Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 520 The Cursed Fire of Blood and Steel

Gods erected towers to observe people's prayers.

Ordinary people make fire to burn the tower of the gods.

When faith and weaponry resonate

The city then became the furnace of holy war.

—Post-Battle Records of the Tower of the End: Tokyo Blood Chapter

Tokyo—the city's last night sky—was completely ablaze with excitement.

Hundreds of airships approached from all directions, the pirate flags of Deepsea Nightmare fluttered in the storm, war drums thundered, and naval cannons roared.

In the darkness, artillery fire and runes intertwined to create a violent spectacle: the sky seemed stitched together by flames, and lightning-like streams of light rolled along the clouds, illuminating the immovable Tokyo Tower.

It was an iron needle piercing the night sky, red light flowing between the cherry blossom patterns on the tower, a hundred ghosts howling in the light curtain, phantoms surging like waves.

This tower is now more than just a building; it is the skeleton of a god.

It stands in the center of the city, guarding the final barrier of the Onmyoji—the Hundred Ghosts Cherry Blossom Formation.

Meanwhile, the Deep Sea Nightmare's fleet is attacking from both the sky and the sea simultaneously.

"Main guns, prepare!"

"Rune tuning complete!"

"Blood Crystal Loading - Launch!"

"boom--!"

The Red Dragon fired its first shot.

Dozens of main cannons simultaneously unleashed beams of blue and red energy, and the shells fell like meteors, crashing into the Tokyo Tower's barrier and exploding in blinding white light.

The shockwave instantly overturned several high-rise buildings, the air was torn apart, and fragments rained down like divine scales scattered across the earth.

The Onmyoji's counter-spells unfolded almost simultaneously.

The Hundred Ghost Talisman Array on the ground burst into light, and hundreds and thousands of paper talismans turned into cursed fire, folding in the air into ghost faces that opened their mouths and howled angrily.

The roar of the shikigami mingled with the thunder, and foxfire and resentful flames soared into the sky, transforming into a giant fire dragon that counterattacked the airborne fleet.

The cannon fire of the Deep Sea Nightmare clashed with the magic of the Hundred Ghosts, and the sky shattered.

In an instant, the entire city of Tokyo was transformed into a dividing line between red and black: the upper half of the sky was filled with burning fleets of ships, while the lower half was covered by a city shrouded in incantations.

The war between humanity and mythology begins at this moment.

The Red Dragon charged ahead, its hull resembling a sharp blade tearing through the clouds.

Its hull was engulfed in flames, runes melted on its armor, and the air smelled of burning blood and iron.

Xu Long stood at the bow of the ship, the firelight reflecting off his grinning face, his red hair dancing wildly in the fierce wind.

He raised his flaming sword high, his voice piercing the storm:
"Prayer is the humble act of the weak—"

He pointed forward, and the fire blade sliced ​​through the sky:

"War is the answer of the strong!"

"boom!!!"

The Red Dragon dives.

The bow cannon fired continuously, and the runic energy combined with the deep-sea storm transformed into a dragon-shaped flame that pierced through the barrier.

Countless shikigami were torn apart, and the roars of the hundred demons were like shattered pieces of iron, crushed into ashes by the cannon fire of the warships.

The pirate legion followed closely behind, shouting.

Hundreds of ghost ships turned their cannons and bombarded the barrier simultaneously from all angles.

Above the night sky, the roars of pirates and the howls of shikigami blended into a chaotic symphony.
Drumbeats, cannon fire, and ghostly wails—all together herald the prelude to death.

The light curtain of Tokyo Tower kept flashing, and with each flash, a part of the barrier array would break apart.

The Onmyoji's main spell array was rapidly repaired, with the incantations overlapping stroke by stroke, and the symbols flashing on the tower becoming increasingly dense.

The two sides are almost evenly matched in terms of combat strength.

The Deep Sea Nightmare possesses astonishing suppressive power, but the backlash from the Hundred Ghosts Barrier is also constantly devouring the pirate ship.

In the firelight, a long gash was torn into the hull of the Crimson Dragon by a ghostly hand.

Xu Long laughed, wiped the blood from his face, and swung his sword down again—

The fiery tornado tumbled in the air, transforming into golden cursed flames that hurtled towards the iron tower.

In an instant, the neighborhood beneath the Eiffel Tower collapsed into a deep crater.

The barrier of a hundred demons twisted violently, and the air in the city felt like it was being torn apart.
The chants and screams surged forth like waves.

