Infinite Gods Reign Supreme

Chapter 103: The Arctic and the Western Sea

Liesel stayed.

She glanced at the large snake beside her, which had stayed behind with her to cover their retreat, or rather, to die. She gently pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart.

Everything before her eyes flashed between black and white. A crimson, viscous aura crawled along the edges of her vision. Starting twenty-four hours ago, accompanied by a silent tremor emanating from the north, perhaps from the location of the evil dragon's lair, everything she saw began to change drastically.

Something has broken in.

Something intangible and formless, yet filled with distortion and pollution.

It didn't rush straight at her, but rather distributed its power evenly among all intelligent beings with strong senses. It was like a dragon or snake deep in the ocean stirring up huge waves, and those who were truly affected were often the small fry with even a little power.

"It's not so bad... At least, that mentalist from the West Sea team will definitely have a much worse fate than me. West Sea team... Ha."

The West Sea team might have been completely wiped out. If their psychic was still alive, the Arctic team would have been wiped out long ago in the wilderness outside the Amazon rainforest. Perhaps that high-level vampire is the only survivor of the West Sea team right now, which is why he chased after them after barely escaping from the Celestial team, wanting to pick on some easy targets and make up for the negative points gained in the team battle.

Her small fist clenched gently, then limply relaxed. As death approached, fragments of past memories flooded her mind. She was shocked to discover that she had few warm memories of the Arctic team. The team was only formed because Captain Yori, who carried the Holy Light, used his personal charisma to forcibly unite a group of strangers from all over the world.

The fate of falling apart was already sealed when the captain of the Arctic team died in battle.

She was not optimistic about Gunnir's rebuilding of the Arctic team, after all, that baby-faced young man with a broken hand still had to find a way to take back the initiative from the group of newcomers who had clearly found their leader.

"But this matter is no longer my concern."

She raised her hand, drawing her smart weapon. The giant snake beside her hissed uneasily, and a thin red mist had silently spread through the rainforest. The powerful, hostile reincarnator had clearly discovered her presence. So, the next step was—

..............................

Gunnir stopped in his tracks.

His thoughts raced through his mind, and he felt something was off—no, something very wrong. The importance of mental power users was undeniable. If the goal was to preserve a seed for the Arctic team, then it should clearly be him left behind to buy time. But why…

Why did I choose to leave her there?

My thoughts raced. The dark thoughts that I had cast aside with my relentless actions gradually resurfaced. They were what I called cowardice, what I called fear. I should have a brighter future, a grander destiny. Yes, I should continue to live, and as long as I live, everything I've abandoned now can be taken back sooner or later.

Abandoning Liesel was the right decision; she could no longer use her mental powers to scan and block. Her chronic headaches were even hindering the team's operations—and besides, she wanted to stay, didn't she? Yes, she felt she owed the captain a life. So she should have stayed!
'Slap—' He slapped himself hard across the face.

"...shameless enough to bring shame upon our ancestors."

He clenched his fists and turned his body around. Even with only one arm left, he still had the strength to fight. Now, he was going to deal with the problem he had created.

“Where are you going, Mr. Gunnir?” the newlyweds stopped him.

The new recruits had surrounded him without him even noticing. They were all equipped with lightweight, combat-assistive exoskeletons provided by their deceased captain, and wielded various powerful, high-tech guns. In terms of combat strength alone, the combined power of these eight or nine new recruits already surpassed that of two partially crippled veterans.

“Go do what I have to do.” He glanced at the newcomers in front of him. “Men can still fight, yet they let a little girl stand in front of them and die… nothing is more shameful than that. Come on, come with me, there should still be time.”

He moved forward.

But no one followed behind.

The newlyweds pursed their lips and looked away, turning their gaze to West, who had suggested bringing up the rear, awaiting his opinion.

Gunnil then realized that, as a veteran, he actually had no authority to direct the newcomers.

“There is no time left,” the well-dressed man said calmly. “Miss Liesel made a great sacrifice. And what we must do is to live up to her sacrifice. Mr. Gunnir, if you wish to go with her, please do so. But the others should have the right to choose.”

The newlyweds were not afraid of him.

Yes, they've been chased all the way here. The abilities, condition, and shortcomings of the veterans are all laid bare in the eyes of these well-protected newcomers. It's these veterans who are so self-righteous, wanting to protect, save, dedicate, and sacrifice themselves... but the newcomers didn't ask them to do that.

