Lord: Sequence Master

In his Divine Domain, Rosen was shocked by the countless undead beings scattered across the ground.

He had never expected that the combination of Zerg and undead forces would result in such a terrifying power.

All dragon beasts parasitized by soul eggs had their bodies consumed as nourishment for their souls. These souls, infused with death energy, transformed into undead beings, not only without weakening but becoming even stronger than they were in life.

What made these special undead Zerg even more fearsome was a unique ability they all shared.

If only their soul form was destroyed without their spiritual origin being fatally damaged, the origin could upload itself through the Psychic Network to the Death Broodmother's consciousness. There, it would form a new soul egg, awaiting another parasitic opportunity.

These newly formed eggs were known as First-Stage Soul Eggs.

Compared to newly created soul eggs parasitizing the same dragon beast, First-Stage Soul Eggs would produce much stronger undead beings.

If a First-Stage undead was destroyed, its spiritual origin could upload again, creating a Second-Stage Soul Egg, and so on. This process could continue up to Nine Stages.

The success rates were clear:

First to Third Stages had a 100% success rate,

Fourth to Sixth Stages had less than a 50% success rate,

The success rate for the final three stages remained unknown.

Experimental results showed that a Third-Stage Soul Egg parasitizing a Sequence 9 dragon beast could produce a Sequence 7 undead being.

A Fourth to Sixth-Stage Soul Egg parasitizing a Sequence 6 dragon beast could produce a Sequence 4 undead being. No Seventh-Stage Soul Eggs had yet emerged.

Even so, Fourth to Sixth Stages already held immeasurable value.

The reason was obvious.

Sequence 6 dragon beasts were practically everywhere in Dragon Realm, while Sequence 4 dragon beasts were far rarer.

As for Sequence 3 dragon beasts, they were already qualified to be carefully nurtured by pure-blooded dragons.

A Sixth-Stage Soul Egg parasitizing a Sequence 6 dragon beast could mass-produce Sequence 4 undead beings. This was already impressive for cannon fodder.

What's more, the more reincarnation cycles a soul egg underwent, the greater its potential and growth capacity.

Strictly speaking, Nine-Stage Soul Eggs themselves were the true undead Zerg.

The dragon beasts they parasitized and transformed into undead were merely disposable bodies, which could be replaced up to nine times.

After hundreds of failed attempts with Sixth-Stage Soul Eggs, the first Seventh-Stage Soul Egg was finally born.

All the failures had become nutrients for this single success.

This Seventh-Stage Soul Egg was born directly as a Sequence 3 entity.

By parasitizing a Sequence 4 dragon beast, it could produce a Sequence 3 undead being.

The resources required to cultivate this Sequence 3 undead were merely large numbers of Sequence 6 dragon beasts and a few Sequence 4 ones.

Given the terrifying growth potential and swarm capabilities of the Zerg, it was no wonder the True Gods of various alien races had banded together to annihilate them at the first opportunity.

If the Zerg Overlord had successfully ascended to the Great True God level, those True Gods might never have dared to declare war.

With such war potential, any reckless conflict with the Zerg would have inevitably led to mutual destruction.

After contemplating for a moment, Rosen used data transmission to send the Death Broodmother to the Continent of Death.

Raising her personally was too troublesome and resource-draining. Free-range farming was simply more suited to the Zerg.

He wasn't worried about the undead True Gods tracking down the Death Broodmother.

Ever since he had acquired True God-level innate fortune and gained control over the Dragon Civilization's Sacred Flame, even True Gods struggled to predict his whereabouts.

Unless a True God specializing in prophecy intervened, it was impossible to locate a carefully hidden Death Broodmother in the Continent of Death.

After sending away the Death Broodmother, Rosen left Amy in the Sky City of Godly Arms.

She had gained considerable knowledge in Mechanical Continent, and staying here was the perfect opportunity to digest those gains.

As for Rosen, he was heading to the Empire of Stars, seeking Sequence 1 Art Designers and Architects to enhance the Void Gallery.

The Shining Metropolis was the Empire of Stars' brightest jewel and home to the most prestigious Art Designers and Architects on the Divine Continent.

