Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Zhang Heng was at the other end of the table, fondling the God's Bow, which was now his possession. Meanwhile, Zero, usually stern and unassuming, like a ghost, surprisingly showed a smile as he sipped a small glass of low-alcohol liquor—a drink unlikely to interfere with the upcoming battle.

Zheng Zha even jumped out of his massive, heavy powered armor. Bare-chested, he ate and drank heartily, one hand holding wine and the other meat. When he saw Alice enter the hall, he grinned broadly, swallowing his food while strangely and unhinderedly shouting at her.

"How was it, Margot Lloyd? I did a pretty good job, didn't I?" He scratched his head and let out a silly grin like a gorilla. "It was easier than I expected. I thought I'd at least lose an arm or a leg or something... but it was just a knife wound to the chest, and I'm almost healed now."

A white line ran diagonally across his chest, almost severing his upper body. Not long ago, it had been a massive wound that nearly severed his spine. Now, the wound had almost completely healed thanks to healing magic, and perhaps in a few more minutes, even the white line would disappear.

"Our battle in this world is basically over, isn't it? Norrell just told me that 'Death' has been defeated." He slightly suppressed his smile and asked Alice in a more serious tone, "Things have indeed developed as you predicted. We've encountered the first six horns of the Doomsday Judgment—solar storms, underground volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, gamma-ray bursts, swarms of alien creatures, and finally, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Now, only the seventh horn remains, the final judgment described in the New Testament as showcasing God's power. Since the first six horns have been dealt with so smoothly, the seventh horn shouldn't be a problem either. We shouldn't need to face that most terrifying final wave, right? Is that right?"

“Hmm.” Alice nodded. “As long as the ritual succeeds, the final horn of judgment will never fall upon this land. That is beyond doubt. But…” She raised her head, looking up at Zheng Zha, who was much taller than her: “The sixth horn is not over yet; you will face even more arduous battles to come.”

The cheerful atmosphere in the hall froze. Lingdian put down his wine glass, and Zhan Lan downed her hot tea in one gulp. Zhang Heng gripped the newly acquired Divine Bow tightly, while Xiao Honglu looked up and asked:

“Sister Alice, we should have already dealt with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…” His voice suddenly stopped, and his eyebrows twitched violently. “Wh-what’s going on? Why has the death aura around us suddenly become so heavy, so black, it’s almost… it’s almost like we could die at any moment!”

"Could it be..." He stared intently at Alice, asking incredulously, "The Land of the Dead!?"

“Yes, the Land of the Dead.” Alice nodded. “They number over a hundred million, all of them are ancient angels, and their average combat strength is equivalent to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse without their supernatural equipment. They are currently in the Eastern Continent, and Zhao Yingkong is dragging them along. They will arrive here in at most an hour.”

She didn't say what would happen to Zhao Yingkong, who was dragging the ancient angels along, and the others obviously didn't need to ask.

“I will go and fulfill the final prerequisite for ‘Mending the Sky.’ All you need to do now is survive the pursuit of the ancient angels for twenty-four hours until the ritual is completed and you return to the main god space. Patchouli will help you. Farewell. I hope you all survive.”

She didn't linger; after finishing her sentence, she turned and left.

An unspeakable silence filled the air, and everyone's face was as if covered in thick frost. Rage and fear gripped their hearts, and even with the mentally stimulating magic array beneath the restaurant operating at full power, it could only prevent them from making any inappropriate or undignified moves.

“Hey, Margot Lloyd,” Zheng Zha suddenly asked just as Alice was about to step out the door. “Are you planning to go and die?”

“How could that be?” Alice’s lips curled slightly. “I was just carrying out a pre-prepared plan.”

She left without looking back, and a few minutes later, she arrived at the command room of the central tower.

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I... I got featured?! This sudden surge in favorites...

Oh no, there's only one day left in the month, but there are still several chapters left in the Bleach arc... How the hell am I supposed to manage four or five chapters of 4,000 words in a row?! _(:з」∠)_

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Death, Part Two

When Alice arrived at the control platform that had separated from the main tower, the separation of the tower from the base was largely complete. Countless small engineering robots flew out of their cabins and landed on the ground to build the foundation and gravity wells. Meanwhile, metal chains began to extend from the base of the tower, piercing deep into the earth and connecting tightly to it.

Mount Buzhou is the pillar of heaven. Since it is a pillar of heaven, it must be closely connected to the entire earth. Simply inserting the base of the tower into the ground is insufficient, as that would not constitute a complete concept.

She walked into the hall filled with automated machinery, and when she took her first step, she put a little more pressure on her toes.

