Meanwhile, Gamemaster Envy had already started explaining the rules to the Rifters... he skimmed through the obvious ones and focused on the details.
"The order of ascent will be determined randomly on this screen..."
Gamemaster Envy pointed his sheathed mic/sword in the direction of a giant dimensional screen hovering in midair.
It showed the names of Rifters in stacked boxes positioned in two halves... one side for the Conquerors and the other for the Raiders. One name was already illuminated, but no one thought much of it. They knew that the randomization process would restart.
"After the rope makes ten full spins, the number of chosen Rifters and the names will be picked randomly; however, the decided number is always mirrored for the other faction. If one Rifter is picked from the Conquerors, the same will occur for the Raiders."
Gamemaster Envy paused to see if everyone was keeping up... when he saw them nodding their heads in understanding, he continued coldly, "The rope’s spinning speed is random as well... hence, some rounds will be quick, and some will be slow."
"In case some of you manage to survive the fall and land on either side of the chasm, you will be met with two options." Gamemaster Envy showed two fingers. "If you land on the side of the opposite faction, they are free to deal with you as they wish."
Before everyone’s expression could turn grim at such dastardly news, Gamemaster Envy saved the worst for last.
"If you land on your own side, you will have exactly ten seconds to ascend the rope, otherwise..."
Gamemaster Envy turned his hand into an imaginary gun and then aimed it at one of the giants. He pressed his thumb down and left the Rifters silenced at the sight of a thin, concentrated green beam piercing the giant’s shoulder.
The giant’s shoulder bled a little, but he showed no reaction, resembling a walking corpse with no feelings or emotions.
Yet, the Rifters’ expressions remained gloomy, realizing that the beam was enough to kill them instantly... If it was capable of piercing a giant’s thick clothes, skin, flesh, and emerging on the other side, it made them understand that they had no way of surviving it.
"As for the trap mechanism... You will find out during the game."
With that final ominous note and a faint, cruel grin painted on Gamemaster Envy’s face, he clapped his hands and uttered, "Smile for the watchers."
Instantly, the sea of clouds parted ways, leaving the Rifters with stern expressions as they gazed at the emergence of billions of eyes dominating the skies!
Whoooaaah!!!
The silent abyss was no more... the crowd’s noises took over, sending goosebumps across most Rifters’ skin, who weren’t used to such immense attention.
-Earthling Raiders!! Make us proud! We natives are all behind you!-
-Nightcrawlers! Show those pesky natives that resistance is futile!-
-I have bet a great fortune on you, Conquerors! Don’t make me go broke!-
At once, the crowd split in half... the spectating natives across the universe supported the Raiders, while the nightcrawlers and other races under the Conquerors’ faction showed love for their side.
These events consistently drew a high level of viewership because they clearly separated the factions. It wasn’t a raid or a conquest stream. It was a war between the best of each faction on the planet.
Although it was for Rifters under Solarbound rank, the viewers didn’t care... whether the results of this game were going to save Earth or not didn’t matter. All they cared about was having another win for their faction.
"No wonder Dominic said every win against the Conquerors Faction matters..." Arthur murmured.
Shia and the others nodded in support, their expressions solemn... they understood that the viewers weren’t concerned about the stakes of the Death Game as much as the representation.
Currently, the Earthling Squad was representing the Raiders Faction and all the natives across the universe... the same went for the Conquerors.
If the Earthling Squad got their asses beat in front of such an immense crowd—one that was growing larger by the second... it would be the same as sending an invitation to the Conquerors across the universe, announcing that Earth had no secure future.
The nightcrawlers always sought to invade weak planets to ensure their safety against the natives while collecting the yearly rewards from the platform.
"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to the appetizer before Earth’s Great Campaign finale," Gamemaster Envy commented coolly. "As always... the winner of this event foreshadows the winner of the Great Campaign, as both sides have sent the best of the best from their factions."
"During the previous versions, the Earthling Raiders have lost every single Campaign besides one... I believe many spectating Earthlings remember that win as if it happened yesterday." Gamemaster Envy smiled coldly as he gazed at Levi and the rest. "Do they have what it takes to repeat that miraculous victory, or will history correct itself, proving that single victory was nothing but a fluke?"
Neither Levi’s squad nor the spectating Earthlings appreciated the way he addressed them... but Gamemaster Envy couldn’t care less. He desired to agitate the Raiders Faction, and he succeeded.
"He is selling us short, but Shia and the rest will show him how wrong he is." Sergio narrowed his eyes.
"It’s not going to be an easy fight... but I sincerely wish they could pull it off."
Jamal prayed softly, dread rising within his heart at the sight of twenty-four monstrous nightcrawlers standing on the other side of the chasm.
"They might be against monsters... but we have our own." Rayan sneered confidently, his gaze fixed on Levi, Jasmine, Arthur, Shia, Jojo, and Nurah.
The three sat on the restaurant’s rooftop and watched the game live... their eyes merging amid the sea of pupils.
They weren’t the only ones tuning in... every single holy region on Earth had its fair share of Daywalkers watching live. They paid for the tickets even when it cost a limb, showing their support for their soldiers fighting for the pride of their planet.
On the other side, many nightcrawler nest leaders tuned in to watch the greatest Raiders of today’s generation get smoked by their peers.
They knew that each time Earthlings lost such events, the planet suffered another round of aggressive invasion led by new nightcrawlers... while this brought the planet’s eventual end closer, it also implied that the competition for corrupting territories became livelier... they had to be ready to defend their territories from the greed of their own race.
Yet, they weren’t the only nightcrawlers interested in this game from Earth.
Some of the Bishops joined in the fun... Va’ren and Na’thir were at the helm, their entire forms linked to the game dimensionally.
Unlike 99% of the viewers, they were sitting on chairs high up in the sky... their appearances hidden under Gamemaster Envy’s authority... this was one of the many perks of purchasing a VIP ticket.
Although they sat near each other, neither side could see the other... the same applied to all VIP watchers, who liked to watch the game without attracting attention, resembling live ghosts.
’Master... what if that boy dies in the game?’ The Hound sent a dimensional message, viewing the game amid the crowd.
Na’thir was still pissed at him and had no plans of buying him a VIP ticket that cost more than twenty thousand credits.
’He won’t... his real strength is high enough to solo the entire faction,’ Bishop Na’thir replied indifferently.
’Huh...’