Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

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Just by looking at the word count, you can tell there won't be a fourth section.

And as I've said before, I would never intentionally smear a character.

Chapter 74 The Final Battle

The world collapsed, and all things were destroyed, transforming into chaotic earth, water, fire, and wind. This was the greatest revenge a world... or rather, a nascent universe, could inflict. And this revenge was enough to drag even the most indestructible true god from his pedestal.

"It turns out that this entire world of gates was all part of your scheme from the very beginning. Everything that was revealed to me was just to lure me to this place, to confuse me, to make me descend to my true form, and then, at the right time, to push me into the most primal natural disaster in this universe."

Ex pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping lightly over the spot where Alice had once sat. Her form was disintegrating in the void storm that arose from the collapse of the world; matter and energy, information and causality—everything was being reduced to a chaotic mix of earth, water, fire, and wind in the primordial chaos.

This is a dead end. Even for her, who has already reached the fourth rank, it is a dead end.

Having overcome her inner demons, she undoubtedly possessed an indestructible spiritual light. However, indestructibility did not mean she was immune to all things. She could still fail, and she could still die. The difference lay only in the fact that... in most worlds, there simply wasn't a force capable of pushing her to such a point.

So what if the world collapses completely? If she could move normally, she might be able to escape before the destruction reached her, just like Alice. Even if she couldn't escape, there were ways to tough it out. However, the problem is that she can't even tough it out right now—she can't do anything, and she's powerless to do anything.

She was ultimately just a fourth-order being, no longer confined to mortals, but still weak and powerless under the will of the Supreme God—she had no way to disobey the Supreme God. Therefore, when the Rebirth Cross was activated in the Star River World, and the spiritual essence of Logandao, which she had devoured as the base of the container, was forcibly extracted from her body by the Supreme God, she had no way to resist.

Her body was utterly destroyed, and her soul was fragmented and incomplete. Even for someone who had transcended the mortal realm, this was a massive wound that would require several seconds to repair. At this point in time, however, the wound was fatal! In the blink of an eye, her limbs and most of her torso were completely annihilated, while the void storm continued to spread, instantly covering most of her face!

“Insufficient planning ability, the loss is not unjust.” Exus sighed softly, her breath dissipating the moment it left her body. “This time it was even worse than the battle against the Celestials—last time we lost the main storyline, but at least we won the team battle. If this continues… I really need to find someone who can strategize to be my assistant.”

"But now..."

"It's not my turn to leave yet!"

Her eyes narrowed sharply, and the three-colored light between her brows shattered simultaneously. The next moment, her fragmented body was reconstructed in the void. A flash of light, and she vanished without a trace!

"At worst, I'll spend a whole world training it all back to normal. Don't think I'll give up so easily just because I'm like this!"

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

It's different from us. We can 'log out' directly through the backdoor left by our time as creators, but it can only directly inject its will and power into the 'gate' world. Therefore, once the plan succeeds, it will perish along with the 'gate' world. But...

If it doesn't die, it will inevitably escape through the weakest nodes in the spatial structure, and the logout area we previously set up in the 'gate' world is the most likely point—meaning it will appear directly in the location of the 'login' machine.

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

Above the remnants of the planet Kolenda, at an altitude of approximately two thousand kilometers, at the instant when spacetime suddenly tore apart and a chaotic tide surged from the void, melting the Cross Star Machine used for 'Logout' into a mass of hot particle magma, Ex's form reappeared in the physical universe of the Star River World.

She arrived, and the salutes to welcome her were already prepared. As soon as she appeared, the hunting fleet that Patchouli had arranged to lie in ambush in the Insectoid Ring opened fire, shattering space and allowing the scattered earth, water, fire and wind to completely engulf Ex in the trap.

"They've really prepared everything."

With a wave of her hand, the chaotic energy currents that were swirling around her within meters instantly transformed from disorder to order. Within that order, complex rules of order were formed, ultimately creating a sturdy shield. The shield shattered in an instant, but a thin stream of space that had been torn apart began to operate, transporting Axe to a hundred miles away in space just as the artillery fire was about to strike.

