Global Gods : Skill-Resonance Awakened

Chapter 330: Ch 330 : The Battle of Survival

"We accept."

The moment the words left the Elders’ lips, the pact was sealed.

The blue particles of light, which had been hovering in front of them like fireflies, surged forward. They didn’t just touch the Demigods; they phased through their skin, their mana barriers, and their very souls.

It wasn’t painful. It was... euphoric.

It felt like a sudden rush of oxygen to a brain that had been suffocating for centuries. A neural bridge was constructed instantly, linking their isolated consciousnesses to a vast, infinite ocean of data.

DING.

[System Synchronization Complete.]

[Welcome to the Divine Network, User.]

Eighty pairs of eyes went wide. Eighty jaws dropped.

In their vision, the world was suddenly overlaid with gold and blue interfaces.

They saw the Global Forum, where demigods from galaxies they had never heard of were discussing the price of Star-Steel.

They saw the Marketplace, where artifacts of legend were being sold for a currency called ’Merits.’

They saw the Wiki, a library of knowledge so vast it made their own archives look like a single sheet of paper.

"This..." Elder Tesser whispered, his crystalline fingers trembling as he scrolled through a holographic window only he could see. "This is... Truly magical"

Shenlong and Thea stood by, watching the scene with amused smiles.

It was a reaction they had seen quadrillions of times across the multiverse.

Whether they were primitive goblins or high-tier Demigods, the reaction to the System was always the same: Childlike curiosity mixed with a terrifying hunger for power.

"It is fascinating," a younger Elder murmured, his eyes darting back and forth. "I saw one of the Central Tech-Universe once. They had devices called ’Smartphones’ that accessed a universe wide network. This... this feels similar."

"Similar?" Thea tilted her head, her starlight hair swaying.

"Ahh! No No my lady" the Elder gasped, he added, "Their technology was crude. It required satellites, wormhole relays, and signal boosters. It took minutes to send a message across a light year not to mention a universe, it is universe wide Network by just the name"

He looked at Thea with reverence.

"But this? Zero latency. Infinite range. Comparing this to a smartphone is like comparing a teleportation spell to a donkey cart!"

"That is because the System doesn’t rely on radio waves like them," Thea explained gently. "It relies on the power of thoughts, and they are faster then light."

"Now," Thea clapped her hands, drawing their attention away from the shiny new menus. "While knowledge is power, experience is truth. There are features of the System that cannot be understood by reading."

DING.

A new, red notification window popped up in front of all eighty Demigods simultaneously.

[Would you like to enter the Combat Simulation?]

[Reward: Combat Experience, Merits, and a special artifact.]

[YES] / [NO]

The Elders didn’t hesitate. They were high on the dopamine of the new connection. They felt invincible. They felt that this ’Cosmos’ was a benevolent god giving them gifts.

Why would they press No?

Eighty fingers extended. Eighty fingers pressed [YES].

ZAP.

Their eyes rolled back. Their bodies in the Hall of Elders went limp, slumped over the stone table like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Shenlong watched them fall unconscious with a satisfied nod.

"Excellent," the Green Dragon said. "The seed is planted. Now, they need to be watered with fear."

He stood up, his form shimmering. Green scales erupted along his skin as he transformed back into his true form, a colossal Serpentine Dragon that coiled through the air.

"I leave them to you, Thea," Shenlong rumbled. "I have a meeting with the Heavy Axe Group in the neighboring sector. They are stubborn warriors. They might need a... firmer hand."

With a roar that shook the palace, Shenlong flew out of the hall, disappearing into the clouds to spread the Emperor’s influence further.

The Simulation: The Colosseum of Death.

"Where... where am I?"

Elder Tesser blinked. The smell of old parchment and incense was gone.

In its place was the stench of dried blood, rust and dust.

He looked around. He wasn’t in the Hall of Elders anymore. He was standing on red sand.

Around him, the other seventy-nine Elders were scrambling to their feet, looking equally confused.

They were in a massive, circular arena. The walls were miles high, made of jagged black iron that seemed to absorb the light. Above them, there was no sun, only a swirling vortex of crimson clouds.

"Elder Tesser!" one of the younger Demigods shouted, panic rising in his voice. "What is happening? Did the System malfunction?"

"I... I am stuck too," Tesser shouted back, checking his mana. It was there, but it felt heavy, sluggish. "I can’t seem to use my teleportation spell."

Before panic could turn into chaos, a maniacal voice boomed from the sky, drowning out their whispers.

[Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Colosseum of Death.]

The red text floated in the sky like burning neon.

[Rules:]

[1. Eighty Demigods enter.]

[2. One Demigod leaves.]

[3. The Winner takes all.]

[4. You have 5 minutes to prepare.]

The color drained from the Elders’ faces.

One second, they were browsing a magical internet. The next, they were in a Battle Royale.

"Lady Thea!" Tesser yelled at the sky, assuming that she was watching. "What is the meaning of this? Is this a test? A misunderstanding? We just pledged our loyalty!"

"Who is Lady Thea?" The same maniacal voice cut through the air.

"I am Mr. Bunny," the voice giggled. "And I am the God of this little sandbox."

The Elders looked up. Floating down from the black walls was... a rabbit.

It was a white, fluffy rabbit wearing a tiny tuxedo and a top hat. It looked adorable. It looked harmless.

Except for its eyes. They were bright red, glowing with a malice that made the Demigods’ souls shiver.

"Who are you?!" an arrogant Elder from the Elven clan shouted, stepping forward. He pointed a finger at the floating rabbit. "Release us at once! Do you know who we are? We are the Council of Elders! Tell us what you did to us!"

Mr. Bunny stopped floating ten feet above the ground. He tilted his head, his long ears flopping to the side.

"I am just a puppet performing my tasks," the rabbit said, his voice mocking. "The Heavens send fools like you to me every now and then to choose a Champion."

"But..." Mr. Bunny’s face split open.

It wasn’t a normal smile. His mouth opened wider than his head, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp, serrated teeth that spun like a grinder.

"I am an Administrator. In this realm, I am God. You should mind your tone."

SNAP.

There was a blur of motion.

"ARGHHHHH!"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the arena.

The Elder stood frozen. He looked down at his shoulder.

His right arm was gone.

Blood sprayed like a fountain, painting the red sand a darker shade of crimson.

The Elders gasped, stepping back in horror. Their eyes darted to Mr. Bunny.

The rabbit was hovering in the same spot, looking bored. But sticking out of his mouth was a hand, the Elder’s hand.

SLURP.

With a sickening sound, Mr. Bunny sucked the arm into his mouth like a noodle. Crunch, crunch, gulp.

He licked his lips.

"Tastes like chicken," Mr. Bunny giggled. "But a bit spicy. Must be the Fire affinity."

The rabbit’s red eyes scanned the terrified group.

"Next time you shout at me," Mr. Bunny whispered, his voice echoing in their minds, "I eat the head. Understood?"

The silence was absolute. The arrogance of the Demigods evaporated instantly. They weren’t powerful beings here. They were food.

"Now," Mr. Bunny checked a pocket watch he pulled from nowhere. "You have four minutes left. Fight, or I eat all of you."

He floated back up to his VIP seat on the wall to watch the show.

On the ground, the atmosphere shifted.

The Elders looked at each other. The camaraderie of the Council vanished. The friendship of centuries dissolved in the face of survival.

"I think..." Tesser said slowly, his voice heavy with resignation. "We don’t have a choice. We have to fight. Whoever survives... must take care of our families."

"Easy for you to say!" a voice shouted from the back.

It was a Dwarf Elder. He pointed a trembling hammer at Tesser.

"You are a High-Tier Geo-Sentient! You are the strongest among us! You know you will win a fair fight!"

The accusation hung in the air.

"Brothers!" another Elder shouted, his eyes wild with fear. "He is right! We are all roughly equal, but Tesser is a monster! If we let him live, he picks us off one by one!"

"Shouldn’t we eliminate the biggest threat first?"

The logic was brutal. It was the logic of crabs in a bucket.

"YES!"

"Kill Tesser first!"

"Get him!"

The seventy-nine Demigods shifted their stance. Weapons manifested, swords of fire, hammers of ice, spears of wind. They formed a circle, surrounding their leader.

Tesser looked at them. He saw the betrayal in their eyes.

He remembered the System Screen from earlier. The secret it had revealed: [Betrayed the previous Council Head 400 years ago.]

Tesser let out a long, sad sigh.

"Is this Karma?" he whispered to himself. "The betrayer is finally being betrayed."

He didn’t plead. He didn’t beg.

His crystalline skin hardened. His arms shifted, morphing into two massive, diamond-edged blades. His aura exploded, shaking the sand beneath his feet.

"Come on, then," Tesser roared, pointing his blades at his former friends.

"Even if I die today... I will die like a Warrior!"

BOOM.

The battle for survival began.