Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 860 - 738: One Slash, 999?
After Aiven's "Aging" directive was issued, the spiral flies, who only had a mere 20 days of lifespan, were immediately sent on a fast track to death.
A total of seven doppelgangers rapidly met the decay of maggots due to continuous attacks from the Dragon-man and their sequential order of birth.
Even the doppelganger in front of Aiven, which had not been attacked at all, was inevitably decaying at a visibly rapid pace.
They had all seen animals or humans die of aging, but maggots dying of aging was truly novel. However... ugh! No one wanted a second look.
"You... you... demon!"
If it were a poison or curse entering the body, a Tier 4 Transcendent would have detected it instantly. But Aiven's molecular-scale attack had surpassed most Transcendents' understanding.
This was a frontier of human knowledge broken through by the Life Tree School, difficult to counteract without equal knowledge, leaving one vulnerable.
Nonetheless.
The crowned demon's doppelganger was only flustered for a brief moment before calming down and looking at Aiven with ridicule instead of fear: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"Your Majesty Galliot, you don't think my doppelgangers were just made, do you?
Even if you kill all my doppelgangers here, temporarily dropping me below Tier 4, I'll eventually recover and come back for you.
The power of thunder, a Shadow Dragon, inexplicable tracking abilities, cholera suppression techniques, some rapid personnel and equipment dispatching capabilities, gender modification abilities... very good, let's try again next time."
Clang!
Anita, quick-tempered, was about to draw her sword to finish off this arrogant fool.
Aiven stopped his sister with a raised eyebrow and gently stroked his faint stubble:
"Those skills too? A pro indeed. Alright, I gladly name you Gou the Saint!"
Snap—!
He snapped his fingers to summon his magic book "Flesh Sacrifice".
"But no matter how you struggle, it's useless. Just rest in peace.
Even if you've left doppelgangers elsewhere, as long as your Tier 4 main body temporarily vanishes, I can use the Personality suppression, leveraging the power of the Bloodline Curse to leave... none... alive!"
As the corpse of an insect disintegrated in the magic spiritual light, the ritual suddenly operated, and a blood-red virtual shadow of a gene double helix suddenly extended into the void.
Though still obfuscated by Tier 4's Personality, constantly drifting and feeling lost, the ritual was stabilizing over time.
At this rate, it wouldn't take long. Once these seven doppelgangers weakened significantly, or a few more died, the crowned demon "Corrupt Odorous Crawler" would really be done for.
Now.
Finally witnessing the magic that had wiped out Tier 2 Crawlers before, the crowned demon's mental defenses were completely shattered. Furiously shaking its face, already shedding layers of decayed bug corpses, it cried:
"No! No! No! You can't kill me! I am the only Divine Favored within the 'Gospel Church' beside the Pope.
There's a Positioning Divine Skill of the Main God in my body. If I die, the great 'God of Rotting Flies' will surely come personally, bringing harsh punishment upon the Galliot Duchy!"
Aiven sneered:
"Afraid of dying? Then what were you doing before? Besides..."
Clang—!
His waist-bound Celestial Balance Holy Sword spontaneously let out a crisp sword cry, already eager to act. However, it wasn't for immediately striking a demigod but for finally obtaining the shiny Golden Lion in Aiven's pocket.
That's just the nature of things!
Aiven had his own plans. With the Galliot Duchy's founding, a formidable presence was needed to deter foes.
Defeating Hilus' Invincible Fleet was on a mundane level; only with a demigod projection's sacrifice would they truly gain prestige in the Extraordinary World!
Demigods, especially the evil ones, were the ultimate "Gou the Saints".
Their worst deeds in the Material World relied on their lairs — the Sanctuaries, usually located at the nodes where Spiritual Power or Magic Element flows, serving as their most secure strongholds.
Creating a small world with permissions and divine power, interacting with the world's network, forming their terrestrial Divine Kingdom.
For instance, "Mother of Sea Monsters" Echet and "Black Sea Goddess" Hipponeo could easily have half the Black Sea's power as backup in their respective lairs, "Summers Trench" and "Eye of the Storm", well defended albeit lacking offense, but they serve as the best shelters for themselves.
As long as they remain in the Sanctuary, even the strongest angel under the "Queen and Goddess of Navigation" Belenus could do nothing against them.
The evil gods' Sanctuaries are kept highly secretive, with almost no survivors.
Moving them isn't like a mundane relocation. Unless taken by a True God to a safer Divine Kingdom, they're almost impossible to move again.
Let alone risking crossing the Black Sea for revenge on human territory; the most they could do is send a projection.
Conveniently, with he and his sister both advancing to Tier 4, but only one piece of Divinity from a divine descendant.
