I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

She was merely a remnant of Ida's humanity, a kind of clone. It wouldn't matter if she confessed to Duke, since Duke had already become a god. At this point, he could no longer use this remnant to pass the divine position to Ida outside.

"So, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Ida, the remnant of humanity," asked curiously.

"See for yourself." Duke shrugged, then silently counted, "The forty-third... the forty-fourth sunset."

With the occurrence of the forty-fourth sunset, the previously incessant interdimensional invasion suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

This is only a temporary halt, but it is also the only chance.

Duke's humanity was stirred.

He bypassed Ida and directly manipulated the divinity left in the mute's body, turning against his own divinity at a crucial moment and forcibly regaining control of the body.

Then, in that instant, instead of attacking the monsters or world rules from the other dimension, he punched the floating city hard.

Duke didn't know how Carol would save the floating city, nor could he think of any good way to free it from its predetermined fate, so...

"I can simply dismantle the floating city, which would also free it from its predetermined fate, wouldn't it?!"

No one could have imagined that the god who saved the floating city would, on the forty-fourth sunset, throw a punch at the floating city itself.

His abrupt punch actually broke the floating city in half.

Chapter 426 Does the Floating City Need a Lich King?

A floating city must have a Lich King.

The Little Prince was once the Lich King, and she and her mini-planet bore the brunt of countless interdimensional invasions for the floating city, making the intensity of these invasions far less than that of another floating city. Therefore, after the Little Prince's suicide, the floating city instantly became a living hell.

However, this concentrated outburst is also limited, and the calm period of the concentrated outburst is precisely when the forty-fourth sunset occurs. This is the last hint that the Little Prince left for Duke, and also the only opportunity that Duke can seize.

In this brief period without any new interdimensional invasion, he must contend with the divinity that constitutes the "savior" and seize this opportunity to complete the most crucial part of his plan.

That's right, Duke is planning to just demolish the floating city!

Since that predetermined fate is forcibly bound to the floating city, when one of the two parties bound by fate is destroyed, the other party will also be destroyed.

Once the floating city is destroyed, the interdimensional invasions that are constantly encroaching on the main plane will cease.

This is the core of the Duke plan.

No one could have guessed what Duke was planning. The little prince, who left behind forty-four sunset clues, couldn't have imagined it. The powerful figures hidden in the floating city couldn't have imagined it either. Ida and Lady Scarlet couldn't have imagined it either. Even Amber and Cecil didn't know what he wanted to do after becoming a god. He only told them that he was preparing to embark on the path to godhood, preparing to kill the little prince, and that he might die... but he didn't say why he might die.

Duke will perish because his actions conflict with the ideology that constitutes the gods... Even if he doesn't perish, the top experts hiding in the floating city watching the show will not let him go.

The inhabitants of the floating city do not want it to be destroyed.

Why were Duke's actions on his path to godhood so smooth? Besides Ida, whose fate was intertwined with his, wholeheartedly paving the way for his ascension, there was also the tacit approval of other powerful figures. The floating city needed a Lich King; previously it was the Little Prince, but replacing him with the "savior" Duke made no difference to the top-tier powerhouses—in fact, it was even more convenient.

After all, the Little Prince used to be in danger of going berserk at any moment, and she had already been corrupted and turned evil by the other dimension. If she wasn't careful, she would become the biggest guide in that other dimension. And a god created by ideology is simply incapable of doing anything that goes against the expectations of believers, which is reassuring.

They had no idea about Duke's unique circumstances.

The two diametrically opposed ideologies of the floating city dwellers, influenced by deus ex machina and apocalyptic despair, become more distinct and intense in their conflict, directly leading to a weakening of the ideologies' control.

Duke's fate is intertwined with Ida's; on the other side of their destinies is a former god who does not wish to become a god. This shared destiny gives Duke the ability to resist the influence of prevailing ideas.

Finally, Duke even possessed the divine demigod within him. With the power of the mute's divinity, he could maintain free movement for a long time before his divine position collapsed.

