64: Chapter 64 The Gods' Song of Disillusionment

"Go to hell, you rats from the Dragon Country!"

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This roar was like a death sentence from the Grim Reaper.

The Gods Chosen Ones standing behind Mateo were already poised for action. The muscles in their arms bulged, and the obsidian spear in their hands whistled as it tore through the air, hurled out like a black lightning bolt.

"Pfft!"

After a dull sound of a blade sinking into flesh,

AK, who had just managed to catch his breath from the intense pain, found even his scream stuck in his throat.

The spear pierced straight through his chest. The immense impact force sent his entire body flying backward, and with a "thud," he was pinned firmly against the rock wall behind him.

"Uh..."

AK's eyeballs bulged, and bloody foam poured from his mouth as he gasped. His hands weakly clawed at the air a couple of times, as if trying to grasp his fleeting life.

The next second, his head lolled to the side.

Completely dead.

This single spear thrust not only killed a man but also shattered the last bit of psychological defense the group held.

"AK!!"

Zhao Tie's eyes were about to split open, his roar turning tragically shrill.

"What are you yelling about? Don't rush; a family should stick together neatly."

Mateo stepped over the hole etched through the Netherworld Shield, a cruel, cat-toying-with-a-mouse smile plastered on his face. He raised his long saber high, the blade aimed directly at Xu Mo's crown: "Next is you."

Xu Mo's brain was still frantically calculating that sliver of hope for survival, but his body felt as if it were filled with lead, completely unable to keep up with his thoughts.

Just as the blood-stained saber was about to fall,

Rumble—!

The rock wall behind Xu Mo suddenly began to writhe violently, like liquid mercury coming to life.

A gigantic, rocky maw, covered in fangs and emitting an ancient, musty odor, opened on the wall without any warning.

"What the fxxk?!"

Mateo was startled by this sudden turn of events and instinctively retreated rapidly.

The giant mouth completely ignored Mateo. Instead, like a beast guarding its food, it lunged forward and, with a "Awooo," swallowed Xu Mo, Lin Sa, Zhao Tie, and Pei Duo whole!

"Crack!"

The rock wall instantly closed, returning to its original state.

Mateo's saber struck empty air, sending sparks flying.

"F*ck!! Who is it!!!"

Mateo's enraged roar echoed from inside the cave.

...

Darkness.

Then, a soft, faint light.

Xu Mo felt like he had slid into the esophagus of a giant monster, even smelling that aged, earthy odor.

After a few seconds of weightlessness, with several muffled "plops," the group fell heavily onto a patch of soft moss.

"Hiss... Where is this?"

Lin Sa ignored the agonizing pain that felt like her whole body was falling apart, reflexively gripping her dagger and springing up alertly.

This was a huge, completely enclosed stone chamber, with ancient and obscure divine patterns carved all around the walls.

And in the very center of the chamber, a tall figure was slumped there.

It was a giant with the body of a man and the head of a dog, wrapped entirely in rotten, yellowed bandages, emitting an suffocating aura of death, and also... a strong scent of musk?

The Aztec guiding god—Xiuolotl.

Xu Mo's heart instantly sank to the bottom.

Out of the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's lair? This was an Aztec deity!

"Don't be nervous, little ones."

Xiuolotl spoke slowly, his voice ancient and hoarse.

He didn't even bother to lift a finger. Those cloudy dog eyes looked past Xu Mo and the others, precisely focusing on Pei Duo somewhere.

"I didn't expect that under the rule suppression of the Queen of the Underworld sacrificing her divine kingdom, there would actually be a 'loophole' that allowed someone to sneak in."

Xu Mo and Lin Sa were startled and subconsciously looked up at the air.

Pei Duo's small face was tense; she was clutching the jade pendant in her hand.

"You can see me?" Pei Duo asked warily.

"Of course."

Xiuolotl sighed, shifted into a more comfortable slouched position, and his tone was filled with weariness. "I've been stuck in this damned place for thousands of years, watching the same undead every day and listening to the same screams. Even a blind man would have clear sight by now."

He pointed at Xu Mo and the others: "The fact that you could survive this long is all thanks to her holding things up in the back. A ghost forgotten by the rules, yet one that transcends the rules... Interesting."

"What do you want?" Although Xu Mo couldn't see Pei Duo, he still stepped forward. "Kill me or torture me, just give me a quick end."

"Kill you? No, no, no."

Xiuolotl waved his withered, large hand, a flash of crazed light appearing in his eyes: "I'm saving you because I want to die."

Everyone was stunned.

A god... wants to die?

"I am the guiding god, and also a prisoner."

Xiuolotl gestured around. "That lunatic Queen of the Underworld sacrificed the entire divine kingdom to the rules for revenge. This also means I have to work overtime in this hellhole until the universe is destroyed."

"It's too tiring, too boring."

Xiuolotl's dog face was full of fatigue: "I want release; I want to turn to dust and vanish. But the rules here prevent me from committing suicide. Only outsiders like you have the possibility of completely destroying Mictlan and breaking this cage."

"So, this is a trade."

Xiuolotl continued: "Those brats of the Queen of the Underworld are too noisy. I've already teleported them to the edge labyrinth on this level; that should keep them busy for a while."

Xu Mo's gaze was filled with distrust: "What do you want us to do?"

"Get out of Mictlan and destroy the Queen of the Underworld's altar."

Xiuolotl's eyes burned brightly. "As a favor, I can help you pull this invisible ghost out of oblivion."

"Gather my three avatars on the first level—Corn, Agave, and Axolotl."

"When these three items are gathered, the bond between you will break through the fog of the rules, and you will remember her again."

Xu Mo was stunned, then nodded forcefully: "Thank you."

"Hurry up and go, while I still haven't changed my mind."

Xiuolotl waved his hand, and the rock wall behind him slowly opened, revealing the familiar black sacrificial stone door and that nightmarish camera.

The group helped each other up and walked to the camera.

Xu Mo turned back and glanced at the death god slumped in the shadows, single-mindedly seeking death, his feelings complex.

Is this the truth of the s-rank instance? Even gods are not necessarily aloof; they are just another group of more pitiful prisoners.

"Take the picture."

Xu Mo took a deep breath and stood in front of the lens.

Lin Sa and Zhao Tie quietly stood in position.

Click—!

Blinding white light once again engulfed everything.

That familiar sensation of the brain rebooting arrived as expected.

Xu Mo felt something forcibly being pulled from his mind; a memory about 'sacrifice' was rapidly blurring and dissipating.

When the light scattered, the stone door opened.

Xu Mo shook his head and looked at Lin Sa and Zhao Tie beside him.

"Are we all here?" Xu Mo asked subconsciously.

"We're all here, just the three of us."

Zhao Tie rubbed his head, his tone natural. "That last challenge was truly dangerous; we almost perished at those bats' hands."

"Let's go to the next level."

Lin Sa checked her dagger, her gaze firm.

Xu Mo nodded and turned to step into the passage.

But the moment he crossed the threshold, his heart inexplicably ached.

He looked back at the empty stone chamber.

Were we all present this time? Or did one teammate sacrifice themselves?