Life Game In Other World
Chapter 1256: The Path to Angel Promotion (Long - , Request for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 1256: Chapter 1256: The Path to Angel Promotion (Long Chapter, Request for Monthly Pass)

"Do you think he can successfully achieve promotion?"

On a verdant grassland, a figure walked up behind the man in military uniform and asked softly, "From nothing to being an undying Higher Being in just seventy years—this speed is so astonishing it’s left me in awe."

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The Order Church hasn’t had a Patriarch for many years,"

the man in military uniform replied calmly, "He’s walked this path relying on the power of the Church, relying on the power of the Divine Being, smooth sailing all the way. But the position and dignity obtained ultimately with the help of a Divine Being—does it still belong to oneself?"

—

The Inverted City

Endless meteors fell from the sky, streaking radiant brilliance, crashing into the empty city below.

Skyscrapers were effortlessly reduced to rubble, and the solid ground was almost instantly melted under the searing power.

Yet in the sky above, standing amidst countless meteors, the Crystal Giant’s form suddenly shattered into countless crystal shards, which then slowly spread outward in all directions, transforming in an instant into an immense shimmering crystal net.

The roaring meteors collided with the crystal net briefly, trembling momentarily, then, as if imbued with color, swiftly crystallized and shattered, trickling through the gaps in the net.

The violent meteor showers rained between Heaven and Earth but seemed unable to harm the crystal net in the slightest, leaving behind only dense crystal fragments that fell like torrential rain.

Wherever these crystal fragments landed—whether on the molten ground or sturdy buildings—all rapidly crystallized at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The invisible crystal bore the semblance of an inexplicable corruption, swiftly infecting the grand and magnificent city.

The unrelenting meteors attacking the Crystal Giant ultimately served to bolster the Giant instead.

Yet in the face of this endless descending crystal, He Ao’s expression remained unchanged. He gazed coldly at the sprawling crystal net, raising his palm expressionlessly.

The previously scattered meteors abruptly converged toward a single point.

In the blink of an eye, the descending meteors formed a massive line in the sky, charging relentlessly toward the colossal crystal net, converging onto a single point within it.

Boom boom boom—

With thunderous resounding roars, the dense meteors crashed into the crystal net.

The invisible forces continued to infect the meteors, attempting to fully transform them into crystal.

However, as the meteors grew increasingly dense, the infecting force at this point visibly faltered, forcing the crystal net to contract, gathering greater energy.

The expansive net opened to infect more meteors now became a source of dispersed power.

But the meteors falling from the heavens gave no respite. Burning fire-lit "shooting stars" descended at an accelerated rate, their thunderous roaring nearly became a continuous symphony in the sky, resembling an eternal storm.

Below, He Ao silently observed, clenched the blood blade in his hand.

And then, at a decisive moment, the giant crystal net trembled violently.

Soon after, the countless shards of crystal scattered far and wide coalesced again into an enormous Crystal Giant.

At that moment, He Ao’s figure shot out with sudden speed, lifting the blood blade to strike at the Crystal Giant.

The Crystal Giant raised its head, glanced briefly at the meteors descending from the sky before swiftly shifting its form—only to collide directly with the approaching He Ao.

Boom—

With a deafening roar, the massive blood blade tore into the Crystal Giant’s hastily raised arm. The hastily raised arm clearly couldn’t withstand the full strike of He Ao’s blade, pushing the arm back under the pressure of the blood blade.

Crack—

A faint snapping sound echoed in the air. The crimson tip of the blade touched the Crystal Giant’s chest, and a thin, almost imperceptible crack emerged slowly on its chest.

Bang—

In that instant, the Crystal Giant stared at the rapidly closing distance between it and He Ao, a faint smile appeared on its lips. It suddenly spread its body wide, instantly forming an immense crystal net once more.

The freshly formed net enveloped He Ao from all directions without pause.

The proximity between He Ao and the Crystal Giant was so close that there was no time for He Ao to pull away.

The Crystal Giant seemed deliberately baiting He Ao, enticing him to approach closer.

He Ao raised his head, gazing at the encroaching web from all around, sensing the force radiating from it.

This net had intentionally retained partial energy rather than being entirely consumed by the meteors—waiting specifically for this moment.

