Chapter 1230: Chapter 1230: We Won, Commander! (Large Chapter for Monthly Votes)

"Suote, I know your explosive power is strong," 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Dailot looked at He Ao, the muscles on his body surging like thunder. "I don’t know where you got this power from, but do you think I would give you an easy chance like Wistain did?"

Fine lines of order emerged on his body, spreading across his entire frame in an instant. These lines, as if imbued with life, wriggled and twisted, quickly forming a complex pattern of a perfect dodecahedron.

Then, the pattern distorted instantly. Like a real dodecahedron, it began writhing, twisting, and struggling under Dailot’s flesh, as if a ferocious beast was about to break free from the earth.

At that moment, Dailot raised both his hands, looking up at the sky, and shouted loudly, "I have witnessed it! Eternal darkness is the cradle, the stars give birth to Order."

The shout resonated with the heavens and earth. The sky, which had regained a glimmer of light, darkened once more. A faintly discernible form began to emerge in the firmament above.

Countless radiant, shimmering lines appeared on the vague form, interwoven and overlapping to create a dense network of lines.

The stars then vanished at that moment, and a terrifying and majestic gaze seemed to pierce through infinite time and space, casting itself here. The violent corruption descended upon this fire-ravaged land, enshrouding the two figures at its core.

The sky trembled as if gasping for breath. Endless reverence and yearning for Order surged from within He Ao’s heart.

Distorted yet ’organized’ murmurs echoed beside He Ao’s ears.

The sounds were chaotic and disordered, yet He Ao seemed to comprehend some intangible ’Order’ within them—an ’Order’ constructed upon the foundation of the world’s deepest layers.

He listened quietly to the sounds, his gaze fixed on Dailot ahead as his left hand gripped the knife handle tightly.

The formless power flowing through the brilliance gathered into Dailot’s body. His once smooth skin began to sharpen, and the energy intensity within him grew stronger and stronger. A terrifying aura spread from his body, like an invisible mountain growing ever heavier on He Ao’s heart.

"Do you see it, Suote,"

Dailot gazed calmly at He Ao, raising one hand as he laughed loudly, "This is the power you forsook, the Order you betrayed."

"To pray to a Divine Being for strength always requires a sacrifice. This world follows the principle of equivalent exchange,"

He Ao stared at Dailot with a calm expression and a hoarse voice, "What I want to know is—from where does your sacrifice come?!"

"As long as you faithfully revere Order, Order will naturally reward you,"

Dailot stared at He Ao, "But alas, Suote, your begging for mercy now is too late."

"In this world, what’s the difference between being on time and being too late?"

He Ao glanced at Dailot, sighed lightly, and gripped the blood-colored slaughter knife, moving forward slowly.

Clearly, Dailot had no intention of giving him any chance to resist. He planned to unleash all his power at once to crush the already gravely injured and dying He Ao to the ground.

Likewise, He Ao had no intention of passively waiting while Dailot prepared himself.

"Hahaha, foolish!"

Dailot looked at He Ao and laughed hoarsely, his voice ringing loudly, "Without me even attacking, you’ve decided to come at me. What a pity, Suote. I was deliberately sparing you this last moment to breathe upon the earth."

He gazed at the slowly advancing He Ao and sighed, "Suote, I’m actually jealous of you, you know that? So young, so talented. Not even fifty, and you’re already touching the threshold of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s chief of staff. The bishop favors you, the church esteems you."

He slightly spread his hands apart. "Your future was so bright. You even had a great chance of entering the Federation’s Cabinet, maybe even running for Federation President. Meanwhile, I can only retire as a liaison for the corporations, unable to move further.

And yet, such a vast future—destroyed by your own hands."

He grinned, his lips peeled back, revealing teeth laced with hints of crimson, "Do you know how happy I was the moment I learned you defected?"

Twisted lines gathered in his hands, linking together continuously to form a crystal double-bladed knife radiating brilliance. "Now, it’s time to send you to hell, my friend. This will be the happiest moment of the last ten years of my life."

He wielded the crystal double-bladed knife, its twisted and terrifying power pooling on its edges.

