Chapter 149 The Eye of Destruction

“What an impressive Azure Dragon Crescent Blade…” As Shiva landed, the wound on his shoulder had already healed. He had also retracted [Rot Mist Remnant Sky] into his knapsack.

“Tch… So you used [Guts] at the brink of death, huh…” Feng Bujue also descended from the sky and said, turning his head, “Too bad… While that move can stop injuries and restore health, it can’t regenerate lost limbs…”

“Hmph…” Shiva sneered and replied, “Since you can fight with a missing leg, then I can fight with a missing arm.”

“Speaking of my leg… Hehe…” As Feng Bujue chuckled, the light phenomenon on his leg disappeared, “It seems to have recovered.”

Shiva's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, “So that damage was only temporary…”

“Hehe… It wasn’t damage at all,” Feng Bujue responded with a smile. “It was just a side effect of me using [Rewrite].”

“Rewrite?” Shiva repeated the word, frowning as he asked, “Is that… what you call ‘Second-Order Soul Power’?”

“That’s right…” Feng Bujue continued, “But to be honest, it’s a very difficult and extremely dangerous ability to use. At least in this battle, I don’t plan on using it again.”

“Oh? Why don’t you explain it in detail…” Shiva tried to fish for information, “What makes this ability so difficult to use? And what makes it so dangerous?”

“I don’t want to explain that to you,” Feng Bujue would never reveal such core information easily. He dodged the question and mocked, “Lest you be so devastated that you rage-quit your account.”

“Hmph…” Shiva snorted. “Every time we talk about substantial information, you just beat around the bush…” He also laughed. “Heh… But even if you don’t say it, I’ve already deduced seven or eight tenths of it…” He paused for half a second, then continued, “Judging from the actual effect, your first use of ‘Rewrite’ instantly dispelled the effects of [Atonement] and [Weightless Contact] on you, but it also turned your leg into a stream of uncontrolled data light. So, can I assume…” He looked directly into Feng Bujue’s eyes and probed, “That the true nature of this ability is—’to reorganize your own data to a certain extent’; that’s why you were able to get rid of those two peculiar states, which had different origins, characteristics, and durations. As for the condition of your leg… it’s probably because you’re not yet skilled enough to use this ability, resulting in that part of the data not being correctly arranged during the reorganization.”

“Oh?” Feng Bujue raised an eyebrow. “Impressive. To deduce this much with such limited information.”

“You flatter me… I’ve done my homework too,” Shiva replied frankly. “Based on what you said before you beat me in Gotham City, and my research on you since then… I can basically confirm that your First-Order Soul Power is a kind of ‘ability to perform super-precise calculations on large amounts of data in a very short time and implement corresponding countermeasures.’” He paused. “And based on your various performances in this battle, I can also conclude… that you are someone who can ‘observe Thriller Paradise from a data level.’”

“Judging by your tone, it sounds like you can too?” Hearing this, Feng Bujue also made a probe.

“Heh… I wish I could, but I can’t,” Shiva said with a wry smile. “I learned about this ability from [Devouring Ghost Xiao]. I believe… he wasn’t just talking nonsense.” He quickly brought the topic back. “So… when you said the word ‘Rewrite,’ a flash of inspiration immediately struck my mind; various known information and speculations about you instantly combined into a complete puzzle… Several mysteries that had always shrouded you were thus solved.”

As Shiva spoke, he raised his remaining right arm and extended two fingers, “The two cornerstones of your [Rewrite] are precisely the two extraordinary abilities you possess… ultra-high-speed calculation ability and the ability to see through data. Without these two things, [Rewrite] would be impossible…” He then brought his two fingers together and pointed at Feng Bujue’s leg, “If I’m not mistaken, you were also single-mindedly rewriting the code on your leg while controlling Mason to fight me… and only just now managed to complete the repair work.”

Clap clap clap clap…

Feng Bujue applauded for Shiva, “Very good, very good~” His tone was delighted, his expression infuriating, striking a pose like a teacher praising a student, “I didn’t expect… that Shiva, known for his martial prowess, would also be extraordinary in terms of ‘intelligence.’”