As the crystal net closed in, densely packed golden brilliance filled the web, and parts of He Ao’s shoulder and back began crystallizing.

At this moment, He Ao could no longer hesitate. Clasping the blood blade tightly, he took a deep breath and roared, "Explode!"

His chest and arms erupted with dazzling light, twisted and with fierce energy spilling forth from the blood blade.

BOOM—

With an explosive thunder matching the crack of lightning, dazzling crimson brilliance burst against the crystal net just as it was about to completely close.

The intense explosion shattered the boundary between reality and illusion, reaching Dawn City below, where countless figures raised their heads, gazing at the battleground above.

The encroaching net trembled violently, its flowing yellow brilliance flickered erratically, momentarily cut off, with the initially closing edges forcibly split open by the violent explosion.

The last meteors in the sky rushed forth simultaneously and collided with the net, thwarting its attempt to close tighter.

Crimson light streaked across the sky, falling to the partially crystallized ground below.

The once-towering Crimson Giant now was reduced to half a body, one arm, and two legs.

One complete arm and nearly a third of its form vanished in the aftermath of the explosion.

Faint red glow coursed through the Crimson Giant’s fragmented body, regenerating missing physical parts.

However, the brilliance of its body had markedly dimmed.

Lost limbs could be rebuilt by harnessing power, but lost strength could not.

He Ao had called forth the War God’s power through the Arrogant Person, but the force of each Divine Descent was finite. Though He Ao had previously avoided attempting two consecutive Descents due to physical limitations, circumstances now demanded it.

This time, having restored his form via the Grace of Life and performed another Divine Descent, he distinctly felt the second was weaker—the difficulty of drawing power had greatly risen.

Eventually, He Ao’s body resumed its original form, but portions of his shoulder and back lacked permanent restoration.

During his escape earlier, portions of his body had crystallized through infection—a conceptual mutation that proved permanent. Rebuilding parts of his body did not reverse the crystalline influence.

In truth, He Ao was certain that if he were to dismiss the War God Projection and return to his original body as Suote, these missing chunks of flesh would remain absent forever.

"Child,"

The glimmering net reconstructed into the massive Crystal Giant above, tilting its head downward to observe the heavily waned figure of He Ao. An intangible voice echoed across the heavens and earth, "You’ve grown much and also become far more extreme. In the past, you wouldn’t resort to such reckless measures."

The colossal dodecahedral crystal head slowly rotated as a faint, introspective remark resonated in the void. "Still, I must admit, given the previous circumstances, it was indeed your most suitable response, child. You’ve truly impressed me."

Its hand rose, faint yellow light converging in its palm. "But the strategies and tricks you employ, every single one were taught to you by me. To defeat me using only what I’ve given you—that’s unlikely."

Its gaze left He Ao, quickly surveying the empty city around. "I can sense it: your strength is actually weaker than during your battle with Motoc. The reason you’ve managed to appear evenly matched with me is that this city amplifies certain aspects of your abilities and power."

Its gaze settled on the expansive crystalline corruption spreading swiftly across the surroundings. "But now that this city has begun assimilating into my Order, what will you rely on?"

"How much strength do you still have left inside after that explosion? How long can you endure in that feeble, overstretched frame of yours? You may have used countless peculiar powers to just barely earn the qualification to contend against an Angel,

"but, ultimately, you are not an Angel."

"I’ve always been just an ordinary mortal,"

He Ao staggered upright, gripping his blood blade tightly. He raised his head, fixing his gaze on the Crystal Giant above.

In truth, the Crystal Giant’s speculation was correct: the main reason He Ao could still fight it evenly was that, within this "Dream City" he had created, the cost of using his powers was reduced, and both his abilities and strength were partially enhanced.

This was his absolute home-field advantage.

He hadn’t merely relied on the War God Projection’s power alone. He had been wielding the combined force of the War God Projection and this Dream City.

The strength of Dream City originated from the "sacrifice" of those three cubes.

The Crystal Giant might have initially deduced that He Ao could leverage this city’s power, but it misjudged the extent of power derived from those sacrificial cubes—allowing He Ao to exploit its misstep to breach the crystalline flower bud.

After its initial mistake, even without fully understanding the source of Dream City’s strength, the Crystal Giant began targeting the city with deliberate "actions."

