Chapter 397: Overwhelming Strength, Ignatz's Final Trump Card
The Silent League suddenly issued a special mission.
The mission had no specific requirements, only that players who received it should try their best to reach the Imperial Capital Star within four days.
Many players were confused and asked familiar NPCs what the mission meant.
But the answers they received were all the same—
"I don't know either."
This left all the players baffled.
Out of trust in Bai Fu, players who were near the Imperial Capital Star set off immediately.
["Maybe it’s a special operation."]
["Could Fufu be planning a surprise for us?"]
Speculations ran wild in the community. However, when the players who received the message arrived at the Imperial Capital Star, they discovered they were only called back for registration.
Though the registration process appeared mysterious, it was, after all, just a registration.
The players were stunned.
The members of the Original Accord, who had been keeping a close watch on Bai Fu’s every move, were even more puzzled.
"Can someone tell me what Bai Fu is doing?" The Son of Prophecy was at a complete loss.
Facing his question, the others exchanged looks.
They wanted to know the answer too.
Could Bai Fu be settling her affairs?
Or did she think she could overturn the situation with just those Undying Ones?
Ignatz, who had just returned two days ago, slammed the table: "Ignore her. As long as she doesn’t run, let her do whatever she wants. We just need to focus on our part. When the time comes, we send her off."
The others nodded in agreement.
That was the plan.
No matter the losses the Original Accord had suffered before, as long as they could take out Bai Fu, everything would be back on track!
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, the day before Bai Fu and Ignatz's agreed duel arrived.
Over the past month, media across the Explored Universe, Apostolic Holy City, and the Silent League had been hyping up this battle.
As the day drew near, coverage intensified. Many news outlets even launched special programs speculating who would claim final victory.
Some believed Ignatz had the upper hand due to his immense strength and shamelessness.
Others backed Bai Fu because she had calmly accepted Ignatz's challenge.
Amid the heated debates, Bai Fu contacted Ignatz.
"Isn’t it time to tell me the location?"
Ignatz coldly threw her an address.
"It’s the final day. Say your goodbyes to those you're close to. If there's anything you want to do, do it now. You won’t get another chance."
To his mockery, Bai Fu simply replied with two words:
"Heh heh."
She actually wanted to say "bounce back," but that sounded too childish.
"Make sure you bring your soul-type cosmic treasure. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude to the Silent League," Ignatz threatened again.
Bai Fu snorted coldly. "Don’t worry."
The two quickly ended the conversation. Bai Fu then looked at the address Ignatz had sent.
To her surprise, it was Origin Star, not the Original Accord’s headquarters.
Was he afraid their headquarters might get accidentally destroyed in the battle?
Bai Fu quickly shared the location with Yulia and the others.
"Everyone near Origin Star had already been relocated during earlier operations, so we can fight without reservations."
"Given Ignatz’s nature, he must have laid traps nearby. Bai Fu, you must be careful. If you sense that he’s using Myriad Forms, summon us immediately."
All eyes turned to her. Bai Fu nodded.
"I won’t act rashly. Likewise, you must be careful too. If you find yourself targeted by Ignatz during the fight, retreat immediately. This is different from before. If you die this time, it might be for real. In such a chaotic battlefield, it’s unlikely I’ll get a chance to use Heaven’s Ark to revive you."
Yulia and the others all acknowledged her words.
"Once I depart, notify those Undying Ones who completed registration earlier. Tell them a new mission is coming and they should stay in this world and be ready for combat."
Bai Fu gave several more instructions before ending the meeting.
It hadn’t taken long, because she still needed to consult with Dmitri and the others.
After she left the Empire, the Explored Universe might fall into chaos. That’s when Dmitri’s team would need to act.
She didn’t want to return victorious only to find the Explored Universe in flames, wrecked by the Original Accord.
After over a month of recovery, Dmitri had fully healed. He immediately promised he would not fail her.
"That’s all I needed to hear."
A day later.
Bai Fu, fully prepared, set off.
To others, it would take at least two days to reach Origin Star from the Empire, but with her mastery of dimensional projection, it took her just an instant.
"She’s here!"
In a ruin on Origin Star, Ignatz opened his eyes. His gaze locked onto the spatial gate Bai Fu had opened.
A boundless fighting spirit erupted from him.
"Everyone, be ready!"
Ignatz gave the order.
But he didn’t immediately bring out other members of the Original Accord to surround Bai Fu.
It wasn’t time yet.
Bai Fu was too powerful now. Bringing others in would just hand her more kills.
He would wait—wait for her to step into the traps he had laid.
"You came."
Seeing Bai Fu approach rapidly, the martial Qi within Ignatz could no longer be contained. It surged like a tide, dyeing the entire starry sky red.