“Likewise…” Shiva replied coldly. “You, a guy known for your cunning, treachery, madness, and unpredictability… are actually superior to many strong fighters in terms of ‘martial arts’… That’s what’s truly chilling…”

The two of them fell into silence at this point.

Next, came the stillness, the confrontation.

They both understood that the moment to determine the winner… had arrived.

Boom—

After the stalemate, killing intent suddenly appeared.

Using Moonwalk, a crimson shadow came forth.

Feng Bujue chose to advance straight ahead, launching the first attack. Mason’s summoning time hadn’t expired, and he still had an absolute advantage in close combat.

On Shiva’s side, with only one arm remaining, he could no longer freely use long weapons like [Rot Mist Remnant Sky]. Trying to directly resist this wave of attacks would undoubtedly be very difficult.

However… he didn’t retreat a single step, as if he was waiting for Feng Bujue to approach.

Twenty steps… fifteen steps… ten steps…

In those short two seconds, Feng Bujue rushed straight forward at an astonishing speed, arriving at a distance where Shiva felt he could make his move.

Shh—

At this moment, the beam of light from the Eye of Destruction once again erupted from Shiva’s third eye on his forehead. Like last time, the beam was launched without warning, and its speed was extremely fast.

But this time, the result… was different from last time.

“What?” Shiva's dynamic vision was excellent, but at the instant the beam was fired, Feng Bujue’s figure suddenly disappeared from his sight, and Mason’s golden giant shadow also vanished without a trace.

“Dodged it?” Shiva’s first reaction was lightning fast. “Where?” His eyes moved rapidly, searching for Feng Bujue’s figure around him.

But… before he could find his target, a kitchen knife had already deeply pierced his back.

“Sorry, your intentions… have long been in my grasp.” The next second, Feng Bujue’s voice rang out from behind Shiva. “I knew… that you were telling me so much just to wait for the second beam of the [Eye of Destruction] to be ready.” He smiled. “Heh… so I’ll cooperate with you and create the best launch opportunity for you, and then…” As he spoke, he pushed the knife forward a bit more, “…send you on your way.”

“You…” Shiva’s inner monologue was— “You’re such a schemer.”

But he only managed to say one word before turning into white light.

[Current mission completed, all main missions completed]

[You have completed this scenario, automatic teleportation in 60 seconds]

The system prompt immediately rang in Feng Bujue’s ears, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew…” He sat down on the ground, exhausted, and sheathed the [Must-Break Defense Blade], “…Close… That was really close.” He said to himself, “If I hadn’t deliberately sold him a fatal flaw… he might not have used the [Eye of Destruction] and used [Annihilation] instead…”

In fact, when Jue-ge was first struck by the beam from the [Eye of Destruction], he had already planned this killing game.

At that time… Feng Bujue quickly reached into his knapsack while falling and activated the [Like a Forest] effect, which repaired the wound on his chest. However, the cooldown time for the Forest Jewel was as long as twenty-four hours, and Jue-ge couldn’t guarantee where the opponent’s second beam would hit… If it hit the head directly, it would mean instant death.

Even so, Feng Bujue boldly bet the key to victory on the opponent’s second destructive beam.

After several back-and-forth exchanges, Feng Bujue deliberately gave the opponent an excellent opportunity to kill him and took a huge risk to meet it head-on.

Victory or defeat all depended on that instant.

If Feng Bujue misjudged the firing time, he would definitely die on the spot; if Shiva didn’t use the Eye of Destruction to respond but chose to continue to maneuver and use the effects of the Stone Disc of Annihilation to determine the winner, then Feng Bujue would probably lose.

For Jue-ge to win, there was only one in ten thousand chance… He had to activate the [Swift as Wind] effect the moment the beam was fired, drawing out his extreme speed to perform a directional warp, while also dismissing Mason… Only in this way could his movements suddenly and completely disappear from the opponent’s sight.

Only in this way would he have a chance… to perform a backstab within the short one or two seconds before Shiva’s brain could react, and end the battle with one strike.

