"All despair over death falls here."
In the large conference room on the fourteenth floor of the Watchers Tower in the Federal New York Manhattan District, nearly all D-level and above Watchers were present.
Although there was a 12-hour time difference with Sky Capital, it was just nightfall for them, so everyone was alert and intently focused on the live broadcast on the screen.
Interestingly, the live broadcast they were watching was the Mysterious Country version—even with scrolling barrage comments.
While most had to rely on the built-in English subtitles to understand the conversation between the Supreme Supreme and the mysterious Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair, a few Watchers, like Angel Zack, were quite proficient in the script of the Mysterious Country, at least in terms of listening and reading comprehension.
This was mainly because most members of the Fairy Palace came from the Eastern Cultural Sphere. Although the World Tree, a suspected organization of Magicians from the Western cultural sphere, also existed, its activity level was low, unlike the Fairy Palace, which stirred up storms everywhere.
As a Supernatural Organization defending the peace of the Federation, it was inevitable that they would eventually encounter the Fairy Palace. Therefore, mastering channels of communication with its members was quite necessary.
Currently, their relationship with the Fairy Palace was not one of equals. The Fairy Palace had no obligation to consider their feelings or even acknowledge them. On the contrary, the Watchers wanted to obtain information and treasures from the Fairy Palace, so it was natural that they had to put in the effort to learn the language of the Mysterious Country.
Thus, it was perfectly reasonable that Transcendents worldwide would eventually all speak Mandarin. It would even be normal for them to be in their own headquarters' conference rooms, opening their mouths in Mandarin, getting comfortable with the 'you, me, him' basics, and spouting idioms even more fluently than the natives of the Mysterious Country. After all, the most crucial aspect of practicing oral language is the environment.
"What kind of monster is this..." Caroline, dressed in tight leather, felt a bit unsettled; the thousands of eyes on the screen triggered her trypophobia. "I really want to whip them into oblivion."
"Maybe it's the New Wave Big-Eyed Monster."
Noticing everyone looking at him and that no one was laughing, Victor shrugged. "New Wave is Mysterious Country's Facebook, and its icon is a big-eyed monster with just one huge eye, very similar to the monsters here. Perhaps this is a promotional stunt for New Wave... Okay, just ignore my lame joke."
My colleagues have such a high bar for humor, Victor thought. I even saw the barrage comments flood with 'LOLs' for that joke.
Angel Zack turned his gaze back to the screen. "So, what will the Supreme Supreme do? Will another shimmering light descend and clear away all the monsters?"
"Just as there is always a shadow after the light, hope also breeds within despair."
As the Cloaked Girl with Blue Hair spoke, a pale blue column of light suddenly erupted from the center of the underground space.
At that moment, the One-Eyed Monster that had leaped towards the girl had already reached her.
Without any discernible movement from her, in an instant, the Two-Handed Greatsword in her hands was raised high, and the charging One-Eyed Monster was cleaved in half at the waist!
The One-Eyed Monster didn't bleed; only black ink oozed out. The nearby One-Eyed Monsters, upon seeing their bisected companion, pounced like dogs spotting feces!
"Grasp hope, and you grasp the throat of despair. The girl who chases the scent of despair knows that here lies the root of everything!"
"It seems the girl needs to make it to that column of light to survive," Zack said. "But there are hundreds, even thousands, of monsters in her path. Just watch, the Supreme Supreme is about to make a move to demonstrate the Fairy Palace's might."
The Watchers had already discussed this live broadcast internally, and everyone had reached a consensus: this was a display of power, similar in nature to a military exercise.
The Supreme Supreme, far beyond the horizon, hadn't even shown a hint of his presence in the broadcast. Yet, with just his voice, he controlled everything in the human world: raising the dead, bestowing Divine Power, controlling fires, commanding divine beasts, and splitting land with a single decree!
What was this? It was a naked declaration to the entire world: "With a single word, I can turn the world upside down; with one finger, I can obliterate the sun, moon, and stars!"
As for the girl, many believed she was merely a navigator. After all, the Supreme Supreme wouldn't stoop to descending directly. However, a live broadcast needed a protagonist, so he had saved this girl. This way, the broadcast could occasionally feature the girl acting cute, perhaps showing some cleavage, having a wardrobe malfunction, cooing sweetly, or whimpering a bit to liven things up. Wasn't that a delightful prospect? It was even rumored that the Nine-Tailed Fox had been quite active online lately, supposedly posting pictures of adventurers in women's clothing just a few days ago. Perhaps this whole setup was the Fox's idea!
This situation was clearly beyond what the girl could handle on her own. "Just wait," Zack stated confidently. "Once the girl gets beaten badly enough to stir the audience's sympathy, the Supreme Supreme will step in, thereby earning their adoration. Hollywood has used this exact playbook countless times!"
In the live broadcast, the girl took a deep breath. Suddenly, an awesome, divine might emanated from her. Her long hair fluttered, her eyes blazed with a compelling light, and the tip of her ground-dragging Two-Handed Greatsword lifted, sparking with Fiery Flame. And just like that, she charged into the horde of monsters!
