PGVCW 57

 Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

Chapter 57: The Battle in the Skies

Those three billion strands of faith power restored Xia Wang'an's combat strength to one-tenth of her peak era.

Yet against these corrupted entities, that was more than sufficient.

To the mortals gazing upward from the city below, the abruptly materialized maiden appeared as though executing a fierce yet graceful dance. The only unusual aspect was that her stage was the open sky. Every single "dance step" claimed the life of a white-robed operative.

Naturally, the contaminated entities refused to sit passively awaiting doom; as members of Squad A, each possessed specialized offensive and defensive capabilities.

A lengthy chain entwined with swarms of venomous serpents materialized abruptly, several concealed darts flashed forth from spatial folds toward the raven-haired maiden, and a roaring tiger materialized out of raging flames and lunged headlong.

Faced with this barrage of assaults, Xia Wang'an's expression remained completely unfazed. Wielding her singular great blade, she first lassoed the serpent-laden chain with her steel, redirected it to smash directly into the flaming tiger, and finally scooped up the burning beast on the tip of her blade to use as a physical shield.

"This aura... it's faith power! She is a deity of this realm!"

The white-robed operative who had hurled the chain shouted a warning to his companions, only to have his head cleanly severed by Xia Wang'an the next second, plummeting out of the sky.

"A deity, you say..."

Hearing this intelligence, the surviving contaminated entities felt visibly relieved. Deities native to an isolated world were undoubtedly formidable, yet they possessed a fatal Achilles' heel: their divine power depended entirely on harvesting faith. Once that conduit of faith was severed, the high-and-mighty deity would instantly plummet into enfeeblement.

To the contaminated entities, such localized divinities could at best be categorized as false gods.

"Mere ants daring to arrogate the title of a god?"

A white-robed operative brandishing an ancient scepter pointed it toward the heavens; lightning flashed, and a torrential downpour began to rain down. The acidic raindrops hissed with billowing white vapor as they struck the ground, instantaneously eating away deep craters. For a minor-world deity, the agonizing psychological torment of their believers perishing en masse mixed directly into the stream of faith power—acting as a venomous toxin that stripped these entities of the majority of their combat capacity.

The remaining white-robed figures coordinated seamlessly, surging forward to entrap Xia Wang'an and prevent her from providing succor to her followers.

Just as the ordinary citizens within the city below panicked and scrambled to take shelter from the caustic rain, a defensive barrier materialized from the earth, enveloping the entire metropolis and intercepting the toxic deluge outside.

"It's Archmage Elvis!" "Lord Elvis has emerged from the magic tower!"

Just as this primary arcane shield began to attenuate under the relentless onslaught of the acidic rain, a secondary grayish-blue barrier rose to reinforce it. A blue-haired female clad in simple mage robes had materialized beside Elvis.

"Lady Cynthia has arrived as well!"

While the commoners remained unfamiliar with Xia Wang'an, they were intimately acquainted with the prominent pillars of their own city. Witnessing esteemed senior mages step forth from the magic towers to erect protective barriers of diverse hues finally quelled the panic gripping their hearts.

Yet the mages standing at the frontline wore expressions of solemn gravity, the foremost two Archmages coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood.

"Master, you must return inside; your constitution is too frail to endure prolonged exposure to the open air," their disciples rushed forward to urge.

Ever since the pestilence "suddenly materialized," higher-tier mages found themselves increasingly incapable of absorbing ambient mana; attempting to do so triggered excruciating agony culminating in death. Over the span of three centuries, countless powerhouses had perished, though a fraction of mages managed to survive by sealing themselves within towering, fully isolated magic towers that temporarily shielded them from the plague's encroachment.

"Hiding in a magic tower during normal times is one thing, but at a juncture of life and death concerning the entire city, if we continue to cower inside, we might as well drop dead right now!"

