Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 801 Belief in Shinto
Fifth Ring - [True Spirit].

Ascendants, ancestral beings, great supernatural beings, legends among mortals, masters of destiny, miracles. Throughout history, across Terra, such beings have been given various titles, making them an indisputable monument on the path of psychic powers.

No matter how long the history, how much glory, or how illustrious the reputation, no power can guarantee that a fifth-ring psychic will be born in every generation.

The same applies to the six pillars of the Vanpusta Empire's knights.

Bearing the weight of glory and the past, they built immortal achievements for the empire—no, it should be said that they are one of the cornerstones of the empire. Yet even among the Six Pillars of Knights, not every Grand Master can break through to the fifth ring.

And now, in this generation...

Among the six pillars of knighthood, the grandmasters of two major knightly orders are at the peak of the fourth ring, temporarily halted at the gate of "True Spirit".

Both being at the peak of the fourth ring, theoretically they are on the same level. However, Zenryu Setsuna could have broken through to the fifth ring long ago, but for various reasons, she has always kept it hidden. Even so, her true strength surpasses that of an ordinary peak fourth ring cultivator.

Not to mention, she is no longer at the peak of the fourth ring.

As early as the beginning of the Second War of the Seven Earths that swept across Terra, the opponent finally took the final step and officially broke through to the fifth ring, "True Spirit".

Aside from the psionic abilities that have reached the fifth ring, the other party also holds two systems: "King of the Abyss" and the Power of Faith. Furthermore, he possesses the Singularity Technology "Simulated World"—and after Dwight Brooks open-sources it, he will also have to add the Singularity Technology "Base Reality Overwrite".

As this continued, the other party nearly killed "the unextinguished candle," Matthew Toyn, on the spot.
"Is there a video recording?" Song Shi looked up.

"Yes." The screen refreshed, and the textile machine sent a video: "Zenryusatsuna did not hide anything; she tacitly approved of the dissemination of the battle footage."

This is the observation view of a long-range artillery piece, positioned 170 kilometers outside the heart of the battle.

Within sight, the outline of the space carrier slowly crushed the sea of ​​clouds.

Before it, everything else paled in comparison, utterly insignificant. But at that moment, a thin streak of light shot straight into the sky; due to the distance, it could only be barely discerned as a human figure. He stood in front of the space carrier, creating a subtle standoff.

The two sides seemed to be discussing something, and did not immediately take action.

But the calm lasted only a few minutes.

At one moment, the humanoid figure pulled out a sword formed from candlelight and slashed at the space carrier. At the same time, the carrier burst into a magnificent neon display, which was more like the opening act of a concert than a shipborne defense system.

At the very top of the bridge, a girl in gorgeous attire raised her index finger, her face flickering in the candlelight, but her smile remained constant.

The video ends here.

The observation module of this long-range artillery could not withstand the subsequent pressure and broke down due to overload.

Song Shi stared at the video, his pupils like fiery glass, seemingly deep in thought. After a long while, he said, "The effort was a bit too much."

“Matthew Toyn is at the first stage of True Spirit, slightly stronger than Cleveland Anton, and has one foot in the second stage. But judging from the result, at least from the first strike, Zenryusetsuna has a clear advantage over him.” Song Shi tapped the screen with his index finger, his tone tinged with surprise: “Zenryusetsuna is also at the first stage of True Spirit.”

Having lived through two lifetimes, Song Shi had seen many "Kings of the Abyss" and was aware of the extent to which these things enhanced one's strength. Zenru Shasana's ranking among the Kings of the Abyss was lower than that of Ogden Christopher and Dwight Brooks, and the [Dust Contract Generation]'s technological leadership and ecological advantages in the network field were also inferior to [Zero Degree Network].

—In fact, when Song Shi learned that Zenru had broken through to the fifth ring, he did make an assessment of him.

But right now, the strength the opponent is showing has clearly exceeded our initial assessment.

"It really is the power of faith." Song Shi rubbed his chin, making a judgment: "I don't know much about the divine way."

Worship, faith, and the divine way have existed since ancient times. In ancient times, [Dayuan] was considered to have a unique advantage in this field, standing out from the crowd.

The simplest point is that back then, there were no such diverse agricultural technologies as today. Farming was heavily dependent on the natural climate, the so-called "relying on the heavens for a living." And a villager from Dayuan, who relied on the "water" route, could ensure a good harvest for the entire village, even if it was just the first link in the chain, as long as he put in a little effort on a regular basis.

With him around, even if a severe drought struck, the barren land could be transformed into a drastically reduced harvest. The villagers would tighten their belts and barely manage to survive, avoiding a tragic end of starvation.

In exchange for protection, to please the other party, and to gain something better for oneself—this is what is gained through worship.

This is the route known as the "Shinto" in the Eastern Continent.

If one were even stronger, one would be a "river god" who rules over a section of the river and influences a city and several towns. On ordinary days, one would enjoy offerings, eat and drink well, and occasionally call for a few river god brides to be thrown on the shore. Nightly revelry would not be a problem at all.

Other psionicists would also show some restraint, since if they couldn't kill him quickly, the former would risk his life and create an artificial flood before he died—even psionicists stronger than the "River God," such as [Beyond], couldn't stop the flood.

Crops were flooded, villages and towns were destroyed, and there were subsequent hot and humid epidemics and disaster relief efforts. Each of these presented a challenge.

Of course, there were also psionicists who refused to be lenient and disregarded all of this. They stubbornly went into the river alone, regardless of the raging flood, and even killed the "river god" in the river, leaving behind many legends and fables.

But Song Shi had to admit one thing.

【Dayuan】is indeed uniquely advantageous and far ahead of the competition, but on this track, 【Consensus】is undoubtedly the top performer!

Normally, the path of God, or faith, is a two-way street; believers choose the objects of their service, and the latter choose the believers they desire. However, for those psionicists on the path of "consensus," manipulating minds is merely a basic skill, something they can do with ease, as if it were commonplace.

For them, faith is a one-way choice.

—They have the right to choose believers, but believers have no say in choosing their recipients.

No matter how arrogant and domineering the "river god" may be, he must first do some practical things such as dredging the river and regulating the wind and rain to show the people around him the benefits. Only then, through mutual help or coercion and inducement, can he gradually build up the religious faith that worships him.

[Consensus] Not needed.

These people are doing business with absolutely no capital; they just need to say a few words, and believers flock to them!
(End of this chapter)