Chapter 116

"Saying that at a time like this, isn't it a flag?"

Lin stood before him, divine fire still churning in her palms, as she calmly retorted.

Retort as she might, she didn't relax in the slightest, focusing all her attention on the enemy that had yet to fall.

Just then, through the communicator from the frontline command post, Elaine's voice rang out: "The [Spacequake] has stopped! The divine radiation emitted by [Mahamayuri] has dropped to about 44% of its original level."

44% of the original sounds like it's been weakened by more than half, but it's still at least twice the output from when Qi Xing activated the [silver coin].

More than twice, damn it. This isn't a gap you can just laugh off as if it doesn't exist. All I can say is that if the two of us fight together, [victory is not impossible].

But even so, we still have to fight.

Feeling the relentless surging of Yuan Qi within his body, Qi Xing had vaguely realized that his body was changing.

"While it's weakened, let's finish it."

Raising his sacred spear, he said decisively.

"Don't rush to the very front again."

Lin frowned, guarding Qi Xing's side.

Unfortunately, the two of them didn't have a combined ultimate move yet. But as long as they coordinated well and attacked together, defeating the now significantly weakened [Giant Spirit] was by no means impossible.

The probability of dying in battle couldn't be said to be zero, but they were both mentally prepared.

—So, what happened next made both Qi Xing and Lin gasp.

"Truly remarkable methods."

A soundless voice arrived at that moment.

It wasn't that [Mahamayuri] had moved, nor was it releasing its divine might again.

Instead, the sound came from the specks of golden light scattered on the ground all around, from the shattered fragments of the golden shackles.

It wasn't a physical sound.

It was soundless, yet entered the ears, as if piercing through space to reach the heart and mind—a lingering echo.

"I didn't expect you to actually destroy the golden shackles."

"As expected of the [Shrine Maiden of the Black God] born from a nearly miraculous coincidence, and the [Black God]'s strongest divine artifact, the God-Slaying Spear—to actually be able to defeat the [White God]'s angel, should I call this unexpected, or within reason?"

A gentle and clear voice rippled lightly through the air, its tone so calm it was almost like idle chatter.

This voice—it was actually Yaobikuni's voice.

It held no anger, nor malice, but instead, like praising a student for answering a difficult question correctly, it carried a light, cheerful pleasure.

Her tone of voice was almost excessively polite, but precisely because of that, it caused Qi Xing to raise an eyebrow, immediately feeling a sense of revulsion.

"Are you kidding me? You're still not dead after all this? Is there no end to this?"

"Please don't misunderstand, [Master Leipu], I have indeed died."

The voice from within the golden shackles giggled,

"My [Reincarnation Mystery] has been broken. When I summoned the [True Buddha Peacock Wisdom King], the life I had cultivated for eight hundred years was also exhausted."

"What you hear now is merely a remnant soul I sealed within the golden shackles forged from faith, used to give the [True Buddha Peacock Wisdom King] its final command."

"Now that you have shattered it, I shall soon dissipate completely along with it."

Her tone remained as gentle as ever, even carrying an apologetic elegance and composure.

"Congratulations."

"You have won."

She did not cry, nor did she laugh; she merely spoke those few light words in a gentle tone that was almost compassionate, yet devoid of any color.

This only made Lin furrow her brows: "I hate this tone."

Qi Xing didn't speak, only watching those golden lights floating in the air coldly.

He didn't believe that this white-haired woman's [congratulations on victory] would be that simple.

Sure enough—

"However, you two,"

"You seem to have misunderstood one thing."

Yaobikuni's tone remained leisurely throughout. Only, she added a hint of regret and a light sense of pity to her voice.

"You seem to think that as long as you break the golden shackles and [Mahamayuri] loses its orders, it will stop acting—as far as the matter of resetting Northeast Asia goes, your thinking might be correct, because that was the command I gave to It."

"However, [Master Leipu], [Shrine Maiden of the Black God], have you forgotten—"

Her voice suddenly seemed to surround them from all directions in the air, carrying an imperceptible smile,

"Even though the [White God] was long ago killed by the [Black God], her angels still retain the orders she gave two thousand years ago, which continue to this day?"

She giggled once more,

"[Master Leipu], you are now holding the genuine God-Slaying Spear that killed the [White God]; the [Shrine Maiden of the Black God] by your side is a fake I created using faith, and both are enemies of the [White God]'s angels."

"You broke the golden shackles and eliminated my command. But from this moment on, [Mahamayuri] will no longer just treat you as troublesome obstacles preventing It from resetting Northeast Asia…"

Her tone was like an old chess player watching the game come to an end, elegant and cheerful,

"But as true enemies."

"You two have awakened the true [Mahamayuri]."

—In an instant, the air seemed to be suddenly sucked away.

[Mahamayuri], which had been standing quietly in front of the rock cave, suddenly shuddered—its shoulders began to slowly expand, its six arms spread out like a peacock fanning its tail, and all three faces opened their eyes simultaneously!

The Wisdom King was no longer silent, but like a giant sun rising into the sky, emitting a divine might even more profound than before!

Hum—

The vibrating sound waves seemed to come from the sky, layers of fine ripples floated in the air, and even the structure of reality was slowly twisting.

