The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns: An OP Xianxia Returnee LitRPG

Chapter 117: The Barbarian God’s Descent

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Obsidian saw his entire body being divided into two halves. His flesh, blood, bones, and internal organs all helped, becoming “fuel” as Mursha touched his flesh and imbued her runic powers inside, conjuring a suicidal technique into his own body.

“Remember this technique?! It was the technique dad used in his last moments!”

Mursha recalled how her father told her to live and to make them proud before he used Blood Flare to explode, dying honorably in his last moments.

That memory was imprinted into her mind even to this day, as Mursha decided to punish this bastard using that very power!

“S-STOP…! I SAID STOOOP!”

Obsidian attempted, in his last moments, to reattach himself before being blown up, but that failed, as Mursha conjured the spell faster than his two halves could move.

“{Blood Flare}!”

FLUOSH!

His internal organs—flesh, blood, and bones—all combusted, covering and burning his very insides. Developing Divinity or whatever, it didn’t mean shit when he was being blown up from the inside out.

“MURSHAAAAAHHHH!!!”

With a scream of utter agony, frustration, and disbelief, Obsidian perished.

BOOOMMM!!!

Whatever remained of him splattered over the grasslands, burning and turning into calcinated pieces of bone and ashes.

“Uuuggh…! Aaaggh…!”

However, against Mursha’s expectations, she noticed a small sphere of darkness with a single crimson eye floating above the remains of Obsidian.

“What?!” she muttered. “What the hell is that?!”

Mursha could barely move anymore; the immense pressure of having used all her powers was now weighing her down, making her fall to her knees, gasping for air.

“M-My body… M-My… soul…?!” muttered the thing in confusion. “You… YOUUUU!”

The sphere of darkness suddenly started growing larger and larger, taking on an amorphous form and exuding a corrupted, dying divinity that wouldn’t accept its physical body’s death.

RUMBLE!

A mighty shockwave of darkness encompassed its surroundings, making the entire world tremble. Mursha felt the immense pressure and quickly knew what it was.

“Obsidian?! No, this is not exactly him! What is this?! His Divinity? So he had one… a developing one, and- Ugh!”

Before she could even move or do something, she felt an intense pain all across her body. The dulling abilities she had were already being turned off, making her consciousness drift in and out.

“You… You…! You will become… my new bodyyyy… Murshaaaaa!”

The thing started crawling towards Mursha as the orc warrioress tried to muster any strength within her, beginning to struggle more and more.

“Bloodfang Wolf… Please… Please give me your strength…! This being this demon! He will not die… Until we completely erase him…! Please, give me your… power!”

Orc quickly stood up against all odds, wielding and carrying her axe towards the weakened mass of darkness. Her blood aura continued to grow stronger and larger, barely.

The small head of a crimson wolf emerged from within, growling.

“Eat… him…!” Mursha groaned, swinging her axe down.

“GROOAARR!”

The Bloodfang Wolf roared ferociously, opening its jaws and timing its attack at the same time as Mursha’s axe, which slashed through the corrupted divinity of Obsidian.

SLAAASH!

At the same time as an explosion of Blood Flames engulfed the entire thing, the wolf attacked; this was their last remnant of power—everything they had left within themselves!

Their main body was destroyed and desecrated, devoured by the Barbarian God and used to make his weapons, and each member of the Bloodfang Tribe died except Mursha.

Their existence as a whole had grown terribly weaker. Yet it was thanks to Mursha’s efforts and her might that the wolf remained alive.

Yet now... this was the very last of themselves.

CRUUUNCH!

Their jaws devoured Obsidian’s corrupted divinity, crushing and destroying it into countless fragments before crushing it again, grinding into their existence and the soul attached to it.

“Uuuaaaaggghh!”

The very last essence of Obsidian was being erased, eaten, and digested by the wolf, fueling Mursha, the vessel of his powers, with brand-new strength.

Her wounds slowly healed, and her vitality was restored, along with her stamina. Slowly, she felt refreshed.