“I can hear you,” Patchouli said without looking up from the center of the hall, surrounded by light screens and automated machinery. “There’s no need to emphasize it.”

"Ok, I know."

Patchouli waved her hand, and all the light screens around her disappeared. The various machines that were operating at high speed also fell silent, stopped working, or left the command hall—she stood up from her seat, her gaze towards Alice concealing a hint of anger.

"She looks like she's done something wrong; anyone who doesn't know better would think I'm the one who stayed behind." Her tone was intense, and her words were sharp.

"I'm so sorry, Patchouli."

"Does the feeling of self-sacrifice, meaningless behavior, bring you pleasure? Does it fill you with a sense of moral superiority? Or do you think this puts you in a higher position than me?"

“I’m sorry,” Alice said, lowering her eyes. “But those who stay will face even greater pressure.”

Patchouli snorted. She said resentfully:

"This isn't the first time. You liked doing this kind of thing hundreds of years ago. Sometimes I even suspect that there's some kind of hidden self-destructive tendency lurking deep inside you. Only that would make you like things like 'covering the rear' and 'self-destructing'... simply wasteful of resources. Without your computing power, it would be difficult for me to maintain this base on my own until the end of this world."

I'm sorry.

“You really can’t say anything except apologize.” Patchouli shook her head. “How could I have ever fallen for someone like you? Anyway, I have another plan—we can leave the tower here, set up the disguised barrier, leave it for now, and then teleport away, taking those Death Angels on a stroll in outer space…when the time is right, we can use the space bridge to teleport back and complete the ritual. That way, we can…”

“Patch,” Alice calmly interrupted her. “Even with the highest standard of protective barriers in place, the probability of the Central Tower remaining undetected and uninterrupted for 24 hours is still less than one in ten million.”

"...Is that so?" Patchouli turned her head away, refusing to look into her eyes. "Then go, as always, disappear from my sight cleanly and neatly—I will not mourn for you."

"Yes, as usual." Alice leaned forward slightly and gently kissed Patchouli's lips. "Well then, I'm leaving."

"Hurry up and leave." Patchouli pushed her away, and beams of light around her began to illuminate. "I have many projects and important matters to attend to. I don't have time to waste here with you. What are you still doing here? Do you think I'd cry like a brat?"

Alice smiled, pursing her lips, choosing not to expose the hypocrisy of the person before her. Although it was only a brief meeting, the few minutes of conversation had given her a strong sense of confidence. She felt... that the enemies she would have to deal with later weren't as terrifying as she had imagined.

She left the temporary command post and returned to the top of the central tower. She watched as the tower's foundation slowly merged with the ground at a visible speed, then closed her eyes and began her final wait.

......................................................

It was later than she had expected. She waited until fifty-five minutes after Zhao Yingkong's message, but the Central Tower still hadn't completely merged with the ground, becoming a solid structure like a natural mountain. But at that moment, a faint light burst forth on the distant horizon.

They are coming.

They are like ocean tides.

"So, in the end, I still couldn't make it?" Alice clenched her fist gently and said to herself, "I thought there was at least a sliver of hope for survival. But was it really... destined?"

It will take a few more minutes for the conceptual construction of 'Mount Buzhou' to be completed. But without a doubt, it will take no more than a hundred seconds for the angelic legion to arrive and engulf this place.

[One hundred seconds! I need to extend this time by at least three times.]

Alice lifted her toes and tapped them lightly a few times on the platform at the top of the tower. A faint vibration traveled down the tower, producing a deep, resonant sound like the tolling of a bell amidst the countless interlocking metal structures.

Patchouli, you should go now.

The ring-shaped base surrounding the central tower rapidly blurred as the space bridge reactivated, disrupting the spatial structure of the physical world and creating an opening large enough for this colossal structure, covering tens of thousands of square kilometers, to teleport over long distances. Visibly, the base's form slowly transformed from a stable entity into nothingness, and two seconds later, even this ethereal outline vanished completely.

Transfer successful.

Alice didn't look down as she left the base, but she knew a gaze had followed her ever since she left the control center where Patchouli was. She knew who it was, and she knew what emotions were contained in that gaze.

"If everything goes well, what will Patchouli say to me when we meet again? Hmm... I don't think it will be a 'Welcome back'." Alice shook her head gently. She then banished all the distracting thoughts from her mind, closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and snake-shaped runes began to appear on her body. Her short, light golden hair also grew longer under the influence of magic, and its color deepened rapidly, turning into a crimson hue like burning flames.

—'Gonggong was a man with a human face, a snake's body, and crimson hair.'