At this moment, [Mahamayuri] was no longer a program controlled by mortals.

That was a true, awakened, ancient—incomprehensible, transcendent, [Angel-like God] that belonged to the machine of the gods!

And Qi Xing and Lin were already shrouded under the divine might of this angel.

"Oh ho ho ho—"

Amidst Yaobikuni's triumphant laughter, as if she were in control of everything, the form of [Mahamayuri] rose up like a tall tower.

The canopy of heaven seemed to be propped open by its aura, and between heaven and earth, only this scorching white giant shadow remained.

Just as everyone thought it would swing its sword again, and just as Qi Xing and Lin both raised their long spears and drew their flaming blades, this divine machine angel suddenly—lowered its head.

It was not out of exhaustion, not from injury, and not a fall caused by loss of balance.

But clearly, without hesitation—

It knelt.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, this [Angel-like God] that had just awakened and whose aura had surged, actually went down on one knee and knelt before Qi Xing!

Its six arms hung down, and its three faces bowed.

[Mahamayuri] knelt on the ground, as if… paying respects to the true God.

—What is going on?!

"Oh ho ho… ho… eh?"

Yaobikuni's laughter just abruptly stopped, bit by bit.

"Wait a minute? That's not right…"

A rare hesitation finally appeared in her voice, even carrying a hint of… embarrassment.

"What is It doing… how could it… be like this?"

Her tone still tried to maintain its usual elegance, but the shock and… awkwardness within it, even though she had no expression, still could not be concealed.

The surroundings were already filled with an indescribable, awkward atmosphere.

In the end, it was Qi Xing who narrowed his eyes, half-suspicious and half-thoughtful, and spoke: "Could it be that after breaking free from the golden shackles, it sensed the [Sovereign] silver coin on me, so it bowed its head and acknowledged me as its master?"

"Of course not, you little fool."

An unexpected voice cut in at this moment, carrying seven parts helplessness and three parts amusement.

The [Loli Evil God], the dark creator of this world, [Samael], finally appeared at this moment.

Her manifestation this time was no longer just a whisper in Qi Xing's ear, nor was it a phantom that only Qi Xing could perceive.

This time, she took the initiative to let everyone [see] her—including Lin, and the remnant soul of Yaobikuni, which was composed of golden light and clinging to life in the air.

Lin merely frowned. Yaobikuni, however, was staring at [Sasa] in astonishment, watching her pace toward the [Giant Spirit] that was bowing and kneeling, and like petting a docile beast, she reached out and gently patted its head.

The [Giant Spirit] then closed its eyes.

Its body, as tall as a building, was like a sleeping mountain, quietly kneeling before her, its six arms hanging to the ground, its three faces bowed. It was as silent and quiet as a dog being petted by its owner.

And [Sasa]'s expression was calm to the point of indifference.

She did not show any smug smile, nor did she display a hint of joy. It was as if she had long expected this scene to happen—no, it was that she didn't think this was anything worth being happy about in the first place.

It was an attitude of complete matter-of-factness.

The her now was no longer the cute, even slightly comical, super-small [Loli Evil God] who would roll around on Qi Xing's head and get slapped from time to time.

The whole scene became incomparably quiet for a moment.

Even Qi Xing couldn't help but be taken aback.

Lin, for the first time, saw a majesty like that of a deity in this almost comical devil.

This was not posturing, nor was it exaggeration.

Although it might sound a bit strange, the current [Sasa] truly possessed the demeanor and majesty befitting an evil god.

She was a god. A god of darkness.

The [Peacock Disciples], [White God Believers], and the new heretics of the [Nazi] called her White. But she was indeed the oldest, darkest, and most incomparably real [Master] of this universe—and she was truly here right now.

Even the remnant soul of Yaobikuni in the air finally fell silent at this moment.

She couldn't speak.

Facing this scene, seeing [Mahamayuri] now prostrate at the feet of the black-clad girl who had appeared out of thin air, like an old war dog seeing its former master again.

She finally understood.

Without a doubt, that was—the origin.

The [Giant Spirit]'s, and even this universe's, the [True Buddhism]'s, [White God Believers]', [Peacock Disciples]'…

"True God…"

Yaobikuni's voice had already begun to falter, revealing an unconcealable astonishment.

"You are truly stupid."

[Sasa] didn't even look at her, her tone indifferent, as if commenting on a disappointing insect: "What did you think I created these [Giant Spirit]s for in the first place?"

This question made Yaobikuni freeze for a moment. But she immediately reacted, using the little remaining spirituality she had to answer: "To… assist you. To assist you in governing and maintaining this world…"

"That's right."

[Sasa] sneered, a laugh that hid disdain, sarcasm, weariness, and a kind of fundamental self-mockery.

"Then what do you think I am going through the trouble to [maintain] in this world?"

Yaobikuni might not know; she might not be able to react yet.

However, Qi Xing recalled it immediately. From the very beginning, at that first meeting at the bottom of the universe, [Sasa] had already told him about this.

She had actually always been complaining to Qi Xing about this.

"Most of the time, I created these [Giant Spirit]s… wasn't it just to clear out you people who pick up a feather as a command, and as soon as you find a system loophole, you can't wait to abuse it…"