Chapter 375: Die, Bai Fu!
Demetri was dumbfounded.
For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming.
The thought that Emperor Ignatz was not dead—that he had returned—already sounded dreamlike enough.
But that the leader of the Original Pact was none other than Emperor Ignatz himself made it all the more absurd, almost laughably so.
Was this a joke?
If the leader truly was Emperor Ignatz, then why had he been hiding in the shadows all this time, going out of his way to fight against the Rebirth Empire?
The Rebirth Empire had grown to what it was today largely thanks to him. It was under his command that the Empire had defeated the Psionic Court, escaped the brink of destruction, and advanced into a golden age of development.
Yet now he sought to destroy the very Empire he once built. Wasn’t that the same as denying his own past?
Demetri couldn’t make sense of it no matter how he tried.
Odoacre looked at him with a sigh. “I know it’s hard to believe, but… forget it. Even if I explain now, you probably wouldn’t believe me. It’s better to let His Majesty tell you himself.”
Demetri snapped to attention. “His Majesty will come personally?”
Odoacre shook his head. “Only as a projection.”
No sooner had he spoken than a strange spatial ripple appeared behind him.
Crimson energy seeped out from a rift, finally forming into a tall, muscular figure over three meters high.
Demetri froze.
He couldn’t be mistaken.
That face—identical to the colossal statue that had stood for millennia—was filled with even more divine majesty than the marble could ever capture.
“Demetri, you’ve done well. In this age of decay, you have lived up to the name of the Empire’s Pillar.”
A deep, resonant voice echoed through the space.
“I…”
Demetri’s lips trembled slightly. In those bright brown eyes before him, he saw admiration, acknowledgment, and trust.
Ignatz spoke: “I know you have many doubts in your heart. I came here today to resolve them for you.”
At that, Odoacre tactfully withdrew, leaving only Ignatz and Demetri within the subspace.
Their conversation lasted nearly two hours.
During that time, Ignatz first demonstrated a unique ability that erased all of Demetri’s remaining doubts about his identity.
Then, he told Demetri everything—about the Reaper, about the looming threat from Bai Fu, and about the experiences that led him, after his death, to become the leader of the Original Pact.
The Original Pact was not founded by Ignatz himself.
Long before the Rebirth Empire waged war with the Psionic Court, the Original Pact had already existed.
Its founders were a group of Seekers who roamed and explored extra-dimensional realms.
While tracing the path of evolution to its end, they discovered traces of the Reaper’s existence. Gathering together, they discussed countermeasures—and from that meeting, the Original Pact was born.
In the years that followed, the Original Pact went through many cycles of turmoil before finally stabilizing during the era when Emperor Ignatz’s name echoed across the stars.
For the sake of expansion, the then-leader recruited many new members—among them, Ignatz.
Ignatz had indeed died once, but the leader at the time saw great potential in him and resurrected him as a Seeker.
Reborn from death, Ignatz spent ages reclaiming his strength, ultimately ascending again to the Transcendent rank—and recovering his memories of the past.
Would he return to the Empire, or remain with the Original Pact?
After fierce inner conflict, he chose to stay.
If the Empire was to endure eternally, he had to prevent the Reaper’s Descent. At the same time, he could not oppose the Original Pact, for the organization was powerful—far beyond what even he and the Empire together could match.
Remaining within the Original Pact, Ignatz endured countless struggles before finally rising to become its new leader.
Time had tempered him into steel.
He still carried the grandeur of his imperial days, but now that grandeur extended beyond the Rebirth Empire alone.
“I will create an entirely new order—a system that ensures we do not repeat the downfall of the Void Civilization and the Ethereal Civilization!”
“Demetri, come—lend me your strength! For the Empire, for your comrades who fought beside you, for the glory you have lived your whole life believing in!”
Ignatz’s booming voice was full of conviction, his oratory naturally compelling submission.
Demetri’s eyes stung from the radiance.
His mind swayed—there was simply too much information, too much upheaval, in everything Ignatz had said.
So the Original Pact, once seen as the villain, was actually the savior.
And Bai Fu, the so-called Saint, was the true threat to civilization’s safety.
Logically speaking, he should accept Emperor Ignatz’s offer.
If he didn’t, the Rebirth Empire stood a real chance of being destroyed—and everything he had done until now would all be for nothing.
