Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 257 The Heart of the Crucible: The Battle to Break the Stalemate
"In the purgatory where iron and fire intertwine,

It's not about the strong winning.
He's a madman.

Daring to gamble on the last second.

The flames exploded above the ruins into a scarlet mushroom cloud, and a wave of intense heat surged forth, almost scorching the air into a sticky gel.

Shells rained down, and steel pelted down like hail. Gravel, shrapnel, and incendiary warheads filled the air, as if the heavens and earth had been torn apart, revealing the true face of war's inferno.

[Full-field coverage strike].

Von Blanc was like a raging steel mountain, its tracks roaring and grinding the earth, each advance leaving scorched marks on the ground.

He raised the chainsaw arm high, flames spewing from his chest, turning the battlefield into a sea of ​​fire.

This is purgatory—without blind spots, without breathing room, without cover.

Only explosions, only death, only the cold laughter of steel.

Lin Wanqing screamed and crouched down, clutching her head tightly with both hands, shrinking behind the broken stone wall like a frightened bird.

Herman reacted swiftly, dragging her into a thicker, partially collapsed bunker, his heavy crossbow shield raised high.

It blocked a metal fragmentation bullet falling from the sky, sparks flew across the surface of the shield, and scorch marks spread instantly.

While rolling and dodging, Shinobu's gaze was as cold as a blade as she quickly searched for an opportunity to strike.

Natasha moved with the agility of a snake, leaping and darting through the explosions and shockwaves, her dual pistols accurately detonating a landed, unexploded bomb.

Si Ming stood in the center of the battlefield, his trench coat billowing in the wind, his figure like a solitary tower standing on scorched earth.

He didn't retreat.

He gazed at the giant in the firelight ahead, slowly drew a deck of cards, and murmured softly:
"...The time has come."

The Thousand Faces – leaping from your hand.

The playing cards exploded in the air into a silvery-white curtain of light, like a rebellious flag of fate unfurled on a battlefield.

The God of Fate placed his right hand on his chest and hissed:
"A stroke of luck—start."

boom! !

An unseen ripple of fate spread out, enveloping him and all the team members.

At that moment, the air lost its gravity and its deadly power.

The shells deflected strangely in mid-air, as if gently pushed aside by an invisible hand; steel shards grazed the cheeks, yet seemed destined never to pierce the skin.

Even von Blanc's tracked propulsion hesitated briefly, as if a certain tactical path had been erased by the hand of fate.

They were briefly favored by fate—becoming the only lucky ones in this purgatory who wouldn't be chosen by death.

Si Ming's lips curled into a cruel smile:
"The gambler's table is never laid out for cowards."

Nobuna used her sword as a shield, slashing diagonally and shattering the oncoming explosive bullets with a deafening roar.

Natasha crossed her two pistols and fired them backwards, shooting down a high-altitude mortar mine. The explosion erupted behind her, sending up a wave of fire.

Herman gritted his teeth and held on, shielding Lin Wanqing beneath him. His protective shield was nearing its limit, crackling with electricity.

Lin Wanqing huddled behind him, trembling all over, but biting her lip tightly, her eyes never leaving the battle.

At this moment, time stood still.

Ten seconds.

It's so short it couldn't be shorter, yet it's enough to create a life-or-death chasm between gambling and a reversal of fortune.

The von Blank detector's alarms are flashing wildly:
[Data Anomaly: Target Avoidance Rate Exceeds 99%]

[Fire control system failure: Main gun accuracy below 1%]

[Lockout failed... Feedback is incorrect...]

He roared:
"Non-compliance – Data disturbance – Retargeting!!"

His chaotic mechanical roars echoed across the battlefield, but he could no longer establish a stable strike chain.

Si Ming smiled, twirling playing cards between his fingers, and whispered:
"What a pity, von Blanc."

"You've encountered the dealer of fate."

They fought their way out of the ruins and flames, their figures passing through artillery fire and bursting through the smoke, like gamblers going against the tide of death.

—Until Hermann let out a muffled groan.

A shrapnel bullet, deflected, tore through a gap in his armor and embedded itself deeply in his shoulder!

Blood gushed out instantly.

Lin Wanqing exclaimed and tried to rush forward, but Si Ming grabbed her arm.

"Don't move! He can still hold on."

He spoke in a low voice, his eyes filled with suppressed sorrow.

On the battlefield, emotions will not prevail. At this moment, any unnecessary step is tantamount to sending a life into the fangs of steel.

