Chapter 875: The Scepter’s Defiance

“Come back…”

The moment the God’s Scepter burst from his body like a living being, it soared straight toward the distant Doll. The Cangzhang Sect member even flinched, then roared in a fierce tone as endless black chains erupted from within, clattering as they spanned the sky, coiling around the Scepter one link at a time before pulling it back with all their might.

At that moment, the most powerful mental impact in history was halted—even the God’s Scepter nearly ‘betrayed’ its master. The Cangzhang Sect member lost all ambition in an instant, too terrified to even care about his fall from grace; he only thought of retreat.

Of course, the Scepter had to be reclaimed and taken away.

“Huh?”

But at the same time, the Doll sensed the presence of the God’s Scepter.

Curious, she looked up at the Scepter that was flying toward her, entangled in chains.

In her perception, it resembled a living creature.

Just like an adorable kitten, it scampered toward her with a high-pitched, playful energy.

But it was snatched by a firm, large hand, preventing it from getting close.

Naturally, the Doll gently raised her palm and the surrounding mental energy began to stir—as if countless stars were falling from the sky—transforming everything around her into a dazzling expanse, while strands of white chains floated gracefully in the starlight, reaching out to intercept the incoming Scepter.

Black and white chains, two diametrically opposed forces, simultaneously ensnared the Scepter.

It was like a tug-of-war, suspending the Scepter in midair.

At that moment, the Cangzhang Sect member’s eyes burned with an intense ferocity as he glared fiercely toward the distant, unrealistically beautiful girl.

No words could describe the rage boiling in his heart.

He had suffered losses at the hands of the Keeper of Fate, the Tyrant, and even the King of the Night.

But this was different.

For the first time, an ordinary mortal had dared to challenge his authority on equal footing.

……

……

“Huh…?”

“Hahahahaha…”

At the same time, Father—who had barely escaped the terrifying impact of the God’s Scepter—suddenly witnessed this completely unexpected scene. He paused for a moment before breaking into hearty laughter.

Amid his laughter, the night returned to the sky, and a chilling mental force filled the entire battlefield.

Amid the rolling darkness, his mask of gleaming metal shone intermittently. Suddenly, like a massive shark speeding through a dark sea, he surged forward. In a blink, enveloped by an overwhelming force, he barreled past the shattered minds scattered across the wasteland and charged right at the Cangzhang Sect member, his giant hand forcefully driving into the latter’s body.

“This isn’t good…”

The Cangzhang Sect member’s mind raced violently—outraged and stunned.

He didn’t want to relinquish the Scepter, so even now he held on tightly.

In an instant, his attention snapped toward the Pale Hand and the Dark Queen.

At that moment, both the Pale Hand and the Dark Queen clearly had the chance to help him fend off the King of the Night.

If they could block the assault, he could reclaim the Scepter and avoid a complete defeat.

But unexpectedly, as the King of the Night lunged forward with ruthless force, the Pale Hand only twitched. Just as it was about to emerge from someone’s concealed mental world, it caught sight of the ferocious glare beneath the King’s metallic mask. In a heartbeat, panic gripped its mind and it recoiled even further, clinging to its bare wrists as it hid deep within that inner realm.

Meanwhile, the Dark Queen had retreated to the edge of the battlefield, disoriented and muttering to herself.

She clearly showed no intention to intervene.

Thus, a scene that would never occur on this higher-level battlefield unfolded.

Facing the King of the Night’s onslaught, the Cangzhang Sect member acted like a fool—making a mistake only an ordinary person would make. Even when danger threatened his very being, he stubbornly clung to the God’s Scepter, allowing the terrifying force to seize him.

“Pfft…”

His body was pierced through as the rolling darkness engulfed him.

At that very moment, his mental energy plunged into utter chaos as the chains clattered to the ground.

Meanwhile, the God’s Scepter was gracefully pulled back by the white chains, landing in the Doll’s hand.

