Rules

‘It doesn't seem like that big of a deal.’

Although Lin Miao did not yet know the details, the other party did not seem to want to escalate the situation. Sending a watcher to monitor Ye Yunshang was likely just a reconnaissance mission, similar to how the Great Devourer dispatched scouts to gather intelligence on enemy movements.

[Goddess of Delusion: Both of us are currently lacking in power, aren't we? It's clearly better to avoid unnecessary conflict.]

[Supreme Will of the All-Devouring Hive: You were the one who provoked me first. Now that you've been caught, you expect to walk away scot-free?]

[Goddess of Delusion: Tsk, as expected of an Evil God, you don't even know the basic rules. Do you think the high-tier deities would keep useless pawns around? Take one wrong step, and they will drain your power dry and discard you like a tattered rag.]

She claimed that any conflict between them would only serve as nourishment for the high-tier deities who had already established a firm foothold.

This was true.

In fact, from the moment the Awakened first appeared twenty years ago, Earth had already fallen under the control of the deities.

Countless entities wanted a piece of Earth, competing for its humans, land, and resources.

Only the ignorant ordinary citizens, just like Lin Miao used to be, still believed that humanity was the master of this world, living in a complete lie.

Of course, up until now, Lin Miao had focused all of his energy on helping the Great Devourer on Terra.

Even at this very moment, the Great Devourer was continuously growing.

Now that they realized who they were and who Lin Miao—the one who had been caring for them all this time—was, their growth had truly gotten on the right track.

[Supreme Will of the All-Devouring Hive: Sorry, but I have no intention of letting this slide.]

[Goddess of Delusion: Foolish... Are you sure you can bear the consequences?]

Consequences. Lin Miao was amused by her words.

Just as they had discussed, when deities fought each other, there was indeed a possibility that other deity factions would intervene and profit from it.

However, Lin Miao was not without his own trump card.

After all, he was the only deity born on this Earth—the one who could truly be called its master.

As long as his vassals and territory existed, a deity could wield the unattainable power of a Transcendent Divine Status in their own homeland.

The only reason he had his vassals like Bai Zhantang and Ye Yunshang take the lead was to fulfill his wish as a human, hoping that he could continue to live peacefully in the peaceful world of his imagination in the future.

[Supreme Will of the All-Devouring Hive: The system rules include a Faction War. Let's have an official match.]

The deities of the Divine Net loathed chaos and loved order. Unlike the Outer Gods, they enjoyed creating their own rules and playing within them, taking immense pride in doing so. The Faction War was one such rule.

In the order established by the deities—the Awakened system—competition was not based solely on the performance and achievements of the Awakened.

If they wished, deities would frequently wage wars against each other. The victor would annex the loser's forces. In fact, some smaller factions often acquired their initial capital and influence through continuous battles.

The frequent mergers of small and medium-sized Awakened companies, mysterious terrorist attacks, disappearances, and accidental deaths reported in the news were mostly the aftershocks of these underwater wars.

The other party also realized she could not refuse, and so the war finally began.

Not just the Great Devourer, but even Lin Miao's immediate surroundings were now entering a competition against other deities.

“So, everyone had better be prepared. This is a war, a life-and-death struggle where the law and the police cannot intervene. This is the other order of this world.”

Naturally, Lin Miao had to break this truth to his vassals, including Bai Zhantang, Ye Yunshang, and everyone else.

Lin Miao did not even consider the possibility of betrayal. After all, every member of the company was already connected to the hive mind centered around Ye Yunshang.

Although the copied ability, replicated with the system's power, was only half as strong and could not exert a powerful influence like Elise's, every member of the colony under Ye Yunshang's command possessed a highly developed sense of self-awareness.

In other words, they had all essentially received Lin Miao's divine protection and knew how to utilize the hive mind.

Looking at Ye Yunshang, whose face had turned pale after hearing his explanation, Lin Miao asked, “...Are you surprised?”

It was bound to be shocking, as the hidden secrets of this world were far too massive and disgusting.

Now that they had become a part of this secret, there was no way for them to escape from it.

“Lord Proxy, you only need to tell me this. If that great being truly banishes all other deities, will this land welcome peace once again?”

