Hopefully i did not over polished it, maybe yes or no? Idk.
But anyways, 50 power stones for a bonues chapter.
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In the original timeline, the Dark Era, a grim age of steel bases and chaos, truly began only when the Ninth Honkai Eruption broke out.
At that time, the Mu Continent, the technological heart of human civilization, saw most of its land mercilessly swallowed by the pseudo-black hole torn open by the Ninth Herrscher. The remaining fragments, left in despair, were forcibly converted into a World Bubble, completely severed from the Proper World, by Einstein's desperate gamble to activate the Sea of Quanta Portal.
As for the fate of those remaining lands, the survivors were still completely wiped out after half a century because the Honkai Energy concentration inside the World Bubble was overloaded. The Garden of Eden, which was originally meant to be a sanctuary, ended up absurdly becoming a breeding ground for ELF. In this timeline, no one except Ling ke knows this secret.
In the memories of Kevin and the others, they only recall that the cataclysm directly wiped out one-sixth of the global population. The pseudo-black hole that devoured most of the continent also tore apart Earth's own ecological chain, causing the Honkai Energy concentration in many places to surge exponentially. Deadweights and Honkai Beasts multiplied like a tide.
Under this broken ecology on the verge of collapse, the Tenth Honkai Eruption descended just six months later.
Like a hellish scroll depicted only in apocalyptic disaster novels, Beast Tides besieged cities, slaughtered people, and annihilated everything. After just a few months of devastation, only fifteen percent of the world's cities remained standing. The wilderness became a forbidden zone for the living, and even those sheltered within the high walls of the Base Cities had to face the suspicion and betrayal woven by the Herrscher of Domination.
Theater of Domination. Pure White Great Hall.
Ling ke was surprisingly not sitting on that towering, magnificent Golden Throne today. His leather boots tapped on the cold, smooth marble floor, echoing hollowly. Countless "Omniscience" screens flickering with data floated around him like stars orbiting the moon, slowly shifting with his steps.
Ling ke scoffed as his gaze swept across one of the screens.
"The Newborn World Serpent finally looks like a proper organization."
To be honest, the World Serpent led by Kevin before had always given him an absurd sense of displacement. It was like a Savior frozen for tens of thousands of years had suddenly thawed his heart and was patiently playing house with his little girlfriend. Now, at least, the cold tone had returned to its rightful place.
"It's back to normal, but also back to that same old fanatical vibe," Ling ke judged inwardly.
Ling Ke witnessed the entire process as Kevin personally intervened to suppress the Fourth Herrscher and eliminate Seele.
From a purely rational standpoint, Kevin's choice was beyond reproach. He decided to act decisively, first removing the threat posed by the person who knew the base's location, then concentrating his efforts on exterminating the Third Herrscher hiding in the shadows. This was undoubtedly the safest tactic.
However, Otto suddenly intruded upon the chessboard.
Otto not only rescued Seele from the blade but also took the opportunity to provide her with a massive power upgrade. Most fatally, Otto accurately targeted Seele's weakness: Bronya. With just a little guidance, he could use Bronya to force Seele to turn her aggression toward the Newborn World Serpent.
Meanwhile, Kevin, lost in the maze of the situation, knew none of this.
"In any world, people are always forced to make choices," Ling Ke stopped walking and gently swiped through a screen. He looked at Kevin's cold profile on the monitor, a mocking smile curving his lips. "But for those who cannot foresee the future, they will never know if the move they just made is a salvation or a death sentence."
Because the variables that can change the outcome are never within their own control.
With his Omniscience Authority, Ling Ke could deliberately block out parts of the future to keep a little excitement alive. Even so, he still held all the hidden cards and intelligence of every faction. But Kevin could not do that. This Flame-Chaser, who carried the name of Deliverance, was ultimately not an all-knowing and all-powerful god.
