Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 969 Demon King: Amond Katchari
boom--!
The sky shattered, and the silent impact pierced through the entire latitudinal structure of the divine kingdom.

At that moment, the entire Throne Realm seemed to be penetrated into the deepest marrow of reality by some invisible force.

A gigantic hand, from beyond the sky, from the end of logic, from the higher dimensions of narrative above the lines of cause and effect, slowly probes into this shattered miniature world.

The next moment, the air became unbreathable, not because of a sudden change in air pressure, but because—reality began to crumble.

Like a curtain being licked by flames, the sky began to peel away piece by piece, revealing an incomprehensible abyss below.

"coming……"

Xia Xiu spoke in a low voice; he hadn't been unaware of this step.

The appearance of the [Hand of God] is merely an anchor—the true arrival of the One has already locked onto its target from the anchor.

Before he finished speaking, the gravity structure of the entire throne area collapsed instantly!
Four blurry, indescribable figures peered down from the crack in the sky.

They have no color, no boundaries, their outlines are like dream shapes repeatedly rewritten by time, floating, expanding, entangled, and contracting in the field of vision, ultimately casting a terrifying oppression.

[Anomaly Detection Trigger]

[Critical configuration of CR-13 × 4 has been found]

[Membrane stability decreased: 72% → 43% → 12%]

The ground beneath Xia Xiu's feet trembled violently, and the foundation of the Throne Kingdom was being erased like paper.

The four figures remained silent, but simultaneously turned their gazes toward the [Hand of God] itself.

No hesitation.

No language.

next moment.

boom! ! !
The entire dome of the divine kingdom seemed to have been torn apart by immense force!

The attack from CR-13 struck, and the four individuals simultaneously initiated cognitive folding shock, divine inversion, high-dimensional data pollution, and faith explosion.

[The Hand of God] - disintegrates into clouds within milliseconds.

They were unimaginably enormous, their forms resembling nightmares, wombs, and a hybrid of towers and tombs.

[Warning: Encountering a super-divine realm.]

Parsing failed.

[Exposed to abnormal personality factor - CR-13]

Symptoms: Decreased resistance to reality... Module drift... Logic at observation points spontaneously combusts...

A slight golden liquid began to flow from Xia Xiu's left eye; it was a repair program automatically initiated by the [World Modulation] system—his main system had already begun automatic reorganization just so that he could "see" the other party.

The deeper impact comes from the "characteristics" they possess.

He saw it:

The contamination of an individual's cognitive level is like an out-of-control script of reality, indiscriminately writing spontaneous variables into his mind, almost constantly bombarding his brain with endless "she is looking at you" viral bombardment of motherly statements.

Another individual carries a field of self-denial, causing him to momentarily lose sight of his own existence. Fortunately, he is able to correct his position through the "out-of-control world" and regain clarity.
The reverse divine reflection of the third individual is causing the crown factors within him to boil instinctively, demanding that all things submit to him.

The most terrifying thing is the faith-based nuclear pressure field emitted by the fourth individual, which is forcing all beings in the world to instinctively "believe" in her, as if she is not asking to be believed in, but rather—"You already believe."

boom--!
An invisible pressure fell from the higher dimension, and the entire miniature garden world was like a dying person falling into darkness.

The wind stopped, the laws fell silent, and only the four unseen beings deep within looked down from the rift.

Four statues – CR-13 individuals.

They slowly emerged, without a sound. Their colossal figures were like blurry nightmares, their outlines shifting and flickering between reality and illusion, their faces indistinct, their bodies flowing with fragments of divine light composed of memories, divinity, and fragments of the Mummy. They gazed down, like gods looking back at the old world about to be judged.

At the heart of the shattered divine kingdom, Xia Xiu stood atop the floating broken tower.

Three circular halo-like rays of light slowly unfolded from his back, and his hands had already quietly tightened their grip on the [Lever of Heaven].

Xia Xiu's knuckles slowly tightened as he silently gazed at the four blurry deities in the sky.

But in his mind, he was already calculating rapidly.

"Something's wrong."

His mind is as sharp as lightning:
"These four... are exactly as I read in the documents, but their intelligence has long been torn apart."