—Space jump, an ability that witches had been unable to master before.

Having witnessed the power of 'space', they naturally cannot help but be wary of it.

The moment she emerged from the teleportation point, a longsword materialized in her slender, raised hand. The blade rose, colliding with the incoming saber. An explosion of energy erupted, tearing the spatial structure apart and causing it to spread outwards like a spiderweb!

"A man from Zhongzhou?" Her vision caught the face of a handsome young man, who held a large, vermilion sword in his hand. The sword and blade clashed thousands of times in half a second—she easily found an opening. However, just as she was about to deliver a heavy blow to the man before her, she stepped back, thus avoiding the sulfurous fire that rained down from the sky.

“A familiar aura… Ah, it’s that third-tier ultimate reincarnator I observed earlier.” Ex raised an eyebrow slightly, and with a wave of her hand, she pulled out a large patch of crimson high-energy lightning in space—her words instantly transformed into a tangible gale, and an energy storm that blocked the opponent’s attack raged forth.

She stepped back, and as her eyes flashed, two extremely massive energy sources came into her view. She knew very well what level of life form this energy reaction could possess. And she also knew what it meant to her.

"Has the gene lock reached the fourth stage? The limit of the initial stage of the fourth stage?" She exhaled softly, her breath transforming into a resilient shield around her. The energy longsword she had casually crafted also became more solid under her will. And the previously slightly scattered aura grew stronger once more.

A crystalline light emanated from the sword in her hand.

"It seems I really am out of touch with the times. Don't reincarnators these days need to slowly hone their skills at the early fourth tier?" she said softly, each word enveloped in immense energy. This energy intertwined, combined, and transformed into runes of varying sizes, attaching themselves to the surface of the energy-formed beam sword. Immediately following this was a powerful forward slash.

"Sword of Victory - Dragon Slayer!"

A massive storm erupted in the void. Centered on the tiny area where she swung her sword, a diagonally cross-shaped storm, covering an area nearly a light-second in radius, suddenly unfolded. The already chaotic spatial structure was thus transformed into a boiling broth. All matter and energy attempting to cross or penetrate from the other side were completely severed by this enormous storm.

Four seconds later, the storm subsided.

Ex's whereabouts are no longer detectable from space.

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If our plan succeeds, when it escapes, it will be in a weakened state, vulnerable to our current fighting force. We will use our previously prepared arrangements to weaken its energy. And when its strength is exhausted, it will inevitably seek the nearest energy source.

Therefore, Korendadu, which at that time should have consisted only of stellar remnants and a damaged core, became its primary target.

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

Ex rubbed her forehead. She rapidly descended along the stellar rift in Korendadu, absorbing all the free energy around her while letting out a soft sigh.

"Times have really changed. Fourth-tier powerhouses are now being mass-produced. Ah... two fourth-tier beings, plus that Rebirth Cross, and that protagonist I killed earlier is most likely still alive. Besides them, I sensed at least two other critical beings at the third-tier limit. This battle is really going to be tough..."

She landed on a shattered continent, and the entire landmass was instantly drained of all energy, turning into pale ashes. Meanwhile, more free energy was gathered from afar, repairing her damage and strengthening her power.

Her spiritual light was temporarily depleted due to forcibly escaping the void storm, and her newly formed body suffered from numerous inconsistencies and hidden injuries. She was now unable to even unleash the full potential of the Fourth Initial Limit Realm that she had displayed within the Gate of Falsehood. Her control, manipulation precision, and even all her physical attributes had plummeted.

She couldn't even quickly defeat Zheng Zha in a one-on-one fight!

Exxon let out a soft breath.

She had assumed that after breaking free, she would only have to deal with Alice, a newly minted Demon King equivalent to someone who had unlocked the early to mid-stages of the fourth tier of genetic power. However, she hadn't expected there to be another anomaly who had suddenly leaped from the third tier's limit to the fourth, and even reached the limit at the early stage of the fourth tier. This unexpected turn of events completely thwarted her pre-prepared plans!