Liu Xi's fleet then followed.
A burst of light, a fusion of fire and ice, exploded in the air as a phantom phoenix streaked across the sky—

The power of the Phoenix Flame and Ice Phoenix Twin Swords illuminated the entire Tokyo night sky at that moment.

The shadow of Tokyo Tower flickered in the firelight.

For the first time, cracks appeared in God's fortress.

The night sky was torn apart by artillery fire, and the neighborhood beneath Tokyo Tower had been completely burned into a blood-red inferno.

The Crimson Dragon Guards charged out of the sea of ​​fire, their armor gleaming crimson in the flames, their steps perfectly synchronized, as if following a silent war song.

Liu Xi walked at the front.

His two swords, one red and one blue, hummed in the wind.

Phoenix Flame burned with flames as hot as molten gold, while Ice Phoenix shimmered with a chilling blue light. The two forces swirled around him, intertwining to form a strange balance.

With each breath, the air cracks open in the clash between fire and ice.

"Guards, follow me!"

His voice exploded with a thunderous force.

The Crimson Dragon Guards raised their swords in response, blood mist rising into the air, as they charged in orderly formation into the Onmyoji's lines.
Fire rain fell from the sky, and an ice storm swept across the land.

In an instant, the battlefield seemed to be divided into two colors—

Flames burn fiercely on the left, while ice crystals shatter on the right.

Liu Xi walked through the flames, his two swords clashing.

The blade of Phoenix Flame swept through the air, igniting dazzling golden threads;
The ice phoenix then unsheathed itself, and thousands of ice feathers scattered in the air, freezing the edges of the flames.

His body spun, ice and fire intertwined, forming a phoenix ring-shaped mark beneath his feet.

The next moment, the entire battlefield exploded.

The phoenix bursts through the air with a cry, and as it flaps its wings, flames transform into towering waves.

The Ice Phoenix swept across the ground, and wherever it passed, the air froze into starlight shards of ice.

The phoenixes, one red and one blue, intertwined as they charged into the enemy ranks.

At that moment, the array of a hundred ghosts seemed to be cleaved apart by a god.

Liu Xi flashed through the crowd, his sword light falling like a meteor shower.

Flames exploded, ice crystals flew, and the shikigami's roar was instantly swallowed up.

He was like a natural disaster.

The realms of fire and ice expanded simultaneously, turning all the demons into ashes and ice shards.

The Crimson Dragon Guards shouted behind him, and crimson flames illuminated the entire night sky.

At the edge of the battlefield, a low, metallic scraping sound rang out.

A tall figure slowly walked out.

He was clad in red and black armor, with a cracked demon horn protruding from his helmet, and a semi-transparent suit of armor floating behind him—the ghostly shadow of a demon.

As his footsteps landed, the earth echoed with the sounds of ancient war drums.

“Kakaiin, Kusaka Renbu,” he said in a deep voice, his tone sharp as a knife, “the Kakaiin family, a samurai class.”

He drew his long sword, the cold glint of the blade mingling with the light of blood.

"This battle marks the return of Sekigahara."

Liu Xi sneered, his eyes filled with disdain.

"You Japanese always like to give wars a name."

He raised his twin swords, and fire and ice roared in his hands.

"Then I'll give this battle a name too—"

"funeral."

Lianbu snorted coldly, and made a hand seal with one hand.

"World-type mystery, domain unfolds—Bloody Battle at Sekigahara."

In an instant, the color of heaven and earth changed.

The battlefield collapsed and fell into an illusion.
Blood rained down from the sky, and the land turned into swamps of an ancient battlefield.

Countless demon warriors crawled out of the river of blood, their armor shattered and their eyes bloodshot.

Their spears were all pointed at Liu Xi.

"kill!"

As Liu Xi's two swords clashed, ice and fire exploded.

Phoenix flames burned like a blazing sun, while ice phoenixes unleashed a chilling wave.
He charged straight into the enemy ranks, stepping on the flames.

"To deal with you bunch of little Japanese devils—"

He spoke in a low voice, his tone full of sarcasm and fighting spirit.

"Do I really need to draw a second secret card?"

Fire rain poured down, and icy winds howled.
Liu Xi's twin swords spun like a storm in the enemy ranks.

A phoenix phantom streaked across the sky, shattering the boundaries of the Lotus Clan's domain.

Flames and ice crystals erupted simultaneously, and the army of a hundred demons screamed, burned, and dissipated in the firelight.

