Duality of Shadows-Chapter 952: Suicide Game

The whale opened his eyes. In front of him, a little girl was smiling sweetly, staring at him. "Daddy, daddy, are you going to take me to that place called the underworld too?"

Alm and Bruno smiled softly and reached out to stroke Meru’s head. She kept looking at them, waiting for an answer, while the two enjoyed the moment with their daughter.

Things had always been dangerous since they arrived in the queen’s universe. Now, they would have to literally dive into her lair repeatedly until they stole enough to defeat her. But… they wouldn’t be alone.

"Probably very soon. But that place is empty and hardly interesting. I’ll take you to a more fun place afterward. In a little while, we’ll leave this universe, and then you’ll get to see the home where your mother was born. It’s a place with many planets, and you’ll be able to explore safely and freely, without any worries." They spoke gently, and Meru got even more excited, jumping into their arms, eager to leave immediately.

Ruri entered the room, letting out a soft laugh. Meru noticed her arrival and, realizing from her expression that it was something serious, quickly left.

Ruri sighed before commenting, "She’s already grown so much and is so strong… It’s a shame I couldn’t have another in time, despite how much we tried."

Alm and Bruno snorted. Over the years, they had bought the dual cultivation technique at the highest level, along with all the others. But, obviously, they hadn’t had as much time alone as Ruri wanted. Still, she devised a strategy.

As soon as Meru turned seven and started subtly manipulating Qi, she became desperate to learn about cultivation and techniques. Ruri then gave her challenges and exercises to train and cultivate.

That’s how Meru spent her days, fully immersed in it. Not out of obligation, but because she saw it as a game, running across the planet, practicing, and having fun. Everyone who lived there knew who she was and helped her out a little. Meru was the little princess of Planet Gloom.

This gave Ruri time to isolate herself with her husband and work hard. But, unfortunately, Meru’s talent was terrifying, and she learned very quickly.

Soon, Ruri began giving her increasingly difficult tasks, and Meru kept absorbing everything like a sponge. Even the tattoo technique Ruri had created in the past—Meru had nearly reached the level of using Wuji. That was why her cultivation was so advanced at such a young age.

"Sohum is struggling to accept that the woman he loves is terrifyingly powerful. He’ll have to live knowing she’s the one protecting him. He’s already given up cultivation and trying to become strong, as it’s impossible to compete. So now, he’s completely focused on forging, as if it’s his last hope… He wants to become as good as her in another way, so he can stand by her side," Ruri commented with a slight smile.

Bruno nodded; that was great. Eventually, the two would surpass their former selves and go beyond. Despite everything, Meru was incredibly intelligent and already understood the weight of responsibility her father carried.

"At some point, our Meru grew up and stopped just playing around. She only pretends to be a playful little girl in front of you because she knows she can get what she wants by being cute in front of her dad," Ruri remarked lightly. "But she’s truly focused on getting stronger so she can help you."

Alm sighed, saying, "Yeah, she knows when to have fun and when to be serious. We’ve also taught her about compassion and kindness… but… she’s never seen the true evil of the world. I wanted to protect her from that until she was an adult, but it doesn’t seem like that’ll be possible."

Ruri nodded. "She won’t flinch or be corrupted. She has her safe harbor and complete trust in her father. In fact, she’s eager to fight against evil."

Alm and Bruno snorted. The desire to keep her inside the internal universe forever, safe and sound, was immense. But they hadn’t raised their daughter to be a trophy for themselves. She needed to live her own life… it was just hard to accept.

Days passed, and soon Ruri arrived with a message from Coltia. "The calamity will appear in a nearby galaxy. But… the heroes seem to have identified it too."

The whale nodded. That was expected. After losing the two items, the queen would do anything to secure the third as quickly as possible.

"The Void Goddess will influence the calamity to prevent it from being captured. She’ll sense the handbell nearby and understand that I need to know its location. So, she’ll burn all the marks left on the calamity, and through the faith connection, I’ll feel her location. It’s unlikely the heroes will manage to capture it this time. We just need to get close enough."

Bruno commented, and Ruri nodded nervously. These weren’t ordinary heroes but immortals; even the slightest mistake would mean being cornered. The problem wasn’t facing them; she had full confidence that he would kill them all like ants if necessary.

But they needed to steal as much as they could from this universe before leaving. The resources and items the heroes were using to build the "sacred temple" were of the highest level. Moreover, all the heroes were in a formation where the temple was being constructed. They were accumulating an incalculable amount of heavenly laws and Qi from the universe, using their heroic power.

All of this represented unimaginable, terrifying power, with the absolute best of that universe. In other words, an indescribably appetizing piece of meat for them to steal before revealing themselves and fleeing.

But the queen wasn’t stupid. She had already realized they were leeching off her and constructed the temple in a way to lure them in. And, of course, they were going to take the bait; they had to take the bait.

Where else could they find something as good as what came from the queen’s universe? If they ran away in fear, even robbing a thousand different universes wouldn’t give them half of what existed here.

At this moment, they were playing a suicidal game against the queen. She wanted to catch them at all costs, and they wanted to rob her at all costs. The problem was, if they were caught, there wouldn’t be the slightest chance of resistance.

Fortunately, after that war, only a few people had to die to prevent the heroes from reading their memories. An investigation was conducted while Ruri and the whale were on the main mission. Bruno, however, had programmed a suicide explosion in everyone, leaving the heroes with no chance to stop it.

A few dozen people had to set an example before the heroes stopped trying. That fact, of course, reached the queen’s ears, and it only confirmed to her that they were connected and hadn’t fled her universe.

She was certain because a connection close to divinity was necessary for her heroes to be unable to stop the suicides. Indeed, they hadn’t fully left her universe; they were still nearby, focused on that main mission.

She placed the board on the table and positioned the pieces. Now, they were inside her game. But…

Looking into Ruri’s eyes, they said calmly, "I know more about her and the power she’s built than she thinks. As for me… she barely knows a thing."

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

With all those immortals, deities, and primordial beasts who had once served her now on their side, an immense amount of information had been handed over to them. They even knew details about the formation the heroes were using, and Ruri had already studied it thoroughly.

And so, the day of the calamity’s arrival finally came.

***

At the same time, in the center of the sacred temple still under construction, a slender and delicate female figure opened her eyes. Anyone who met her gaze would feel as if their soul was being devoured.

Moments later, a golden aura flowed through her eyes, and a twisted smile formed on her face. Then, a voice echoed in her mind: "He made his move; don’t hold back, this will be the endgame."