Months before the final game began,
Mr. Eugene announced that the "Void" would not serve as a game zone, and all Void Creatures could choose different factions or become Free Persons.
Pope naturally chose the latter; he had long seen this game as a crucial trial among kings, a journey necessary to ascend the throne.
Mr. Eugene informed Pope that he needed to go to Sharnoth in the game and prepared him in advance.
Pope had been preparing for battle, seeking answers from the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
His thinking was similar to Han Dong’s,
absolutely unwilling to simply complete the coronation but to continue growing as a Pseudo-King, achieving baseline strength comparable to the Middle Rank, before considering coronation.
The sole target in his heart was [The Ultimate Master].
Finally, a few days before the game began, he touched upon deeper cosmic domains, and, without yet being crowned, he comprehended deeper layers of Void origin knowledge.
However, what he never expected was,
the situation between Sharnoth would be so complex... The mysterious and powerful Grey was not there, leaving Han Dong to take his place.
Han Dong’s invitation was even stranger. Thıs content belongs to novel⁂fire.net
"Remember the Out of control encountered at the Seraino Great Library between Shattered Dimension, where you were responsible for dealing with Mr. Teacher’s Second Incarnation?"
Pope’s eyes changed, immediately understanding Han Dong’s meaning,
"Could it be... Mr. Teacher is in the invasion queue for Sharnoth?"
"Yes, his situation is quite special.
He uses his First Incarnation as the external body, while his true self is attached to the body’s shadow.
Once the war begins, I will willingly become his [Student] and then head to his unique mental King Domain—Fate Middle School—to completely destroy the campus and defeat Mr. Teacher from within.
Pope, you have experienced Mr. Teacher’s preaching before, so you should have some insight into this aspect, right?"
Listening to Han Dong’s plan made Pope’s eyes change drastically,
"Willingly becoming a [Student]? This would lead to our thoughts, abilities, and even Truth being completely restricted... Could it be that you’ve already found the ’loophole’ within?"
To be precise, it was jointly discovered by Mr. Black White and Mr. Newton with me.
If we could get you, Pope, to join us, the loophole will further expand, and our chances of winning will increase.
As for the overall situation in Sharnoth, you, Pope, don’t need to worry at all. Black Pharaoh and all the incarnations will ensure the balance of the entire war situation.
As long as we defeat the Teacher, the final victory will naturally be in our hands.
So... back to the original question, are you willing to go read with me?"
After asking, Han Dong slowly extended his right hand, wanting to shake hands.
Pope showed a look of disgust and directly left the toilet.
The boss—Tom Penny and the third—John Penny sat together,
across sat Mr. Teacher and the Queen of Nothing.
After the war in the human City, the Matchstick Man has shown significant improvement... Furthermore, with the family’s support, the family town has descended on the battlefield, and he will burst with combat power comparable to the Upper Rank.
pinched a pure Gold Bullet between his fingers, rhythmically tapping the table as he shared his thoughts.
"In this war of all Out of control reference battles, once successful, the Committee will begin to organize such high-level warfare, gradually eroding S-01.
The proud demons treating war as a game will also pay the price.
Therefore, I will invest all my assets into it; the territory of the Penny Family is the accumulated result from years of fighting by our three brothers and family members,
and this territory will also swallow up the land covered by Grey in this war.
I hope that both of you will wear the [Family Emblem] during this battle, connecting your thoughts to the family internally, greatly improving our synchronization rate in actions.
Naturally, you can also enjoy the highest treatment from the family."
two Penny Family emblem badges were pushed forward by the Matchstick Man beside him, sliding and stopping in front of the guests.
Once worn, they will be considered as temporary members of the Penny Family, enjoying territorial bonuses, information sharing, and resource supply, and at key moments can receive timely assistance from the family.
the only downside is,
the dimensional downgrade in identity, requiring addressing Tom as ’Boss’... Moreover, instructions from Tom can play a role similar to "commands."
Tom would naturally not use this power to mess around; he just wants to ensure that everyone is united, preventing any individual thoughts during the war.
Mr. Teacher smiled slightly and directly affixed the emblem to his chest.
His approach was quite clever; the badge worn is actually only on his First Incarnation.
If the war situation undergoes unexpected changes, evolving into the worst-case scenario, he can abandon the First Incarnation... His true self will remain unbound by the Penny Family.
the Queen remained unmoved,
not even glancing at the emblem on the table.
As time ticked away and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward, Mr. Teacher attempted to mediate,
Tom Penny clutched the Golden Bullet, simultaneously signaling his old butler behind him.
the butler delivered a family-customized Black Feather pen and a piece of note paper.
"It’s my problem; wearing my family emblem indeed does not suit the Queen’s identity.
Yet, to ensure the smooth information sharing and progress of the overall battle situation, I hope to establish an equal Soul connection with you.
Would that be acceptable?"
Tom drafted a completely equal Soul Contract, effective only during this war, his signature already penned in the lower-left corner.
"That’s much better..."
The Queen materialized an Ice Crystal pen, signing at the lower right corner.
The contract was established,
an invisible thread connected between their Souls, allowing for information exchange, even checking each other’s Soul status.
"Queen, what are your thoughts on the upcoming battle?"
"No need for exploration, directly attack the opponent’s [Capital City], allowing Mr. Teacher’s preaching to immediately affect the entire city, making them become passive."
"Hmm... That’s what I thought, too.
By then, Mr. Teacher, please carry out the preaching invasion across the city.
We naturally will carve an unobstructed path leading directly to the city’s interior for you."
Mr. Teacher did not say much, smiling and making an OK gesture,
although it might significantly increase his personal risk, if the city-wide preaching succeeds,
he will gain numerous special Students, make the greatest war contributions and earn substantial game points,
this would also immediately position [Han Dong]’s location.
Boss Tom lit a cigar, gently exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Before we act, let’s disperse the grey mist lingering here... This special fog feels very uncomfortable, as if being watched by demons."
he gently patted the shoulder of brother John.
The Matchstick Man—John reached deep into his coat pocket,
seemingly retrieving a red matchbox emitting heat from quite a depth, distorting the surrounding space due to the scorching heat.
Even the entire hall became incredibly hot, making the Queen feel uncomfortable.
inside was only one special red match, with the word [STAR] imprinted on the wooden rod surface.
Pinning this match between thumb and forefinger,
forcefully flicking upwards—snap!
The red match was ejected straight up to the sky, reaching its maximum height.
Simultaneously, Boss Tom instantly drew his gun, aiming at the sky.
A bullet precisely shot toward the match at its apex,
the friction from the precise swipe of the bullet case igniting the match head.
Along the borders of Sharnoth, a brilliance erupted capable of permanently damaging the vision of creatures within a ten-thousand-meter range,
raising the world’s average temperature by 10℃.
Once the explosive light had dissipated,
a micro star was suspended in the sky, able to last for 48 hours, its surroundings cleared of the scorching grey mist.