Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Liu came to her senses, slowly raised her head, and returned to the tavern where the incident had occurred without saying a word.

The place was now a scene of ruins, with the corpses of the Dark Faction hanging from various parts of the broken buildings. Liu picked up the wooden sword that had been reduced to fragments and fallen to the ground, and began to strike the corpses of the Dark Faction members one by one.

The sound of swords piercing flesh resonated in the silent port, occasionally punctuated by the mournful cries of survivors.

"Clap clap-"

An eerie applause broke the silence of the night.

Liu paused in his finishing move, turned his head in astonishment, and stared at the purple-haired male god wearing Buddhist beads sitting on the roof of a house facing the street.

“What beautiful eyes… Leon. I’m even thinking of having you join my kin.” Lou Tuolu licked his purple lips, tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, revealing a charming look in his eyes.

“Lotoro—” Liu squinted her narrow eyes, staring intently at the male god.

"What? You still want to kill a god?" Rudra asked with disdain.

Ryu glared resentfully at her crush, gripped her small katana tightly, and looked hesitant.

"Do you think I wouldn't dare?" She wasn't averse to the idea of ​​killing a god; long before the Great Rebellion, she had already swung her blade at the gods, but was stopped by the Joker and prevented from committing a grave mistake.

but now……

"Hey bro, provoking her isn't a good choice. She might actually kill you."

Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the figure hidden in the shadows.

The rain fell on the black figure, as if it had been cut open by some substance, unable to penetrate its body.

"Joker... what brings you here?" Lou Tuoluo asked in surprise.

"Hmm... I came to see you off?"

"Um?"

A smirk appeared on the man's lips beneath the shadows, his body writhing with slimy fluid: "Brother, your kin are finished, aren't they? Game over. Rather than being captured by other gods, I'd rather send you on your way."

Rudra chuckled sarcastically, "Oh? I'm clearly your chief god. You don't even have the option to save me?"

Joker smirked, watching as countless roaring figures slashed through the crowd with their swords, then tilted his head to look at Lou Tuoluo, covering his face and chuckling:

"Brother, you know me... I wouldn't do something so pointless."

As soon as he finished speaking, an arm covered in black slime emerged from behind Rudra, and a golden beam of light shot into the sky, only to be bound by the black slime.

Ryu stopped fighting with the phantom and stared at the Joker in astonishment: "You... killed your own god?"

The joker's voice rang in Lou Tuoluo's ears: "Rather than being inexplicably returned by those gods, why not give me the power? Don't you agree, my lord..."

Lou Tuoluo looked down at his chest and suddenly burst into laughter: "So that's how Erebus chose it..."

As he spoke, he looked at Ryu, who was staring blankly, and sneered, "Hayate...you two really are alike."

"What nonsense are you spouting, Rudra?!" As soon as Liu finished speaking, Rudra completely turned into golden light and vanished from the world.

"He just thinks we look alike." Joker clenched his fist, the golden particles of divine power in his palm being devoured by Rimuru.

"Lord Rudra said he liked your eyes, and he wasn't lying. My elder brother, he really enjoys seeing good people fall from grace, and he also really enjoys seeing evil people do good."

Ryu gritted her teeth. She realized that since the Joker had killed the main god, then Grace should be sealed away. Now was the best opportunity for revenge.

So she gripped her katana and unleashed five sword beams towards the Joker's location: "Are you saying that everything you've done is an act of kindness?"

"Taking advantage of someone in distress, is that considered justice?" Joker spread his arms and fell off the roof, the blade flashing through his body. His voice trailed off: "Are you surprised? I've already considered myself kinder than most people. Have I done something heinous? Or can you provide evidence of my crimes?"

The moment he landed, Joker dodged Ryu's falling blade with a small leap: "Answer me, killer. What right do you have to question me?"

Without a second thought, Liu brandished his sword and gave chase, saying bluntly, "Launching a massive uprising, isn't that evil? Tens of thousands of people have died because of you?"

"What a joke..." The Joker extended two fingers, pinching Ryu's sword blade between them. "Would the Great Conflict have not broken out without me? Or did I personally take these lives during the Great Conflict? Or do you think that simply standing on the opposite side of you makes one evil?"

"What?!" Ryu's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the Joker, who had easily gripped his weapon.

Hasn't he lost the favor?

Why does it still possess such immense power?

Is Rudra not his chief deity?

A jumble of thoughts disrupted Ryu's train of thought, and for a moment she really couldn't think of what the Joker had done during the Great Rebellion.

But she quickly realized what was happening, her face filled with murderous intent: "What about Alicia and the others..."

Charles sneered, "We are adversaries... so you're allowed to kill my people, but I can't kill yours? Is this the logic of justice you believe in?"

"Then what about killing a god?!" Ryu made a final effort, releasing the kodachi and punching Joker in the chest.

Liu stared at her palm as the Joker's figure passed through her arm, grabbing her wrist and pinning her to the ground.

"Is god-killing a grave sin? Who defined it? Those high and mighty gods?"

Feeling the muddy rainwater on her face, Ryu struggled desperately, but couldn't break free from Joker's restraints, and a sense of powerlessness welled up inside her.

"kill me……"

Liu's eyes were blurry, and tears mixed with raindrops fell.

Even at level 5, she still couldn't defeat the Joker who had lost his main god. Without Astraea, revenge became an unattainable dream.

