Chapter 253

Chapter 253

Lan En emerged from the divine realm, holding the Ark of the Covenant aloft with a grave expression as he surveyed the earth from thousands of meters above. With the Ark in his grasp, he could clearly see countless thin threads invisible to ordinary people stretching across the vast land and into the heavens. These were the anchors of faith belonging to 'God,' the moorings of the deity.

Of course, at present, Bader had seized these faiths for himself.

It was effortless to redirect the people's devotion to God towards him. Or rather, Bader had been subtly fueling the growth of Christianity all along. Over the millennia, he must have found countless ways to plant backdoors.

Lan En attempted to sever one of the threads using the Ark. It was a simple task, made even easier now that the seal on the Ark had been lifted. In his hands, it was more fluid and potent, containing the power to govern a civilization.

However, God's faith was too abundant and far-reaching. Just as Lan En severed one thread, new anchor lines emerged. Attempting to cut them down one by one would never keep up with their rapid regeneration.

Moreover, it was predictable that Bader would harvest the world's faith by reenacting the revelations of the Bible. If he succeeded, the world would descend into chaos, and its inhabitants would suffer greatly.

Lan En took a deep breath, resolved to act. The Ark in his hands shimmered with brilliant light, like a star illuminating the night.

In an instant, a wave of drowsiness swept over all humans worldwide. It wasn't a sudden loss of consciousness but a weariness that came from knowing one could no longer endure staying awake. Under the Ark's influence, cars hurriedly pulled into the nearest parking spaces, surgeons stumbled out of operating rooms after completing their tasks, and nurses, having administered injections, struggled to stay awake long enough to finish bandaging wounds.

Gradually, the world grew quiet as humanity sank into slumber.

When Lane opened his eyes again, he had successfully drawn all of humanity into the dream. Under this incredibly realistic illusion, people continued their tasks, completely oblivious to the change.

Baldur's voice echoed from above, resonating precisely in Lane's ears.

"A naive and foolish move. You think that by pulling the entire world into a dream, I am powerless?"

"I would never assume that," Lane replied, tightening his grip on the Ark in his hand.

An unfamiliar force was contending with him for control of the dream realm. In terms of raw power, Lane was no match for Baldur, who was blessed by the faith in God. However, armed with the Ark, a formidable weapon, Lane barely managed to prevent Baldur from shattering the dream.

And that was all. Maintenance was always more challenging than destruction, as Balder had correctly pointed out. Strategically, Lane had undoubtedly made a wrong move. The Ark was crucial to trapping the world in dreams, which meant he could no longer draw on its power extensively.

In a simple analogy, it would be like a computer program that monopolized most of its resources to keep the dream world running, leaving only a fraction for trivial tasks like reading novels.

On the other hand, until the dream shattered, Balder could only engage Lane in combat within the dream realm, unable to affect the real world.

This did not hinder Balder from continuing to plunder faith.

Judgment Day persisted.

On this day, all who lifted their eyes beheld an astonishing sight in the heavens.

Radiance cascaded from above the clouds, illuminating the earth with an aura of divine splendor. Passersby on the streets looked up in confusion, only to be stunned as they discerned an inverted image of paradise hovering above the clouds.

It was called paradise because the structures and layout were exalted and sacred, centered around a colossal throne with twenty-four smaller thrones encircling it.

The central throne, and the figure seated upon it, shone with such brilliance and holiness that those below could barely make out the faint outline of a face. The figure seemed to be composed entirely of light, yet at first glance, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it could only be God.

All along the streets, people knelt in devout awe, even those without prior faith. Even non-Christians found themselves involuntarily drawn into belief, overwhelmed by the spectacle before them.

However, the scene that followed instilled deep terror in those well-versed in the Bible. A pure white lamb appeared beside the throne, its seven eyes and seven horns striking fear into the onlookers. In its hoof, it held a scroll made of parchment, sealed with seven red wax seals.

As the devout below watched, either in bewilderment or dread, the first four seals quietly shattered.

Plague, War, Famine, Death.

As Badar restrained Lane, who attempted to intervene, the four manifestations separated from him, descending upon the earth.

These four avatars bore a resemblance to the relationship between the red-haired manifestation and Lane. Plague fell upon the land, unleashing deadly viruses; War ignited conflicts in tense regions; Famine struck the underdeveloped lands; and Death, mounted on a skeletal steed, rode alongside War.

The four avatars were as devastating as a demonic deity's descent; mortals had no right to look them in the eye. As they clashed, Laen and Bader stood their ground, neither daring to divert their attention. They were powerless to intervene.

Their battle unfolded above the clouds, unseen by those below. With a dark expression, Laen watched Bader summon his four manifestations, sensing that He had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," Laen's lips curled into a mocking smile, his gaze icy cold. "Seems like you've been waiting a while for this."

