Chapter 398: A Complete Victory, the End of the Original Accord
Tens of millions of Players surged toward the opposing Ignatz.
In the past, no matter how hard they fought, they couldn't even scratch Ignatz.
But after using Myriad Forms, the fragmented versions of Ignatz weren’t even Calamity-class.
Is that it? Is that all?
Though they didn’t understand why Ignatz ended up like this, the Players didn’t care to think too deeply.
They just wanted revenge. They just wanted to enjoy the fight!
They hadn't forgotten how they were brutally beaten by Ignatz at the Original Accord headquarters and on the Imperial Capital Star.
"Heh, Ignatz, right? Weren't you real tough before? Go on, act tough one more time for grandpa."
Though Ignatz still held an S+-class rank, his actual burst strength barely rivaled some of the weaker Calamity-class foes.
If he were facing an average Calamity-class NPC, even after being tricked, he might still have had a chance to escape.
Unfortunately, he was facing Players—more ruthless and more reckless than he was!
Empowered by the dual buffs from the Apostolic Holy City's massive spell and the battle domain of the Supernova Warband, the Players unleashed their abilities. They easily thrashed the Ignatz before them, leaving him in shambles.
"Is this your limit? Looks pretty lame to me. Alright, time to send you off!"
Some Players gleefully emptied Ignatz's HP bar and then lunged toward the next one.
Bastards, bastards!
Ignatz was consumed with fury. But no matter how he roared, howled, or unleashed his power, he couldn't change his pitiful state of being pummeled by Players—even healer-class Players.
The gap between both sides was simply too vast.
Even though he had the upper hand in his fight against Bai Fu, so what?
Unless he killed every single Bai Fu on the field, once the disassembly time of Myriad Forms ended and Bai Fu reassembled, all his efforts would be in vain.
Clearly, if the battle continued on this trajectory without change, he would never be able to eliminate all the Bai Fus.
Millions of Bai Fus were being protected by the Undying Ones, and he couldn’t beat them at all.
Sure, he could temporarily redirect more of his own selves to deal with the Undying Ones.
But for every version of himself he pulled away, a Bai Fu would be left unattended. And those unguarded Bai Fus would immediately run to assist others.
One S+-class Bai Fu couldn’t beat one of him. But two S+-class Bai Fus could beat him until he cried for his mom.
Ignatz was about to explode.
He was truly stuck in an impossible dilemma.
What now, what now, what now?
Wait!
Ignatz had an idea.
He still had one last move.
It came at a great cost, but if he could eliminate Bai Fu and survive, then it was worth it.
Burn it all!
As the Players were going wild with their attacks, something strange happened.
Ignatz began to glow. Every single version of him lit up.
"What is this..."
Bai Fu and all the Players noticed a new status added behind Ignatz’s name.
[Overload]
"How many Sacred Relics did he just burn at once? With just an S+-class body, how can he possibly endure the impact of that much power?"
Bai Fu was shocked.
But she quickly understood what Ignatz was trying to do.
As the radiant burst flared, both she and Ignatz returned to their original forms from the fragmented state.
That state didn’t last long.
In the next instant, Ignatz used Myriad Forms again. This time, he not only targeted Bai Fu, but also the Players Bai Fu had summoned.
Normally, he shouldn’t have been able to use Myriad Forms twice in such a short span.
But by burning massive amounts of Sacred Relics and damaging his body, he forcibly reset the skill cooldown.
Bai Fu's expression turned peculiar.
Ignatz's plan was excellent.
Had it been anyone else, this maneuver could have turned the tide.
Once a Calamity-class was fragmented into tens of billions of parts, the resulting fragments likely wouldn't even reach C-rank.
Even with a massive number of such weak enemies, he could easily wipe them all out with a single spit.
But he was dealing with Players!
Game mechanics wouldn’t allow a Player to be split into tens of billions. And even if they were, those billions would act independently.
If that were possible, Players could abuse this bug to farm XP and quests endlessly, severely shortening the game’s lifespan.
As expected.
When the Players were hit with Myriad Forms, they weren’t split like Bai Fu.
Instead, their HP bars were instantly wiped. They died on the spot and were sent back to the Respawn Point.
It was worth noting that once Players registered as People of the Ethereal, the Double Helix Tree—which stood next to Bai Fu—became one of their selectable Respawn Points.
Thus, Ignatz witnessed a terrifying sight:
The Players who had dropped like autumn leaves under the effect of Myriad Forms reappeared beside Bai Fu like bamboo shoots after rain.
Each one looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
Well, not exactly. They were angrier now.
"What the hell, how did I die?"
"You son of a bitch, you dared kill me!"
"Stab you, stab you, stab you!"
Ignatz lost it.
"Impossible!"
He screamed in panic.
After all that effort, nothing had changed.
Bai Fu shook her head quietly.
Had Ignatz embraced the Players instead of losing composure over one remark from her, would he have fallen this far?
This was the fate of those who failed to embrace the tide of the times.
Whether you accepted it or not, the tide would always leave those who couldn’t keep up far behind.
"Alright then, let’s keep going!"
Encouraged by Bai Fu, the Players launched another assault.
