"Rest in peace, great Bloodthirsty Battle Saint. I will bring the God-Emperor n back to its pinnacle!" A voice echoed from not far away, and Orson turned to look.


    A towering man appeared alone in front of the power core. He wore dark golden full-body heavy armor, holding an enchanted divine sword, his gaze burning with intensity, resembling a battle god descending to the mortal realm.


    Orson checked the man''s attributes.


    [Awakened Cain: Level 50]


    [Lord of Pondenorlin City · Imperial Count · Dragon Warrior · God-Emperor Bloodline]


    HP: 60 million


    Attack Power: ?


    Skills: ?


    "Those titles are a bit terrifying."


    Orson frowned inwardly. In his previous life, Lord Cain was a mysterious figure, always collecting the souls of bosses to refine [Magic Evolution Pills]—what his true intentions were, no one knew.


    The "Dragon Warrior" title indicated he was a dragon tamer, with a simr ss characteristic to dragon knights. The "God-Emperor Bloodline" indicated a strong connection to the original owner of Celestial Fortress.


    However, what caught Orson''s attention the most was the [Awakened] title, which gave him a strange feeling—something about Cain seemed different from the other NPCs.


    "Why does the thief hide behind the scenes?" Cain spoke without turning around. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    Orson''s brows furrowed as countless magical vortices began to form around Cain. A terrifying aura locked onto Orson.


    Tempest God''s Manifestation!


    From the swirling maelstrom, six towering ethereal figures emerged, each holding a blue spear, battle sword, or longbow, pointing directly at Orson.


    "How ridiculous, starting off with an A-rank spell."


    Orson''s eyes turned cold. He raised his hand slightly, and a tear in space appeared. The Crimson Lizard King spread its fiery red wings, letting out a deafening roar at Cain.


    "Death Dragon n." Cain spun around suddenly, a trace of surprise in his eyes.


    "Beasts from the ancient era should have been forgotten... Die!" Cain''s eyes widened with fury, and the six wind gods roared in unison, charging toward the Crimson Lizard King.


    The Crimson Lizard King swung its body, lifting its head proudly as it prepared to unleash its Destruction Breath.


    Whoosh!!


    Suddenly, a ck sword flew out from the power core, embedding itself in the ground between Crimson Lizard King and Cain with a ttering sound. A surge of crimson blood energy erupted from the sword''s hilt, immediately shrouding the entire Sky City in a deep red glow.


    "Bloodrage diator in preparation."


    A system prompt rang out, interrupting both the Destruction Breath and Tempest God''s Roar.


    "In the Bloodrage diator mode, all in participants will lose all equipped items, cannot be revived by resurrection spells, and will have their level reduced by 10 levels!"


    "Attention! Currently, within the Celestial Fortress range, there are 37,745 yers and 29,032 monsters/NPCs."


    "You have only 2 minutes to evacuate!"


    "Otherwise, you will be randomly matched into a 1v1 mode, fighting with either yers or NPCs in an indiscriminate diatorialbat!"


    "To the death!"


    The announcement sent shockwaves through everyone.


    Sky Wolf-ck Moon: "What the hell? This is too much! The penalty for losing is so severe!"


    Unmatched Robert: "Haha, now this is interesting. The loser will never have a chance to rise again!"


    Sky Wolf-Demon Moon: "Oh my god! Do I need to quit the guild now? I was finally getting my equipment back, and now it''s all gone if I lose!"


    ...


    "Does this mean it doesn''t matter who we''re fighting against, friends or enemies?" Madman and others in the maze frowned, not expecting such a sudden change thatpletely disrupted their ns.


    "If we''re matched against teammates in the 1v1, can''t we just stand still?" Bradley muttered suspiciously, but soon received another prompt:


    "Due to the influence of the Bloodthirsty Battle Saint, those who engage passively will have their level penalties doubled!"


    Iron Cavalry: "What do you all think? I suggest we retreat first. No one knows the full extent of the diator mode''s consequences."


    Ride Donkey: "Hahaha, the winner takes all! I''ve always wanted to rip off your gear, Iron Cavalry!"


    Texas Musk: "Bravo! That 10-level anti-magic shield must be worth a big vi! Please, Iron Cavalry, take it easy!"


    God of Iron Cavalry looked bewildered, his knights ring at him, clearly hoping to strip him of his prized equipment.


    Iron Cavalry: "Don''t make meugh! If you can''t beat me, all your precious gear is going to drop and you''ll be crying!"


