The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

Han Wu still had no idea what to do when a new notification popped up.

[Dear candidate, a challenge has been issued to you by a fellow candidate, a Demigod known as Firewind. Do you accept this challenge? (Note that your candidacy will be revoked if you decline three challenges or if you are defeated in a challenge.)]

Han Wu scowled. “I decline.”

Without access to his divine realm, accepting now would be suicide. He had barely rejected the challenge when another notification popped up. This time it was from another Demigod candidate White Ice. Han Wu exhaled heavily and declined again. If he could summon his units, he wouldn’t have turned down a single one.

To his growing dismay, a third challenge notification appeared from yet another Demigod. He cursed under his breath. “Are they trying to kill me? Declining three times or losing even once means losing my candidacy.”

Faced with no other option, Han Wu chose to accept the challenge. He resolved to defend his title with everything he had. The moment he accepted, the arena materialized around him. For Demigods, the arena stretched across 10,000 square kilometers wide, an area vast enough to accommodate their summoned units.

Han Wu caught sight of his challenger. To his surprise, the opponent was a loli, barely 1.5 meters tall. She wore a gothic dress, her skin was pale as porcelain, and her cheeks were plump and delicate like a high-end doll. As she appeared in the arena, she waved to her companions. “Firewind, White Ice, I’ll be the one to take him on now.”

Han Wu sighed, lamenting his luck. He had never expected his challengers to be working together. Usually, no one dared to challenge him here, yet they came one after another today.

After greeting her companions, she turned to Han Wu. “Are you Locust Plague? What a disgusting name.”

Han Wu was rendered speechless. He never imagined the little girl would be so rude. She continued without waiting for a reply, “My name is Dark Night. Remember it well, because you will lose to me.”

She radiated confidence, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Some recognized Locust Plague, but many more knew the famous Dark Night. A fan club had even formed to support her.

“Dark Night, you are so cute! Go and defeat him!”

“Dark Night, my beloved, victory is yours for sure!”

“Locust Plague, if you hurt a single hair on my sweet Dark Night, I will fight you to the death!”

The fan club’s cheers echoed as Dark Night pointed at them and snapped, “Quiet, you pigs! Watch quietly.”

“Oho, our sweet Dark Night is shy. She’s so adorable.”

“Dark Night called me a fat pig but not the others. Does that mean she likes me?”

“Dark Night, honey! Let’s get married and give birth to your baby!”

Her cheeks flushed red. If she could, she would’ve disbanded the entire fan club on the spot. Frustrated and unable to silence them, she turned her fury on Han Wu instead. “Locust Plague, it’s time for you to die.”

She raised her arms and summoned 1 billion bats from her divine realm. A torrent of bats poured forth, darkening the sky. Han Wu blinked in surprise. This was the first time he had seen anyone muster an army rivaling his own in sheer numbers.

Dark Night taunted, “Hehe, are you afraid? This is my true strength. If you don’t want my bats to drain your units into dry husks, you should surrender and stop wasting my time.”

Han Wu saw through her words. She spoke to provoke him, challenging his pride to keep him fighting. He stared at the mass of bats and devised a plan to defeat her.

The preparation timer counted down, yet Han Wu summoned no units from his divine realm realm. Naturally, the crowd grew restless, confused by his inaction as the match neared.

Even Dark Night grew curious. “Why aren’t you summoning your units? Don’t tell me you are really afraid of my bats?”

Han Wu ignored her and kept his gaze fixed on the bats. The match started the moment the timer hit zero. The administrator showed no concern whether Han Wu summoned his units or not. Dark Night chose brute force, unleashing every bat in her swarm to attack him, regardless of his intentions.

Han Wu used his Wind Boots and moved swiftly, slipping through the bats’ encirclement before charging straight at Dark Night. His plan was not to defeat the bats but to take down their leader first.

The strategy was sound, but he had underestimated her strength. Though small and fragile-looking, she was a Demigod and a contender to succeed the Blood Coliseum.

Her power was real. When Han Wu launched his attack, she leapt into the air with effortless grace and drove a kick into him with her slender legs. He tried to block, but the impact hurled him through the air and slammed him into the wall beneath the stands.

The large crater from the impact revealed just how strong she really was.

“Hehe, do you see my strength? I’ve trained in close-quarters combat, so fighting me head-on is suicide,” Dark Night bragged.

Han Wu sprang out of the crater in the wall. He was mostly unscathed, with only minor injuries. His resilience came from the Origin of Mutation reaching Rank 3, which had strengthened his body tenfold. Without that boost, her attack would have knocked him unconscious.

Brushing dust from his clothes, he quickly reassessed the situation. A direct assault wouldn’t work; she was too skilled. That left the swarm of bats. There were too many, and they flew at impossible speeds. He needed to kill at least half of them to force her surrender and win the match. Even for him, that was a daunting challenge.

Han Wu darted around the arena in circles, racking his brain for another solution.