Chapter 249 Reality

"Tsukikage…?" Sol said quietly, caressing his bruised throat.

"On your feet, Sol!" Tsukikage yelled.

There was still no emotion present on the draconic emperor's expression as he stood in supremacy within his domain. Throughout all of their effort in the first clash, not a single blemish had laid itself on the snow-white skin of the emperor.

Jeong-Hui found himself nearly keeling over from the anguish in the losses of comrades, though held himself together sheerily through will. The same couldn't be said for Eunji, who fell to her knees, holding her mouth as her eyes trembled in shock.

Noticing this, Jeong-Hui was about to rush over to get her to move, but noticing that the emperor's gaze found the girl as well, he opted to blink–

However, not even his blink step was fast enough as in that simple gap between his brain processing a command and his body enacting it, Emperor Jiao-Long was already at the young woman's position.

"Eunji!" He yelled.

Nobody else was close enough to help her or to even attempt intercepting the path of the seemingly unbeatable foe; Sol was still halfway through picking himself up and Yeong-Un was helping Ma-Ri up.

…It's no use! I can't make it! Please–please, body! Give me something! Jeong-Hui begged.

As the emperor's merciless fist neared the anguished girl, it was unexpectedly intercepted by another force.

[Guozhi | Level 50]

The man held cosmic irises and snow-white hair, managing to negate the force behind the Great Emperor's fist as it met his palm with a suppressed impact.

"...Hrm? What is this?" Emperor Jiao-Long asked in quiet surprise.

"Zeus."

Without an answer arriving, the word sounded out from a figure behind the perplexed emperor, surprising the figure as bolts of azure lightning struck the draconic being, leaving burn marks on his back.

"Ghh…" Emperor Jiao-Long winced.

The source of the attack came from the dark-skinned man dressed in lavish robes, who held a single finger forward.

[Mallan | Level 50]

It was a welcome surprise to Jeong-Hui, who witnessed the uncoordinated combination from the two highest level players.

For the first time, a mark was left on the sculpted body of the emperor.

There was hope. Still, being able to have any effect on one's opponent was the bare minimum, but it was achieved,

"I see. There are worthy warriors among your kind," the emperor said.

Guozhi only responded with a forward palm-strike that didn't touch the royal foe, but still blasted him back against the furthest wall with a devastating impact.

"Don't underestimate humanity," Guozhi stated.

The three players unaffiliated with Gangcheori stood together; Mallan and Tsukikage at the side of the Xianxia System user's side.

Only down for a moment, the stoic emperor picked himself up from the rubble, brushing the debris off of his pearly form before setting his sights on the three.

"I see. If I eliminate you three, the rest will have no chance of victory," the emperor deduced.

—

While the others clashed with the emperor, Gangcheori grouped up as Yeong-Un and Sol brought Ma-Ri over to where Eunji, Archie, and Jeong-Hui were at.

"She needs help…!" Sol yelled.

The leader of Gangcheori's skull was split by the earlier strike from the emperor, leaving blood spewing down her face.

As Eunji looked up, she only lost it further at the horrific state of Ma-Ri.

"Why…?! Why did it go like this?!" Eunji panicked, holding her own head.

Even if Jeong-Hui could understand why she would be losing her cool like she was, it simply wasn't the time. Perhaps it was his own System altering his way of handling emotion, but right now he needed to be pragmatic.

"Eunji, she needs your–"

Again, not even a single moment of reprieve was able to be found as a blur passed in front of him. As he perceived it, the glasses-wearing girl was turned into nothing more than a red mist as the emperor appeared in front of him, holding the girl's head.

"It was easy to deduce," the emperor calmly said.

"Huh…? What…?" Jeong-Hui quietly let out in shock.

The Great Emperor tossed Eunji's head down, "The way you brought your injured to her; this one was your medic. I have dealt with them; that eliminates your means of rejuvenation."

"You bastard–!!!"

Unleashing forward in a blind rage, Yeong-Un engulfed both of his blades in red-hot flames, swinging them towards the seraphic emperor.

Inhaling deeply, the Great Emperor's lungs overpowered the blaze itself, sucking it in as he consumed the flame casually.

"What the–?!" Yeong-un let out.

After letting out a quiet exhale that released smoke, the emperor clearly planned to counterattack, though was intercepted by an array of fists that were formed by azure, destructive energy, pelting against the emperor's chest with visible impacts that knocked him back.

"Shiva," Mallan called upon.

While only light marks, there was some amount of damage inflicted on the scaled torso of the draconic emperor, who landed on his feet with his ever-bored expression.

Though the merciless foe wasn't given a second to breath as Guozhi had already leapt above him, slamming his palm downward as an invisible strike plummeted down on the emperor's position.

The unseen force carried a devastating amount of power within it as even the Great Emperor found himself strained, struggling to maintain his upward stance before the quartz floor caved in beneath his feet, burying him within it.

"...Eunji…" Jeong-Hui muttered in disbelief.

With emerald eyes laden with shock, he looked down at his hands that were soaked in the girl's blood, finding the same crimson staining his black attire.

Yeong-Un and Sol felt just as defeated, with Sol panicking at Ma-Ri's state, which left her already at death's door. The sight of blood didn't evoke the system slumbering within him at first as grief was at the forefront of his mind, making him blind to anything else in that moment.

"Ma-Ri…Ma-Ri! Please…! Please, somebody!" Sol cried.

[It couldn't have gone any worse. On that day, I received a grim reminder: "God" didn't want us to win. All of this was made to make sure none of us made it.]

This was reality.

This wasn't a story about the last bastion of humanity winning simply through their resolve; this was what happened in the face of true power.