    Ride Donkey ruthlessly retorted: "I wonder who''s really scared now? Haha, all of you, stop him! Don''t let this little brat escape!"


    "Dammit..."


    Empress of the Moon suddenly interjected, her expression grave: "Enough, everyone. Haven''t you seen the prompt? It said 1v1 doesn''t only apply to yers. We could be matched with powerful NPCs too."


    ShatteredCrown froze for a moment, his voice trembling with realization: "You mean... yers could end up facing a dragon in a 1v1?"


    At this, everyone immediately felt a chill run down their spines.


    Even S-rank yers who had fought powerful NPCs before would know that facing a dragon one-on-one would be a death sentence!


    "What if we equip fine gear and fight?" Stewart suggested, recalling their past experience fighting UJ yers, where Godyer''s forces minimized losses by using superior equipment.


    Everyone nodded in agreement; it seemed like a reasonable n.@@novelbin@@


    However, Madman quickly shot it down: "No, weakening our attributes to save equipment means our chances of winning would drop significantly. If we die, we''ll be kicked out of the arena, and that''s not a good deal."


    Bradley: "That''s right. If we''re going to face loss anyway, we might as well bet everything."


    With no other choice, the Godyer Alliance reluctantly epted the rules of the Bloodrage diator mode.


    As the discussions ended, Madman pulled Nightshade aside, pping him on the shoulder and saying, "Kid, don''t screw up. If you die, we''re all done for!"


    Nightshade swallowed nervously, but his eyes hardened. "I''ll win for sure!"


    "I knew I didn''t misjudge you! Fighting spirit, kid!" Madman grinned, his expression full of pride.


    Nightshade''s level was forcibly raised to level 25 by Bradley and the others, though hisbat ability was practically nonexistent. His ss leaned more towards support.


    However, as an S-ss Hidden Job, the King''s Apostle of the Goblins, Nightshade carried immense potential in wartime. If he could survive, he would be a trump card for Godyer!


    "You have obtained a 25-level Legendary Staff [Dragon Death Wand · Holy]" "You have obtained a 25-level Hero Ring [Abyssal Blessing Ring]" "You have obtained a B-rank Earth Magic Tome..."


    Nightshade was stunned, as Madman began feverishly stuffing him with legendary gear and high-tier skill books.


    "Damn, Brother Madman, you''ve really gone all out. These pieces must be worth tens of thousands of dors!" Nightshade said innocently.


    "Thousands of dors? Nah, just thousands of gold coins." Madman shot him a long-suffering nce before proceeding to "gently" adjust his robes and mutter, "Wear these properly, don''t give them away. This is all I have left..."


    Six pieces of legendary gear and four rare hero essories fully equipped Nightshade in an instant.


    Madman had been collecting them for over a week, hoping to make a big profit from someone who wasn''t paying attention, only for the situation to force him to hand it all over to this fool. It was frustrating!


    "1v1 diator mode... I hope they''re lucky."


    Orson frowned slightly as he took control of the power core, heading for the God-Emperor''s pce, determined to im it.


    However, there were still several critical strategic points within Celestial Fortress that required thebined forces of the Godyer Alliance to capture.


    Otherwise, with the temporary loss of the fortress, the clock was ticking, and even Orson''s strength wouldn''t be enough to handle everything alone.


    As Orson stared at the doors to the fortress''s power core, a figure emerged from within.


    "I am Darkbo Meyer." "The God-Emperor''s Royal Guard! The Empire''s Sword Saint!"


    A hoarse, deep voice rang out, causing the blood-red aura in the sky to stir. An overwhelming sense of pressure washed over everyone.


    The Crimson Lizard King suddenly stopped its roar, and Cain instantly sensed a terrifying presence. His forehead bulged with veins as he realized the true power of the neer!


    The figure revealed himself: an old man with a hunched back, white hair flowing loosely, wearing no shirt and holding a single


    screw in his hand. His appearance was disheveled and unkempt.


    "I am also the most humble repairman of the God-Emperor." He muttered, his voice barely audible.


    "Physical body?! Not a heroic spirit!" Orson gasped in his mind and immediately checked the attributes of the neer.


    [Darkbo Meyer: Level 100]


    [Ancient Battle Saint · God of diators · King-tier Creature]


    HP: 10,000 (Peak state: 500 million)


    Attack Power: ?


    Skills: ?


    "Only 10,000 HP… not even 1/10th of his peak state!"


    Seeing the HP number, Orson felt no relief. Instead, a chill ran down his spine.