Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 335, Section 82: Farewell with Snow

No sooner had the giant finished speaking than he suddenly attacked, throwing a punch at Iwasaki.

The black cloud spirit that Iwasaki Kosuke transformed into, after taking the punch from the giant that contained endless hatred, managed to break free of the shadow arm that was being held and retreated a distance.

The massive shadowy form rippled violently, its edges crumbling as if a veil of smoke were being torn apart by a gale.

He felt his own strength beginning to drain away, and a wave of exhaustion, originating from his very core, washed over him.

The time limit for overdrafting has been reached. Continuing to stubbornly resist this clearly upgraded aggregate of resentment is not a wise move.

"Ah"

A soft, ambiguous hum came from the dark clouds, devoid of resentment, but displaying a calm assessment of the situation.

The next moment, the enormous black cloud ring spirit's figure ceased to maintain its form and quietly dissipated into the air.

Iwasaki's true form has also completely disappeared, hiding somewhere in London, observing the situation.

He has already done his best; continuing to pay the price would be completely disproportionate to the gains.

With Iwasaki gone, the most powerful direct threat, the newly formed Resentful Giants became even more unrestrained.

He tucked the dagger into his waistband, his crimson eyes sweeping over the still-standing, but now dimmed, phantom of the shield-wielding knight in the sky, its golden light no longer as bright as before. He spoke calmly in a mocking tone:

"This shield is nothing but a hypocritical symbol. Has it ever truly sheltered the suffering people of this land from the wind and rain?"

"It has only ever protected the powerful and wealthy within its high walls, and has never shown any pity for the cries of the starving outside the walls."

"Whether they are native citizens or foreign laborers, they are all treated equally, as the flesh and blood of the empire."

"Black bricks and white tiles, adorned with gilded splendor, what difference does it make to the people inside the house, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant had already walked up to the knight. His dark red giant fist, imbued with immense resentment, tore through the rain like a blood-red meteor, carrying the will to destroy everything, and slammed into the giant shield in the golden knight's hand, which symbolized the United Kingdom.

boom! ! !
The deafening roar was almost nauseating; the energy shockwave from the impact spread out in a ring in an instant, even dispersing the dark clouds in the sky.

The few remaining panes of glass shattered, and the wails of the crowd drifted like the chirping of insects.

The phantom of the Golden Knight flickered violently, flashing brightly and dimly! The giant shield in its hand, the bulwark that embodied faith and the symbol of the kingdom, was visibly dented and twisted around the point of impact! Fine cracks even appeared!

The knight's entire figure dimmed considerably, as if it would disintegrate into nothingness after only a few blows.

"what--!"

"The knights can't hold on much longer!"

"God, save us!"

Within the Westminster district, the last defenders, sheltered by a weak protective shield, were gripped by immense panic upon witnessing this collapse of faith.

Cries, prayers, and desperate cries filled the air. Even William V turned pale; faced with death, his wavering heart began to slowly awaken. Had he made the wrong gamble?
Is it too late to get into the bunker now?
Or, to put it another way, is it guaranteed that you'll survive if you go in?

But he has already made a vow to never yield in public. If he treats it as nothing, then the debt will fall on his children and grandchildren.

Just like the terrible legacy left by his great-great-grandmother Victoria.

High above the clouds, out of sight of anyone, Dongshan Shen floated leisurely, gently pinching his chin with his fingers, looking down at the apocalyptic scene below, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Ultimately, players are no match for this level of extraordinary power.

As the player behind the scenes, he should step in, but if he always covers for them, won't this create a path dependency for these guys? Will they just wait for the white-clad mask to clean up their messes whenever they encounter trouble in the future?

For him, dealing with this behemoth built up from a century of resentment was actually not difficult.

These so-called hatreds of all living beings are essentially still highly concentrated remnants of negative soul energy.

He only needed to unfold the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, just like he had done with the decapitated angel before, to pack it up and take it away, thus purifying the world.

But he didn't want to do that.

That was the White-Clad Mask's method. If they continued to use the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, it would remind people of the previous Rain of God. Could that also be the work of the White-Clad Mask?