She wanted a clear answer about the future from Lin Miao.

Ye Yunshang was someone with a strong desire for growth and success, yet her resolve to save people was equally firm.

“That great being's will remains unchanged.”

Lin Miao was able to give her a definitive answer.

While the true meaning behind a deity's oracle was something even Celia in the otherworld could not be certain of, such a problem did not exist for Lin Miao, who was the very source of the oracle.

“If that is the case... I will definitely succeed.”

Hearing Lin Miao's words, a flash of red crossed Ye Yunshang's eyes, as if she had completely made up her mind.

...

“Ye Yunshang and her team members are currently heading to the agreed location.”

Late at night, Boss Bai Zhantang's tense voice came through the other end of the phone.

Lin Miao had been watching the screen all along, so he did not say much.

Lin Miao was initially worried that the other party would set a trap to attack them, but the reconnaissance results showed no traps.

‘They probably feel there's no need to play tricks and that they can win in a direct confrontation.’

Lin Miao and the opposing deity had already reached an agreement to avoid any troublesome, complicated delay tactics.

This meant both sides would go all out and fight a fair match to settle the score once and for all.

This was indeed much less troublesome than racking one's brains over various schemes.

Of course, this was only possible because both factions were evenly matched and relatively small in scale.

“Um... Is it really going to be alright? Most of the Awakened affiliated with 'Penguin' are stronger than the ones on our side. Aside from Miss Ye Yunshang, their average tier is much higher...”

Bai Zhantang seemed very anxious.

In reality, the enemy's apparent combat power was indeed much stronger than theirs.

Unlike Lin Miao's side, which only had Ye Yunshang leading, the enemy had many Tier 3 Awakened, along with those whose average tier was between Tier 1 and Tier 2, even though they had no Tier 4 Awakened.

The opponent's high confidence clearly stemmed from their belief in the gap in strength.

However, most people did not yet know that through the collective tactics of the hive mind, one could exert power that far surpassed their own physical scale and limits.

“No need to worry too much.”

Lin Miao was already well-accustomed to this.

Since they had already condensed into a colony, they were no longer existences that could be judged by traditional Awakened tiers.

“They're really here.”

The chosen duel location was a cleared, abandoned rift.

In this place, which was difficult for anyone other than the Awakened to enter, the opposing Awakened had already been waiting for a long time.

Just like Lin Miao's side, the other party was fully armed, with all their equipment prepared as if they were going to battle monsters.

‘A Tier 3 Awakened, a vassal of a deity, and the foreman of the Penguin Company, Zhang Xiaolong.’

Lin Miao recognized the man who was grinning as he watched Ye Yunshang and her companions walk into the rift.

Wearing thick brass knuckles, Zhang Xiaolong grinned and said to her, “I'd love to see you, who has been making a name for yourself lately, get trampled underfoot and scream for mercy.”

Ye Yunshang's face stiffened. “...We don't even know each other, and we have no grudge between us.”

Zhang Xiaolong snorted in disdain. “If you say that, the one you serve won't be pleased. We are merely chess pieces. Since He ordered me to crush you, you are my unforgivable enemy.”

His loyalty to the deity he followed was plain to see.

To be loyal enough to carry out orders to fight and even kill with a smile, that deity's capability was indeed not to be underestimated.

They did not delay for long.

“Go!”

With Zhang Xiaolong's grin and a loud shout, the Awakened from both sides drew their weapons and unleashed their respective abilities, charging at each other with lethal intent.

Unlike the Great Devourer.

The human colony centered around Ye Yunshang already had its own unique tactics.

This colony was not composed of the Great Devourer, but of the Awakened, each possessing self-awareness. Unlike the Great Devourer, whose combat units were completely uniform, they each possessed distinct personalities.

Therefore, in battles between the Awakened, mutual cooperation was considered extremely important.

Because they had to consider not only the enemy's abilities and strength but also their own.

“How is this possible...”

In this regard, the Awakened connected through the hive mind had already transcended the realm of mere cooperation.

Watching the Tier 1 Awakened under Lin Miao's command charge head-on, the Penguin Tier 2 Awakened, who had originally mocked them, were left in utter shock.