—'His son was named Houtu, who was able to pacify the nine provinces.'

Zhao Yingkong restarted the cycle of reincarnation, occupying the position of 'Houtu'. Alice and Zhao Yingkong have a contract; Zhao Yingkong's power and concepts were achieved through the ritual led by Alice, and naturally, she also possesses the familial connection from the ritual. Although Zhao Yingkong might give Alice a good beating if they met again in the future because of this, for now, the establishment of the ritual is no longer a problem.

Since he is the paternal lineage of 'Houtu', and has a human face, snake body, and red hair, then he must be 'Gonggong'.

The ceremony was held.

But that's not enough.

She took out three vials of syringes from her inner pocket, calculated the time it would take for the 'Kingdom of the Dead' to arrive, and injected them into her body one by one.

The first vial was a soul-soothing solution, which she purchased upon her first return to the Main God Space to stabilize Patchouli's soul, which might be corrupted by the curse. Injecting this solution would temporarily exempt her from the curses of otherworldly gods encountered in the outside world. However, it wasn't used due to the clone's interference, and thus remained in her pocket.

The second vial contains Enhanced Angel Dust, another item purchased upon the first return to the God's Space. Its effect is to suppress all pain and provide extremely powerful life force to maintain physiological activity. The source is likely a manga called *City Hunter*. The enhanced version provided by the God can even allow for short-term survival after the body is pulverized.

The third injection was the Solar Ladder Essence she obtained from the Resident Evil world before entering the Final Destination 2 universe. Its effect is to disrupt the genetic structure within a living organism, allowing the injected organism to autonomously manipulate its own genetic changes, thereby manifesting various traits.

Soul, life, genes—she could feel as if thousands of tiny insects were crawling and gnawing inside her body, the pain even surpassing the nerve paralysis caused by Angel Dust and directly affecting her soul. Meanwhile, her body was constantly disintegrating and rebuilding in a recurring cycle; cells were shattered, and bones and blood vessels were completely dismantled into a life-giving slurry of various organic substances.

It hurts a lot. After the nerves dissolve, even the pain disappears, but it's still not enough.

The foreign knowledge that had been sealed deep within her soul, impossible to forget or erase by external force, and could only be encrypted and strictly sealed away, was released anew. She then heard the whispers among the stars, and the ocean of information flowing within the sound and light, within the particles, and within the gaps of time and space quietly appeared before her eyes.

Ah... so much information actually exists in this world? I only found out now... no, I probably knew it a long time ago and then forgot about it. Oh well, whatever.

A starlight-like brilliance shone in her eyes. She gathered the vast amount of information hidden in the void using her otherworldly knowledge and implanted it into her soul, constructing a dynamic structure akin to a deity—[An Immortal Soul].

Her body disintegrated and then reassembled, each cell possessing its own will, which she forcibly suppressed with her own will, merging them into one. The dissolved organs were rebuilt under her will. But the cells that formed the basic units were completely different from before. The weak organelles were discarded, replaced by mutated units created through molecular engineering—units with efficacy and self-healing abilities dozens of times stronger than before—[an indestructible body].

Knowledge surged through her mind and soul, but was completely severed by the Soul-Suppressing Solution. The alien power failed to threaten her; instead, it became a part of her. Her own emotions were completely extracted, allowing her to observe the changes in her body and mind from a higher perspective—[An Unfallen Mind.]

"I already possess three of the four elements that were initially deduced for a mortal to ascend to godhood. Now, all that remains is the final hurdle."

"—Inexhaustible energy."

She stretched out her reconstructed hand, her five fingers slowly closing towards the army of angels from the Kingdom of Death that surged towards her from the horizon like a tsunami.

The next moment, a space several kilometers away suddenly collapsed into a small dot. The 'Eye of Horus,' which should have required a great deal of time, rituals, and the writing of the Book of Revelation, was quietly created in the blink of an eye. Even though it was only a simplified version without divine authority, this artificial black hole could still act as a barrier, hindering the first wave of attacks from the army of the Dead Kingdom.

"Magic Furnace, completely overloaded."

A sound of something breaking came from within her body, followed immediately by an unimaginable surge of energy released from her shell. The organelles of every cell were being reconstructed, and structures far superior to those previously transformed by the Solar Staircase were rapidly forming. This immense energy even overflowed from her body surface, transforming into several meters-high, mottled flames around her.

An immortal body, an indestructible soul, an unyielding heart, and inexhaustible power—although almost all of these powers were acquired through trickery, she was now undeniably a transcendent being. Although she did not follow the genetic lock system, the power she possessed was not much different from those fourth-tier beings in the reincarnation world who earned their positions through their own efforts.

