HP - Chapter 24

Thank you Elaina for the Kofi

Kingdom of Gods 02

Lightning streaked across the sky. The land, drenched by the torrential rain, had turned to mud. Feet pounded against it as if they might sink into the ground at any moment.

Rumble—

Another clap of thunder roared, the lightning flash illuminating the muddy path. Two figures were sprinting, one ahead of the other.

"I can't run anymore... I'm so tired..."

"If you can't run, then just stop!"

The figure behind darted forward, leaving only an afterimage. In an instant, he was right in front of her, a sinister smile curling on his lips. "Haha, what were you thinking? How could you possibly believe you could outrun the God of the Chariot?"

The pursued girl came to a sudden halt. Her exhausted, strained body gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Her eyes were wide open, filled with utter terror.

So this is a god...

But... but...

Clutching the Star card in her hand, she cried out in despair, "But I'm a god too!"

It was only today that she suddenly felt she was being targeted.

At the convenience store, at the bus stop, near the arena—no matter where she went, she kept seeing a young man with cropped red hair and a long scar at the corner of his eye.

Whenever he noticed her gaze, he would grin wickedly, not even bothering to hide the malice in his eyes or the way he looked at her like prey.

She knew something was wrong and began her flight.

From the city to the outskirts, from daylight into night, and now into the pouring rain—she still hadn’t been able to shake him off.

In truth, he could have caught her long ago. His card was the Chariot, granting him extraordinary endurance and speed. But he was toying with her, like someone tormenting an ant: letting her run until she was utterly spent, giving her false hope, and then, just like now, cutting her off with ease.

"Why do you still not understand?" the red-haired man mocked with a laugh. "There are gaps between people, let alone between gods."

He had had his fun. It was about time to wrap things up.

Wiping rain from his face, he scowled in disgust. Every time there was a downpour, it stank. So foul.

"Hand over your card, and I'll spare your life."

The girl clutched her card tighter, her mouth falling open in shock. "Why are you trying to take my card? Don’t you already have one?"

"Asking so many questions—seems like you don’t even care about your life," he said coldly. "That card in your hands can’t even serve its basic purpose. Better to give it to me."

The girl felt deeply disheartened.

Some gods could make a city rise with a wave of their hand, while others could pause time with a crisp snap of their fingers.

But she, up until now, could only make a dark room light up.

Now, she couldn’t even save herself.

But if she lost the card, wouldn’t she lose even this little bit of power?

She shook her head frantically, pleading, “Please, I’m begging you, let me go. I can’t lose my status as a god.”

“Haha! What kind of god are you? You’re a damn joke!”

In a flash, the red-haired man appeared before her eyes. Before she could even react, he slapped her across the face. She was sent flying and landed heavily on the ground.

“See? I am the god.”

She lay on the ground, her face burning with pain, but she still held tightly to her card.

“Let go.”

He flickered again, appearing right beside her—his speed was truly too fast.

Seeing her clutching the card so tightly, the red-haired man chuckled, raised his foot, and brought it down—without mercy.

“Let go! Let go! Let go! Did you hear me?!”

“Ah—please, let me go, I beg you!”

Stomp after stomp.

She cried out in agony, swallowing both tears and rain, the bitter, acrid taste churning her stomach.

But he showed no softness, no hesitation.

Every time he lifted his foot, he brought it down heavily.

Gradually, she felt her wrist going numb.

Even though her consciousness blurred, she didn’t dare to let go.

She knew how vicious and ruthless the man before her was; if he succeeded, he would absolutely not spare her life.

Is this what a god is? Why is this a god?

Why do you, who already have one, still need to take mine? Why am I, who is called a god, still so lowly?

Doesn’t the Star card represent hope?

But I can’t see any hope at all!

In this Kingdom of Gods, there wasn’t a single night with stars.

"I don’t want to die, save me... God, gods... save me..."

"Yes, yes, yes, this deity is here—I’ll save you from this sea of suffering immediately!" The red-haired man laughed maniacally and stomped down heavily again.

