In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 150 Until Death Separates Us, the Emperor Fights Alone to the End

"W-what's going on?!"

In the city of Milyarum, many Agorian civilians had no time to react to the sudden catastrophe.

In a short time, although the protective shield erected by Chen Qi blocked Hai Si's invasion, the interior of Milialium had already fallen into a complete crisis due to the infiltration of the Deep Sea Church.

Countless shimmering corals, seaweed, and marine plants began to grow wildly on the city's buildings and sculptures.

Even on the city's floors, strange, viscous, and pitch-black substances called "Minghen" began to appear, shimmering with eerie colors.

"The city... is becoming a lair for the Hai Si!"

At this moment, the people of Agor finally realized that what was happening before their eyes was exactly the same process as when Hai Si occupied an area and turned it into a nest.

However, among these terrified Agors, there were always one or two people who accepted the scene before them with utter calmness, even a sense of ecstasy.

They might be those people's friends, colleagues, or even comrades-in-arms or family members.

But now, their ecstatic expressions reveal that they are accomplices in this tragedy, followers of the Deep Sea Church.

"No trace of civilization can be seen... everything has been turned into nourishment for the masses."

The eccentric Agor stared intently at the changes in the city, and said to his companions in a low voice:
"We must not let that emperor on land leave."

"He will severely damage the Great Beast, and may even assist Agor in suppressing the Great Beast for a long time, delaying the time of the ascension of all things even further."

"We must not stand by and watch this happen."

"Don't worry, almost everyone we can mobilize is heading in the direction of the emperor."

Beside the believers of the Deep Sea Church, another female believer calmly spoke:
"Moreover, the energy of this city is destined to be limited. The local area needs more than a dozen mobile cities to provide energy regularly in order to maintain this mobile sea fortress."

"The weapons have been tested, and we believe the city has at most half its energy reserves remaining. Combined with the large-scale attack and our harassment, we're confident that—"

"Shh!"

However, before the two believers could finish speaking, a flash of red sword energy suddenly made them pause.

Strangely, the red sword energy that pierced through their bodies seemed to have no effect on them. They even had the leisure to touch their bodies to sense whether any of their parts had been reduced.

The next second, they felt the scenery before their eyes begin to drop uncontrollably...

"boom."

Two heads fell to the ground with a thud, and Wei Yanwu, dressed in fine clothes and wielding a pipe as a sword, along with several members of the Great Yan Imperial Guards, suddenly appeared.

Having already raided several residential areas, Wei Yanwu, facing the still dazed residents of Agor, shouted with practiced ease:
"Fifth group, move these residents to the refugee camp!"

"Anyone suspected of being involved with the Deep Sea Church, execute them on the spot! Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"Lord Wei, but then you'll have no guards!"

Although they had no objection to Wei Yanwu's somewhat brutal order given in desperation, the last three Great Yan Imperial Guards still raised concerns and questions:
"The number of Deep Sea Cultists is increasing, and the city is practically surrounded by them. There are more cultists than civilians!"

"In this situation, Lord Wei, you are all alone. If something happens to you, we will not be able to explain it to His Majesty!"

However, before the imperial guard could finish speaking, he was met with a furious glare from Wei Yanwu's crimson dragon eyes!

"The Imperial Guards of Great Yan! Obey only military orders!"

"Didn't your instructors teach you these things?!"

With Wei Yanwu's roar, a dragon's might that could chill everyone to the bone transformed into a raging flood, rushing headlong towards the three imperial guards!
"I'm not so old that you young people need to worry about me!"

"Do you know where the number one expert of the Great Yan Dynasty is? He's right here!"

"Want to protect me? Fine! After you've escorted the Agor civilians, come find me where the sword energy is strongest!"

"Now, get to work!"

Faced with Wei Yanwu's terrifying imperial might, the three imperial guards were speechless for a moment and could only carry out Wei Yanwu's orders after a solemn fist salute.

As Wei Yanwu continued to move through the city using his light-footed skills, he looked at the Great Yan Imperial Guards escorting the Agor civilians to safety, and his tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed a little.

"...You are the future of the Great Yan, young people, you must survive."

"As for an old man like me who is unforgivable, if I can die protecting my brothers, then I can say that I died a worthy death."

However, Wei Yanwu had no time to reflect; he knew that many civilians in Agor were still waiting for him to evacuate.

He looked up and saw that within the city, groups of three shadow guards and the Great Yan Imperial Guards were also constantly moving about, doing their utmost to rescue as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, the seven-person Golden Law Guards, whose magical fluctuations were constantly emanating from them, proved that the pressure on their side was equally immense.