"Longer than you can imagine," Bader replied, his mood surprisingly pleasant. His gaze softened as he looked at Laen. The immense faith, channeled through divine rituals, had become a part of His power. In this dream world, He was now the strongest being. "I'll give you another chance, my dear brother. Come to me. We are the only two of our kind in this world."

Laen responded coldly, "Is that so? Weren't you aiming to be the one true god? I thought after you summoned the evil deity, you'd return to the Dream World to devour the other old gods."

"I will do just that. There is only room for one throne in the Dream World. But you are different. If you help me, I can make you Michael or Gabriel. You would be second only to the divine seat," Bader said, seemingly oblivious to Laen's sarcasm, making a sincere promise.

Laen was speechless. "What an honor."

Just as Bader was about to smile, Laen continued, "But forgive me, I have a greater desire to see a god dethroned."

As they conversed, a grand door opened behind Bader. Chains emerged from within, seizing His limbs and forcefully pulling Him towards the entrance.

The door led to the Dream World. As it opened, Ogar flew out from Laen, brandishing a massive black axe that materialized in mid-air, striking towards Bader's face!

A cold smirk crept across Balder's face. "What a pity."

He remained still, his radiance bursting forth, blinding to behold. The chains binding him shattered with a resounding crash. Lane's expression shifted as Balder lifted his hand with a detached air, effortlessly seizing the massive black axe and twisting it with force.

Snap!

Ogur was forced to reveal his true form, only to be met by Balder's leg whip. Normally, engaging a giant in close combat would be a grave mistake, but with the immense faith bolstering him, Balder's physique had become as hardy as a giant. In one blow, he sent Ogur flying ten kilometers away.

Their battle in the clouds created bizarre phenomena that sparked discussion among the onlookers below. Unbeknownst to them, disaster had already silently descended.

Their realization came swiftly.

It was the inhabitants of the Safe Zones who first sensed something amiss, and it began online, as wars erupted simultaneously across continents less developed in technology.

Crops in the fields started to wither.

In the central hospital of Orlandu, a patient waiting for their turn in the lobby suddenly clutched their mouth and coughed violently. The sudden itch in their throat refused to subside despite their attempts to suppress it. Concerned, nearby family members turned to look at the patient. A nurse at the front desk noticed and approached, patting their back gently.

"Sir, how are you feeling? Can you manage?"

"I..." The patient managed to utter a word before blood suddenly gushed from their throat.

The people around them promptly scattered. The nurse remained composed, calling for assistance as they worked together to rush the patient to the emergency room. Soon after, they were whisked away to the ICU.

However, just as they left, coughing episodes resurfaced in the atrium and spread rapidly throughout the hospital.

Confused gamers, who had just received medical attention, watched the sudden turn of events. They were then greeted by a system notification:

" Constitution: Failed."

"Debuff: Contagious Illness (Unknown), causing a decrease of 1 in HP every 24 hours, accompanied by symptoms such as coughing, haemoptysis, dizziness, and fever. All physical attributes are temporarily weakened."

Casual passerby player: ???

In no time, he recalled the final main quest he had seen on the player forum earlier. He promptly took pictures of the hospital scene and uploaded them to the forum.

Pigeon Bro: Guys, has a major event already taken place??

Druid: Hiss, so soon? Quick, call everyone online!

Black Cat: It's already too late. You guys are slow to react. I've been trying to get everyone's attention since that 'God' appeared, and with the commotion in the clouds just now, I'd say Lane and Judas are already locked in combat.

Immoral Idol: ? ? ? How do you know all this? Why am I clueless? So, what's the situation? What's going to happen? What's the catch?

Black Cat: From the main storyline's clues, Judas's ambition to become 'God,' and all the previous signs, it seems the opponent is preparing to bring about the Day of Judgment from the Bible – the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven golden bowls – torturing humanity, seizing faith. The plague has already appeared, war and famine have emerged online, and Death seems to be lurking nearby. It's likely the fourth seal has been broken.

Insane: ? Wait, so what are we supposed to do? How can we stop this? (Dazed expression)

Insane's question echoed the thoughts of most players. They were skilled at battling monsters, adept at deduction, and even willing to act as cannon fodder in stealth missions or wars. But now, they couldn't exactly go up against God or unseen forces like the 'plague' and 'death.'

God Among Men: Calm down.

Matcha Milk Green: Big shot! Help us!

God Among Men: In Cthulhu-themed games, players cannot directly oppose gods, and the game's progress so far confirms this rule. However, players can surely find ways to resist from other angles.

God Among Men: Think about what Judas wants. To become God, to trigger the Day of Judgment, all for the sake of stealing faith. Then, let's work against His plans, oppose Him.

As for the direct confrontation, that responsibility falls on Lane.