102: Counterattack against the Shadow Scale Clan! Orochi!

“Evolve Talents and Skills?!”

Su Chen's massive compound eyes suddenly lit up.

His consciousness instantly locked onto the C-rank Talent, [Physique Reinforcement].

[Ding! Evolving C-rank Talent—Physique Reinforcement requires 1,000,000 faith value. The host's current faith value is insufficient.]

“One million?”

Su Chen's mental fluctuations swept over the continuous stream of white light flowing in,

“Simple. At this rate, accumulating for another three or four days will be enough.”

With a shift in thought,

he, carrying a hint of almost extravagant anticipation, tried to touch the brand new [Abyssal Sea God].

[Ding! Evolving Unique-rank Talent—Abyssal Sea God requires 100,000,000,000,000... (The number of subsequent zeros exceeds the current display limit)]

“What... the actual heck!!!”

Even with Su Chen's current mental fortitude, seeing that long string of zeros instantly fill the screen, stretching endlessly, caused him intense dizziness!

How long would it take to save that up?

But after the brief shock, an even more fervent flame ignited in his eyes.

Such terrifying requirements precisely proved the infinite potential of the [Abyssal Sea God]!

As well as the power of this [faith value] system!

“It seems this Power Of Faith is the top priority for the future!” He realized instantly.

His gaze swept over the area below.

Chen Feng, at Rank 85, provided as much as 0.01 faith value daily, five times that of an ordinary Rank 55 warrior!

“The stronger the individual, the more faith value they provide...”

Su Chen instantly clarified his thoughts,

“To rapidly harvest faith, there are two paths: First, make more people worship me; second, raise the overall strength of existing believers!”

The first path is simple: livestream beating up giant beasts and saving the world.

But the population of Blue Star has a limit.

Therefore,

the second path—improving Divine Summer and raising the strength of all humanity—became a strategic direction requiring long-term investment!

The road ahead is long and arduous.

Just as he was pondering, the system notification sounded again!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the Limited-Time Mission—Counterattack!]

[Counterattack (Limited-Time Mission)!—The Shadow Scale Clan's full-scale invasion is imminent (Remaining time: <10 days). You have severed their vanguard spies (Sea God Cult), laying the foundation for sounding the counterattack horn for Blue Star civilization. Prey? No! Under the will of the Kraken, the Blue Star Human Race can also transform into hunters! Please annihilate the Shadow Kingdom (Shadow Scale Clan) and occupy its territory within 30 days!]

[Mission Reward—Partial repair of the "infinite devouring system," increasing the number of devourable energy types by +1!]

“Counterattacking the Shadow Scale Clan?! Repairing the system?!!”

Su Chen's gigantic body shook violently!

“System... you were damaged?!”

[Ding. In its complete state, the infinite devouring system can devour and convert all forms of energy in the universe. Due to unknown reasons, it suffered severe damage, and currently can only devour "Flesh Energy" and "Toxin Energy." Each repair unlocks a new type of energy for devouring.]

Boom—!

Su Chen felt as if his brain had been struck by a violent bolt of lightning!

The incomplete system had already made him nearly invincible... If it were fully repaired... Fire, Light, Darkness, Electromagnetic, Radiation... even Space, Time?!

Could everything in the world be transformed into evolutionary sustenance?!

Could he become infinitely stronger just by lying down and sleeping?!

Just imagining the scene, boundless ecstasy and desire nearly overwhelmed his reason!

“Heh heh... Heheheh...”

Icy killing intent, tangible as solid matter, spread from Su Chen's massive body. His compound eyes turned toward the distant sky, seemingly piercing through space,

locking onto that otherworldly realm named the Shadow Kingdom.

“Shadow Scale Clan...”

“Now, it's no longer a question of whether you want to invade...”

“But whether I, Su Chen... need your territory to feed my system!”

“Just wait... The moment you tear open space and descend... I will prepare a colossal ‘surprise’ for you!”

...Meanwhile.

Fusang, Mount Fuji.

The mountain peak, once covered in white snow, now only had exposed, scorched black rocks emitting the stench of sulfur.

An extremely battered figure was desperately clawing at the steep rock face with both hands, struggling to climb upward.

Great Tengu—Minamoto no Yoshinobu.

His magnificent Kariginu was already tattered and stained with filth.

Below his waist... there was nothing!