Crack—

The bones in her hand broke.

"You woman... you still refuse to let go, even at the brink of death." The red-haired man frowned, clenching his fist, wondering if he could use the power of the Chariot to simply tear her wrist apart.

Rumble—

Thunder roared, and the heavy rain abruptly ceased.

"Save... me..."

"Your life is quite tenacious."

The red-haired man glanced at the sky, feeling a strange, ominous foreboding.

Better to finish this quickly...

Just then, he heard something emerging from the ground.

"What the hell?" His pupils contracted sharply.

Across the starless night of the Kingdom of Gods, after the rain, a river of stars suddenly flashed into view.

The star river flowed—its light faint, yet dazzlingly bright.

Beneath that starlight, someone pushed aside the soil and slowly rose from underground.

He swallowed hard. Even he, who feared nothing, now felt his heart pounding. Damn—was it a person, a ghost, or a god?

A zombie?

"So noisy."

Zhong Xu hung her head, looking as if she hadn’t fully woken from sleep.

She shook her head, dislodging yellow sand from her hair.

Then she lifted her head and looked at the two before her.

Suddenly fixed by her gaze, the red-haired man couldn’t determine her origin. He slowly lowered his raised foot.

"You... what are you doing there?"

"Sleeping," Zhong Xu replied, then asked, "And you?"

"You sleep in the soil?" The red-haired man felt like he was hearing nonsense.

"Why aren’t you answering my question?" Zhong Xu pressed again.

"I..."

Her appearance was too strange, making the red-haired man restrain his temper slightly. He smirked. "Haha, I was just having some friendly communication. How about you go back to sleep? Good night."

The girl on the ground, barely clinging to life, struggled and whispered weakly for help: "Sa... save..."

"Hey!" The red-haired man squatted down, grabbed her hair, and snarled, "How can you be so inconsiderate? Not disturbing someone’s sleep is basic manners, you know?"

"Save... me... He wants... to take... my... card..."

He hadn’t expected her to keep begging for help even now, and his face darkened instantly.

"Stealing cards?" Hearing this, Zhong Xu raised an eyebrow, her mind flashing to her own blank card.

So stealing was a way? That was a path she’d never considered.

"What stealing? That sounds so unpleasant." The red-haired man, watching Zhong Xu’s expression, forced a laugh. "I was just borrowing it to take a look."

"Can you use someone else’s card?" Zhong Xu asked with interest.

"I don’t know either," the red-haired man answered cautiously. "I haven’t had the chance to try yet."

"Oh." Zhong Xu nodded, then suddenly shifted the subject. "Tomato Head, what’s your card?"

"...What do you mean?"

"You don't like the name Tomato Head? How about Cherry Tomato then?"

"..." The red-haired man’s expression turned fierce. He sneered, "Don’t play the fool with me. Our auras are the same; I know what you’re thinking."

Zhong Xu also got angry: "What do you mean 'auras are the same'? Stop slandering me."

"If you want to steal my card, you should weigh your own capabilities." The red-haired man’s eyes gradually shifted, and he retorted sharply, "If you really had the ability, you would have already tried to take it by force. And from start to finish, you haven’t moved a single step. Are you planning to get a head start when it’s time to run away?"

Zhong Xu didn’t answer him. Instead, she turned her gaze to the girl lying on the ground: "What’s your card?"

The girl’s voice was weak: "Star..."

Zhong Xu nodded and said: "The Star signifies hope. What outcome do you hope for this Tomato Head?"

Hearing this, the girl was stunned: "I hope?"

"Yes, your hope."

The red-haired man took a deep breath and assumed a defensive posture.

In his view, this was undoubtedly a declaration of war.

And the dying girl’s eyes gradually lit up with a glimmer of hope. Believing Zhong Xu was going to save her, she clung to this lifeline and, mustering all her strength, shouted loudly: "I hope a giant bell falls from the sky and crushes him!!"

