Forge a path to success.

Chapter 400: Delusion about Heaven
The demon finally revealed itself, its form a withered tree of flesh and blood, a collection of the regrets, pain, and obsessions of the citizens of Thorncove over thousands of years.

The flesh-and-blood tree sprouted, branched, grew, and expanded, transforming into a behemoth comparable to a city in the blink of an eye. Its form constantly changed during this process; the trunk, which should have supported the structure, became ethereal and withered, and the remaining dead wood flowed into Palliman's body like water.

The only remaining illusion of the outside world is the rootless tree crown, which, despite having no foundation, grows exceptionally strong, with its wispy red branches blocking out the sky, like the veins of a giant floating above the city.

"Speaker..." "Hero Parryman." "Our wishes..." "Everyone's prayers..."

Everyone saw the phantom of their beloved, and all eyes were drawn to it. A sense of familiarity welled up within them, and love and trust arose spontaneously. They stared wide-eyed, instinctively reaching out their arms to grasp at the illusory branches in the air.

They opened their mouths and uttered monotonous sounds, 17 billion meaningless musical notes pieced together, turning into intermittent promises.

"Peace is coming." "No more death." "No more war."

"A happy country and an equal city-state." "Eternal peace far removed from the world."

"The wishes of the dead." "The prayers of the living." "The meaning of the city-state!"

Only a very few with unwavering will manage to preserve themselves amidst the demonic voice. They kneel in anguish, burying their heads in their hands, resisting the instinct to return to "sole love." But their efforts are in vain, for the demon of solitary love truly takes shape when it is defined.

He is no longer an ambiguous thought, but a phantom larva about to transcend time!
Before the massive tree of flesh and blood, Parriman slowly rose to his feet. He had now merged with the illusory form, becoming a contractor who could unleash the full power of Love. His height had grown to 3 meters, yet his physique was abnormally thin, his torso completely transformed into a pile of withered branches, his slender hands resembling ghostly claws. He no longer had a "face"; where his head was, it was merely a slightly lighter-colored tree bark, with a silver mask deeply embedded in its center.

Banningtik stood opposite him, the Temple of Law the only remaining green amidst the blood-red hue. He shielded Trek behind him, his voice calm: "Let it end here, Parriman. You've gone astray, and there's no hope at the end of this path."

Parriman's withered head swayed slightly, as if he were laughing. After merging with the demon, his voice returned to its own.

"Why do you say that? I have succeeded. The city-state is independent, love has taken shape, and all that remains is to defeat you all and take control of the divine tree. After that, the dream will be realized, and after that, there will be eternal peace."

“Look behind you,” Banningtik said, closing his eyes. “Look at the rootless tree you’re carrying!”

A massive, fleshy tree with only a canopy and no branches—that was the very form of the Demon of Solitary Love, like a rootless duckweed magnified a thousand times. Banningtik said in a deep voice, “Any idea, any theory, must be based on reality. Only with tangible feasibility and shared interests can an idea take root within a group. However, your theory of Solitary Love is nothing but a one-sided, extreme ideology, unable to withstand internal debate, let alone resist attacks from heretics.”

"This rootless tree was established entirely by you alone, propelled by you alone, supported by you alone, and flourished to this day by you alone. You have the perseverance to become a branch of this tree, but that is ultimately not the true wish of the citizens! It is nothing more than a demon of 'fantasy' that has never had any real foundation from the beginning!"

The facts are just as Banningtik said.

Ultimately, the subconscious is a complex and chaotic sea of ​​the mind. Hidden within this collective mind are endless emotions—despair, sorrow, evil, extreme love, and extreme hate. These are faint emotions that everyone possesses, precisely because they are so weak that they do not dominate the surface.

Love is part of the subconscious sea, and it was only after being influenced by the assassination of the World Tree by the Demon King "Colorless" that it truly took shape within the city-state of Thornsa. Even so, its power was initially very weak, and it was even powerless to sweep away the enemy and rescue the wounded 20 years ago. It could only rely on Parriman to create a mere false hero.

The key factor that made this fragile emotion into the giant tree it is today is Parriman himself.

