King No. 20" to turn the tide.

But reality is cruel.

At this moment, the words that human said echo in his mind.

"Then is there any way to participate in Hell difficulty... to let two warriors challenge dozens of Demon Kings? To obtain more points?"

This sentence was a delusion at first, a wild, crazy statement enough to make the host's brain crash.

But now, it has truly been realized.

Demon King No. 20, killed in action.

The host collapses to the ground, feeling as if he has no strength left, but what's fatal is... that phone is ringing.

The "God's" inquiry begins.

The host tremblingly picks up the phone; he certainly doesn't dare to keep Lord Taurus waiting.

"Oh, it seems this Weird Competition is very interesting."

The host is slightly stunned; on the other end of the phone, it is not the voice of Lord Taurus, it sounds more like a child.

"Oh, let me introduce myself, I am Scorpio."

The host is startled, then respectfully says:

"I've long heard of you, Lord Scorpio, what are your instructions?"

Scorpio is very calm:

"Don't be nervous, my Scorpio Dagger provided quite a few points to my friend in this round, and he didn't let me down either; it looks like he should be participating in the prize collection."

"Calling is just to tell you, I hope you can follow the process and don't do anything extra."

Cold sweat pours down the host; he certainly understands that the meaning of this sentence is: stop playing little tricks.

He also completely understands that behind those two people... there are actually such big shots.

Then can this Weird Competition be seen as a game between gods?

"By the way, I still have some words for you, which are also words my brother Taurus wants to say to you~"

"Of course, I also hope you convey them to my friend."

The host says anxiously:

"P-please speak."

"Don't be nervous, what I want to say is, among the three towers, the Slaughter Tower and the Desire Tower are both opportunities, opportunities for humans to change their fate."

"But the Weird Tower is not purely a human opportunity. There are huge obsessions in the Land of Obsession, and some special places are not just for humans to use."

"In fact, we can also use them. For example, the Weird Competition. We can also use the obsessions of countless minions in the apocalypse who crave to become stronger to create factors that influence the battlefield..."

"And the three towers essentially serve humans; if the three towers themselves cannot kill humans, in projects where humans participate... humans are very likely to disintegrate the obsessions."

"That is to say, if those two people don't die, the ending they achieve will very likely lock in the variables for future Weird Competitions."

"This is also the reason why your master Taurus does not want humans to participate, because if they don't die, they will create a certain ending."

"Although we can use the Weird Tower, the highest priority challengers and changers of the Weird Tower are humans, you know."

"Unless there are later human challengers who achieve a higher ending—otherwise, this will be the final variable of the Weird Competition."

"In other words, this will be the last Weird Competition, because I don't think anyone will be more excellent than those two; in fact, ordinary people can't even enter the Weird Competition at all. Tsk, you messed up."

The host exclaims:

"Lord Scorpio! Please save me! Give me a chance, I'll go fix it! I... I will definitely find a way to kill them!"

"Pfft."

Scorpio's mocking laughter rings out.

"Fix it? Do you think I came to solve your problems? Hahahaha, you're really stupid, I'm here to watch you make a fool of yourself and declare my victory. I said earlier, the two humans are my people."

"My brother Taurus won't care about you anymore; you've already messed up his project. Now, at the very least, you must ensure that my project is operating normally."

"Of course, you can also try to deal with my brother."

"Oh, I'm not talking about Taurus, I'm talking about the contestant."

"At least before you die, exert some value; please tell him—the Weird Tower doesn't just have the Weird Competition as a variable."

The phone hangs up.

The host's face is full of despair.

And not long after this phone call, the third round of the Weird Competition ends.

Winner—Warrior Faction.

Number of survivors—three.

The surrounding scene changes again; the host is still professional and forces himself to pull it together.

He knows it's his turn.

Even a monster as strong as Youmu has to be dominated, let alone him?

He has seen countless minions in the Weird Competition become nutrients for others in the process of changing their fate.

He has long accepted this logic—the strong should dominate the weak.

Even if Scorpio's words are full of mockery, as long as that lord speaks, he will respectfully follow orders.

What does it have to do with him if such big shots want to destroy him?

Looking at the three "weaklings" who have returned to the rest hall again.

Two humans, and one rare species; the host only felt incomparable sighs.

He had never seen... an awards ceremony without an elite species.

(I have to go on a long trip tomorrow, so I'm updating tonight!)

(End of this chapter)