“Great End Watcher, Yaxiu Heath! The good follow you, the evil admire you! The light yearns for you, and the dark hopes for you! You are an existence transcending all things, the color cast by God upon all creation!”
“Great End Watcher, Yaxiu Heath...”
Sitting on a cold stone throne, Yaxiu looked at the large crowd of strange figures in black robes kneeling before him, kowtowing and praying. Beneath his cold, stern expression, he was panicking like mad.
He couldn't be blamed. After all, just a second ago, his memories had been stuck in that damned mobile game company, pulling an all-nighter until dawn to contribute surplus value; the next second, he had suddenly arrived in this strange underground hall to receive worship from a crowd. Anyone in his shoes would have struggled to process it.
Even more wondrous was that Yaxiu understood their language as naturally as his mother tongue. Without any need to pause and translate, he grasped their meaning directly. As he gradually calmed down, he quickly reached a conclusion: he had transmigrated, and it was a soul transmigration into someone with the exact same name.
Ever since he was young, many people had told him his name sounded fantasy-like, but Yaxiu had never imagined he would actually end up in such a bizarre and fantastical world one day.
Yet he had never borne the surname Heath, and it was precisely because of this that he could quickly determine he wasn't dreaming.
Not only were their names the same, but their looks also seemed nearly identical. Furthermore, by wiggling basic components like his fingers and toes, Yaxiu found no abnormality in how his body felt. It was as if this were his original hardware, everything moving so smoothly and naturally that Yaxiu couldn't help suspecting he had transmigrated into a parallel-universe version of himself.
For convenience, and because they shared the same given name, Yaxiu mentally dubbed the body's original owner “Heath.”
Yet these thoughts offered no help to his current situation, for Yaxiu realized Heath hadn't left him the most important thing of all.
Namely, memories.
Yes, memories!
It was as if the transmigration had casually formatted Heath's memories as well. Yaxiu had no idea what to do next, forced to maintain an expression of calm tinged with a touch of wicked charm for fear of exposing a flaw.
Never mind how reverent the people below the stone throne appeared; if Yaxiu slipped up, they would be as cruel when they turned hostile as they were deferential now. After all, in their eyes, an “evil otherworld spirit” like Yaxiu had erased the soul of Holy Son Heath and possessed his body, making him a true arch-sinner. Given their intense religious fanaticism, Yaxiu had no illusions that claiming “Actually, I'm a victim too” would win any sympathy from them.
Sitting here indefinitely wasn't an option either, and Yaxiu was already having trouble holding the faint, enigmatic smile on his face.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
A low, heavy tremor suddenly echoed through the underground hall. Overjoyed, the black-robed figures prostrated themselves, pressing their foreheads to the ground as they shouted in unison:
“We pray for the Lord's descent!”
Thinking an earthquake had struck, Yaxiu tried to stand up, only to find his rear end stuck to the stone seat as though glued down, unable to rise no matter what. Suddenly, a brilliant, dazzling light illuminated his eyes. He looked up and saw four streaks of radiant rainbow light manifest in midair, bathing the hall in color and endless warmth.
“Great End Watcher, Yaxiu Heath!”
They spoke in unison, as if tens of thousands of voices were speaking together: “Sole pure one in a murky, dim world, last hero of the vast earth, you shoulder the heavy responsibility of saving the world and the mission to deliver all living beings!”
“We shall cross the Silver Heavenly Wheel to grant you strength! We shall shatter the Golden Scales to safeguard your glory! Holy is your name, your will is our will, and your kingdom is the haven of bliss for all living things!”
“Yaxiu Heath!”
Without realizing it, Yaxiu found himself down on one knee, bowing his head respectfully as he awaited the moment glory descended.
The red ball of light on the far left spoke: “I am the Lord of Countless Radiance, sovereign over battle, courage, and honor! I bestow upon you the Angel of Strength to sweep away all your enemies!”
A winged female angel holding a spear flew before Yaxiu. Clad in crimson battle armor, she was merely the size of a finger, yet exuded an imposing aura; Yaxiu felt as though he could see mountains of corpses and seas of blood within her eyes.
The second blue ball of light from the left said: “I am the Monarch of Wind, Rain, and Snow, sovereign over strategy, change, and destiny! I bestow upon you the Angel of Wisdom to aid you in achieving all your goals!”
A female angel wearing a blue hat and holding a notebook flew in front of Yaxiu. She, too, was merely finger-sized, her gaze deep as though concealing infinite knowledge.
The second green ball of light from the right said: “I am the Heart of Eternal Heat, sovereign over life, equality, and sharing. I bestow upon you the Angel of Life to ensure you eternal health!”
A luminous green female angel resembling a little girl flew before Yaxiu. Adorable in appearance, she was surrounded by a glowing green halo that filled one with immense warmth and relaxation.
The pink ball of light on the far right said: “I am the Soul of Phantasmal Freedom, sovereign over love, pleasure, and the arts. I bestow upon you the Angel of Joy to make your charm transcendent!”
A gorgeous pink female angel flew before Yaxiu. Graceful in figure and with a captivating, soul-snatching gaze, she seemed to be the most beautiful being in the world despite being merely the size of a finger.
The four angels fluttered around Yaxiu, bathing him in dazzling, resplendent radiance. At that instant, Yaxiu felt boundless power welling up inside him. His body was brimming with energy, his spirits soared with delight, and countless plans formed in his mind. Everything felt wondrous beyond measure!
