Man on the ark, forced to become king

He raised his head, looked directly into the eyes of the man before him, and said, "Your Excellency, I can tell you about Talulah, but whether you can bring her out of Ursus is your own business."

"of course."

Lin Lu looked at the real Koschche with great interest. Although the exterior was the same, the inside was obviously a different person.

"I didn't intend for you to get involved anyway. Just tell me where Talulah is."

"can."

Once a consensus was reached on one issue, Kosiché didn't linger and immediately moved on to another topic.

"I have no intention of being your enemy. Could you please withdraw the power of the gold?"

Compared to Talulah's problem, the black serpent was more concerned about the trace of alien energy remaining in its body. There wasn't much of it, but it was exceptionally tough, which meant that it couldn't completely expel it in a short time.

If it remains in the body, it poses a hidden danger.

We're currently in Chernobog, in a city. The other side is hesitant to launch a full-scale attack due to various material considerations. But once we're in the wilderness, things could change.

At that time, he will fight against Kazdel's Demon King and another powerful figure of similar or even stronger strength.

He must be mentally impaired to think that way.

Not to mention that both of them possessed power that could actually threaten Him, making them even less willing to take action.

Compared to his clones, He can think of more things and has a broader perspective.

So He intends to pay a price to settle this matter.

By merging the memories of his clone, Black Serpent concluded that there was no real conflict between them, and no one would refuse readily available benefits. The reason they didn't agree earlier was because the clone's attitude and the bargaining chips it offered were problematic, which led to the trouble.

What's the benefit of fighting for no reason?

Regardless of who wins or loses, there is no benefit whatsoever, neither for Him nor for those two people.

Even if these two guys are ridiculously strong and can kill Him outright, He won't drop any gold coins, so what's the point?

"Reclaim the power of gold?"

Lin Lu was not surprised by Black Snake's request. She nodded and shook her head, "That's a different price. What can you offer in exchange?"

"The ownership of Chernobog is not as simple as it seems to you. It has many secrets and is also an important border town of the empire. Even if you turn the upper-level officials and nobles into puppets, you cannot control everything here, but I can."

"The garrison here will be withdrawn, the Imperial patrols will not pass through here, and the Imperial Guards roaming the wasteland will avoid Chernobog. Apart from still nominally belonging to Ursus, it will be completely under your control. You can do whatever you want with everything here."

"Okay, feel free."

Lin Lu didn't bother to consider the black snake's purpose and thoughts, so she simply agreed. She gently raised her hand, and a wisp of gold emerged from the black snake's body and returned to his body.

There's not much point in continuing to entangle with Kosiche here.

His main objective was to obtain information about Talulah and, incidentally, take revenge on the immortal Black Serpent.

Now that both objectives have been achieved, and since it's impossible to take action within Chernobog's city limits anyway, releasing the old snake isn't a bad idea. We can also get a mobile city for free, with the black snake handling all the follow-up issues. Why not?

Moreover, withdrawing the blessing power does not mean that this matter is over.

Fighting against the gods is an endless source of joy...

Did you really think that withdrawing that little bit of power would completely end things?

The real show will begin when the Golden Tree has completely devoured Chernobog.

As he said before, their game has only just begun!

"Talulah is currently in the southern ice plains, near the Third Army's base. I will leave you a map of her exact location later. As per the deal, whether you can take her with you is up to you."

The deal was struck, and Black Serpent didn't hesitate, quickly revealing Talulah's information.

"Then, I have one more small request."

"Tell me."

Having gained a city for free and also having information about Talulah, Lin Lu was in an excellent mood and gestured for him to continue.

"This request should not be difficult for you, that is... let me first see the complete chapter of this memory battlefield, and see how you defeated such a powerful enemy back then."

"Want to see the complete Memory Battlefield?"

After a moment's thought, Lin Lu finally agreed, out of consideration for Chernobog.

And judging from Theresa's eyes... although she didn't say anything, she was clearly very interested. In that case, he didn't mind showing off his heroic demeanor.

"If you want to see it, then take a good look."

As time and space shifted, heaven and earth shattered and reformed, and bizarre and fantastical scenes converged from the boundless darkness, piecing together the colors of the world. The same battlefield once again unfolded before the three of them.

……

Red Sands, still Red Sands, only this time the battlefield has a different look.

Some blurry figures appeared at the edge of the battlefield: a large jar with arms and legs, a wolf-headed warrior, and a witch holding a staff. They talked at the edge of the battlefield, and finally, a person stepped out from among them, stepping from the water-soaked sand onto the dry red sand.

