"Waaah!"
"Help me!"
"This is terrifying!"
"It's a monster!"
When Chen Li, leading the group fresh from their Civilization Fast-Forward ride, arrived at the gates of the Imperial Capital to welcome Esdeath back from her campaign against the northern tribes, he was instead greeted by countless cries of shock and panic.
The Civilization Fast-Forward was a real joyride, alright.
[Star Stones +2000]
"…" The sound of his Star Stone balance increasing reached Chen Li's ears, but he couldn't feel a shred of happiness.
"YA! KU! MO! YU! KA! RI!" Chen Li's roar echoed throughout the entire Imperial Capital.
"Coming, coming." A gap suddenly opened in front of Chen Li, and Yakumo Yukari casually stepped out.
If Yukari had chosen to join the script during the civilization acceleration, she would have indeed ridden the Civilization Fast-Forward with Chen Li and the others. But for some reason, she decided not to use the acceleration effect, opting instead to explore this world firsthand.
Considering there was little difference between the two options, Chen Li had agreed. But the scene that now lay before him was one of utter chaos.
"What is this?" Chen Li asked, pointing to a steel giant over a hundred meters tall that was placed at the main gate of the capital.
"The Divine Machine of the Nation: Supreme Throne. The Teigu you wanted. Let me tell you, digging this thing up for you took a lot of effort. To avoid hurting any ordinary people, I had to physically yank it out of the ground and give it an over-the-shoulder throw to get it here," Yakumo Yukari said, rubbing her shoulder.
"…" In a way, being able to dig up this so-called "Ultimate Teigu" from deep underground was indeed a laborious task for Yukari.
And judging by her tone, she had even tried her best to avoid affecting ordinary people. Her contribution was truly commendable.
"But why is this Teigu dismantled?" Chen Li asked, looking at the steel giant that had been taken apart into pieces.
"Don't ask me, ask Vill-V. She's the one who took it apart," Yakumo Yukari said, pointing at Vill-V.
"Oh, right, that was me. But don't rush to judgment. By studying this steel giant, I've pretty much figured out how to make Teigu. And I even gave it a little upgrade. Now, anyone can use this Teigu," Vill-V said, raising her hand.
Originally, this Teigu could only be used by someone with the Emperor's bloodline.
Vill-V had also chosen to join the script, because, as she put it, for a researcher, time is money, so she didn't want to skip any part of her life.
"Then what is this?" Chen Li asked, pointing to another terrifying behemoth placed at the capital's gate, one considerably larger than the divine machine.
"That wasn't me. Mobius and Ruan Mei went to the Sea of Clouds in the East and captured that Ultra-Class Danger Beast… I just sent them over and was responsible for bringing the thing back. If you don't believe me, ask them yourself," Yakumo Yukari said, pointing at Mobius and Ruan Mei behind Chen Li.
"That did happen," Ruan Mei nodded.
"Perhaps I should enhance my own martial capabilities," Mobius mused.
These two were also part of the control group, having chosen to enter the script during the civilization acceleration.
The main reason was that their budget for capturing Danger Beasts exceeded 10 Star Stones, and Chen Li wouldn't reimburse them, so they had to do it themselves.
"I remember now. The threads on Lubbock's string-type Teigu were made from the body hair of a super Danger Beast said to live in the Eastern Sea of Clouds. I think this is it, right?" Najenda realized.
"If I'm not mistaken, yes. This little thing is quite durable," Ruan Mei nodded.
"Then what about this?" Chen Li continued, pointing at a blue-haired figure that Yukari had just tossed out of a gap. It was tied up like a caterpillar and writhing on the ground.
"The Teigu you wanted, Esdeath," Yakumo Yukari explained with perfect honesty.
Chen Li was beginning to understand Yukari's thought process.
The Teigu Demon's Extract was created from the blood of a super Danger Beast from the Far North. Since Esdeath had drunk all of that blood-type Teigu, it wasn't wrong to say that Esdeath herself was now the Teigu.
But Chen Li felt Yukari was doing this on purpose, and he had evidence.
"Then what were all the screams about?" Chen Li asked.
"Don't you go pinning every pot on me. That's your problem. They were screaming because a lot of slimes appeared in the group."
"Oh, then that is indeed my problem," Chen Li remembered.
The Civilization Fast-Forward effect from the Miracle Card was very special; it could be used in conjunction with other Miracle Cards. So, Chen Li had chosen to activate the trap card [The Cleaner] and began turning the villains of the Imperial Capital into slimes.
To put it simply, he let the Miracle Card do its own thing.
