Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Upon receiving the bishops' assignments, the believers who were originally patrolling different floors or merely tasked with guarding the sacrificial offerings were forced to converge at the stairwells to fend off the incoming players.

Unaware of the reason behind their new task, they also didn't know that the surveillance cameras above their heads were transmitting every detail of the combat to the monitoring floor.

The bishops were glued to the screens, fervently hoping for their believers to put up a good fight. Only the divine presence seemed unperturbed, observing the chaos with a calm demeanor.

Meanwhile, within the prison, Ern, too, had caught wind of the commotion on the player forums. With great interest, he opened a live stream, eagerly waiting to spectate the event.

The devotees on the fourth floor descended promptly, soon making contact with the players.

The bishop standing on the left side of the monitoring floor clenched his palms, so anxious that beads of sweat almost formed on his forehead. His eyes were glued to the surveillance screen.

This ritual was one of the most solemn events for the new bishop in recent times. Hence, only priests or core members were qualified to attend. These devotees had to possess some skills to become core members.

For instance, the towering figure at the forefront, towering over two meters tall with bulging muscles, resembled a tank charging down the corridor.

In terms of muscle density, he could indeed be likened to a small tank. He was a child raised by gorillas that a certain bishop had found in the forest. With a blank slate in terms of personality and experiences, he became the bishop's loyal enforcer after being taken in, using his tree-trunk-like arms to sever countless dissenters' heads.

Fortunately, the one who charged forward first was this brute. The bishop on the left instantly felt relieved. He wouldn't have been so sure if it had been someone else, as most of the new bishops were scum and madmen. But this giant, whom he had taken in since he was young, would undoubtedly fight to the death, and even kill anyone who dared to flee. With him around, the other cultists wouldn't dare to run.

Indeed, as expected, behind the giant, the cultists charging alongside him wore ruthless and fearless expressions. As part of the execution squad within the church, they had dealt with many lives and were accustomed to following the giant into battle. Once their opponents' morale crumbled under the giant's pressure, they would pounce on their prey like hyenas.

Seeing the giant charge at them, Insane immediately raised his gun and fired, but his shots were blocked by the giant's shield. Insane clicked his tongue and jumped to the side, followed by the others. The giant's charge thoroughly disrupted the players' formation, and he seized the opportunity to grab one of them, brutally slamming him to the ground by his leg, a gruesome sight.

Observing this from the monitoring floor, Endicott and the other bishops' faces softened slightly. The bishop who had sent the giant smiled, "Alex is the strongest executioner in our squad. He'll deal with the enemies of the new bishop, just as he always has."

Endicott nodded slightly, watching the giant on the screen take the opportunity to break the student's leg. " Recruiting him was the right choice."

Regardless, any reduction in the number of these bizarre college students was good. More importantly, the cultists' willingness to fight to the death confirmed that this bishop had put in enough effort in brainwashing, making him trustworthy.

Barbarra grunted, feeling unlucky. She had never lost in both Luck and Strength contests before!

How much strength did this giant possess to overcome her in two consecutive contests?

Bloodied and injured, Barbarra's health was decreasing. She'd likely need Constitution soon. At that moment, Insane suddenly appeared behind the giant. Hindered by his Elderly Card, his movement was restricted, but fortunately, his accuracy in throwing was still on point!

A red potion struck the back of the giant's head. The glass bottle shattered instantly, but not even his skin was grazed. The giant rubbed his head and turned to face Insane with a twisted expression, unaware that the crimson potion was dripping down his neck, landing precisely on Barbarra, who lay beneath him.

With her health restored slightly, Barb seized the opportunity to jerk her head up violently, smashing it into the giant's nasal bridge.

The burly man clutched his nose in agony, and in that moment of distress, Barbara seized the opportunity to break free from his grip. Without hesitation, she drove the dagger towards his throat.

'System, for the brawl, I'm applying for a Reward Dice!'

"Fistfight (Reward Die): Success"

When Michigan University first opened at the start of the game, many players indeed raised questions about the school's presence. Their doubts were not directed at the university itself, but rather at the notion of players being required to attend classes—was it reasonable? They had come to play a game, not to genuinely pursue knowledge within the game!