Beneath his feet, Origin Star—reinforced by Bai Fu multiple times—finally collapsed under the pressure, exploding in the face of his Qi surge.
A planet’s destruction was insignificant in a clash between two supreme transcendent beings, like an ant crushed by a careless giant.
Bai Fu stopped tens of kilometers away from Ignatz.
Behind her stood Hei Fu, her many summoned True Spirits, and her Psionic Legion.
At that moment, she extended her right hand, palm-up, revealing a small "ship model."
"I brought the soul-type cosmic treasure you mentioned. But whether you can kill me—that depends on whether you're capable."
Ignatz stared at Heaven’s Ark for a while, then nodded.
"Seems you didn’t play any tricks. In that case..."
Die!
There was nothing more to say.
Ignatz simply wanted to unleash the killing intent in his heart.
A massive phantom loomed behind him, its fists wrapped in blazing fire, descending like a grinding millstone from the heavens.
The punch crashed directly into Bai Fu’s Psionic Legion. Crimson flames exploded, splitting the legion in two and leaving a searing scar between them that would never fade.
Ultimate power!
Ultimate violence!
Bai Fu did not flinch.
With just a thought, her Psionic Legion instantly returned to full strength, then charged at Ignatz with an earth-shaking war cry.
Ethereal Realm particles surged forth. Countless techniques intertwined, tearing at the energy on Ignatz's body.
Explosions erupted endlessly.
Even someone as formidable as Ignatz could not avoid wounds, his body carved with gashes one after another.
This time, things were different.
The current Bai Fu, after activating her bonus skill, had her instantaneous Inspiration surge past the 100,000 mark.
Even someone like Ignaz, who had made way for her, would feel suffocated by such a number.
"Impossible! How could her strength increase so much in just a month?"
Ignaz stared with wide, shocked eyes.
It was hard for him to accept. He could only suspect that Bai Fu had been deliberately acting weak before, just to toy with him.
Fortunately, while Bai Fu had indeed become stronger, she hadn’t yet reached the level of a qualitative leap.
Which made sense.
If she really had reached such a level, it wouldn’t have been his turn to deal with her—the Reaper would’ve already come down.
So, it didn’t matter.
Ignaz quickly regained his composure. All he needed to do was keep fighting Bai Fu at the current pace. He was certain he would be the final victor.
Seeing that Ignaz wasn’t in a hurry to use 【Thousandfold Aspect】, Bai Fu wasn’t in a rush either.
If Ignaz wanted to drag things out, she was more than happy to use the chance to make him burn through more Sacred Relics.
The Ethereal·God-King and the Majestic Divine Form—two towering giants—kept shattering the massive phantom behind Ignaz, blow after blow, as if splitting heaven and earth.
Along with the shattered phantom, the surrounding space itself cracked and broke. As for asteroids, planets, and stars—they had long been obliterated in the battle’s aftermath, not even a trace left behind.
This region of the dark starry sky, where the Origin Star resided, used to be densely packed with star systems. Now, it had been blasted into a cosmic void.
"Just how many Sacred Relics does this guy have? In just a few minutes, he’s already healed dozens of times. Counting the resources he used earlier when we fought, that’s at least two or three hundred Relics burned—and he hasn’t even furrowed his brows. Don’t tell me I underestimated him?"
Bai Fu lowered her gaze slightly, but her expression remained composed.
She was no longer the naïve Fu of the past.
In terms of attrition, she feared no one now.
Even in pure speed, she wasn’t particularly daunted by Ignaz anymore.
Sure, Ignaz’s Agility stat was 1.5 times higher than her enhanced one, but she had her back-to-back partner Hei Fu helping her, along with Ethereal Realm Descent, force fields, Transcendent Aura, Nine-Attribute Psionic Erosion, and many other buffs. Once Ignaz closed in, his speed would be severely restricted.
Even without using powerful psionic techniques, Bai Fu could hold her own against him in sheer hand-to-hand combat.
"Heh, haven’t seen you in a while. I didn’t expect you to improve this much. Judging by your look, you think you’ve got this in the bag, don’t you?"
After punching back the Ethereal·God-King, Ignaz turned and glanced at Bai Fu. There was no visible emotion on his face—only a chilling, unspoken malice.
"What do you think?"
Bai Fu didn’t respond directly—instead, she let her actions speak for her.
From the shattered space around them, a flood of “ink” suddenly surged forth. The black “ink” gushed out from the area surrounding Ignaz’s body without warning, giving him no time to dodge.
He could only watch helplessly as the “ink” transformed into pitch-black hands that bound both his body and soul.
In the next instant, Bai Fu raised her right hand sharply.