Renbu roared, summoning demon warriors to surge out from the ground, surrounding him with a hundred demons.

But Liu Xi's speed had already become a blur.

He drew both swords simultaneously, the fire phoenix soaring into the sky and the ice phoenix swooping down to the ground. As their wings intertwined, Lianbu's body was pierced through.

"Phoenix Flame!" Liu Xi shouted coldly, and the flames burned the lotus to ashes.

"It will devour your courage to draw your blades."

--boom! !
Flames soared up, transforming into a burning phoenix that shot into the night sky.
It then solidified into an ice crystal statue in mid-air.
Then it shattered and fell.

In the fading light where ice and fire mingled, Liu Xi slowly sheathed his sword, with the collapsing army of a hundred ghosts behind him.

He looked up at the indestructible iron tower in the distance.

His eyes were like knives.

A cold smile played on his lips. "A boring opponent."

On the other side of Tokyo, streets are burning.

Ruins, neon lights, and the lingering glow of runes intertwine to form a blood-red river.

From that river of fire came the sound of orderly yet eerie footsteps—

It was a woman's step, yet it was more precise than military boots and louder than drumbeats.

That was the Crimson Rose Pirates.

A battle group composed entirely of women, in red dresses, black armor, white hair, and golden eyes.

Their armor was adorned with beaded chains and skull patterns.

The shawl was stained with blood, like burning flower petals.

The one leading the group was Chen Mei.

She walked slowly, the long sword at her waist still sheathed.

As she walked, a faint mist of blood rose in the air.

"Listen up, sisters."

Her voice was languid, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

"The opposing Nightmare Flower Clan, the Onmyoji's Priestess Group—"

She licked her lips, her smile almost insanely alluring:

"They call themselves flowers. Then let them see what it really means for flowers to bloom like blood."

--boom!

The Crimson Rose Clan simultaneously drew their swords.

Hundreds upon hundreds of female pirates charged simultaneously, their blood-red light weaving into a massive spiral in the air.
The scene was like a rose blooming from blood, stretching from the ground to the sky.

The enemy formation took shape in front.

A massive illusionary barrier unfolded across the street like a curtain.

Red lights flashed, and cherry blossoms fell like rain.

A group of female Onmyoji dressed as geishas emerged from the illusory mist.

Their masks were painted white, their lips were painted deep red, their sleeves trailed on the ground, their steps were elegant, and their voices sang in unison.

"The Nightmare of Flowers, Act Two: The Illusory Kill in the Glamorous Street - Begins."

In an instant, the entire battlefield transformed into another kind of hell.

Lanterns float in the air, and the flower-lined street reappears.
Every ruin was transformed into a vermilion brothel.
The aroma was enticing, yet it was mixed with the smell of decay.

Chen Mei was trapped in the center, and the surrounding streets spread out like ripples beneath her feet.

In every mirror, in every lantern,

They all reflected her own image—

Laughter, tears, nude dancing, or bloodshed.

"it's beautiful."

Chen Mei looked up and smiled.

Her eyes reddened from laughing.

She drew her long sword.

——Buzz.

The air froze the moment the blade was drawn.

That flash of blade light was like lightning tearing through the night.

Then—a sea of ​​blood erupted.

Chen Mei spun around, her skirt fluttering amidst the blood-red light.
Her sword was not just a slash, but a dance.

With each spin, the ground was stained with blood, turning into a blooming rose.

"flower?"

She sneered.

"You don't deserve it."

She moved swiftly, landing with her feet slightly off-center, her hands clasped together as she wielded her sword, and blood splattered everywhere.

That slash was like a surging wave of blood, engulfing all the shikigami and geishas before it.

In an instant, the illusion of the brothel was forcibly cleaved open.

The leader of the Flower Nightmare Clan shouted, "Form the array! Use the Cherry Blossom Seal to lock her in place!"

Hundreds of female Onmyoji raised their hands at the same time, and countless talismans flew up, turning into flower petals and spinning in mid-air.

The entire street was locked up like a cherry blossom cage.

Chen Mei looked up, her long hair flying in the wind.
She raised the knife, licked the blood from the blade, and chuckled softly.

"The blood-red rose is poisonous."

The next instant, his blood energy erupted.

Her blade trailed a trail of bloody light dozens of meters long, the air along its path seeming to be sucked dry.
The cherry blossom petals burned to ashes the moment they touched her body.

Blood and flames mingled, creating a terrifying storm.