"Thank you for the honor,"

By now, He Ao had walked up to him, raising the blood knife. "My friend."

The blood-colored radiance rose slowly, slicing through the sky and the dark night.

At this moment, the descent of the God of Order’s Grace was still ongoing. Dailot, clutching the crystal double-bladed knife, watched intently as He Ao’s movements unfolded, the corners of his grinning mouth curling further upward.

Bang—

The crimson blade lifted to mid-air, and an invisible barrier slowly materialized in front of Dailot.

Faint green luminescence spread from the barrier, separating He Ao and Dailot.

Dailot smiled as he watched this unfold. He had already raised his hand, aiming the double-edged knife at He Ao outside the barrier. The terrifying power gathered between its blades.

He couldn’t attack through the barrier himself, but he had full control over its activation.

The previous blade’s motion was slow, merely a casual swing as if hindered effortlessly by the transparent barricade.

This aligned with He Ao’s current weakened physical state.

As soon as He Ao’s blade struck the barrier and dissipated its momentum, Dailot could instantly deactivate the barrier and capitalize on that momentary gap to finish He Ao in one strike.

Bang—

Under Dailot’s watchful gaze, the bloody blade finally collided with the invisible barrier.

Crack—

There was a faint, delicate sound, akin to breaking glass. The invisible barrier shattered abruptly like delicate glass pierced through.

Scattered fragments bloomed like shattered petals before Dailot’s eyes.

Dailot’s eyes widened as he stared at the scene, completely focused on the slightly slowed blood blade.

In that moment, he no longer had time to fathom how He Ao still possessed such formidable strength.

He lifted the double-edged knife in his hands, gripping it tightly with both hands, and with terrifying force, swung it down without hesitation.

The sweeping momentum of the double-bladed knife carved through the air, raising fierce, whistling winds.

Amid the sporadic flames lingering in the field, the swirling air currents formed torrential tornadoes, hurtling toward He Ao at the battlefield’s center with visible speed.

Yet, as if oblivious to it all, He Ao continued to swing the blood knife slowly. The crimson blade rose higher, meeting the descending strike of the double-bladed knife head-on.

Clang—

A crisp sound rang out as the double-bladed knife clashed with the steadily moving blood knife.

Crack—

A faint fracture sound emerged from the twin blades’ point of impact. In mere moments, countless fissures spread across the crystal-like double-blade.

But at this moment, He Ao’s blood knife finally halted in its motion.

Dailot, dumbfounded, stared at the scene, but before he could react, a massive surge of energy exploded from the blood knife.

Second Burst!

Boom—

Under Dailot’s astonished gaze, the crystal twin blades shattered instantly. The crimson blade appeared amidst his shattered field of view, slashing forward with incomprehensible speed to bisect his body in an instant.

His figure, inadequately mutated by Grace’s power, quickly succumbed as the energy core within his body—located just below his right chest—was cleaved apart at the beginning.

Dailot’s eyes widened as he stared at He Ao, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

"What... did you... do..."

His body fell backward, collapsing into the blood-soaked earth.

The twisted lines in the sky, having lost their target, began to dissipate. The gaze cast from eternal space seemed to shift momentarily, its direction unclear. Perhaps it glanced at He Ao below, or perhaps it didn’t.

Then, this gaze faded along with the dispersing celestial force, vanishing into the void.

The roaring tornadoes, losing their source of power, began to slowly subside as well.

He Ao looked at the fallen Dailot, his gaze calm, though his body staggered. Twisted blood spurted from his body in bursts.

He tried to lift the blood knife to support his body. But before the blade could take his weight, he had already fallen to his knees, using it merely to keep from collapsing.

"Heh... heh..."

Dailot’s halved carcass glared at He Ao, struggling to open his mouth. "You... you will die soon, too... You won’t be far behind me..."

He stared wide-eyed as if trying to say more, but his choking breaths stifled his voice.

His physical fitness was far inferior to Wistain’s. His combat experience and intuition fell just as short. Though the God of Order could grant him power, pure strength wasn’t enough to close a substantial gap, especially since He Ao hadn’t allowed the full Grace to descend.