The Lord of Countless Radiance, the Monarch of Wind, Rain, and Snow, the Heart of Eternal Heat, and the Soul of Phantasmal Freedom spoke at once: “Favored hero of destiny, watcher who sees through cause and effect, go forth to forge miracles and save the world!”
With sounds like bursting bubbles, the four descended deities gradually dissipated. Yet the underground hall remained bright, for Yaxiu, accompanied by the four angels, was practically a walking rainbow.
Yaxiu clenched his fists, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile overflowing with confidence.
Who would have thought? Who would have thought! He had assumed this sudden transmigration was a giant trap, but it was actually a perk! He had become this world's hero, blessed by four deities and backed by countless devout followers—what a marvelous script!
Next up: defeat monsters, save the world, marry the most beautiful princess, become the king of this world, and reach the pinnacle of life!
Thud!
A loud crash came from the ceiling. The black-robed follower at the very front said, “Hero, the Bloodmad Hunters have tracked us down! Now we can only rely on you to repel them!”
Bloodmad Hunters? That sounded like villains right off the bat. Guessing they were just tutorial trash mobs meant for him to farm reputation and get used to his skills, Yaxiu boldly drew the longsword at his waist and declared proudly, “Wherever my blade points, none can stand before me! Let these Bloodmad Hunters be the first souls to fall to my sword! Men, lead the way!”
“No need. We'll come down ourselves.”
With a deafening boom, the ceiling of the underground hall blew right open!
Yaxiu looked up and saw a group of enemies wielding blood-patterned longswords, dressed in silver trench coats and hunting hats, leaping down from above!
“Come at me!”
Yaxiu roared:
“Strength!”
“Wisdom!”
“Life!”
“Joy!”
The four angels bestowed their blessings upon Yaxiu simultaneously. At this moment, Yaxiu felt as though he could cleave an enemy in half with a single swing! Fearless, he let out a bellow, sprang into the air, and slashed his sword toward the foremost Bloodmad Hunter, carving out a sharp wave of air-piercing sword energy!
With the blessing of the gods, I've become this powerful!
Now that I have a defensive barrier protecting me and an endless supply of stamina, let's see who can defeat me!
Just as Yaxiu was gloating inwardly, he heard the Bloodmad Hunter opposite him sneer.
“Is that it?”
A savage grin spread across the Bloodmad Hunter's face. With a casual flick of his longsword, the blade instantly transformed into a chain sword several meters long, unleashing a multi-meter arc of blood-red sword energy!
Yaxiu's sword energy was swallowed in an instant, and the defensive barrier around him shattered on impact. The entire underground hall was cleaved open by the Bloodmad Hunter's single strike, a massive fissure cracking open right beneath Yaxiu's feet!
Watching the other man utterly overpower him in the blink of an eye, Yaxiu couldn't even process it for a moment. “How is this possible...”
“You're nothing more than someone holding four two-winged chaos sorcery spirits—and they aren't even your own. Where do you get the nerve to fight me, a Three-Winged Sanctuary?”
With a whoosh of howling wind, three wings sprouted from the Bloodmad Hunter's back: a silver wing, a golden wing, and an iridescent wing!
He snapped the chain sword back into its longsword form and lunged into Yaxiu's chest like a flying dragon, skewering right through him and pinning him to the stone throne!
Yaxiu was forced to sit back down.
Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he stared blankly as the Bloodmad Hunter unhooked a small lantern from his waist. Activating it through some unknown means, the lantern suddenly flared with blinding, incandescent white light.
Under the glare of this white light, the angels attempting to pour more power into Yaxiu shrieked in despair and hatred. Unable to sustain their previous lovely forms, every one of them turned hideously grotesque!
The Angel of Strength morphed into a hideous mantis.
The Angel of Wisdom turned into a rotting fly.
The Angel of Life melted into a pale maggot.
And the Angel of Joy dissolved into a cloud of foul, reeking gas!
The blessings of courage, wisdom, joy, and life rapidly ebbed from Yaxiu's body. Jolted into complete lucidity by the searing pain in his chest, his face filled with bewilderment.
What just happened?
He was an ordinary guy who had just transmigrated, knowing absolutely nothing. Why had he suddenly become so arrogant and conceited, jumping into a war that had nothing to do with him?
How could a normal corporate drone, thoroughly beaten down by society for years, pull off a move like that?
As Yaxiu sat dazed, the battle in the underground hall had already concluded. The black-robed cultists were no match for the Bloodmad Hunters whatsoever.
The Bloodmad Hunter standing before Yaxiu pulled a scroll from his breast pocket and unrolled it in front of Yaxiu, displaying the red-stamped document inside:
“I am Bloodmad Hunter Gerard Westminster of the Sin Hunting Hall, Hunter ID 307791. The Sin Hunting Hall currently suspects you of involvement in the propagation of the Four Pillar Gods evil cult, multiple counts of kidnapping, murder, robbery, and other heinous crimes. This is an arrest warrant signed by the Kaimeng City Sin Hunting Hall. If you have any objections to our law enforcement, you may file a complaint at the front desk of the Sin Hunting Hall's Kaimeng Branch at 233 Citizen Avenue, or submit feedback directly to the Mayor's Mailbox.”
“Now then.” Stowing the arrest warrant, the Bloodmad Hunter produced a pair of silver manacles and personally fastened the rather exquisite bracelets around Yaxiu's wrists. The corners of his mouth curled, revealing pale fangs:
“Four Pillar Gods cult leader, Yaxiu Heath: you are under arrest.”