They tore the entire "Street of Enchantment" barrier to shreds.

A wave of blood surged into the sky, and the talismans were burned.

The female onmyoji's incantations were replaced by screams.
Their bodies were torn apart and melted.
It transformed into a real—blood-red tsunami.

Under the night sky,
Chen Mei stood atop the ruins.

Her red dress was already soaked in blood.
When the wind blew, her skirt fluttered in the wind, like a red flag.

Beneath her feet was a "mountain of corpses" made up of the bodies of female Onmyoji.

Blood flowed down her high-heeled boots and into Tokyo's sewers.

The firelight illuminated her profile, revealing a smile so beautiful it was terrifying.

She raised her hand, gently scraped the corner of her lips with the blade, and licked a little blood into her mouth.

Sweet, piping hot, with the smell of death.

She murmured to herself, her voice as soft as a lover's whisper—

"This is... the fragrance of flowers."

She turned around, and flames erupted behind her.

The tide of blood and fire swept all the way toward Tokyo Tower.

Beneath Tokyo Tower, deep within a temple paved with obsidian.

This is the main control center established by the Kakaiin family under the barrier of a hundred demons.

The surrounding walls were engraved with spell array patterns, and the black and gold lines shimmered in the light, like flowing blood vessels.

Each time the incantation was recited, a faint humming sound filled the air.

A huge tactical map floats in the center.

The red light represents the fleet of the Deep Sea Nightmare, while the blue light represents the front line of the Onmyoji.

They entangled, collided, and tore at each other in the skies above Tokyo—like a battle between gods and demons.

Huakaiyuan Xiuxing stood in front of that map.

His fingertips brushed against the illusory image of the iron tower, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"The front line is secure."

"The Hundred Ghosts Barrier is complete."

"The pirates are having difficulty advancing."

The servants reported one by one, their voices respectful, almost trembling.

Xiuxing nodded slightly, a fervent glint in his eyes.

That light was like a believer gazing at a holy icon.

“This is the order bestowed upon us by Prince Haruhisa,” he murmured softly.

"This is—God's game."

He turned and looked at the scroll on the wall.

The painting depicts a portrait of Abe no Haruhisa: half-body floral patterns, a fox tail wrapped around his body, a gentle yet indifferent smile.

The footnote below the drawing reads: "Mikadoin Abe no Haruhisa – Lord of Yin and Yang".

Xiuxing knelt down, his forehead touching the ground, and murmured softly:
“We are all His hands and His eyes.”

And the enemy—is nothing more than a sacrifice.

The air was filled with the scent of cursed energy, a sweet aroma like cherry blossoms mixed with blood.

He stood up, his expression feverish, his voice hoarse:
"They thought they could challenge the will of the Yin-Yang Bureau?"
Ha, those mortals are nothing more than chanting incantations while firing cannons.

Unfortunately, the script of God—will not be rewritten for mortals.

Just then, a low whistling sound came from behind.

A dark shadow flashed, and a ninja knelt on one knee.
His sleeves were still stained with undried blood.

"Reporting to the head of the Hanakain family!"

The ninja held a blood-red secret order aloft with both hands, announcing, "His Highness Abe issues an urgent order."

Xiu Xing frowned and took the scroll.

The talisman shattered, and crimson gold characters appeared in the air:

[Send elite troops to three facilities within Tokyo to thwart the enemy's plot.]

Act swiftly, without hesitation.

He paused for a moment, then murmured, "Three facilities?"

The Onmyoji advisor leaned forward and whispered, "My lord, perhaps it's a barrier node?"

"But—why does His Highness want us to 'stop' him?"

Xiuxing frowned and lowered his head in thought.

"What is the enemy's plot?"

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered the system notification from not long ago—

"Hidden quest triggered: Champion's Trial - Nuclear Bomb Tokyo".

In that instant, an unfamiliar word flashed through his mind.

"Nuclear explosion?"

He murmured the word repeatedly.
The sound echoed in the temple, like some kind of pagan incantation.

The Onmyoji around him also looked bewildered.

In their memory, there was never any concept of "nuclear" or "explosion".

In their worldview, the greatest destruction is nothing more than divine punishment or heavenly fire.

"...A new technique?"

He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Whatever it is, His Highness's orders cannot be ignored."

He turned around, his command ringing out like a whip.

"Order the reserve forces to assemble!"

Choose twenty of the strongest Onmyoji and Oni Samurai!

Directed personally by Hideyuki Hanakain!
"Boundary Walker, Star Calamity, prepare—Blink Spell!"

