Unholy Player Chapter 549: The Descent of Gods (Part 2)

BOOM!

The blast erupted with ferocity, and on this occasion, blood spurted out as the flesh along both sides of Arvyn’s neck ripped apart and burst open.

Rhys leaped away at last due to the backlash, pulling his daggers loose along with it, though his gaze remained locked on her without wavering.

He stayed vigilant for the tiniest movement, the faintest pause, since for a fighter like Arvyn, the divide between 'injured' and 'unaffected' might span no more than an instant.

The areas on either side of Arvyn’s neck appeared utterly mangled, exposing her windpipe entirely.

Yet it proved futile. Within the following moment, her tissue reformed, closing the inconceivable injury in a mere flash.

'2 is gone. 8 left,' Arvyn said as she gradually turned her head toward him, her unchanging smile still plastered on her features.

Not even such a severe injury had compelled her to evade or protect herself. She simply withstood it thanks to her superior attributes.

Rhys cast a swift look at the onlookers and spotted Selina. He noticed the scowl etched on her face.

Their foe was clearly an immortal beast.

There existed just one method they thought might end her. They needed to annihilate her utterly before her recovery could activate.

However, despite wielding enhanced blades supported by their advanced tech, success remained uncertain.

Arvyn possessed her own abilities too. She wouldn't remain passive as they unleashed their full arsenal upon her.

She also showed strong resistance to psychic restraints. In earlier clashes, Throgar couldn't restrain her for extended periods, as her rapid healing allowed her to shatter the bindings.

Considering all these factors, Rhys concluded that the most secure approach to manage her involved fulfilling her via the duel and sparking her curiosity about the AXION Path.

'What are you waiting for? Don’t tell me that was all?' Arvyn’s eyebrows furrowed, tedium creeping into her tone.

'Of course it’s not.' Rhys let out a steady chuckle while spinning the daggers in his grip. 'I was pondering which technique to employ next.'

He portrayed it as if he held more tricks up his sleeve, but truthfully, that had been his entire arsenal.

He could still unveil his Grace bloodline power to astonish her, yet it served only for restoration. It paled in comparison to her regenerative prowess.

For a woman of her caliber, ultimately, only devastation would capture her attention.

The notion flashed briefly in his mind, only to be rejected right away.

To merely captivate her, demolishing their city would prove unwise.

Fortunately, they avoided deploying their recently improved nuclear devices, as a far more profound event started unfolding in the vicinity.

A overwhelming aura descended upon every Practitioner, originating from an unknown source, as if the heavens themselves had pressed down.

'What is this feeling...?' Arvyn had worn a grin just before, but her face fell as she noticed her entire form quivering.

It wasn't terror, but a feeling that rendered her minuscule and irrelevant in a manner she'd never encountered.

It resembled a concept, a mirage, gripping her thoughts. She sensed herself as a mere insect, like a colossal beast was poised to crush her forever.

Believing someone assailed her with psychic abilities, she scanned her surroundings, but others reacted similarly.

Kaelor mirrored her condition, also surveying the region as though hunting the assailant. The rest appeared rattled as well. Some stood rigid in dread, while others had already knelt, vitality ebbing from them as breathing became labored.

Only the Humans appeared to endure the weight more effectively, gazing about with bewildered expressions.

Then Arvyn grasped the origin, or nature, of this sensation.

She turned to Rhys and traced his stare to the mountain's summit.

The instant she beheld what drew his attention, her red eyes bulged, and her tremors intensified. Her limbs buckled at last, sending her to her knees.

'Oh dear God...' The phrase escaped her quaking lips.

Upon the peak, two enormous portals were parting, aligned opposite one another, their frames looming vast against the far-off horizon.

Next, two entities started to emerge.

They were splendid. They lay beyond her sight and comprehension.

As they entered their realm, Arvyn ultimately surrendered all defiance and slumped into oblivion.

Selina, Rhys, and several other Players observed as the surrounding Practitioners toppled sequentially, slipping into unconsciousness, though they themselves couldn't avert their eyes from the entities.

A deep compulsion stirred within them, a sense of scrutiny, of former transgressions rising, and concurrently, of purification, with odd joy and optimism inundating their spirits.

Then they saw darkness and light burst forth from the portals, blanketing the whole summit and surging toward them undiminished. Soon after, it swallowed all the upright Humans, offering no opportunity to flee.

They hadn't considered fleeing regardless.

As the contrasting radiances enveloped them, one individual had already overcome the astonishment and restored his composure, recalling the event's nature.

'Don’t be afraid. It’s harmless,' Rhys shouted to the group.

He recalled this occurrence from his own awakening, and aware that Adyr occupied that summit, he comprehended the situation.

Thus, whatever transpired had to stem from Adyr.

But upon witnessing the remaining upright Humans start to collapse too, fading into unconsciousness one after another, including Selina, his face shifted.

'I guess...' At that point, his thoughts emptied, and he tumbled to the earth.

—

'Haa... haa... haa...'

Arvyn abruptly awoke and hauled herself upright from the dirt, gasping deeply. Her torso heaved dramatically, as though she'd been deprived of air.

'I... W-what happened?' She compelled herself to stand, attempting to regulate her breaths while surveying the area.

Only upon viewing everyone sprawled insensate around did recollections of the twin portals and the figures stepping through rush back, striking her like icy water.

'Are you okay?'

At the unexpected query, she flinched and bolted upright, whirling around, only to find Kaelor positioned nearby.

Relief surged over her as she replied, 'Yeah...' She fixed her eyes on the soil for some time, too timid to raise them toward the mountain's crest once more, lacking the bravery.

'It’s alright now. They are gone,' Kaelor’s words arrived, granting her sufficient resolve to lift her gaze.

She peered in that direction, and though nothing remained visible, the imprint lingered deep in her frame. Her tone quavered. 'What were those?'

For the first time, she had endured such profound dread. Nothing like it had ever crossed her vision or knowledge to render her so helpless.

'You didn’t realize yet?' Kaelor uttered with wonder and residual fright in his voice.

'Realized what?' she inquired, uncertain of the oversight.

'Check your status.'

She failed to grasp his reason, yet she invoked her status interface to discern his point.

And in that instant, she endured the second jolt of her existence.

'This... H-How can it be possible?'

Kaelor remained quiet briefly, his stare anchored to the mountain's apex. Then he declared with assurance and veneration. 'There is no impossibility in the presence of a God... let alone 2.'

Arvyn struggled to articulate her emotions. She merely gazed at the status display hovering before her, her attention riveted on one particular entry.

[Path]:

This wasn't merely a Path alteration. She'd achieved that previously, transitioning from her former Path to Blood.

That had demanded a prolonged, savage ordeal, directed incrementally by their sect leader. Even so, it wasn't a pure substitution. It constituted corruption. The original Path had gradually twisted into the Blood Path across time, molded by the Blood God's sway and dominance.

What transpired now differed profoundly.

This occasion, her Path underwent transformation by an unyielding power. All phases of faith, endorsement, and inner harmony were bypassed. The Blood Path wasn't merely supplanted in her essence. It was excised.

The Blood God’s influence was wholly removed from her, severed from her core as if it had never existed, and a fresh Path was imposed without permitting her any opposition or selection.

'So this is the power of a real God.'

The phrase departed her lips softly, yet its import sliced sharply. She acknowledged the sight, embracing the chilling reality it revealed. Through one mere choice, a God could reshape an individual's fate to match its desires.

It was horrifying.

And it was also awe-inspiring.

Because this represented the sort of might that grasped the threads of the governing principles, the statutes sustaining their world, alongside every entity ensnared within.