In the past, the Kevin who only knew how to follow orders had almost pushed a junior who worshipped him blindly into the darkness. And now, the decisiveness and ruthlessness he took such pride in had, by a strange twist of fate, created an even more terrifying enemy for humanity.
Inside the empty hall, Ling Ke suddenly sighed.
"Sitting here forever as an outside observer, my vision is just too limited."
He looked up, a dangerous kind of excitement flashing in his dark eyes.
"I want to witness the flames of civilization with my own eyes, to see the light of humanity shining in desperation... But if I stand too high, how can I experience the thrill of the hunt?"
"Maybe I should change my perspective." Ling Ke gently tapped his chin with his long fingers. "No, with the resources I have now, it would be much more interesting to create a few different personas to stir up trouble."
Just like the black-clad swordsman who once said, "It's too boring to only watch others play a carefully crafted game," Ling Ke was, at his core, a "Player" who chased ultimate thrills.
Acting on his every whim, doing whatever he pleased. Going wherever he wanted, becoming whoever he wanted.
Ling Ke chuckled softly. With a mere thought, a virtual interface, completely different from the Omniscience Screen, unfolded before his eyes.
[ "Ready Player One System" interface activated. ]
The system interface was still flickering visibly, frantically drawing new character templates. Although the vast majority were trash consolation prizes like [ Dominion Puppet Count +1 ], the forces under his command had already surpassed twenty million.
With that little girl Kali running wild outside lately, his points balance should have gone up.
Ling Ke glanced casually at the number in the top right corner, but his breath suddenly caught for a moment.
[ Current Points for "Grand Player of Doomsday": 116,532,796,519 ]
"What the hell is this?"
Ling Ke's pupils shrank, and his body involuntarily leaned back half a step. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands... billions, ten billions, hundred billions.
One hundred sixteen billion five hundred million?!
After a brief moment of shock, his facial expression froze, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. A dusty memory surfaced in his mind.
He remembered now. Not long ago, he had been in a great mood when he witnessed someone's arm get severed by the Eminence, and even that disgusting self-awareness within their body was erased. On a whim, he forcibly restored that long-extinct Current Era and pulled the Twelfth Divine Key, the Key of Corruption, "Jizo Mitama," out of it.
After using it, he casually erased that entire timeline.
At the time, Yae Sakura, as an eyewitness to the event, was so stunned by this scene that she stood frozen for a long time, unable to recover.
Looking at it now, the judgment criteria of this so-called "Grand Player of Doomsday" system were simply anti-human to the extreme. It only counted the karmic fruit of destruction, ignoring the merit of saving people.
"I just reached out and snatched a sword, destroying a timeline in the process, and I'm already over one hundred billion points?"
Ling Ke sneered and shook his head. Under this absolutely twisted negative logic, the benefits for a villain were outrageously good.
"Now, even if I let the system auto-draw for ten years, I won't be able to finish them all."
Although this sudden wealth robbed him of any sense of accomplishment, Ling Ke's interest only grew stronger. He rubbed his fingertips, unable to wait any longer, and called up the Host Inventory.
"Anyway, this broken system doesn't have a pity mechanism. Rather than letting these points gather dust, I might as well pick a character that catches my eye and personally get some exercise."
Having been the mastermind behind the scenes for so long, it was time he followed the example of a certain foul-tempered Lord of Ten Thousand Armies, donned a new identity, and went down to the mortal realm to unleash his malice at will.
Faced with the vast, impossibly long list of character templates, Ling Ke directly used his "Omniscience" authority to search and filter. Endless streams of data flashed before his eyes.
Finally, his gaze locked onto a file shimmering with a dark golden glow.
"I've decided. It's you."
Ling Ke nodded with satisfaction and tapped the confirmation button hard.
On the light screen, a silhouette of a grey haired young man with a baseball bat and a rebellious gaze slowly appeared.
His name was Caelus.
Or, to use his more well known title:
[Character Template : Trailblazer]