Chapter 33 Ragnarok Begins
Just as the scroll unfurled, a terrifying pressure spread, and everyone was drawn to its unknown, grotesque silhouette—
"Whoosh—buzz—!"
A desolate horn sound, seemingly traversing eternity, resounded throughout the entire instance world without warning.
No, it resonated deep within the souls of every surviving player!
The sky, which was originally a dim, distorted yellow, turned into an eternal, unchanging dark red, as if it had been splashed with thick blood.
An atmosphere of oppression, despair, and madness descended as if it were a tangible force.
[System Announcement: The final stage, Ragnarok, has begun.]
[Rule Change:]
[1. The coordinates of all surviving players will be published to the entire instance every 30 minutes.]
[2. Within the Divine Realm, either "Ancient God's Resentment" or "Divine Beast King" will randomly appear, their strength far exceeding any enemy encountered previously.]
[3. The bottom 10 players on the leaderboard will be forcibly logged off every 5 minutes starting 10 minutes later, until the instance ends or fewer than 10 players remain.]
Survive to the very end.
The chilling system notification, like a final death knell, tolled in the minds of every survivor.
Almost the instant the announcement was made, a dark red beam of light, piercing through all obstacles, shot straight up into the blood-red sky above the remaining twenty or so players on the central forum.
Like a lighthouse in the night, they showed their location.
"No--"
"how so?!"
"It's over...it's all over..."
Desperate wails instantly replaced the previous greed and madness.
Their coordinates being exposed means they will have nowhere to hide. They will not only have to face fierce battles with each other, but also deal with the terrifying existence described by the system as "far superior to any enemy" that may appear at any time.
Even more terrifying is the elimination of those at the bottom of the leaderboard. It's like a guillotine hanging over their heads, forcing them to kill and plunder points, or face death.
The chaos escalated once again.
But this time, it's not about rewards, but about the most primal and desperate struggle for survival.
Gu Yunqing's heart sank as well.
As expected, this final dungeon was not so simple.
The final test is no longer a struggle, but the most brutal survival selection.
He immediately issued the highest priority command to Zhuge Jin, who was being managed by the system, through the consciousness link: calculate the safe path with all his might, avoid powerful beings, and look for possible loopholes or opportunities for survival.
"We must first stabilize our position." Zhuge Jin's voice, filled with unprecedented solemnity, echoed urgently in the minds of his team members.
"Chou Zangxue, Jun Xiangbei, suppress the backlash and conceal your aura. Everyone, move closer to me. There is an unusual movement in the Kun position ley line, which can be used as a temporary barrier."
Beneath his feet, the Bagua diagram spun rapidly, and golden light seeped into the ground like veins, quickly outlining a simple protective array.
Although it cannot completely isolate the coordinate beams, it can confuse perception to some extent and provide weak protection.
Qiu Zangxue roared, the fighting spirit of Xing Tian and the backlash of the pale flames clashing wildly within his body, making him like a powder keg about to explode.
But he gritted his teeth and, with his indomitable will, dragged his burning left arm and retreated step by step toward Zhuge Jin.
Each step left a charred footprint on the ground.
Jun Xiangbei's situation was even more bizarre; the torrent of emotions emanating from the glass heart in his hand almost overwhelmed his cold mechanical core.
Various unfamiliar and intense desires, loves, and a need for control eroded his logical circuits like a virus.
His eyes were glazed over, his body trembled slightly, and he could barely hold the sword.
Seeing this, Su Meichuan, despite her exhaustion, rushed to his side, attempting to guide and soothe him with her own, though much gentler, alluring power, anxiously calling his name:
"Head north, and hold fast to your principles. That is an external force, not yours."
The viewers in Zhuge Jin's live stream were all relieved:
"That was so exciting! I'm so glad I didn't go into that instance."
"Coordinates exposed + random boss + last-place elimination, is this a no-win situation?"
"Boss Qiu is still struggling with the artifact; it looks painful."
"Is the God of War about to lose control? Will he break down?"
"Probably not."
Just then—
"roar!!!"
A deafening roar came from the scroll, accompanied by earth-shaking footsteps.
A colossal divine beast, as large as a mountain, wreathed in black lightning, resembling a giant lion but with three ferocious heads, tore through the scroll space and crashed down upon the ruins not far from them.
Its six scarlet eyes instantly locked onto those conspicuous coordinate beams.
"It's an S-rank boss, the Destroyer Thunder Lion! Run!" A player with a detection skill screamed in terror.
Almost simultaneously, on the other side of the sky, a twisted mass of "ancient god's resentment," formed from countless souls wailing in agony, quietly emerged.
It has no fixed form, and wherever it goes, space seems to weep, exuding an aura of despair that can drive one to the brink of madness.
"Ah—!" A player with a low score and already severely injured was swept by the aura of the ancient god's resentment. He instantly clutched his head and screamed in agony, blood flowing from his seven orifices. His body withered rapidly as if all the moisture had been drained, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into ashes.
His name instantly faded and disappeared from the leaderboard!
The annihilation has begun.
Panic spread like a plague!
"No! I don't want to die!" A player, his eyes red, lunged at one of Sylvie's followers, who was also seriously injured and closest to him, in an attempt to steal his points.
