Chapter 335: Vultures Dividing the Prey
When his next strike failed again, his movements suddenly paused for a brief instant. Abandoning his previous balance of offense and defense, he abruptly raised his weapon high, attempting to pour more force into breaking the irritating calm of the girl before him. Yet it was precisely this sudden shift in rhythm that exposed a fleeting flaw in his own actions.
A faint smile curved at the corner of Xu Zhi’s lips. The long blade in her hand shot forward, piercing straight into his abdomen. A massive surge of [Lamp]-attribute energy flooded into his body. In that instant, the believer’s expression twisted grotesquely, and a cry of agony burst from his throat.
It was as though he were being consumed by sacred flames—flames that would purify his corrupted soul and flesh, utterly destroying him.
The moment the blade sank in, blood splattered outward, some of it landing on the back of Xu Zhi’s hand. She paid it no mind.
As the [Lamp] energy spread, the blood tainted by [Cup] seemed to boil violently upon her skin, then evaporated into vapor like water brought to a rolling boil, dissipating into the air.
For circuits of the [Cup] attribute, nothing was more terrifying than an overwhelming influx of [Lamp] energy.
Xu Zhi showed no restraint, using her blade as a conduit to channel vast amounts of [Lamp] energy into the believer’s body. Since her [Lamp] lacked precise targeting abilities like [Freeze], she simply crushed the opponent’s circuit outright with brute force.
For most extraordinary individuals, this would be an immense burden. After all, the amount of energy required to shatter a talent circuit—even one it countered—was enormous.
But for Xu Zhi, it hardly counted as a burden at all. What she lacked least was the extraordinary energy stored within her.
Unlike circuits shattered by [Winter] or other attributes, something unusual occurred in the believer whose core was destroyed by Xu Zhi’s [Lamp]. Though she had only broken his circuit, the [Lamp] energy surging into him behaved as if it had encountered a natural nemesis, rampaging wildly through his body.
This rampage caused his blood and bones to feel as though they were being scorched by flames. His body took on the appearance of something swept by an invisible fire—his skin charred, moisture and blood rapidly evaporating.
Xu Zhi clearly hadn’t anticipated such an “accident.” After all, she had previously killed believers using [Moth]. Her brows lifted slightly. Without hesitation, she released her grip on the blade and stepped back, watching coldly as the believer collapsed to the ground in agony, his body turning into a charred corpse.
The Life Reversal Array could not repair a destroyed talent circuit. Thus, the league rules explicitly permitted killing during matches but forbade damaging circuits—except when facing extraordinary beings of the [Cup] attribute.
Toward [Cup], the world’s stance was absolute eradication. That was why Xu Zhi dared to let her teammates strike without restraint. And her teammates were no fools—they could clearly see what these enemies had become.
Only after the believers on stage had fallen one after another did the event referees finally arrive.
“Step back.”
With a gentle push of extraordinary power, he moved aside the students of Lian City Light Institute. Then, clenching his fingers, he seized the two remaining believers.
Those qualified to serve as referees were all powerful [Named] individuals. In his grasp, the two believers were utterly incapable of resistance.
Dressed in the referee’s robe, he turned toward the broadcast camera and declared in a clear voice, “After verification by the event committee, the contestants from Minjiang City Academy colluded with the [Cup] and even transformed into believers during the match in an attempt to disrupt league order. All members of Minjiang have been detained. Now, punishment will be carried out on those who have fallen into the [Cup]!”
As the word “punishment” fell, the camera zoomed in for clarity, focusing on the two surviving believers. Then, as if invisible hands seized their heads, they were crushed like ripe watermelons—bang—their skulls exploding midair.
An unseen barrier seemed to surround them, preventing the splattered blood and brain matter from touching anyone.
It was a brutal scene, unmistakably meant as a warning.
A warning to those who, having witnessed the power of [Cup] through the broadcast, might feel tempted—this was the fate of those who succumbed to it.
He then turned to the students of Lian City Light Institute. “You’ve worked hard. Confirming their full corruption took some time, so we couldn’t intervene immediately. But you handled it well—worthy of finalists.”
It was little more than formalities. Not only were they not held accountable for destroying the circuits, they were even compensated with resources. Lian City, for its part, did not press the matter further.
Everything had proceeded far too “harmoniously.” Lian City’s attitude was suspiciously “friendly.” Xu Zhi barely needed to think to realize—this plan must have included Lian City from the start.
Otherwise, how could such an incident just happen to break out during their match?
After the match, Xu Zhi searched for news about Minjiang. Sure enough, the city—which had previously resisted the stationing of external military forces—completely lost its voice after today’s events. Led by [Lian City] and [Lingzhou], they seized control of Minjiang’s government and began a “cleansing” of the city, claiming it was to eradicate the hidden [Cup] forces.
What was truly happening, however, only they themselves knew.
Meanwhile, in the shadows beyond what the news reported, countless secretive cults—long unseen in this world—suddenly erupted. Most were composed of ordinary people or low-level extraordinary individuals. They shared one common trait: utter despair toward the world, believing their lives were already ruined.
Once the city’s outcasts—disposable, bottom-tier refuse—these people now gathered together for unknown reasons. Like devotees worshipping a god, they began praying for [Cup] to favor them, to change their fates.
From a single broadcast, faith in [Cup] spread like a plague. In this world, what there was never a shortage of were people with nowhere left to go.
“So why did such an incident occur?”
High atop the tower, someone demanded.
“Obviously, there’s a traitor within us.”
“Fools. After too long in peace, you thought you could rest easy—did you really think you could use the Cup as a pawn?!”
“You underestimated it. Idiots who can’t even tell who is the pawn.”
“What’s done is done. Blame is useless—find the traitor and kill him!”
“Now that the Cup has reappeared, we must prepare. If we drove it away once, we can do it a second time!”
“It’s been so long since the prison shattered—still no clues?”
“No trace of the Warden’s aura has been detected. Could it have died during its escape?”
“Dead or not, we must remain cautious. If it lives yet hides its presence completely, it must be weakened. If it’s dead, then ensure no second one like it is ever born in this world!”
“Slaying a god… is no easy task.”
