Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Her gaze rose, looking up at the sky, and beyond the sky.

"—Someone who can kill me will come."

At the edge of her vision, the Temple of Time, enveloped in golden light, suddenly materialized!

—Divine punishment is imminent.

Chapter 90: The Battle of Heaven - Loneliness Like Smoke

"I have a bad feeling." — Chaldea stealth ship, in a hidden place in the sixth reality. When Xiao Honglu observed the light signs of the Temple of Time and then the Temple of Time began to observe him, he decisively activated his own methods to card up the entire ship and shift its timeline — because he did not know if Adam would suddenly go crazy and attack them without any regard for the consequences.

Adam was not a true god, but through the Temple of Time, he possessed the time-traveling power that only true gods could have. Xiao Honglu, however, hadn't even fully personalized his Mind's Light; his ability to shift timelines was less a power and more a costly spell. And he knew very well that he wouldn't be able to use this spell again, at least not for the foreseeable future.

Time has no meaning for the true God.

But time is of great significance to extraordinary beings below the level of true gods or to ordinary mortals.

Xiao Honglu didn't even know if Adam had intervened, or if he was still alive because Adam's timeline manipulation had been interrupted by his teammates, or because Adam hadn't even noticed him and the Chaldea group—no, it could be for other reasons. He had observed significant spatial displacement while shifting Chaldea's timeline, which should be a sign of his companion's intervention.

[Perhaps Adam became the true God through a clever trick, or perhaps he dared not directly approach Solomon.] — Such thoughts surfaced in Xiao Honglu's mind. But he couldn't be sure of their accuracy — he knew, of course, that he could get an answer nine times out of ten by simply asking the air, but subconsciously he didn't want to do it.

Alice's assessment of him was correct. Although he had long recognized the gap between himself and Chu Xuan, he always wanted to compete. Even though he knew such competition was meaningless, and that even the act of competing itself could become part of Chu Xuan's random plan, he still wanted to compete.

Ah... let's give it a shot.

After all, how can one grow to a higher level in life if they are not attached to certain things?

Xiao Honglu shook his head, watching Miss Olga Marie, whom he had arranged to attend the 'meeting,' leave his control room with a heavy heart. For these mortals, everything happening outside the stealth ship was incomprehensible, even if right before their eyes. After all, their eyes could only perceive light, and their ears could only distinguish vibrations. The information they could receive and understand was less than one ten-thousandth of that of the lowest-ranking supernatural beings, and they were unaware that they were already enveloped by the Dao Erosion phenomenon.

[The erosion phenomenon... Ah, although I've always used avatars before, quite a long time has passed since Sister Zhan Lan, Brother Ba Wang, Cheng Xiao, and I descended in our true forms. If this continues, they'll probably start to transform into familiars... It's truly pathetic to be weak.]

They're pathetic, and so are we... Brother Zhao Zhuikong and Sister Yingkong plan to hunt down a True God. But whether they succeed or fail won't affect them much. As for us... we have to run away with our tails between our legs the moment we see a trace of a True God manifesting!

【Ugh... Damn it, this darn ambition of mine is so annoying!】

He let out a soft breath, wanting to pull his hair but then letting go—habit is a terrible thing because it means a fixed weakness, so he decided to break free from it starting today.

He knew his companions wouldn't offer help—because it wasn't just them fighting for their own interests; their companions also expected them to fight. Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Yingkong's 'perfectly timed' departure was a clear sign. And if they didn't actively embrace the struggle, then conflict would follow them!

“You can choose to go back to the circular table, or shout for help to the sky, little brother Xiao Honglu.” Zhan Lan’s figure silently appeared in another corner of the main control room—in fact, she had been there all along, but she didn’t speak, and Olga Marie, who had come to the meeting, couldn’t see her. At this moment, she had changed into the Eldar Prophet’s combat suit—although the only use of this so-called advanced tactical equipment on her was probably to provide aesthetics.

“If you choose to give up, Miss Patchouli will definitely not mind giving you a hand – of course, it might also be Miss Sirin. After all, she doesn’t seem to have much interest in this war.” Zhan Lan tilted her head, looked at the Overlord who appeared in another direction, and received a nod – Cheng Xiao didn’t come because he had other work to do.

“Run away… what a joke.” Xiao Honglu shook his head with a wry smile. “Fourth grade isn’t the limit. I’ve already made plans. Even if I don’t advance to the fourth grade in this world, I at least have to take that crucial step. After all, this stage play will soon come to an end, and there probably won’t be another chance like this.”

"If you don't fight for it now, you won't even have the right to fight for it later."