They no longer possessed communication, reason, or language; they were neither gods nor monsters, but a pure anomaly existing between miracle and destruction.

This is a kind of... divine degeneration resulting from the misplacement of authority.

He remembered that when he took in the First Apostle, the silly child looked just like that.

"...We can only give it a try."

Xia Xiu murmured softly, the triple crown had already rotated to the critical trajectory.

"If we cannot accommodate the spiritual legion—"

He slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the turbulent high-dimensional currents, watching the four figures slowly sinking and approaching the core of the divine kingdom.

"Then I'll just have to... pry you all away."

The [Lever of Heaven] in his hand trembled slightly.

The entire sky seemed to tilt slightly by an inch as he made this movement.

The earth below, the ruins of the divine kingdom, the broken walls, and the ocean flowing with divinity, showed a barely perceptible shift and rise.

That's not gravity, but the weights on the balance scale being changed.

Just as Xia Xiu's triple crown slowly appeared, and the [Lever of Heaven] in his hand gathered immense power, preparing to contain or fight, his movements suddenly froze.

He sensed something was wrong.

It originated from a void region above the divine kingdom, torn apart by the "Hand of God." The shattered clouds there should have scattered and collapsed, drifting like dust over the ashes of the divine kingdom. But at this moment, the remaining fragments of the Mimu were quietly gathering, as if some invisible will was guiding them, little by little, strand by strand, beginning to take shape.

"……This is?"

Xia Xiu's pupils contracted slightly; he could clearly see a humanoid silhouette emerging from the mist.

It was like reverse reconstruction, or like some kind of consciousness image stored in this divine remnant being retrieved. Before long, a figure solidified completely.

He was a man in his early forties, tall and thin, with deep-set features, yet his facial lines carried a hint of gentle irony. He wore a pure black suit, the hem of which swayed without wind, and the silver-white lapel pin on his chest seemed to be engraved with some kind of abandoned divine script. On his left sleeve was a metal nameplate—already blurred, but the prefix of the number could still be vaguely discerned: "0-08".

The man stood straight not far from Xia Xiu.

The space around him still held a few faint particles of light, like an illusion stepping out of his memory. But the light that fell on him did not bring him any sense of holiness; instead, it was like twilight cast from the underworld, sending chills down his spine.

He glanced around at the shattered throne, the swirling storm, and the four individuals gradually becoming restless in the distance before finally fixing his gaze on Xia Xiu.

At that moment, he smiled.

It wasn't the kind of fake, polite smile, nor the chaotic, manic laughter of a madman, but rather a calm, gentle smile that comes from having witnessed the world's myriad aspects with ease.

"It seems that [God's Hand] was triggered earlier than I expected."

Black mist slowly slid down his shoulder, as if reality and history themselves were avoiding his footsteps. He lowered his eyes to examine Xia Xiu, his gaze sharp but not hostile, as if he were assessing some new type of weapon.

“Number 0-08, Armand Khachat.” He announced his name softly, his tone steady, with a detached formality befitting someone returning to the mortal world after death. “Greetings from the former Council of Heaven, the former arbiter of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

He looked at Xia Xiu, a hint of interest flickering in his eyes, and asked softly:
"You must be... the new judge of Heaven?"

Xia Xiu did not respond immediately. He simply raised his eyelids slightly and looked at his ex-girlfriend, who had long been declared dead [0-08].

“Reserve.” He replied briefly, and as he finished speaking, he involuntarily looked up at the sky.

There, four CR-13 figures hovered above the sky that had been ripped open. The enormous divine structure distorted light and laws, and the pollution that had once been released wantonly was now still, as if some high-dimensional signal had forcibly frozen their operating logic.

They stopped moving.

Just—floating, watching.

Armand also raised his head, his expression slightly frozen, as if reaffirming a known conclusion. His voice then rang out, steady, yet carrying a deliberately suppressed scrutiny and pride:

"How is it? Don't you think it's...magnificent?"

His lips curled slightly upward, as if he were admiring a forbidden masterpiece he had created himself.

"This was designed under my own secret jurisdiction—the ultimate weapon of celestial suppression."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly turned his head to look at Xia Xiu:
"As long as they are witnessed, whether by sight or hearing, or even just by conscious contact, they will automatically trigger the faith-following mechanism... The individual will be forced into a mental mapping, continuously watching and understanding, and then transforming into a believer—the wingless bird state."