“What must I do?”
Demetri raised his head toward Ignatz.
Ignatz lifted his right hand. Resting in his palm was a small, teardrop-shaped crystal.
“Get close to Bai Fu,” he said, “and drive this into her body.”
“What is it?”
“A genetic locator. Once it’s implanted, no matter where Bai Fu flees, I’ll be able to find her.”
Demetri instantly understood.
Ignatz was preparing for the possibility that Bai Fu might survive the coming attack. He intended to mark her beforehand—to ensure she could never escape again.
Ignatz continued, “This is the path we must take to usher in a new era. I know you feel uneasy about it, but you must cross this threshold. Everything we do is for the Empire.”
For the Empire…?
When Demetri stepped out of the subspace, he saw Odoacre waiting for him outside.
“How did it go?”
Demetri nodded. “I’ve accepted the mission His Majesty has assigned me.”
Relief flooded Odoacre’s face, followed by a smile.
Even Demetri had chosen to stand with the Emperor—then there was nothing left for him to worry about. He could now devote himself fully to the cause.
“Demetri, the world will praise your decision today.”
Odoacre patted him excitedly on the shoulder.
Will it…?
Demetri didn’t know whether his choice was right or wrong.
He only wished to follow the truest voice in his heart.
That way, even if time proved him wrong, the weight of regret might hurt a little less.
“There’s no time to waste—I’ll prepare the ship immediately.”
Demetri moved swiftly.
Barely ten minutes after finishing his talk with Ignatz, he was already aboard a dark-energy engine starship bound for Origin Star.
“Leader, can Demetri really pull it off?”
The Fate-Weaver frowned.
It wasn’t that he doubted Demetri’s loyalty—Demetri’s devotion to the Empire was unquestionable, and he would carry out the mission exactly as ordered.
The problem was… Bai Fu was no ordinary person.
She had survived countless crises, even when the Leader himself sealed her using the Predestined Celestial Sphere—yet she had still escaped unharmed in the end.
If one were to ask who was the most unkillable being beneath the starry sky, that title could belong to no one but Bai Fu.
Ignatz laughed heartily. “I know what worries you. That’s why, this time, I’ve prepared four courses for Bai Fu!”
The first course: Lufas. Yes—Lufas. When Bai Fu went to find Aetheron, Ignatz had secretly met with Lufas and succeeded in turning him. Lufas bore deep grudges against her—Bai Fu would never dream that he had joined Ignatz’s side.
The second course: Demetri.
The third course: the Rebirth Empire itself.
The fourth course: naturally, the entire Original Pact.
Ignatz refused to believe that such a full-scale, all-front assault would fail to wound Bai Fu’s core.
Unless Bai Fu broke the limits again.
Otherwise, even if she survived, she would never again find a place to hide.
After hearing Ignatz’s words, the Fate-Weaver couldn’t help but laugh.
As expected of the Leader—always so thorough, no matter the circumstances.
Near Origin Star.
The battle between the Quiet Garden and the Original Pact had completely devolved into a brutal war of attrition, a bloody meat grinder that grew fiercer with each passing minute.
At first, the Original Pact gained the upper hand through a surprise assault.
But once Bai Fu’s will descended, the tide turned instantly. The Tiger-headed Man and his subordinates were beaten until they were crying out in despair.
Sensing the shift in momentum, Ignatz immediately authorized the use of Old Scars of the Past, dispatching a massive number of Transcendents along with a fleet even larger than the Rebirth Empire’s elite Forged-Arrow Legion.
With this fresh force, the Tiger-headed Man and his allies stabilized their lines, launching a steady offensive toward Origin Star while simultaneously installing Dimensional Collapse Devices inside the Predestined Celestial Sphere. Judging from the scale of their deployment, it was clear—they intended to crush Origin Star completely, leaving not a single survivor.
That, of course, provoked a fierce counterattack from the Quiet Garden.
The two sides clashed for six long hours.
They fought over the Dimensional Collapse Devices again and again, each side trying to seize control.
During the chaos, two of the Original Pact’s Transcendents fell in battle, while Bai Fu’s summoned True Spirit Avatars were shattered twice in succession.
The carnage was unimaginable.
“When will reinforcements arrive?”
“Soon! We’ve just linked up with the Rebirth Empire’s fleet—we’re entering the Edge Worlds now.”