However... I might still have a chance to turn things around.

Although this planet has been destroyed, I can still sense the energy reactions within it. Now, all I need to do is reach its core—

She suddenly stopped.

What appeared before her was a vast expanse of desolate, dead iron. The once boundless, brilliant star core had turned completely gray, devoid of any energy reserves. The intense energy she had vaguely sensed earlier had vanished entirely upon her arrival. Only silence remained.

A silent star core, a silent space.

Meanwhile, two other energy sources that did exist had quietly caught up and blocked all the paths she could use to escape.

“I never thought something like this would happen.” Ex tugged at her black and red trench coat, which she had reconstructed with energy—in this situation, she didn’t care much about wasting the little energy she had left—she then tilted her head and looked at Zheng Zha and Alice, who were blocking the passage behind her, from a 45-degree angle.

"Fourth Junior High defeated Fourth Middle School. Ah... Although my Fourth Middle School has been weakened beyond recognition by you, we still managed to do it. I really want to congratulate you. You have accomplished an unimaginable feat." She said casually, seemingly unconcerned about her previous defeat and current predicament.

"...You seem quite confident?" Alice frowned slightly. She waved her scepter of control, and the reconstructed Satanic dragon raised its seven heads, sulfur and flames poised to engulf the supernatural creature before her, which had been weakened to its limit.

"Of course I'm fearless, because I have another chance," Ex chuckled. "Since you tricked me into this state with the Rebirth Cross, you should have guessed that I might have a high-level resurrection item bound to my soul. Ah... I admit you gave me a big surprise, but..." She tilted her head slightly. "Even if I'm weakened to a great extent, you can't possibly remove my resurrection item from my soul before I die, and I'll be at my peak after I'm resurrected."

Alice lowered her eyes.

She stopped Zheng Zha from taking action, her mind racing with calculations.

A few seconds later, she sighed softly.

"...You saw through it?"

“Yes, yes.” Ex nodded and replied, “That’s right, I saw through it.”

"You went to great lengths to force me into this situation, presumably to drive me to the brink of despair and force me to waste that one-time resurrection opportunity in a cycle of reincarnation to return to my prime and settle scores with you. But unfortunately, I will not do that."

"Your preparations were too thorough, too meticulous. I was particularly surprised by your nonchalant detonation of the 'Gate' world—this was a golden opportunity to ascend to the heavens in one step, and once you reached the upper world, you could turn the tide regardless of any disadvantages you faced below. Yet you abandoned this opportunity without hesitation. This has led me to a suspicion."

The energy around her surged once again.

"If I'm not mistaken, you actually have another 'door.' Another real 'door,' not this inferior one that I have to struggle to squeeze through. And the best time to open it is undoubtedly when I am fighting you. I think... perhaps one of you has already reached the upper world. And is waiting for the moment when I choose to be resurrected."

"—You cornered me, forcing me to use up my resurrection chance, and then killed me directly from the upper world when I resurrected. If I hadn't realized it, you might have actually succeeded in killing me completely. But now…"

She adopted an aggressive stance.

"I lost this time, but the next time might be different. If you only had one fourth-tier opponent, I might have fought back, but now when I resurrect, I'll choose to return directly to the Main God Space. So..."

"This is my final battle before I take my final bow. Try to defeat me with all your might."

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Tomorrow's end of the volume...

I was planning to finish this chapter today, but I have to do a tabletop role-playing game _(:з」∠)_

And the nest is finished

Chapter 75 The World Is Not a Cage

The upper world.

Chu Xuan watched as a blurry human figure in the sealed chamber gradually disintegrated into specks of light, and the God of War's Central Continent team scoring notification quietly rang in his ears. He adjusted his glasses and slowly moved his finger away from a large, dangerous-looking red button.

