The final match of the tournament would determine the fate of a 20% profit share. If the Nightmare Corps could secure a victory here, they would ultimately claim a 44% share of the profits.
Most importantly, besides Shadow Nine, the Guardian Shadows didn’t have a single Ultimate Lord!
Therefore, theoretically, the Nightmare Corps had a very high chance of winning!
“Who are you planning to send out?” Maxen asked curiously.
Behind Maxen stood an Ultimate Lord, a 992-level veteran who was the real deal. Even Maxen would have to put in some effort to defeat him.
“You’ll find out at the Temple of Truth.”
The Ultimate Lord battle was to be held within the Temple of Truth.
The group soon arrived at the entrance of the Temple of Truth. The referee in charge of this match was also curious about what kind of help Thor had sought.
“Can you reveal it now?” the referee asked. “At the very least, you need to tell me your champion’s name. I need to confirm it before entering the Temple of Truth to begin the match.”
“No problem,” Mike replied calmly. “I know someone named Pecker. Do you know him?”
The referee’s expression turned gloomy. “Know him? I’ve got a bone to pick with that thief!” Huh?
Mike never expected Pecker to have stolen from the referee!
“Well, this is bad. We’re going to lose.”
…
Inside the Temple of Truth, a temporary space had been constructed for the two Ultimate Lords to clash.
A shadow descended as Pecker stealthily entered the tournament space.
The Nightmare Corps’ Ultimate Lord and the referee were already waiting.
“Thief! Return my whistle!”
“Huh? Did I steal something from you…? Sorry, I’ve stolen from so many people, I can’t remember them all.”
Pecker rummaged through his belongings for a while before finding the referee’s whistle and returning it to its rightful owner.
“Now, can we begin?”
“Yes, we can.”
Just as the referee was about to blow the whistle, Pecker suddenly shouted, “Hold on a moment!”
Pecker opened a spatial rift and called out, “Snowball, where are you? Time to fight!” Soon, a giant silver-white wolf appeared behind Pecker, letting out a deafening howl that shook the very foundation of the temple. On the wolf’s chest was a peculiar heart-shaped mark, particularly eye-catching.
Pecker looked down at the note and read verbatim, “As a 994-level Quasi-God, having a 993- level mount is perfectly reasonable, right?”
The referee and the Nightmare Corps’ Ultimate Lord were both stunned. They could do that? A 992 versus a 994 was already a disadvantage in terms of level. With the addition of a 993- level giant wolf, the Nightmare Corps had no chance of winning.
The referee blew the whistle to signal the start of the match. A mere ten minutes later, the Nightmare Corps’ champion walked out of the Temple of Truth. He had no complaints, simply stating, “I lost.”
He didn’t mention a single detail about the fight.
One of the few human Ultimate Lords had been defeated by Pecker!
This news instantly caused a stir among the top experts.
People speculated how Thor had managed to convince Pecker to fight for him.
Only Maxen, being the Wolf Alpha, seemed to have an inkling of what had transpired.
And so, the globally sensational tournament came to an end.
As per the agreement, 76% of the profits Maxen surrendered would go to the Guardian Shadows, while the remaining 24% belonged to the Nightmare Corps.
Just as Mike was about to celebrate their victory, the three ‘traitors’ of the Guardian Shadows appeared before him.
Mike had a bad feeling about this!
“Fourth Bro, good news!” Shadow One said sincerely. “From today onwards, we’re officially transferring back to the Guardian Shadows!”
Bad Man chimed in, “That’s right! From now on, you have our unwavering loyalty!”
Shadow Three scratched his head and chuckled, “Me too, me too.”
Apparently, they had been fired by the Nightmare Corps due to their deliberate
underperformance in the tournament.
Taking a few deep breaths, Mike asked in a deep voice, “What were their salaries?”
Shadow Four quoted a high figure.
Seeing that Fourth Bro was about to faint, Shadow Four quickly added, “The extra money we
earned from Maxen is enough to cover their salaries.”
Mike threw his hands up. “So, in the end, all that effort was for nothing?”
Shadow Two said with a sincere expression, “You may have lost some money, but you’ve gained four loyal subordinates!”
“Let me process this…”
A few minutes later, Mike regained his composure and asked, “Since you were fired by the Nightmare Corps, didn’t you get any severance pay?”
Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three: ???
What was that?
“Forget it, it’s not worth fussing over.”
Mike turned to Shadow Four and instructed seriously, “Get their onboarding paperwork done. Six months probationary period, 80% salary, no quarterly bonuses, and we’ll discuss the
year-end bonus later…”
“Understood.”