It also boasted the continent's grandest architecture.

During the spiritual world's descent, the damage it suffered was second only to the City of Stars.

But after all these years, it had been completely rebuilt and now stood renewed.

As Rosen walked through the city, he couldn't find a single building that wasn't a supernatural structure.

Of course, high-level ones were rare—most were Sequence 9.

Even so, it was impressive, as the entire metropolis functioned at Sequence 3, far larger than the Palace of Stars, which was also Sequence 3.

Given that structures of the same level became more powerful with size, Shining Metropolis appeared Sequence 3 on the surface but, due to its vastness, rivaled Sequence 1.

This was the result of quantity transforming into quality.

If building a high-level Sequence 1 supernatural structure proved too difficult, they simply built countless low-level ones and combined them until they achieved a qualitative leap.

Thus, Sequence 2 was essentially the limit for the Void Gallery, and to this day, no Painter had managed to possess a Sequence 1 Void Gallery.

That didn't mean the Void Gallery had no value.

Even though Sequence 3 Painters no longer relied on it for protection, it could still be used for exhibitions or integrated into a Divine Domain as a territorial structure.

On the terrace of a top-floor suite at the Starry Sky Hotel, Rosen gazed down at the Shining Metropolis, his killing intent boiling.

Through the Deep Web of the Spirit World, he had scheduled appointments with a Sequence 1 Art Designer and a Sequence 2 Architect.

But before he could even visit, he'd been informed they refused to do business with him.

That alone wasn't enough to infuriate him.

What truly enraged him was that they refused to return the deposit he'd already paid.

Rosen's voice was icy: "I'm going to see exactly who's trying to mess with me tonight."

Like a ghost, he vanished from the Starry Sky Hotel, reappearing moments later deep underground inside Shining Workshop.

Nearly all Sequence 3 Art Designers and Architects in the city were members of this workshop, which had been established by Pompeii Weber, a Sequence 1 Art Designer and permanent honorary mayor of the Shining Metropolis.

Pompeii was also the Vice President of the Eternal Continent Designers Guild.

This time, it was Pompeii himself who had directly targeted Rosen.

Rosen circled the workshop, sweeping away all the supernatural resources in its inventory.

Not only did he recover his deposit, but he also walked away with interest a hundred times over.

Returning to the hotel, Rosen waited calmly for Pompeii to come knocking.

The World Government had laws and rules.

Anyone caught breaking them would face consequences.

Pompeii withholding Rosen's deposit was a violation Rosen could appeal to the Noble Council.

In the end, he was certain to get his deposit back, and Pompeii's reputation would suffer damage.

So why would someone of Pompeii's status and position take such a counterproductive approach purely to create trouble for him?

At first, Rosen wondered if it was the work of Wendy or Sonia.

Both were Sequence 0 and highly sought-after by many great nobles as rare Goddesses.

But after investigating Pompeii's activity on the Deep Web of the Spirit World, he found no connection between him and the two women.

Regardless of Pompeii's reason for targeting him, Rosen wasn't just after the return of his deposit.

He intended to teach Pompeii a lesson.

However, with the World Government's laws and regulations in place, he couldn't openly act against Pompeii.

His solution was to steal the workshop's resources, forcing Pompeii to come after him instead.

The law clearly favored reactive self-defense over initiating conflict.

Before dawn the next day, Pompeii forcibly broke down the top-floor suite door of the Starry Sky Hotel.

Rosen, sitting on the sofa, calmly watched Pompeii storm in, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Where are the extraordinary resources from Shining Workshop?"

Pompeii demanded directly.

"Wendy, Sonia, Chinon, or Daisy?" Rosen stared at Pompeii as he asked.

"I asked you where the resources are!" Pompeii didn't wait for Rosen to answer and attacked immediately.

He was certain Rosen had stolen the resources. As long as he captured Rosen and recovered the stash, he'd have enough evidence to send Rosen to prison. Once stripped of his hereditary duke status, there would be countless ways to finish Rosen off.

A game domain instantly enveloped the hotel suite, followed by the descent of Pompeii's Divine Domain, designed and built as a massive game world.

