Why can't humans do it too?

However, Riku knew it was fake. How could a natural life form have such a distorted appearance, like a stone statue carved from the strangest of things?

Aside from the initial invitation, Riku and Shubi heard no further sounds after entering the cave. Sull's head was still bowed, as if he hadn't been the one who spoke. Or perhaps... he didn't know how to start the conversation?

Let silence become a bridge between the two brothers after such a long time.

Unable to resist biting his lower lip hard, Riku stared intently at Sul's presence. He could see that Sul's chest was flashing with an unusual, dark green light. This light did not exist outside, but emanated directly from inside Sul's body, penetrating his bones, fascia, and flesh, as if he were breathing.

However, it wasn't just Sul breathing; even the enormous roots and vines beneath him were breathing. Riku suddenly realized that these plants, which should have been motionless, were moving along with the slight rise and fall of Sul's chest. Their intertwined bodies rubbed against each other, like a sleeping python or a monster yet to awaken.

What made it impossible for Riku to look away was not only the strange plant beneath Sur, but also the scars that caused him unbearable heartache just to see them... Scars covered Sur's entire upper body, from his chest to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his arms and then to his hands.

It was dry, like a withered and thin dried branch.

Compared to the massive vines and roots tangled together beneath him, even Sul's own body at this moment resembled a section of plant, a section of dark red, charred, withered branch.

His once robust body was now incredibly thin, but this was not due to lack of nutrition or hunger. Riku knew the reason, and if you got any closer, you could see it very clearly—the pale white bones faintly visible between the dark red scars.

The man in front of me, with his head bowed, had lost most of his flesh and blood. He was only alive now thanks to the vines that had bound him to him, and thanks to the magic of the forest elves.

Sorry...did I scare you?

Finally, he raised his head. Although he didn't open his mouth, Sull's voice echoed in Riku and Shubi's ears. They could also see that the expression on his face was smiling, a smile he was trying his best to give.

“…No,” Riku answered firmly, shaking his head vigorously. A faint salty, rusty taste came from his mouth, a mark left from when he unconsciously bit his lip.

"...Do you regret it?"

His lips trembled. Such a question shouldn't have been asked, but Riku couldn't contain his emotions. His deep voice echoed through the cave.

Regret? Me?

Seemingly not understanding what Riku was saying, Sull hesitated and dragged out his words, but then shook his head slightly the next moment. His body no longer allowed him to make any large movements.

No regrets

Or rather, you'll never regret it.

We are on the right track, our guesses are correct, and I truly feel the pulse of this planet—we will succeed! Liku!

As if afraid that Riku would back down, Suer spoke one sentence after another, and the dark green light on his chest flickered faster with his increasingly excited emotions, causing the glowing grass in the entire cave to sway and rustle more intensely.

"Ah..." Riku responded, wanting to say so much, but at this moment he found that apart from this simple response, he didn't know where to begin.

"It will work."

In the end, it was just a dry, monotone echo.

There's no need to feel sad for me, nor to feel pain for my current state. My current miserable condition is merely a trial on the path to becoming the One God. After all, if all races were told that as long as they could endure the pain I'm experiencing, they could gain the opportunity to become the One God, countless people would probably fight tooth and nail for that chance.

Sensing the thoughts hidden beneath Riku's expression, Sur even chuckled and cracked a joke.

At this moment, the Elf Sea, which is no longer a rarity on the entire planet, whether in the sea or on land, is essentially the manifestation of the Elf Corridor in the real world. It exists anywhere on this planet, in reality yet not in reality, resembling a projection, but not a projection.

Those oceans of elves are indeed part of the Elf Corridor, but the Elf Corridor is not them. However, the essential and conceptual connection is real. The connection between those blue oceans and the Elf Corridor can indeed affect the real Elf Corridor, even if the effect is very weak. But as long as it exists, that's enough.

