It's time to become an evil god.

Ryo Nishizawa calmly said, "I have lost most of my physical body, so the effects of the technological virus on me have become negligible. However, it can unleash the full potential of the Mechanical Heart."

"But if you recklessly exploit the potential of the Mechanical Heart, you might very well..."

The witch hesitated, but she saw the determination in Xize Liang's eyes. At first, everyone was a player who wanted to climb up by stepping on others' heads. Now, they were more like sacrifices for the continuation of civilization and the continuation of the species.

"You must find the remaining power of Nordens in the Dream Realm."

The silent Bastet finally spoke, "As long as He exists, the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones will not dare to openly break ties. However, the other half of the Great Old Ones' power is maintaining and restraining the operation of the Evolution Game."

At this moment, Nishizawa Ryo finally stopped hesitating. Facing the magic mechanical giant whose entire body was covered by wriggling tentacles and whose humanoid shape could only be barely discerned, he resolutely drank the potion.

"Oh."

Xi Zeliang's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth. The virus's corrosive power was even more terrifying than expected. The mechanical circuit boards all over his body emitted an eerie light, and the mechanical heart that had been flashing on his chest suddenly became dazzlingly bright, instantly enveloping the charging magic-armored giant.

The eyeballs in the sky seemed to sense some kind of psychic energy bursting forth, and all eyes were focused on Nishizawa Ryo's position.

After the light faded, a deep pit with a diameter of over a hundred meters appeared before them, and the magical mechanical giant from before had disappeared.

A colossal mechanical dragon, its wings replaced by massive, steel-bladed blades, appeared before the onlookers. Its entire body seemed composed of several different mechanical monster parts, and even more terrifying were the countless curved claws extending from its abdomen, firmly binding a three-headed steel dragon. The thick tails of the two merged dragons flapped incessantly, causing houses to collapse and billowing dust to rise in their wake.

A colossal satellite pierced through the clouds, hovering above the city. Its four petal-shaped solar panels enclosed a central stellar-level thruster, while at the base of the massive satellite, they converged into a spike-like structure reminiscent of the Dyson sphere project.

The satellite tore open one of the blood-red eyeballs, and only then did everyone realize that those eyeballs were not real matter, but they could truly affect the beings in the dream world.

Xi Zeliang's mental state was not good at this time. Countless metallic structures mutated all over his body, and these virus-altered body structures further eroded his body. A mechanical dragon head even extended from his arm.

At first, he was able to control the dragon and make it attack the strange eyeball in the sky. However, as time went by, this control became increasingly fragile, and the bloodthirsty impulse and desire deep in his heart also increased.

The reason for his irrational mental breakdown is that the absorbed weapon and the Terminator armor on his body caused irreversible damage to his mind during the fusion, and he will eventually become a terrible hybrid of human, demon and machine.

Nishizawa Ryo knelt on the ground, too weak to look around. In places unseen, the technological virus continued to spread. The houses gleamed with a metallic sheen, and the corpses lying on the ground became breeding grounds for the virus, which was rampantly hatching mechanical life from flesh and blood. The technological virus was creating more and more mechanical monsters.

An ancient mechanical dragon, constructed entirely of gears and discarded metal plates and powered by a magical reactor, soars through the sky. Meanwhile, a monster with the lower body of a tank chassis and the upper body of a metal demon is wreaking havoc on the remaining city...

Just as Nishizawa Ryo was about to lose consciousness, he heard a voice in his ear, and a monster made entirely of Mithril appeared in his mind's eye.

"What is this...?"

Ryo Nishizawa squinted his mechanical prosthetic eye, trying to make out the blurry body in front of him, but all he could see was the titanium metal on his body gleaming.

"Could it be... that this is Titanium-kun?"

Chapter 575 This is a trap!

When Bai Ge and the Goddess of War arrived at the scene, the devastation left them both speechless. Everywhere were the remains and corpses of mechanical monsters. A massive, mountain-sized electronic sword dragon, its steel body swaying precariously, had crashed against a clock tower, lying heavily on the ground. These mechanical lifeforms, born from the technological virus, had rapidly withered and died after the virus disappeared, ultimately becoming a desolate, steel world. Those monsters, combining flesh and metal, appeared only briefly, quickly vanishing.

The eye above this area had disappeared, and the strange scene made Bai Ge involuntarily frown. The war goddess Kambol, unconcerned, leaped up, attempting to jump into the ruins beneath her feet. However, as her feet touched the ground, her armor and flesh rapidly fused together.

"How is this going?"

Even the gods were unaware of this mysterious power, and even the old seal on the shield could not dispel its corrosive effect. She could only leave this world that had become hell and return to Bai Ge.

"No need to waste your energy. This is a power belonging to the Warp Gods, completely different from the power of the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones."

