Chapter 5: The Young Girl's Wish

"Welcome to the Infinite Path, sir and madam. I am your assigned commissioner. To qualify for this game, you both must be powerhouses that transcend cosmic boundaries. Please allow me to address you both as 'my lords'. I will now elucidate the game rules."

A red-skinned man removed his bowler hat, revealing a shiny bald head, two polished stumps where horns once were. He grinned, displaying a mouthful of sharp fangs, resembling a devil from classic movies.

No sooner had the devil finished speaking than he bowed deeply to Raven and Blueira, his demeanor exceedingly humble.

Raven had long been unfazed by sudden shifts in reality. He took in his surroundings and found himself in an expansive meadow. Everywhere he looked, there was lush greenery, and in the distance, mountain ranges piled upon each other, their peaks cloaked in pristine white snow. A chilling wind, reminiscent of the gusts on Mount Kilimanjaro, passed by, revitalizing one's spirit. The sky here seemed several times higher than that of Earth, giving one a sense of unreachable vastness.

Amidst such picturesque scenery, Raven felt uneasy. Ever since his body had undergone changes, he preferred staying in damp and dark places, allowing his flesh to be a breeding ground for centipedes and venomous insects.

Under their own call, these bugs can bite and gnaw the enemy, crawl all over the enemy's body, burrow into the enemy's eyes and ears, dig through their brains, and hollow out their internal organs.

It seemed all creatures with terrifying attributes resonated with Raven's bizarre physique. They could nest within his bloodstream, reveling in this dark haven. In return, they served as Raven's minions, and he ruled over them like a tyrant within a fortress.

"Hey! You've got it wrong! I was just passing by..."

Blueira complained tearfully to the commissioner.

The commissioner lifted his gaze, staring reverently at Blueira, and solemnly responded,"My Lord, please refrain from jesting! You are a being that transcends cosmic limits. Only by participating in the Infinite Path can your true worth be exhibited."

Blueira was on the verge of tears. How did it come to this? She had been promised a transfer to a plane suitable for her existence. Now, not only was she roped into some frightening game, but she was also partnered with Raven, who seemed devoid of familial ties. It couldn't get worse.

Raven nonchalantly stuck his finger into his ear, digging too forcefully, and a copious amount of fresh blood erupted. The grass beneath became stained a bright crimson. He decided that once this dark-skinned individual finished his long-winded exposition, he'd burrow a hole and bury himself, going into hibernation, tuning into the whispers within his marrow, awaiting the end of this tedious farce.

Watching Raven's self-harming tendencies, Blueira's heart pounded with fear. Perhaps, once the commissioner left, this deranged individual would turn on her.

"My Lords, we are now in the first round of the Infinite Path: The Revolutionary Road. Our current location is the preparatory room for the commencement of the first game. Although termed a 'room', it's an entire planet. But these are mere trivialities. The crux of the matter is the rules for the Revolutionary Road. Soon, both of you will be teleported to a D-level technological civilization world where electricity is the primary energy source. It's named the Arcas Continent. Next, I'll introduce the background story of the Arcas Continent."

Humming a cheerful tune, the devil reached into his coat and retrieved a frighteningly thick notebook, flipping through it for an extended period.

Half a minute later...

Sweat poured from the devil's brow. It seemed he had picked up the wrong notebook that morning. So, relying on memory, he spoke to Raven and Blueira:"Um... in this world... ahem... creatures known as Mutants emerged... erm... these Mutants possess various unique abilities... um... humans felt their dominant position threatened... uh... subsequently, a war broke out between the two factions. That's the general situation."

The demon took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, looking at the two with a rigid smile, feeling somewhat awkward.

Undoubtedly, the demon was sweating, but Blueira was on the verge of tears.

"What are we supposed to do? Their wars have nothing to do with me!"

In her desperation, Blueira imagined the worst-case scenario. She envisioned herself becoming a war slave, surrounded by one sweating man after another. She couldn't bear to continue that train of thought.

The demon, extending a finger with a sharp nail, waved and said,"You're mistaken, my lord. Both of you, in this game, can choose to play as any side of the two factions. Once you annihilate all the contestants from the opposing camp, you will be victorious and move on to the next round."

Hearing this, Blueira's legs went weak. She almost couldn't stand and fell to the ground. Instinctively, she grabbed onto Raven, placing her hand on his shoulder to steady herself.