It was no wonder Chen Li used the word "script" to describe the process of civilization acceleration.
"Then why were people in the city shouting about monsters and such?" Chen Li asked, confused.
According to his predictions, the people of the Empire should have gradually learned to coexist with the slimes as the plot progressed.
"Ruan Mei did it. She made a small change to the genes of the flying-type Danger Beasts soaring over the capital. Then, those ferocious flying beasts turned into Danger Beasts that like to poop on people's heads," Mobius said.
"It was just a small mistake. But I must emphasize, that is their way of expressing affection. And I believe this should be your problem, Mobius," Ruan Mei retorted.
"…" Chen Li pressed a hand to his forehead.
Seriously, you guys, what have you all been doing?
Chen Li decided that if he ever used the Civilization Fast-Forward function again, he absolutely had to join the script himself, lest his genius companions give him a little genius-style shock!
"During the period of civilization acceleration, I have taken control of the Revolutionary Army, established contact with the leader of the Path of Peace, and Minister Honest has been quite cooperative with my work, sending me into the palace. Then I put a knife to the little Emperor's neck and forced General Budo to sign a contract with me using the Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin. According to the plan, all that's left to deal with now is Esdeath."
But thankfully, Najenda brought Chen Li what was perhaps the only piece of good news on this trip.
The leader of the Path of Peace and Minister Honest were both under Chen Li's control via the Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin, which was why they were so cooperative.
Najenda had to say it: the Curios Chen Li forged were truly useful.
With the coin, and with Yukari's help, Najenda had paid house calls to nobles and officials, taking over the entire Imperial Capital without shedding a drop of blood.
Although a good number of these nobles and officials had already been turned into slimes and were now scurrying around the capital, Najenda had completed the smooth transition of power before that happened.
The little Emperor, General Budo, Minister Honest, the Revolutionary Army, and even the Path of Peace were all her people. Najenda couldn't imagine how she could possibly lose.
However, perhaps because her methods were a bit drastic, some officials with a sense of justice but very old-fashioned views had expressed strong opposition.
But that was no problem. Najenda had them strung up and whipped for three days and three nights, after which they no longer expressed any opposition.
But honestly, more troubling than all these things, Najenda found her group members to be the most troubling of all.
Sometimes, watching their actions, Najenda would begin to doubt herself: Are they really here to save the world?
Dismantling the divine machine into scrap metal, conducting experiments on flying Danger Beasts that even Najenda couldn't bear to watch, capturing an Ultra-Class Danger Beast as a pet…
Are these people sure they didn't just come here to find a backwater place to blow off steam?
"By the way, I tied up Esdeath right after she returned from her campaign against the northern tribes," Yakumo Yukari added.
"Is that so…"
Clink! Chen Li flicked the Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin he had summoned back, then walked over to the caterpillar-bound Esdeath.
"I'll give you a chance. Pick any one of us here for a one-on-one duel. If you win, I'll let you go, and you can do whatever you want. If you lose, you will obediently lead those Ice Slimes in the capital and guard the nation. How about it?" Chen Li asked, pulling the ball gag out of Esdeath's mouth.
Huh? A ball gag?
"Hmph, on what grounds should I…" Before Esdeath could finish her sentence, Chen Li stuffed the gag back into her mouth.
"String her up. Whip her for three days and three nights first," Chen Li said, turning to Najenda.
"Yes, no problem!" Najenda's eyes lit up.
"Pfft! Wait, I agree," Esdeath shouted after spitting out the gag.
The next moment, the gold coin in Chen Li's hand glowed.
Seeing that the contract was sealed, Yakumo Yukari released the sealing barrier on Esdeath.
"Go on, pick one," Chen Li said, gesturing to the group members behind him.
"…" Esdeath loved to fight, but that didn't mean she was brainless.
The fact that Yakumo Yukari could so easily seal her powers and capture an Ultra-Class Danger Beast from the Eastern Sea of Clouds as easily as kicking a dog on the roadside told her that this group was not simple.
But Esdeath refused to believe that she couldn't beat a single one of them.
Esdeath scanned the people behind Chen Li.
As the saying goes, pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Live to fight another day…
So…
"You. Yes, you, come out! I've been putting up with you for a long time," Esdeath said, pointing at a child who looked no older than twelve and had a similar hair color to her own.
"Griseo is just a child! You won't even spare a child?" Chen Li tilted his head, seeing that the outrageously cruel Esdeath had chosen Griseo, who was out sketching.
Heh, you crafty little devil, aren't you!