The von Blanc engine was still roaring, like a steel behemoth howling in the apocalypse, steam and smoke mingling with its fury.

And the second act of the battlefield is about to begin—beneath the curtain of blood and fire, the gamblers still stand tall.

They were still standing.

As long as the gamblers are still around, the game will never end.

Hermann, however, remained completely calm.

His eyes were as calm as still water and as cold as a blade, as if his heartbeat had also fallen silent along with the flames of war.

He swiftly reached his left hand to his waist, his fingertips pressing down without hesitation on the dark red card embedded in the leather case.

The card trembled slightly upon contact, its surface shimmering with a blood-like sheen.
Immediately, a pale, girlish phantom appeared—she held a black coffin, her eyes were lowered, and a half-dreaming, half-awake smile was on her face, as if she were hovering between sleep and death.

Hermann murmured softly, in a language almost exclusively between him and the cards:

"...Take her in, girl."

The next moment——

A dark red light rose from beneath his feet like a tide, quickly enveloping his entire body.

His figure trembled violently, swaying like an illusion, as if he had been suddenly pulled into another dimension by some invisible force.

【The Blood-Soaked Girl Bearing Misfortune】—Activate!
Amidst the surging light, Hermann's body seemed to be enveloped by a gigantic phantom—the arrival of the Blood Coffin Girl.

His wounds began to heal rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, the shattered texture reshaping itself through the writhing, as if death itself had been forced to retreat.

Lin Wanqing stared in disbelief, her fingers trembling slightly, almost forgetting to breathe.

The decaying, dying aura emanating from Herman was completely swallowed up by the blood coffin, replaced by a sharp, cold aura.

He slowly grinned, a sharp line curving his lips into a smile:

"You can still fight."

His voice was deep and resonant, like a war machine being reloaded on the battlefield, roaring as it awakens.

At the same time, Natasha on the other side also completely erupted.

She gripped the pair of eerily pink pistols tightly in both hands.

The gun was covered in graffiti by a deranged girl: a snarling smiling face, a crooked red heart, and dripping blood and tears.

Crimson liquid was dripping from the end of the gun barrel, emitting a faint smell of rust, much like the unfinished remnants in the mouth of Death.

Natasha licked her lips, which reflected an eerie luster in the firelight, and a dangerous madness began to appear in her pupils—a state on the verge of death and pleasure intertwined.

"Mad Girl with Dual Pistols - Liberation".

boom! boom! boom!
Her firing speed soared to inhuman levels in an instant, as if she didn't need to aim at all, and every shot was as accurate as a conviction.

The bullets trailed crimson trajectories, like death storms unleashed by a crazed girl's shrill laughter, leaving a chilling echo in the air.

The characteristics of the 【Mad Girl Dual Pistols】are fully revealed: the higher the level of madness of the wielder, the closer the destructive power of the bullets will be to the level of a curse.

The bullets tore through the air, each one exploding upon impact with a shockwave like fragments of a nightmare—not only penetrating but also exploding internally like a curse.

Dozens of bullets suddenly rained down!

Von Blanc's armor was torn apart by the frenzied barrage of fire, cracks bursting open on the outer shell to reveal the billowing steam pipes inside, from which white smoke billowed out like a burst dam.

Von Blanc's mechanical eye detector flickered wildly, and the data collapsed instantly:
[Charge failed]

[Defense Imbalance]

[Energy leakage: 3%]

This is the first time—

Si Ming clearly saw von Blanc's enormous iron body and staggered slightly.

The opportunity is here.

Siming's eyes narrowed, and he swiftly issued the command like a hawk catching its prey:
"Block its left flank movement!" Nobuna responded immediately, her figure as swift as the wind, she lunged sideways, her blade flashing like lightning, slashing straight down!

Hermann's crossbow bolt followed closely, striking the ground precisely. An explosive trap shell detonated near von Blanc's left track, engulfing the wreckage in flames!

Natasha rolled through the fire and shrapnel, her dual pistols continuing to unleash a relentless barrage of fire.

Lin Wanqing clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, hiding behind the ruins, trying to suppress her inner fear, staring at every tremor of von Blanc, searching for new escape routes and structural weaknesses for the team.

She knew that her strength might be insignificant, but as long as she kept moving forward, she could provide a glimmer of light for this gambler's life-or-death game.

Von Blanc roared, and the steel torrent began to crush once more.

