Shepherding Humanity

To Medusa, this creature was an unfathomable evil.

However, as an experienced magician and researcher, she quickly noticed something.

"This chaotic being is not actively emitting spiritual magic. It is a passive property keeping people from looking straight at it or listening to it."

Turbulent emotions flitted across Medusa's face. "But, how could such a terrifying creature possibly exist? Isn’t such an unfathomable lifeform already a god? Yes, this creature must be an extremely evil God of Chaos."

The witches around her were panicking. What kind of terrifying creature was this?

What’s more, this walking disaster was invading their territory!

Medusa calmed herself with a deep breath. "We don't know what it looks like because we can’t directly look at it, but based on how fast it’s moving, it must be truly gigantic, comparable to a giant mountain range in size… It’s too late for the witches in that area to escape! Pass down this order!

All mages in that region must wear blindfolds and earmuffs and cast magic on themselves to block their vision and hearing.

In addition, they must pull back their spiritual senses to avoid coming into contact with that Evil God and suffer a mental breakdown."

"Great Medusa, will this really work?"

A witch couldn't help but ask. "Won’t we just become helpless after losing our vision and hearing?"

"I don't know."

Medusa smiled bitterly while shaking her head. "This method should keep us from being killed by its passive ability, but that’s all. Its passive alone is enough to make us cripple ourselves to this extent, if this walking disaster actively try to kill us, then there’s nothing we can do.”

The witches in that region hurriedly began to follow Medusa’s plan.

As the players trudged on, they began to encounter many witches who wore blindfolds and earplugs, aimlessly wandering around like blind and deaf people.

"F*ck, are we really that ugly?!"

"Oh God, there goes my self esteem!"

"Those hussies! We’re so ugly that you can’t bear to look at us, huh? But what’s with those ear plugs? You’re not even going to listen to us?"

"Be careful not to step on them, they are all blind now! We’re so ugly that those who saw us back then died from the shock, I’m still feeling very guilty about that."

"This is all Akina’s Speedster’s fault! Come out and receive your beating!"

….

Within the Rose Palace.

Medusa learned that blocking off one’s vision and hearing was indeed effective.

"As I thought, we human beings are too insignificant to be worthy of its attention. Those who died didn’t die because it was actively trying to kill them, it’s just that its mere existence is too much for human beings to bear…

This unfathomable creature was not aiming for us from the very start. Its target is the young God of Fire, the Phoenix! It has descended upon our world to slay a god!"

Medusa shuddered at this thought.

But the direction that the creature was heading towards was undeniably the Great Desert of Nephthys, where the Phoenix lived. This was also the same direction as the Beastmen Kingdom.

Medusa's face twisted. "What is going on! Could it be that this Evil God is an enemy of our pantheon, the gods who reside in the heavenly realm of ‘Achilles’? Has it come to kill the young Phoenix God in its cradle?"

"I can’t allow this."

Medusa stood up and anxiously walked back and forth.

At the end of the day, she was still an inhabitant of this world.

Although the Heavenly Gods were only a legend, and no one has ever seen them, that did not mean that the Phoenix, the God of Fire, could be left to die. Who knows what kind of catastrophe this would cause.

The entire world may be thrown into chaos.

"Now that the Evil God has descended to the mortal realm, I must try to contact the Heavenly Gods." She stood up and headed towards the Kingdom of Babylon.

….

The Kingdom of Babylon.

Medusa spoke coldly as Ermin warily faced her: "Disciple of the Great Alchemist, I have no time to deal with you right now. I must contact the Great God of Wisdom, Hermes, and beg him to answer my questions."

Ermin immediately replied: "The Heavenly Gods will never grant an audience to a tyrant such as you. You will fail."

Medusa ignored her.

Instead, she directly headed to the Temple of Wisdom and reverently prayed before the God's divine statue: "Great God of Wisdom, an unspeakable Evil God has descended from a higher dimension. At this very moment, it is heading toward the desert to attack the young God of Fire."