"Yes!"

The Onmyoji immediately began preparations, forming hand seals and chanting incantations, and the air in the entire underground palace was scorched by spiritual energy.

An Onmyoji dressed in a blue-black haori stepped forward, the talisman on his forehead shimmering with spatial patterns.

"Boundary Walker, Star Calamity - Inamori Kei, heed my command!"

Xiuxing drew his sword, the blade reflecting the glint of blood.

"Objective: Three facilities within Tokyo City—stop them no matter what they are doing!"

This is His Highness's order!
—In the name of the Onmyoji, let us purge our divine enemies!

Daoshouqi made a hand seal, and the air suddenly shattered.

The spatial array unfolded, and blue halos bloomed on the ground like flower petals.

"Flashing Three-Point Delivery - Initiate!"

The incantation roared.

The figures of the twenty Onmyoji and Oni Samurai vanished in the light.

Torn into a spatial rift, it transformed into streams of light that shot in three directions toward Tokyo.

Xiuxing watched their departing figures, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"The way of the Onmyoji is to obey, not to question."

He looked up at the iron tower overhead.

"Even if God were to destroy this city, it would be an honor."

He closed his eyes and whispered:

"Because the light of God will rise again from the ruins."

And above the sky, which he could not see,
The eerie light of the Lost One is piercing through the clouds.
A true "divine punishment"
Approaching.

The air underground smelled of both freezing and burning.

Every step felt like treading on someone else's memories, damp, sticky, and accompanied by an unbearable buzzing sound of metal and medicine.

The pipes along the corridor coiled like blood vessels, and the mist spewing from the broken sections had a ghostly green fluorescence.

The light illuminated the faces of the bio-infected individuals affixed to the wall—their skin like melted wax, their eye sockets filled with only a cold green light, and thin foam dripping from their mouths.

"Here... it's like they're using human bodies as reagents to mix things up."

Nobuna muttered under her breath, her voice a mixture of shock and professional curiosity.

Si Ming didn't answer further. His mask reflected faintly in the dim emergency light, and his fingertips tapped lightly in his palm, as if keeping time.

Shinobu Mijinin beside him understood, and her katana was already drawn, the blade flashing a cold, sharp line in the broken fluorescent light.

Her breathing was steady and powerful, as if she were using this hellish corridor as a training ground.

Suddenly a shadow lunged at us from ahead.

They were the "soldiers" assimilated by radiation and incantations—their bones were strengthened, and their gait was abnormally stiff and fast.

The flesh on his face melted into a purulent color, and his eyes looked like two boiling green candles.

Xin Nai stepped forward, his blade flashing horizontally, creating a chilling wind as he sliced ​​open the torsos of several zombies.

Blood splattered, branding the wall with black flowers.

“Demons and monsters!” Nobuna murmured. That word seemed to have unleashed an old curse in this hell.

With each strike, several greyish-white ghostly figures were summoned, swirling and coiling around the rotting flesh soldier's body—they were not there to protect Nobuna.
Instead, it's like a breath, gliding out the enemy's shadow between blades and flesh, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground in an instant.

The God of Fate also moved.

He stomped his foot, and the illusory chessboard quietly unfolded, the squares dancing with an unstable luster on the floor.

Black pawns surged like a tide, while white knights charged forward, their phantom lances and hoofbeats echoing through the metal corridor.

The bio-engineered soldiers who were originally surrounding them were pulled away by the illusions as soon as they approached the chess formation, as if their bones were being pulled by an unseen hand.

The Fate Master's movements are few, but each move cuts the enemy into a predetermined position: they are not completely annihilated, but rather "displaced".
Temporarily detached from the real world, they became offerings to illusions, allowing Nobuna to harvest them one by one.

From afar, Lilia's voice suddenly rang in Siming's ears, transmitted through the whispering elf:
“Siming, we’ve almost finished cleaning up here. Calvino, make a corridor ahead. There’s a core sample at the end of the lab—it’s emitting a purplish-red light, and it might be the container for plutonium. Be careful of radiation and spontaneous reactions.”

Xiao Jinyan also gave a brief reply: "There are a lot of mutated crawling creatures at the intersection of the research tower here, but none of them are in a constant state. They seem to be constantly being pulled by some kind of field. You guys need to pay attention to the flanks."

The information was pieced together like fragments. Si Ming nodded slightly, paused, and spoke in a voice only they could hear:
"Advance from three points, then assemble after obtaining the item. Don't turn it into fireworks."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved forward like flowing water.