It's also easy to link the Kyoto Giant Incident with the White Mask.

This suggests that the white-clad mask has an inexplicable connection to almost all supernatural disasters, greatly increasing the likelihood that the white-clad mask is an "unknowable" identity.

There's no need for that; he has other ways to handle it anyway.

The original Soul-Gathering Umbrella has been transformed into the new Yellow Springs Space, where there happens to be someone capable of processing this ingredient.

For example, that little snake that looks like a Slowpoke.

This little creature's origins are related to the River Styx and the Underworld, and theoretically it can feed on negative emotions.

This is also confirmed in the game "The Promise of the Underworld".

Of course, for the other side, consuming this kind of energy full of pain and hatred is extremely unpalatable and difficult to swallow. It is basically a kind of compressed ration that people would only eat a few bites of when they were forced to by life and had no other choice. If they accidentally ate too much or had indigestion, they would end up looking like Zhu Hai, an ugly creature that is neither demon nor ghost, and would be contaminated by negative emotions.

However, with Shinichi Higashiyama personally backing him up, the situation is different.

He can command the other side to devour this resentful energy and excrete it directly into his new Yellow Springs system without digesting it himself.

There, these negative energies will be gradually settled and transformed, becoming high-quality fertilizer to nourish the new yin energy, turning waste into treasure.

The calico fox can also consume this kind of energy. However, its current power level is not as high as that of the Other Shore. It is estimated that, based on its attribute's partial affinity and suppression of negative energy, it can at most fight the giant below to a 60/40 split.

But what Dongshan Shen wanted was not a hard-fought battle with equal strength, nor a narrow victory with a slight advantage; he wanted absolute crushing.

It was a complete victory with a 10-0 score, even a 9-1 score felt uncertain.

However, when Shin Higashiyama conveyed this culinary mission to Higan, Higan, who was usually slow to react, surprisingly showed an extremely anthropomorphic expression of disgust. He shook his little head like a rattle drum, hissing and sticking out his tongue, clearly indicating that he did not want to eat this kind of junk food.

Just then, the calico fox, who had just returned from working in the fields, heard its owner's words and immediately came over eagerly, its fluffy tail wagging wildly behind it, pointing at itself with a small paw, its face full of the urgent message, "Choose me! Choose me!"

For Sanhua, absorbing this resentful energy is actually more painful and has greater side effects than crossing the other shore.

But what is a little pain compared to the desire to prove oneself to one's master and earn merit!
With a long period of farming, you will achieve great success!
To rise above others, simply knowing how to farm is far from enough.

A contest of scrolls? No one can compare to me, the King of the First Scroll of the Underworld!

Just as Sanhua was eagerly waiting for its master to nod, Dongshan Shen smiled and turned his gaze to the other side again. At the same time, an undeniable pressure (tyranny) enveloped them.

Ueda Yoshi, who was standing nearby, also frantically tried to signal to the other side with his eyes.

Under the dual pressure of Higashiyama Shin's absolute authority and the potentially serious consequences, Bi'an reluctantly and grievously nodded its snake head and accepted this dirty and tiring job.

"That's right."

Higashiyama Shin smiled with satisfaction, patted the little head of the other side, casually opened up a space, and took the other side away from the new Yellow Springs, preparing to give it some packaging.

All that remained were a relieved Ueda and a dejected calico fox.

Since the character is to be featured, it's best to change its serpentine shape, which is clearly related to the red spider lily. It's too easy to associate it with the Eastern concept of the underworld and doesn't differentiate it enough.

Higashiyama thought to himself, since this is England, let's use some of the most famous fantasy elements in the country.

For example, the classic plump, two-winged lizard, also known as the Western dragon.

Moreover, to ensure absolute certainty and improve the odds of victory from 91 to 100, Shin Higashiyama also conveniently implanted the [Heart of Ice], which he himself didn't find particularly useful, into Higanbana's body.

In this way, the other side can become a frost dragon capable of breathing extremely cold dragon breath.

