260: Battle of Variables

The so-called 'Ruler of Judgment' smashed down overhead.

There was no wind, no sound, not even a fluctuation of energy.

But Li Dong felt that everything around him—space, time, light, and even the very concept of 'existence'—had been framed by that ruler.

It was not trying to shatter him, but rather to use the most absolute Law to erase him, this 'Variable', from the formula of the Universe, returning him to 'Nothingness'.

It was just like erasing pencil marks with an eraser—clean, thorough, leaving no trace.

'Alright, so everyone likes to play with materialization? Quite the display.'

Li Dong grinned, but the anger in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.

The debt for threatening his home had yet to be settled.

He did not dodge.

Facing an attack on this conceptual level, dodging was meaningless.

The [Blade of Judgment] hummed in his hand; the blade was no longer just pure sharpness, but dancing with countless tiny, vivid, and unclassifiable specks of light.

These were the cries of infants, the heartbeats of lovers, the final resolve of heroes facing death.

They were the most vivid 'Variables' he had just injected into the Law of Order.

'Come, let me see if your ruler is harder, or if my life is harder!'

Ding—

A soft sound, not in his ears, but deep within his Soul.

Blade and ruler, two diametrically opposed concepts of Law, collided.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected, nor was there the light pollution of Law-clashing.

The world seemed to fall into absolute stillness.

Li Dong's blade tip pressed against the body of the giant ruler; between them was a silent contest of strength.

The markings on the giant ruler, which represented absolute precision, began to show tiny, irregular distortions.

It was like a perfectly running computer that had been injected with an unrecognizable garbled code.

Li Dong's 'Variable' Law was, like a virus, crazily eroding the rigid, inflexible underlying logic of the 'Ruler of Judgment' along the point of contact.

Cracks spread quietly across the body of the ruler.

Just at this moment of stalemate, the gaze of the 'Observer' that had been lingering overhead suddenly moved.

A speck of light, almost impossible to be captured by the senses, smaller than dust, detached from that gaze and silently, like a mischievous sprite, dove into the densest crack of the 'Ruler of Judgment'.

Crack.

A faint, crisp sound.

The disintegration of the 'Ruler of Judgment' suddenly accelerated.

'Roar—!'

The 'Supreme Judge', condensed from the Law of Order, let out a silent roar.

This roar acted directly on the mental level, shaking the entire starry sky.

It had clearly noticed the 'Observer's' small action; this 'betrayal' by what it considered an entity of the same Rank completely ignited its rage.

It no longer sought 'precise erasure'.

Its massive body shone brightly, the power on the giant ruler was no longer restrained, but transformed into the purest, most primitive violence, crushing down toward Li Dong's position with overwhelming force!

'Getting anxious already? It seems your associates don't think much of you either.'

Li Dong, under pressure enough to crush a god, felt his thoughts were clearer than ever before.

The [ancient stone slab] on his chest was scorching hot, and waves of warmth surged through his entire body, resisting that crushing force.

The greater the pressure, the faster his mind turned.

Repair? Attunement?

No, that's not enough.

When the rules themselves are wrong, what is the point of patching them up?

A brand new idea exploded in his mind like thunder.

Why play within a set, wrong framework?

Why not create a new framework himself, a new Law that can accommodate all 'Variables'?

Let the Universe possess infinite possibilities!

At this moment, he was no longer that passively reacting 'Tuner'.

'Let's play with real 'chaos' with you.'

Li Dong's figure suddenly became elusive.

He abandoned all fixed Moves and defensive postures, his entire being turning into an unpredictable stream of light.

His movement trajectory had no logic at all; sometimes moving forward, sometimes backward, sometimes drawing funny circles like a drunkard.

Every dodge happened exactly in the 'Supreme Judge's' calculation blind spot.

Every swing of the blade carried a beauty that was chaotic to the extreme.

This was not a battle at all; this was a provocation, the most naked mockery of 'Order' itself.

The 'Supreme Judge's' attacks became increasingly violent, but began to miss frequently.

Its set of perfect calculation logic fell into complete chaos when faced with Li Dong's 'Dance of Disorder' that completely defied conventional logic.

'Your power is not bad.'

Li Dong dodged a beam of Law that could tear apart a galaxy, and suddenly appeared at the side of the 'Supreme Judge', 'Let me borrow it.'

The [Blade of Judgment] in his hand gave a light pull, actually forcibly changing the direction of a wave of 'Order' Law that was rushing toward him.

But it wasn't over; the moment this Law was diverted, Li Dong arrogantly injected his own 'Variable' concept into it.

It was like forcibly dripping a drop of ink into a cup of pure water.

This 'contaminated' Law of Order was pushed back by him, poured directly back into the 'Supreme Judge's' own body.

'...'

The 'Supreme Judge's' movements froze for an instant.

Its massive body began to flicker violently, and the Laws within were engaging in a tragic civil war.

Its own 'Order' was attacking the 'Order' that had been heavily modified by Li Dong, and the logic began to contradict itself.

Now!

Li Dong's figure appeared instantly in front of the 'Supreme Judge', and the [Blade of Judgment] in his hand had, at some point, changed back into that thin, cicada-wing-like [Law Scalpel].

He did not slash at the opponent's head or core, but aimed at a certain point in the Void Realm, a logical node that only he could see, which maintained the existence of the 'Supreme Judge'.

'Your program has a BUG.'

He slashed down.

No sound, no light.

It was as if he had just cut an invisible thread.

The 'Supreme Judge', which had been exerting pressure on the heavens and earth, shook violently, and then, like a sand sculpture that had lost all support, began to collapse and disintegrate from within.

It did not explode, but turned into billions of the purest fragments of the Law of Order, scattering like a brilliant meteor shower.

Deep in the Void Realm, the grand will belonging to the 'Hand of Order' emitted a hum of extreme reluctance.

Its massive outline began to become illusory, and finally, like a projector whose power had been unplugged, it disappeared completely behind that crack, carrying endless anger and frustration.

The pressure of judgment that had shrouded the entire galaxy was gone without a trace.

Won.

Li Dong stood in place, taking a light breath.

A feedback of the Universe's Origin, more majestic and pure than any previous time, wrapped around him like a warm ocean.

He felt that his connection to this Universe was closer than ever before.

He seemed to be able to hear the breathing of distant stars and feel the pulse of newborn civilizations.

Just then, the 'Observer's' gaze became clearer and more focused than ever before.

It was no longer a high and lofty spectator.

A clear thought crossed the Void Realm and was transmitted directly into Li Dong's mind.

It was not language, but a coordinate, an invitation.

A... signal wanting to talk to him.

Li Dong put away the Law Scalpel and looked up at the source of that gaze.

He knew that the trouble with the 'Hand of Order' was only temporarily over; that guy would definitely not let it go.

And this 'Observer', who had been watching the play and occasionally passing a little note, was finally about to make a formal appearance.

Ally? Or another The Chess Player?

This Universe, it's really getting livelier and livelier.