If once isn't enough, try twice; if twice isn't enough, try three times; if one isn't enough, try two... even countless times, sending those lives that have devoured his flesh and blood into the ocean of elves, letting those minds that Sul can already control pile up in the depths of the blue sea, as a springboard and part of himself, and then infiltrating into the elven corridors again and again through those elves...

This is the most fundamental and crucial part of all of Sull's plans, and even all his delusions and fantasies are based on it—to infiltrate the depths of the Elven Corridor when no race had ever thought of it, to find the Star Cup that exists in the illusion, and to step onto the throne of the One God.

Yes, since the God of War represents a concept that is indeed almost invincible, it's better not to defeat him at all.

Regardless of what concept He represents, He is ultimately just an existence born in the Elf Corridor. Just as the Divine Race cannot create a stone that even He cannot lift, the power of the God of War will never surpass the power of the Elf Corridor.

Once the idea of ​​defeating the God of War head-on was abandoned, the problem was easily solved.

Chapter 252 Embrace

When it was proposed, it was so outlandish that even the God of Doubt was shocked to the point of stuttering. The deity even spoke a long string of words for the first time ever. However, both He and Xin Ke fell silent after several demonstrative experiments.

Today, this dream, which embodies the hopes of all mankind, has become increasingly real. After countless demons and monsters have poured their flesh and blood into it, one day, Risul suddenly saw everything—everything on this planet. He seemed to have become the planet itself, and with the omnipresent Elven Corridor, he gained a very high perspective of the entire planet.

Rivers, magma, mantle, mountains, atmosphere, divine beings... Such wondrous perceptions were fleeting, yet Suer truly felt the pulse of the planet beneath his feet; it too was breathing, it was pulsating.

Unfortunately, it only happened that one time.

Even now, the entire plan has reached a point where it has to be paused and another step has to be taken, even though Sull really wants it to continue safely and steadily until he actually sits on the throne of the One God.

Unfortunately, there aren't enough demon species left.

The inability to control life forms without their own intelligence is perhaps the limitation of Sur's unique ability. Even if the demon races have low intelligence, they are still a race with wisdom. Apart from the lingering hatred, the enormous bodies of many demons are also extremely helpful to Sur's plans. After all, once he has fed them his flesh and blood and can control these low-intelligence creatures, the impact of their massive bodies when entering the elven ocean far exceeds that of other races.

Unfortunately, it's almost used up.

The remaining uncaptured demon species also followed their creator closely, leaving no gaps, which was truly regrettable.

The clearing of the demon race from the continent made human activities safer. In addition, the orc race had long since disappeared, and the three opposing alliances of the forest elves, the goblin alliance, and the war god camp had somehow turned the entire continent into a place where humans could move freely—as long as they avoided the battlefields.

Besides the demon species, another reason that forced the plan to be temporarily halted was that Suer had a premonition that the plan was too scattered.

Those wills that had been assimilated into his own will and merged into the ocean of elves were too scattered. They needed a strong will to lead and unify them, as well as his lifespan, so...

"Let's begin the final plan, Riku. Victory is within our grasp."

Suer's ethereal voice urged him on.

"...Is it about to begin?" Riku asked rhetorically, glancing at Shubi standing beside him.

Well, there's no point in dragging this out any longer, besides, we're all getting old...

Suer could clearly see the wrinkles on Riku's face. Neither he nor Riku could escape the blade of time. The elderly people in the settlement, who were already quite old, were now beginning to decline in health.

He didn't even need to reach out and touch his face; just the process of moving the muscles in his face when he closed his eyes was enough for Suer to feel what he looked like at that moment... His body age should have been younger than Riku's, but he looked even older than Riku at that moment, which was the result of the severe loss of his body's most fundamental vitality.

It wasn't that they hadn't considered convenient technologies like cloning; however, after Xin Ke listened to the concept of cloning and created clones for Su Er, those poor clones turned into twisted, writhing chunks of flesh the moment they were formed due to an unknown force, with even their bones completely disappearing. No matter how many times they tried, the result was always the same.

Left with no other choice, Suer could only use his own flesh and blood, piece by piece.