Compared to those, his equipment could be described as 'simple'.

He wore no full-body armor, nor did he possess any weapons shimmering with magical light. He only wore clothes made of coarse linen and carried a curved sword that was about half the height of a person.

……

"that is you?"

Although the person's appearance was somewhat blurry, Theresa recognized him at a glance; it was Lin Lu.

"Yes, I was very weak back then."

Theresa did not refute this, because judging from appearances alone, it was indeed difficult to see the strength of a powerful person in Lin Lu at that time.

……

woohoo~

The wind howled, red sand billowed, and a warrior carrying a curved sword walked to the highest point of the sand. From the other side of the battlefield, a general riding a thin horse appeared, purple light gathered, and a spear as thick as an arm rested on a longbow.

hum!

Like a shooting star streaking across the sky, the giant arrow hurtled towards them. The warrior remained calm and composed, his running figure suddenly turning to another angle. The purple streak of light grazed his body without causing any damage.

Boom boom boom!

The warriors continued running, and a series of booming sounds echoed in the sky as massive spears wove together to form a dense rain of arrows that rained down from above.

However, it was useless.

Amidst the rain of arrows, the warrior's footsteps shifted and changed, weaving through the gaps as if he were strolling leisurely. It was as if he had predicted the location of each arrow's fall, so that the seemingly impenetrable rain of arrows could only follow behind him, twisting and turning, never truly touching him.

In the blink of an eye, the warrior reached the top of the sand. The red-haired general put away his longbow, roared to the sky, and his mad roar shook the air. The twin swords engraved with gravity emblems shone brightly.

In an instant, the twin swords swept horizontally!

With the curved sword in hand, the warrior rolled on the spot, which was not elegant but very effective. The blade grazed past him, and he was already in front of the general.

Then, he drew his sword and slashed.

The curved sword slashed from a tricky angle, leaving a bloody gash on Rataen's leg.

After the first strike, the warrior didn't linger. He changed position and dodged the swinging blades again, as if he had practiced it a thousand times beforehand.

……

In one corner of the battlefield, Theresa and Black Serpent fell silent, staring intently at the center of the battlefield where swords clashed and shadows flashed. They watched as the general and warrior, who seemed like demons, fought back and forth, and subconsciously held their breath.

Gravity spells were unleashed with abandon, yet the warrior dodged them time and again, each time with impeccable precision and skill.

Compared to the imposing general, the soldier only had a curved sword in his hand and wore rough linen clothes, offering almost no defense. Yet, in the midst of such fierce battle, not even a single corner of his clothes was torn.

If the power of the Shattered Star General is straightforward, majestic, and represents the pinnacle of mortal strength, then the warrior's swordsmanship represents the pinnacle of skill.

The pinnacle of martial arts, reaching the ultimate level!

Both Theresa and Black Serpent had to admit that in their entire history, no one had ever been able to achieve this level of accomplishment.

That is a skill that exists only in imagination, and no amount of praise is too much for it.

The ultimate calculation, so exquisitely precise that it seems to never make a mistake, is where life and death are separated by a mere hair's breadth!

The subtle distance between the blade, the spell, and the body became an insurmountable chasm. The general's attacks could never truly touch flesh, while the warrior's curved sword never missed even once.

The word "fear" has been removed from the warriors.

He danced with death as he trod on the blowing red sand!

"Roar!!!!"

The giant's roar echoed across the sand, his blade piercing the earth, causing the ground to ripple like water and glow with a deep purple light. The warrior stepped on the head of the skinny horse, lightly flying and landing more than ten meters away. In front of him, red sand exploded several meters high, and under the constraint of gravity, he was pulled towards the center of the spell's explosion. The distance between them was... no more than a palm's width.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Under the horrified gazes of Theresa and the Black Serpent, after a roar, Ratan and his horse leaped from the ground and soared into the sky, accompanied by a thunderous boom.

boom! boom!

Thunder rumbled, and a burning fireball fell from the sky. The warrior standing on the sand gripped his curved sword tightly, then leaped away.

It was incredibly precise, as if thousands of attempts had overlapped in this one. When the dust settled, the warrior was unharmed. Gravel hit his body, and the aftershocks of the explosion blew up his hempen clothes. From the flying red sand, the figure of the demon god was revealed.

A dozen enormous boulders, enveloped in a deep purple light, floated beside the general. Gravity lifted him off his horse, and his broadsword fell along with the boulders.

However, it was still useless.