“Without using the razor and the Blood Corpse God, it’s still a bit difficult after all.” After sitting on the ground for more than ten seconds, Feng Bujue supported his forehead with one hand, seemingly to relieve a headache, “The burden and risk of using Rewrite are also much greater than I imagined…” He smiled wryly, followed by a sigh, “Alas… I still need to become stronger…”

…………

Fifteen minutes later, in the Gods’ high-level conference room.

“Boss? How did it go?” Brahma couldn’t wait to ask Shiva as soon as he saw him.

“Heh… Judging by the expression, he lost again, huh?” Vishnu said with a smile.

Shiva shook his head, walked to the conference table, and said in a deep voice to the four people present besides himself, “That’s right, I lost again.”

“Is Mad Not-Yet-Dead… really that strong?” Yama looked at Shiva, his face showing doubt.

“Very strong.” Shiva replied, “At least judging from the current result, he is stronger than me… isn’t he?” The tone he used when saying this sentence still carried some regret, obviously not yet having emerged from the emotion of defeat.

“Boss, could it be that you were ambushed by him using some kind of trick?” Brahma asked.

“No.” Shiva replied, “He just used tactics properly and ended the battle before I could use all my trump cards.”

“So… you’re still stronger than him, Boss,” Brahma replied.

“How strong a player is… is not about what kind of equipment, skills, and abilities they have…” At this time, the fifth person sitting at the conference table spoke, “But about who they can win against.” His gaze swept across the faces of the others, “Today… he defeated the number one expert of our Gods, so he is a man stronger than the number one of our Gods. No matter what you think… that’s what I think.”

This young man, who spoke with a distinct chuunibyou (middle-schooler syndrome) vibe, had the game nickname—[Asura]. He was a rising star player secretly cultivated by the Gods Studio after the end of the S1 competition.

From the time he created his account, Asura had only ever queued with colleagues within the studio, or simply solo queued. His ID was already reserved by the studio, and his related information in reality had never been made public on the Gods’ official website.

It wasn’t until the start of this S2 preliminary round that Asura’s ID entered the public’s view, because… his name was prominently displayed on the [Gods First Team] roster. Of course, so far, he had been in the substitute position and had never played. How strong his actual combat power was, only a few of the Gods’ higher-ups knew.

However, many rumors were already circulating… that this underage genius player was the secret weapon that the Gods were cultivating to win the S2 championship. As a mysterious character with no information available, he would undoubtedly play a trump card role in the later stages of the competition, which were based on intelligence warfare…

At this stage, other game studios had indeed set their sights on this kid, and they had all spread out intelligence networks, wanting to find some players who had queued with Asura to inquire about the person’s basic information. However… the Gods’ secrecy work this time was done very properly, and it was likely that external people would be wasting their time no matter how much they inquired.

“Hey~ Boss, your nephew really doesn’t save any face for you at all, huh?” Brahma even smiled and said this to Shiva after hearing Asura’s remarks.

“I’ll reiterate one more time…” Shiva shook his head, supporting his forehead, “He’s my younger cousin… I’m not even thirty years old this year, don’t make me an elder for no reason.”

“Alright, alright~ You’re forever twenty-five.” Brahma shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner.

“And… I say, Little Xiu…” Shiva stretched out his voice, looking at his younger cousin and saying, “You’re already seventeen years old this year, it’s about time you graduated from chuunibyou… ‘That man’ and other such nicknames…”

“Stop nagging… I just talk in this style,” Little Xiu pouted, replying with a look of dissatisfaction.

“That style is called chuunibyou,” Yama turned his head and made a brief comment.

“Eh?” Little Xiu instantly made an awkward face, speechless.

“The fact that you have difficulty communicating with women also fits the chuunibyou setting…” Vishnu maliciously stabbed Asura in the side.

“Isn’t it just limited to young and beautiful women? There shouldn’t be any problems with those under ten or over fifty, or even dinosaurs, right?” Yama seriously continued.

“You’re just trying to gild your own face,” Vishnu replied, his mouth twitching.

“Alas… What did I want to do by calling this meeting again…” Shiva muttered to himself as he watched the people in front of him start chatting unrestrainedly, “Should I interrupt them and start elaborating on the related situation of Mad Not-Yet-Dead, or should I follow this atmosphere and participate in the endless bickering and personal attacks…”