Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 213 Flesh Puppet

"If the Creator wished to become a god..."

"One must first taste the bitter fruit of one's own very being."

The puppet king rose silently from his throne, his movements slow and oppressive, like mountains awakening.

The broken theater had long since collapsed, the light curtain had gone out, leaving only ashes and fog.

In the crevice between the ruins and the silence, its body, a fusion of a steel skeleton and a mysterious, lingering soul, emitted a low, humming sound like the breath of the abyss.

That was not a sound, but a kind of vibration from the depths of a forbidden structure, the essence of fear seeping from the core of the domain.

It raised its head, and two beams of dark red flame suddenly shot out from its empty eyes, like blood stars falling, illuminating the deathly silent battlefield.

In the next instant, hundreds of jet-black threads shot out wildly from its back, shrieking as they pierced the floor, walls, and ceiling of the shattered hall, as if a giant beast that had bound the world was spinning its web to build a nest.

Kakakaka——!
The metal pipes vibrated violently, steam flowed backward, gears reversed and roared, and the hidden mechanism was fully awakened!
[Mysterious Card - Life Type - High-Tier: "Entwined Hearts - Duke of the Strings"]

Summoning effect activated!
“This is not just regeneration.” Vera’s expression changed drastically, her tone low but clear, “It’s in the ‘grafting battlefield’… forcibly dragging us into its domain of rules.”

Sure enough, the next moment, a thick liquid, a mixture of red and black, gushed out of the broken pipe. It was as thick as blood plasma and spread and crawled on the ground like living nerves.

Thick, black vines wriggled out from behind the breached wall, their ends blooming into bizarre, fleshy flowers shaped like eyeballs, their retinas pulsating and emitting a low, grotesque chuckle, as if the entire space itself was mocking the stupidity and ignorance of all the intruders.

The air was filled with a thick, viscous blood mist, making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Get out of the way!" Zhuang Yege's gaze darkened, and he suddenly shouted.

Before any response could be given, the first puppet servant that crawled out from the flesh and blood tubes suddenly leaped up!

They are constructed from skeletons, steel bars, rotting flesh, and severed limbs, resembling humans, but have long lost the dignity and will that an "individual" should possess, leaving only madness and slaughter.

They emerged continuously from the walls, the ground, and the ceiling, like a horde of corpses rejected by biological logic, rushing in from all directions!
"Battle status updated." Siming's gaze was cold and his tone was as steady as cold steel. "Everyone, the second battle phase... the game has begun."

"Get out of the way." Celian's voice was low and hoarse, like the roar of a beast bursting from its throat.

A hint of hunter-like madness flashed in her golden vertical pupils.

She yanked it off, took off her shoulder guards and cloak, and flung them into the air, whereupon the blood energy exploded!
It was a surge of arcane energy originating from a high-ranking vampire. Crimson mist spread out from her body, and the wave, possessing both corrosive and spiritual pressure effects, was released. The two puppet servants that rushed towards her had their surface muscles torn apart, emitting shrill, tearing screams.

"Blood spirit surges."

Her figure suddenly became ethereal, her afterimages appearing and disappearing amidst the blood mist, and the next second she was in front of the first servant.

The blood claws swung down, like a red flame being cut short.

Click——!
The puppet's head flew off with a thud, blood and sparks flying from the severed end, striking the ground with a piercing splatter.

Without pausing, she instantly spun around, lightly touched the wall with her toes, and sprang up, her figure swooping down like a sharp arrow!

She precisely cleaved another servant from jaw to top of head, the corpse twisting, howling, and shattering violently in the blood mist.

“Foolish stitches,” she murmured coldly, her eyes sharp as ice.

With a horizontal slash, he severed the puppet's arm, turned around, and kicked it away, sending it crashing into a metal wall and exploding into a mass of broken bones and flesh.

She was performing a hunting dance, her movements agile yet ferocious, each swing of her blade so precise it seemed as if the hand of fate itself was controlling her.

however--

"They are being reborn." Si Ming's tone suddenly hardened, his eyes fixed on the strange phenomenon of severed limbs being reconstructed.