At first, Babba had the same mindset. However, one day, he discovered that the combat professor was indeed a former military instructor, and the techniques he taught were equivalent to real-life combat skills that couldn't be learned at any price.

In this moment, Babba didn't overthink. In the past, after winning a brawl, he would simply strike randomly. But after his training in combat, he instinctively plunged the dagger into the burly man's neck, severing an artery, twisted it, and then followed up with a smooth elbow strike to his heart.

This entire sequence happened subconsciously, far more fluid than Babba's previous fights. Before, he relied on the dice roll and the system's prompts to execute moves. Now, the system's notification arrived after he had completed his attack.

Blood gushed continuously from the burly man's neck, splattering on the floor, walls, and the faces of surrounding players. Naturally, Babba's face was the most drenched, almost turning him into a bloodied figure.

As the burly man fell, the cultists who had been fighting the players stared in shock at Babba, now almost completely covered in blood. Unaware that Babba felt no pain and that his wounds were already being treated by potion bottles, they saw the once-dominant burly man suddenly taken down by the seemingly weaker man. With sheer determination, Babba exchanged injury for life, turning the tables on the burly man. He seemed even more ruthless than the socially awkward giant!

The cultists finally felt a tinge of fear. After all, they had been fighting for so long, with several of their comrades injured and still unable to subdue these people. Moreover, the foes were formidable even without going mad. Now that their strongest member was down, how could they possibly win the battle?

Eventually, as Barbara approached them, one of the cultists, overwhelmed by the psychological pressure, fled.

The bishop in the monitoring floor turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. The other bishops looked at him strangely, but he stubbornly retorted, "What are you looking at? At least Karl fought till the end! Look at your subordinates!"

It wasn't just Barbara's group that encountered a battle. Due to the varying progress of the players and the different locations of the cultists, there were three or four battles breaking out simultaneously. On the screens displaying the surveillance, the players emerged victorious in every single one. Despite the risk of injury or death, the players didn't retreat a single step. In contrast, the cultists, perhaps due to being overly accustomed to bribery, were more cowardly than one another. Some even hid in rooms upon receiving orders instead of engaging in combat.

The bishops hadn't intentionally informed their subordinates about the surveillance, and with it being quite discreet, there were actually some fools who didn't notice it. They either surrendered without a fight, defied orders to flee, or attempted to switch sides once they realized they couldn't win.

The bishops were left speechless.

God on Earth: Chapter 6.

Endicott was almost amused and relieved at the same time. With so many issues exposed, even if the cardinal intended to punish them, he wouldn't solely target him.

As Endicott's ashen face slightly recovered, God on Earth, who had initially seemed uninterested, suddenly lifted his head with newfound interest.

Players had encountered other players.

This clash unfolded on the fifth level, quite close to the summit. The cultists' defenses were torn apart by players layer by layer, as fragile as paper. The gamers continually dismantled nodes and sacrificed offerings. Just as the Druid was about to sabotage the fifth-level node, the cultist players, led by Bloodthirster, finally cornered them in the node chamber.

Both sides exchanged a tacit glance, and the live-stream audience promptly began placing bets.

"Arena! The arena can open now!"

"PvP! PvP!"

"Isn't this the first legitimate PvP in the game?"

"Well, didn't they fight against Stargazer and their group before?"

"Oh damn, I almost forgot."

"Bet before watching, let's develop a good habit. Who do you think will win?"

"Veterans, right? There's no suspense here! How long have the newbies been playing?"

"No, actually, Bloodthirster seems to have joined in the previous version."

"I don't think that makes much difference. Druid is a three-timeline veteran, having experienced three main quests. Their attributes are top-notch among players; there's no comparison."

"Have you all forgotten? This is a tabletop RPG where even a weak investigator can defeat a deity with high dice rolls!"

While the live stream audience debated who would triumph, the Druid and the Blood Acolyte had already clashed in their first round.

The Blood Acolyte didn't hesitate to attack the Druid. Just as the Druid attempted to dodge, the Blood Acolyte launched a fierce punch directly at his face. The force was heavy, yet the movement was swift, revealing the attacker's expertise. The Druid had no choice but to hastily activate the System's autopilot mode, where all outcomes would be determined solely by the dice rolls.