The Outdoors and Heart Image expressions aren't very different, although Aiven is the first Badge Knight, still exploring many abilities. The principle of Titled Sacred Artifacts isn't complex; replicating them shouldn't be difficult.
Therefore, Aiven wasn't afraid, instead feeling a slight anticipation, even with his Adventurer's Blood rushing. He looked down at the crowned demon's shrinking doppelganger which no longer needed assault:
"Hehe, don't you know that free players are actually just tools for the paying players?
One slash, 999! Even if your god dares to come out, I'll slash him all the same!"
At this moment, except for it, only three of the Shadow Dragon People were still holding on in the attack, and their aura had completely declined from Tier 4.
Then, Aiven unhesitatingly reached out and pressed down firmly on the ritual track.
"I curse..."
Boom——!
The words had barely left its mouth when it collapsed to the ground, breaking into a heap of grayish-white fly maggot corpses.
"Prepare for battle!"
Anita, Nymph, and Serra quickly surrounded Aiven, concentrating and standing guard. They wouldn't be intimidated by this deceitful demon, but neither would they dismiss its words as mere noise.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Suddenly.
Whoosh——
In the silent night of this desolate mountain area, a decaying spiritual wind gradually began to blow. From the pile of grayish-white fly maggot corpses on the ground, a cold dark green magic spiritual light diffused out, then shot skyward.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...
Subsequently, six more rays of spiritual light burst forth from the Shadow Realm and its cracks around them. Finally, the eighth came flying from the distant south, and the ninth from the depths of the Black Sea.
When they saw the eighth, their expression was "as expected," but upon seeing the ninth, they collectively turned to expressions of astonishment.
Together, they wove a gigantic "green fly" pattern in the sky, identical to the Holy Emblem of the "God of Rotting Flies."
"It's actually here? Get ready!"
The three ladies cooperated with the [Jade Coronet] for support, while Aiven himself drew the [Divine Artifact: Celestial Balance Holy Sword] to prepare for another burning.
Previously, they had received a ransom of 3.6 million from Hilus, and before that, 2.4 million as map copying fees and an interest-free loan from the Four Great Churches, totaling 6 million.
As for the transaction with the wizards led by Serra.
The "Holy Stone Council," far less wealthy than the Church, paid a small amount of gold, silver, some precious witchcraft materials, and the qualification of a council member, allowing free access to most of the books in the "Turin Grand Library."
However, to this wizard, Aiven, the latter's psychological value exceeded the former.
Fortunately, in the past two years.
The Mercury United Trading Company, Sekhmet Biomedical Company, Vulcan Metals Company, Hephaestus Ceramics Company, Coastal Railway Company, Long Island Development Bank... all possessed extraordinary profit-making capabilities.
Comprehensive tax revenue from the entire territory, combined with substantial high-grade precious metal minerals, the bio-metallurgical project of horsetail grass, and high-quality synthetic gemstones specifically produced, topping up a 2 million deficit from his private treasury was not a big deal.
Watching as the evil presence slowly revealed its form in the sky, its power radiating here through the [fly emblem] in the air.
Aiven already raised the [Celestial Balance Holy Sword] high, a huge illusory golden balance slowly appearing above his head.
However.
Buzzing... Buzzing... Buzzing...
When relying on the [True Name] and the Tier 4 personality, Aiven barely managed to withstand the onslaught of the Demigod Projection's "Mythical Form," catching a momentary glimpse of its shape, his expression changed dramatically:
"No! Everyone close your eyes, bow your heads!"
No one dared to refute at this point.
"Say nothing, ask nothing, Mei! Quickly send them away!"
As a surge of luminescent butterflies swept past, sending the three ladies and the [Jade Coronet] away, only Aiven remained, alone with his sword, facing the presence descending amid a piercing buzz.
Even though Aiven had closed his eyes.
Yet, faint buzzing still gradually resonated from within his body, each cell seemingly starting to vibrate, his entire being transforming into a breeding ground for flies, only to be forcibly suppressed by the [Creator's Blood].
The physical anomaly was the least of his concerns, as Aiven discreetly placed in his mouth a Moonstone processed by Olivia, capable of reversing out-of-control states, and then, somewhat indistinctly, spoke urgently to the divine sword in his hand:
"Big... Brother, do you accept gold mines?"
Upon receiving an affirmative answer.
The very next moment, a great amount of golden liquid surged from the ground, landing on one side of the illusory balance, as the large gold mine belonging to Aiven was directly drained by it.
Fierce power began to roar along the blade, but Aiven felt no sense of security.
Replaying the vision he had just glimpsed in his mind, it was a strange image, both holy and depraved, bearing two pairs of membranous wings on its back and a halo above its head, evoking a furious roar from deep within:
"Damn it, what's happening here? Where's the promised 'Projection of the God of Rotting Flies'? Instead, what's descending is a real living fly... angel?!!"