Yet…

The presence of the Bloodfang Wolf grew weaker over time, slowly dissipating.

Disappearing.

“Mursha… I’ve protected you this whole time,” the voice of the wolf echoed inside her mind.

“E-Eh?”

For a moment, Mursha found herself reminiscing about old memories of her childhood after the death of her entire tribe.

When she felt the loneliest, she was the most desolated.

And the saddest...

He was there, watching over her like a loyal guardian.

It was small, and she couldn’t even see him.

But as Mursha saw her memories through his, she realized.

She was never alone.

“I always watched over you, my dear child.”

“W-Wait… wait!”

Mursha ran towards him, hugging his fluffy red fur, as she started crying.

Yet as her hands touched him, he was slowly dissipating.

His big nose touched her forehead as he gently licked her face.

“You’ve grown stronger than I could have ever hoped.”

“Wait, don’t go!”

“I’ve fulfilled my promise to your father, to your tribe…”

“Do you have to leave me too?! Everyone… everyone leaves!”

“Mursha, my existence… I can’t… no longer…”

“B-But there could be a way! I just…”

Mursha continued crying as she rubbed her face over the wolf’s fur.

“I don’t want to be alone!”

The wolf looked at her tenderly, rubbing his nose on her.

“You’re no longer alone.”

Images of Fiery Hair, Peperina, Urbosa, Merkite, and Bing Xue appeared by Mursha’s side.

“You have… friends… And… I believe… you can be with them, yes?”

“But… I wish… I wish I could have known earlier that you were there!”

“Deep down, you knew… It was the reason you persevered, the reason you continued growing stronger. My presence was there; you never felt... truly lonely… my child…”

The Bloodfang Wolf’s body was almost completely gone.

“Don’t go…” Mursha cried, like the child she once was. “Don’t leave me…”

“I’m sorry…” the wolf sighed. “I’m… sure you’ll do just fine… my child…”

The skies above cleared, as Mursha saw the visions change, showing her tribe.

Her father was smiling proudly, crossing his arms, and nodding.

Her mother, with her gentle, lovely smile and her eyes full of love for her daughter.

And her tribe, her uncles, her cousins—all of them standing, smiling proudly.

“I’ll go with them…” the wolf said. “I’ll protect them even in the afterlife, my children of the Bloodfang Tribe… So you too, do your best, my child… Protect those you love because you are strong.”

Mursha saw the wolf slowly disappear with the souls of her tribe, which were actually trapped within Obsidian’s shadow divinity.

They finally managed to get to the afterlife after dozens of years of perpetual agony.

Mursha couldn’t be happier about such an end for them.

Yet, she couldn’t help but feel so sad, nonetheless.

She fell to her knees, crying uncontrollably, grabbing the grass tightly, and tearing it off the ground.

But then she calmed down and sighed.

“I will…”

As she tried to stand up but couldn’t because she felt so dizzy after gaining all this new power, a hand gently held her big hands.

It was soft and small compared to hers, but it was warm.

Mursha slowly lifted her head, finding Bing Xue.

“Well done, Mursha.”

“Bing Xue…”

Mursha slowly stood up with Bing Xue’s help, looking at her brilliant, rainbow-colored eyes and feeling slightly startled by her divine beauty.

She looked so divine and unapproachable.

Yet she was perhaps the nicest person she had met throughout her entire life.

She could tell how much Bing Xue mourned her tribe too; she had a level of empathy that no other person could have.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed. “For everything…”

“Y-You don’t have to be sorry for anything…” Mursha smiled lightly. “You didn’t do anything…”

“That’s why,” Bing Xue muttered. “Because I couldn’t be here... because I couldn’t come back earlier... because I couldn’t visit this world a few years ago... I’m sorry.”

“Hahah… Don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t change.” Mursha noticed Bing Xue gently cleaning her tears; she blushed a bit.

“There, better now?” Bing Xue asked.

“Y-Yeah… thanks,” Mursha muttered. “Thank you for everything… Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to avenge my family… Or even win against this monster.”

