The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

Undaunted by the approaching mammoths, the bone giant unleashed every single brawler skill it possessed, expertly executing shoulder throws, back throws, leg sweeps, and low kicks to effectively manage the incoming horde.

The bone giant, towering at 20 meters, effortlessly toyed with the eight-meter-tall mammoths. A single sweep of the bone giant’s palm sent multiple mammoths hurtling through the air. Yet, the sheer volume of the mammoth army, at 740,000 strong, provided them with a substantial numerical advantage.

The Heroic Osteomancer’s endurance gave out after 15 minutes of intense combat. The bone giant form crumbled, leaving the frail Osteomancer exposed and vulnerable. Despite this, it had successfully taken down 20,000 mammoths. The Elephant Lord, driven by a desire to avenge his Fulgur Mammoth, seized this opportunity to order his mammoths to eradicate the exposed Osteomancer without mercy.

Han Wu, demonstrating his unwillingness to sacrifice the Osteomancer, immediately dispatched his minotaurs to encircle the mammoths and ensure its safety.

A scene of savage and bloody pandemonium erupted as both forces engaged in a brutal clash. Mammoths were mercilessly cut down, Minotaurs were obliterated to a pulpy mess, and swarms of locusts were turned to dust. Every single unit fought for their respective god’s glory, battling to their final breath.

A wave of unrestrained excitement swept through the spectators, as they had not witnessed such a thrilling and entertaining match for a very long time. Impressed by the unwavering valor displayed by Han Wu’s units, a portion of the spectators switched sides and began to fervently cheer him on.

“Locust Plague, don’t stop fighting!”

“Locust Plague, destroy those mammoths with your skeletons!”

“Locust Plague! Your units are amazing! I want to give birth to your babies!”

Han Wu, hearing the encouraging cheers from the spectators, responded with a smile and continued to direct his forces with a flurry of commands.

While sending 2,600 minotaurs against 720,000 mammoths seemed like a disadvantageous proposition, the skeletons’ arrival turned the battle around. The Skeleton Reanimator and the Skeleton Knights resurrected the dead minotaurs and mammoths, turning them into skeletal warriors who swiftly rejoined the fight.

As the battle intensified, Han Wu’s army swelled in size. The Elephant Lord, in a desperate attempt to stem the tide, ordered his War Mammoths to unleash their devastating Warpath once more, obliterating swaths of skeletons. However, the Skeleton Reanimator simply pieced them back together, sending them back into the fray.

As the battle dragged on for three relentless hours, the Elephant Lord’s patience wore thin, and his exasperation mounted. The numbers changed throughout the battle, starting with 740,000 against 2,600, then moving to 720,000 against 22,600, and finally settling at 680,000 against 62,600.

Realizing his impending defeat in the face of Han Wu’s increasing army, the Elephant Lord resolved to obtain a Divine Aspect specifically designed to counter the undead once he returned to school. He swore to eliminate anyone who dared to stand in his way of acquiring that very Divine Aspect.

The match lasted an arduous 5 hours and 37 minutes, ultimately ending with the Elephant Lord’s surrender, and marking Han Wu’s first triumph over a Demigod opponent.

Once again, a massive array materialized, engulfing every corpse on the arena floor. Regrettably, even the newly formed skeletons were not exempt, as they were also absorbed by the array and converted into energy to create Core Fragments.

Han Wu sighed, expressing disappointment at the loss of his potential undead army, his dreams of skeleton domination crumbling to dust. He had been unaware that the arena’s rules were absolute, leaving no room for any exploitable loopholes. He received the Core Fragments, and just as he was about to leave, he received an anonymous message. “Han Wu, the administrators of the Blood Coliseum wishes to meet you.”

Without a moment’s notice, he was abruptly and instantaneously transported into a luxurious and lavishly furnished room.

An old and authoritative voice resonated, “Han Wu, do not be afraid. We are the administrators of the Blood Coliseum. We will not harm you.”

The voice seemed to originate from thin air, as Han Wu was the sole occupant of the room. For a brief moment, he wondered if the room itself was sentient... He squared his shoulders, channeling the composure of a student who’d once fought a Demigod with bugs and skeletons, and directly asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

“We have witnessed your performance, and even accounting for the strategic elements you utilized, your strength is apparent. You have earned the right to be a successor of the Blood Coliseum.”

Han Wu was confused. He thought, Does this mean that this whole time, all my battles were just job interviews?

Regardless, the voice continued, “This is the Blood Coliseum, where our master identifies future successors through a series of demanding trials. To qualify as a candidate, one must demonstrate the ability to defeat a higher-ranked opponent. Will you accept this offer?”

Han Wu’s heart raced as he quickly calculated how much money he could make by inheriting the Blood Coliseum. The Blood Coliseum was built on a massive piece of land worth several thousand Divine Essence. More importantly, there were many races that visited the Blood Coliseum daily, with numerous races visiting daily for the spectacle of matches and the thrill of gambling.

Han Wu knew he could make a lot of Divine Points from the visitors if he inherited the Blood Coliseum. However, he was acutely aware that no opportunity came without a price. Such a stroke of luck was highly improbable.

Han Wu wasn’t a fool. He reasoned that he could not be the first to meet the qualifying criteria. There had to be a catch.

He took a deep breath and asked, “Before I make my decision, I have some questions. How many other candidates are currently under consideration? Furthermore, what rewards, benefits, and responsibilities are associated with the candidate position?”

“It is indeed remarkable that you have not succumbed to greed. We will gladly address your inquiries due to your demonstrated sincerity. Excluding you, there are currently 349 candidates, with 221 of them being Divine Beings, 118 Demigods, 9 Gods, and 1 Major God. After becoming a candidate, you will obtain Permanent Coordinates to the Blood Coliseum. You can pay 1 million Divine Points to teleport yourself to the Blood Coliseum without using a teleporter, no matter where you may be.

“Additionally, you will receive the privilege to establish a specialized Blood Coliseum in your divine realm, specifically designed for the training of your units. Regarding your responsibilities, once the number of candidates reaches 500, the Blood Coliseum will commence its Succession Ceremony. We will choose the owner of the Blood Coliseum out of the 500 candidates. Your participation in this event is mandatory.”

After the authoritative voice explained everything in detail, Han Wu frowned. His intuition told him that the Succession Ceremony, designed to determine the heir to the Blood Coliseum, would be a formidable challenge.

He thought the most likely thing would be a brutal elimination match where all 500 candidates would be forced to fight to the death until only a single survivor was left to claim ownership of the Blood Coliseum. However, it would be a while before the 500th candidate was determined. As he was only the 350th candidate, he realized that he had ample time before the Succession Ceremony. I might even be a God King by then, he thought.

Han Wu made his decision. “I accept. I will become a candidate.”

The voice sounded pleased. “Congratulations for becoming the 350th candidate.”

A flash of blood-red light imprinted a mark on Han Wu’s wrist, the insignia of the Blood Coliseum. This mark, containing the Permanent Coordinates, enabled him to teleport to the Coliseum from any place.

With the process concluded, Han Wu found himself back in the main hall.

Tian Wen, sensing Han Wu’s presence, swiftly ran over. “Han Wu, my lucky star! You’ve made us rich!”

Tian Wen handed Han Wu a card containing 1 billion Divine Points, the winnings from Han Wu’s own wager. Han Wu’s hands noticeably quivered with excitement as he took the card, never before having possessed such a vast amount of wealth. He experienced, for the first time, a predicament that only the wealthy encountered.

What do I even do with this much money?