Watching Andy and the others retreat from the defense line, Green felt a slight sense of relief.
Though his expression remained calm, Green’s internal alarm level had spiked to the maximum the moment he laid eyes on the two Circus members, the Female Magician and the Puppeteer.
Even though their true power levels technically remained at the peak of the Legendary rank, in Green’s eyes, they were far more dangerous than the High Shaman—that Demi-god who had broken through by sacrificing an entire city’s population in exchange for the blessing of an Ancient Evil.
Chaos Power.
And it wasn’t the low-quality version found in the High Shaman—the kind that provided a degree of empowerment but was essentially a shackle. The Chaos Power within these two was sufficient to grant them special skills that defied the laws of the Material Realm, completely subverting the established system of classes.
The Puppeteer’s “Puppetization” was terrifying enough, but having encountered it multiple times, Green had long ago devised countermeasures.
But that Female Magician…
“Magic, huh,” Green scratched his head in frustration, muttering to himself, “What a troublesome pair.”
With a huff, Green leveled his two Divine Artifacts at the duo. “Well, now that the ‘unrelated personnel’ have left the stage, I can finally exchange some proper blows with you annoying Circus members.”
“Oh? Unrelated personnel?”
The Female Magician seemed in no rush to strike. Her slender finger tapped the air lightly, and the corners of her mouth curled as she let out a giggling laugh. “Didn’t you just act like you valued your companions immensely? Why is it that the moment they leave, you finally speak your mind?”
“Actually…”
Before Green could retort, the Female Magician suddenly shifted her tone, attempting to persuade him once again. “We truly shouldn’t be enemies.”
“Oh?”
Green couldn’t help but shoot back, “Shouldn’t be enemies? My apologies, Miss… Miss Magician, but hasn’t your group been using every despicable means possible to try and assassinate Her Highness the Princess?”
“Come to think of it, what exactly is the point of all these endless conspiracies you’re weaving?”
Though he had already internally sentenced these people to death for repeatedly attempting to use Chaos Power to achieve their ulterior motives, the Magician’s persistent overtures had sparked a sliver of curiosity in Green—what did these Circus members actually want?
Eternal life? The moment they obtained Chaos Power and used that reality-warping, order-trampling strength to completely remodel their bodies and souls, they had already achieved immortality.
Power? By mastering Chaos Power and the strength bestowed upon them by the pollution sources from beyond the stars, they already possessed Demi-god-level power, making them the most formidable existences in the Material Realm.
Power, wealth, fame?
Such things might be irresistibly tempting to others, but Green knew very well that to true powerhouses—peak Legends standing at the summit of the Material Realm—those things held little allure. If they wanted them, they could obtain them with ease.
So…
Before the fight, Green couldn’t resist throwing the question at them.
Facing Green’s interrogation, the Female Magician couldn’t help but laugh.
That laugh seemed to turn all the beauty of the mortal world dull by comparison. The sheer essence of her seduction had turned physical, causing the nearby air to grow stagnant, and a suffocating sensation welled up in Green’s heart.
This is—!
Clang—!
Green quickly raised the Divine Artifact in his hand.
A flash of fleeting light had somehow quietly attached itself to him. If not for that split-second instinct in his heart, he likely would have been successfully ambushed by that creature of unknown origin.
Zizizi.
As the Law of the Divine Artifact swept through, the tiny creatures hidden by Chaos Power dissolved into dots of black smoke and dissipated.
“What was that this time?”
Green, who prided himself on being well-traveled and knowledgeable—who, in the real world, thirstily learned all kinds of information and was so polymathic in biology that even members of the Neutral Federation University often consulted him—actually found himself unable to identify the creature’s origin.
“Hehe, this is ‘Magic’.”
The Female Magician gathered the black smoke, answering with a smile: “They are guests from beyond the stars. They help me read the hearts of others more accurately.”
Guests from beyond the stars?
Pollution sources!
Green instantly broke out in goosebumps.
If there was one thing Green feared in this world after entering his “Chosen One” state, there was only one—and that was the “Pollution Source” he had seen in the Astral Plane when he ascended to the Divine Kingdom as the God of Justice at the end of the second life simulation.
These lunatics!
What exactly were they trying to do?