After giving his instructions, Mike turned back to the former top three of the Guardian
Shadows.
“This trip to the Abyss… things might get a little messy.”
All eyes were on Thor, awaiting his instructions.
Knowing their usual style, they would slack off as much as possible whenever Shadow Nine
wasn’t around.
What Mike needed to do was find a way to motivate them.
“This time, I need you all to give it your all.”
Mike looked at Shadow One, Shadow Two (Bad Woman), and Shadow Three one by one, laying
out his conditions.
“Fifty floors, and I’ll help you with that favor.”
“After this is over, I’ll clear your Mystic Market shopping cart.”
“I’ve already come up with a good last name for you.”
Three conditions, three Shadows.
Bad Man quickly asked, “What about me?”
“You have loyalty. Isn’t that enough?”
Bad Man: “…”
Shadow One, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three exchanged glances but didn’t immediately
agree.
They understood one thing: when the usually stingy Thor started being generous, it only meant one thing – the situation they were about to face was definitely more complicated than
they could imagine.
Shadow One, Bad Woman, and Shadow Three were all top-tier experts in any organization.
As long as it didn’t involve a Supreme-level conflict, no one could threaten their lives.
What Thor was asking of them now was to participate in a game between Supreme beings.
In a way, the conditions Thor offered… weren’t enough!
Mike had obviously anticipated this and said slowly, “Wait until Shadow Nine returns… or you
can experience the power of my lightning firsthand.”
Whoosh!
The former top three of the Guardian Shadows simultaneously knelt on one knee, their bodies
bowing slightly, and said in unison, “As you wish!”
…
Having settled things with the former top three, Mike exited the Tower of Truth.
“Shadow Three, I need to go to the Forest of Truth.”
Mike hadn’t forgotten that Apollo had asked to meet with him again before they departed for
the Abyss.
According to the schedule, the Guardian Shadows, Nightmare Corps, and the others would set
off before 6:00 AM.
In fact, many members of the Guardian Shadows had already been dispatched to the Abyss
earlier.
The summer camp’s training team was scheduled to gather at 6:15 AM and depart at 8:00 AM.
Mike needed to meet with Apollo before 6:15 AM.
Shadow Three nodded. “Alright.”
Under the cover of the dim night sky, Mike and Shadow Three arrived deep within the Forest
of Truth, at the foot of the Tower of Truth.
A white cloud descended before Mike.
The cloud lifted Mike and swiftly carried him to the 99th floor.
“Good evening,” Mike greeted.
“You too,” Apollo replied.
Then, silence fell as Mike struggled to find the right words.
“My instructor has lied to you twice,” Apollo finally spoke.
Twice?
Only twice?!
Mike was about to ask which two times when Apollo continued, “But I cannot tell you.”
That was as good as saying nothing… fгeewebnovёl.com
“On this journey to the Abyss, you will encounter the Progenitor of Ghosts. Kill it if you can.”
With a single sentence, Apollo had tasked Mike with killing a being suspected to be level 999.
Wasn’t this mission a tad too difficult?
“Alright,” Mike agreed, though his voice lacked confidence.
As long as his own safety was guaranteed, Mike was a relatively brave individual.
“My instructor will not return for now. The Supreme Abyssal cannot be opened yet,” Apollo
said finally.
“The time is not right.”
Mike nodded. “Understood.”
As for what Apollo meant by “the time,” Mike wasn’t entirely sure, but he had a hunch.
In today’s tournament, Mike had just defeated the powerful nine-star Lord, Joseph.
However, it wasn’t enough.
Opening the Supreme Abyssal put pressure not only on the Supreme Being but also required the new generation of potential Supreme Beings to possess sufficient self-preservation abilities.
In other words, “the time is not right” could be translated into simpler terms: Thor was
currently too weak!
Their brief conversation seemingly over, Mike thought it was time to leave.
Footsteps echoed from within the 99th floor of the Tower of Truth.
Apollo walked to the edge and said, “Look west.” Following Apollo’s instructions, Mike turned his gaze westward.
“Look closely,” Apollo urged.
After a moment’s thought, Apollo emphasized, “You only have one chance.”
“Understood!”
Mike held his breath, his senses on high alert.
Replication Mode, activate!
[Eyes of Truth, ready!]
A bolt of black lightning tore through space, piercing the veil of the Abyss and striking down
upon the head of a powerful entity.
Boom!
The Chaos being, caught completely off guard, couldn’t even react before being engulfed by
the black lightning and utterly obliterated.
As the spatial rift slowly closed, Mike stared, his eyes wide with shock.
A ethereal voice echoed in his ears, “This skill… is called Chaotic Lightning Tribulation.”