As for Agor's army, they were constantly and tirelessly fighting, under the leadership of their commander, for control of the city against the Church of the Deep Sea.

They also need to clean up the Netherworld, eliminate the enemy, and even remove the contaminated machines—the genetic assimilation of the Sea Si can even infect the control of the machinery!
Beneath this hellish landscape, everyone treats this battle as their last, disregarding life and death.

Under such circumstances, even if Wei Yanwu wanted to support his younger brother, he would be unable to do so.

He could only pray.

I pray that the city still has enough energy, and that my strongest brother on land can hold out until the very end.

Even... Wei Yanwu had already harbored extremely dark thoughts.

"Third brother, you must think this through! Your life is the key to balancing Agor and the land!"

"Don't sacrifice yourselves for us, or for the lives of a few Agorians."

"In critical moments, even if you have to abandon your wife and daughters, and even if we all perish with this city, you must survive!"

"This is not weakness, nor is it fleeing for one's life; this is what a rational emperor should do."

However, Wei Yanwu's words, which sounded like a king in dire straits making excuses for himself to survive, were destined not to reach Chen Qi.

……

"puff!"

"Who else dares to step forward?!"

Having just killed another Deep Sea Cultist, Ma, whose body was stained with Agor's blood, didn't even have time to catch his breath before unleashing a lion-like roar at the ever-flowing Deep Sea Cultists.

Under the roar of the mace and the threat of the hundreds of corpses of the Deep Sea Cultists around her, the group of Deep Sea Cultists before her seemed to finally know what fear was.

At some point, Jian had abandoned his greatsword, whose blade had become dull from all the cutting, and instead held the double maces at his waist in his hands.

This proves that the current situation requires us to use our full strength.

She knew she couldn't let her guard down even for a moment.

Now, the man behind her is the only one who can prevent this city from falling.

If a Deepsea Cultist were to bypass him and get to Chen Qi's side, the weak Doctor beside him would have no chance of defeating anyone.

Even so, the continuous battle that lasted for several hours and the intense tension had left Jian feeling utterly exhausted.

If even the mace is struggling so much, Viviana's situation is probably even more dire.

"Huh...huh..."

After hours of fighting, Viviana, whose physical strength and combat experience were far inferior to those of the mace, was still panting and in a sorry state, even with the blessing of "Breath of Kings".

The empress's magnificent attire has long since crumbled to pieces. Now, Viviana is more like a knight in dire straits during a competition than an empress.

Unable to maintain her former elegance, her physical strength was exhausted, her Originium Arts were used up, and she could barely hold the sword in her hand.

However, the other Deepsea Cultists clearly realized that Viviana's side was obviously a weak point compared to the mace, and more enemies were gathering in her direction.

"Viviana, to the left!"

"what!"

However, the voice of the doctor, who was standing with Chen Qi and could only play a role through command and observation, instantly brought Viviana, whose vision was blurred, back to her senses.

But by the time she drew her sword, it seemed too late.

The deep-sea cultist's short blade, which had come from the side, was already aimed at her waist!
"--roll!"

"boom!"

Just a second before Viviana was about to perish, accompanied by an angry shout, a dark wave of magic blasted the deep-sea cultist who attempted to attack Viviana into dust.

As countless pieces of flesh and broken bones fell, the group of deep-sea believers stopped in their tracks, their eyes filled with utter fear and horror as they stared at the person who had cast the spell.

That aloof and proud figure atop the energy transmission device, with his back to everyone, single-handedly preventing the city from falling—the emperor of the land!

"How can it maintain a protective shield comparable to the 'Dome' and withstand a massive, all-encompassing attack until now?"

"Not only that, it also has enough power to unleash spells and eliminate enemies."

"Is this guy... human or god?"

However, amidst the horrified words of the Deep Sea Cultists...

Viviana and Mace, who were originally exhausted, suddenly felt a mysterious power emerge from their bodies, which helped them quickly recover from all their injuries and regain their energy.

Looking at the two women who had once again returned to their peak condition and could sustain themselves for a long time, the Deep Sea Cultists felt as if they had fallen into an endless stalemate.

No matter how hard they fought, how desperately they risked their lives, the two women in front of them seemed invincible.

Whenever they saw a glimmer of hope, the emperor's magic would extinguish it completely, rendering all their sacrifices futile.

Doubt, fear, timidity...

For the first time, a host of negative emotions spread among the fanatical believers who wanted to embrace Hai Si, causing them to hesitate briefly.

However, if they observe carefully, they will find that...