His remaining upper body relied on his residual, powerful Primal Energy, making a final, desperate struggle.

His face was pale and distorted from blood loss and intense pain, but a pair of eyes burned with near-mad obsession and hatred.

“Soon... almost there... I hear Him... He is summoning me from above!!”

His fingernails cracked,

and blood dragged intermittent dark red streaks across the scorched black rock.

He finally climbed onto the volcanic crater, which continuously spewed hot steam and sulfurous smoke!

A boiling, golden-red lava lake met his eyes, the heat waves warping the air.

“Yes! It's here! This is it! I clearly hear His summons!!”

Minamoto no Yoshinobu's face showed pathological ecstasy, his breathing ragged, “

He can grant me rebirth! He can bestow upon me the power to tear apart that Kraken and destroy Divine Summer!!”

“Plop—!!!”

Without hesitation, he pushed with his arms, and his ruined upper body plunged directly into the lava lake below!

The scorching lava instantly enveloped him!

“Aaaahhhhh—!!!”

Pain far exceeding imagination fiercely burned his nerves!

His skin instantly charred and carbonized!

Minamoto no Yoshinobu let out an extremely mournful shriek, frantically extracting the last of his Primal Energy to form a shield, desperately resisting the lava's erosion.

He thrashed and searched frantically in the viscous lava like a headless fly.

“Where is He?! Where is He?! I clearly heard Him!!!”

Just as his Primal Energy was about to run out,

and his consciousness began to blur—

“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn...”

An incomprehensible, twisted, blasphemous, deep murmur, viscous like asphalt,

sounded directly in the deepest part of his soul!

Minamoto no Yoshinobu froze, immediately overwhelmed by ecstasy!

“Down there... He is even further down!!”

He took a deep breath of the scorching air that could almost ignite his lungs, used his last ounce of strength, and plunged downward!

He continued to dive!

The color of the lava gradually changed from golden-red to dark-red, and the pressure sharply increased!

Finally... in that extremely profound dark-red depth, he saw... an indescribably massive, dark green giant foot, seemingly condensed from nightmare itself!

It was tightly bound and sealed by countless enormous chains wrapped in strange, dark gold runes!

Every inch of skin was covered with twisted, non-Euclidean geometric patterns; merely glancing at it was enough to cause a mortal's sanity to collapse!

“Hahaha! I found Him! Great Existence! Your loyal servant Minamoto no Yoshinobu has come to pay respects!”

“Please grant me the power of vengeance!”

Minamoto no Yoshinobu screamed frantically in his soul, his face filled with fanaticism and anticipation.

However... that terrifying murmur sounded again,

becoming clearer, colder, and filled with endless greed and indifference.

In that instant,

the fanaticism on Minamoto no Yoshinobu's face instantly froze!

Replaced by an indescribable, extreme terror!

“No... no! My soul... my soul is being torn apart! Being devoured! Aaaahhhh—! Lord! I am your most loyal servant! Stop—!!!”

He tried to struggle, but the devouring force originating from the depths of his soul was irresistible!

The light of reason in his eyes quickly extinguished and dimmed like a candle in the wind... until finally, it completely turned into hollow, deathly silence and darkness.

Immediately following this,

an entirely different, eerie glow, filled with the most primal desires for slaughter, destruction, and chaos,

slowly illuminated from those hollow eye sockets.

“Jie... Jiejiejie... Jiejiejiejie—!!”

A spine-chilling, inhuman, low sinister laugh squeezed out from Minamoto no Yoshinobu's charred throat.

“Who am I...?”

“I am Minamoto no Yoshinobu... I am Yamata no Orochi... I am... the most humble watchdog of the Great Lord Cthulhu...”

“Hunger... so hungry... I want to devour... devour all the flesh and souls on this plane...”

“I want to tear apart... all the seals...”

“I want to make... the Great Cthulhu... reappear in the world...”

“Destruction... Only eternal destruction and chaos... is the destination...”

Following his mad ravings,

an immensely massive, terrifying phantom with eight ferocious snake heads suddenly emerged from behind his ruined body!

Eight pairs of serpentine pupils opened simultaneously,

burning with eerie green Chaos Fire, letting out a silent yet space-shaking roar toward the sky!

The heartland of Mount Fuji,

the ancient sealing ground,

a new, more terrifying Herald of Chaos... was born here!