Ultimately, he had spent most of his life as a bureaucrat in Ains. He had little real battlefield experience.

He Ao withdrew his gaze from the lifeless Dailot and lowered his head, looking at the crystal dice in his hand.

His ability to take out Dailot in one blow owed significantly to this dice.

The dice was crafted by Suote’s father during an operation involving the Starlight Worshipers, using extraordinary materials obtained by chance. It was a B-level Extraordinary Item.

The dice had numbers 1-6, and when rolled, it granted a corresponding ’bonus state.’

Even numbers—2, 4, 6—represented boosts: 2 for minor strengthening in power and speed, 4 for greater speed on top of 2, and 6 for massive power gain beyond 4.

Odd numbers—1, 3, 5—represented reductions that corresponded inversely to the boosts.

The dice carried no severe drawbacks; its only cost was that boosted rolls would leave one slightly weakened for an extended period after the effect wore off. Conversely, reduced rolls resulted in a mildly beneficial state for some time.

Greater rolls amplified the subsequent ’effect cost.’

In theory, the result depended purely on luck.

Yet, right before the fight began, a glimmer of certainty had flashed in He Ao’s mind, convincing him that he could roll high. Giving it a shot, he’d managed to roll a ’6.’

Whether it was Suote’s father watching over him, he couldn’t tell.

Still, the surge of power had further worsened his fragile body, dragging him closer to death’s door.

Clutching the blood knife’s blade, He Ao struggled to rise.

The gusting tornadoes thinned, and faint light once again seeped through the dim sky.

The morning breeze brushed across the earth, carrying a slight chill tinged with the stench of blood.

In the distance, the sound of guns and cannons had ceased. He Ao could no longer hear the chaos.

In that fleeting silence, his body wavered and, before fully rising, his form vanished—the crimson blade slicing through the gradually dispersing winds. In an instant, his figure appeared beyond the wind’s barrier.

Four figures were moving along the windbreak at this point. Seeing He Ao materialize so suddenly, each of them froze slightly.

Among the four stood two individuals He Ao recognized. One was Orey, the other Xiya. At Xiya’s side was a rugged man dressed as a Wilderness Wanderer, bearing a slight resemblance to her. Beside Orey was a young officer in the uniform of the Star Cluster Pharmaceutical Mercenary Corps.

"Commander,"

Noticing He Ao’s eyes linger on the young officer, Orey immediately saluted. Then, speaking hastily, he said, "This is Swiet of the Mercenary Corps. He’s here to negotiate a ceasefire."

He Ao’s gaze shifted to the young officer, his eyes cold and dark as mirrored pools, yet piercing as if seeing through one’s soul. "What do you want?"

His voice was hoarse but decisive.

"Peace, sir,"

The young officer met He Ao’s gaze fearlessly, lifting his head. "If my judgment is correct, the Captain is already dead. The Supervisor is gone as well. We also witnessed the terrifying force you summoned from the sky.

"We’ve already lost too many lives. Everyone joined the Mercenary Corps just to make a living, and no one wants to fight anymore.

"We’ll voluntarily retreat twenty kilometers,"

He looked into He Ao’s eyes, his voice steady. "We want peace, sir."

He Ao stared silently into the young officer’s fiery and determined eyes. "Aren’t you afraid Star Cluster Pharmaceuticals will punish you for this withdrawal?"

"We’re all just making a living. Now that the Captain’s gone, the elites loyal to Star Cluster Pharmaceuticals have mostly been wiped out. They can’t control us anymore,"

The young officer smiled. "If they don’t want to keep us, there will always be others who will."

He Ao glanced at him. "Fifty kilometers."

The young officer hesitated briefly but then nodded slowly. "My teammates should accept this condition. I’ll agree on their behalf, but you must guarantee our safe retreat."

"That can be arranged."

He Ao nodded calmly.

The morning light illuminated each of their blood-streaked faces, casting sharp silhouettes.

"It’s settled, then."

The young officer nodded little by little, turning to head toward a nearby mecha.

Orey stood beside He Ao, morning light glinting off his face. He looked at He Ao, his mouth slightly agape, his voice carrying hints of excitement and conviction.

"We won, Commander."