Arrangements

Setting aside Lu Yuan's current War God status—even if he were merely a Battle Saint, one of his genes was Mechanical God. Its effects might not fully manifest against Mechanical War Gods, but there would certainly be some impact.

Taking on four Mechanical War Gods shouldn't be too difficult.

In truth, even without the Mechanical God gene, Lu Yuan's current strength was enough to overwhelm them through sheer force.

Nuxing, standing nearby, recalled the power Lu Yuan had displayed on Heavenly Calamity Star. He glanced around the room and spoke up.

"I believe in Yuan. He's incredibly strong. He should be fine."

The War Gods who had been harboring doubts froze, turning to stare at Nuxing in disbelief.

A young man who had just broken through to War God could single-handedly take on four War God-level powerhouses?

Was this some kind of joke?

After a stretch of heavy silence, Mados spoke slowly.

"If it truly can be done, that would certainly be a good thing..."

Lu Yuan smiled. "Even if I can't pull it off, it won't affect anything, will it? If something unusual happens on the front lines, I'll return immediately. You have my word on that."

The others nodded slightly.

Silence settled over the room again before Jinka flicked his forked tongue and spoke.

"Since he's inscribed a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene, Brother Lu Yuan is clearly no ordinary person. If he has the courage to make such an offer, let him try."

Bingling also gave a slight nod. "Indeed. Possessing a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene does mean he can return to the front lines at a moment's notice."

They were all deeply shaken by the fact that Lu Yuan possessed a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene. After all, before him, no War God had ever successfully inscribed one.

It wasn't that no one had tried—it was that no one had survived. The Will Remnant contained within that gene was beyond what any ordinary person could endure.

Every previous attempt had ended in death.

Now Lu Yuan had succeeded.

He was the first War God to possess a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene.

Whatever else that might mean, when it came to traversing vast distances, he was in a class of his own.

Mados exchanged glances with the other Mechanical War Gods, then turned to Lu Yuan.

"Brother Lu Yuan, regardless of whether you succeed, our Mechanical Race will remember your goodwill. If you truly pull this off, name whatever you need—anything within our power, we will provide without hesitation. And even if you don't succeed, we will still repay your efforts generously."

Mados had laid his sincerity bare, and Lu Yuan appreciated that.

He smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best."

Just then, the chamber doors opened again, and everyone turned to look.

Three Beast Race War Gods entered.

At the front was a Giant Wolf with silver fur and a single golden horn on its forehead. Behind it lumbered a massive ape, its body entirely jet-black, followed by an enormous tiger of deep crimson.

The moment the three Beast Race War Gods appeared, the atmosphere among the Mechanical War Gods grew noticeably tenser.

Yingu swept a cold gaze over the Mechanical War Gods, then turned to survey the rest of the room.

After scanning the assembled faces, he bared his teeth in a puzzled expression.

"What? Something feels off about this room."

No one else responded. Jinka glanced at Yingu, then gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to the two newly arrived Beast Race War Gods before explaining.

"This Human Race powerhouse, who has inscribed a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene, intends to go after Blood of Machinery alone."

He gestured toward Lu Yuan.

At the mention of a Divine Grade Spatial Type Transcendent Gene, all three Beast Race War Gods stiffened, staring at Lu Yuan in shock.

But when they processed the rest of the statement, a different kind of astonishment crossed their faces.

Yingu studied Lu Yuan and spoke.

"...Go after Blood of Machinery alone?"

Jinka nodded. "That's right."

Yingu's eyes glinted with an odd light. He bared his teeth again but said nothing more.

Given the expressions on everyone else's faces, it was clear they had already agreed. Though shock and doubt churned inside him, he held his tongue.

He was simply... curious about Lu Yuan now.

He wasn't the only one. The two newly arrived Beast Race War Gods also sized Lu Yuan up, a hint of battle-lust flickering in their eyes.

The black giant ape War God bared its teeth, its deep voice rumbling as it addressed Lu Yuan.

"Human. You must be quite something. We should spar sometime."

Lu Yuan smiled. "Perhaps when the opportunity arises."

The ape grinned without taking offense and settled into its seat.

The crimson tiger gave Lu Yuan an appraising glance, then offered a curt nod—its version of a greeting—before sitting down as well.

Mados looked over the three newcomers, then spoke.

"Good. Now that everyone's here, let's discuss how we'll conduct the counteroffensive."

The discussion lasted a long time, centered primarily on how fighters from the four races would be distributed along the defensive lines, and what responsibilities each War God would bear.

Naturally, no race's War Gods wanted their own warriors used as cannon fodder, and each sought to avoid the most intense combat zones.

The most dangerous sectors were taken on by the Mechanical Race themselves. And because Lu Yuan had volunteered to handle Blood of Machinery solo, earning significant goodwill from the Mechanical Race, the Human Race was assigned to relatively safe sectors.