The Doll curiously examined the Scepter, feeling its lightness and lively aura, as well as its affinity for her. As her palm gently caressed the Scepter’s surface, the once-dark, cold, and sinister artifact transformed into something radiant and exquisite, its golden filigree patterns flowing across its surface and merging with the starlight that surrounded her.

“Whew…”

An unseen breeze sent the umbrella in her hand soaring into the air.

The starlight swirled around, cascading onto the umbrella’s canopy like scattered gems.

The God’s Scepter then merged, replacing the umbrella’s handle.

A new umbrella appeared beside the Doll, as if held by an invisible hand. It almost seemed as though the umbrella possessed its own consciousness—joyfully circling around the Doll, its shimmering mental energy wrapping around her.

Soon, more streams of mental energy, like slender threads, began to spiral outward into the distance.

The Heaven’s Kingdom Plan of Qinggang was already well underway, centering on the Doll and enveloping vast regions of the world.

This field of energy blocked the eerie third descent from approaching any closer.

But due to the arrival of the Ultimate, several massive fissures ruptured in the Doll’s field.

For a time, the Knights in the distance could no longer sense the Doll’s presence.

Yet at that moment, the psychic threads quickly extended outward, mending those huge rifts.

Not only was the field restoring itself, but even stronger mental power began to flow like water, covering the cracks.

……

……

“This is…”

In the Mental Power Research Base, Professor Bai and the Researchers who had stubbornly stood before the Doll’s Mind Palace suddenly lost all their power just as the mental impact nearly reached them. They collapsed to the ground, only to discover moments later that they weren’t injured nor reduced to idiots by the impact. Their joy and excitement were palpable.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, they scrambled to their feet while exclaiming:

“What’s happening?”

“Did we succeed?”

“What’s the situation now?”

“…Huh? Why are your pants wet?”

“…”

“We did it…”

Professor Bai gently patted his weakened leg. His face was calm yet overjoyed as he absorbed the intangible joy and beauty permeating the air, gazing at the resplendent starlight sprinkled over the night. He exhaled a deep breath.

If one had to describe his feelings at that moment, it was sheer pride.

A pride so immense it could not be hidden.

“Old Bai…”

Beside him, Mr. Su grabbed a Soldier’s rifle stock with all his might, hoisting himself up.

His voice trembling, he asked, “W-what is going on here?”

“We succeeded…”

Professor Bai murmured, “A new Ultimate has emerged. The second phase of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan is complete.”

“Our Doll has become the Ultimate…”

“…”

“Then…”

Mr. Su instinctively showed a look of surprise, but after a moment of thought, a hint of panic crept in: “So, she…”

“What type is she…”

“…”

“You should be asking about her true name or authority, but considering you’re not a specialist… never mind.”

Professor Bai shook his head, sighed deeply, and absorbed the gentle shimmer of light that drifted through the air along with the comforting mental resonance. He whispered, “The Doll hasn’t become a new Sword-Bearer or a new Cangzhang Sect member. What you and I are experiencing is her authority—a positive and beautiful form of mental energy…”

“If I had to define her trait, I’d start from within her heart…”

“…Protection!”

“…”

As he spoke, he slowly spread his hands and said, “It is the beauty within one’s heart that needs protecting.”

“Protection brings a sense of security to life…”

“…”

At that moment, his lips twitched ever so slightly, as if he had one more thing to say, but he held it back.

Perhaps, deep down, she still yearned to protect someone…

But that couldn’t be uttered now.

Everyone was busy saving the world—there was no time to air personal affections.

As he thought this, a smile crept onto his face.

“The success of the second phase of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan means that our promise to the Single Soldiers finally has a clear answer.”

“Maybe the Nothingness can indeed be overcome!”

……

……

“Hahahaha…”

At the moment when the Cangzhang Sect member was shattered and consumed, and both the Pale Hand and the Dark Queen suffered heavy blows and fled, far off in the West, inside the laboratory of the First Researcher, clues were received immediately. The Black-clad Bishop sprang to his feet, his face contorting like writhing worms, veins bulging in his neck as he roared hysterically, “How can this be?”