Archmage Cynthia furiously berated her disciples, backed by an equally resolute Elvis. Coughing blood continuously while maintaining a steady output of mana, the pair stared upward at the figures of the white-robed operatives in the sky with eyes burning with bitter resentment. Had it not been for this plague, they were dignified Archmages—how could a mere defensive barrier reduce them to such a state of emaciation?

Barrier after barrier shattered, only for fresh shields to rise in their stead. Cynthia glanced toward the black-haired maiden locked in combat with the white-robed figures in the sky: "Is that person... also a deity?"

Lux Joins the Fray

The white-robed operative clutching the scepter wore a gloomy, frigid expression: "To think so many pests were left behind—how exactly did A32 handle his assignment?" The vermin of this world ought to have been eradicated long ago.

He raised his scepter once more; the next second, the venom-dripping artifact was abruptly snatched right out of his grasp.

"Lux! Lux!"

Lux had finally mastered flight. Flapping his wings, he clutched the scepter tightly as he zoomed forward, attempting to sink his teeth into it mid-flight—he had yet to master alternative offensive techniques.

"What on earth is that?!"

The dispossessed white-robed operative flew into a rage, though caution kept him from lunging blindly. Possessing a perceptual acuity rating exceeding eighty, logic dictated that no living entity could approach his proximity without triggering his sensory alarms. Yet this winged bird-man had accomplished precisely that.

Fortunately, the creature appeared somewhat dim-witted; this particular scepter was condensed from the most virulent, toxic resentment harvested across thirteen distinct worlds—how could a simple bite possibly...

Before the operative's disbelieving eyes, that immensely sturdy scepter was cleanly snapped in half by Lux's teeth.

White-robed operative: "......"

Naturally, he remained unaware that Lux was the physical avatar of the God of Light. While other materials might have resisted, radiance inherently countered darkness; pitted against raw resentment, it constituted a textbook professional mismatch.

"Lux!"

Observing that the venomous rain had indeed ceased, Lux chirped happily; turning around to catch sight of the white-robed operative's distorted expression, he squeaked in sudden fright and beat his wings in a hurried retreat back toward Xia Wang'an's vicinity.

Xia Wang'an had already neutralized the ten contaminated entities pinning her down, single-handedly wrenching off the ninth head of the final white-robed combatant before turning her gaze toward the stunned survivor standing frozen below.

Seeing that the tactical advantage had decisively shifted, Lux puffed out his chest with adorable haughtiness, mimicking a ferocious stance by ruffling his feathers.

"Lux!"

Retreating a cautious step, the white-robed operative turned on his heel and fled without a second word. Pressing the cervical collar locked around his neck, he tore open a spatial rift and dove inside.

Lux prepared to flap his wings in eager pursuit, but Xia Wang'an promptly intercepted him.

She had deliberately reserved this individual for last—not because of exceptional combat merit, but for a different reason.

"I was recently perusing pre-cataclysm literature; there is a book discussing cockroaches."

"They represent an organism where eliminating a single specimen leaves countless more seemingly endless in supply; pre-cataclysm humans despised them, prompting the invention of a specialized roach poison. The pests don't perish instantly upon ingestion, but instead carry the lethal substance back to their nesting grounds, causing the entire colony to perish collectively."

Lux tilted his head in incomprehension: "Lux?"

"Indeed, I find the concept fascinating as well. Let us run an experiment."

Fixating her gaze intently upon the lingering spatial tear, Xia Wang'an judged the timing ripe and lashed out with a powerful sweeping arc of her blade.

The fleeing white-robed operative emerged hastily into an alternate world previously subjugated by their faction, only to be cleaved directly in two by an unprompted slash of blade-aura materializing out of thin air before the eyes of the local populace. Completely caught off guard—while Xia Wang'an's engagements with the contaminated operatives had been fiercely contested, his hasty flight had left him entirely unprepared for a long-range counter-strike.

His physique stiffened; in the final microsecond before expiration, a realization flashed through his consciousness: Is spatial cleavage not an ability exclusive to true divinities?

The kinetic blade-aura did not halt, instead tracking remaining energy signatures like a homing projectile to plunge deep into the neighboring stronghold.

