There was no battlefield to clean this time. Qi Suian simply tossed Nalan You’s corpse into the Melting Furnace, picked up the Sacred Artifact known as the Destiny Spear, and headed back.
On the way, Qi Suian took a moment to check the new effect of his Protagonist’s Aura enhancement.
[Enhancement +8: Treasure Intuition]
Judging by the name, it was likely related to finding hidden treasures and valuables.
It also enhanced his intuition to a certain degree, though it was likely limited to matters of treasure.
Qi Suian then turned his attention to the Sacred Artifact known as the Destiny Spear.
’It doesn’t have a flawed suffix. Given enough time, he probably could have actually assembled a complete Destructive Sacred Object.’
After a brief inspection, Qi Suian dismantled it and tossed the pieces into the Melting Furnace for fuel. He had no intention of researching its "guaranteed hit" or "guaranteed kill" properties.
The reason was simple: holding the artifact caused it to devour one’s fate.
He suspected the Destiny Spear was the very reason Nalan You had been forced to seek him out before reaching his full potential.
Nalan You’s own Protagonist’s Aura was being consumed by the Destiny Spear, and he desperately needed to replenish it. That’s what drove him to find Qi Suian, a "renegade" protagonist.
Holding this Sacred Artifact trapped its owner in a vicious cycle.
The Protagonist’s Aura helps you collect the other component artifacts for the Destiny Spear, but the more complete the spear becomes, the more powerful its fate-devouring effect grows.
As a result, the stronger the native protagonist became, the weaker he truly was.
That’s why he had targeted Qi Suian, a renegade protagonist operating on his own.
’Not a bad idea. Too bad he underestimated my strength.’
’Of course, it’s also possible he knew and was just at his breaking point.’
’If he didn’t kill me, Nalan You would be the one to die first, so he opted for a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.’
’And then he really died.’
But none of that was Qi Suian’s problem. He, on the other hand, had profited immensely.
Once he finished processing this haul, he could evolve the Tai Sui God at least three more times. Combined with the one he already had, that made four module slots—an embarrassment of riches.
"A Sacred Artifact that can doom even a protagonist... It seems so-called heroes are a dime a dozen in this world."
’If things keep developing like this, future Doomsday Worlds might produce prodigies that even protagonists can’t compete against.’
Qi Suian couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. ’The higher the world’s difficulty, the more absurd things are bound to happen.’
’He was even worried someone might one day manage to kill the Doomsday Game itself.’
’If he had already escaped the Doomsday Game, Qi Suian wouldn’t give a damn.’
’But he was still stuck inside it. If he got caught in the crossfire, he’d be in deep trouble.’
’Especially since the current developments had completely diverged from the memories of the ’reborn one.’’
’The difficulty was escalating way too fast. Then again, it was his own fault for tearing through the Doomsday Game at such a breakneck pace.’
The butterfly effect he’d caused was far greater than anything the reborn one had managed.
If the first batch of survivors—the reborn one’s group—had been thrown into the Doomsday Worlds he was facing now, they wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Especially in this Sacred Artifact World. Given the endless war, if it dragged on long enough, every single survivor would be annihilated.
The survivors’ population growth couldn’t possibly keep up with their casualty rates.
Rest and recuperation? That wasn’t an option for either the Eternal United States or the Xuan Empire.
There was only endless war.
Of the three million survivors, only six hundred thousand remained.
And that number was still falling. Meanwhile, the native casualties on the battlefield were a mere drop in the bucket compared to their birth, growth, and conscription rates.
With the Sacred Artifacts propping them up, they never had to worry about running out of soldiers. As long as the conflict existed, the fighting would continue.
After returning to his safe zone, the Tai Sui God, controlled by the AI, resumed construction of the launch silo and the intercontinental ballistic missile.
Qi Suian, meanwhile, allowed himself a rare moment of rest.
He was truly exhausted this time.
When he was learning and researching, his passion was boundless, so he never felt this way.
After all, the knowledge became his, and the research was all for the sake of getting stronger.
Killing, however, had always been a means to an end—a transaction for profit. And this time, the profit simply wasn’t worth the intensity of the fight.
That was why Qi Suian felt a sense of weariness.
[You tend to rest after engaging in large-scale slaughter.]
[Based on your habits, I recommend you perform a great massacre every seven days as a prelude to your rest.]
Qi Suian’s eyes went wide when he heard the AI’s suggestion.
"Seriously? You should think before you speak."
"A goddamn massacre every seven days just so I can rest..." The AI’s words jolted Qi Suian, instantly reviving his spirits.
That was a hell of a suggestion. It just went to show, the AI was truly on another level—far more savage than he was.
To think it could shock him to this degree.
[You jest. I do not possess an organ such as a brain.]
[However, I invite you to consider my suggestion. It is specifically profitless slaughter that allows you to experience the rare sensation of fatigue.]
"No profit? I wouldn’t kill a damn thing," Qi Suian shot back.
It was precisely the lack of profit that made the killing feel so draining.
And now the AI had twisted that logic, suggesting he induce that exhaustion just so he could rest more.
