The aftermath of the missile bombardment had yet to fully subside; the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and the charred smell of purification.
Inside the forward base on the eastern edge of the Town of Murmurs, the atmosphere was solemn and resolute.
Rover looked at Augusta. His golden eyes reflected the silent, massive construct in the center of the distant basin—the Earth-Piercing Wedge.
"It's time."
Augusta took a deep breath, flames of determination burning in her crimson eyes. She nodded heavily: "Let's go. Let's end this."
Leaving Bu Ling and the Black Shores technical personnel to keep the base running, Rover, Augusta, and a few of the most elite gladiators swiftly passed through the canyon pass like arrows loosed from a string, charging toward the final basin shrouded by the Black Tide.
Inside the basin, the terrain was expansive yet abnormally silent. Black crystal clusters stood like a forest of tombstones, and the air was permeated with Lament energy so viscous it was almost suffocating.
The massive base of the Earth-Piercing Wedge sat right in the center of the basin. Like a monument entwined by giant pythons, it silently narrated its past glory and its current downfall.
According to ancient prophecy and tradition, the coronation of the Hero King required an open and honorable gladiatorial duel, one sufficient to inspire all the living.
Augusta stopped in her tracks and turned to face Rover. The greatsword in her hand pointed diagonally toward the ground, lightning dancing along its edge.
"Rover! According to the prophecy passed down in the Seven Hills since ancient times: Here, I, Augusta, in my capacity as the current Governor and Quasi-King, issue a challenge to you!"
Her voice was clear and resolute, echoing through the dead basin: "This battle is not only to verify each other's caliber, but also to gather the wishes of all living beings and awaken the power of slumbering heroic spirits!"
"The victor shall bring hope to the Seven Hills and be crowned as the true Hero King!"
Rover looked at her quietly, understanding that this was not merely a morale-boosting ritual, but a necessary step to fulfill the ancient prophecy.
The Tacet Mark on his hand flickered as he slowly drew the Blood Oath Covenant. He lightly dipped the tip of the sword in response: "As you wish, Augusta. I accept this battle."
Without any superfluous words, the battle erupted instantly.
Augusta, like crimson thunder, took the lead to launch a fierce attack.
Carrying the momentum of a falling mountain, her greatsword tore through the air, slashing at Rover with ear-piercing thunder.
Her sword techniques were expansive and aggressive, filled with the wildness and power of a gladiator. Every strike was enough to cleave through solid rock.
Rover's silhouette flickered like a phantom, accurately parrying, deflecting force, and counterattacking.
His swordsmanship was not as overbearing and ferocious as Augusta's, but it was far more exquisitely profound. Every parry was just right; every counterattack aimed straight for vital points, as if he could anticipate all of Augusta's movements.
The power of Aero made his footwork elegant, while the power of Spectro occasionally flashed, distorting the light to create momentary openings.
The sound of blades clashing was like a sudden downpour beating against plantain leaves—dense and intense.
Lightning and cyan shockwaves constantly collided and exploded, plowing deep trenches into the surrounding ground.
Augusta had given it her all, pushing her combat skills and Resonance power to their absolute limits, an unyielding fighting spirit burning in her crimson eyes.
She was a powerful warrior, worthy of the title Quasi-King.
However, the strength of the Rover she was facing was bottomless.
After yet another exquisite parry that deflected her greatsword, his sword tip pierced through Augusta's defense like a venomous snake, stopping lightly just an inch in front of her throat.
All movement abruptly ceased.
Augusta's breathing was somewhat ragged, sweat sliding down her cheeks.
She looked at the faintly glowing sword tip so close at hand, then at Rover's placid golden eyes. Finally, she slowly lowered the greatsword in her hands.
"...I've lost." Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but mostly relief and acknowledgment. "You are worthy of the title Hero King, Rover."
The gladiators present held their breath, witnessing this historic moment.
The prophecy seemed about to be fulfilled; the Hero King was to be born today!
However, right at this moment—
An anomaly abruptly occurred!
An icy, viscous will brimming with endless malice swept over the entire basin instantly like an invisible tide.
This was not a physical attack, but a terrifying invasion acting directly on the mind—the "whisper" of the Divine King.
"Heh... Hero King? Just with the likes of you... do you deserve it?!"
A twisted, overlapping, eerie voice—as if formed from the convergence of ten million wailing people—rang out directly in everyone's minds.
The one to bear the brunt of it was Augusta, who had just experienced a fierce battle and whose mind was slightly relaxed.
Her body suddenly stiffened, and her crimson eyes were instantly covered by murky darkness.
Her expression twisted, filled with pain and struggle, but soon, that struggle was completely replaced by absolute coldness and madness.
"Urrrrgghhhh—!"
She let out a roar that did not sound human. The greatsword in her hand was raised once again, but this time, what entwined it was no longer blazing lightning, but foul, devastating Black Tide energy.
She had been completely mind-controlled. The Divine King had used the emotional fluctuations in her heart and the mental gap following her intense battle as a breakthrough point, turning her into its puppet.
"Augusta!" Rover's expression changed, and he hurriedly retreated.
But the controlled Augusta was already pouncing again, her attacks even more crazed and reckless than before.
Her sword strikes completely abandoned defense; every hit aimed for vital points, seeking mutual destruction.
Rover was forced to fight back, but he was holding back out of fear of severely injuring or even killing Augusta. He could only focus on dodging and parrying, and for a moment, he was actually forced to retreat continuously, the situation turning perilous.
Even more terrifying was that, as the two engaged in this forced, intense battle, the massive energy fluctuations escaping from them acted like the most delicious bait, frantically devoured and absorbed by a greedy entity deep within the basin.
"Not enough... still not enough... MORE! More conflict! More despair!"
The Divine King's whisper rang out again, filled with pleasure and craving.
It was using their battle to recover and empower itself.
Its aura climbed frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye. The concentration of the Black Tide in the center of the basin rose sharply, even beginning to condense into solid-like tentacles.
A terrifying Divine King in its complete form, unprecedented in scale, seemed about to descend.
"Bu Ling!"
While arduously dealing with Augusta's stormy attacks, Rover roared into the communicator, "Lock onto the Divine King, lock onto it! Manifest it immediately! We can't let it absorb any more!"
From the other end of the comms came Bu Ling's extremely anxious voice, almost tinged with tears: "Boss! I can't do it! The Directional Anchors and our manifestation devices are at maximum power! But the frequency is wrong! Completely wrong!"
"Its core frequency is shifting violently, becoming... becoming incredibly chaotic and powerful! We can't capture a stable signal, we can't lock on! We can't manifest it!"
The Black Shores technical personnel were also frantically shouting in the background: "Frequency interference is too strong! All parameters are jumping! Supercomputing system is overloaded, unable to calculate specific coordinates! Unable to complete the manifestation ritual!"
No matter how hard they tried, the technological devices that were supposed to be effective at the critical moment had actually failed before this false god that was evolving madly and whose energy was in utter chaos.
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