At first, he could use the improved healing spells of the forest elves to restore his wounds and flesh. However, even the power of magic is limited. Even with a large amount of nutrients as a supplement, the constant healing still eroded Sul's vitality and lifespan, to the point that he has now become so withered that he can only survive by relying on plants.

“…I understand,” Riku replied, but his brows remained furrowed as he looked at Shubi with concern, because according to the plan, the most dangerous part of the plan would be completed by Shubi alone.

It's unclear when exactly, but Riku's desire to participate in the battlefield battle has changed—he wants to see the smile of the machine girl beside him.

A genuine, happy smile.

“…I won’t run away… Riku,” Shubi murmured, looking up into Riku’s eyes and grasping his right hand. “Rikku… loves humans, Sull loves humans, and Shubi… loves humans too.”

“We won’t lose… humanity won’t lose, Shubi… I want to see Riku smile happily…”

The crimson-haired mecha girl's soft words drifted through the caverns, but both Sur and Riku remained silent.

Yes, that's right... we will definitely win.

After a long silence, Suer spoke firmly.

There was no need to say much more. Riku looked around at his surroundings: the slippery, damp air, the brightly shining grass blades. Living in such a profound environment could drive any normal human being insane, but Sull remained here, day after day.

Eleven years.

How do I look now?

Seeing that Riku was watching him, Suer raised his aged face and tugged at the corners of his mouth. He tried to raise his arm to wave, but due to the lack of muscle, he could only tremble weakly. Only his ethereal voice showed a false health.

Am I even human anymore?

"Ah, that counts," Riku answered without hesitation. He released Shubi's hand, took a few steps forward, and opened his arms to embrace Sull tightly, much to Sull's surprise.

“At least to me, you will always be human, facing this cold world with a human heart, protecting everyone behind you…” Riku said through gritted teeth in his ear as he hugged Sul tightly, “The change in appearance is completely irrelevant, especially since it’s just a tool to sustain life.”

【……Yeah?】

Suer closed his eyes and spoke softly.

"of course."

[...I thought this would scare you guys, Nona was totally shocked before...I'm a little disappointed that I didn't scare anyone...haha]

Despite hearing cheerful words, Riku was unable to utter a single word. He could only pat Suer's back repeatedly, breathing rapidly.

Chapter 253 The Winged Race Under the Great Battle

Time is the most powerful and magical force.

For those races with short lifespans, every minute and every second is precious. If they do not cherish their limited and short lives, then when they look back at the end of their lives, all they will have left with are countless regrets.

However, for those races with long lifespans, or even those without the concept of lifespan, time is cheap. For those short-lived races, a few years or a dozen years are incredibly precious, but for them, it's just a short nap. Many things that short-lived races must do urgently are not urgent for them at all, and they can do them with ease.

At least in the eyes of the Skywing race, this is how the world is—as long as they lie down and take a short rest, perhaps for a few months or perhaps for a few years, nothing much will change in the outside world.

The great war is still the same great war, and the slaughter is still the same slaughter. Although those insolent moles have invented a highly destructive weapon, it is still just a toy to their master and not worth mentioning.

Whether it was an alliance of goblins or forest elves, in the eyes of the Skywing race, it was nothing more than the futile self-deception of the weak, shattering at the slightest touch before the might of their master. They firmly believed this, and indeed it was true. The only thing that puzzled the Skywing race was their master's order—no rash actions, shrink their forces.

It is precisely because of the God of War's tolerant attitude that this three-way confrontation has now emerged on the continent.

But only the Skywing race firmly believed that if their master wanted, the combined power of all the Skywing races, the power of the Fantasy race Abant Heim, and the power of the God of War himself would be enough for them to wipe out the other two sides.

However, the God of War issued an order to consolidate their forces and wait for the right opportunity. The Skywing race could not understand this, but since it was their master's order, they had no choice but to obey.

But let's wait for the right opportunity... the right opportunity? What opportunity?

Incomprehensible.

Is this an opportunity that only Lord Althu can see?