But this time——

The main characters are no longer just passive prey.

They began to fight back.

The battlefield was extremely tense. Von Blanc, like a raging, out-of-control war fortress, rampaged and shook the ruins, the earth trembled, and explosions rose one after another.

Smoke and dust obscured visibility, debris ripped through the air, and flames engulfed the ruins.

But amidst this chaos—

An invisible gambling table has been quietly set up.

Si Ming gently flicked out a playing card, spinning it between his fingertips. A faint glow appeared on the surface of the card, as if summoning an impending gamble.

That's the signal.

Next step, it's time to go big.

He gave the order in a low voice, his tone sharp as a blade cutting through the air:
"—Spread out, feint."

Xin Nai accelerated suddenly like a ghost, his figure flashing through the ruins. A cold light slashed through the air, pointing directly at von Blanc's right limb, as if he was about to launch a surprise attack!
Natasha followed the tactical rhythm, rolling through rubble and fire, firing both guns simultaneously, her firepower aimed directly at Von Blanc's detector!
Hermann fired several high-explosive crossbow bolts, the explosions weaving a net of fire that completely blocked von Blanc's retreat route!

At this moment, the entire battlefield became a high-density focal point!

All attacks—

All of this is guiding Von Blanc to concentrate his defense on his right side and head!
Von Blank's detectors flashed wildly, and the mechanical algorithms ran at high speed:
[Right-side defense enhanced]

[Left-side energy priority protection]

[Enhanced head response]

The massive body tilted slightly to the side, its chainsaw arm sweeping across to defend its right side!
He took the bait.

They've taken the bait!
And at this time.

On the other side, hidden in the shadows of the ruins—Selian—made a move.

His crimson eyes blazed slightly, as if crimson flames were burning deep within them.

Her vampire essence surged, her aura slowly awakening like a long-dormant beast.

Blood surged, muscles swelled and restructured in the heat of battle, like a surging undercurrent;

The bones emitted a faint yet powerful sound of reassembly, like whispers from the underworld.

That hidden power, beneath the surface, finally tore through its shackles.

The true form of the vampire queen is quietly emerging.

She almost completely blended into the darkness, her body crouching low on the ground like a ghost of the night, silently wandering along the edge of the battlefield.

Her movements were somewhere between running and crawling, a wild agility and deadly composure, so fast that they were difficult to capture with the naked eye.

Like a bullet kissed by the night, silent yet destined to deliver a fatal blow.

Like a blood leopard slumbering in the abyss, long since unhunted, it is quietly approaching its prey's throat, its breath silent, yet already locking onto the direction of death.

Si Ming caught her trail out of the corner of his eye; that scarlet, ghostly figure almost vanished into nothingness in the darkness.

A meaningful smile slowly curved his lips, but he didn't shout it out.

With a flick of his finger, a playing card sliced ​​through the air, spinning rapidly and flashing with tiny sparks, before precisely embedding itself in the left side of von Blanc's track.

The [Burning Card] exploded upon landing, sending debris flying everywhere, as if it were just an ordinary disruption on the battlefield.

But that very moment—just happened to obscure Celian's final few meters of approach.

Von Blanc's massive mechanical body suddenly froze, and the detector momentarily misidentified the target, mistaking it for a new frontal threat.

His massive mechanical arm suddenly turned to respond!
In that instant of turning, his right shoulder was completely exposed!
Seria strikes!
She suddenly leaped up from the ruins, her entire body slicing through the air like a crimson lightning bolt!

With its claws outstretched, the crimson sharpness intertwined in the air to form arcs that tore through the stars, exuding a chilling aura and a murderous intent that surged like a tide!
She lunged straight for the exposed energy channel where von Blanc's right shoulder and neck met—one of the few fatal weaknesses in the behemoth's massive body!
boom! ! !
The sound of metal being torn apart pierced the sky, like the scream of a demon!

Blood gushed forth, metal fragments flew everywhere, like a strangling red ribbon suddenly unfurling in the air!

Celiana's red hair danced in the gale, her eyes glowed with a blood-red light like sparks, and her entire body seemed to have merged with the will to destroy.

For the first time, Von Blanc's war-torn body trembled violently!
Lin Wanqing instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief;
Nobuna's eyes suddenly turned cold, and her long sword was already held horizontally in front of her.

Natasha licked her lips, flipped the chamber pistol over, and the bullet clicked into the chamber, the sound as cold and sharp as the war drums before victory.