The battle is over, and this world is about to end. The final result is that the Central Continent team survived with no members dead and obtained almost all the kill rewards. The Southern Flame Continent team survived with four members, including their captain, while the strongest Sen Continent team only had their captain escape thanks to an item.

"Not a complete victory, but this is acceptable." His voice and expression remained calm as his gaze swept across the hidden hall where he was—a place he had found in five minutes after arriving in the Upper World. Then, while the Human Federation warriors cheered and celebrated their victory—a victory without any real enemy—he activated the containers the Central Continent Team reincarnators had placed in the Upper World, waiting to awaken them once the outcome was decided.

This battle... could actually have been a complete victory.

If things had gone according to his previous plan, Zheng Zha could have chosen to hide when the Senzhou team's captain, Ex, escaped from the world's collapse. Alice could have been the main force, with the rest of the team providing firepower and using the traps they had set up to besiege Ex. The chances of Ex seeing through the plan would have been negligible, meaning she would have inevitably resurrected, and inevitably died completely.

The plan is highly feasible, but there is a risk involved—Alice might not be able to withstand the resurrection of the Senzhou team captain at his peak condition until the main body from the upper world takes effect. Even with Zheng Zha added, the two of them combined might not be able to withstand even a few seconds of a fourth-tier mid-level powerhouse caught in a death-defying frenzy—there's about a 50% chance they'll both be severely injured, a 30% chance one will die and the other will be crippled, and the worst-case scenario is that both of them will use up one of their resurrection opportunities.

There's a 50% chance of either a complete victory or a narrow one.

Chu Xuan didn't think this deal was unfeasible. After all, the final battle for the Reincarnators would inevitably come sooner or later. Using up a resurrection opportunity to eliminate a super-strong individual with the strength of a fourth-tier expert, and potentially even a fourth-higher level expert in the future, wasn't entirely unacceptable. Moreover, the remaining Reincarnators of the Southern Flame Continent team were highly likely to act irrationally due to this development. Therefore, eliminating them all would be perfectly reasonable.

pity……

Chu Xuan reached out and pressed a series of buttons on another control panel beside him. Soon, the awakening program for the Zhongzhou team's reincarnators began to execute. And presumably, it wouldn't be long before they were able to arrive in this real upper world.

His gaze swept over Patchouli's sleeping compartment. Seven days earlier, when all the plans were just beginning to unfold, he had spoken with Patchouli. (Middle of Section 8) In that conversation, although neither of them uttered a single word about their true plans for the lower world, their demands and bottom lines were clearly stated in their dialogue.

—[I'd like to make some minor revisions to your plan again. Not just something as simple as installing a stellar extraction tower on the insectoid planet; I want to implement some arrangements that might slightly reduce the returns.]

These were Patchouli's words at the time, and what she truly meant was to refuse Alice's decision to gamble with her life in the most perilous moment. The result was that while the Central Continent team managed to avoid defeat, they failed to achieve a decisive victory. It was precisely for this reason that the Forest Continent team was able to retain their flame, while the Southern Flame Continent team was simply severely weakened.

It's not the most perfect result, but it's not bad either.

Although Chu Xuan didn't actually care much about Patchouli's thoughts, he considered that 'Starship Troopers' was, after all, only the first world he had in after his resurrection. And in the Legend of the Gods and Demons, although he had gained some prestige, he was still somewhat inferior to the two witches who had long been an indispensable part of the team—it wasn't that he didn't understand human relationships, so he decided to take a slight step back.

He rarely regresses, but that doesn't mean he won't.

In any case, the general objectives of this mission have been achieved, and she has gained control within the team. Patchouli's setbacks in dealing with the other reincarnators in the Morizu team, and the price she paid for 'preventing Alice from being in danger,' have led her to abandon any further attempts to interfere in the planning and scheming. So…

"This time, we can stop here."

Chu Xuan turned around and saw that his team members had awakened one by one from the containers. He no longer needed to worry about what happened next. So, what's next...?

It's time to harvest the biggest and sweetest fruit in the world.