"There are 307 seconds left before the magic furnace reaches its limit. There is plenty of time."

She gently shook her head. "It's a pity, I can't, and don't want to, overcome my inner demons. So I'm destined to stay here forever. But... extraordinary power? It feels... pretty good."

With a light tap of her toes on the tower's tip, she appeared a second later within the ranks of the Dead Kingdom's army, blocked dozens of kilometers away. Countless spears of light, composed of pure energy, were hurled at her, only to crumble in the flames rising around her.

"I am Gonggong, and I will unleash the waters of all rivers." She declared, and the rivers flowed in accordance with her will. Even though the rivers of this world had long since vanished with the eruption of underground volcanoes, when she proclaimed her will, the waters of all rivers were forcibly created in the world!

The heavy clouds that had hung in the sky for at least another thousand years began to roll. Together with the ceaseless thunderstorms within them, they transformed into a colossal wave covering the sky. Trillions of tons of water, equivalent to several Yangtze Rivers, were gathered by her and crashed down with endless lightning and karmic fire. The ancient angels in her vision vanished in an instant, and her eyes, in that instant of energy surge, glimpsed the gates of the Kingdom of Death, located a hundred kilometers away, constantly moving towards her!

“Even if this place is not Mesopotamia, I can still summon the raging fires of the heavens and the destructive waves of the world—thus, my divine status will be transformed, and I will become the god-king Enlil, ruling over the sky and the earth.”

Her gaze fell upon the gates of the Kingdom of the Dead, a hundred kilometers away. The wind and water in the sky instantly transformed into a massive vortex, binding all matter within a hundred-mile radius. From within this vortex, countless ion clouds emerged, which then transformed again, converging into solid plasma resembling sharp spears!

"The divine power was transformed, and the authority of the sky and the earth were coupled, just as Gaia and Cronus were united. Thus, I became Zeus, wielding thunder and lightning with the chisel of the Cyclopes."

She gripped the Thunder Spear tightly, and using the concept of the Cyclops, she instantly extinguished the light in one of her eyes. Countless runes appeared around her, and then, the third transformation into a god unfolded.

"Thus, I wield thunder, commanding the spear of heaven with runes and wisdom. I am Odin, and this strike is destined to strike; its name is—[Gungnir]!!!"

The next moment, she hurled the Meteor Spear, formed from gathered lightning and imbued with divine power, a materialized entity transformed from concept, towards the gate of the Dead Kingdom! The countless ancient angels and layers of protective barriers surrounding the Dead Kingdom proved utterly ineffective against the Meteor Spear's attack, and as they were all breached, the Heavenly Spear slammed into the gate of the Dead Kingdom!

It's difficult to describe the colors that burst forth in that instant. All colors vanished, all phenomena returned to nothingness, and when that boundless radiance dissipated, the gates of the Kingdom of the Dead had been shattered by the meteor spear. Countless ancient and powerful creatures shrieked behind the gates, but they could not escape until the gates of the Kingdom of the Dead were rebuilt.

Attack their vital points and limit their power to buy time. There are 233 seconds left until the magic furnace collapses, and 226 seconds until Mount Buzhou is fully constructed.

Beyond the land of the dead, the number of ancient angels I need to deal with is...

A faint starlight flickered in her eyes, and she immediately divided the space in her field of vision into ten thousand equally sized blocks. Then, she counted the number of ancient angels within one of these blocks and substituted them into a complex formula conforming to the number line distribution. A few microseconds later, she obtained the result.

“Thirteen million,” Alice whispered. Her lower body then transformed into a snake at her own will, and her divine nature was thus transformed back into Gonggong.

The next moment, the array of angels overwhelmed her, using a massive number of tens of millions to forcibly shatter her transcendent power!

[206 seconds.]

She transformed every part of her body into the most solid and sharpest weapon. Hair tips, nails—any structure with a solid edge was transformed into a single-molecule blade and imbued with a mass-disintegrating force field. Every instant, hundreds of ancient angels perished around her, and the next instant, ten times that number overwhelmed the previous array.

[175 seconds.]

She streaked through the air like a meteor, surrounded by a constant barrage of lightning, flames, lasers, and heat rays, which were then absorbed by the angels with their own bodies and flesh. Even if there was only a one in a thousand chance of inflicting a wound less than a millimeter in her, the ancient angels would not hesitate to burn their own bodies to achieve this goal. They were the most tenacious army in the world, never retreating, never fearing, and... united as one.