Thus, with the battle below hanging by a thread, the Golden Knight's shield about to shatter, and the crowd plunged into despair—

A meteor suddenly fell from the sky!
A beam of pure white light plummeted from the gap in the broken dark clouds, expanding rapidly as it fell! For the first time, the other shore transformed from a spirit into a physical form, and under the manipulation of Shin Higashiyama, its image gradually took shape.

The first thing that catches the eye is a cluster of white scales, each about the size of a human face, arranged closely together and reflecting a faint light.

Next came a massive, suffocatingly long, undulating body, the outline of its muscles rising and falling beneath its scales.

Finally, there were the enormous wings that suddenly unfolded, blotting out the sky and the moon!

In the blink of an eye, a living, pure white dragon, existing only in legends and illustrations, suddenly descended upon the skies above the London battlefield.

Its size was even larger than the resentful giant below, and if you included its wings, it could completely overshadow the giant.

The legendary dragon's might enveloped the entire venue as if it were a tangible force, causing the temperature to drop several degrees.

"A dragon is a dragon! A high-level dragon species! A mature high-level dragon species, this is unbelievable! Apart from that reasonable golden guy, I never thought I'd encounter a real dragon in this world!"

Even Geralt, who had been relatively calm throughout, couldn't help but slam his hands on the railing and stare intently at the white dragon.

He wasn't unfamiliar with dragons, but high-level dragons were practically extinct in his world; he had only ever fought a juvenile high-level dragon.

"A white dragon. And who is this?"

Those who were still watching the live stream, or the survivors who were nearby, instinctively held their breath.

The other side floated in the air, completely different from its previous dull appearance.

The vertical pupils looked down at the resentful giant below with utter indifference, as if looking at a noisy insect.

It was clearly very unwilling to be forced to become like this and to eat such unpalatable food, and its whole body exuded a low-pressure atmosphere that said "Don't touch me."

"Go on, be quick about it, I'll give you a treat after you're done."

Higashiyama Shin's voice echoed in the consciousness of the other side.

The other side reluctantly let out a low and majestic dragon roar as a response.

Then, it abruptly folded its wings and, like a hunting eagle, swooped down towards the resentful giant below! Its speed was so great that it left a white afterimage in the air!

The Giant of Resentment clearly sensed this sudden and terrifying threat. It roared and swung its dark red giant fist, carrying immense power of resentment, as it slammed it down on the charging dragon.

However, what followed was a completely unequal and crushing defeat.

The other side didn't even make any dodging movement, but simply raised one of its dragon claws, which was covered with thick ice armor, and met the giant's fist with ease.

boom!
With a muffled thud, the giant's full-force attack, powerful enough to shake the Golden Knight's shield, was easily caught by the dragon claw, which didn't even manage to push the dragon claw back an inch! Instead, the giant's own arm was numb from the impact.

A hint of impatience flashed in the other side's eyes, and the dragon claw that had grabbed the giant's fist suddenly exerted force, gripping it tightly like an iron clamp.

Then, it clamped its other claw around the giant's throat, flapped its wings again, and dragged the massive giant as if it were a tattered sack, flying low and fast away from Westminster.

The giant struggled desperately, his feet carving out two huge trenches several meters deep in the ground, sending stones and dirt flying, creating a scar-like, ugly canal in the city of London.

The other side roughly dragged the giant along, finally slamming it back to its original birthplace—the ruins of the British Museum.

Boom!

The giant was slammed heavily to the ground, the earth shook, and dust billowed everywhere.

He tried to retaliate, gathering resentment in his other arm as he reached for the dagger at his waist.

But the other side was faster. The huge dragon head swooped down with lightning speed, opened its massive jaws full of sharp teeth, and bit down hard on the giant's arm that was trying to control the dagger.

Click!

A sickening metallic crackling sound accompanied by sparks rang out as large chunks of flesh were torn apart.

What horrified the giant even more was that it felt the power of resentment within its body being frantically devoured and plundered by the bitten arm!
The rate at which this power was being lost even slightly exceeded its ability to recover!
"No! This is impossible!" the giant roared in terror.