"So what are you still hesitating about?" Overlord suddenly interrupted. "I can remind you that there is a team of Reincarnators tracking our coordinates by using spatial jumps. And according to my observation, those four Reincarnators should generally be at the peak of the fourth stage, and there may even be one among them who possesses the Limit of the Mimicry of the Mind Light."

“Three...four against four, our chances of winning aren’t great. And you should know where they came from.”

"The second echelon of the Demon Team? I understand. As long as we haven't made a decision by now, they will successfully locate us. But if we have other goals or avoid battle, then Miss Patchouli will make sure they can't pinpoint our exact location even if they chase us for a thousand years."

"I'm just... a little sentimental."

Zhan Lan didn't ask him what he was reminiscing about, and neither did Ba Wang. It was pointless, and they had always respected their companions.

Of course, this is also because they all know that Xiao Honglu is currently at a very critical stage.

In this life, unless one is blessed by destiny, one will achieve nothing without striving—Xiao Honglu knew why he was having these wild thoughts at this moment. Why were things he had long since understood stirring up emotions within him again—he closed his eyes, and his vision collapsed and shifted. In a daze, he found himself once again back in the distant past, back to that research center, back beneath the burning building, back before himself, silently weeping in the shadows as he watched the burning structure.

This is the Abyss of the Heart, the world of the heart.

He saw the crying child who could only watch helplessly as the woman he considered his dearest burned to death, unable to do anything, powerless to do anything at all—he had thought he had long since dealt with his inner demons. But he never expected that there would be one last step here.

Then he reached out his hand to the little brat.

—Why fight?

Because if you don't strive, you will have nothing.

—Why be afraid of having nothing?

Because those who have nothing cannot survive on this land.

—Why are we afraid of not being able to survive?

Because death... is lonely.

Xiao Honglu slowly opened his eyes. He sensed his death vision, which he hadn't used for countless years—he finally understood why he had acquired this ability to observe death. He also finally understood why, even though he had clearly seen through that woman's death, he still harbored inner demons.

—【So, my real inner demon is loneliness…】

Because he feared loneliness, he strived to express himself and gain recognition. Because he dreaded solitude, even his self-enhancement was about gaining allies—he recalled the first time he saw the God's Exchange system; back then, his favorite enhancement was actually the Summoner system. And as a Summoner, the one thing he had in abundance was allies to alleviate his loneliness. Even the card system he was currently developing shared this commonality; even before possessing the Light of the Mind, he wanted to build his own divine kingdom!

It turned out to be the case.

"I see." Xiao Honglu uttered these four words softly, and two colorless pure lights gradually shone in his eyes—he finally knew what his shortcomings were, and he finally knew what he wanted.

"Let's go, Sister Zhan Lan, Brother Ba Wang, let's go and meet the second echelon of the Demon Team."

His form pierced through the structure of matter, directly exposing himself to the void—while the stealth ship carrying the Chaldeans and Cheng Xiao descended towards Central Asia, which had become the Sixth Reality, where they would face their own struggle.

Meanwhile, outside the cosmos, the four members of the Demon Team had been waiting for a long time.

Chapter Ninety-One: The Battle of Heaven - Cheng Xiao

Cheng Xiao could clearly sense the battle beyond the heavens—he could perceive the void storm stirred up by Zhan Lan, and the mixed psionic reactions and psychic energy clusters beyond the heavens. At least three powerful psychic beings were clashing with each other, turning nearly a thousand cubic kilometers of space into a chaotic mess.

He could sense the colossal creature summoned by Xiao Honglu using cards in the vast expanse of space. It was a unique being that Xiao Honglu had named the Five Emperor Dragon within his card system—it was said to have an original scripture, and that Xiao Honglu had originally intended to use the Three Egyptian Gods, a level above them, as his trump card. However, for some unknown reason, Xiao Honglu abandoned the Three Egyptian Gods ritual, which he had supposedly been preparing for a long time. And the Five Emperor Dragon he controlled was also far more powerful than expected…

The five-headed dragon was battling a divine abomination and a hundred-armed giant in space. Both the dragon's breath and the giant's fists could easily blast a massive island into the sea or reduce it to dust—if they were to descend upon the Sixth Reality, it would likely shatter into at least a hundred fragments of varying sizes within half an hour. Perhaps this was why they chose to fight in space.