"What!?"

Ermin’s entire body was rigid with shock. "A god has descended to the mortal realm?"

Throughout their long history, aside from the Creator initiating the Great Flood as recorded in the myths of ancient Babylon, there has never been a case where a god descended to the mortal realm.

Even the legendary God of Wisdom, Mercury, had only sent down an avatar.

No one has ever encountered a god in all of their majesty. No one knew the true limits of a god.

"What is a real god like?" Elmin couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

"God cannot be directly looked at! God cannot be directly heard!"

As Medusa recalled that memory, that terrifying first-contact with a transcendent life-form beyond human understanding, she too started to tremble.

As Medusa related her tale, even an Epic Mage such as Ermin was terrified.

"To think that a god was such a terrifying existence!"

Ermin softly continued: "The God of Wisdom, Mercury, is benevolent indeed. The reason that he’s never descended in person is because we mortals cannot directly look at the true form of a god! Cannot directly listen to the voice of a god!"

….

Xu Zhi awkwardly scratched his nose and laughed.

"Nicely imagined. I like this kind of setting."

With this, the background setting of the Magic World was finally complete.

Gods have never appeared in all this time, and he could only desperately bluff by saying that they resided in heaven…

While everyone believed that a god must be very powerful, that power was something completely disconnected from reality.

Now that an Evil God has finally appeared, people finally understood that the terrifying power of a god was not something they could ever hope to surpass.

He had not simply been boasting. His mysterious and enigmatic God of Wisdom was just as powerful.

"Since Medusa has come to the temple to pray to me, it's time for me to add-on to this world’s background setting by showing them another CG cinematic cutscene." Xu Zhi laughed, "I want to show them a glimpse of the land of the gods, ‘Achilles’, but I haven’t built it yet. I suppose I’ll have to fake it with a drone for now."

Xu Zhi sat by the entrance to the yard and looked at the black DJI Drone next to him.

He had properly prepared.

Pan Yusean was not enough by herself. At least in the short term, she wouldn’t be much of an opponent for the Evil God.

Xu Zhi thoughtfully rested a hand on his cheek, "As long as they’re only up against opponents on the same Level, they’re basically invincible. Those four absurd inborn abilities are not just for show. They’re still not a demigod yet, and haven’t even taken in their first gene, but their combat power has already transcended what the current Level System could measure. Their Evil God should be able to match a demigod.

This Enemy of the World is far too strong right now because there are no demigods to oppose it. Once they take in their first gene, it’ll become even more invincible. I must nerf the Evil God to preserve the game’s balance."

While Medusa and Ermin needed pressure to help them breakthrough, dying after a light swat cannot be considered ‘pressure’.

The difference in strength was simply too much.

"I’ll start by dispersing them. Once the Evil God’s body parts have been scattered throughout the Magic World, it’ll weaken quite a bit… After this, you guys will have to find one another again and slowly reassemble. This will be the true starting point of your life in another world!"

The hidden mastermind, Xu Zhi, had everything under control.

…..

In the Nephthys Desert.

The phoenix trilled, high and mournful, as it fled into the distance, its blood staining the desert sands.

"We won!"

"Poor phoenix. When it was at the Epic Level, the Emperor of Alchemy kept taking its blood. After a few hundred years, it could finally relax because the Emperor of Alchemy was no longer a match for it now that it has reached the Demigod Level, but then, we showed up to continue that tradition."

"Hahaha! This young God of Fire has lived its entire life as a living supply of Divine Blood!"

"You guys controlling the arms, transform them into the shape of a bowl so that we can hold its blood without spilling."

"We’ve got our meeting gift, now it’s time to head towards the Kingdom of Babylon, and meet our idol Ermin. I want her autograph!"

…..

At this moment, in front of the Temple of Wisdom.