The melee broke out again, but this time it was even more chaotic and disorderly, with everyone frantically attacking those around them for the slim chance of survival.
"Form a circular formation. Qiu Zangxue and Jun Xiangbei will occupy the rear and restore order, Su Meichuan and Bai Muling will disrupt from the flanks, and Xin Yuan'er will provide support from the center!"
Zhuge Jin's voice carried an undeniable calmness as he quickly adjusted the formation.
The Bagua formation shimmered, barely resisting the impact of chaotic external energy and the oppressive aura of the two terrifying beings.
Gu Yunqing was controlling Qiu Zangxue with all her might. On one hand, she had to suppress the backlash from the raging divine artifact within her body, and on the other hand, she had to be wary of enemies and terrifying beings that might pounce at any moment.
His bloodshot eyes swept across the chaotic battlefield as he rapidly calculated in his mind.
They can still pull through. Jun Xiangbei is the male protagonist of the original novel; he has a backup plan.
Qiu Zangxue suddenly gripped the white flames tightly with her burning left arm, held her right hand with a single sword in front of her, and let out a threatening growl at the enemy who tried to approach.
The pale flames flickered on his body, as if they were about to go out of control at any moment, but they also exuded a chilling and intimidating power, making many players who had lost their minds dare not approach him easily.
With Su Meichuan's help, Jun Xiangbei managed to suppress the emotional storm raging in his mind, but his eyes were still somewhat unfocused.
He clutched that glass heart tightly, as if it were the only key to his understanding of "emotions," or perhaps a deadly poison.
His gaze toward Su Meichuan was filled with an unprecedented complexity.
This unfamiliar emotion confused him, yet he couldn't shake it off.
Su Meichuan didn't have time to investigate further. She focused on maintaining the illusion to disrupt the perception of the two terrifying beings and buy the team a chance to catch their breath.
Bai Muling held the last dagger, protecting Zhuge Jin and Xin Yuan'er.
Xin Yuan'er's face turned pale, and he muttered something under his breath, whether he was praying or cursing this damned dungeon was unclear.
"The Destroyer Thunder Lion will pass through the northeast direction in thirty breaths. Avoid it!"
"The ancient god's resentment was drawn away by the fluctuations in the southwest points and has temporarily left."
"The next set of coordinates will be released in 25 minutes. We must find a safer hiding place before then."
Zhuge Jin's voice was like that of a conductor dancing on the edge of a knife, accurately reporting key information and guiding the team to find a glimmer of hope in their desperate situation.
Time passed second by second.
The names on the leaderboard faded one by one.
Screams, roars, and the sounds of colliding energy filled the air.
The destructive thunder lion trampled the ruins wantonly, and when black lightning swept across, players were turned into charred remains.
The ancient god's resentment was like an invisible grim reaper, reaping desperate souls.
Led by Zhuge Jin, Gu Yunqing's team was like a small boat in a storm, struggling to navigate through chaos and danger.
They dared not linger in battle, and could only evade, maneuver, and take advantage of every available terrain and opportunity.
The pale flames on Qiu Zangxue's body gradually showed signs of being brought under control, but at the cost of his left arm being almost completely carbonized and his aura weakening considerably, though the frenzied fighting spirit in his eyes became even more concentrated.
Jun Xiangbei seemed to have temporarily sealed away the torrent of emotions deep within his core, his eyes regaining some clarity, but the hand holding the glass heart still trembled slightly.
When she looked at Su Meichuan, something seemed different deep within her usually calm eyes.
Su Meichuan, Bai Muling, and Xin Yuan'er were all at their limits, relying solely on their willpower to stay afloat.
Viewers in Jun Xiangbei's live stream were still marveling:
"This must be the first time the God of War has been so disheveled."
"It's too difficult...it's making me breathless."
"Zhuge Jin is truly amazing; he can even calculate a safe path?"
"It seems like Boss Qiu is about to collapse..."
"The way the God of War looks at Lady Su...is there a story behind it?"
"What are you thinking? They're just teammates."
"They do have a story. In a sense, the God of War is Su Meiren's father (lights a cigarette)."
Gu Yunqing was getting anxious. Her team members had fought to their limits and desperately needed a chance to rest.
When the system announced that there were only five minutes left until the next coordinate announcement, and there were only 100 names remaining on the leaderboard—
Zhuge Jin's white veil suddenly turned in a certain direction, his voice tinged with urgency: "Beneath the broken temple pillar ahead, there are faint spatial fluctuations."
"It might be a fragment of an auxiliary space that wasn't completely destroyed. Quick, that's our chance to regroup."
Everyone perked up.
Driven by their survival instinct, they charged forward with their last strength in the direction Zhuge Jin had indicated.
Behind them came the roar of the Destroyer Thunder Lion, the whispers of the Ancient God's resentment, and the desperate, crazed gazes of the other surviving players.
The final escape is just around the corner.
The countdown to elimination of the last-place winner continues its cold, relentless ticking.
Who will survive to the end?
Author's Note:
The God of War and the Beauty Su are just teammates. [Hands clasped in prayer][ ...]
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