Bai Ge dared not step into this abandoned city, permeated with the aura of death. Everywhere were traces of rust from the corroded metal, and the dead monsters were also rapidly rusting and decaying. Even his tentacles would quickly turn metallic when they stepped into areas where nanoviruses existed.

This power, similar to that of a subspace demon, only reminded Bai Ge of Nishizawa Ryo, who possessed a mechanical heart.

It seems to be the other party

"so?"

The Goddess of War looked at the player before her and said, "The Cat Goddess Bastet has been killed?"

"No, it seems the players were forced to resort to this extreme compromise to stop the Outer God's projection. Shouldn't the most urgent task now be to find the other half of Nordens' divine power?"

"The other half of Nordens' divine power..."

The Goddess of War murmured to herself, "Only by finding the power of Nordens that keeps the game running can we limit the power of the Evolution Game. Now that the Outer Gods have intervened, and the Evolution Game has awakened its own consciousness, it is difficult to maintain the previous balance."

"At least Nordens informed all the Old Gods about his location before he fell into slumber. If the Old Gods need to awaken him, that means one thing."

Bai Ge picked up where the Goddess of War left off, saying, "The final battle is about to break out."

The Goddess of War reached out and firmly grasped Bai Ge's shoulder.

“I’ll take you to see Nordens right now.”

……

This is a desolate and dark abyss, with the ruins of ancient buildings remaining on the cliff. The giant stone palaces built on the cliff have long been dilapidated after millions of years of wind and sun exposure, and would collapse and fall into the abyss at the slightest external force.

The others stood on the edge of a jagged cliff, where there were many eerie statues. Although some carvings had become blurred, they could still be identified from their appearance as statues of nightmares or ghouls.

"You mean... one of Nordens's clones is hiding beneath this abyss?"

Ed supported the heavily injured White Emperor, and his expression became noticeably hesitant as he looked towards the abyss.

"The only way to find Nordens is to enter the Great Abyss, but there is a price to pay for entering the Great Abyss. The choice is yours."

"Cough cough cough."

The White Emperor broke free of his restraints, staggered to the edge of the abyss, and without a word, leaped into it. This scene left the previously hesitant crowd bewildered.

However, just as the White Emperor's figure disappeared into the depths of darkness, countless winged demons suddenly sprang out from the abyss, flapping their wings and rushing towards the group. The group, who were preparing to fight back, were stopped by Bastet.

"These are Nightmares who obey Nordens; only by following them can we find the entrance to the Lord of the Abyss."

Having said that, it leaped up, hooked onto the Nightmare's rough and terrifying claws, and used its flight ability to plummet rapidly into the dark abyss. It plunged into the deep, lightless darkness, the light above its head growing dimmer and dimmer, and apart from the sound of flapping wings above, all around was deathly silent.

After an unknown amount of time, the group finally saw a white light enter their retinas. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing inside a funnel-shaped cave, with the skeletons of various huge marine creatures lying on their feet. The cave walls were also inlaid with countless fossils of shellfish and other marine life.

The witch was surprised to see Bai Ge and another ancient god also appear in the cave, while Bai Ge showed no surprise at seeing everyone. However, when he caught sight of the man covered in wounds, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and rushed over, his emotions fluctuating as he looked at the player before him, whose face was pale from blood loss.

"Mr. Bai, you...know him?"

Bai Ge did not answer the other party, but gently wiped the bloodstains off the other party's body. He suddenly turned his head, and in that instant, even the two ancient gods present became wary, staring at the young man in front of them with tense and uneasy expressions, as if a terrifying aura was being released from him.

Bai Ge asked coldly, "Who did it?"

"He was seriously injured in order to break the invisible barrier set up by the evolution game."

Faust, supporting Vice President Ed, explained, "As you can see, we have all been forced to come here to seek our last hope."

Boom!

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the rock wall, and a huge seashell emerged from the depths of the crack. Inside the seashell was a man bound by vines and chains, covered in dust.

The fossils of merfolk, sea monsters, and dolphins surrounding the area create a lifelike scene.

"Nordens?"

Faust tried to step forward to awaken the sleeping god, but was stopped by Kambol reaching out.

"Do not."

She pointed to the old symbols on the shield that were emitting a faint glow and said, "I'm afraid Nordens's clone has been corrupted by the Evolution Game."

The Goddess of War raised her shield and slowly approached the old man, who was bound by vines and chains, and said softly, "To be honest, I'm not sure whether the person in front of me is Nordens or an independent personality from the Evolution Game..."

The sharp spear gently pressed against Nordens' chin, trying to lift his lowered head. However, in the next instant, Nordens, who was still unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes. His blank, bewildered eyes stared at everyone present. He moved his lips slightly and uttered a muffled syllable.

The meaning conveyed was clearly imprinted in everyone's minds.