Ethereal particles condensed into a beam and slammed into Ignaz’s head, blasting it into fragments. His body twitched violently, as if strapped into an electric chair under the surge of Ethereal particles.
For any ordinary being, taking such a hit from Bai Fu—even if it didn’t deplete their HP entirely—would trigger a percentage-based HP drop leading to death.
But Ignaz was no ordinary being.
No matter how awful he felt, he quickly recovered his calm, used Qi Surge to dispel the Ethereal particles from his body, and burned through a massive amount of Sacred Relics, forcibly enduring until the percentage-based HP drop effect wore off.
"This is the gap between you and me now."
Bai Fu looked at Ignaz with a calm expression, as if she truly held the upper hand.
Ignaz clenched his teeth so hard they almost shattered.
If he didn’t still have his ultimate trump card, just seeing Bai Fu’s face right now might’ve been enough to send him into a rage-induced death.
And yet, he was furious and unwilling to accept this.
Why? Why had Bai Fu surpassed him in such a short time?!
"If you think that’s enough to defeat me, then you’re underestimating me!"
Ignaz roared and launched a frenzied assault on the Ethereal·God-King.
This scene was broadcasted via the Son of Prophecy’s telepathy to the rest of the Initial Accord.
After the last operation, less than one-fifth of the Transcendents from the Initial Accord were still alive. They watched with wide eyes and pounding hearts, grateful beyond words that they hadn’t foolishly gone to assist Ignaz.
If Bai Fu’s last strike had landed on any of them, they’d be dead for sure.
"What should we do now?"
Nothing!
The Son of Prophecy said, "There’s nothing we can do right now. Just watch. Once the Leader lures Bai Fu into that sealed space—that’s when we act."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Will it work?
They saw the Leader exchange his life to eliminate the Ethereal·God-King, and then successfully stall out the Majestic Divine Form’s duration.
Though it came at great cost, it forced Bai Fu’s main body to descend to the battlefield.
That was promising.
At last, the situation was shifting in their favor.
Soon, Bai Fu noticed something unusual.
First, she saw that Ignaz was subtly retreating in a particular direction.
Second, she noticed changes in her “game map.”
Originally, the area where she and Ignaz were fighting was the ruins of the Origin Star, with a recommended level of “1–275.”
But after some time fighting Ignaz, the recommended level in this new area had changed to “250–275.”
The difference was so glaring that even a fool would sense something was off—let alone Bai Fu, who had been wary of Ignaz from the start.
Was it about to begin?
While continuing her assault to drain Ignaz’s HP, Bai Fu secretly linked with the Double Helix Tree, which had already become a part of her body, ready to summon it remotely at any time.
It wasn’t clear how much time had passed, but the moment they fully entered the new map, Ignaz suddenly flickered and widened the distance between them.
"Bai Fu, I have to admit—if we fought head-on, even if I went all out and staked everything, I’d most likely lose. But..."
Ignaz grinned.
"This duel was mine from the start. No matter how strong you appear now, there’s no way you can win against me!"
"Today, you are destined to die!"
"For the sake of civilization’s continuation!"
"Bai Fu, if you must blame someone, blame the false glory you've become entangled with!"
As his words fell, countless blinding red rays suddenly burst from Ignaz’s body.
In the instant those rays lit up her vision, Bai Fu received a game prompt: she had been locked onto by Ignaz.
So it was finally happening?!
Ignaz began burning through a massive number of Sacred Relics while binding himself to Bai Fu.
He was activating his hidden ability: Thousandfold Aspect.
The moment he used the ability, all the hidden Initial Accord Transcendents began to emerge one after another.
This did not include the Son of Prophecy or the Weaver of Fate—although some time had passed, their injuries hadn’t yet fully healed.
"Bai Fu, you’re finished!"
One pair of eyes after another, brimming with excitement and murderous intent, fixed on Bai Fu from afar.
These suddenly-appearing Transcendents of the Initial Accord were like jackals and wolves waiting for the elephant to die before pouncing in to feast.
Ignaz burst into laughter, eager to see panic or terror on Bai Fu’s face.
But reality shattered his expectations.
Panic?
There wasn’t the slightest trace of it.
Instead, Bai Fu’s face held only a smile—a smile so calm it made one’s heart tighten inexplicably.
"Quite the powerful ability. Even I can’t resist it completely. But this power can’t break apart the Double Helix Tree, so the one who’ll die today... definitely won’t be me!"
Bai Fu summoned without hesitation.
Come forth!
……
At the same time—
In the Empire’s capital star system, billions of light-years away.
Ailijie and the others were seated together. Not long ago, they had sent messages to the Players, notifying them that something big was about to happen.