An illusory chessboard unfolded beneath his feet, with black and white pieces intertwining like the shadows of an army advancing ahead of reality.

Xin Nai followed beside him, her blade flashing like a silver snake, slicing through the horde of zombies that were breaking through the encirclement.

Whenever a target is defeated, a black soldier will stand guard at the spot where the target fell, blocking any subsequent enemies.

In a close-quarters collision, the enemy's giant hand grabbed Nobuna's sword arm, and excruciating pain shot through her beast-like joints.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she were whispering a prayer, or perhaps summoning a battle.

With a gesture from Si Ming, the white-horse knight transformed into a streak of light and charged in, tearing open the enemy's chest, as if instantly pulling out the hand that had grabbed Xin Nai and sending it into another void prison.

With a swift turn, Shinobu's blade pierced the last connection point of the body, causing a burst of blood and a viscous, fluorescent substance to adhere to the blade.

The double-layered thick door at the end of the corridor slowly opened in front of them.

Behind the door was a circular laboratory, with floating cold light like a heartbeater in a ventricle.

Suspended in the center is an irregular "nuclear sphere" that appears to be intertwined with purplish-red and deep blue.

It is not a simple metal container, but rather a living energy knot: its surface ripples, periodically emitting tiny arcs of electricity and iridescent smoke, with light drawing dreamlike curtains in the air.

“That’s it.” Si Ming’s voice was low and clear, as if stating something that was taken for granted.

Suddenly, the laboratory's alarm system drowned out all other sounds.

The warning light flashed red, and lines of data popped up on the screen on the wall: radiation levels had suddenly spiked, certain thresholds were being breached, and the system had initiated a self-stabilization program.

The surface of the sphere showed crack-like streaks of light, as if something was trying to seep out from within.

"Don't come near me," Si Ming said calmly, but there was a gambler's excitement at seeing a hidden card in his eyes.

He made a locking gesture, and the tentacles of the illusory chessboard extended to the vicinity of the core sphere. The white knight and black pawn, like sentinels guarding the gate, formed an invisible fence outside the energy circle.

Shinoda turned around, lightly tapping the ground with the tip of her knife, her eyes sharp: "If you want to take it, don't just stand there like a vase."

Si Ming revealed a half-smile, a smile that appeared even more dangerous beneath his mask: "This nuclear explosion will not only destroy the tower, but also the god."

The air was still for a few seconds, as if sliced ​​by a blade, before the entire laboratory erupted again—not from an external attack.

Instead, the nuclear sphere's self-reaction began to distort the surrounding field.

Light exploded on the nuclear sphere, creating ripples that resembled real heartbeats, each one faster than the last.

Nobuna did not hesitate.

She took a step forward, her blade flashing like a shooting star, heading straight for the brightest line of the purplish-red energy core.

The God of Fate laid down a final layer of illusion behind her, the chessboard squares collapsing one by one into a protective flower shape, like an invisible track being laid out for her.

The glint of swords, the shadows of chess pieces, the flickering flames of foxfire, and the breath exhaled by Nobuna blended together to create an almost religious scene: mortals stand before "gods," taking up a spark they shouldn't have, preparing to ignite the heavens.

Outside, the alarm of the Lost One echoed in the distant tunnel, like drumbeats urging the final blow.

A hoarse voice came through Xiao Jinyan's communication: "We've started clearing things up here too, and we'll get here to assemble as soon as possible!"

Si Ming's fingers tapped his palm one last time, like pressing down a gambling chip.

He glanced at Nobuna and whispered, "Prepare to reel in the line."

Nobuna simply nodded, her eyes showing no fear, only the sword and the oath.

When her knife tip touched that fragile, luminous shell, the entire laboratory felt as if it had been pierced by an invisible needle.

The purple-red light vibrated, like the last thud of a heart, before exploding into countless tiny points of light, like fireworks or a tenacious soul.

At that moment, the world had a few answers stolen from it in the cramped basement.

The light reflected off the mask of the God of Fate, and he murmured to himself, as if to himself, and also to the distant primordial world: "Every debt we have is recorded on fireworks. This time, it's just a rehearsal."

Blood and steel forge gods.

Fire and Dreams Devour the Tower.

Humanity's greatest prayer
It's not about believing in God.

It is nuclear peace.

—From *The Tower of the End: A Poem on Tokyo Ashes*

(End of this chapter)