Infinite Gods Reign Supreme

Chapter 97 · MAN!

One second left.

That wasn't a second left for the Celestials.

When 'Ogel' was activated, the world was distorted under the seal, and the result of its reshaping ultimately pointed to Vincenzo's defeat and death. Julian, who had maintained a mental link with Vincenzo, suddenly withdrew his gaze at that moment.

There's one second left.

This second is for the West Sea team.

While the Tsar Bomba was undeniably powerful, it might not actually inflict any real damage on the Celestials. More importantly, even if the detonation time were adjusted to a fraction of a second that everyone could only withstand, what then?

Vincenzo is the captain, and a captain's duty is to help as many people as possible survive, not to drag everyone towards a pointless death. Therefore, this deliberately left-behind second of the countdown has only one purpose.

"—Julian, use the scroll. Teleportation, acceleration, use everything. The Celestials will definitely be able to contain this nuclear bomb. And in this second, they will focus most of their energy on containing this nuclear bomb. Spatial magic will not be blocked, and this area will not become a closed hunting ground. Seize this opportunity and escape. Leave behind bait to reduce the threat. And then... the West Sea Team is yours."

The exchange of thoughts is only momentary.

Vincenzo remained perfectly calm in the mind link, but in the real world, he maintained his hysterical madness. Even after his heart was ripped out by the leader of the Celestial Team, he still showed complete wolf-like traits. His flesh, which should have been utterly exhausted, was instead fueled by a surge of blood-stained, ashen battle aura, which he used to draw the Celestial Team's attention with a vicious claw strike aimed at the leader.

He was dead.

He won't live past this second.

The heart, clutched in the leader's hand, was now being infused with eerie black and white flames, and this terrifying fire was about to erupt from Vincenzo's limbs and bones, completely incinerating his body.

There is no time.

but……

Julian, who should have torn open the scroll, suddenly opened his eyes wide. His gaze was like a blazing fire, fixed on the direction he was looking!
—You're wrong, Captain.

The second stage of the gene lock was fully activated. The microcosm within his body was pushed beyond its overclocking limit at this moment. The sixth sense, Manas, which had been somewhat developed, was stirring deep within his brow, while the visible and hidden wounds left before the battle were completely suppressed by his will and determination.

Vincenzo was wrong. The West Sea Team could no longer escape from the Celestial Team. Even if the Celestial Team may have had some goodwill at the beginning, now that the 'Sealing' had been activated and their killing intent had already been revealed once, they would definitely not hold back their power.

The West Sea team cannot escape. Their only chance of survival lies in the 'gods' overlooking a few grains of sand that have fallen into the corners while displaying their might. Life and death, survival and extinction, depend entirely on the opponent's mood and seriousness. And this undoubtedly means that the lives of the survivors are at the mercy of the enemy's mere whim.

Julian didn't like that; what he hated most was not having his own destiny in his own hands.

As the mental power user with the most information within the West Sea team, he knew very well that at this moment, there was one thing that only he could do.

—There's only one thing that makes the West Sea team stronger than the Heavenly God team, and that's me.

There is only one way for the West Sea team to defeat the Heavenly God team, and that is to make full use of the power of the mental beings.

Victory does not equate to a military defeat. This world is ultimately a team battle among reincarnators. Only the team that maintains a positive total team battle score and completes the main quest first will be the true winner. The West Sea team still lacks two things if it wants to truly win this round.

First, those who are capable of completing the main quest.

The second is time, the time that allows this capable person to act independently.

—I'll try to buy this time.

An invisible mental field burst forth, the fluctuations in that mental realm perceptible only to the enemy's leader. Julian already knew the truth behind the injuries he sustained on the Millennium Falcon—the leader sensed his mental energy fluctuations, but the one who inflicted the wounds was the black mountain of corpses with a woman's face. She possessed an instant-death ability called the 'Point-Line Demon Eye,' and she would undoubtedly unleash that power upon the impending nuclear bomb in that instant!
He was certain.

Because this is the price those without spiritual power must pay! The Celestial Team is destined to be a relatively new reincarnation squad. Even if they possess ample and powerful strength, within such a limited timeframe, they are destined to be unable to effectively allocate the power of each individual!

The woman with the cane had a gleam in her eyes. The internal mechanical structure used to detonate the nuclear bomb was 'killed' in an instant, and the supreme leader had already touched the outer shell of the nuclear bomb—an ominous, dark aura was rapidly pouring into its interior, and the radioactive heavy metal that should have immediately triggered a chain reaction was rapidly mutated under this ominous aura!