“Save your thanks for later, dear.” Bing Xue gently patted her big shoulders. “The battle is far from over. In fact, it’s just starting.”

“Ah!” Mursha looked into the skies.

RUMBLE!

As all Generals of all factions were slain, the War Games had already come to an end. This would have pleased the Barbarian God if it weren’t for a few little problems.

The first was that the generals, his avatars, had their souls eaten by demons and their divine powers given by him to them stolen by Bing Xue or her allies.

The second problem was that over half of the members were spared and protected, mostly all the children or those that weren’t involved; they didn’t get killed.

Only those who directly followed him or were allies with the cultists were killed, and their souls were also eaten, unable to revive again later.

And lastly, Bing Xue had been provoking him too much—way too much.

The skies trembled as crimson lightning surged from them. Bing Xue’s entire group gathered together again, Seth, Fiery Hair, and the cavemen, Urbosa, Merkite, and Peperina.

“I give you the opportunity to pass this test smoothly…”

RUMBLE!

“I allow you to even take upon a different faction.”

FLASH!

“And I even allow you to kill my generals and to keep those sacrifices alive.”

TRUUUM!

“Yet… Yet you dare break their souls and kill most of my Avatars?!”

RUMBLE!

The skies trembled as the figure of a divine being descended. Bing Xue’s eyes widened slightly as she noticed the tremendously thick atmosphere created by his Divine Presence.

And his appearance.

A gigantic man of over a hundred meters tall, muscular, and mighty, with eight gigantic arms, long black claws, and golden horns adorning his head.

He had long silvery-white hair and the slightly handsome face of a red-skinned demon, with ogre-like fangs coming from his lower jaw.

And a third, black, red, and purple-colored vertical eye over his forehead.

All eight of his hands held giant, golden weapons overflowing with both divine and spiritual powers.

Made out of the corpses of the Divine Spirit Beasts, he hunted and killed for sport.

Wearing only white-colored pants made out of the fur of a white creature and a black and red scarf made out of the scales of another, which danced by the wind around his neck.

The Divine and Supreme beings of the second floor of the Tower emerged.

Anybody would guess that the god of the second floor would be a weakling; there were 98 other floors to go after all.

A terrible misconception.

“He’s stronger than the two gods of Eclipse combined and multiplied by ten…” Bing Xue smiled. “Interesting.”

The people around the entire battlefield trembled in utter horror, disbelief, and fear.

“W-what is that giant?!”

“T-The God…! The God of the Barbarians!”

“Why is he here?! Why has he descended?!”

“Run…! RUN BEFORE EVERYTHING IS DESTROYED!”

Yet the most fanatic ones that had only been watching and didn’t participate smiled, celebrating his descent!

“Aaahhh! Our King has finally shown himself!”

“He will show that woman that he cannot be messed with!”

“Oh, almighty God of Battles and Bloodshed, thank you for blessing us with your divine presence!”

And among them was the leader of the cult, someone who had lived for hundreds of years through the divine blessing of his master and god.

The tallest orc in the land was red skinned with four arms, resembling a minor battle god of his own, overflowing with a powerful, developing divinity.

“Admire him! Rejoice, you fool! All of you SINNERS shall perish before his might! You, who neglect the bloodshed, YOU, who dare oppose his might! You shall be squashed like bugs!”

He laughed, raising his staff into the skies, and pointing at his god, descending miraculously and with divinity.

“T-That’s…! That bastard!” Mursha groaned, gritting her teeth. “The monster—the one behind everything! He showed himself?!”

“So that’s him…” Urbosa muttered. “I see…”

“So this is what we’re fighting against…” said Merkite.

“H-He’s too big!” cried Peperina. “How can we even…?!”

“…” Seth remained calm even after watching this. “I see what you’re aiming for. I’ll be on my way then, Bing Xue. I’ll do that.”

“I’ll go with you,” Bing Xue said, as one of her doppelgangers suddenly transformed into a golden armor of light around Seth. “Go!”