“This is impossible…”

“The Tyrant hasn’t even returned to Qinggang; how could all four Ultimates fail?”

“…”

“Sigh…”

Opposite him, the First Chief Researcher lowered his head in regret, “Perhaps it wasn’t entirely unexpected… This was our final plan. As with any plan, there are both successes and failures…”

“The Cangzhang Sect member and the Pale Hand had already suffered heavy blows. Without the chance to stabilize in reality, without a fixed anchor or their own domain—and as for the Dark Queen—we did help her build a domain, but we all knew she had rebellious feelings deep down. Coupled with the return of the King of the Night, the intervention of the Fire-Thief, the emergence of a new Ultimate…”

“…”

After a brief pause, he could only resignly sigh, “Disperse….”

“Let everyone leave. We have lost all hope…”

“…”

“This shouldn’t have happened… it shouldn’t have…”

The Black-clad Bishop clearly couldn’t accept this reality so lightly. His frustration turned to mania as he hoarsely shouted, grabbing a notebook and a cup from the table and hurling them against the wall, “Why does fear side with the Tyrant? He was supposed to be his mortal enemy! As soon as he got the chance, he should have struck back—why is the Fire-Thief helping too…?”

“Why?”

“Why did they all choose anger over our reliable, assured plan?”

“Anger… the Tyrant only knows anger. But anger solves nothing…”

“…”

“…Perhaps anger really does solve nothing…”

As the people of Qinggang basked in the newfound sense of security and happiness brought by the new Ultimate, the Black-clad Bishop sank into hysterical despair while, in the northwest of this world, at the edge of an abandoned small town, an old railcar, battered by rust, sat with a dark-red train on it. Atop the train, Lu Xin clenched a cigarette between his fingers as he silently gazed at the night sky.

He seemed lost in thought, yet it was as if the night sky revealed everything he yearned to know.

Was it some sort of instinct?

He had begun to approach the origin, using the primordial power to absorb the Unique Consciousness. His perception of mental energy had grown increasingly refined. All he had to do was sit quietly at the front of the train to observe and listen to the world…

Thus, everything he wished to see would fall before his eyes.

And every sound he desired would enter his ears.

For instance, the Doll who had become the new Ultimate and nearly been driven to tears by Father.

Or the forlorn Dark Queen and the hasty Pale Hand…

Or even the enraged Black-clad Bishop, roaring as if questioning everything.

Except for the far south of the Chaos Zone, where an invisible mental force shrouds all sight and sound so completely that it prevents anyone from quickly finding the location of the Old Director.

But regardless…

A slight smile tugged at Lu Xin’s lips—he was amused by seeing the enemy enraged.

After that smile, his resolve hardened.

Now that a decision had been made, there was no room for haste.

Everything must proceed according to plan.

Qinggang had already fulfilled its mission; there was no need to stick around any longer.

With that thought, he quietly stood, pinched the cigarette butt, tossed it from the train, and let out a long sigh.

“But anger can fix people’s problems…”

“…”

His murmuring stirred the pervasive mental energy that connected the world.

It reached the ears of the Black-clad Bishop and the First Chief Researcher.

Then Lu Xin looked westward, nodded subtly, and glanced back inside the train, where everyone from the Tyrant Squad was acutely aware that Qinggang was facing an unprecedented challenge. Thus, each of them was intensely serious…

…They were even arguing over whether to contribute higher tribute points or lower ones with the advanced cards—especially the Vice-captain, whose face turned red from the commotion.

Helplessly shaking his head, Lu Xin turned to the only team member who had always followed his orders—the Ghost Train—and said:

“The troubling matter has reached its conclusion.”

“Qinggang has completed its part by properly entertaining the four guests.”

“Now it’s our turn to pay them a visit…”