Ironclad Group Chat: Red and Black Lists Engraved with Heroic Epics

[Star: Huh? What do you mean by that? I'm perfectly fine inside the light screen, aren't I?]

[Black Tower: That was because Lai Gushi wanted you to live a good life. This guy... his curiosity is terrifyingly strong.]

With this realization, she had no doubt that Lai Gushi was playing a cat-and-mouse game.

Perhaps he was really looking forward to seeing the mouse bite the cat back?

"Hmph..." Black Tower gave a bitter laugh.

It will be difficult to launch a successful counterattack on Laigus's territory.

"Perhaps," Screwgoom mused, "Lykuergos might reveal some weaknesses due to overconfidence and complacency. And if the train crew and the Golden Blood can perform exceptionally well, perhaps they can seize the opportunity to turn the tide and destroy the Iron Tomb?"

"Are we really hoping he'll die from his own recklessness?" Black Tower looked at the light screen. "That's a bit difficult."

Lycus was clearly adaptable; otherwise, he wouldn't have dragged Xing out of mythology at this time, and even unconsciously revealed his identity.

But judging from the little one's expression, she didn't seem to understand.

Tsk, this is indeed a bit difficult for a preschool child who is only 1.7 meters tall.

But how come she has a similar status to Zandal in the abstract world? Is it some kind of strange talent?

"Oh, machine head, look at the mess you've made."

[Fu Xuan: Who would have thought that the Venerable Master of Broad Knowledge would be so disrespectful?]

[Star: You're absolutely right! If He hadn't messed things up, none of this would have happened.]

[Fu Xuan: No, I did not insult Him; that was a statement.]

[Star: Huh? Is it just my imagination? It feels like we're not on the same wavelength.]

[Robin: It seems there's some subtle distance between us and Ms. Black Tower and Ms. Fu Xuan?]

[March 7th: Shh! The light screen is moving again.]

The primordial vortex.

Xing stood side by side with a woman draped in a light veil, whose lower abdomen was translucent and clear like a blue wave.

[Star: Huh? I'm already out? Looks like quite a while has passed. I knew it! No one in this world can calm down a lively, restless nameless guest! And who is this?]

[Firefly: This is the second one, isn't it? Just one Onpharos, and yet...]

[Haiserin: This is me, the Golden Blood who wields the fire of the sea, a mere insignificant steel sword in the hands of His Majesty Caesar.]

[Star: Oh~~ I get it, it's a weapon that has cultivated into a spirit!]

[Haiserin: ...That was just a metaphor. I come from the Siren race.]

[March 7th: Just curious, Miss Hazel, is your stomach... your intestines transparent too? Does that mean I'll never have to worry about what I ate for my last meal again, I can just look down and see it?]

[Haiserin: No, not at all. And your Starry Sky Train's way of thinking is really problematic.]

[Fireworks: You're overthinking it. How could a beautiful girl have any dirty parts?]

[Danheng: This is an individual act; please don't generalize it to the entire train.]

[Caesar: You from beyond the heavens, do not harbor any strange thoughts about my sword and banner. Focus your attention and seek out the weaknesses of the ancients.]

Hazel and Xing exchanged a glance and took a deep breath together.

As the ones who carry Onphalus's last hope, they now have no way out.

With a formidable enemy at hand, we must defeat it!

She cried out towards the engraved compass at the heart of the cosmic vortex: "Prisoner of the ocean, divine audience burdened with the sins of thirty million lifetimes, servant of [knowledge]—"

"Show yourself: the savior has returned, the time for execution has come."

With a dismissive snort, Lai Gushi stepped into the plaza and casually remarked, "I see: an awakened one who mistook falsehood for truth has returned to the cave, attempting to lead her companion into the sunlight she once basked in..."

As he approached, their faces grew larger, and so did his sigh: "Unfortunately, a prisoner is always a prisoner, unable even to see the fact that he is imprisoned."

"As one of only two beings in this world with free will, I regret your choice." But despite this, he still showed his magnanimity.

"But I will reserve your right to express it, after all, every actor should have lines for the curtain call."

Xing stepped forward: "As a narrator, you talk too much."

"Believe me. This is the final act." Lai Gushi said earnestly, "How fitting it is to use the climax of the galactic destiny as the twilight of this world."

"My thoughts reside [beyond mythology], and it is meaningless to defeat an avatar projected into the experiment. My body is a shadow cast by firelight, and my words are echoes lingering in the cave."

Xing and Hazel looked solemn.

Lai Gushi raised his hands, tilted his head back, and asked the two with a smile, "How can characters in a play contend with the audience? Caislan couldn't do it, and the sacrifices of the demigods were in vain. But the two geniuses on whom you placed such high hopes—"

His voice paused. His tone suddenly turned solemn, and his iron face instantly filled the light screen. In an instant, his gaze seemed to pierce through the mask and the light screen, penetrating everyone's hearts.

"So, where are they now?"

No need for any sophistry; simply presenting one cruel fact after another is enough to oppress people's hearts.

[Tail: If he weren't a villain, that would be pretty cool. Damn, I really want to see what kind of face is under that mask.]

[Star: No way? It's really just the two of us left?]

[Fireworks: How wonderful! One of you is fighting the Ancient Ones, and the other is fighting the Iron Tomb. Clear division of labor, bright future ahead! I await your good news of victory!]

[Star: Holy crap! Is this an idea even humanly conceived? And the lady in the pointy hat, wasn't it supposed to be a mutual guarantee in case of destruction? Shouldn't the connections built on favors on the train mean there's no option to run away?]

[Black Tower: Me, and who's the other one? Most likely Screw. We actually backed down? That shouldn't be...]

In order to destroy their confidence, Raigushi recounted the events of that day in detail.

A filter representing memories enveloped the light curtain.

Still at the heart of creation, only now standing behind Lycus are projections of the Black Tower and Sluggoom.

"Confusion and sudden enlightenment always go hand in hand, especially for geniuses."

He turned around and directly stated the thoughts of the two opponents that he had been analyzing: "Right now, you two must be feeling extremely puzzled: why, in a world constructed by ordinary androids, are you consistently unable to achieve victory on the front lines?"

"Ordinary AI?" Black Tower scoffed at his pretentious act. "Stop putting on airs, senior..."

"Your carefully crafted mask has long been removed, and we have revealed the true form of Onphalus: it is part of the first [scepter] in history, the original prototype—the body of the All-Knowing Deity."

Screwgoom then said, "That's precisely why it possesses the potential to destroy [Intelligence]. And those who possess the knowledge to modify the Star God System..."

Lai Gushi's expression hardened, and he turned his head back.

Screw Gum continued, "Throughout history, there has only been one."