Death… And Me

Chapter 4348: Now?!

Meanwhile, in the central area of the Besgol Region, Tobao and the other Law Gods had already finished dealing with the remaining Godly Horrors.

The battle ended far more easily than anyone had expected.

Without whatever mysterious boost had empowered them earlier, the Godly Horrors simply couldn’t compete against the cultivators. The difference in strength became immediately obvious. One after another, the monsters were overwhelmed and destroyed before they could put up meaningful resistance.

The situation became so one-sided that, by the time only a single Godly Horror remained—the enormous bull-like creature—the Law Gods actually stopped attacking.

Instead, they captured it alive.

Such a feat was far rarer than killing one, which was a rare occurrence in itself.

Godly Horrors weren’t stupid creatures. Whenever they realized defeat was inevitable, they generally fought to the death or escaped before they could be cornered. Capturing one alive required a unique combination of strength, preparation, timing, and luck.

In this part of the Celestial Plane, such an event might only happen once every several tens of thousands of years.

Naturally, many of the Law Gods were already thinking about what could be learned from studying the creature later.

Tobao, however, seemed distracted.

His gaze swept over the battlefield, observing the corpses scattered throughout the area.

His expression gradually became strange.

The more he thought about what had happened, the more uncomfortable he felt. Nothing about this battle made sense.

”That was very weird...” A voice echoed in Tobao’s ears.

And Tobao nodded for a moment, then...

”Ah!” He immediately turned around.

Standing beside him were Rean and Roan. Behind them stood Celis and Kentucky. The four looked completely relaxed.

Tobao stared blankly for a moment. Then he looked around. Then back at them. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask. ”Where the hell did you come from?”

”We?” Rean pointed at himself before casually pointing toward a hole in the ground nearby. ”We were just there.”

Tobao followed his finger. ”There?”

”Yep.” Rean nodded. ”I made a concealing array before the Godly Horrors arrived. Then we stayed underground and watched the battle.”

Tobao’s mouth twitched.

The battlefield had been occupied by Law Gods and Godly Horrors.

The amount of destructive power released throughout a battle of that level could destroy mountains. Yet these four had decided that hiding underground and watching from close range was a good idea.

Who in their right mind would do that?

”Just...” Tobao rubbed his forehead. ”What exactly is wrong with you people?”

Rean felt somewhat helpless.

In truth, he really wanted to explain that today’s victory wouldn’t have happened without his group’s efforts.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t something he could reveal.

”We weren’t their targets to begin with,” Rean explained. ”As long as we didn’t make mistakes, we were relatively safe. Besides, opportunities like this don’t appear every day. Watching experts of that level fight is an incredible learning experience... if you had fought, that is.”

He then pointed toward the Sacred Relic. ”We were also inside the Sacred Relic’s influence, and very close to the relic itself. That helped a lot. The Godly Horrors were too busy to pay attention to us.”

Rean laughed awkwardly. ”Of course, if this happened outside the Sacred Relic’s influence, they would’ve noticed us instantly. Hahaha!”

Tobao let out a long sigh. ”I don’t even know what to say anymore...”

Then his expression sharpened, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Rean and his group. ”Did you have anything to do with what happened earlier?”

Rean blinked.

Roan, Celis, and Kentucky also looked confused.

”Us?” Rean pointed at himself again. ”Does it look like we have the ability to do anything against those monsters?” He shook his head. ”We felt their Godly Pressure underground too. For a few moments, I honestly felt weaker than a newborn baby. It was terrifying.”

Then he pointed toward the Sacred Relic once more. ”That said, there is one explanation that makes sense.”

Tobao raised an eyebrow.

”You increased the relic’s output, didn’t you?” Rean continued. ”Since they were fighting so close to it, whatever method they were using to strengthen themselves probably couldn’t withstand the increased suppression.”

Tobao remained silent. Yes, it made sense.

It’s just that for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the twins’ group was hiding something.

At the same time, logic told him that such a suspicion was ridiculous.

Experts at their level shouldn’t have been capable of influencing a battle involving Law Gods, let alone those overpowered Godly Horrors.

Furthermore, if they truly had done something, then that would mean they were largely responsible for saving Besgol. That possibility sounded even more absurd. In the end, Tobao simply shook his head.

”Fine.” He waved his hand dismissively. ”Let’s leave it at that.”

*Zim!*

Without warning, a brilliant golden light suddenly appeared in the distance.

The radiance was so intense that everyone instinctively covered their eyes.

The Law Gods immediately became alert. Rean and the others did the same. Every gaze turned toward the source of the light. Yet before anyone could react further, the radiance vanished as fast as it had appeared.

The entire area fell silent.

Tobao frowned deeply, worried something might have happened.

After everything, another unexpected phenomenon was the last thing he wanted to see.

”Just what is happening now?!”

---

Tobao and the others immediately looked over.

The phenomenon had appeared in the northern direction, which naturally drew everyone’s attention toward the battlefields where the Godly Creatures were still assaulting Terno Dore and Lesgez. Considering the timing, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that some unexpected development had occurred there.

However, the answer arrived much sooner than expected.

After contacting Arcis and the experts stationed in that area, Tobao quickly learned that the situation wasn’t what they initially thought. Arcis had also witnessed the golden light, but according to him, the source was nowhere near Terno Dore’s battlefield. Instead, it had appeared much farther north, too far for him to accurately determine where it originated.