Gunnir's fingers twitched slightly.

The muscles in his shoulders had barely tensed when several new recruits raised their guns. The giant python carrying the unconscious protagonist looked on in bewilderment at the suddenly tense group of tiny people; however, until the protagonist, with whom they could effectively communicate, awoke, their understanding was actually quite limited. "...You'll regret this," he said in a low voice.

West, who had become the new leader, simply bowed slightly, indicating that he could leave as he pleased.

So--

— [Arctic team has lost 1 player, resulting in a 1-point deficit.]

The announcement suddenly rang out. Gunnir abruptly turned his head to look into the distance. The newlyweds breathed a sigh of relief, but there was also a hint of regret in their voices.

“It seems we have no more disputes, Gunny…” the new leader said, organizing his thoughts.

However, the next moment, he saw the veteran with the missing arm abruptly turn his gaze again. An aura of icy coldness suddenly erupted outwards, and the giant, spiritually potent python let out a sharp hiss!
It has blood and vitality.

The source of that blood energy was closer than expected.

The next moment, a faint glint flashed in his peripheral vision. Then, a spurt of blood appeared on the throat of a burly newcomer carrying a multi-barreled laser cannon!

"over there!"

The burly man clutched his throat, while another man carrying a heavy flamethrower silently collapsed forward. The surrounding mist silently took on a reddish hue, accompanied by a shadowy line rapidly moving through it.

How can it be! ?
Instead of killing lone, heavily injured mentally challenged individuals, they're attacking well-equipped, grouped newcomers. What's wrong with this veteran vampire from the West Sea team?!

'Boom!' Guns roared.

The fully armed newcomers unleashed a torrent of heavy firepower upon the surrounding blood mist. Even Gungnir, who was almost about to part ways with this group, gritted his teeth and swung his single arm forward. By instinct, a burst of chilling energy shot out and precisely struck a shadow within the blood mist.

He hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

The enemy's figure then became visible in the mist.

"You've certainly put on a good show." The high-ranking vampire from the West Sea team was still dressed in his impeccably gorgeous attire. His frivolous expression, however, became focused and solemn. He suddenly raised his hand, and the crimson flames erupting from his arm shaped into a huge claw, easily deflecting the serpentine whip attacking from behind. His scarlet eyes suddenly narrowed.

'Boom—' Blood flames exploded violently, and the giant snake let out a painful hiss—it did not hesitate to carry the unconscious protagonist Ethan into the thick fog. However, the high-ranking vampire who had been severely injured by that attack still stood quietly in place.

No, not in the same spot. What remained was merely an afterimage left by high-speed movement. And the next moment, crimson light pierced through the new leader's body.

West stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest. The Arctic team rookies, who had barely mustered a bit of morale, stared at him blankly, fear gradually creeping into their eyes.

"Why...why?" His heart and ambition ripped out, he collapsed to his knees, utterly powerless. "You could have killed that woman first..."

Then they would have time to escape. After all, this monster had been chasing them for hours and had been repelled several times by various means; it should still be as cautious and patient as before. Unless… unless that woman with the milky white hair revealed to it the secret that the python's lair was so close!
A hint of resentment flashed in the new leader's eyes. But the next moment, a streak of blood severed his neck.

"I'm just not interested in killing a psychic who had a chance to escape and save himself, but was willing to sacrifice himself for a guy with ill intentions."

The severed head was burned away by blood flames in mid-air.

Fear gripped the remaining rookies of the Arctic team in that instant. They screamed wildly, dropped their weapons, and fled in all directions… Useless are useless; without their pillar, they couldn't even muster the strength to resist. But for now, they had a few extra minutes to live.

The West Sea team's vampires turned their gaze to the North Ice team's Devil Fruit users. A dense chill had already erupted; their final fighting force was ready for a desperate last stand.

Their gazes met.

No more words or actions are needed.

While the warriors fought fiercely here, in the distance, above the sky, a gaze fell upon the ancient falcon. But its landing point was not here, but rather, several kilometers away, upon a slender girl who had collapsed from exhaustion.

The girl was surrounded by a conspicuous blood mist that served as a signal.

(End of this chapter)