Death… And Me

Chapter 4421: Let’s See

Trombe and Curvato were just about to head back inside the building when something suddenly entered the range of their Celestial Senses. Both of them instinctively stiffened, their first thought being that a Godly Creature had wandered into the area.

After all, this place was already outside the influence of the Besgol Region’s Sacred Relic. Although Godly Creatures didn’t usually appear immediately after someone crossed the border, they would eventually notice the presence of cultivators if they remained outside long enough.

However, when the two looked toward the source of the disturbance, confusion immediately replaced their vigilance. Something was descending from the skies, yet they couldn’t see anything. Their Celestial Senses clearly told them an object was approaching at high speed, but the naked eye found nothing at all. It was as if empty space itself were flying toward them.

Naturally, that mystery didn’t last for long. The Light Bending Arrays covering Rean’s airplane were switched off, allowing the invisible aircraft to reveal itself once again. The sleek airplane emerged from thin air before slowly descending toward the estate.

A moment later, Tobao stepped out of the airplane and landed calmly in front of the estate’s protective array. His gaze rested on Trombe, and disappointment filled his eyes rather than anger.

"Trombe... you have deeply betrayed my trust."

The color immediately drained from both Trombe’s and Curvato’s faces.

"S-Senior Tobao!"

"H-How did you find us?!"

Curvato instinctively looked toward Trombe, suspicion flashing through his eyes, but Trombe glared back at him.

"It wasn’t me, idiot!" he snapped. "Didn’t you hear what he just said?"

Without answering them, Tobao slowly walked toward the protective barrier before placing one hand against its surface.

"I might not know you very well, Curvato," he said calmly, "but I truly never expected a Branch Guild Master of the Godly Subjugation Guild to betray the region like this. I entrusted one of the Godly Apex Crystals to your care. Even if it was only one crystal, it could change the future of the entire Besgol Region... yet you still chose to steal it."

Curvato’s heart skipped a beat.

The Godly Apex Crystal...

So it was real!

The moment Tobao had appeared, Curvato’s first assumption had been that the sealed box was fake and that the real crystal had never been inside. He hadn’t even opened it yet, intending to wait until everything was settled first. Yet Tobao spoke as though there had never been any deception. In other words, the box truly contained a genuine Godly Apex Crystal.

His breathing unconsciously became heavier.

*Bzzzzzz!*

The entire protective array suddenly vibrated violently as huge amounts of Celestial Energy rushed in from every direction to reinforce it. Curvato and Trombe couldn’t perceive Laws, but they didn’t need to. The pressure alone made it obvious that the Law God was directly overwhelming the array. Judging by the violent tremors spreading across the barrier, it wouldn’t survive for more than a few seconds.

"Klasto!"

The shout echoed throughout the estate, and another cultivator immediately rushed out from inside the building. Tobao recognized him the instant he appeared.

Klasto.

The very Zone God whose corpse Arcis had failed to locate after discovering the massacre earlier. At this point, anyone with half a brain could guess that Klasto had likely been the one responsible for killing everyone involved.

"Hmph!" Tobao snorted coldly. "Do you seriously believe that two Middle Stage Zone Gods are enough to escape from me?"

Lightning suddenly burst around his body. His Laws of Lightning intertwined with pure Lightning Element, causing countless electric arcs to dance across the sky before all of that terrifying power crashed into the defensive array.

*Brummmmmm!*

The protective array immediately began cracking under the overwhelming pressure. Crack after crack spread across its surface, and for a brief moment, it looked as though the barrier would collapse instantly.

Then the cracks stopped spreading.

Instead of attempting to flee, Trombe and Klasto immediately split up, each rushing toward one of the array’s control points inside the estate. Large quantities of Godly Beast Crystals were inserted into the array one after another while both cultivators continuously poured their own Godly Energy into it. As Zone Gods, accumulating Godly Beast Crystals throughout the years wasn’t particularly difficult.

With both external energy and their personal cultivation feeding the array, the cracks slowly began repairing themselves.

Outside the estate, Tobao narrowed his eyes.

"So that’s your choice..."

He calmly watched the damaged barrier recovering before murmuring,

"Meaningless. You can keep feeding it energy, but how many Godly Beast Crystals do you actually possess? How long can you maintain this?"

Without changing his expression, Tobao continued applying pressure to the barrier. However, he intentionally refrained from using his full strength. The protective array had never been designed to withstand a Law God in the first place. It was already operating well beyond its intended limits just to resist him. As long as Tobao maintained steady pressure, the array would eventually exhaust itself. There was no need to waste unnecessary energy.

Just then, Roan’s calm voice echoed through his Divine Sense.

—They aren’t trying to escape. They’re only buying time.—

Tobao gave an almost imperceptible nod before contacting Arcis.