That wasn’t the only surprising piece of news.

Arcis also reported that the Godly Horror he had been fighting had already been killed not long ago. Without that threat, the pressure on Terno Dore’s defenders had decreased significantly. Although the battle was still ongoing, the situation was progressing favorably, and there were no signs of another disaster occurring on their side.

Naturally, Tobao didn’t stop with Arcis’ report alone.

He quickly contacted the other battlefronts and confirmed the situation with every region involved in the war effort. One report after another arrived, yet none of them pointed toward the source of the phenomenon. Regardless of which battlefield he checked, the conclusion remained the same.

The golden light hadn’t come from any of their positions.

Instead, all evidence indicated that it had originated from somewhere much farther north. Somewhere inside the territories dominated by the Godly Creatures.

That conclusion only made Tobao more uneasy.

The unknown was often far more dangerous than a visible enemy.

After all, they had just survived a crisis involving empowered Godly Horrors, mysterious interference, and a situation that still lacked a proper explanation. The appearance of another strange phenomenon immediately afterward was the last thing anyone wanted.

Unfortunately, there was very little they could do.

Tobao could only order everyone to remain vigilant while preparations were made to investigate the matter further.

Of course, that investigation wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

Even though the Godly Creature Horde was approaching its final stages, enormous numbers of Godly Creatures were still concentrated north of Besgol. The region remained one of the most dangerous areas in the surrounding territories. Sending scouts there right now would be no different from throwing lives away for no reason.

Even Law Gods would need to proceed carefully.

At the very least, they would have to wait until the remaining hordes were eliminated and the concentration of Godly Creatures decreased enough for an investigation team to move safely.

Only then could they begin searching for answers.

”So there was nothing on our side?” Kentucky asked after listening to the reports.

Tobao shook his head.

”As far as our experts can tell, the source was somewhere inside the Godly Creatures’ Territories. At the moment, we simply don’t have enough information.” He looked toward the northern horizon for a moment before continuing. ”All we can do is remain cautious and prepare ourselves for any possibility. Hopefully, it isn’t another group of Godly Horrors. We already have enough problems as it is.”

”So...” Rean suddenly cut into the conversation. ”What do we do now? Should we head back to Terno Dore and help the others finish things there?”

Tobao immediately turned to look at the twins’ group.

Then his expression darkened.

”What exactly are you talking about?” he asked.

Rean blinked.

Tobao pointed directly at the four of them. ”You are only a bunch of Anchor Gods. You weren’t supposed to be here in the first place.”

His voice carried obvious dissatisfaction. Although he hadn’t punished them yet, it was clear that he still wasn’t happy about their involvement. ”Rean and Celis should return to the Sacred Relic. Roan and Kentucky should go back to their assigned positions. Don’t come running around battlefields like this again.”

He paused briefly before adding, ”If it weren’t for what you did during this crisis, I would’ve already contacted the Godly Subjugation Guild and requested disciplinary action.”

The twins’ group exchanged glances. Honestly, from an outsider’s perspective, Tobao’s reaction was perfectly reasonable.

The battlefield had been filled with Law Gods and Godly Horrors. Compared to everyone else present, Rean’s group looked completely out of place.

Anchor Gods simply didn’t belong there.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

”Right, right...” Rean nodded repeatedly. The response sounded extremely insincere.

Tobao’s eyelid twitched.

Naturally, Rean wasn’t trying to be disrespectful.

The real issue was that the twins and their companions still hadn’t fully adjusted to their current situation. Not that long ago, they had stood at the very top of the cultivation world. Compared to those days, their current cultivation felt incredibly weak.

As a result, they occasionally forgot how others perceived them.

To Tobao and everyone else, they were merely talented Anchor Gods.

To themselves, they were still getting used to living as weak cultivators again... for the second time.

The difference in perspective couldn’t have been greater.

Fortunately, Tobao was too tired to continue arguing.

After giving them one final warning, he simply waved them away.

The twins’ group quickly left the area.

Meanwhile, Tobao remained behind to handle the aftermath of the battle and negotiate with the Law Gods from the surrounding regions. Although the immediate crisis had ended, countless details still required attention. Resources had to be redistributed, casualties had to be accounted for, and future defensive measures had to be discussed.

The amount of work waiting for him was enormous.

Days passed.

During that time, the mysterious golden light never appeared again.

No strange fluctuations were detected.

No unknown enemies emerged.

No new disasters descended upon Besgol.

The phenomenon had appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly, leaving behind nothing but questions.

Eventually, the final remnants of the Godly Creature Horde were eliminated.

The countless battles that had consumed the region finally came to an end.

One after another, official announcements spread through the communication network.

Besgol had survived.

Once again, the region had successfully endured a critical period that could have resulted in complete destruction.

Celebrations immediately erupted throughout countless cities and settlements. For ordinary cultivators, the end of a Horde wasn’t merely good news.

Businesses resumed normal operations.

Cultivators returned to their daily lives.

Of course, while the general population celebrated, those at the highest levels were left with many unanswered questions.

What had empowered the Godly Horrors? How did they manage to fight back the Relic’s power at such close range out of nowhere? The little yellow lizard completely disappeared after it happened too.

However, before anyone else could solve those mysteries, there was another question to be answered about the twins’ group.

Didn’t they have only 43 Orb Points?

Wasn’t the Level Two Sanctuary worth 120 Orb Points?

How did they get that skill in the end?