Chapter 1: Twilight Island
[Arrived at Void: Twilight Island.]
The weightlessness from the teleportation faded. Su Xiao sat on a black stone step, a faint chill emanating from the surface.
Su Xiao scanned his surroundings. This was an abandoned hall about a thousand square meters in size, exuding a sense of antiquity. Stone pillars stood in rows, and the marble floor was dust-free, clearly cleaned regularly.
Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini were all near Su Xiao, making this one of the most concentrated teleportation points yet.
The abandoned hall was not empty. In the distance stood over a dozen men and women—no, that description wasn’t quite accurate, as some were clearly not human.
Among them was a subhuman covered in scales with a head resembling a lizard. Don’t assume this guy’s attire was primitive; he wore high-tech armor, with scales on vital areas like his neck replaced by metal. At that moment, he was adjusting a terminal on his forearm.
Near this subhuman was a girl with pointed ears, dressed in a thin gauze gown. She occasionally bared her small fangs and tapped her fingers in front of her, looking both fierce and cute. She was a Dream Spirit Clan girl.
These dozen or so individuals might represent over a dozen factions. Their expressions were serious, clearly having already banded together.
Spatial fluctuations appeared, and a few more people arrived. They exchanged glances before dispersing, standing or sitting in various spots.
Except for the small group murmuring quietly, most remained silent.
Su Xiao sat on the innermost steps of the abandoned hall, a higher vantage point that gave him a clear view of the entire hall.
His fingers hooked onto the step beside him, prying off a piece of black stone. He clenched it in his fist, pressing his thumb against it.
With a push of his thumb, the stone was flicked out, heading straight for a window.
Crackling～
A blue energy grid materialized, and the stone instantly vaporized into gas, slowly dissipating into the air. Clearly, leaving was temporarily impossible.
“Bubu.”
“Woof.”
Bubu Wang immediately understood Su Xiao’s intent and went to gather information.
Spatial fluctuations occurred sporadically, but after about half an hour, they stopped. Everyone had arrived.
There were about a hundred people in the abandoned hall. The Seventh Battle Zone had 56 factions, meaning an average of about two people per faction.
Su Xiao surveyed the hall. Among the hundred, four had the strongest auras. One was a woman in a black feathered robe with blue eyeshadow. The age of the Feather Clan was hard to judge; her appearance seemed between 20 and 30.
Besides this Feather Clan member, there were two identical-looking youths, both with shaved heads covered in barcode-like lines. On their foreheads was a gray ‘￡’ symbol, the mark of Death Paradise.
The last person was clad in full-body armor that didn’t look bulky. Their head was also encased in a helmet, making it impossible to tell gender. Through process of elimination, Su Xiao deduced this was the representative from the Transcendent Primordial World: Doom Star.
Apart from these four, the others had slightly weaker auras.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Strongest Battle Royale. I am the guide certified by the Void Tree, Wago Mo.”
A deep, resonant voice rang out, drawing nearly everyone’s attention.
“This round of the Strongest Battle Royale adopts an elimination system.”
The man calling himself Wago placed one hand on his chest, smiling. He wore small round sunglasses and attire resembling a tailcoat, with hair about the thickness of a pinky tied back.
“Demon Clan?”
The female Feather Clan member, leaning against a stone pillar with arms crossed, spoke. She clearly wasn’t one for smiles.
“Correct, friend of the Feather Clan. I am honored to serve as this event’s certifier. If you have any doubts, please raise them with the Void Tree.”
Wago pushed up his small round sunglasses, his blood-red eyes narrowing beneath them.
“You’ll learn the elimination mechanism shortly. During this process, if anyone violates the rules… sorry, slip of the tongue. The elimination system has no rules. The strong live, the weak… die.”
Wago let out a laugh unique to the Demon Clan—not exactly sinister, but unsettling to hear.
“No rules? So we can start killing each other right now?”
The twin brothers from Death Paradise stood up. As top contenders for the championship, their words stirred everyone’s vigilance.
“I never said that.”
Wago’s lips curled wider at both ends, clearly implying agreement.
“In that case, let’s begin. First, take out… the Reincarnation Paradise people.”
The armored figure from Doom Star spoke, revealing their gender only upon hearing their voice.
“Agreed.”
A voice came from within the crowd, from a group of nearly thirty people. They were mostly small to medium-sized races from the Void, temporarily united as the weaker side.
Who said that? No one could tell, only that it came from within that group.
Bang! A shockwave spread as the twin brothers lunged forward. Their target was none other than Wago from the Demon Clan.
Clang!
A slender arm blade was blocked by an invisible barrier. Wago’s eyes visibly twitched.
“Do we… look that stupid?”