Although her injuries had healed and her energy had returned, Viviana and Mace showed no sign of relief.

On the contrary, they seemed to be more anxious and fearful than the other members of the Deep Sea Cult...

As for the reason, the doctor, who was standing very close to Chen Qi and was the only one who could clearly see Chen Qi's face, was probably the one who knew the most.

"Qi, you can't keep forcibly casting spells like this."

Looking at Chen Qi's slightly pale profile and the blood seeping from his mouth, the doctor lowered his voice, but could not hide his anxiety as he spoke, reminding him:

"The Originium Arts within your body are clearly operating beyond their limits! In the end, the circuits of these Originium Arts will burst, just like your blood vessels!"

"In this situation, if you try to keep the protective shield from breaking and forcefully cast a spell, you will only further deplete your life force!"

At that moment, the doctor was more grateful than anyone else that she was wearing a hood and a mask, which prevented anyone from seeing her expression.

Otherwise, her tense and worried expression alone would have been enough for these fanatical followers of the Deep Sea Church to see through her guilty conscience.

In the Doctor's eyes, Chen Qi was now like an Originium Arts conversion machine operating at overpowered limits, on the verge of collapse at any moment. Under these circumstances, even the slightest distraction or excessive use of magic by Chen Qi would cause irreversible damage to his body.

But during those few hours, Chen Qi was burning his life away again and again under the doctor's watchful eye.

Just to protect the people I love.

The powerless doctor could only watch helplessly as the emperor's face gradually turned pale, and blood slowly flowed from his seven orifices...

"...I know what I'm doing."

However, the only response the doctor received was a calm yet resolute reply from Chen Qi, who took time out of his busy schedule.

The doctor raised his head and quietly looked at the emperor, whose face was pale but whose eyes did not waver in the slightest, before silently turning away.

She knew that her concern would not change the emperor's mind and make him give up.

So all she could do was rely on her command skills to minimize the injuries suffered by the two women responsible for guarding the emperor.

"Believers, do not be afraid."

"Even the emperors of the land cannot stop the march of the great herd."

"Whether it's the land or the sea, ultimately, this planet will embrace the masses."

The stalemate did not last long. A figure who was clearly the leader of the Deep Sea Church sang loudly to the timid fanatics, boosting their morale.

"Let's keep going and take down these weaklings from the land."

"The great horde will purify this world—"

"—I'm sorry, it's time for you to wake up from your dream."

Suddenly, a clear, cold female voice came from behind the Deep Sea Cult Leader without warning.

"Mon3tr."

"Roar!"

The next second, before people could react, accompanied by a roar like that of a wild beast, the cult leader was instantly devoured by the three-meter-long "monster" in front of his followers!
Blood and bits of flesh burst forth, splattering onto the bodies of all the believers around them.

Behind the monster, a beautiful young woman with white hair and green eyes witnessed everything with utter indifference.

Before the group of believers could react, a roaring boy, accompanied by overwhelming sword energy, attacked simultaneously!
"Crimson Sky Sword Technique! The final move!"

"Heavens!"

"boom!"

It surged forth like a raging torrent! It seemed to shatter even the heavens, and the sky itself seemed to glare in fury!

This sword strike, moving at will, was like a dragon soaring to its zenith, destined to kill! It stirred up a torrent of blood!
As the crimson blood gradually faded, no one could be seen beneath the sword's aura.

All that remained was a bottomless ravine, like a crescent moon.

And then there was Wei Yanwu, who had appeared out of nowhere, standing proudly before his brothers.

"Finally here."

Sensing Wei Yanwu's presence behind him, Chen Qi, who had been forcing a smile, finally managed to force one, and said jokingly:

"I thought you'd already been devoured by those people from the Deep Sea Church."

"Haha! Third brother, your older brother isn't that easy to die!"

However, Chen Qi was met with Wei Yanwu's hearty laughter, which revealed a hint of weariness.

Having fought for several hours, not only to rescue the civilians of Agor, but also to fully utilize his lightness skill, he had just used the last move of the Crimson Sky Sword Technique with all his might.

Even with Wei Yanwu's formidable strength, his body was already nearing its limit.

But that's enough.

Wei Yanwu's attack, which had just annihilated thousands of Deep Sea Cultists, still deterred the remaining cultists from making any further moves.

Although they still found it difficult to withstand the onslaught of tens of thousands of Deepsea Cultists.

However, the addition of Wei Yanwu and Kal'tsit undoubtedly made the defenses protecting Chen Qi even stronger.

"These bastards... they're really never going to stop."

