The goblin army didn't charge forward. The vast sea of short green figures stood motionless, some even lying on the ground. Lu Ce looked around hazily, his rationality finally returning somewhat.
What had he just done?
Had he almost become a god?!
Checking his personal panel, the Godslayer Medal was glowing from top to bottom. This first medal he'd obtained had really been through the wringer. Even though he was standing firmly on the ground, Lu Ce still felt like he was on a rollercoaster, completely disoriented.
But he had this feeling - that thing, that voice calling itself [Life], seemed to have disappeared.
Had he won?
Before he could figure it out, he started vomiting again. Torrents of green blood gushed out like water through a broken dam. Judging by the volume, it was practically his entire blood supply. Warm liquid flowed from all seven orifices - beneath his mask, he was probably bleeding from every facial opening.
Looking at the Hourglass of Life in his hand, the thing was behaving absurdly now, with no clear up or down - sand flowed downward one moment, then flew upward the next! Lu Ce's formerly robust physique, arguably the world's strongest, had withered to skin and bones.
Even after gulping down a high-grade potion, he immediately vomited it back up completely unchanged. Lu Ce let out a bitter laugh.
Lu Ce understood - this was the price for a mortal attempting to become a "god."
Then, the earthquake came.
The entire underground tunnel began shaking. From his recent impersonation, Lu Ce's memory now recognized what this place truly was.
Not a tunnel.
A blood vessel.
A god's blood vessel!
And now, perhaps alarmed by Lu Ce's terrifying, out-of-control state, that voice had decided to self-destruct - sacrificing one of the god's blood vessels to bury Lu Ce here.
This wasn't an earthquake.
The blood vessel was contracting!
Staggering to his feet, Lu Ce tried running toward the exit. But in his current state, he'd likely be crushed by the rapidly shrinking vessel. This was a god's blood vessel - he doubted his body could withstand it.
Unconsciously, a metal sphere flew from his backpack. It expanded rapidly mid-air, spinning twice before transforming into a menacing black iron motorcycle.
—The Black Knight.
Its wheels sparked against the blood vessel's surface as it tersely uttered two words:
"Get on!"
Without waiting for response, it charged over, scooping up the near-dead Lu Ce and securing him with metal plating.
"Can you go fast enough? Don't get me killed..." Lu Ce still found breath to taunt.
"Less talk when you're dying. Hold on - you think I earned my Legendary rank for nothing?"
"Emergency protocol - can't worry about your body's limits now."
With that, the Black Knight accelerated through the contracting vessel, reaching supersonic speed in two seconds - a velocity never before attempted with a passenger.
The goblins didn't obstruct them, but stood frozen until impact reduced them to pulp! The Black Knight staged a brutal motocross performance, splattering green fluids everywhere.
Too weak to even feel the potion's effects, Lu Ce simply slumped forward, trusting the machine.
"Damn...how're you this fast..."
Black Knight: ......
Outside, identical quakes shook the ground.
The goblin army lost all will to fight as the earth trembled and walls collapsed like Armageddon. Multiple eyes turned toward Xie Antong, who instantly knew Lu Ce must have done something extraordinary.
Pressing her earpiece:
"Hello?"
"Done." Lu Ce's voice came through, weak and clipped.
Xie Antong's pupils contracted - something was wrong! Even when flayed alive and drenched in blood, "Sin" had always radiated strength. But now...
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she pressed urgently.
"Hurt. But still strong enough to stop any backstabbing attempts."
Xie Antong: ......
They say dying men speak kindly.
Judging by his attitude, he wasn't dying anytime soon.
When silence persisted, Xie Antong decisively turned and shouted:
"Now! Attack those walls—"
Her command died mid-sentence.
The entire prison population had gone mad.
The goblin army stood weaponized but catatonic, their former ferocity vanished. Prisoners had perished by the dozens; survivors now stood frozen with flickering eyes - some screaming while clutching their heads, others dancing wildly or kneeling tearfully.
Of the three leaders:
The warden and guards knelt dying, murmuring privately.
Meanwhile, Know-it-All had stacked dead goblins into a makeshift stool, sitting blankly atop them.
The prison's atmosphere had inverted completely, leaving only the remaining players exchanging bewildered glances.
Then the quakes intensified. Just as Xie Antong's group struggled to stand, a thunderous explosion erupted.
The ground burst open in massive collapse as a black-grey figure shot upward - the Black Knight had escaped the contracting vessel at the last possible second.
After a mid-air flip and wall-assisted turn, it materialized before Xie Antong instantly.
"Oh, you're here too."
"Take him then. Probably not dead yet. Inject something."
Before Xie Antong could react, a skeletal figure was deposited at her feet.
—"Sin"!
Her pupils trembled at his distorted mask and visibly emaciated frame.
"What...what did he just do?!"
"Oh," the Black Knight pondered, "Shattered one of god's blood vessels, I think?"