"What, didn't you say I could pick anyone? Are you going back on your word?"
"Not only am I not going back on my word, I'm even going to give you two more chances. I'd like to see if you can actually pick the real soft persimmon. But in return, aside from the first time, for the other two, you'll have to agree to an extra condition from me for each loss. How about it?"
"Fine, no problem. I'd like to see what gives you so much confidence," Esdeath finally agreed.
"Oh, right, here." Chen Li tossed the main body of the Revival Games Curio to Esdeath.
"With this item, watching a 30-second ad can bring you back to life. Alright, the match begins now."
"Little one, don't say I'm bullying you." Although Esdeath wasn't interested in bullying the weak, this was a battle for survival!
"What are you mumbling about? Let me show you my ultimate technique of a hundred refinements! Help me, Miss Starry Impression!" Griseo shouted, mimicking Chen Li's tone.
Esdeath vs. a 50,000-year-old MANTIS.
The 50,000-year-old MANTIS wins!
---o---
"You, the brat with the beret! Yes, you, come out!" Esdeath was gloriously revived.
She still felt that children were the easiest to bully.
The last time must have been a fluke.
"Eh? Me?" Little Herta pointed to herself.
"Yes, that's right, you."
"Everyone, get back!" Seeing that Esdeath had chosen Little Herta, Chen Li immediately shouted at the crowd.
Then, feeling that wasn't safe enough, he directly threw out the Friends Circle, enveloping Little Herta and Esdeath and transforming it into a massive, transparent arena with a 30-meter radius.
"I'll use you to test my new move! Hidden Backup Energy Source! Activate!"
An all-consuming black hole erupted silently within the golden barrier formed by the Friends Circle. The barrier flashed with golden light several times before the black hole gradually subsided.
"Cough, cough, entering a weakened state… I still didn't control the output properly." Feeling her body completely drained, Little Herta slowly walked out of the Friends Circle.
Esdeath?
Not even dust remained.
Esdeath vs. the Aeon of Nihility.
The Aeon of Nihility wins!
---o---
"Thank you for the two revivals. They have allowed me to awaken a new ability amidst life and death. At that moment, how I wished for time to slow down… Don't worry, I'll be gentler this time," Esdeath said after being revived again. She felt absolutely fantastic!
The her of now was not the her of before. She was a her who could stop time!
Although Esdeath had never used this ability before, she felt it should be more or less what she imagined.
Thanks to Chen Li's revival ability, Esdeath's stamina was refreshed, and she was back at her peak state. Otherwise, with insufficient stamina, she might not have been able to use the ability she had just developed.
You ask if Esdeath has enough mana? I, Esdeath, have been revived, so of course, my mana is full.
Then you ask about cooldowns? I, Esdeath, have already died once. What cooldowns could there be?
"So who are you going to choose?" Chen Li asked.
Esdeath said nothing, merely staring at Chen Li.
"Me? Are you sure?" Chen Li pointed at himself in disbelief.
"I challenge you, and you are not allowed to use your miraculous items. Your items are the only thing impressive about you."
"I'm not allowed to use my miraculous items?"
"That's right."
"Fine then." Chen Li cracked his knuckles and took off his Restraint Bracelet.
You're the one who said I couldn't use my miraculous items.
"Take this! The ability I comprehended between life and death! Mahapadma!"
Time and space fell into stillness. The ultimate power of cold froze time itself!
"One second has passed. In this domain where I have frozen time, no one can move but me!" With a victorious smile, Esdeath strode towards Chen Li with her long legs.
"Two seconds have passed. I am already by your side, and you are powerless." Esdeath's fingers gently touched Chen Li's cheek, then lightly lifted his chin.
"Three seconds have passed. Hmm, not bad. You have a rather likable face. Looking at you like this, you're not so annoying after all."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"You're welco—"
Swish! A sharp ice sword shot straight towards Chen Li, yet it couldn't harm him in the slightest.
Chen Li didn't block Esdeath's attack; the power of ice simply could no longer harm him.
"I forgot to tell you. As a transmigrator, I am immune to all abilities related to time, space, and fate. And eating the wings of an ice fairy has maxed out my ice resistance, which means ice can no longer harm me. My dear General Esdeath, I'll see you in 30 seconds. I look forward to your pledge of allegiance." Looking at the stunned Esdeath, a smile appeared on Chen Li's face, and in the sky above, a divine sword that blotted out the sun appeared.
"Taixu… Sword God!"
Esdeath vs. Taixu Sword God.
Taixu Sword God wins!
Today, Esdeath lost, utterly and completely!
---o---