When a single roach carries home lethal insecticide, the ultimate fate of the entire nest becomes entirely predictable.

The Liberation of a World

Several days later, a ragged band of indigenous survivors armed with crude weaponry cautiously infiltrated the regional base—a suicidal strike executed out of desperate resolve to reclaim their homeland.

Instead of opposition, however, the reconnaissance squad discovered an entire encampment littered with the lifeless corpses of white-robed operatives. Terrified yet trembling with disbelief, they scoured the occupied sector, confirming that every single invader lay dead.

Crowding together, the survivors reduced the bodies of the tyrants who had devastated their realm and slain their families to ash in a massive communal pyre. Peace settled once more across the liberated dimension; amidst tears and embraces, the populace celebrated blindly. Though ignorant of the mechanics behind the sudden annihilation of their oppressors, heartfelt gratitude saturated every prayer.

Following the jubilation, carrying flickering sparks of hope, they set about reconstructing their civilization amidst the ruins. Though survivors were scarce, they persevered through generations.

Long into the future, the anniversary marking the total eradication of the white-robed oppressors continued to be commemorated as "Divine Advent Day," anchored in the collective belief that divine providence had intervened to rescue their realm. Annually on this holiday, elementary school cohorts organized traditional flower-offerings along the riverbanks.

Naturally, that was a narrative belonging to a distant tomorrow.

At present, Xia Wang'an remained entirely oblivious to the fact that her metaphorical "roach bait" had inadvertently liberated an entire universe; she remained deeply engrossed in reading a highly entertaining volume.

The book bore a title characteristic of magical realm literary trends: The Travels of Jenny Across a Thousand Kingdoms.

The narrative chronicled a young girl named Jenny who accidentally tumbled into a village river during an excursion, carried away by currents to an entirely unfamiliar continent. Throughout her journey homeward, she traversed numerous sovereign nations, encountering diverse entities and cultures while collecting extensive adventures.

Judging by its title, Jenny visiting a thousand distinct kingdoms sounded exaggerated and absurd, yet the magical realm genuinely housed over a thousand sovereign territories. Crucially, every single nation featured in Jenny's journey corresponded to verifiable, extant locations, meticulously detailing regional landmark architecture and localized cultural nuances—propelling the manuscript onto bestseller lists across multiple realms.

Beyond its geographic accuracy—which constantly tempted readers to wonder if a real-world girl named Jenny had indeed embarked on such a sweeping odyssey—the primary driver of its phenomenal commercial success was simple: it functioned fundamentally as a satisfying power-fantasy pulp novel.

In every single country visited, Jenny unfailingly forged lifelong friendships, partook in exquisite local delicacies, or received enthusiastic hospitality. She befriended peerless martial combatants, studied arcane sorcery under legendary archmages, and upon rescuing a stray kitten, discovered its parents happened to be Grade-9 magical beasts who rewarded her with a high-grade magic stone the size of a human cranium. Embracing that gemstone, Jenny bartered for a massive vessel capable of accommodating a thousand passengers, which serendipitously drifted toward an uncharted island laden with rare treasures.

In short... it provided immensely gratifying reading.

Even illiterate serfs were known to pool together thirty copper coins to hire a wandering minstrel to recite chapters of The Travels of Jenny at the edge of the crop fields.

Although a minstrel's primary professional qualification was possessing a booming vocal projection, this particular performer hired by the three thousand serfs demonstrated exceptional dedication: he visited a local dwarf tool shop to purchase a magical megaphone—an acoustic device inspired directly by Xia Kingdom's electric loudspeakers. Requiring merely a low-grade magic stone to operate continuously for ninety-nine years with pristine acoustic fidelity, these megaphones had reportedly become standard utility equipment across the Xia Kingdom as well.

Minstrels and Magic Megaphones

Whenever agricultural labor commenced, the wandering minstrel would extract a specialized seed and accelerate its growth using mana; within moments, the seed sprouted into a towering ascension-tree. Climbing to the upper canopy, he positioned himself high above the fields to survey the workforce below before initiating his recital.