I tried my best, Alexie...

She has chosen to die.

However, the attack she was waiting for did not come, and the hand that was pressing down on her head slowly loosened.

Ryu stared in astonishment at the Joker who had stood up, her gaze fixed blankly: "What exactly do you want, Joker!? Why don't you kill me!"

"You're too weak." The Joker looked down at Ryu and kicked him over, sending him sprawling to the side of the road.

"Weak?" Liu clutched her abdomen, struggling to look up at the dark figure.

"Leveling up is extremely difficult. Even if I kill you now, I won't be able to 'level up,' right?" The Joker suddenly laughed. "Like I said before, hate me, despise me, live with that resentment. Then, come back to me with power equal to mine. Become the 'foundation' for me to climb to even greater heights."

"You must be even stronger now that you've killed Jhara. Continue your revenge, kill more adventurers, and then become the strongest, standing before me. Life would be so boring if there were no equally matched opponents on the path to invincibility."

Ryu seemed to understand something, her eyes almost bursting with murderous intent: "Is this your reason for killing Alicia and the others? Just to make me 'level up' so I can become your experience points?"

“Kill? No, I didn’t kill them.” The Joker chuckled with a wicked grin.

Chapter 464 I Didn't Kill Them

"What!? Alicia and the others aren't dead?" Ryu suddenly widened her eyes, staring at Joker in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard.

"Is it strange?" Joker said flippantly. "If I didn't tell you this, how could I let you kill Jala for me? I wouldn't have had a chance to obtain Rudra's power."

"The experience points from the Jaro are really tempting, aren't they? If I find the goddess Astrea, I should become even stronger."

"Who cares about these stats? Where are Alicia and the others?!" Ryu seemed to see light return to her world, reaching out to grab Joker's trouser leg, but she couldn't.

She quickly realized that if Alyssa and the others weren't dead, then why did Lady Astraea have that expression?

"Hahaha..." Joker covered his face with his hands, his laughter echoing throughout the city: "Your expression is truly delightful, Rio~~"

"You don't actually think they survive on their own, do you?"

Liu's face turned pale in an instant: "!?"

Joker burst into laughter: "Heh heh ha ha, get ready! I've turned those guys into monsters. Yes—you know, the kind of puppets parasitized by fallen fairies. They can only obey my commands! Destroy Orario. Isn't that interesting? A righteous familia, corrupted into absolute 'absolute evil'—isn't that the most common trope in Hero Tales? Heh heh, one day you'll kill them with your own hands, inherit their experience points, and become even stronger!"

Hearing Joker's outrageous statement, Ryu's eyes flashed with boundless malice: "Joker—you bastard! You dare to talk about doing good?! I'm going to kill you! I'm absolutely going to kill you!"

"If you can do it, then come on!" Joker pinched Ryu's cheeks, his cold mask close to his eyes, his tone cheerful: "I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to the day you come to me."

"But before you kill me, you'll have to kill your dearest friends and companions first. They're wailing and waiting for you, hoping you'll grant them release."

Ryu's eyes turned gray again.

Seemingly sensing something, Joker glanced at Orario in the distance, threw Ryu into the muddy ruins, and his figure turned into black mud and disappeared into the air.

……

At that moment, a commotion arose in the distance, indicating that the guilds that had sensed the fierce battle breaking out in the port city had mobilized their forces and were arriving late.

"Hurry up, something might have happened." Shakti looked surprised as he saw the deity soaring into the sky.

Don't be impulsive, Leon...

I hope it's not you, Leon.

When she saw the tavern full of corpses, the lifeless elves lying on the ground, and the place where the gods witnessed the return of the fallen to the gods.

Shakti's heart sank to the bottom.

She pulled up Liu, whose eyes were dull and lifeless, and demanded loudly, "What happened? Leon? Did you kill all these people?"

Liu remained silent, head bowed.

"What happened with the divine gift just now?" Shakti paused, his voice trembling. "Was it...you who did it?"

"..." Ryu remained silent.

Seeing Ryu like this, Shakti gritted his teeth, at a loss for what to do.

"Boss, we've investigated. All the dead were members of the Rudra clan. The ones just returned... might be their chief deity."

Not long after, the guards found Njord, the local bigwig in the port city. After learning what had happened, Njord's expression was very complicated.

The deal with the Rudra clan was completed in the morning, and the clan was wiped out that evening. It's highly likely that Hayate knew about their plan from the very beginning.

Njord looked at the mayor of the port city, Bolug.

Bolug looked terrified, instantly realizing the consequences of his plan to collude with the secret faction being exposed.

This transaction was a joint operation by the guild branch leader, Njord, and the mayor. If it were exposed, not only would the mayor lose his job, but the branch leader would also lose his position.

Bolug, as if possessed, emerged from the crowd, pointing tremblingly at "Gale" on the ground, and accused, "I, I saw it! It was her, it was her who killed God! She is a sinner who murders God! No matter what, she must be severely punished."

"Burn...yes, burn this blasphemous heretic to death!"

Shakti frowned, looking at the sudden commotion, his expression unfriendly: "You saw it with your own eyes, is it true?"

“I swear on the name of Mayor Melian. Lord Njord can also testify that I am not lying.” Bolug looked at Njord.

Njord glanced at Ryu, who made no attempt to deny it. Although he knew Bolug was lying, he could only nod in agreement in order to cover up the secret.

now.