The Council of Scorched Earth was located outside of all realms, in the void.

Viewed from afar, it looked like nothing more than a small, desolate, rocky island floating in space.

But this island had no exits, no entrances...

At least, in this universe, there was no physical way to reach this place.

However... there were some special beings who could come here through special means.

On this day, two archangels, four knights, two demons, and one demigod gathered here.

"I don't understand... why we have to waste time here with these filthy devils." At this time, Tominions, one of the archangels, was pacing anxiously, complaining to his fellow angel.

"Watch your words, my brother," Uriel, the other archangel, said in a deep voice. "In the Council of Scorched Earth, even holy spirits must maintain proper humility."

"Well said, Uriel, you really should discipline your little brother who just reincarnated from the Undersea." Vincent, who was standing a few meters away chatting with Woody, turned his head maliciously and interjected, "If he keeps talking nonsense like that... he might get his feathers plucked again and thrown back into the sea."

Before he finished speaking, Woody beside him let out a lewd "hehehe" laugh, and cast a malicious glance at the two angels.

"Hmph..." Uriel was not intimidated by the words of the two devils. He snorted coldly and replied, "...It's not up to you to teach me how to do things. Also... please don't eavesdrop on our conversation anymore."

"Eavesdrop?" Vincent smiled. "He's talking so loudly... is it my fault?"

"Am I wrong?" Tominions responded provocatively, showing no fear.

Two seconds after he finished speaking, Vincent suddenly put on an anxious expression, paced back and forth pretentiously, then looked up and said to Woody in a complaining tone, "I don't understand... why we have to waste our breath here with these idiot angels?"

"Hehehe... watch your words, bastard," Woody replied with a smile. "In the Council of Scorched Earth, even devils must maintain proper integrity."

These two guys were indeed the most shameless and tacitly cooperative pair among the "Four Scoundrels of Hell." These two impromptu imitations... their acting was seamless, and their lines were brilliantly simple. Without any rehearsal, they made an appropriate satire based entirely on instant reaction.

"I've long heard that you two have the most vile tongues in hell. It seems today... your reputation is well-deserved," Tominions retorted with sarcasm.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Hehehe... thank you for the compliment."

Faced with the other party's obvious cursing, the two guys were not ashamed but proud, accepting it with a smile.

"Ha... good, keep arguing, it's best to fight... fight until you're both wounded and die together." The knight "War," who was watching the confrontation from afar, smiled excitedly.

"Brother War, what kind of grudge do you have..." Mr. You wiped his bald head with a handkerchief, adding with a sweaty expression, "I was bullied by them so badly back then, but I didn't..."

"Enough nonsense!" War didn't let Fatty You finish speaking, and shouted loudly, "What's so great about your personal grudges?" He quickly counted on his fingers, "Think about our situation... the 'Day of Judgment' has been over for more than half a century, and none of the seals have been broken; the original 'Candidate Game' has been turned into an online entertainment activity..." He pointed to Vincent and Woody, "These are all caused by the Four Scoundrels!" He seemed very irritable, "What's next? Are we, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, going to form a heavy metal band and release an album in the human world or something?"

"Uh... cough... cough..." Plague Young Master interjected at this time, "I declare in advance... I can't be the lead singer."

"Sing your ass! Do you understand sarcasm?" War immediately turned his head and roared, "You don't really want to go, do you!"

"War..." At this time, "Death," the eldest of the Four Knights, also spoke, "As Plague's elder, I solemnly warn you... you better be careful when using the word 'elder' to Plague in the future, otherwise I will 'replace' you."

"Yes, I was wrong." The next second, War instantly put on a poker face and respectfully admitted his mistake.

"Your emotional transition is a bit too fast..." Seeing this scene, even Mr. You couldn't help but complain.

"Sigh... a bunch of idiots..." The only female knight present, "Famine," was too lazy to pay attention to the bunch of guys, and stood alone in the distance, shaking her head and sighing.

Just as these nine people were talking, suddenly... several figures appeared abruptly in front of the desolate rock round table at a high place.

"Oh? Finally here..." Vincent turned his head and looked over, "The Council of Scorched Earth..."

"Hehehe... always arriving late..." Woody laughed.

Except for these two guys with their loose mouths, the other seven did not comment on the arrival of the council, but changed to a solemn expression and looked at the round table.

"Everyone..." Before long, those figures neatly uttered the same voice, "We have asked you to come here this time because we have something to tell you..."

"Hehe... if it's just one thing, wouldn't it be better to send an email?" Woody interjected with a smile.

The voice of the council ignored him and continued, "According to our observations during this period, whether they are present or not... all the 'bettors' have interfered with this 'Candidate Game' to a certain extent improperly. Although Simon has done his best to stop your violations, the impact of some 'small actions' is still playing a role."

"Tsk... despicable."

"Hmph... shameless."

Vincent and Woody turned their heads to look at the other seven, revealing a look of contempt.

"You two are also in the category of 'everyone'! What are you so arrogant about!" War really wanted to slap these two shameless guys, but it was not convenient to do so.

Several seconds later, the voice of the council continued, "Therefore, the council has decided... to completely eliminate these influences through this second 'Peak Showdown' and return this 'Candidate Game' to a fair situation."

"Then what does the council plan to do specifically?" Uriel asked immediately.

"First, the behavior of all bettors entering Thrill Land and its connected spaces will be prohibited," the voice of the council continued.

"Hehehe... not even me?" Woody asked with a smile, "I'm the boss and chief game designer of Dream Company, routine maintenance and inspection, etc..."

"No." The voice of the council interrupted Woody's words decisively and gave a clear answer.

"Tsk..." Woody spat unhappily, "Okay."

"Secondly..." The voice of the council continued, "...From the second stage of Peak Showdown S2, the rules will be set by the council." They paused, "Woody, you will cooperate with us to execute them."

"Okay~ you can do whatever you want..." Woody had clearly shown an impatient attitude.

"Thirdly... all information except the above two items... cannot be disclosed." The voice of the council continued, "Okay... thank you for taking the trouble to come here, please convey these words to the other bettors as soon as possible." Having said that, they seemed to want to leave.

"Wait!" At this time, Tominions suddenly opened his mouth and said, "You only said 'all bettors are prohibited from entering', but what if the bettors instigate those high-level beings who have not bet to enter the game?" While asking, he glared at Vincent and Woody, obviously, this archangel thought of the tricks those devils might play at the first time.

"Tominions..." The voice of the council, like a choir, could always maintain the uniformity of its tone. At this time, they asked in unison in a strange tone, "Don't forget... there are referees."

Hearing this, Tominions' expression froze slightly.

"If the situation you mentioned really happens, then..." The voice of the council continued, "Simon will undoubtedly use the simplest and most direct method to deal with these 'problems'."