The other side seemed to think that this method of devouring was too inefficient, and biting an arm was also quite tiring. Its impatience deepened, and it suddenly raised its other free dragon claw, pressing it down hard on the giant's chest like Mount Tai, pinning it firmly to the ground.

Then, it swung its massive head, which was biting the giant's arm, violently!
Stab it--!
A tearing sound echoed through the sky. Amidst the giant's desperate roar, its arm, which was tightly gripping the dagger, was ripped off from its shoulder blade by the other side.

Dark red energy gushed out from the fracture like blood!

"No! The Abomination Dagger!!"

The giant lost its direct connection with the core of the ritual, its power plummeted instantly, and the resentment that had been gathering around it began to fluctuate violently.

What followed devolved into a one-sided massacre. Even if the other side was unwilling, they had to complete this arduous task, so the eating process was anything but enjoyable.

It used its sharp claws to tear off large chunks of the giant's dark red flesh, which existed between reality and illusion, and then swallowed them. The giant attempted to regenerate, but without its dagger, the rate at which its flesh grew could not keep up with the speed at which the other side devoured and destroyed it.

Soon, the giant's chest was ripped open again, exposing the dark red heart, formed from the hatred of all living beings, which beat weaker and weaker, slower and slower.

Shinichi Higashiyama looked down at everything from high above and knew that it was about time.

Resentment, once awakened by a specific ritual, is very difficult to eradicate completely. Even if this aggregate is temporarily destroyed, as long as the soil that breeds resentment remains on this land, new monsters will inevitably be born sooner or later.

But that didn't stump him.

High in the sky, Shin Higashiyama activated the power of [Heart of Light and Shadow].

An extremely powerful cold current, far exceeding what the Ice Heart within the other shore could generate, suddenly gathered over London.

The temperature in the sky plummeted to below zero, and the moisture in the air froze almost instantly.

At the same time, he used the power of the Pure Silver Cup, employing the power of wondrous grace to infuse healing and purification into this frigid land.

And so, snowflakes began to fall from the London sky.

This is no ordinary snow; it is a blessed snow mixed with tiny golden specks.

Snowflakes falling on the wounded bring a slight healing effect; falling on the earth, they limit the spread of resentment; falling on the resentful giant, they become a seal.

Above the ruins, the other side, having received the command from Higashiyama Shin, looked up to the sky and let out a dragon's roar that pierced the clouds, announcing the coming of the end.

It opened its massive maw toward the resentful giant at its feet, who was already on the verge of death and barely kneeling on the ground.

A massive amount of terrifying cold air was exhaled. With the blessing of the Heart of Light and Shadow, the breath was completely ice-blue. Wherever it passed, the space seemed to be frozen, leaving a crystal-clear ice mark.

Click, click, click!

The breath instantly enveloped the giant completely, and the giant's body, from its skin to its internal energy core, was rapidly covered with a thick layer of dark blue ice.

The giant made a final attempt to reach out his hand, but it could no longer move halfway through. The mad crimson light in his eyes gradually dimmed and extinguished beneath the ice, eventually turning into two lifeless ice crystals.

In the blink of an eye, a giant iceberg, nearly two hundred meters tall and in a kneeling, struggling posture, stood majestically on the site of the British Museum.

The ice sculpture exudes a chilling aura that, barring unforeseen circumstances, will remain forever.

It will become an indestructible new landmark for the City of London.

The ice dragon, transformed from the other shore, stood proudly atop this glacial mountain of resentment. After surveying the vast ruins of London, it spread its enormous wings, grabbed the torn-off giant arm still clutching a dagger with its claws, and with a flap of its wings, its massive body gracefully soared into the sky, flying towards the higher horizon. Soon, it turned into a tiny white dot and disappeared into the sky.

At this moment, on the eastern horizon, the first true ray of dawn finally broke free from the night, casting a clear blue light.

This light, intertwined with the cold gleam reflected from the massive iceberg in London, and the snowflakes still falling from the sky, speckled with gold, created a dreamlike scene.

It makes one wonder if they really survived this London ordeal that lasted for half a month.

London's first snow fell at dawn in late September. A dawn that all those who experienced it, and indeed all of Britain, will never forget.

(End of this chapter)