As he said, those severed limbs and dismembered bodies have not truly ended.

The flesh and blood began to twitch and writhe after hitting the ground, and were stitched back together by the vines beneath the ground. The servants stood up again, their expressions empty, mechanical and persistent.

"The regeneration mechanism of life systems."

Vera's gaze was icy, her expression grave. "As long as its 'energy line' remains intact, this is a pool of endless minions."

"No matter how strong Celian is, she will be dragged into a quagmire of protracted warfare."

She took a light breath, her fingertips faintly glowing, her eyes burning with intensity.

"I'll take charge."

She stood at the rear of the battlefield, her fingertips pressed against the cross pendant on her forehead, and prayed silently.

The cards flipped over, revealing a flash of golden light.

Fate-type High-Rank Mystic Card No. 221 - "Hymn of the Upside-Down Angel: Angel - Reverse Judgment".

This is the third time it has been activated.

The fifth Star of Reason suddenly ignited, its starlight cascading down her forehead and back like a tidal wave, making the star map resemble a rolling Milky Way.

She opened her arms.

The phantom of a seraphim hanging upside down in the sky appeared behind her, its six wings spread out, with burning holy fire flowing within them. Blood tears fell from its empty eyes, and divine light and eerie power coexisted, as if fate itself was carrying out its judgment.

"Concept Launch - Mysterious Entry Three: Upside-Down Judgment"

[Effect: Burns sanity, forcibly reversing major outcomes that have occurred within the last five seconds once, turning the tide of the current situation.]

She prayed softly, "You... stand up for me."

The prayers, like a command, slowly spread across the battlefield.

In the blood mist, Selian, who was originally seriously injured and about to collapse, suddenly stabilized. Her wounds were stitched up and her muscle texture was reversed, as if time had flowed backward.

The burns and toxins on Si Ming and Zhuang Yege's bodies also quietly subsided, as if they had never appeared.

The "bad consequences" that lasted a full five seconds were completely wiped clean and reset!
The upside-down angel slowly retracted one wing, the flames on its wings went out, the holy book turned its pages automatically, and the next card quietly fell into Vera's left palm.

And in her eyes, an unshakable light of will was burning.

She then activated her second card—

Mid-tier Mystic Card of the Life System, "Dawn Guardian - Dawn Knight".

The moment the card was activated, blazing light burst forth from the card's surface, and a silvery-white light, like dawn breaking through the night, revealed a paladin clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear.

His figure was upright, his face was covered by a helmet, only his eyes were visible, revealing a silent determination.

He landed quietly in front of Vera, his spear raised, and an aura around him spread out from his feet like a dawn barrier, like a last line of defense against the darkness.

He stood motionless like a gatekeeper, and with a wave of his hand, he fully opened the defensive barrier, bringing Vera under his protection.

[Summoned Aura Passive: Reduces the regeneration effect of enemy units within range by 70%, and increases the healing efficiency of allies by 40%.]

The paladin slowly raised his spear, the tip gathering blazing light, and a holy wave of light was released from the front.

That light, like a blazing flame of faith, swept across the battlefield.

Wherever it passed, the puppet servants, pieced together from flesh and blood, were set ablaze as if by sacred fire. Their skin was charred black, and the regenerating vines emitted mournful cries, turning into twisted, charred flowers that rolled and struggled on the ground.

"Resurrection?" Vera stared at the burning scene before her, her voice low and hoarse yet tinged with laughter. "Let's ask this fire if it agrees first."

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her rationality fluctuated wildly on the star chart, almost to the point of collapse. But she still kept her back straight, her expression calm, and her movements graceful. As always, she controlled the overall support rhythm without missing a single step.

“Next round of damage coverage… I can still withstand one more wave.” She whispered through gritted teeth, her voice revealing a chilling determination. “Hurry up and deal with that ‘main body’—otherwise we’ll be dragged to our deaths in this quagmire of endless minions.”

The holy flames, like a symphony of destiny, briefly pulled the collapsing battlefield back into balance. This moment was the perfect stage for the God of Destiny to make his appearance.

