Chapter 14: Delivering a Head
The second Space-Time Crystal belonged to the Sanctuary Paradise. The reason was that during last night’s battle, the Cult had been thoroughly crushed. The ladies of Holy Light Paradise were furious. After being backstabbed by the Cult, even though they had suffered heavy casualties, they specifically targeted Cult members to kill.
How the Cult negotiated with the Death Paradise side was unknown to outsiders, but this morning, the contractors who had gathered together from both sides separated and returned to their respective base camps. Both parties were somewhat displeased.
It could be said that in the five-way melee, the Cult was one of the beneficiaries so far. They excelled at stabbing people in the back, nearly killing the Holy Light Paradise side with one blow.
The second day of the World War, early morning.
Dew moistened the tender green grass blades. The slightly cool air was fresh, and taking a deep breath felt refreshing.
A gray-white crow circled above the Reincarnation Paradise base camp. After circling for a moment, it dove to a low altitude. Before landing, the crow’s body rapidly changed shape, feathers slowly falling. This gray crow transformed into a humanoid form. Her long hair had distinct layers of gray and black, and she wore a feathered cloak.
“Esteemed members of Reincarnation Paradise, allow me to introduce myself solemnly. I am the attendant of Lord Shepherd. Lord Shepherd’s will represents the Cult. I come this time with no ill intent whatsoever.”
The Crow Woman pressed one hand to her chest and bowed respectfully. Facing a group of madmen, she remained unflinching because she served the proxy of a god, the manager of the land, the Shepherd.
“Shepherd? Never heard of him. I only know about sheepdogs.”
“If you have something to say, spit it out. Stop dawdling.”
The dozen or so people near the base camp “warmly greeted” the Crow Woman before continuing with their own tasks.
The Crow Woman took a deep breath and said, “I represent Lord Shepherd, so please let me speak with your leader.”
The Crow Woman remained polite, seemingly unafraid of any risk. She was confident she could escape unscathed.
“...”
The surroundings were quiet. No one bothered to respond to her.
“You... unreasonable people.”
The Crow Woman finally lost some patience. She was being ignored.
“You little bitch, if you want to talk to our leader, go find him yourself.”
A mature woman who was holding a pose spoke up. Not far away, a man with an artistic flair was painting her portrait. These two had taken a liking to each other.
“Hmph.”
The Crow Woman snorted softly and stepped toward the rear hatch of the airship. Back when the Cult had allied with the Death Paradise side, it was the Crow Woman who had handled the negotiations.
Pop~
Like a bubble bursting, the Crow Woman’s hand shattered, exploding like soap bubbles, splattering droplets of blood.
“Rough beasts. Is this your attitude?”
The Crow Woman’s gaze swept around. She was currently in an avatar form. The death of this body wouldn’t affect her much.
A faint fragrance wafted over, giving a sense of intoxication. A man wrapped entirely in bandages, like a mummy, walked out from the rear compartment.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of golden teeth that gave off a chilling feeling.
“Little crow, you’re mine now. Say goodbye to your Shepherd master.”
A mad and bizarre laugh came from him. This man, covered in bandages, was a member of the Suicide Squad. Because of his abilities, he was called the Evil Living Seed.
“Your thoughts are as ugly as your appearance.”
The Crow Woman turned into a flurry of feathers. Just as half her body had transformed into feathers, blood-red bubbles enveloped her. At the same time, dozens of kilometers away in the Sanctuary Paradise base camp, the Crow Woman’s true body suddenly opened her eyes.
“Lord Shepherd, save me...”
Before the Crow Woman could finish her words, the blood-red bubbles appeared on her.
A pair of eyes opened in the dim room—golden pupils.
“Your sacrifice, I will remember.”
After a very cold voice, the golden pupils closed.
“I, I have done so many things against the gods for you. You can’t abandon me. You can’t!”
The Crow Woman had lost all her previous composure. Only now did she realize she had become a sacrifice—a sacrifice to test the attitude of the Reincarnation Paradise side.
“Everything returns to nothingness. Only that eternal existence rules all.”
The figure in the darkness remained cold. He was the Shepherd, the Chief Priest of the Cult, and the leader of the Sanctuary Paradise side this time.
...
Inside the Reincarnation Paradise base camp, the Evil Living Seed looked at the bubble in his hand, somewhat displeased.
“Dead. My little crow is dead.”
The Evil Living Seed’s body trembled. Seeing this, the nearby contractors all moved away. The Evil Living Seed was about to go crazy.
The Crow Woman’s head delivery seemed inexplicable, but it was actually a trap. The Cult had sensed the situation in the Fallen Zone and knew that the native inhabitants of this world would eventually attack. They wanted to use this as a reason to form an alliance with the Reincarnation Paradise side, joining forces to eliminate their ally, Death Paradise, and the crippled Holy Light Paradise.
The idea was beautiful, but reality was harsh. Little Crow hadn’t even seen the Dean before the Evil Living Seed killed her.
A series of rumbling sounds came from outside the airship. The Evil Living Seed began to go berserk. Su Xiao sat on a metal frame dozens of meters high beside the airship. Bubu Wang was swinging on a swing nearby. Su Xiao had witnessed everything that had just happened.
The Cult was addicted to “backstabbing.” Just after backstabbing Holy Light Paradise, they came to ally with Reincarnation Paradise to backstab their own ally, Death Paradise.
This code of conduct seemed inexplicable, but it was actually the Cult’s style. These zealots could even change the gods they believed in, let alone betray allies.
Last night’s spoils division had created a rift between the Cult and Death Paradise. For some unknown reason, the Death Paradise side chose to grit their teeth and accept it. As for the alliance, screw the alliance. The Death Paradise side hadn’t directly turned hostile only because they feared some reason.
The Death Paradise side clearly hadn’t figured out the trick to the five-way melee. Cooperation, allies, equal sharing of benefits—it was all fake. Today I hit you, tomorrow you hit him—that was the norm.
The Cult understood this well. And don’t forget, the old yinbi Sphinx came from Sanctuary Paradise. They had old yinbis there too.
The Shepherd had a more than fifty percent chance of seeing that the Reincarnation Paradise side was going to target the Death Paradise side. That was why the Cult had been so greedy last night, nearly breaking off relations to take that Space-Time Crystal. This morning, they immediately tried to ally with Reincarnation Paradise. Unfortunately, the madmen of Reincarnation Paradise didn’t care about them at all and wouldn’t give them a chance to backstab.
Don’t think that just because Holy Light Paradise hated the Cult so much, if both sides’ interests could be satisfied, they would immediately shake hands and make peace. The anger was genuine, but it was also for show—to make other parties think that Holy Light Paradise only wanted to deal with the Cult now, and completing the mission didn’t matter, thereby retreating to a safe line.
After a day of observation, Su Xiao had basically judged the styles of the other four parties and the current situation.
Cult: Backstabbing experts, strong combat power, fearless in battle, a major enemy for his side.
Death Paradise Side: Combat power not to be underestimated, but this time they lacked a leader-type figure. If the Twin Stars hadn’t died, Death Paradise would have been more troublesome than the Cult.
Apocalypse Paradise Side: Same as always, already gone mining.
Holy Light Paradise Side: Already crippled, currently hiding in their base camp to recuperate.
Based on Su Xiao’s experience, the highest priority should still be Death Paradise. This side had no leader and was strong enough. Once they got carried away, it would be very troublesome. The Cult was also difficult to deal with, but they wouldn’t easily get carried away.
Just as Su Xiao was thinking, a strong light fell from the sky. The third Space-Time Crystal had arrived. It was time to declare war on Death Paradise.