Chapter 255

Chapter 255

Baldur clearly hadn't anticipated that Lane and Ogar still had the strength to resist at this point. Struck solidly by the blow, his back instantly tore open, but Lane's expression remained tense, for he knew that this attack wouldn't completely eliminate Baldur.

Sure enough, as the clock behind him vanished, Baldur's power returned to its original level. With a turn, He pushed Ogar back and forcefully pulled out the parasitic vine embedded within His body.

Just as He was about to retaliate against Ogar, another clock appeared behind Lane, causing Baldur's power to recede back to half an hour ago.

Baldur had no choice but to adapt to this sudden loss of power. Fortunately, having been prepared from the previous experience, He managed to dodge Ogar's attack in time, putting some distance between them. With a strange expression, He stared at them—more precisely, at Lane.

"I didn't expect you to have such an ability."

"There's still much you don't know," Lane replied, maintaining a calm facade as if he still held many trump cards, though in reality, these were truly some of the few cards he had left.

This was a new ability Lane had acquired after entering the eighth floor. It allowed him to accelerate or reverse time, manifesting in Baldur as a slight shift in His timeline. As Baldur's power surge occurred during the Day of Judgment, Lane's ability would cause a sudden decrease in His strength.

After exchanging a few more rounds with Ogar and Lane, Baldur began to grasp the truth behind Lane's power, scoffing mockingly, "You can only triumph with your abilities at times like these."

With a hint of ruthlessness flickering in His eyes, Baldur no longer solely targeted Ogar but unleashed a large-scale assault.

Meteoroids beyond the atmosphere were pulled down by force, hurtling towards Ogier. Ogier promptly dodged, and Baeler didn't mind, instead stomping fiercely on the ground from afar, causing intense tremors.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, meteor showers... Under Baeler's wide-ranging attacks, the world below suffered continuous devastation. However, the more this happened, the more Lane was astonished to discover that Baeler's anchors seemed to multiply.

"Aah!" Baeler reveled in the ever-increasing power, almost intoxicating himself with the sensation of omnipotence. The light on His body grew brighter, and the surroundings were even filled with ethereal angelic hymns.

Lane's expression darkened as a clock appeared behind him once again. But this time, Baeler's aura only weakened temporarily, and the power emanating from Him remained unmatched.

"Look, this is the inherent flaw of humanity," Baeler opened His eyes, gazing at Lane and Ogier, a sneer curling at the corner of His lips, "Nothing makes people believe more than fear."

...

In an instant, earthquakes and tsunamis struck the continents, and even players active in Arkham, New Port, or Orland felt the strong tremors, especially those in New Port, who stared in disbelief as monstrous waves rose from the sea.

As for the meteorites, videos and photos of their descent flooded the internet. Unlike previous instances where meteorite warnings were issued by weather services, these disasters appeared suddenly, catching everyone off guard. It seemed as if the human world was on the brink of collapse.

At this point, even those who had doubted the arrival of Judgment Day began to believe, hastily turning to God in prayer.

Black Cat watched helplessly as public opinion online gradually shifted towards God, furrowing his brows. He monitored the game's network while logging into the player forums.

Druid: Hm, the situation isn't looking good. Quite a number of NPCs have turned to worshipping the God.

Divine Presence Among Mortals: Quite natural, when humans encounter the unknown and fearful, they instinctively seek assistance from a greater power.

Human Peach: It's the same here, with incidents of looting supermarkets and a breakdown of order. It's incredibly challenging.

Not Crazy: What should we do next?

Black Cat: From my research, we're currently at the sixth seal, where various calamities have unfolded. Then comes the seventh seal, which didn't result in any casualties either; it only brought about a half-hour of silence in Heaven. However, the subsequent issue is the seven trumpets that will further torment humanity.

Black Cat: First Trumpet: Calamity, conflagration, a third of all greenery consumed by flames. Second Trumpet: Mountains cast into the sea, a third of marine life perishing. Third Trumpet: A massive meteor crashes down, carrying toxic plants that contaminate the water, making it bitter and poisonous.

Black Cat: Fourth Trumpet: A third of the day is shrouded in darkness. Fifth Trumpet: An angel with a key unlocks an abyss on earth, from which emerges black smoke, bizarre locusts, tormenting only non-believers, and the demon Abaddon, the Angel of Death. Sixth Trumpet: The angel of the great river Euphrates is unleashed, slaying a third of humanity.

Druid: And the Seventh?

Black Cat: The Seventh is unknown. The scripture suggests an angel speaking to God, but the recorder couldn't make it out. It's a secret kept from mankind, much like when the seventh seal is broken. We have no idea what will transpire, just as there was half an hour of silence in heaven.