In the face of the oncoming threat, Medusa and Ermin have chosen to set aside their differences.

After all, an Evil God was no laughing matter.

*Flutter*.

Suddenly, a ray of light shone down on the Temple of Wisdom. Shrouded in divine radiance, an exotic black bird slowly descended.

"I have heard your prayers."

The exotic black bird spoke in a gentle and resonant voice. Holy white light trailed each of its leisurely steps.

"An Evil God has descended on our world. Great God of Wisdom, what is going on?" Medusa agitatedly asked.

For a brief moment, the black crow scrutinized the two of them, before softly replying: "Foolish mortals, did you think that our world is the only one in all of creation?"

These words shook them beyond measure, and their minds went blank.

"We, the Heavenly Gods, have been resisting an invasion from another world all this time. Similarly, we have also been invading the other world. Both sides have suffered heavy losses, and there aren’t many of us left who can still fight.

After all, the Creator had created our world only recently. We are a new world that’s lacking in history and foundation… Which is why I had to descend to the mortal realm back then and grant the ancient Babylonians the Three Great Disciplines of Civilization.

The young Phoenix God is the child of Ares and Venus, two gods who have fallen in battle. I did not think that the Evil God would descend to kill it in its cradle, we were hoping that the God of Fire would grow into a powerful warrior in the future!"

When they heard this monumental news, Medusa and Ermin were frozen stiff with shock.

The Heavenly Gods have suffered heavy casualties and there weren’t many of them left?

Our world is a newly created world, and there are many other transcendent worlds?

The God of Wisdom continued on: "Just now, the Phoenix God had been badly injured by the Evil God and barely escaped with its life. That Evil God is now heading towards the Kingdom of Babylon to slaughter everyone living in this land."

"It's heading towards us?" Ermin was startled, "Is it planning to slaughter everyone in the Three Great Magic Kingdoms?"

The Players: ? ? ?

F*ck! Some *sshole is trying to frame us!

We are not the Burning Legion, the Scourge that destroys worlds.

We’ve come in peace! We had no intention of killing the Phoenix and only wanted some of its blood to give to Ermin as a meeting gift, OK? We’re heading here to get Ermin’s autograph and help her deal with Medusa…

How dare you badmouth us in front of our idol, Ermin!

"Ermin, Medusa, you must deal with the Evil God and protect this world."

The God of Wisdom spoke in a resonant voice.

"At this moment, I’m fighting in Heaven and will not be able to personally descend, but I’ll still be able to deal a fatal blow to the Evil God. Use that opening to tear it apart with your magic, and scatter its body parts throughout the world."

Ermin and Medusa hurriedly nodded in response.

….

More than ten days later.

*Rumble*

The ground shook.

A vast and terrifying figure strode towards the capital of Babylon. The being stood over 60,000 feet tall, its body piercing through the clouds, its titanic form blotting out the sun.

It trampled over mountains and forests, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Hahaha. Soon, I’ll meet my idol."

"I'm getting excited just thinking about it! How should I present myself to her? What’s the most handsome pose I can take?"

…

As they excitedly walked towards the capital, they saw Medusa and Ermin standing on the city walls in the distance, getting ready to meet them in battle.

The two women have already blocked off their vision and hearing, preventing themselves from looking directly at them or hearing their voices.

*Rumble*

At that moment, as light and shadow danced across the vast blue sky, a floating island appeared, half concealed behind the clouds.

This was the DJI Drone that Xu Zhi had enhanced with various glamourous special effects.

The giant raised its head. When they saw this divine miracle, the players were abuzz with excitement.

I Love Learning: "Wow! A floating continent! Has the realm of the gods descended from the Eye of Heaven?"

Cerebral Bluff: "We’re too noticeable, and the native gods must be trying to destroy us. As expected, they see us as invaders, huh?"

Akina’s Speedster: "Screw them! Guys, let’s f*ck them up! The Phoenix was no match for us back then; we’re already a god, there’s no reason to be afraid. Onwards!"