He slowly raised his hand, and a worn deck of cards silently unfolded in his palm, forming a rotating halo in the air.

The cards are old yet the patterns are clear, and the broken edges seem to have witnessed countless life-or-death situations, yet they still retain a certain mysterious dignity.

A high-level cursed artifact card of the Fate type – "Elegy of the Fated Gambler". Four colored patterns emerge in sequence: spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds, as if representing the four-element cycle of fate itself.

"Don't stare at me," he whispered with a smile, his gaze fixed on the puppet king's still self-repairing wound on his left shoulder.

"Guess which one I'll draw this time?"

He flicked his fingertip, and a beam of red light shot out.

The red heart card spun out, sharp cracks appeared on the edge, and the air trembled slightly!
[Heart: Divided]

The playing card trembled like a blade, piercing straight at the severed end of the king's left shoulder. The tearing factors and spatial runes attached to it suddenly exploded the moment the card cut in.

The tendon, which was wriggling, suddenly stopped, the repair process collapsed, and blood plasma and metal powder flew out of the wound, splattering like rain.

The king let out a low growl, and the steel teeth inside his chest ground together violently, like a machine roaring in anger!

"It's not over yet."

With a flick of his finger, the second card appeared—a diamond!
[Cube: Burning]

The playing card sliced ​​through the air, igniting a string of deep red, eerie flames at the king's knee.

The flames not only scorched the metal structure, but also damaged the energy interface connecting its core puppet energy source, causing its movements to become visibly sluggish and choppy.

The third one is a plum blossom!

Plum blossom: Toxin

The card, like a cold, shadowy light, suddenly pierced the side of the king's spine, and the emerald green poisonous patterns spread like a net, quickly covering the converging nodes of the control threads.

Although the toxin was not fatal, it disrupted his nerve control rhythm like noise, making his moves less precise, like a choreographer out of control.

"Let's finish...the finale."

He spread his five fingers, and the last spade card appeared, its surface covered with distorted phantom patterns, like a reflection from the depths of a nightmare.

[Spades: Illusion]

The card shot out with a wisp of shadowy light and embedded itself in the center of the king's mask!
In an instant, the puppet king's perception system was severely disrupted, and three afterimages of "Destiny Master" appeared in his field of vision, each with details that were indistinguishable from the real thing.

With the illusions intertwined, he could no longer determine where the next attack would come from!
Si Ming chuckled lightly, his steps light as a dance, and in the instant the king was disoriented, he rushed within five meters. Three stacked cards in his hand shot out suddenly, leaving trails of blazing white flames as they swept through the air. One card embedded itself hard into the king's waist!
--boom!

A loud explosion rang out, and large charred streaks spread across the steel surface as flames gnawed at the remaining control nodes.

Si Ming stopped in his tracks, his entire being merging into the smoke and dust, leaving only a blurry silhouette standing amidst the shattered flames.

He dusted off his cuffs, as if he had just finished a relaxed opening rehearsal. Before him, the puppet king who had once sat high on the throne revealed, for the first time, true pain and chaos.

"You've already seen the patterns on this set of magical artifacts." Si Ming's voice was steady, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised as he looked at the puppet king who was still trying to reconstruct his body with a half-smile.

“But you know what—” he changed his tone, lowering it as if speaking only to the other person, “a true gambler never bets with their cards face up.”

He slowly reached out and pulled out a blank card with a gray-gold pattern on the back from his sleeve.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

He pressed the card to his chest, touched it lightly with his fingertips, and whispered something like a prayer, or a desperate declaration:

"You try to guess... what's this one?"

Fate has begun to place its bets.

No one knows what the ending is hidden behind this blank card, nor can anyone predict whether the Fate Master is even deceiving himself.

But the gears of fate have already quietly begun to turn.

“Well done, Si Ming. That’s enough, the timing is just right.”

A thunderous whisper erupted from the silence.

Zhuang Yege stood on the edge where steam and flesh intertwined, his black robe fluttering in the heat, and the broken copper bell at his waist chiming softly in the wind, the sound like a command to open the gates of the underworld.