His heroic deeds fueled the rise of the ideology of individualism, which in turn elevated his status within the city-state. In the post-war environment of 20 years prior, the ideology of individualism already had the potential to take center stage. Even without Parriman, another speaker would have become its spokesperson. People had already suffered so much… that without “Parrimanism,” they could not even return to reality.

Contractors and ideologies mutually reinforced each other; city-states and the people made choices for each other under extreme conditions. All these factors combined to shape the current demon-loving ideology in just 20 years. It can hardly be called genuine public opinion, but rather an extreme ideology jointly shaped by the times and the demon.

Parriman nodded gracefully, just as he had always done when he stood on the political stage, addressing the people.

"I am clear."

"This 'exclusive love' is extreme, emotional, unreasonable, incomplete, lacks a realistic foundation, and has no real possibility. The so-called 'happiness after independence' is nothing more than the wishful thinking of the ignorant masses about the future."

"—However, it was this very idea that saved me on the battlefield 20 years ago!"

He laughed loudly, tears streaming down his face beneath his mask: "They are the unspoken terror of the fallen, the hidden grief of those separated, the pain accumulated in this beautiful country in a hellish world, pain that has not lessened in the slightest. They are the 'emotions' hidden in people's hearts, the true will of the masses, bound by rationality!"

"Those weak who are destined to die on the battlefield also have the right to live. To fulfill the wishes of all beings, I will surely turn their dreams into reality!!"

The flesh-and-blood tree swayed with his roar, its thousands of crimson branches drooping down and piercing the temple of Banningtik. Before that terrifying power called the All Beings, even the law was but a worthless piece of paper.

The conceptual conflict between the two sides was too great. Parriman almost completely restrained Banningtik's proposition. His weakness caused the temple floor to collapse, and divine power merged into the flesh and blood tree sea, giving rise to a counterattack of root turmoil.

Banningtik lifted Trek and leaped out of the temple ruins. Trek used his oracle to calculate his route and precisely dodge the roots of the flesh tree, but he deliberately faced the attack as he was about to break free, thus failing at the last moment. His wrists were still bound by vines, the curse that Parriman had initially placed on him, the "cluster affiliation" that no citizen of the city-state could escape.

Parriman pulled him back beneath the flesh-and-blood tree, and the dim weapon struck out, slashing towards the middle of the Sword of Law. Divine power flowed along the sword, clashing fiercely with the demonic spiritual power of the two. The combined forces formed a red and green wave that swept through the city-state of Thorn Robe like a whirlwind. Before the Fallen Ones that had sprung up in various places could even react, they were annihilated by the aftershocks of the two powerful beings' clash.

Banningtik was clearly at a disadvantage, but he still didn't give up. His eyes flashed with dense numbers and calculations; the rapid pace of his calculations almost made his mind go blank. He was deducing the enemy's weaknesses, calculating the vulnerabilities of that terrifying demon.

"If you truly care about the future of the collective, you must reject the irrationality of certain ideas and personally correct and guide them. It is your duty as a leader to weigh those ideals against their rationality!"

He struggled to suppress the gloom of his soldiers and roared, "Indulging and appeasing them will only plunge the people you love into the abyss. Even if you succeed in independence, what good will it do? With nothing to your name, what will you rely on to protect this city?"

"By myself!" Parriman's words were filled with madness. "I will make my love a god, devour the impending karma, and become the true supreme being."

"Transformation at the cost of billions of lives, protecting the city-state with the power of unique love, becoming an ideal land far from strife!"

Banningtik's eyes flashed; the oracle's calculations were finally complete. However, analysis was meaningless at this moment. In close combat, the two were not even on the same level, especially now that Parriman had been further enhanced. He easily broke through Banningtik's defenses, the Sword of Law flying high into the sky, only to be shattered into fragments by the crimson branches. The dim weapon pierced through his shoulder blade, pinning Banningtik to the temple's foundation stone.

Parriman did not pursue them, or rather, he never considered the two as "mortal enemies." He sheathed his dim weapon and clasped his hands together in prayer. He poured his will into the rootless tree, and the power of the demon gave form to that obsession.