"What nonsense are you talking? You’re killing me with laughter." The red-haired man kept his eyes fixed on Zhong Xu, gripping his Chariot card tightly in his hand.

Come on, let me show you my Chariot.

His speed was extreme—he charged forward like a phantom.

Suddenly, he felt something above him, a shadow falling before his eyes.

He instinctively looked up, his eyes widening in an instant: How is this possible?

Clang—

The sound of a bell reverberated across the land, lingering endlessly.

Zhong Xu covered her ears and let out an "Oh ho." It seemed the girl’s belief in her desperation was very strong.

"Can’t be helped, he saw through me. I had to get the jump on him."

It was just a pity that the method the girl thought of was actually a giant bell... Now, the opponent, along with his card, was inside this bell as big as a building. There was no way to test whether card-stealing was even feasible.

The girl was stunned by this scene.

She stared blankly at Zhong Xu approaching her and murmured: "Are you... a true god?"

Zhong Xu squatted down, grabbed the back of her collar, and lifted her up.

Hearing this, she quietly hid her own blank card.

"It was the effect of your own card."

"How is that possible?" The girl didn’t believe it at all. Holding her fractured arm, she said sincerely, "Anyway, thank you very much for your help. My name is Ran Ran."

Just moments ago she was on the brink of death, but now with the crisis resolved, she instantly became full of energy.

Was this the body of a god?

Zhong Xu was envious; by comparison, she felt she was in terrible shape and had no energy to explain. She had probably slept for a very long time and was now extremely hungry.

Not to mention, her seemingly calm conversation with Tomato Head earlier had just been an act of bravado.

Tomato Head had seen through her; she really had been thinking of making a quick escape if things went south.

"Ran Ran, is there any food around here?"

Ran Ran smiled and said: "We need to go to the city district. Ran Ran knows a tavern with pretty good food. Shall I take you there?"

City district?

"How long have I been asleep..." she murmured dazedly.

Before she fell asleep, it had been nothing but yellow sand as far as the eye could see; after waking, there was now even a city district.

As they walked toward the city district, Ran Ran looked at Zhong Xu with both reverence and curiosity: "Why were you sleeping in the soil? Was it to absorb the energy of heaven and earth?"

She imagined many mysterious and lofty reasons.

But in reality, Zhong Xu said honestly: "Because I wanted... to be buried in peace."

"Ah?"

1. 神 (shén) - "God" 

2. 卡牌 (kǎ pái) - Magical cards granting supernatural abilities to their owners

3. 星星牌 (xīng xing pái) - Star card, representing hope in tarot tradition

4. 战车之神 (zhàn chē zhī shén) - "God of the Chariot" 

5. 战车牌 (zhàn chē pái) - Chariot card, representing determination and victory in tarot

6. 入土为安 (rù tǔ wéi ān) - "be buried in peace" 

7. 番茄头 (fān qié tóu) - "Tomato Head" 

8. 圣女果 (shèng nǚ guǒ) - "Cherry Tomato" 

9. 溜溜球 (liū liū qiú) - Slang meaning to leave quickly or escape from a situation

10. 天地能量 (tiān dì néng liàng) - "Energy of Heaven and Earth" - Concept of absorbing natural cosmic energy

11. 星河 (xīng hé) - Poetic term for the Milky Way or a river of stars appearing magically

Characters / (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Blank Card/Sinner

• 游戏制作人 (Game Producer)

  • Role: Creator of the game world; god-like figure

• 小蝴蝶 (Little Butterfly)

  • Role: Mechanical assistant 

~~~

• Tomato Head: 寸头 / 番茄头 (Cùntóu / Fānqié Tóu) – Arrogant and brutal, wielder of the “Chariot” card, ultimately crushed by the falling bell.

• Ran Ran: 冉冉 (Rǎn Rǎn) – A frail girl with the “Star” card, who, in desperation, summons a giant bell.

Sevyn here ~~~

Enjoy!