Everything was proceeding as Duke had predicted.

"call--"

Duke let out a long breath and looked up.

His long-awaited punch shattered the entire floating city in half, creating a massive crack that rapidly spread from the street to both sides, collapsing from the middle. Meanwhile, the shape of a star map appeared and disappeared repeatedly on the main structure of the floating city.

But that punch wasn't enough.

Heaven knows how the Little Prince managed to build the floating city. This floating city, which was cut in half, is like a powerful creature, its wounds beginning to heal. The star charts want to merge together. Once they are truly joined, Duke's long-term planning will be in vain.

So he clenched his fist, raised it high, and prepared to deliver another punch.

At this moment, the powerful figures of the floating city finally couldn't sit still any longer.

"stop!"

With a flash of red light, the first person to arrive was someone Duke recognized—the woman who had accompanied Zi Yuan to represent the sheriff when Duke was a swindler selling mythical weapons. She seemed to have teleported, appearing before Duke instantly. She held nothing in her hands, only a pair of well-trained fists.

The former chief sheriff of the floating city, who was also Zi Yuan's master, was the one who subdued her and brought her to the floating city.

Dragon Fist Lohena.

But Duke only glanced at her and, without hesitation, punched the floating city that was about to close.

Lohena had no choice but to grit her teeth, slide tackle Duke, raise her right fist, and punch Duke's outstretched fist.

"boom--"

A deafening roar, like an explosion, engulfed the neighborhood.

Lohena was blasted away by the massive shockwave, but she was unharmed. On the other hand, Duke, who remained rooted to the spot, had his right arm, which had been used to exchange punches, twisted strangely, and his right hand disappeared completely, with a large amount of blood spurting out.

Duke merely glanced at his arm, then calmly raised his left hand, made a chop motion, and severed his arm at the shoulder. After a few breaths, a brand new arm quickly grew back from his shoulder.

This injury was nothing to Duke, and although Lohena seemed to have the upper hand in the exchange of punches, Duke actually won—because the residual force of his punch still hit the main body of the floating city, preventing the two parts of the floating city from healing.

His time is running out.

The first punch Duke threw was his strongest punch. If nothing unexpected happens, his attacks will never reach this level of intensity again, because his actions have conflicted with the beliefs of his followers. The power of the god known as the "Savior" has begun to weaken irreversibly, and he will soon have to leave his divine position.

Before that, the floating city must be completely destroyed!

Just then, Duke suddenly raised his head, squinted, and looked up at the sky.

The second person finally arrived.

He is the strongest in this floating city.

Howard Howard.

The only head of the Howard family, one of the four major families, to have lived for a thousand years.

He has no nickname, but is named after the surname passed down in his family. He alone can represent the entire Howard family. He is the strongest in the entire floating city, and his strength is almost on par with that of Lady Scarlet, placing him at the level of invincible loneliness.

Howard stepped on thin air and looked at Duke, marking the first time the two made contact.

In that instant, Duke realized that he could not defeat this man. Even if the power of the gods had not diminished, he was definitely no match for him... Could it be that even a man like this could not resolve the fate bound to the floating city?

Or is it that, unlike Carol, he has long been content with the status quo under the protection of the Little Prince for a thousand years, and no longer has the drive and courage to solve problems?

Regardless of who Howard Howard really is, his appearance alone could cripple Duke's plans, unless...

"Ida! Don't forget that if I die, you'll die too! Lady Fei, isn't it time to make your move?!"

In Duke's ears, Ida and Fei's voices, filled with gritted teeth, rang out almost simultaneously:

"You boy!"

Chapter 427 The Death of Duke

Ida and Fei gritted their teeth and spoke almost simultaneously. Then, a shadowy figure spat them out and abruptly appeared beside Duke.

Ms. Fei was alright, but Ida glared fiercely at Duke, her eyes filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe. Clearly, this was the resentment of being sold out and still having to count the money for him—and that was exactly the situation now. Ida had been tricked by Duke, but she still had to step up and clean up his mess.