He could even sense the Overlord and his winter wolf pack—during this long journey of hunting saints, this Russian strongman gradually abandoned everything from the past, strengthening and deeply exploring the genetic power deep within his own bloodline. He found a branch of Fenrir's bloodline from Norse mythology among his ancestors, then gradually dissected, purified, and ultimately transformed it into a kind of alpha wolf bloodline unique to him—unfortunately, he did not follow the path of the Dragon of the End, otherwise, he would probably have had a much easier time dealing with his opponents.

After all, his opponent was a tree, a colossal tree rooted in the cosmos, releasing energy as vast as the sun. The moment Cheng Xiao sensed that tree, the phrase 'Fusang' instinctively surfaced in his mind.

Fusang, the Fusang tree in Tang Valley, is a mythical ancient tree that nurtured ten suns. While Fenrir's Winter Wolf is conceptually somewhat countered by it, the final battle, like the other two locations, remained a protracted and unconquered affair.

It seems the situation is evenly matched.

In other words, it makes no difference whether I'm there or not.

Cheng Xiao sighed, returning to reality. He crossed his arms and watched Olga Marie and her colleagues argue—he knew why. Their original mission was to reach the Seventh Singularity to retrieve Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, but they were currently over the continent where the Sixth Singularity was located.

They wanted to go back, but they couldn't, because Captain Xiao Honglu, who Chelsea had transformed into, had the highest decision-making authority. This was also because Xiao Honglu had previously persuaded Olga Marie to agree to first travel to the Sixth Reality to win over allies, specifically the Lion King who had briefly appeared in the Seventh Singularity, but whom the Chaldeans believed had never left the Sixth Singularity.

They hadn't reached a conclusion yet, but Cheng Xiao knew that whatever the outcome, they would come to him to discuss it. His current identity was the Security Minister of the Chaldean stealth ship, the most powerful mage besides the captain. Given the changing power structure within Chaldea, his involvement was inevitable.

It's truly pathetic, both for you and for me... weakness is truly pathetic.

He took out an e-cigarette from his pocket and lit it—he himself didn't know if this counted as an erosion phenomenon from Zhang Jie—but even if it did, it didn't matter.

The group of women continued their incessant arguing. Some believed there were new options, while others thought they should protest against Xiao Honglu. Some felt the immediate priority was to retrieve Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two from the Seventh Singularity. However, their reason told them that restoring humanity was now pointless.

The Lion King was Miss Alice's pawn, but now she has appeared in the Sixth Singularity.

[If this was Miss Alice's arrangement, then it means that in the Sixth Singularity, the Sixth Reality, there exists an enemy that can only be defeated with the Lion King's help. The Lion King is the executor, and I am the commander and intervener.]

[If not, then this must be Miss Alice's scheme and indulgence. The spirit of the Holy Lance, Lundminiad, will become the target to be defeated. And the only one who can, and should, take action is me.]

He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the restless energy and countless complex sounds within his body—he could clearly perceive that his power and life level were gradually increasing as his influence on the protagonist, supporting character, and even the stage itself on this stage grew. This driving force of advancement urged every individual cell within his body to awaken its power.

I could have been promoted a long time ago... but I just didn't dare to.

[Because my foundation is not yet solid, because my philosophy is not yet clear. Because I simply relied on my teammates' assistance to forcibly accumulate a vast amount of knowledge and experience. However, in reality, advancing in this way makes me just like those grandmaster disciples in fantasy novels who break through using external alchemy... no, perhaps I just feel that I am not good enough.]

The mind is a fascinating thing, especially for powerful beings about to embark on the path of transcendence. If one feels their foundation is unstable, then no matter how much they have accumulated before, it will inevitably remain unstable after advancement. And instability leads to collapse, ultimately resulting in their own demise.

I can indeed advance to the transcendent level, but I only have a 50% chance of not losing control afterward. The reason it's only 50% is because the outcome is simply fifty-fifty. And the reason I have this thought is because I've always been under the protection of my teammates.

He recalled his distant memories of joining the Reincarnation Squad. From the very beginning of the war, he had never truly faced any significant threat—his comrades were strong, extremely cautious, and meticulously planned for every possible outcome, preparing advancement opportunities for each of them. Whether in reality or in the virtual world, he had never set foot on a bloody battlefield where life or death was the only outcome.

My enhancements are based on the power system of Hokuto Shinken. In fact, even the most profound technique, Musou Tensei, is merely a secret method that can be deciphered with enough time and mental effort. Over these long years, I have already mastered all the essentials of Hokuto Shinken, Nanto Seifen, and Gento Koken, integrating them into one unique style, 'Chengquan.' In terms of technique alone, I surpass all the original masters. My physique and spirit can easily overwhelm them all. But…

"...At the same level, could I really defeat those warriors who have traversed countless battlefields?"