They were still high from their victory over the Phoenix God, and did not hesitate to bend down, pick up a small mountain, then hurl it upwards into the sky.

*BOOM!*

The radiant land of the gods lightly avoided the stone projectile with an adroit shift in direction.

Sitting by the entrance to his yard, Xu Zhi had to wipe away cold sweat as he saw this scene through the drone’s camera. "Those b*stards! How dare they just attack without any warning like that! This DJI Drone cost me over 12,000 yuans, you know? You guys came way too close to smashing it!"

Xu Zhi took a big bite of his apple in order to calm down.

Had he been dealing with a native of the magic world, such as Gilgamesh, the Three Witches, or Medusa, he’d have somewhat of a hard time, and would need to control the Hivemind very precisely in order to kill a single individual.

But on the other hand, dealing with these idiots—the Evil God from another world—was a very simple matter.

As Xu Zhi sat on his chair and ate his apple, he used the remote control to turn on the drone’s speakers and started speaking in between bites. It was a little difficult to make out his words:

"I am the God of Wisdom, Mercury. I had expected more of the Evil God who has broken through the interdimensional passage to descend upon this world!"

Most players could not understand the Magic World’s language, but there were a few people among the 173 of them who had indeed taken the time to learn the language. They hurriedly translated this sentence, and everyone was super excited.

"So you’re the God of Wisdom? I expected more of you. Don’t just mouth off while hiding in the sky, I dare you to come down and fight us!"

"Yeah!"

"We’re only throwing stones because we haven’t learned magic yet and are limited by our mortal flesh. Otherwise, we’d already have flown up to face you!"

"Come down, I'll f*ck you up!"

"In school, I’ve never once turned down a challenge. I’ve never backed down from a fight!"

….

Fortunately, because of the language barrier, no one in the Magic World could understand them. Otherwise, they’d have had to say bye bye to their dignity as the Evil God.

"Very well. Behold the true power of a god."

Hermes’ majestic voice pierced through the clouds as hazy light surged from the land of the gods.

In the yard, Xu Zhi had put down his apple.

"You dare to rebel?"

He smiled and shook his head,

"You players are getting too full of yourselves! You have no idea how powerful the Heavenly Gods of this world truly are! Behold! This is the price you’ll have to pay for defying the gods.”

As the players, along with everyone in the Babylonian capital, looked up in fear and doubt, Xu Zhi calmly spoke the magic words in his mind:

"Supreme Technique: Grand Disconnection!"

In the next second, the world was covered in light. Then, dead silence. All was still.

The players were left staring at a black screen: Wut ? ? ? ? ?

*Boom!*

With no one left to control the Evil God, its body instantly shattered into pieces.

Its flesh, skin, and bones began to peel apart, layer by layer. Dust covered the sky. It was a truly frightening scene.

Countless players logged off to b*tch and moan on the forums.

"Why did we get a black screen all of a sudden?"

"Was it a bug? Did we get disconnected?"

"F*ck! I’m so pissed off! Where are the developers? Show yourself!"

"This disconnection is not because of a bug! There has never been a bug in this game. We must have fainted after being hit with the God of Wisdom Mercury’s divine technique. This is why we can only see a black screen, just like Mr. Slime back then."

"Oh, so it’s not a bug?"

"I thought that the f*cking developers were messing with us!"

"Goddamn, what a scary technique! As expected of Mercury, the legendary God of Wisdom!"

"He knocked us out in one move!"

…..

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The colossal, over 60,000 feet tall giant continued to fall apart piece by piece, collapsing like a house of cards.

The rivers overflowed. The seas churned. It was a scene of the apocalypse.

In this moment of collapse, the people of Babylon could finally open their eyes, and directly look at this towering Evil God from another world. They could finally behold the true form of the creature that must never be looked at, and whose voice must never be heard.