"Let’s drop the subject," Qi Suian said, cutting the conversation short.
He was afraid the AI would offer another piece of advice that would get him beheaded or lead to a gruesome death.
’Killing just so he could rest... Qi Suian wasn’t that depraved. At least, not yet. The future was another matter entirely.’
Still, after the baptism of war in the Sacred Artifact World, Qi Suian had to admit he could now kill without batting an eye.
He’d always thought of himself as belonging to the Nagash Faction, but after all this killing, he figured he could probably pass for a member of the Khorne Faction too.
Qi Suian yawned and closed his eyes, entering a state of meditation.
Actually sleeping was impossible. The affliction that wracked his body was a constant torment. No matter how strong his willpower, he could never fall asleep through the pain.
As a result, he hadn’t truly slept in a very long time.
Whenever sleepiness or fatigue became too much, he would simply reset himself by dying.
However, with his current power, he didn’t really need sleep to recover anyway.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Qi Suian felt a rare sense of tranquility.
Until a notification came from the AI.
[Time is up. It is time for you to wake.]
"Is the launch silo and the ICBM finished?" Qi Suian asked the moment he respawned.
[Yes. Construction is complete.]
This was the only reason the AI would have woken him.
Qi Suian’s gaze fell upon the crude-looking launch silo and the equally unimpressive intercontinental ballistic missile nearby.
’And this took so long to build.’
’If I’d cared about aesthetics, it probably would have taken even longer.’
Qi Suian couldn’t care less about aesthetics. As long as its performance wasn’t compromised, it was fine.
"Whew. It’s finally done."
"I was stuck here for so long because of this thing," Qi Suian remarked. "I nearly lost my life for it, too."
"But speaking of which... are you sure something this huge can fit into one of the Tai Sui God’s module slots?"
Qi Suian glanced at the Tai Sui God. Its armor value had reached 95, leaving one module slot free.
The other three module slots would take a bit more time; burning Sacred Artifacts wasn’t an instantaneous process.
[The volume and weight of the launch silo and intercontinental ballistic missile are within the Tai Sui God’s carrying capacity.]
[This result is based on schematic calculations.]
Naturally, the Tai Sui God couldn’t just install anything as a module. There were hidden limitations.
Otherwise, you could just install an entire planet as a module and achieve godhood in a single step, couldn’t you?
It might be possible in the future, after more evolutions and armor upgrades, but who knew when that would be.
Qi Suian didn’t question it. He simply made the attempt.
If the AI said it was possible, it wasn’t just pulling that out of thin air; there would be data to support it.
[SSS-Rank Strategic Missile Weapons System]
The moment the module was integrated, it immediately formed synergies with numerous other modules.
The ICBM was just one component. The system also included anti-ballistic missiles, strategic cruise missiles, and various launch modes, such as surface-to-surface, submarine-to-surface, and air-to-surface.
It encompassed a wide range of factors, including range, launch method, operational purpose, and missile type.
Hence, a complete Strategic Missile Weapons System.
With the addition of an anti-ballistic defense system and high-speed, multi-layered interception technology, once his Eternal Morning Star satellite module could project a satellite network, Qi Suian would be able to launch saturation strikes across half the planet without ever moving.
However, it wasn’t without its flaws.
The most obvious one was the issue of ammunition reserves.
Because he lacked any production or manufacturing modules, the system’s ammunition had to be generated and converted directly by his "growth trio" of modules: the Web-Weaving Capture Matrix, the Black-Domain Melting Furnace, and the Star Core Condenser.
This meant that the rate of ammunition replenishment was extremely low.
For instance, if Qi Suian were to launch the ICBM, it would take thirty days to generate a new one.
The other missiles each had their own cooldowns, with the fastest taking three full days to generate a single round.
His reserve capacity was also limited. Unless he acquired an armory-type module, he couldn’t stockpile them indefinitely.
For any one module to achieve its full potential, it needed the support of other modules.
But that was fine. Qi Suian wasn’t concerned. As a trump card, a long cooldown was acceptable.
"First, I’ll go bomb the capital of the Eternal United States!"
"And I have to do it openly, for all to see. After that, let’s see who still dares to bare their fangs at me."
Qi Suian knew that after wiping out the Fifth Hunting Squad and Duke Feng, if he didn’t flex his new muscle, he would be hounded by endless assassins.
"It’s like they say: throw one punch to avoid a hundred. If you don’t make it hurt the first time, your enemy will never learn."
So what if the next ICBM takes thirty days to build?
’The enemy has no way of knowing that unless I tell them.’
’As long as I can keep them guessing for thirty days, by the time they find out, I’ll have another one ready to fire. That will make them think twice before ever messing with me again.’
Unlike the Eternal United States and the Xuan Empire, Qi Suian was a one-man army. And he who is barefoot does not fear the one who wears shoes.
If those two empires truly weren’t afraid of ruin, then Qi Suian was more than happy to oblige.
Worst-case scenario, he’d abandon the Divine Will system entirely and just start harvesting both sides as fuel.
As long as the Tai Sui God grew stronger, it didn’t matter if he himself stagnated.