[Curse binding, delusions manifest]

Without warning, the "world" in the eyes of all living beings changed. The stench of blood turned into the fragrance of flowers, branches became gentle breezes, collapsed buildings were restored to their original state, and even damaged furniture returned to its perfect condition. There was no more fighting, no more disaster; in the blink of an eye, the city-state of Thorn Robe was transformed back into the most beautiful place in people's memories.

No, it was far more beautiful than I remembered; the city-state had never been so peaceful. For the flesh-and-blood tree had become the towering tower at the very center of the city-state, connecting the great lily and perfectly isolating the city from the outside world, forming the foundation upon which paradise was built!
No longer lost or hesitant, people sat smiling in their homes. They had almost forgotten everything, seeing only the beauty before them. Even the ruins where Banningtik was located had become a sea of ​​flowers. The world in his eyes shifted rapidly, sometimes a paradise-like haven, sometimes a demonic realm shrouded in flesh and branches.

"Your delusion... cannot last forever...!"

“When I become the Supreme, delusion becomes reality.” Parryman recreated the Dim Soldier and approached, spear in anguish. “You’ve worked hard all this time, Captain Banningtik. Your work ends here. This city no longer needs useless gods.”

"The Divine Guard of the Thorn Robe City-State is hereby officially disbanded!" He swung his spear down, aiming at the last protection maintaining Banningtik's sanity. However, another wooden spear appeared mid-strike, intercepting the dimming weapon!
"Young people these days are just speechless."

"It's one thing to skip work yourself, but you're also thinking of ruining other people's jobs? You'd better not get me wrong, Parriman..."

Trek stood up, holding his wooden gun, a fearless smile on his face.

"Your god isn't old enough to die yet; those old fogies still plan to continue offering their blessings!!"

His injuries were completely healed, and the theoretically indelible curse had vanished without a trace. Behind him, branches of divine power, condensed from green light, swayed gently like willow leaves. Parriman recognized the power, and everyone in the city knew its true form.

That was the support from the Thorn Tree. In the few seconds that Banningtik bought, the Thorn Tree barely managed to spare some of its will and chose to give its support to the weak Trek.

"Then, let's face our end!"

Was it unnecessary? Should personal feelings have been involved, and it had been crushed from the very beginning? A multitude of conflicting thoughts flashed through Parriman's mind. He followed his emotions, raising the dim weapon, and the cursed rain descended once more. This time, there were no points of escape in the rain; wherever Trek teleported, the anguish of the departed would shatter it!

"In the name of Jas Trek, the Third Captain of the Thorn Robe Guard, we hereby launch a campaign against Parryman, the Devil Contractor!" Trek raised his spear high, unmoved. "It's time to open your eyes and see reality, Your Excellency!"

The rain of weapons fell resolutely, carrying a deadly torment capable of eroding the spirit. Yet, in the instant before they hit the ground, the illusory weapons warped and dissolved. Sharp spears transformed into lampposts, hammers and bullets into balloons, poisonous gas diluted into colorful winds, and the rust on the swords instantly vanished, shrinking and falling into the clattering hands of the soldiers.

This is not war, nor even a battle; it is merely an absurd and fantastical fairy tale. The merchant who crafted this dream stands before Trek, revealing a legendary card embroidered with gold.

“Don’t always dwell on the past, Speaker,” Haliroya smiled. “Even in difficult times, there are still beautiful dreams in life. Come on, let’s play a fun game!”

"Stop talking nonsense, Fifth Captain!"

Parriman charged forward, gun drawn, his movements as fierce as a demon. Harlequin chuckled, tossed aside her card, and dodged with a dance-like gait, using teleportation to his advantage.

Clowns, dolls, and cartoon lions sprang from her cards; she tossed her top hat to summon doves and butterflies. It was nothing more than a worthless illusion, a cheap relic created with mental power and props, yet Parriman's Dim Soldier repeatedly failed to work.

Those toys, like a virus, transformed his weaponry and even shook the hatred within his gun!