Since then, they had been discussing the battle situation between Bai Fu and Ignaz.
Although Bai Fu had said she was confident she could thrash Ignaz, and those closely linked to her like Yulia and Shadow Fu also said her aura still remained, the others were still incredibly worried.
Until this moment—
"Boss is calling us!"
Anya shot to her feet, excitement sparkling in her eyes.
Before anyone else could respond, she was the first to accept the summons and left the room, heading toward the Double Helix Tree.
Immediately afterward, Ailijie, Scarlet Leaf (Golden Dew), Cecia, and the others all moved in succession.
This was the most critical point in today’s battle. No one could afford to drop the ball!
In the blink of an eye, the massive conference room was left empty.
And it wasn’t just Anya and those concerned about Bai Fu’s safety who moved swiftly.
The Players—who had been notified in advance that something big would happen today—were no exception.
【A remote summons from Fufu? Damn, something huge is going down today】
【Isn’t Fufu fighting Ignaz? Is this summon calling us to take on Ignaz?!】
【No way. With our current strength, how are we supposed to fight Ignaz? Didn’t we already try? Even with tens of millions of us, we still weren’t his match】
【Who cares—Fufu can fight whoever she wants. All we need to do is show up】
【Charge, brothers! We must complete this mission beautifully this time—our guild can’t afford to lose face again】
Amid the chaotic chatter, a massive number of Players accepted Bai Fu’s long-distance summons and headed straight for the battlefield.
……
"It’s now!"
As the dazzling light enveloped both him and Bai Fu, despite his confusion and unease, Ignaz immediately summoned the other members of the Initial Accord to join him in eliminating Bai Fu.
It was almost time.
Bai Fu was about to die by his hands. In all the known regions of the universe, no one would be able to stop him after that.
Ignaz was filled with anticipation.
But to his surprise, even after waiting a while, the Transcendents from the Initial Accord still hadn’t arrived.
Could it be…
A bad premonition suddenly arose in Ignaz’s heart.
When the light faded and he looked around—sure enough, those people had been stopped.
And the ones blocking them were unmistakably Bai Fu’s companions.
Ignaz’s expression changed drastically.
"How did you summon them?!"
He had anticipated that Bai Fu wouldn’t obediently come alone. That’s why he’d had the Son of Prophecy secretly monitoring Anya and the others’ movements, and had gone to great lengths to lure Bai Fu into a special sealed space.
By all logic, it should have been impossible for Bai Fu to summon anyone here.
But Bai Fu had done it anyway.
And not only had she done it—she’d done it perfectly.
With just one glance, Ignaz could tell his people were already at a disadvantage. Though they wouldn’t be eliminated in the short term, prolonged combat would inevitably lead to heavy casualties.
Once the Transcendents of the Initial Accord died, it would be his turn next.
Just now, he had used Thousandfold Aspect to split himself and Bai Fu into billions of instances, causing both of their tiers to plummet—so much so that they weren’t even at Calamity-grade anymore.
In this state, he stood no chance against the people Bai Fu had summoned.
He could forcibly cancel the Thousandfold Aspect effect early, but doing so would mean facing Bai Fu’s real body with his own—and he’d still lose.
"Bai Fu, don’t think you’ve already won. I still have a chance! As long as I kill you before they get here, then victory is mine!"
Ignaz roared, descending into near-madness.
Billions of his instances charged at Bai Fu all at once, each one simultaneously unleashing a secret technique that burned away their life force, vowing to kill her in the shortest time possible.
Facing the oncoming Ignaz swarm, Bai Fu stood firm and unafraid.
"Ignaz, we could’ve coexisted peacefully. It was your pride that doomed you."
She waved her hand.
Suddenly, this dimly lit, sealed space rippled with abnormal fluctuations.
One… two… three… more and more…
Ignaz lunged forward with all his might, only to find himself slamming into something solid.
When he looked up, horror filled his eyes—blocking his path were the Undying Ones.
Tens of millions of Undying Ones, shielding the tens of millions of Bai Fus behind them!
"No!"
In the moment he saw that, billions of Ignaz cried out in despair.
He already knew how this would end.
Even if he killed off all the other Bai Fus, as long as those tens of millions survived, he was guaranteed to lose.
Ignaz couldn’t accept it.
His mental state completely collapsed.
But Bai Fu paid him no mind. She immediately issued a mission to the Players.
【Kill Ignaz】
The Players who had just arrived didn’t know where they were, or even what was happening. All they knew was that Bai Fu had issued them a new faction main quest.
What more needed to be said?
【My broadsword is itching for blood!】
One by one, the summoned Players looked excitedly toward Ignaz.
Let the slaughter begin!