Hermann remained expressionless, calmly drawing his bow and aiming at the furnace area on von Blank's left chest, his finger not trembling at all.

Selene gritted her teeth and gripped the exposed energy pipe tightly with her claws.

The vampire queen's true power erupted at this moment!
She roared, her voice like thunder, her crimson eyes burning with a madness and will that did not belong to humankind.

Her knuckles embedded in metal, making a terrifying "crackling" sound, like bones twisting, or like a war god grasping fate by the throat!

The energy pipeline struggled and twisted in her hands, emitting a dying mechanical groan.

Von Blanc roared in retaliation, his chainsaw arm sweeping across with a furious roar, whipping up fierce winds and debris! The tracks roared as they retreated at full speed, trying to shake off this ferocious blood shadow!
The abdominal flamethrower suddenly activated, spewing out a blazing sea of ​​fire! The intense flames engulfed Serian, as if to burn her to ashes!

But—the main characters moved!

Siming flicked several playing cards with his right hand. The [Burning Card] and [Cutting Card] transformed into spinning meteors, slashing scorched wounds across Von Blanc's body!

Xin Nai moved like a shadow, his blade flashing into a dense net, precisely locking onto von Blanc's chainsaw arm and blocking his counterattack path!
Natasha laughed and fired several rounds in quick succession. Her [Crazy Girl Dual Pistols] rained down like a curse, causing the flamethrower flames to backfire!

Hermann remained calm and collected, his crossbow bolts whistling as they shot towards the track hub, the violent explosion completely severing von Blanc's escape route!

Lin Wanqing stood atop the ruins, her eyes fixed intently on Feng Blanke's every move.
He quickly issued precise movement instructions to his teammates, enabling them to successfully evade deadly fire several times!

Every second on the battlefield is like dancing on a knife's edge. Every dodge, every coordinated move, is a gamble with life and death at stake.

Selene roared to the sky, her arms bulging with blood, her fingers piercing through the pipes as she grasped the heart of energy—no longer just an attacker!
She's tearing herself apart!
Von Blanc let out a heart-wrenching metallic howl as his heavy chest and abdominal armor began to collapse violently!
The blazing furnace core—the crimson energy source—was finally exposed to the air!
Si Ming's pupils suddenly contracted; that was the key—the source of all of Von Blanc's power!

Without hesitation, the playing cards in his hand transformed into blades of light, shooting out with scorching flames!

Pierce straight into the core of the furnace!

boom! ! !
A deafening explosion erupted, and flames engulfed von Blanc's upper body like a tidal wave! Metal debris flew everywhere, and the firelight dyed the night sky blood red!
The earth trembled violently, as if even the earth's veins were shaking from the explosion! The air was distorted by the blazing flames, and the heat wave whipped up swirling dust!
Everyone instinctively ducked to avoid the shockwave—the aftershocks of the battle still seemed to carry the echoes of destruction.

Seconds later, the smoke began to dissipate, and the wreckage slowly fell from the sky.

Von Blanc's once-mighty body, which had struck fear into the battlefield, now knelt amidst the ruins. Its massive mechanical structure, now powerless, spewed billowing black smoke and dazzling sparks.

The chainsaw arm that had once crushed countless enemy soldiers now lay limply to the side, its tracks broken and its furnace extinguished.

He lost.

The mechanical fortress giant, once a symbol of destruction, has been destroyed.

Selene slowly released her grip, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. Her body was covered in metal fragments from the explosion, her skin torn open, and blood flowing freely.

She was panting heavily, her breath carrying the metallic scent of blood, yet she smiled.

Laughing until I'm tired, but satisfied; laughing until I look disheveled, but proud.

Von Blanc's battered body trembled slightly amidst the flames of war. His voice, low and broken, rang out through the distorted mechanical resonance, yet exceptionally clear:

"...In the end...it was just...a first-generation failure..."

"The real war machine... is still asleep..."

"Deep within this city... the true apocalyptic hell... has yet to be opened..."

His voice grew weaker as the sparks faded, eventually fading into silence.

The massive metal corpse collapsed completely in the flames, raising dust that buried it deep within the scorched earth.

The main characters stood on the ruins ravaged by war, their faces weary and their bodies covered in wounds.

But in their eyes—

It still burns with an indomitable, blazing light.

They won.

At least for now, they've won.

Iron and blood will eventually return to dust.

But the real apocalypse,

Still lurking quietly in the shadows.

(End of this chapter)