Nuclear weapons cannot buy time.

Flames had already filled Vincenzo's body.

The God of War's scoring voice suddenly rang in her ears. The next instant, Julian's mental energy surged, taking advantage of the woman's momentary weakness after activating her Dot-Line Demon Eye, and penetrated her brain. Not a piercing—mental energy piercing couldn't cause any real damage to a target of the same level. What he was about to do would surprise everyone, and that was to directly connect to the other person's brain through mental control!

Thoughts accelerated dramatically.

Everything before him distorted and twisted. Julian heard a clear, mocking laugh. The ground and sky before him shifted dramatically in that instant. And the inner world of the staff-wielding man manifested in his observation!
What a terrifying world it was—a horrifying, deep red ocean. Amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a colossal celestial structure, enveloped in flesh and blood, shrieked and struggled as if alive. And the woman wielding the staff, atop that structure, displayed a terrifying face with a hundred hands and a thousand eyes.

“Ridiculous.” Her voice echoed in her world. It was a power of the same nature as the black sonic waves of the mountain of corpses. Upon hearing only the first sound, it was as if thousands of mutated insects and beasts were born from the depths of Julian’s heart, their complex whispers continuing endlessly, as if his flesh and blood were about to come alive and gnaw at his internal organs.

“You are not the first person to try to probe my mental abilities, and you will not be the last.”

The crimson world stirred restlessly, yet it was easily suppressed by the colossus with a hundred hands and a thousand eyes. Just as Vincenzo had said, a powerful reincarnator would never leave their flaws unaddressed. And this world was now completely under the control of this humanoid being.

The sound of flesh and blood writhing, sticky and viscous.

A massive, crimson wave suddenly surged up. But before the thousands of wailing, blood-soaked corpses that formed the wave could touch Julian, hundreds of sharp claws and fangs had already sprouted beneath his feet and around him, gnawing and tearing at his soul.

"Sink here, for this hell is your eternal prison."

Terror is imminent.

It was a sweet death, so close yet forever unattainable. It's hard to imagine what this woman went through to develop such a state of mind. But…

"Ha!" he laughed loudly.

"You don't understand those with spiritual power; you're corrupted." The giant wave crashed down, but Julian neither dodged nor hid. The woman before him was tearing at his spirit and will, yet this perfectly suited his needs!
"I knew people like you, burdened with mental pollution, were hiding something big. So, are you ready to shoulder an even greater force that could make you lose your balance?!"

Spiritual power techniques, unleashed.

That's a secret known only to psychic users and their allies—a technique called 'Psychic Fusion' that allows a psychic to temporarily imbue their ally with their own mental power. However, beyond that, if the psychic is prepared to sacrifice themselves, this fused mental power can become nourishment for the fused being's growth!

And now, she's eating him.

So--

"Eat it all!"

Julian's mental energy fluctuations suddenly collapsed. His only chance of victory was now in his grasp, and he would become the precious resource to shake the mental balance of this seemingly human being. Her arrogance and confidence were her downfall, and whether she liked it or not, he would force her to swallow this poison!

"What the hell-"

The elegant female voice abruptly transformed into a frenzied scream. A massive repulsive force surged forth, yet Julian already saw the crimson ocean boiling. The colossal celestial structure, sealed by flesh and blood, roared as it prepared to burst forth from the sea. The next moment, with nine-tenths of his mental energy dissipated, he returned to the unfolding timeline of the present world!
He witnessed the collapse of the Tsar Bomba and the death of Vincenzo.

He saw the leader of the gods turn his head sharply, and he saw the bursting tree of flesh and blood break through the woman's body!

Destruction had caught up with him. His body was melting away in the corruption. He was destined to fall into that crimson inferno, never to be reborn. But before that moment arrived, he could still tear the scroll from his hand!
"Go! Don't let our sacrifice be in vain!"

The final telepathic communication struck the incredulous Reinhardt. Teleportation and acceleration spells had been triggered. The rest would serve as bait and sacrifices.

The flashes of blades and swords, along with bursts of intense flames, came crashing down.

But before a series of negative scores and the tide of death touched him—

He smiled contentedly.

—That's how you manage to survive... Captain.

—Heh…I’m not bad either.

The fate he was destined to face overwhelmed him.

(End of this chapter)