They were already peak Legends or even stronger existences. Why—why would they risk collaborating with an eldritch entity that could destroy the world just to gain even greater power?
“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Green.”
The Female Magician somehow knew Green’s real name. She smiled brilliantly and spoke in a soft, calm voice: “Didn’t you just ask what we… what the members of the Circus want to do? This thing is my answer.”
“Your answer?” Green sneered. “So, Miss Magician, you’re saying that as a peak Legendary powerhouse, you’re willing to cooperate with such evil entities just to obtain these… uh, disgusting bugs that let you read emotions?”
After a brief exchange, while Green couldn’t fully grasp the specific abilities of the creatures the Magician summoned, he could glimpse their basic attributes and appearance.
“Disgusting?”
The Female Magician continued to tap her fingers. Several caterpillar-like creatures—transparent yet swirling with iridescent spots of light—wriggled in her palm. They looked up with a hauntingly human gesture and bared their teeth; Green could faintly see sharp fangs within.
Zizizizizi!
The emotions that had suddenly spiked in his heart moments ago surged once more. But this time, with Green already on guard, these grotesque little insects were almost unable to guide his emotions.
However…
If it were anyone else—even a Legendary professional—they wouldn’t be able to resist the emotional fluctuations within this.
That woman was indeed dangerous!
Especially when paired with her teammate, the Puppeteer, who could seize the moment a person’s willpower collapsed to turn them into a puppet…
Even a peak Legend, if caught off guard, would find it impossible to escape their grasp.
“But this doesn’t make sense.”
Green immediately noticed a contradiction. “This duo is too strong. In that case, before I joined Theresa… how did Her Highness escape their clutches?”
No, more importantly…
“Why do they need to go to such great lengths to weave and guide so many conspiracies step by step?”
This world was, after all, grounded in the material. With the Circus’s strength, to put it bluntly, aside from a “Life Simulator” like him, they could basically walk through the Material Realm unopposed.
Why be so cautious and elaborate?
Surely it wasn’t just for some personal, twisted sense of amusement?
“Mr. Green, it seems you’ve started to get curious.”
Good.
Seeing the flash of curiosity on Green’s face, the Female Magician felt a surge of joy. It hadn’t been in vain to consume the Chaos Power she had stored for years to pull these “guests” from beyond the stars just now.
My analysis was correct! Although he acts uncompromising on the surface, that Bard is likely already wavering in his heart!
If I keep at it, perhaps the Circus will give birth to a new official member after so many years?
Thinking of this, the Magician stopped playing coy.
“Actually, Mr. Green, this world is not as simple as you think.”
Crossing her arms, the Female Magician got straight to the point. “Haven’t you ever wondered why, since the fall of the God of Justice, there hasn’t been a new deity in this world for so many years?”
“…” Green didn’t answer, simply reflecting in silence.
“Actually, this world died a long, long time ago.”
Without giving Green a chance to overthink, the Female Magician suddenly spoke out loud: “Its vitality was snuffed out by those despicable, shameless gods.”
“Magic-tech, which should have pushed the civilization of the Material Realm to higher peaks, was forcibly suppressed by the gods—be it the Church of Light or the Demon King who supposedly opposes them.”
The Female Magician spoke with agonizing conviction: “Even the Adventurers’ Guild, which people believe to be impartial and which established the credit-based professional system, is an accomplice of the gods.”
“Aren’t you curious why Magic-tech, after so many years, seems to make progress but is actually standing still? Food that should be in abundance, fire that never ceases so that countless paupers can survive the winter… everything, everything has been suppressed by the gods and their lackeys!”
The Female Magician clenched her fist, and the transparent caterpillars instantly turned into black Chaos Power, re-attaching to them.
“The gods thought they were foolproof, but they were wrong.”
The Chaos Power on the Female Magician surged higher.
“They calculated everything but never expected that an anomaly would be born from beyond the stars, forcing them to hide and fear to descend into the mortal realm.”
The Female Magician’s gaze drifted to the parchment scroll in Green’s hand. “The gods think we are like the characters in the scripts written by Bards, only able to follow the plot they’ve dictated. But we will prove them dead wrong.”
“Will you… join us?”
This time, the Female Magician’s voice was no longer filled with enchantment.
There was only complete sincerity.