Blueira thought that everyone from one camp would die. Even the winning side would likely suffer heavy casualties, with a mortality rate as high as 70%. She felt she wouldn't be that lucky. The ice cream cones she bought were always hollow in the middle. This time would be no different; she imagined a gruesome end for herself.

Feeling the warmth on his shoulder, Raven suddenly felt nauseated. A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, and murderous intent brewed in his heart.

Unbeknownst to Blueira, her demise was imminent.

Raven's jaw slowly dropped, morphing into a terrifying shape, revealing exaggerated fangs. Those teeth! They didn't seem human. It'd be more apt to describe them as the maw of a wild beast. Each tooth was a sharp, serrated fang!

Next, an even more bizarre scene happened, Raven's jaws were still expanding, the skin at the corners of his mouth were gradually crumbling apart, bursting out with bright red plasma, and that wasn't enough, until Raven's mouth crumbled the zygomaticus major muscle, the whole cheek, leaving only the rooted muscle fibers used for biting, and his mouth turned into a bloody maw that could swallow a head.

Ta-ta-ta-ta ...

Sticky plasma that smelled fishy exploded all over Blueira's face while Raven buried his head and tore down towards Blueira's head, ready to eat it in one bite.

And Blueira ... was completely too late to react.

"This lord! I suggest you don't do this! The Infinite Path is a two-player team, to test not only strength but also intelligence, but also the trust and bond with your partner, if you kill her, the gods will be displeased and send down divine punishment, and your lordship will die with her!"

The demon dutifully expounded the rules of the game.

Raven stopped his mouth from dropping violently at the words, the gaping hole in his face that had been chipped with too much force gradually began to heal, and with that he gently wiped away the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

Blueira, on the other hand, was drenched in Raven's blood and had fallen limp on the floor, her eyes empty and shivering as if she had broken down.

"Is that one of the rules? The gods? What is the significance? The Infinite Path? What's the significance?" Raven felt his mouth go a little dry as he spoke for the first time in eighteen years in such a long sentence.

An intoxicated look appeared on the demon's face, and his expression gradually became maniacal as saliva flowed out from between his teeth, exuberantly saying like a mad dog:

"While the meaning itself is meaningless, if I must say so, the Infinity Road is a show, and the gods ... aka the organization's executives, were so bored that they put on a show to evolve the contestants, to make the contestants stronger, to make the contestants strong enough to kill themselves, to make the contestants rule the universe! That was the point of the show, there was no point!

"No ends justify the means! It's just a crazy party! There's absolutely no need for such a thing as meaning, just tear each other apart, fall into madness with each other, mix each other's flesh and blood together, and keep tearing until the moment of the end ... This is the path to infinity!"

The demon closed his eyes and opened his hands, seemingly praising the gods as if on a pilgrimage.

"Ooh?"

Raven stretched his voice, feeling some amusement, and asked the demon,"That is, if I advance round after round of the game, and in the end slaughter all the gods until I rule the universe, is that considered a win?"

The demon froze at his words, his mind was a bit spinning for a moment, and it took him a while to react to the fact that gods could actually be slaughtered, and that the universe could actually be ruled, the demon bowed to Raven and said,"You could say that, my lord."

Blueira's terrified body regained a little strength as she heard the rules of the game where she couldn't kill her partner.

Blueira's mind was now filled with only one thought, and that was ... alive! Winning! Stay alive! Winning!

Yet, Blueira's own strength was far too feeble.

Thus, the prone Blueira, with all her might, began to crawl towards Raven, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. Eventually, she made her way to Raven's feet, clutching at his ankles.

Raven gazed down coldly at the beleaguered Blueira beneath him, saying nothing.

Blueira lifted her head, revealing a pair of profoundly sincere black eyes. With utmost earnestness, she pleaded,"I beseech you... to conquer the entire universe!"

In that moment, the clouds overhead ceased their drift, the springs in the brooks halted their flow; it was as though time itself was ensnared.

After what seemed like an eternity, normality resumed.

"Hmm?"

A smile crept across Raven's face, so wide it appeared to tear at the corners of his mouth, spilling an attractive shade of red. It was a profoundly unsettling grin.

"It seems... I'm getting intrigued."

The voice in Raven's head grew increasingly distinct, piercing... right to the soul.