Ida cannot let Duke die here.

Because of the existence of the Mythical Path, the two of them shared each other's destiny. Otherwise, Ida would not have been so certain that Duke could become a god. Ida was a mute, and after sharing their destiny, Duke naturally also received the destiny of becoming a god from her.

This shared fate gave Ida the opportunity to shirk her divine status, but it also forced her to become bound to Duke.

Little did she know that Duke's path was so reckless. After voluntarily becoming a god, he went on a crazy spree, acting as if he were afraid he wouldn't die. First, he defied the prevailing sentiments and his followers, trying to overturn the table. Instead of attacking the alternate dimension, he planned to destroy the floating city. Then, he attracted the siege of two of the floating city's top legends... Without her help, who else would die if not him?

What's most infuriating isn't that Ida had to save Duke, but that Duke, knowing this, used this opportunity to drag Ida into this quagmire in order to ensure his plan could succeed.

As for Ms. Fei, the reason she was forced to take action by Duke was similar. She didn't care at all about the fate of this floating city, but the fate of another floating city was extremely important to her! This kind of choice between two options was not difficult for Ms. Fei at all.

Her floating city needs a god, whether it's a mute or a savior... but at the same time, her floating city also needs Duke, and there are almost no substitutes.

Ms. Scarlett could not allow Duke to die here so easily.

Thus, the strongest being from another floating city faced Howard Howard.

"Howard, it's been a long time."

The Witch of Miracles hummed a tune that was difficult to hear, and stood in front of Howard, who frowned involuntarily: "You're Scarlet? Weren't you dead a long time ago?"

"So that's how you all see me?" Fei raised an eyebrow in surprise, then waved her hand helplessly. "I've just returned to my own world... Alright, I'll protect this person."

"He's going to destroy the floating city!"

"So what? The invasion from other dimensions continues to intensify, and the floating city will be destroyed sooner or later, won't it?" Fei shook her head, a complex expression on her face, like a sigh in the face of an unchangeable fate. "And to put it bluntly, you never even thought about saving yourselves."

"what?"

"Sleeping soundly in the false cradle created by the Little Prince, even trying to tame the world rules from another dimension from wolves to dogs, the arrogance and prejudice of this floating city have reached an irreversible point a thousand years after banishing the spellcasters. There is no possibility of you being saved, no savior can save you."

Fei spread her hands, revealing the cruel truth to Howard.

Howard's expression turned slightly cold. He couldn't find the words to refute Fei, but he was also unwilling to admit everything she had said.

Fei didn't want to continue the conversation either; reuniting with a former friend with whom she had no common ground was not a pleasant thing.

She read it softly:

"A miracle has occurred again."

The battle between Fei and Howard had just begun, while the battle between Ida and Lohena had already been going on for a while! They didn't have any connection from a thousand years ago, Lohena was a straightforward and quick-witted person, and Ida's identity in this world was the leader of the resistance organization... All these factors combined made them start fighting without any nonsense, and the intensity was extremely high, already destroying buildings in a block.

Ida and Fei, intentionally or unintentionally, led Howard and Lohena away from Duke, leaving Duke alone.

His goal is to destroy the city, not to kill all the people living there, so he must destroy the city in the shortest possible time.

Duke took the "I Want" gun from his inventory.

[Item Name: I Want.]

[Item Description: This spear is the embodiment of the user's innermost thoughts, a true symbol of embarking on the path to legend. Its creator believed that a sufficiently pure desire could conjure pure power. However, since this spear is a replica, its effects are not as reliable as the original... at least it cannot consecutively grant different desires.]

[Item Effect: Realizes the user's wishes. (Cooldown: 24 hours)]

When Cecil truly became a legend, her "I Want" spear transformed into pure power and merged into her body. And the weapon in Duke's inventory also changed along with his ascension to godhood.