"This is... a trap..."

"Run...faster..."

Chapter 576 Will I Die If I Choose the First One?

"trap?"

After these words were spoken, everyone retreated in unison, trying to get away from the Nordens clone in front of them. Faust, who had activated the Eye of Providence, saw that the Nordens clone was wrapped with countless thin threads on its back, and the ends of these threads were thick tubes that were inserted directly into its back. Occasionally, light would even emerge and disappear into the rock wall.

The crowd's expressions changed drastically as they stared at the bizarre and terrifying scene before them. They all looked behind them, fearing that the strange pipe might appear silently at any moment.

However, this bizarre method of manipulation aroused Faust's curiosity. He tentatively tried to step forward to observe more closely, but was stopped by the goddess of war, Kambol, who coldly said, "If you don't want to become like him, you'd better not make any rash moves."

The fervent passion for exploring scientific truth that had been surging in his mind was temporarily suppressed by reason. After regaining his composure, he turned his head and asked softly, "Could it be that the Evolution Game is drawing power from the ancient god Nordens to keep running?"

The Goddess of War recalled Nordens's instructions before he fell into slumber and said softly, "No, it should be said that the Old God Nordens failed in his attempt to control the Evolution Game and suffered a backlash from its power. Nordens was indeed trying to carry out the plan that the Old Gods opposed. He wanted to merge himself with the Evolution Game, and after absorbing enough power, truly replace the consciousness of the Evolution Game and become an existence that could surpass Azathoth. However, this plan has a huge side effect, requiring him to constantly fight against that consciousness."

The chainsaw-wielding man asked in a low voice, "What if it fails..."

"If we had failed, this is what we're going to end up like now."

Kampoor pointed his spear at Nordens, who had once been part of the united front, and said coldly, "He is no longer an avatar of the Old Gods, but more like... a puppet manipulated by the Evolution Game."

The Goddess of War could clearly sense that the power within the avatar of the ancient god Nordens was being efficiently and continuously extracted. When the ancient gods created the Evolution Game, they also incorporated their will to destroy the Outer Gods, causing personal emotions to appear within the game, which was originally crafted using the laws of the universe. Over tens of millions of years, these emotions had slowly morphed into a distorted will, leading the Evolution Game to attempt to break free from the constraints of the ancient gods and the Outer Gods, becoming an absolute will that transcends all living beings.

"If the Evolution Game plan succeeds..."

The witch's eyes were filled with terror. "It will become the true God."

"Ah……"

The ancient god Nordens, trapped within the petrified shell, let out a low, painful groan, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before his voice turned emotionless.

He said calmly, “I know what you want to do: destroy the energy supply for the Evolution Game and stop my plans. But have you ever considered that it is precisely because of the barrier and my existence that the Old Gods, humans, and Outer Gods have been able to maintain a balance and coexist peacefully for many years? If I disappear, do you know what will happen? The balance between the Old Gods and Outer Gods will be shattered instantly, the barrier will be unable to stop Azathoth's projection, and at that moment, the entire world will disappear.”

"If I succeed, the players will replace the Old Gods and the Outer Gods, becoming the true rulers of this world. I have been simulating and deducing for millions of years, taking into account all possible scenarios. By choosing to join forces with me to defeat the Outer Gods, the players will truly break free from their shackles and become the new gods. If you choose the Old Gods, I have also deduced countless times, and there is only one outcome."

A post-apocalyptic scene began to rapidly appear on the wall, where all life had vanished, leaving only boundless coldness and deathly silence.

"Low-dimensional players will be annihilated by the dimensional attack of the outer gods."

Clang.

One by one, the chains binding Nordens's body began to break, and his body, which had been bound inside the giant seashell, slowly emerged from the crack in the fossilized wall. Everyone was instantly on high alert.

"Although I do not have a physical existence, but only exist as a spiritual entity that transforms all things, I also possess another ability."

"Once Outer Gods like Azathoth begin to invade lower dimensions, I have the ability to drag them into dungeons."

"Once you enter the dungeon world, even the most powerful god will have some of his power restricted according to the dungeon's settings, and become the dungeon's level boss."

Bai Ge suppressed the urge to attack and asked in an icy tone, "If you possess this power, why didn't you use it before?"

“If I use it, all players entering the instance world will have to defeat all the Outer God instance bosses that attempt to invade the lower dimensions. Once they lose, the Evolution Game will instantly collapse because it cannot limit the power of the Outer God. According to previous calculations, the overall strength of human players against the Outer God Azathoth is 0.001%. Even with the power of the Old Gods, it only barely increases the probability from 0.001 to 0.1.”

"..."

Silence fell over everyone. However, the controlled Nordens clone continued, "If I devour the power of all the Old Gods, I can at least raise the possibilities to another level."