Some Human fighters were even tasked with clearing Aberrant Beast packs that had penetrated into the Mechanical Kingdom's interior. The Aberrant Beasts that slipped through the Spatial Rift into the Kingdom weren't particularly powerful—none at War God level—making these assignments considerably safer.

Better yet, the Merits earned were still quite generous.

The Beast Race and Elf Race were somewhat displeased with the arrangement, but with both the Human Race and Mechanical Race in agreement, the other two races couldn't overturn it even if they objected.

The Beast Race and Elf Race naturally favored their own kind, and the Mechanical Race, already in a desperate position, had essentially decided to throw itself on the front lines and pass the opportunities to the Humans.

Beyond the Human Race's favorable assignment, the Beast Race and Elf Race received roughly equivalent zones—safer than what the Mechanical warriors faced, but somewhat more dangerous than the Human sectors.

As for the War Gods' division of labor, the Mechanical War Gods would naturally serve as the vanguard. This was the Mechanical Race's own crisis; if their War Gods weren't willing to lead the charge, the other three races would never accept it.

The remaining three races' powerhouses would follow behind the vanguard.

However, since high-level combat was fluid and unpredictable—anything could change in an instant—there were no rigid tactical assignments. At that tier, raw power was the deciding factor.

Of course, coordination was equally critical. War Gods wielding different Laws could, if they worked together effectively, take on opponents far beyond what any of them could handle alone.

When the heated discussions finally concluded and everyone had reached a reasonably acceptable plan, they rose from their seats.

Mados addressed the room.

"I thank you all for coming to our aid. Rest well today—the counteroffensive begins tomorrow. I hope everyone will be at their best."

Then he turned to Lu Yuan.

"Brother Lu Yuan, is there anything else you need? If it's within our power, the Mechanical Race will not hesitate."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled. "Look after some people for me. Assign them to relatively safe missions."

He listed groups from four races—Humans, Elves, Cat-kin, and the Nightshade Race.

"No problem. I'll pass the word down immediately."

Mados agreed without a moment's hesitation. Roughly four thousand people, in a battle involving hundreds of millions of warriors, were a drop in the ocean. A minor arrangement like that wouldn't affect the overall situation in the slightest, and he had no reason to refuse.

Putting Lu Yuan's mind at ease was, for the Mechanical Race, a necessary investment.

After that, everyone filed out of the chamber.

The four Human War Gods—Lu Yuan, Nuxing, Bu Chang, and Kro—walked together.

Kro and Bu Chang kept staring at Lu Yuan so intently that he started feeling self-conscious.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Why are you two seniors looking at me like that?"

Kro broke into a wide grin. "Didn't expect you to steal the show the moment you arrived, kid. Going after Blood of Machinery solo... tsk, tsk, tsk. I certainly wouldn't have the guts."

Bu Chang's expression was far more serious. He fixed Lu Yuan with a steady gaze.

"Lu Yuan, even if you do find Blood of Machinery, if something unexpected happens, your life comes first."

He glanced at the Mechanical Lifeforms lining both sides of the corridor and switched to telepathic transmission.

*"The Mechanical Race is the Mechanical Race, at the end of the day. You are a War God of our Human Race. If something happens to you and our territories face a real crisis, things could become extremely dire. We need your strength."*

Bu Chang's message reached not only Lu Yuan but also Nuxing and Kro.

Their expressions grew solemn.

Nuxing transmitted as well. *"Yuan, Bu Chang is right. If it's truly too dangerous, don't push yourself. If you can just locate Blood of Machinery's headquarters, that alone would be an enormous achievement. The Mechanical Race wouldn't dare complain—they'd be grateful."*

Kro's dinosaur-like head bobbed in emphatic agreement.

Then he looked at Lu Yuan, curiosity getting the better of him. "Yuan, are you really that confident you can handle four Mechanical War Gods?"

Lu Yuan smiled. "Shouldn't be a problem."

The three exchanged glances and said no more.

Lu Yuan then addressed them with a grin. "Seniors, time is of the essence. Since I won't be joining the main battle, I'll head out now to track down Blood of Machinery's location."

The three blinked in surprise, then nodded.

Nuxing gave him a warm smile. "Stay safe out there."

Lu Yuan nodded—and vanished.

Staring at the spot where he'd disappeared, Bu Chang, Kro, and Nuxing exchanged glances. Bu Chang let out a sigh of admiration.

"To reach War God in such a short time... the man's a monster among prodigies. The nerve to take on four Mechanical War Gods alone—I certainly don't have it."

Nuxing recalled their previous battle together. "Even back when Yuan was still a Battle Saint, he was already terrifyingly strong. Now that he's broken through to War God, how much more powerful has he become? I'm confident he can destroy Blood of Machinery."

Kro chuckled. "Why overthink it? We'll know the results in a few days. Let's focus on our own preparations—the real battle starts tomorrow."

At those words, Nuxing and Bu Chang's expressions turned grave. They nodded.