’I noticed, Roan. Arcis, where are you?’

—Already flying toward you,—Arcis answered immediately. —Even though I departed from the border a little after the moment you called, it’ll still take close to an hour before I arrive.—

’That will be enough.’

Immediately afterward, Tobao deliberately reduced the amount of Lightning Laws pressing against the barrier. From the outside, it appeared as though he began to struggle. His expression also darkened slightly, creating the illusion that breaking the array was proving much harder than he had expected.

Inside the estate, Trombe and Klasto immediately noticed the reduced pressure, and both secretly released a breath of relief. Neither of them relaxed completely, of course. They continued supplying energy without interruption, but the situation no longer looked completely hopeless. Exactly as Roan had predicted, all they needed was time.

Meanwhile, Klasto spread out his Celestial Sense toward another room inside the estate.

’Curvato. Status.’

Curvato’s annoyed voice answered almost immediately.

’I’m assembling it as fast as I can. Most of the teleport array is complete already, but the most important sections were purposely left out, remember?’

Klasto naturally understood why. Had the estate ever been discovered, investigators could have analyzed the completed teleport array and traced its destination through the spatial coordinates embedded within it. Because of that, the sections responsible for defining those coordinates had never been installed in advance. They were only added when absolutely necessary.

’Then hurry,’ Klasto urged. ’Unlike Tobao, we don’t possess endless reserves of energy. If Arcis arrives before you’re finished, we will be done for.’

’I know that!’ Curvato couldn’t help but snap back. Despite Trombe’s and Klasto’s higher cultivation, he clearly wasn’t in the mood to care about hierarchy anymore. Every second spent arguing was another second Tobao remained outside.

Far away in the Ocalfin Region, Xigazou had already received the emergency report. His people had successfully intercepted the transport carrying what was supposedly a Godly Apex Crystal, but Tobao himself had unexpectedly appeared and was currently trying to prevent the teleport array from being completed.

Rather than discouraging him, that information only excited him further. If Tobao had personally rushed over, then the crystal had to be genuine. Even if there remained the slightest possibility of a trap, he couldn’t allow such an opportunity to slip away. A Godly Apex Crystal was an object that countless Law Gods dreamed of obtaining. Compared to that, risking exposure was more than worthwhile.

"Come on..."

He stared impatiently at the inactive teleport array before him.

"Finish it already..."

—

Time slowly became the deciding factor.

Tobao was buying time for Arcis to arrive, while Trombe, Klasto, and Curvato were desperately buying time for the teleport array to be completed.

One minute passed.

Then two.

Five.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

The stalemate continued without either side giving an inch. Eventually, almost an entire hour slipped by.

*CREEEEEEEEE!*

A piercing cry suddenly echoed across the distant skies.

Everyone instinctively looked upward, where a blue streak rapidly approached from the horizon, crossing the sky with astonishing speed.

Tobao’s eyes immediately brightened.

The enormous Demon Bird arrived above the estate before instantly descending.

"Great! You made it, Arcis!"

The moment Arcis entered the battlefield, Tobao no longer had any reason to continue pretending. The Lightning Laws surrounding him exploded with far greater intensity than before, and Lightning Element surged wildly across the heavens.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

The protective array instantly began collapsing again.

At the same time, Arcis folded his wings before diving straight downward.

*BOOM!*

His icy talons slammed directly onto the barrier. Ice Laws and Ice Element erupted together, attacking from above while Tobao continued crushing it from the front. The already strained array immediately reached its limit.

Inside the estate, Trombe and Klasto desperately poured every remaining Godly Beast Crystal into the array while continuously injecting all of their Godly Energy. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t enough. That protective array had never been designed to withstand a Law God’s attack, let alone two.

Finally, the barrier reached its limit.

*PLAAAAANG!*

The array shattered into countless fragments of light, opening the way into the estate.

Without wasting a single instant, Tobao and Arcis rushed inside.

"Let’s see what you can do now!!!"

Arcis roared furiously as the two Law Gods immediately unleashed overwhelming attacks toward the estate itself, intending to erase the entire place in one devastating strike before anyone could react.

Yet just as their attacks were about to land, space suddenly twisted. An immense amount of Spatial Power gathered inside the estate, followed by a brilliant silver flash that exploded outward. Immediately afterward, an incomparably powerful aura swept across the entire area.

*BANG! BANG!*

Two enormous torrents of Fire Laws collided directly with Tobao’s and Arcis’s attacks, forcing both Law Gods to retreat several hundred meters through the air.

Only then did the newcomer slowly emerge.

A man floated calmly above the ruined estate, one hand casually holding the sealed box while the other rested behind his back. His gaze swept across Tobao and Arcis without the slightest hint of concern before a faint smile appeared on his face.

"I also wish to see..."

"...what you two can do about it."