What did this guy mean by that?
Nothing had even happened between him and Albedo yet!
There was no issue whatsoever in that department, okay?!
Still, when Momonga thought about Albedo's succubus nature and then considered his own low warrior class level, although he had no worries at present, in the future...
He truly didn't believe he could resist Albedo's temptations forever.
"Cough cough."
Giving a symbolic cough, Momonga quietly stored the elixir away.
[Ding! Group member Leader Luo Hao has opened the Virtual Battle Arena.]
Leader Luo Hao: "Bai Xuan."
Child of Nature: "Understood."
[Ding! Group member Child of Nature has entered the Virtual Battle Arena.]
Ordinary Group Leader: "What's going on?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Did Luo Hao and Bai Xuan set up a duel?"
The Most Ancient Godslayer: "Asking for trouble."
Marquis Voban remarked indifferently.
Although Luo Hao was currently stronger than him, he did not believe she could compare to Bai Xuan.
If the gap between him and Luo Hao was clear and quantifiable, the gap between them and Bai Xuan belonged to an entirely different dimension.
Though both were gods, the disparity between a God of Rebellion and the divine realm achieved by Bai Xuan was simply too vast.
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "Sounds like the Marquis got stomped by Bai Xuan before?"
The Most Ancient Godslayer: "Am I the only one who was overwhelmed?"
Marquis Voban did not deny it. In his eyes, losing to Bai Xuan and losing to Shendu or Madara Uchiha were completely different matters.
The former commanded genuine, wholehearted submission, while the latter left him utterly unconvinced and thoroughly aggrieved!
Moreover, it wasn't just him. Madara Uchiha, Shendu, Whitebeard, Luo Hao, Aizen—had any of them not fought Bai Xuan in the Virtual Battle Arena?
And hadn't they all been defeated?
The Most Ancient Godslayer: "The mission is complete; this old man shall return to continue cultivating."
The Most Ancient Godslayer: "However, before that."
The Most Ancient Godslayer: "@Shendu, Virtual Battle Arena."
Shendu: "Heh, I thought you had forgotten."
Shendu: "Yet it is entirely meaningless."
Shendu: "No matter how many times we clash, there will only ever be one outcome."
Shendu: "You perish, and I live!"
[Ding! Group member Shendu has opened the Virtual Battle Arena.]
[Ding! Group member Marquis Voban has entered the Virtual Battle Arena.]
Perhaps because the clashes between Marquis Voban and Shendu were an everyday occurrence by now, the other group members paid it no mind.
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "With the mission done, I should be heading back as well."
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "Though the process differed from what I expected, it was still somewhat rewarding."
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "Next time there's a mission without participant limits, I should definitely bring Master Ancient One along."
With Master Ancient One present, he wouldn't have to worry about so many complications.
Shaking his head slightly, Tony Stark opted to return to his world.
A soft glow shimmered around him, and in the next instant, his figure vanished without a trace.
Not just him—Madara Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and the others also chose to return.
If it were any other world, they wouldn't mind staying longer to see if there were opportunities beyond the mission. But Saeko Busujima's world was an ordinary slice-of-life setting, essentially devoid of any meaningful gains.
Real World.
Before the discussions surrounding the leader of the Awakened had even settled down, related videos were already uploaded to the internet.
"This is the best of times, and it is the worst of times."
"The revival of spiritual energy has brought humanity opportunities, granting mankind the possibility to step into the supernatural; yet at the same time, it has plunged humanity into the most perilous of circumstances."
"Countless beasts have mutated, launching attack after attack against mankind. The beast tides they triggered have claimed innumerable lives."
"Fortunately, countless Awakened have emerged from among us—fearless and unflinching, standing guard over our lives."
"They are soldiers, they are warriors, they are heroes worthy of being remembered by all."
"It is precisely because of their existence that we can still enjoy relative peace in this era."
"And among these Awakened stand elite espers who surpass the vast majority—they are currently Huaxia's apex combat power, the pillars of our nation."
"Flame Dragon · Qin Tian, chosen of the Flame Dragon Armor, known to the people as the Dragon Emperor..."
Amidst the solemn narration of the video, scenes of Qin Tian repelling beast tides and saving civilians appeared one after another.
Bathed in blazing fire, the Flame Dragon Armor incinerated the beast tide with scorching heat. A majestic phantom of a flame dragon coiled and shifted behind him, its frigid reptilian eyes glaring intently at the mutated creatures that fed upon humans.
"Leaving aside the Emperor Armor, no one's gonna argue with me when I say the Flame Dragon Armor is the coolest among the Five Element Armors, right?"
"The key is that background—standing engulfed in flames looks so damn badass!"
"Aside from the Dragon Emperor, I refuse to acknowledge anyone else as the leader of the Awakened!"
"What about the White Emperor?"
"The White Emperor doesn't count!"
"..."
Across the top of the video, countless bullet comments scrolled past, every line expressing deep admiration for Qin Tian.
Innumerable viewers stared fervently at the Flame Dragon Armor in the video. If given the chance, how they wished they were the ones chosen by the armor!
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Aside from the Flame Dragon Armor, the Snow Mastiff Armor had been gifted by the White Emperor to a young boy. As for the Wind Eagle Armor, Black Rhino Armor, and Earth Tiger Armor, there had been no news of any summoners being chosen, leaving many wondering if they would ever have a chance.
While everyone marveled, the footage on screen gradually transitioned, and the solemn voice resonated once again.
"Extreme Ice Phoenix · Chen Bing, known to the people as the Ice Emperor..."
With those words, scenes flashed on screen depicting Chen Bing during the beast tides in Tianhai and Haicheng. Absolute freezing frost sealed entire cities, turning all mutated beasts under its icy domain into frozen sculptures.
"Fire-Attribute Summoner · Firewing, known to the people as the Flame Emperor..."
One flame-aspected summon after another strode forth from the void, circling around Firewing and bowing their heads in reverence.
One person forming an entire army—this was the pinnacle of that concept.
"The Huaxia Four Emperors are publicly recognized as the strongest among Huaxia's Awakened, and they were the earliest First Sequences revealed by official sources. Even though the number of First Sequences is steadily increasing, I still believe the Four Emperors remain the ceiling of Awakened power."
"The White Emperor has already attained godhood, so the title of the Four Emperors should indeed be revised. But rather than picking a so-called leader, it should be changed to 'One God, Three Emperors'."
"My feelings are pretty conflicted. On one hand, I hope the status of the Four Emperors won't be shaken by other First Sequences; on the other hand, I hope to see even stronger Awakened emerge, since that represents Huaxia growing stronger as a whole."
"From what we can see, the prestige of the Four Emperors is still undeniable. The video opened with the Three Emperors at the forefront. Though the White Emperor wasn't shown, everyone already knows what's up. The subsequent parts will probably feature the other participating First Sequences."
———
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