“Hah, very well!” Seth moved at lightning speed, moving to a completely different area of the planet just as God descended.

At the same time, Bing Xue looked at her party.

“I will take care of him,” she said. “The cult is right there; they’re probably going to charge at us soon. I’ll trust you can take care of them; all of you have grown much stronger.”

“Wait, I have to go too!” said Mursha. “I need to…!”

“…” Bing Xue looked at Mursha in silence. “You can only choose one: the God or his insane follower who did everything himself. Choose.”

“That’s…” Mursha muttered.

But then she glanced at the bastard, the one who had done everything.

Although that god might have been the one giving orders, she never ever saw his face.

All her hatred was directed at his most fervent believer and his priest, bishop, and avatar.

“Fine… I’ll kill him.”

Bing Xue smiled, nodding.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you~”

FLASH!

With an explosion of golden light, Bing Xue appeared in front of the Barbarian God.

“I have heard a lot about you, Barbarian God.”

“That is but one of my many names! One I do not particularly like, Bing Xue.”

“Is that so?”

Bing Xue remained calm, and still, the Barbarian God could immediately sense her tremendous power.

“I don’t want to fight, you know?” he said. “I descended because I knew that’s what you wanted me to do... And I am here to give you an offer. If you take it, I am even willing to forgive you for having killed my Avatars.”

“An offer?” Bing Xue wondered, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes… Join us, join the Gods of the Tower,” the giant god extended his hands towards her. “Join the Order of the Gods and become our equal, an ally, and a sister of us all!”

“…”

Bing Xue remained in silence.

“What? Are you still hesitating? Bing Xue, this is the opportunity of your lifetime. You must-”

“I refuse.”

“What? Come again?”

SLAAASH!

“Ungh?!”

The Barbarian God, out of nowhere, saw that three of his giant arms were sliced apart, Bing Xue appearing behind him, her rainbow eyes glaring down at his pathetic, bleeding body.

“I said I refused.”

The Barbarian God’s face slowly distorted in disbelief, the handsome face he had slowly turned into an ugly red Oni, an ogre!

“YOU FOOL! THEN THIS WORLD SHALL BE YOUR GRAVE! COME OUT, EVERYONE!”

RUMBLE!

Space and time distorted around the two of them as Bing Xue’s eyes looked around, noticing several signals of divine power.

Not one, not two, not three.

But over ten of them!

The strongest Avatars of the Gods from several other floors appeared one after another, surrounding her alongside the Barbarian God.

They were Avatars that had undergone Complete Assimilation, becoming quite literally a second divine body to harbor these Gods Divinities and Souls.

It was as if they were there in the flesh, practically.

[The Tower God {Insect Queen of the Frozen Lands} aims to slay you!]

[The Tower God {Stone Giant of the Ash Mountain} seeks your death!]

[The Tower God {Ruler of the Emerald Flames} desires your destruction before you become too big of a threat!]

[The Tower God {Ancient Weapon of Destruction} desires your complete deletion.]

[The Tower God {Decaying Princess of Zombies} wants to taste your flesh.]

[The Tower God {Dark Chaos Machine} wants you pulverized!]

[The Tower God {Lord of the Cursed Forest} has been called here to kill you in unison with the other Gods!]

[The Tower God {Seeker of Treasures} says it is a pity you’ll have to die, as your beauty is as big as a treasure.]

[The Tower God {Parasite Queen} aims to parasitize you!]

[The Tower God {Abandoned Puppet of the Divine Craftsman} wants your world]

[The Tower God {Carnival’s Clown} says that he’s done playing games.]

[The Tower God {Ultramarine Dragon King} desires your destruction!]

[The Tower God {Aberrant Chimera of the Abyss} wants your body parts…!]

“What is this?” Bing Xue laughed. “A party? All for me? You shouldn’t have!”

“KILL HER!”

With a furious command, the Barbarian God led the charge, as Bing Xue faced dozens of Gods at once.

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