Zack squinted. "This is the effect of activating some kind of Cultivation Technique," he said. "Like Britain's 'Stellar Meditation Method,' the Mysterious Country's 'Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records,' or our 'Great Cosmic Breathing Technique.' But only a very few who have mastered a Cultivation Technique to an extremely proficient degree can exhibit such an effect. Once the Cultivation Technique is activated, Spiritual Energy resonates internally and externally, as if one is reborn."
Caroline said, "Could this be a Cultivation Technique taught to her by the Fairy Palace?"
"It must be," Zack replied. "But she had no time for cultivation, and she didn't use it earlier. Perhaps it was just imparted to her. To be able to use it immediately in battle upon learning it, and even cause a phenomenon of Spiritual Energy resonance... The 'Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Records' can't do that. The 'Stellar Meditation Method' can't do that. And the 'Great Cosmic Breathing Technique' certainly can't do that!
"We've seen similar phenomena with adventurers and Truth Seekers before, but we don't know how long they cultivated, so we couldn't determine if it was due to their exceptional talent.
"But this girl—we watched with our own eyes as she crawled out of the cremation furnace. In no more than two hours, she has advanced to become such a formidable powerhouse!
"The Cultivation Technique given to her by the Fairy Palace is undeniably crucial! It's absolutely superior to the Cultivation Methods developed through our scientific research; it's a top-tier secret art with a venerable lineage stretching back thousands of years, refined by countless cultivators!"
Zack's tone shifted. "But, facing this terrifying number of enemies, even if she..."
Before he could finish, Zack faltered.
In the live broadcast, the girl wielding the Two-Handed Greatsword was unstoppable. Facing One-Eyed Monsters that attacked like birds of prey, she didn't retreat an inch. With every step, a sword strike; every strike, a clean slice; every slice, two pieces!
The 4,000-kilogram Two-Handed Greatsword danced in her hands, creating phantoms of Fiery Flame. She never missed. Each strike was a critical hit, allowing her to pierce through the monster horde like a spearhead.
The One-Eyed Monsters attacking her from all directions were all preemptively sliced apart by her.
Within the range of her greatsword's blade, it was as if her own absolute domain had formed; no monster could breach it!
Within the domain of the greatsword, she stood alone against enemies from all nations!
The Fiery Flame sword became the only source of light, while the screams and tearing sounds of the One-Eyed Monsters served as the ultimate battle hymn. Everyone watching the lone Great Sword Maiden charging through the enemy ranks couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline!
Mowing down enemies—it's an irresistible, primal human instinct!
"Look at her gauntlets," Zack said suddenly.
The others paused, observing for a moment before someone noticed. "Whenever she attacks, her gauntlets flash briefly, and then her attack speed suddenly increases! And even if an attack comes from her blind spot, she doesn't need to turn her head; a light swing of her sword accurately slays the enemy!"
Zack nodded slightly. "Those 'Just-In-Time Gauntlets' are props she acquired after traversing the three 'Paths of Too Late.' I thought they were just a piece of armor, but I didn't expect them to have such miraculous effects. You all need to pay attention: it's not just the increased speed. So far, she hasn't missed a single strike—every sword blow is a kill! Perhaps these gauntlets also possess an effect similar to Causality Supernatural Powers!"
Causality Artifacts! The term alone made everyone wistful. Currently, not even the Federal Watchers possessed many useful artifacts. At most, their technology and logistics department custom-made specialized combat suits for them. Artifacts capable of providing such powerful aid to a Transcendent were exceedingly rare.
"So the Fairy Palace is aiming for this," Zack said, his eyes narrowing. "Truly cunning and shrewd."
Caroline asked, "What do you mean?" New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"This is the greatest crisis the 'chess piece' has faced, yet the Supreme Supreme remains silent. However, the 'chess piece' then unleashes tremendous martial prowess, forcefully crushing all in her path. What does this tell us?"
Without waiting for an answer, Zack knocked on the table. "It means this: even if you're a corpse, as long as the Fairy Palace wills it, they can bring you back to life, grant you continuous fortuitous encounters, and allow you to ascend in a single step!
"The sheer number, speed, and combat power of these One-Eyed Monsters would require the Federation to dispatch regular troops to suppress them, or perhaps mobilize all of us Watchers. And the Fairy Palace? They merely sent out a single 'chess piece,' one chosen on the fly, and it's enough!
"He's not targeting the Mysterious Country or the Federation. He's targeting all global powers, declaring them all trash!"
Zack slammed the table hard, raised three fingers, and said sternly, "Why does the Supreme Supreme particularly refrain from acting here? He's aiming for, in a nutshell, five words: 'Kill them, crush their will!'"
"Hahaha." Victor laughed. Then everyone looked at him again.
He glanced at Zack and shrank back a little. "I remembered a joke. Never mind, never mind."
Wasn't Boss Zack just telling a lame joke? Victor wondered. Why am I the only one laughing again?
Zack continued, "Now, all factions are intimidated by the Fairy Palace's profound power. Ordinary people, however, only see the 'chess piece's' meteoric rise. This makes global powers wary while simultaneously inspiring greater aspiration among the common populace.
"The Supreme Supreme remains silent here precisely to avoid overshadowing the 'chess piece.' This allows the audience to fully experience her power!
"Truly worthy of a Supernatural Organization with a thousand-year legacy! A casually placed pawn reveals their cunning. Yet, it's an open conspiracy, a scheme laid bare that we are powerless against, even if we see through it!"