Art Designers had many specialties, but all of them prioritized architectural design. Pompeii specialized in architectural design with game design as a secondary focus. Thanks to Shining Workshop, his Divine Domain had been constructed as a game world.

The moment Rosen fell into the game world, three dialogue boxes appeared before his eyes, forcing him to choose one of three paths:

The first option was to allow the game world to seal all his supernatural powers, becoming the protagonist of the game. He would fight through levels, defeat monsters, and ultimately challenge Pompeii as the final boss. This path made him a player.

The second option also involved sealing his supernatural powers, but this time, Pompeii would play the role of an NPC. He would become the player and eventually challenge Rosen, the game's world boss.

The third option was to reject the first two and become an invader of the game world. His supernatural powers would remain unsealed, but the entire game world would mobilize its forces to hunt him down.

No matter which path he chose, all seemed like dead ends.

Choosing to be a player meant navigating an unfamiliar game world with little hope of defeating the world boss.

Selecting the second path was even worse since Pompeii, as the game's designer, would know every way to empower himself as a player.

The third path was pure suicide.

A game world designed by a Game Designer was bound by vows and restrictions, similar to Nen abilities—the more restrictions, the stronger the rules' power.

Rosen remained silent, delaying his choice until a countdown appeared next to the three options.

"A normal person would choose the first. It's the only one where you can develop independently," Rosen remarked as the countdown hit zero.

He had refused to choose.

The default was becoming the invader.

Pompeii was momentarily surprised; he hadn't expected Rosen to choose this path.

The game world activated instantly. Powered by game rules and countless supernatural buildings that made up its structure, it generated NPCs, standard monsters, and bosses of various levels. Pompeii, meanwhile, became the game master, wielding complete control.

Most standard monsters and NPCs were below Sequence 3.

These monsters and NPCs functioned as Pompeii's territorial troops.

A handful of NPCs and all world bosses were at least demigods: over a thousand Sequence 3 entities, a dozen Sequence 2s, and two Sequence 1 bosses.

Though these beings were weaker than typical Bronze Sequence individuals of the same level, they still granted Pompeii terrifying combat capabilities.

All world bosses were generated by the game world and could resurrect indefinitely within it.

A swarm of fearless, endlessly respawning demigods was more than enough to take down Rosen.

Under Pompeii's command, the Sequence 1 world boss Demon Soldier Giant swung its warhammer at Rosen. This boss held the Architectural Authority and Destruction Authority, capable of both constructing supernatural buildings and delivering devastating damage to enemies.

Before the hammer could land, Rosen had already expanded his world domain.

Within it, his Divine Domain materialized, and the Sequence 3 Ash Fortress blocked the giant's hammer blow.

Seeing Rosen's Sequence 3 territorial castle, Pompeii felt a flash of envy.

His own was also Sequence 3 but had been reinforced by an Architect. Compared to Rosen's, which was evidently strengthened by a Soul Gem, his was significantly weaker.

No wonder Rosen had faced him without a shred of fear—he was relying on his territorial castle to withstand a Sequence 1 assault.

Pompeii decided to end things quickly, knowing Rosen had likely already contacted the Noble Council through the Star Emblem on the Spirit World Deep Web for help.

All demigod-level game troops charged toward the Ash Fortress.

Pompeii even began constructing a model of the Ash Fortress, hoping to impose new flaws on it.

Art Designers excelled not only in creation but also in design-breaking, making them natural nemeses of all supernatural buildings.

As Pompeii focused all his efforts on attacking the elemental barrier of the Ash Fortress, Rosen launched his counterattack.

When two Divine Domains clashed, three outcomes were possible:

If a fragile one collided with a solid one, the weaker would shatter.

When two evenly matched Divine Domains collided, it was like two cracked eggs with their whites mixing together — interwoven but distinct. As long as their core yolks remained intact, they would eventually separate, and each would recover what they could of the egg white.

The final possibility was when a larger Divine Domain directly engulfed a smaller one. That was precisely what happened now, though it quickly shifted into the second scenario.

Rosen fully expanded his Divine Domain, crashing it directly into Pompeii's. The immense Divine Domain struck from within, toppling countless supernatural buildings of the game world, fracturing the foundations of both Domains.