Wei Yanwu took a deep drag on his pipe, stared at the group of Deep Sea Cultists who still dared to approach, and said through gritted teeth:
"How exactly did Hera choose her people? Did she select all the Deep Sea Cultists together?!"

"There is definitely something fishy about this."

Kal'tsit, who came with Mon3tr to reinforce the defenses, also felt more and more that everything that had happened today was not simple.

"The Deep Sea Church is loosely distributed, and such a large number of followers... should not exist."

"unless……"

However, at this moment, an extremely terrifying possibility suddenly flashed through Kal'tsit's mind, causing her to frown deeply.

Kal'tsit dared not think about it.

If all of this was foreseen by someone... then was this crisis meant to eliminate Hai Si, or to eliminate them?
"They're here again."

What brought Kal'tsit back to reality was a suggestion from the Doctor.

As the believers approached aggressively, Kal'tsit and her group once again held their breath and prepared to fight.

"—Your Excellency Qi!"

However, just as everyone fell silent, preparing to fight back.

The sound transmission system from the "Dome" transmitted Clementine's anxious yet relieved voice, saying:

"Your Excellency! All Agor civilians have entered the refugee camps!"

"The deep-sea hunters are paving the way for us! Civilians have begun to move to land!"

"—Well done, little devil."

Chen Qi, who had persisted here for several hours, finally managed a rare smile and said softly:

"Have our Golden Law Guards and the Great Yan Imperial Guards already joined forces?"

"Yes, they will return to land in batches via refuge capsules. With the help of deep-sea hunters and the fleet, we are 90% confident that they will return to land safely."

Clementine breathed a sigh of relief, but her still anxious voice came again:
"Your Majesty, please evacuate as soon as possible! The sea monsters outside are still pouring in, and there are more and more of them!"

“Miriam is becoming a nest, soon to merge with the nests of the Sealings outside—this place is far too close to the land!”

"We need to return to land and build a joint defense line there to prevent the Haisi from launching an offensive on land."

"That's enough!"

However, before Clementa could finish speaking, Chen Qi, who had already made up his mind, interrupted her with a resolute and cold voice.

“Clementsa, I command you to work with the Deepsea Hunters to safely transfer everyone to land.”

"As for Hai Si... you don't need to worry about him."

"I will absolutely not give them the chance to launch a counterattack on land!"

Clementine: "—Your Majesty, please don't act rashly! We..."

But before Clementa could finish speaking, the audio transmission system from the "Dome" completely malfunctioned.

The reason was that the protective shield that Chen Qi had been maintaining suddenly disappeared at this moment.

Instantly freed from all obstacles, a massive amount of sea creatures surged towards the city like a tidal wave!

"pray--"

At that moment, watching the massive swarm of sea creatures rushing towards them, Chen Qi, not knowing why he had put away his protective shield, almost immediately narrowed his eyes and turned to ask.

But, in the instant that Jian's eyes met Chen Qi's.

But she saw a hint of tenderness in the eyes of the man she loved most... a tenderness that broke her heart.

At that moment, Jian seemed to understand something.

But she didn't have time to shout, or even to reach out and grab him.

The next second, she felt a strong sense of dizziness take over her brain.

"call."

"Wow..."

In a daze, the mace, its pupils contracted, remained in the position of extending its palm.

But now, what she saw before her was no longer that underwater city.

It was a sandy area.

A coastline belonging to the land, constantly being washed by the gray waves.

"Miss Jian?"

However, just as Jian was stunned, a Rhodes Island operator patrolling the area recognized her and approached her with a surprised expression, asking:

"You, how did you suddenly appear here? We haven't seen you before!"

"here……"

The Rhodes Island operator's question brought Jian out of his daze belatedly.

When asked by Jian, the Rhodes Island operator was also puzzled, but still answered honestly:
"This is land, the coast of Iberia. Didn't His Majesty the Emperor order us to station troops here?"

"Miss Jian, why are you back? Has the negotiation with Agor ended?"

However, before the Rhodes Island operator could ask more than a few questions, she quickly shut her mouth, her eyes filled with indifference.

Because he saw it, the mace before him, and two lines of clear tears silently falling from its eyes…

Her body trembled slightly, her eyes were reddened, and her hand was unconsciously clenched tightly...

All of this testifies to the excruciating pain in the heart of this black knight at this moment.

"pray--!!!"

On the shore, Jian's heart-wrenching cries of pain seemed to pierce through the gray sea and reach the ears of her beloved man.

But no matter how heartbroken she was, her cries were mercilessly swept away by the waves...

(End of this chapter)