He raised his hand, and a bronze card slowly rose up, its edges engraved with spirit-suppressing inscriptions and death symbols, like an indelible curse mark on a tombstone.

World-type high-level Mystic Card - "Yellow Springs Crossing: Death Tide Realm".

[Domain Expansion: The Road to the Underworld Begins]

The sixth Star of Reason suddenly ignited on the star map, its starlight like the reflection of a ghostly lamp, condensing into a bluish-white radiance around him.

Suddenly, the world turned dark, the entire theater seemed to be swallowed up by the underworld, the sky collapsed, and the light source went out!
boom--!
Space collapsed and reconstructed, and the theater instantly sank into a Styx realm composed of thick fog and lingering souls. The ground transformed into a deep stone bridge, floating on boundless stagnant water, with only the flickering light of ghost lanterns and the murmured lamentations of the dead remaining in the air.

"—The Realm of the Dead Tide"

Zhuang Yege coldly uttered four words, his tone carrying an unshakeable power of death.

Rule 1: The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

With a flick of his finger, the ghost lamp moved forward, the will-o'-the-wisps surged, and the black mist roared.

"Soul Tide Path Positioning Completed - Charge!"

From the edge of the sea of ​​mist, a horde of hundreds of ghosts surged forth, their white bones wrapped in silk, their faces obscured by ghostly flames, accompanied by the resounding of gongs and drums, as if the dead were arrayed in formation.

The battle formation composed of spirits rushed past, heading straight for the puppet king!
boom!
The spiritual tide penetrated the surrounding control threads like a torrential rain, causing frost to form on the circuits, breakage of nodes, and severe interference with command signals wherever it passed.

The king's movements began to become disordered, and his posture became noticeably distorted.

It tried to break free, but it was too late.

"Rule Two: Spirit Binding and Subjugation."

Zhuang Yege pointed two fingers together, and several remnant souls among the hundred ghosts froze, locked by the Netherworld runes!

Several of the lingering spirits of the puppet servants who had just died in battle appeared at the edge of the Bridge of the Dead. His gaze darkened, and he whispered an order:

"Fight for me."

They then solidified and reconstructed, transforming into three specialized soul shadows—a shackled puppet sorcerer who manipulates silken threads, a vine assault soldier capable of controlled self-destruction, and a "puppet manipulator" capable of disrupting the structure.

Three spirits appear together.

The warlock swung his chains to sever the energy confluence, and the sacrificial soldiers rushed into the core structure beneath the monarch and detonated themselves, the blast wave sending half of the monarch into the air.

The puppeteer then leaped directly onto the king's back and possessed him, using its spirit to infiltrate his circuitry, interfere with his command signals, and disrupt his perception pathways.

The puppet king roared furiously, and the mysterious energy inside his chest cavity vibrated and boiled. The three types of mixed energy intertwined within his body, like a runaway infernal furnace, ready to explode at any moment!
"Serian—now!"

Si Ming roared, his voice like thunder piercing the battlefield!

His response was a soft whistle that swept through the blood mist.

Princess Selene, a vampire, transformed into a streak of crimson light and burst forth. Blood churned at her feet, like divine blood forming steps that led her to the top of the throne's cross-section!
She gripped the thin blade tightly with both hands, and crimson blood-red patterns coiled around her arms like chains, extending to the blade's edge.

Click——!
Accompanied by an even more ferocious slash, a blood-red beam of light pierced the sky!
The puppet king's left arm was completely severed at the shoulder as the blade struck, flesh and metal flying everywhere! What gushed out from the break was no longer a single liquid, but an energy explosion of three types of bizarre energy!

boom!
A terrifying storm of supernatural energy shot up, tearing open the theater's ceiling. The ruins rolled up like a blood-red volcano, light shattered, and smoke and fire soared!
The puppet king roared, its hollow metal eyes spewing out crimson demonic light like two tangible blades piercing the darkness—it finally stopped concealing its rage and fear.

For the first time in battle, it felt that it was being driven into a corner.

"You think you only cut off its hand?"
Little did they know, hidden within that arm was—

It was its last thread connecting itself to others.

(End of this chapter)