Yuan Ning—who maintained an enduring fascination for investigating all localized artifacts within the magical realm—had previously inquired why the minstrel insisted on broadcasting from such dizzying altitudes.

Drawing from seasoned professional experience, the minstrel explained: "Certain narrative plot points invoke melancholy; when listeners grow sorrowful, they resort to physical assault." "Other narrative arcs evoke overwhelming patriotic fervor; when listeners grow too excited, they resort to physical assault." "And if a plotline proves mediocre—truly subpar—they conclude I am defrauding their copper coins and resort to physical assault."

Yuan Ning: "......" In essence, storytelling consistently resulted in physical violence?

Lin Ke, conversely, found the prospect delightful; an avid enthusiast of elevated vantage points, he attempted to purchase a seed from the minstrel. Upon learning the minstrel possessed a solitary specimen which he refused to part with, Lin Ke resolved to acquire cultivation-grade escalation seeds directly from elven merchants during future field assignments.

Thus, perched high above the paddies, the minstrel's amplified voice boomed across the magic megaphone while serfs labored happily below, engrossed in the dramatic exploits of The Travels of Jenny—convinced life had never felt more blissful.

Thirty copper coins represented a painful expenditure for any individual serf, but distributed across three thousand households, the financial burden became negligible.

More importantly, ever since integrating into Princess Wang'an's domain, mastering composting techniques, acquiring permanent housing, and securing authorization to raise livestock, their standard of living had undergone a miraculous renaissance. Even when afflicted by illness, they received attentive medical care, pharmaceutical treatments, and nursing support; as successive batches of cured serfs discharged from quarantine returned to their families, devotion toward Princess Wang'an reached absolute zenith.

Now adequately nourished, the serfs' previously emaciated, skeleton-like frames rapidly filled out with healthy muscle. Their agricultural productivity accelerated, physical strength multiplied, yet these individuals never exhibited the rebellious defiance anticipated by paranoid aristocrats.

On the contrary, they displayed heightened docility; as population density swelled across the domain, they voluntarily organized local neighborhood watch patrols to share security duties with the Xia military garrison.

The Xia Kingdom expeditionary forces had effectively superseded the traditional monarch, establishing themselves as the new sovereign rulers of the Kingdom of Miki.

Typically, dynastic successions accompanied widespread social turbulence. Yet following the Xia Kingdom's administrative takeover, domestic order remained impeccably maintained, and general living standards experienced an immediate, noticeable elevation. The sheer ubiquity of The Travels of Jenny across the Kingdom of Miki—where even the most tightfisted misers willingly parted with coins to hear recitations—demonstrated how deeply content the populace felt.

Without fundamental domestic stability, recreational culture could never proliferate at such explosive velocity.

To the indigenous noble class, this phenomenon felt utterly incomprehensible. The previous monarch—who had reigned for centuries—possessed zero aptitude for statecraft; the sole reason Miki survived intact for so long stemmed simply from the continent-wide pestilence freezing military campaigns in their tracks.

Yet the Xia Kingdom had stabilized and revitalized the entire nation within a matter of days.

Naturally, the nobility remained ignorant of the extensive strategic frameworks drafted by the Xia Kingdom's administrative branches long before deployment. With strategic planning executed by elite civilian experts, backed by overwhelming military deterrence, financial solvency, and advanced technological infrastructure, pacifying and organizing the Kingdom of Miki was a trivial administrative exercise.

Presently, governance of the realm had been delegated entirely to the Political Affairs Department.

Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of personnel assigned to the Salvation Plan had redirected their collective energy and operational bandwidth toward an entirely different objective: Mass-producing and distributing The Travels of Jenny.

Indeed—this literary sensation sweeping across every continent within days was an engineered cultural rollout orchestrated directly by the Xia Kingdom.

"The magical world possesses no native folklore regarding immortal cultivators? Excellent—then we shall manufacture the legend ourselves."

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