Hearing the voice through the comm channel, Bai Fu nodded.
Good.
That meant, at most, thirty minutes until the reinforcements reached the battlefield.
She was quite curious—once the Original Pact saw the combined fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations, what would they do next?
Would they double down, or would they finally retreat?
Truth be told, if Bai Fu fought at full power, the Tiger-headed Man and his troops would have had their heads smashed in long ago. They never would’ve lasted this long.
And that wasn’t boasting.
Though her true body couldn’t return for the moment, she could still descend through consciousness—summoning both the Ethereal God-King and her Majestic Divine Body into the battlefield.
Even against someone like Aetheron, those two could hold their own for over ten minutes.
Against the Tiger-headed Man and his band of level-259 Transcendents? It would be like spinning tops—utterly effortless.
Yet Bai Fu deliberately refrained from going all out. She kept the battle balanced on purpose—partly to conceal her true strength and mislead the Original Pact, and partly to probe the organization’s depth.
She had crossed paths with the Original Pact many times by now, yet she still didn’t know their full power.
Judging from the game’s official lore, the Original Pact was a post-Apostolic Holy City antagonist faction—stronger, more dangerous, and much harder to deal with.
That could mean one of two things: either the Leader’s true strength surpassed Aetheron’s, or the Original Pact had several powerhouses near Aetheron’s level.
Of course, it might also mean they possessed equipment or relics even greater than the Double Helix Tree.
As Bai Fu pondered, another voice crackled through the comms.
“We’re here!”
Now was the time.
Bai Fu immediately dispatched every Player stationed at the base.
They’d been too scared to show themselves earlier, but now that they finally had the chance, they charged forward like a flood unleashed.
The Original Pact’s fleet, already under heavy crossfire, found itself assaulted by a wave of frenzied Players.
And who could withstand such monsters—foes who could die and respawn endlessly, trading lives without hesitation?
Cracks began to form in the once-solid formation of the Original Pact’s fleet.
Soon, those cracks widened into gaping holes. As the breaches multiplied, the fleet finally began to collapse.
“When are the reinforcements coming?! If they don’t arrive soon, we’re finished!”
The Tiger-headed Man, burning with rage, roared into the Original Pact’s comm channel.
“They’re here—behind you.”
Just as his patience reached its limit, a cold voice echoed.
He turned at once.
Beyond thousands of ships, he saw a figure wreathed in white flames.
Lufas.
He had finally arrived.
The Tiger-headed Man shouted, “Retreat! Retreat!”
At that moment, Quiet Garden, the Joint Fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations, and Lufas all launched attacks from three directions at once.
Caught in the onslaught, the Original Pact’s fleet fled in disarray. By the time they finally escaped pursuit, barely half their ships remained.
“Damn it!”
The Tiger-headed Man’s blood boiled with fury.
“Bai Fu—you just wait! You’d better pray you survive Lufas’s sneak attack!”
After driving off the Original Pact’s fleet, the Joint Fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations docked at Origin Star’s outer orbital port, not rushing to leave.
Fleet commanders and Lufas disembarked, passing through the entry channel to reach Bai Fu’s residence on Origin Star.
Bai Fu gave him a strange look. “Lufas? Why are you here? I tried calling you so many times before, but you never answered.”
Lufas immediately put on a pitiful face. “Ah, you probably won’t believe this… I actually knew for some time that the Original Pact was planning to strike at you. But I couldn’t warn you—I’ve been hunted by them for days! Fortunately, I was able to outsmart them. Then they suddenly diverted their forces to attack you, or else I’d be dead by now. That Leader bastard—I’ll kill him sooner or later!”
He gnashed his teeth as he spoke, secretly watching Bai Fu’s reaction with interest.
How amusing, he thought.
Bai Fu would never imagine that he had already shaken hands with the Original Pact’s Leader and forged an alliance.
Hehehe.
When Bai Fu’s true body returned, he would strike without hesitation.
If he could kill her and seize the Void Sovereign Core from her hands, even the Leader would no longer be his match!
Lufas’s grin widened, completely unaware of the fatal flaw he had already revealed.
【Name】: Lufas Arino
【Faction】: Original Pact
【Favorability】: Covetous (-31)
Bai Fu calmly closed Lufas’s status panel without a word.