As the mutated crystal infected the city, the power amplification He Ao received indeed started to weaken.

As a chief of staff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Order Church’s future Patriarch, Suote—this "mentor" of his—excelled in battle strategy, mysticism knowledge, and mastery of mystical powers beyond any enemy He Ao had faced before.

The truth was, from the beginning, Suote had maintained skepticism that "this person before him was truly Suote." If not for He Ao demonstrating numerous traits typical of Suote at critical moments, his identity would likely have been questioned long ago.

Yet, despite his awe inwardly, He Ao showed no outward emotion. The opponent’s current words were inherently "emotional attacks," aimed at fracturing He Ao’s resolve.

He raised his head to meet the Crystal Giant’s towering presence, replying calmly, "But mortals have mortal freedom. Mentor, you’ve borrowed so much power from Divine Beings and received so many ’Graces.’ Even if you’ve become an Angel, can you truly escape the ’influence’ of the Divine?"

"And what’s wrong with being influenced by Divine Beings?"

The Crystal Giant stared at He Ao. "The existence of Divinities is inevitable; it is the objective reality of this world. Instead of being like a coward who buries his head in the ground, pretending Divinities don’t exist, and blindly striving for Angelhood,

"it’s far better to openly embrace Divinities’ power and utilize everything available. If one can attain immortality and eternality, suffering some influence—what harm is there?"

It extended its hand, the glow in its palm fully spreading as it spoke. "Child, this is the proper path. Why must you defy the grand tide of this world?"

Upon hearing the Crystal Giant’s words, He Ao looked at its massive dodecahedral crystal head. He suddenly broke into a faint smile. "Mentor, you’re afraid."

The Crystal Giant froze momentarily.

He Ao continued, "You once taught me: if you face an opponent far more formidable, even unbeatable, use words or other means to shatter their resolve, never hesitate to employ such methods. Though you may not achieve victory without fighting, you can sow confusion in their mind—raising your chance of success."

He stared at the silent Crystal Giant, adding, "You also taught me, ’Don’t be fooled by the enemy’s tactics and lose sight of the larger picture.’"

He slowly raised his blood blade, his gaze settling on the faint crack on the Crystal Giant’s chest, and said calmly, "If you want me to bite your bait, you’ll have to offer something real."

He Ao was well aware his surprise attack earlier had disrupted the perfect manifestation of the Crystal Giant’s Mythical Form—it’s an incomplete construct.

But being highly versed in mystical knowledge, the Crystal Giant hadn’t exposed its flaw. Instead, it had used some form of mysticism to hide it.

Thus, He Ao tested its defenses first by dispersing its form, then concentrated the force of meteors to break through at a single point—finally shattering its defenses.

In the moment the meteors disrupted the crystal net, He Ao had used his Super Memory’s enhanced vision, Divine Sense, and the fragment of power from the Eye of Truth to discern the method the Crystal Giant used to conceal its flaw.

It had distributed its inherent flaw into countless fragments, evenly scattered throughout its entire body.

It was akin to a fabric riddled with tears, with the large holes split into countless smaller ones, uniformly dispersed, making the fabric appear intact without any obvious weak points.

But He Ao’s attack shattered this equilibrium, destabilizing each mystic-associated fragment.

Seizing the moment, He Ao used his blood blade to strike the Crystal Giant’s form, allowing chaotic forces to disrupt its balance entirely, finally consolidating all the "smaller holes" into a singular vulnerable flaw.

His "self-detonation" had also inflicted significant damage on the Crystal Giant.

In simplified terms, the opponent’s "health bar and kill threshold" were now visible.

Precisely because of this, the Crystal Giant had resorted to patient attempts to dismantle He Ao’s defense through words—had it not been for its weakened state, it would’ve already pressed forward.

"You’ve learned well, very well."

The Crystal Giant in the sky sighed lightly, the light in its hand scattering into countless figures. "But you must understand that the power of Order goes beyond duels. I can still easily kill you."

He Ao noticed one of the familiar, youthful faces among the luminous personages above.

Ande Stickwich

One of the "heroes" resting eternally in Dumel National Cemetery.

A major character during He Ao’s very first formal Copy World.