"From now on, I will no longer grow old, no longer be free, but will follow devoutly and without hesitation until my will collapses, my body dissolves, and I become part of the doctrine."

He sighed softly, as if recalling an unfinished great undertaking.

"Unfortunately... the four of them were ultimately only half-finished products."

Armand stretched out his hand, lifting his fingertips as if painting in the air, slowly outlining the four blurry figures floating in the sky. His movements were elegant and slow, like a meticulous painter, or some kind of puppeteer, depicting the divine drama he had envisioned in the void.

"The permissions are severely skewed, the internal structure is unbalanced, and there are dozens of unstable factors in the outer shell layering..."

His voice was deep and steady, his enunciation as precise as a lab report, yet it retained an almost compassionate and weathered tone.

"We originally hoped that they could become an ultimate system for suppressing celestial bodies, a final answer capable of resisting catastrophes and guiding the gods. But they are just... too unbalanced."

"Although they can directly transform a complete civilization of wisdom into a concept of faith, in a sense—in essence—an era is wiped out."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xia Xiu.

"But... this is different from what I originally envisioned."

Xia Xiu stood beside him, silent for a moment, as if matching the atmosphere, or perhaps waiting for some script to unfold, before speaking softly:

"What was your initial idea?"

Upon hearing this, Armand suddenly revealed a nostalgic smile. He did not answer immediately, but slowly raised his hands, striking a pose that was extremely practiced, as if he had repeated it countless times—a gesture similar to a photographer raising an old-fashioned lens, with two fingers forming a frame, aimed at the four figures in the sky.

"I originally thought they would be the answer I was most satisfied with."

Armand's voice remained low and slow, calm yet carrying a certain unfathomable lingering quality, like a playwright nearing the end of his performance, softly summarizing as he watches the collapsing set on stage before the curtain falls.

"Unfortunately... they ultimately did not live up to my wishes."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently rubbed his temples, as if he had a headache, or as if he were revisiting a painful memory of failure.

A moment later, he suddenly turned to look at Xia Xiu, his tone suddenly taking on a teasing curiosity:
"By the way, as your successor, what are your impressions of me, your predecessor as the arbitrator?"

He asked with a smile, as if it were just a lighthearted conversation between an elder and a younger generation. But Xia Xiu did not answer immediately, but simply looked at him quietly, the coldness in his eyes unwavering.

Then, Xia Xiu raised his eyes and said calmly:

"I don't think you died unjustly at all."

Amund paused slightly, his gaze unchanged, but his eye twitched, as if he had heard a truth that was expected but still somewhat surprising.

“By the way,” Xia Xiu said, seemingly unconcerned by the silence, his tone unchanged, “I have someone to thank for enabling me to discover fragments of information about the [Hand of God] here. His name is Troy, a senior researcher in the Central Containment Chamber.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Armand's eyes.

Of course he knew the name.

Troy – C-17-067, one of the earliest project leaders, was responsible for overseeing the variable simulations of the Sandbox project itself, and was one of the few technical masters who personally witnessed the experimental phase before the awakening of the CR-13 individual.

To be honest, which of the Heavenly Kingdom members involved in Project CR-13 didn't die directly or indirectly at the hands of Armand?

“Troy…” Amund murmured, his gaze fixed on the sky, where the aftershocks of the shattered [Hand of God] still lingered gently in the void.

His tone was as light as the wind, yet as cold as iron.

"He... probably has something he wants to say to me."

Xia Xiu raised his eyes and looked calmly at the man who had come back from the dead. His tone was not heavy, but it was as clear as a steel needle driven into the bone marrow.

He said, "Armond, go to hell."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The ruins of the divine kingdom were silent, and the four CR-13 statues in the sky stood still, even the shattered particles of light seemed to have stopped drifting away.

A moment later, a burst of laughter exploded like thunder in the deathly silent space.

"Hahahaha-"

Armand laughed loudly, his laughter like a flame bursting from the depths of his chest, carrying an almost mocking sense of exhilaration and liberation.