The Tier 2 Awakened, who had intended to suppress them with superior stats and faster, stronger movements, hesitated upon seeing the opponent move as if they were a single organism.

A frontal thrust, a side sweep aimed at the lower body, and a burning fireball erupting from a palm to snipe from behind to assist a companion—this series of actions was so fluid it seemed like a veteran team that had cooperated for decades.

The Awakened under Penguin were struck simultaneously by this coordinated attack that transcended mere differences in raw power, sending them rolling on the ground.

One of them writhed in pain on the ground, looking up with eyes filled with disbelief.

However, the lower-tier Awakened showed no reaction to this instantly decided victory.

As if this were merely a routine process, they immediately charged at the next enemy, beginning another coordinated attack.

“They really do look similar in this regard.”

Watching everything unfold, Lin Miao couldn't help but shake his head as the image of the Great Devourer overlapped with them in his mind.

While one group used tight coordination to knock down higher-tier Awakened one by one, another person was facing three Tier 3 Awakened all by herself.

Ye Yunshang levitated eight swords in the air, controlling them to fly in a chaotic dance.

Pulling a sword out of the thigh of a screaming Zhang Xiaolong, Ye Yunshang gritted her teeth and shot the blade toward another enemy charging at her.

‘The human colony and the Great Devourer colony... Will they be able to merge together one day?’

Lin Miao opened two screens simultaneously, allowing him to observe and manage two completely different colonies at the same time.

In the end, Ye Yunshang's colony achieved a complete victory in the battle against the enemy deity's Awakened, while the Great Devourer colony was currently multiplying endlessly to conquer a world.

They belonged to different races, but both revered Lin Miao as their deity and served as his vassals.

Lin Miao felt that their merger would be beneficial, and he believed it was not impossible.

However, that was a matter for the future.

For now, he had to clean up the aftermath of the battle.

On the ground of the gloomy rift, the defeated lay there groaning.

Including Zhang Xiaolong, who was bleeding heavily and in agonizing pain, they had secured victory by keeping their enemies alive as much as possible.

[Goddess of Delusion: This is impossible. What on earth did you do to them?]

[Supreme Will of the All-Devouring Hive: Since when can one openly pry into trade secrets? Since you've lost, gracefully accept defeat and leave.]

The enemy deity, who had been absolutely certain of victory, was naturally thrown into a state of panic.

Lin Miao had the opposing deity honestly accept defeat, relinquish her divine protection over her vassals, and depart, so as not to disrupt the order.

Hearing Lin Miao's words, the opposing deity finally vanished.

Since the Awakened system was specifically tailored for Earth, once a deity relinquished their authority, the divine protection formed through their investments would automatically be reclaimed.

“No... No!”

“Please, give me another chance!”

The effects manifested immediately.

The Awakened from Penguin who were groaning on the floor all began to weep and beg.

Although Lin Miao did not personally know what it felt like to have a deity's divine protection fade from one's body, everyone he had seen go through it so far exhibited a profound sense of loss and deprivation, followed by madness.

Lin Miao shook his head and said, “It's quite pitiful to see them suffering like this. Let's get started.”

“Yes.”

Taking a deep breath, Ye Yunshang followed Lin Miao's instructions and walked toward Zhang Xiaolong, who was sobbing on the ground.

This was to assimilate those who had lost their divine protection into her own colony.

Those integrated into the colony were forced to obey commands.

Lin Miao had heard that things would go much smoother if they submitted voluntarily, but if they resisted, their minds could collapse during the process of the hive mind forcibly eroding their sense of self.

This was something only Ye Yunshang, who had inherited the hive mind as the queen of the human colony, would do.

For Elise would never go through the trouble of consuming nutrients and power to absorb a large number of mediocre humans into her own colony.

Ye Yunshang placed her hand on their heads, forcibly prying open their consciousness.

Leaving the horrific screams that followed behind him, Lin Miao felt his power gradually swelling.

No matter how one increased their vassals, a deity's Divine Status would elevate accordingly.

With over a dozen new vassals just added, his power naturally grew along with them.

Now, everything was officially beginning.

Devouring one after another, expanding his influence, conflicts were bound to occur continuously.

However, these conflicts would ultimately serve as the nourishment to expand their power.