Insane: ...Do you think everything will unfold exactly as described in the Revelation?

Babara: Of course, I've read the Revelation too. Although humanity ends tragically, being wiped out, the believers are resurrected to live in a blissful world. Isn't that the ultimate form of proselytizing? Those who disagree perish while the believers gain eternal life and happiness. Anyone with half a brain can see where this is going, right?

God Among Us: Yeah, I think the same... After all, it's a 'Mythical Rite.'

Black Cat: Huh? What do you mean by that?

God Among Us: Do you remember when Lane explained the Mythical Rite? Gods perform actions consistent with myths, gaining human recognition and their faith. Doesn't the current situation perfectly fit the classic definition of a 'Mythical Rite'?

Matcha Milk Green: ...So what?

Black Cat: You're suggesting that Judas isn't choosing to do this but has to in order to become God?

Madness: ? I'm lost. Can someone explain if it'll still follow the Revelation?

Black Cat: It will, definitely. Just look at whether the seventh seal brings an inexplicable half-hour silence. If so, we can speculate that Judas must fulfill each event in the Revelation to complete this 'Mythical Rite.' What if he fails? What if he doesn't manage to kill all non-believers in the end?

God Among Us: He won't become the 'God.'

...

When the divine transcends human imagination and the myths they weave, it ceases to be divine.

The Seventh Seal was broken, the seventh crimson wax seal dissolving in the air.

In an instant, above the clouds, under Baldur's control, a brief vacuum domain emerged where no sound could escape. Lane looked in Baldur's direction, a mocking curve forming at the corner of his lips.

"You preach that gods should not be influenced by the myths humans create, yet what are you doing now?"

Baldur keenly regarded Lane, though unable to hear his words, he could tell they were not friendly.

Nonetheless, it didn't matter. Though Balder hadn't been able to subdue Lane and Ogul just yet, in truth, he no longer considered them a threat. His sole focus now was on completing the Revelation and the Mythical Rite, to ascend as the Supreme Deity.

For this very purpose, It had been stalling, holding back on Ron and his team without pushing them to their limits.

Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Then, Balder took a deep breath and, to everyone's astonishment, created seven avatars of himself right where he stood.

Unlike the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, these seven manifestations were reminiscent of the angels commonly depicted in human murals, each holding a colossal horn.

The first horn blared, signaling the beginning.

The gaming forums had already reached a consensus. To prevent Bador from becoming 'God,' they must interrupt any step in the subsequent process, including the final outcome of 'human extinction.'

Just as they were about to act, a horn suddenly blasted in their ears.

Druid: Huh, did you guys just hear that?

The Black Cat exited the player forum and tapped the Druid beside him. The Druid lifted his head to find that all the students and professors at MIT were looking up at the sky.

It seemed that everyone had heard the horn.

A meteor shower rained down once more, streaking across the skies in fiery red under the watchful eyes of players worldwide.

Boom!

Fiery flames raged across the earth, landing precisely on the vicinity of several continents' crop fields.

...

"Quick, save them!"

The sky had been veiled by dark clouds even before the seal was lifted, and the first trumpet's blare only worsened the calamity.

Unexplained earthquakes struck most cities. Black Cat and her companions initially intended to rush out to save people, but Professor Alders pulled them back by their collars, urging them to head for open areas.

"I understand your urgency, but please, don't rush." Seeing the players eager to spring into action, Alders helplessly tugged at their clothes. "The earthquakes aren't over yet. Do you want to be sacrificing yourselves?"

Indeed, after spending so much time with players, the professors had picked up on their slang.

"But..."

"I know, you've received missions and are eager to rescue people," Alders said calmly. "It has something to do with that 'God' on the internet, right?"

Black Cat and the Druid exchanged glances and nodded obediently. "He isn't a god; he's Judas, a traitor to the old gods, attempting to become divine. We can't allow the events of the Apocalypse to unfold again."

With these few sentences, Alders and Alexis grasped the situation. Anthony, overhearing their conversation, chimed in, "So it's about the Book of Revelation from the Bible. If I'm not mistaken, your goal is to stop this entity?"

Black Cat nodded, and Anthony continued, "Now that the first trumpet has sounded, more disasters will follow. I suggest we evacuate the citizens to the underground bomb shelters beneath the university."

Druid: "...The university has such a place?"

"Certainly," Anthony shrugged. "Not just at MIT, but there should be others around Arkham. You can go once the aftershocks subside. Knowing what's to come makes things much easier. We'll prepare clean water, food, and medicine for you in advance."

Barely Mad almost leaped with excitement. "Reliable! Professor!"

"Of course," Anthony smiled slightly, while the potions professor behind him harrumphed, "As if I wouldn't have done that anyway."