Ignatz fought desperately, but by now, the situation was completely beyond salvation.
He had cosmic treasures, and so did Bai Fu. He had powerful tools, and so did she.
With each exchange, both their numbers dwindled. But Bai Fu always held the advantage—and it kept growing.
No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, Ignatz understood: this time, he had lost.
As Bai Fu predicted, at that moment, he decided to take everyone down with him.
He swiftly canceled the second use of Myriad Forms and widened the gap between himself and Bai Fu.
"Bai Fu, watch closely. This is my final move, just for you!"
Ignatz called out to the Son of Prophecy in his heart.
Not to ask him to spread the existence of the Reapers.
In a matter of life and death, he didn’t believe the Son of Prophecy would go that far for him.
He just wanted to use the Son of Prophecy as a conduit to activate the contingency he had prepared in advance.
But even after several seconds, there was no response.
"What’s going on?"
Ignatz looked up sharply. In the distance, Bai Fu didn’t pursue him. She simply stood there smiling at him.
His heart sank.
Finally, he realized the problem.
This space he was in was no longer the same sealed environment as before. It had already been corrupted by the Ethereal Realm.
This was Bai Fu's home turf!
In fact, Bai Fu had used Hick’s Esper Power, and Anya was also monitoring nearby soul waves, ensuring no messages could get through.
"Be a good boy and die."
Bai Fu charged straight at him.
By now, Ignatz had no other cards to play. He could only fight back head-on.
Inside a space overlaid with the Ethereal Realm and filled with debuffs, where he was already weaker than Bai Fu, he became even more suppressed.
They unleashed all their powers, shaking the heavens, shattering stars.
In the end, even Ignatz’s proudest hand-to-hand combat skills were no match for Bai Fu.
His body was covered in cracks. It heaved with every breath. He tried to unleash more power, but his body could no longer endure the shock of Sacred Relics.
He could only watch helplessly as Bai Fu summoned a black hand and grasped him tightly.
"Graaahhhhhh!"
With a soul-shaking scream, Ignatz’s body shattered completely, scattering into countless glowing feathers.
Those feathers contained all kinds of energies.
They were the energy stored in Sacred Relics painstakingly collected by the Original Accord over thousands of years.
Everyone present, including the tens of millions of Players, felt as if they were dreaming.
They stared at those light feathers, and at the fleeting images within them.
Everything had happened so suddenly, and vanished just as suddenly.
But when the feathers were gone, it was as if they had lived through hundreds or thousands of lifetimes.
Those lives had fought for a noble goal.
They had once conquered death. Even after dying again, they turned themselves into fuel to help future generations shine.
Surely, back then, they never imagined their legacy would serve only to make Ignatz more dazzling, and not help the path they had pursued at all.
"Bai Fu, you’ll regret this. Daring to face the Reapers head-on—you will regret it!"
Ignatz's final words reached Bai Fu's ears.
She paid them no mind.
Regret?
Don’t be ridiculous.
“Even at my worst, I wouldn’t be worse than you. After all, you were planning to drag the entire universe down with you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Fu received the notification for killing Ignatz.
In an instant, she completed several quests at once, gaining a massive amount of XP, Ignatz’s skill card, his body-tempering skill, several cosmic treasures, multiple colored prayer cards, and even the crafting methods for some special items from the Original Accord.
But none of that mattered anymore.
With Ignatz’s death, Bai Fu now stood at the pinnacle of the universe.
What she needed to consider now wasn’t further improving her strength, but rather eliminating the remaining remnants of the Original Accord—before they tried to copy Ignatz’s self-destruction stunt.
Then, she would help Ailijie grow stronger and unlock new permissions for the mysterious code.
Meals are eaten one bite at a time. The road is walked one step at a time.
First, Bai Fu decided to wipe out the group fighting Anya and the others, then properly reward the Players.
However, just as she turned around, she witnessed something outrageous.
“Uh?”
Wait a minute, hadn’t they won? Why did the Players all look like they were mourning?
She only had to listen for a few seconds to understand.
【What the heck, where’s Fufu? I had so many Fufus, how come it’s back to just one again?】
【Ahhhh! I thought from now on everyone would live the good life with a personal Fufu!】
Bai Fu: “……”
She strode over and slapped each of the transcendent-level Original Accord members still tangled with Anya and the others, knocking them all unconscious.
These people were already on the losing end—now with her joining the fight, Anya and the others quickly finished them off.
“Boss, are you okay?”
Anya blinked her big eyes, nervously watching Bai Fu.
Bai Fu shook her head and casually dispelled the space overlap. “I’m fine. Let’s head ba—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her communicator suddenly rang.
A stranger?
“Who is it?”
Bai Fu asked.
“I am the Weaver of Fate from the Original Accord.”
Huh?
Bai Fu raised her eyebrows slightly. “How do you know I won?”
The Weaver of Fate said, “Just now, Ignatz’s lifeline was severed.”
“So…”
“I’m here to surrender on behalf of the Original Accord.”
“You can speak for them?”