Before Pompeii could process the shock of how Rosen's Sequence 3 Divine Domain could match his in mutual destruction, Rosen seized the opportunity and unleashed the Sequence 3 technique Tenfold Annihilation.

Fear filled Pompeii's eyes as both Divine Domains began collapsing dimensionally. He fled desperately, barely escaping the imploding dimensions, only to see Rosen, who had calmly prepared for this, easily exit the collapsing area. Pompeii's eyes burned with rage.

Five thousand years of accumulation and development — his entire Divine Domain, gone just like that?

But Pompeii had no time for fury or heartache. Rosen was already aiming his gun at him.

Art Designers were notoriously poor at direct combat, with nearly all their power concentrated in their Divine Domain. Now that his game world had been destroyed along with it, even as a Sequence 1, Pompeii was uncertain he could defeat a Sequence 2 opponent.

Rosen was only Sequence 3, but Pompeii no longer dared to treat him as such.

Turning without hesitation, Pompeii fled at full speed, unwilling to take any risks.

Rosen pulled the trigger, launching the first Dragon God's Roar Bullet from Dragon God's Wrath.

The Great Resonance!

The bullet didn't carry the roar of a Bronze Dragon but the thunderous draconic chant of the Yinglong.

In that instant, Pompeii's godhood was stunned by the Yinglong's chant. The bullet struck his back, releasing a blast of Bronze Dragon Time Breath, a power at the Sequence 1 level.

Had it been a normal Time Breath, it wouldn't have posed a significant threat to Pompeii's life. Wounding him would've been impressive enough, given Rosen couldn't fully unleash the weapon's destructive capabilities.

However, Rosen had imbued the Dragon God's Roar Bullet with the miracle skill Chrono Archer, which granted the bullet the ability to erode the target's lifespan.

The miracle property of the Temporal Dragon Crystal allowed it to store up to 100,000 years of time energy, more than enough to strip Pompeii of ten millennia of lifespan.

For a Sequence 1 being, ten thousand years of lifespan was substantial but not fatal.

The Time God Core embedded in Dragon God's Wrath contained even more temporal energy. However, the power that Chrono Archer could channel at once was limited by the Temporal Dragon Crystal, capped at 100,000 years. As such, the Time God Core could only supplement the crystal.

But that was already sufficient. The crystal, which had just been emptied, instantly refilled.

While Chrono Archer stripped lifespan, the Time Breath from the bullet served to freeze time momentarily.

Rosen fired three more consecutive bullets, each infused with 100,000 years of temporal energy. Each shot stripped 10% of Pompeii's lifespan — approximately 10,000 years per hit — totaling 40,000 years, leaving Pompeii entirely devoid of lifespan.

"Damn, I took a huge loss. No idea how much I can recoup..."

Rosen returned Dragon God's Wrath to the Hunting Gun Holster, then glanced at the Scavenger Space.

His Divine Domain would require a massive investment to restore. He'd lost Tenfold Annihilation, his trump card capable of threatening Sequence 1 beings, and his Ancient God Sequence powers would likely be exposed now.

Pompeii had left no corpse behind, transforming instead into a loot orb.

It seemed the Hunting Authority still had its advantages. What treasures would Pompeii's death yield?

The orb revealed a massive pile of divine crystals, Sequence 1 extraordinary essence, and a Sequence 3 miracle treasure.

Rosen didn't lack divine crystals. The Sequence 1 extraordinary essence would likely have to be surrendered to the World Government as a peace offering, leaving only the Sequence 3 miracle treasure as his true gain — hardly matching Pompeii's vast wealth.

However, as soon as Rosen refined the miracle treasure, he immediately felt that all his losses were worth it.

[Game Design Blueprint: Miracle Treasure]

[Level: Sequence 3]

[Miracle Property: Capable of designing and building a miracle game world with sufficient resources]

[Miracle Traits: Game Design, Unique Under Heaven, Eternal and Indestructible]

Though only Sequence 3, with enough resources, it could recreate the game world Pompeii had built in his Divine Domain. This would enable Rosen to fully harness the power of the 54 rule authorities within his Domain.