In the nearby chat channels...

Druid: Damn, you've had practice?

Bloodthirst: Yeah, real-life brawls.

Druid: ...

Fortunately, despite Druid's lack of proficiency in other areas, their stats and skill points were shockingly high. For a moment, the two were evenly matched in their exchange.

The room in this node was cramped but crowded, making it disadvantageous to use firearms without risking friendly fire. Thus, Bloodthirst immediately opted for close combat upon assessing the situation. He engaged Druid in a bodily struggle, leaving Druid's high-shooting-position advantage useless. In a game where guns were the primary means of attack, restricting shooting was akin to crippling an experienced player's arm. This forced the vastly different combat abilities of the two to converge somewhat.

Of course, the veteran players weren't to be outdone. They brandished their enchanted weapons. The cultists were mostly newbies and didn't have such high-end gear, but they had another option.

One player with the ID "Pink Furball Bunny" took a deep breath and pulled out a triple dose of Adrenaline. Without hesitation, he injected himself.

In the chat channel:

Seeking Even: Holy sh*t, what are you using?

Taibai Jinxing: Adrenaline, Cult Enhanced Version. Nothing much, just a banned drug that makes you temporarily stronger, but eventually kills you.

Not Bald: We can't help it. The bishops are watching. Sorry, but we have to show our real skills.

Pink Furball Bunny's muscles visibly bulged. When Seeking Even clashed fists with him again, he surprisingly lost in strength, causing him to curse, "F*ck, you can't beat me and you still use drugs? Your cult is despicable!"

"Proudly defying the divine will lead to death!" Pink Furball Bunny immediately caught on, his face filled with fanaticism and fearlessness, a perfect template for a cultist.

"Die!"

Boosted by the temporary effects of the banned substances, the newbies' stats finally matched those of the veterans. The battle intensified, with almost every strike drawing blood. There were only around eight cultist players sent by God on Earth, and four of them fell in the heat of combat, highlighting the intensity of the clash.

Despite the current situation, the believers didn't take a step back, let alone flee. The bishops in the monitoring room were filled with envy.

The rumors within the Church were true—God on Earth truly possessed an incredible brainwashing ability. His followers were all fanatical believers!

It wasn't easy to turn someone into a devout believer. Bishops had spent years cultivating, and it was already impressive if they could brainwash three or four devout believers. Besides, why would they want devout believers when they themselves weren't?

Endecott couldn't help but feel relieved that the cardinal wasn't here to witness this scene. Otherwise, God on Earth's value in his eyes would definitely increase.

"I believe this should prove that I'm definitely not a traitor to the Church," God on Earth said elegantly. "Both myself and my believers are absolutely loyal to the Church and our deity, even willing to sacrifice ourselves."

Bishops often made such grand statements, but their followers' actions had already slapped them in the face. In the end, only God on Earth could truly live up to these words, which was infuriating.

The bishops hypocritically echoed his words while already contemplating how to tarnish God on Earth's reputation after the incident. How could he be the only one so outstanding?

The battle continued on the screen. More than half of the believers had fallen, and the druid asked, "Are you going to continue? You know that you can't win, right?"

Points can be compensated for by external means, but veteran players have more than just attribute points over newcomers.

There's also weaponry.

When the Druid pulled out the vampire dagger that Lane had given him long ago, the previously evenly matched battle took another turn.

Druid: You've held out long enough, and you've done your part for the big guys. Sorry, it's time to put an end to this.

Druid: Anyway, according to the intel shared on the forums, there won't be a shortage of cult-stopping dungeons lately. You'll get new cards even if you die this time.

Vampire Thrall: I know, but sorry, I'd like to give it one more shot.

Druid: ? How do you plan to try again?

The Druid didn't finish typing when he saw the Vampire Thrall draw a bizarre military dagger from his waist.

It was strange because the dagger looked incredibly old, as if it should be buried in the ground or displayed in a museum, not used for fighting. It seemed like it might snap at any moment. However, as soon as the blade touched blood, the rust covering it suddenly seemed to come alive, crawling up the Vampire Thrall's hand.

Druid: ???

Blood Acolyte: The godly figure bestowed this upon me in the mortal world - it seems to be some kind of contaminant. Who would have thought!