“I’ve already eliminated the Son of Prophecy. The others who disagreed—I killed them too. I’ve also dismantled all of the Leader’s previous preparations. You don’t need to worry about the existence of the Reapers leaking out. Also, I’ve organized all the research data the Original Accord collected on the Reapers over the years. It’s ready for you to collect.”
Huh?
Bai Fu was momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t expected the Weaver of Fate to act so swiftly.
If he wasn’t lying, then even without using space-overlapping methods to seal the area, Ignatz’s self-destruction would’ve failed regardless.
That guy truly lost, completely and utterly.
Bai Fu agreed on a time to meet with the Weaver of Fate, then returned with Anya, the others, and the Players.
Now was not the time for idle chatter.
From the moment she departed for Origin Star, large-scale attacks had erupted across multiple regions of the Explored Universe.
The targets were people close to her, and the attackers were either enemies, opportunists, or those trying to curry favor with Ignatz.
Most people had believed Ignatz would be the last one standing in her duel against him.
And since they assumed he’d win—of course they had to act accordingly.
Among the most vicious were some of Bai Fu’s old acquaintances.
Like Eternal Investment, whose founder had just been taken out, and the Saints, whose “bros” Bai Fu had slain one after another.
These people went all in with ruthless ferocity.
“Haha! Kill! Anyone siding with Bai Fu better be ready to die!”
They were drunk on the thrill of abuse.
But they never imagined the duel’s victor would be Bai Fu.
Not until she appeared before them in person.
“Y-you… weren’t you fighting Ignatz? How are you here?!”
The Saint’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Bai Fu smiled and winked at this long-time adversary, someone she had never truly fought until now.
“Ignatz wouldn’t let me go easily. And yet here I am. Obviously, I won. I killed him.”
“Impossible!”
The Saint screamed, on the verge of a breakdown.
Bai Fu ignored his hysteria, used her Ethereal Realm force field to seize him, and—right in front of countless onlookers and livestream cameras—crushed him into bloody pulp.
That was how she announced her return.
Bai Fu had won. Ignatz had lost.
This news swept through the Explored Universe, the Apostolic Holy City, and the Silent League like a terrifying whirlwind.
Some rejoiced. Others despaired.
Elsewhere, attackers began fleeing like madmen.
Those who hadn’t acted yet started preparing to run, trembling with fear.
Others who once had decent relations with Bai Fu—like Thunderblade or a certain figure within the Empire—hurried to call private meetings with their circles.
The winds had shifted.
This wind would reshape the balance of power across the universe. They had to act fast.
While others scrambled for contingency plans, Bai Fu took the Players to a celebration and sent Hei Fu to the Original Accord headquarters to meet the Weaver of Fate.
“So fast?”
Seeing Hei Fu arrive so quickly, the Weaver of Fate was startled.
He didn’t play any tricks. He obediently handed over all the research data and even took Hei Fu to verify the deaths of the Son of Prophecy and the others.
Hei Fu nodded in satisfaction. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?”
When asked, the Weaver of Fate’s gaze darkened.
At this point, all he wanted was the Original Accord.
It was the dream of those first seekers of truth, and of all who joined under its call.
“Please do your utmost to resolve the crisis of the Reapers’ arrival.”
The Weaver of Fate respectfully performed the Empire’s highest ceremonial salute to Bai Fu.
Then, under Hei Fu’s watch, he walked alone to the depths of the Original Accord headquarters—
—and ended his own life.
It was something he had wanted to do ever since he realized he had chosen the wrong leader.
Staring at the now-dust-filled headquarters, Hei Fu shook her head.
Fate was truly unpredictable.
Hei Fu returned to the Imperial Capital Star with the materials the Weaver of Fate had handed over.
She assigned teams to begin researching the data. Then, as promised, she released Audoak.
She still needed Audoak and Dmitri to help stabilize the Empire’s situation.
Once the Empire was stabilized, the Supernova Warband and Titan Industries would likely follow.
After all, the Warband’s Chief Fitz had returned, and Thunderblade had taken over as President of Titan Industries.
Bai Fu needed a stable alliance of the three universal-level civilizations to help her deal with the coming crisis of the Reapers.
The chaos gradually settled.
The former tripartite balance of power had shifted to a four-way standoff.
On the 19th of April, Imperial Calendar Year 30006, Audoak officially announced his abdication, passing the throne to Bai Fu—the Empire’s savior.
Though Bai Fu accepted the throne, she didn’t move into the Imperial Capital Star. Instead, she established an offline monarchy, leaving all state affairs to the former Senate, now restructured as the Parliament.
She had no interest in day-to-day governance.
Accepting the crown simply gave her the rightful authority to mobilize resources from the Silent League and the Empire.
After a grand coronation and a ceremony honoring war heroes, Bai Fu devoted herself to helping Ailijie grow stronger.
Every day, she was either conducting research with Ailijie, running experiments with Anya and the others, or occasionally attending academic seminars. Her life was full and busy.
And just like that, time flew by to the 4th year of the New Imperial Calendar.
After enjoying an abundance of benefits from Bai Fu, Ailijie finally grinded her level back up to 274.
With everything ready, Bai Fu decided it was time to unlock Level II permissions of the mysterious code.