"The Cursed Armored Weapons of Darkness are weapons forged by amplifying the pain of collective memory to an extreme degree," Trek said calmly. "However, this city-state is not just a collection of accumulated pain. Our sacrifices have brought about much more beauty, and our battles have allowed the weak to laugh. This genuine happiness is no less valuable than the pain in your memories!"

The conceptual conflict would be one thing, but it's also logically connected. The fifth lineage, guarded by Harlequin, is a place where the ordinary happiness of the living converges. Even the tormented spirits cannot bring themselves to harm it, because those enjoying happiness are the very relatives and friends they once desperately protected.

Thus, the Dim Spear was powerless, and its obsession even willingly succumbed to its influence. The optimal solution calculated by the Oracle, after receiving the blessing of the Divine Tree, became the perfect finishing blow to seal the Dim Spear!

Parryman noticed that Banningtik behind him was crafting something, most likely a weapon specifically designed to counter demonic nature. There was no time to waste; he immediately sheathed his weapon and focused his power on strengthening the vines—the Cursed Barbarian's Cry.

Countless crimson vines wove together into a thousand long arms that struck out, disrupting the clouds and crushing weapons. Those bloody arms crushed Harleroya's cards and slammed down on her like a mountain.

"Brutal shouts are the manifestation of unreasonable violence, the 'foolishness' of a group acting arbitrarily. However, this city is by no means a place that condones the sins of desire. For those who knowingly commit violent acts, there are shackles to bind them and punishments await them!"

An invisible blade flashed, and massive flesh and blood splattered into dust. The masked female captain descended from the sky, wielding a soft sword with overwhelming power.

"Fourth Captain Lingfeng, commence enforcement. You are hereby arrested on charges of endangering the safety of the Divine Tree."

Harley Luo Ya cheered, "Little Ling Feng is so handsome~"

"Enough, get serious, you idiot woman!"

Lingfeng summoned a verdant raging storm; ten gusts of wind, like pillars of heaven, pierced the sky covered by blood-red branches. Trek pressed the compass repeatedly, and the four captains' bodies flashed, dodging the attacks of the remaining blood-hands. Lingfeng, wielding the Rainbow Blade, charged into the enemy ranks, shattering the barbarian's roar with the destructive power of the Anti-Rainbow.

She is the captain who guards the fields. Through years of law enforcement, she has become the embodiment of "order" feared by the people, and is the best weapon to deal with barbarism.

"Now you seem quite righteous, Fourth Captain. But do not forget the choice you made!" Parryman slashed with a tree branch, creating a gust of wind. "You upheld the Act for a peaceful future, and now you intend to abandon the happiness of the people for your own selfish gain!"

"I may be greedy for petty gains and foolish and short-sighted. But even so, I will not let the city-state sink into your delusions!" Lingfeng glared angrily. "If your independence is nothing more than a ritual for a demon to become a god, even if 17 billion people praise it, I will fight to the death to crush it!"

She transformed into a beam of light, sweeping across the sea of ​​trees and delivering a devastating blow to Parriman with lightning speed. The rainbow sword, protected by the power of the Thorn Robe, broke through the curse and pierced his body, striking right through Parriman's skull.

His body decayed, crumbled, and was about to be reduced to the smallest particles of matter under the power of that rainbow light. But Parriman still existed; Parriman could not die. His existence was conceptually fixed, which was the curse of the "false hero."

"I am the hypocritical hero chosen by the people."

Parriman drew Lingfeng's Rainbow Sword with one hand.

"As long as there are still people praying, as long as there are still people asking."

Even if I suffer injuries enough to kill me a thousand times, I will never fall!

"—Then, I'll fight you with an equal consciousness."

Trek clenched his fist.

"A true hero who emerged from the carnage to protect the people!"

The final teleport. From the front lines of the Jingsha city-state, directly to the center of Jingsha. The burly figure appeared in the divine light, six giant fists gripping divine weapons tightly, even the demon mask could not conceal the rage in the giant's heart.

"Second Captain Huan Ge reporting for duty!"

He roared and threw a punch, all six fists striking out simultaneously, sending Parriman flying into the sky with burning passion!

(End of this chapter)