The twin brothers spoke in sequence, finishing each other’s sentences seamlessly.
The slender arm blades began to dissolve, eventually reattaching to the twins’ bodies.
“Just a little entertainment before the slaughter begins. No need to take it so seriously.”
As Wago spoke, his clothes rippled. In an instant, he transformed into the likeness of the female Feather Clan member.
“Easy there, young friends.”
Wago winked his left eye. Just then, a pair of cold eyes fixed on him—the female Feather Clan member. Black feathers swirled around her, and her sharp, dark-blue fingertips seemed ready to tear open Wago’s throat at any moment.
Clearly, Wago was not the Void Tree-certified guide but a participant in the Strongest Battle Royale. His ability to stir up hatred was flawless. He could transform into anyone, even mimic their aura. Whether “Wago” was his real name was known only to him. He dared to provoke because he wasn’t aiming for a high rank; he sought to gain attention from some big shot in the Void.
That was why Wago chose to reveal his ability now.
Click, clack～
Footsteps echoed. The main door of the abandoned hall swung open with a bang. A figure stood outside, its aura terrifying: a rat-headed humanoid with sharp claws, a long tail adorned with spiral metal patterns, and an energy shotgun that looked primitive but was actually advanced hanging at its lower back.
This was the real guide. Due to the situation in the Seventh Battle Zone, Lord Rat had been summoned by the Void Tree to serve as the guide.
“All participants, follow me. Anyone who steps out of line gets their head blown off.”
With that, Lord Rat strode outside.
The abandoned hall fell silent for a moment. Wago was the first to step forward, transforming into a leopard mid-stride. He had already achieved half his goal.
Soon, most participants had left. Su Xiao put away his tablet, stood up, and walked out.
Exiting the abandoned hall, Su Xiao arrived at a clearing before a forest. Nearly a hundred participants were nearby, while Lord Rat rummaged through a mechanical war vehicle.
“There you are, my little treasure.”
Lord Rat dragged a metal box out of the vehicle and lightly leaped onto its roof.
“The rules of the Seventh Battle Zone are simple…”
Under everyone’s gaze, Lord Rat froze. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, read it carefully, then cleared his throat and continued:
“This Strongest Battle Royale has many participants, so it’s divided into five stages. The first stage is elimination. Over the next three days, you’ll spend your time on this island. Kill one person, get 1 point. After three days, the top 5 in points advance. As for the lucky survivors ranked 6th and below… congratulations, you get a consolation prize: elimination and a trip home. But only if you’ve earned at least 1 point. Otherwise, you won’t even qualify for elimination. You’ll just be… boom!”
Lord Rat’s claw opened wide. Hearing this, most participants looked worried. The Strongest Battle Royale was harsher than they’d imagined—not the expected arena format, but a survival hunt. And this was only the first round.
“As for the second stage, that’s a longer process. The third stage is quite interesting…”
Lord Rat didn’t elaborate on the second and third stages.
“By the fourth stage, an arena capable of holding 300,000 spectators will be ready. Don’t worry—only the participating factions of the Strongest Battle Royale can watch. No outsiders allowed.”
With that, Lord Rat shifted tone.
“The fifth stage, the final stage, is only for those who make it into the top 10 in the fourth round. The final stage… is the pinnacle battlefield. The rewards for the ultimate victor are enough to change anyone’s fate. Even I, or the old immortals in your races, would covet them. So die spectacularly.”
After saying this, Lord Rat laughed arrogantly. But when he noticed no one else was laughing, he stomped on the metal box beneath him.
“Inside this box are 50 complete soul stones, one high-level alchemy formula, two unique mechanical blueprints from the Bana Dwarf Clan, and a certificate for a large high-vibration steel mine in the Void. Who will be blessed by luck and get these?”
At his words, nearly everyone’s eyes locked onto the metal box under his feet.
Soul Crystal (Complete) was a scarce resource in the Void. It wasn’t that the Void didn’t produce soul crystals, but the demand far exceeded supply. Over time, they became rarer, driving prices sky-high.
The high-level alchemy formula was something Su Xiao wanted. As for the “unique mechanical blueprints from the Bana Dwarf Clan,” Su Xiao had little interest. Given Bubu Wang’s relationship with the Bana Dwarf Clan, he could just commission them if needed.
The “high-vibration steel mine certificate” was a valuable Void mineral deposit, its price unimaginable.
Lord Rat scanned the crowd, finally locking onto a birdman—a winged humanoid.
“Kid, it’s yours.”
Lord Rat kicked the metal box. It rapidly shrank, floating beside the birdman at the size of a fist.
“Forgot to tell you—you can only open it after three days. So take it and run. The Strongest Battle Royale, Seventh Battle Zone, Phase One… begins!”