We can't beat them.

Cheng Xiao closed his eyes. He knew that when he couldn't win, it was because he was doubting his own ability to win. He felt like Di Shitian from the Feng Yun series. Despite possessing a thousand years of internal energy that could overwhelm the world and his self-created supreme martial arts, he could only flee in terror before Wu Wudi, a peerless genius honed in life-or-death battles.

When the heart is defeated, the fist is defeated. That's why Cheng Xiao hesitated at the edge of the fourth tier, and that's why his teammates arranged this mission for him alone. It was their last act of kindness, and also the final trial he would face in this world.

[It passed, a meteoric rise. If it didn't pass, perhaps...]

"...I should leave the team after this world ends. I should return to the source world, the world where mediocre people like me should belong."

[The phenomenon of erosion...]

He opened his eyes and extinguished the cigarette burning between his fingers. Not far away, Olga Marie and her group had already devised a plan—they ultimately decided to follow Xiao Honglu's instructions and head to the Sixth Singularity. And he himself—the theoretically the most powerful security minister—would naturally accompany the envoy to land on the ground.

“Minister Cheng.” Olga Marie and Akuta Hinako approached him together. “Akuta will be traveling to the Sixth Singularity as an envoy with Lanling Wang. I hope you can accompany them.”

Olga Marie said earnestly, "Chaldea is not the same as before, and the delegation needs someone who can represent the captain's will."

Cheng Xiao nodded and threw the e-cigarette into the trash can.

--"good."

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

The journey from the sky to the earth didn't take long, and soon Cheng Xiao and Hinako arrived at the surface of the Sixth Reality together. Olga Marie, Dr. Roman, and Da Vinci, as usual, supported Hinako remotely. And Cheng Xiao, as entrusted by Olga Marie, simply acted as an agent of the captain's will, silently following in the footsteps of the two envoys.

Cheng Xiao didn't mind, nor did he care to listen to the conversation between Olga Marie and the others and Akuta Hinako. He even deliberately separated from Akuta Hinako shortly after landing on Earth, and neither Akuta Hinako nor the Chaldea people expressed any objection to this.

Because Hinako knew the truth, that Zhao Zhuikong and his group were the real leaders and located on another battlefield. Because Olga Marie didn't care about Cheng Xiao's survival; in her eyes, whose memories had been rewritten, Cheng Xiao wasn't even a colleague. And also because of... the Dao Erosion phenomenon.

This is the last chance that the reincarnators of the Central Continent Team are giving to the lowest-ranking member of the team. And this opportunity must not be hindered by anyone or anything.

No one dared, and no one could.

As Cheng Xiao left the group and walked alone on this land shattered by divine authority, the desolation and ruin of this land became clearly visible to him.

In 1273 AD, the Crusades launched their ninth expedition. Although the main battlefield was not in the Holy City, the flames of war continued to burn across the land.

Of course, the history of the Singularity differs from the history of the source world that Cheng Xiao knows. Even though it was restored to an era before any Servants descended, thanks to Sirin's efforts, it still unfolded differently from the history of the world Cheng Xiao knows—war swept through the entire Holy City and the vast lands surrounding it, with countless Crusaders, in the name of honor, slaughtering all living beings and plundering their wealth in this mysterious era. In other words—

—Kill all who God sees as still able to move!

He entered a village, where there wasn't a single living person. The only sounds he heard were the creaking of hot wind blowing through the dilapidated doors and windows. The only sight he saw was rotting skeletons huddled together in the corners of broken houses.

The village well hadn't dried up yet, but when Cheng Xiao lifted the bucket, the spring water he scooped out was scattered with the bones of a child. He raised an eyebrow slightly, initially wanting to slam his hand on the ground to shake all the bones out of the well, but then stopped. In the end, he repeatedly put the bucket down, slowly but meticulously scooping out all the bones.

In the end, he retrieved seven skeletons: two boys and five girls. One girl had drowned after jumping into the well, while the rest had signs of tearing and blows near their pelvis. They had been tortured to the point of being half-dead or dead before being thrown alive into the well.

He turned his head and glanced at the other dilapidated old houses. After thinking for a moment, he decided to collect all the exposed bones and bury them together. During this process, he roughly deduced the whole story—

—A band of crusader soldiers, or a band of robbers, ravaged the village. They killed all the men with swords or nooses, and with another sword, they slaughtered all the beautiful women and pretty boys and girls. They killed most of the people and took all the food. And after they left, the wild beasts and the cold winds of night took care of the remaining old and weak.