Chapter 296: Return to Reality, Buddha Admits Defeat, The Winner Is!!!
To confirm whether they were in a virtual world, they would attempt another teleportation.
"Are you all ready?"
"Mhm~"
"Ready!"
"Hold hands tightly!"
"Sefaira, let's begin!!!"
Serafall instructed the witch from another world to initiate the teleportation.
The five of them now held hands, hoping not to be separated after the teleportation.
Thus, this teleportation felt even more tense.
If they were not truly in a second layer of the virtual world, they might teleport out of this world—though whether they could return to their original world was uncertain and not guaranteed.
So, why attempt this?
Because they could no longer wait—there was simply no end in sight.
"Then I'll begin!!!"
Sefaira started the spell, and its operation felt much as she expected, with no issues.
Soon, space began to ripple, and a silver mirror-like sphere appeared at the center, gradually expanding.
In the span of a few breaths, the five of them were enveloped.
In that instant, their five senses vanished, and their thoughts seemed to halt.
Crack—!
Crack, crack, crack!
A sound resembling fractures echoed in their consciousness, and this noise began to rouse their awareness, restoring their hearing.
Soon after, their sense of touch returned, allowing them to feel their hands clasping one another's.
Then, their lips breathed in and out, and they could smell their own natural scent.
After that, their dark field of vision began to fill with white light, as their sight gradually returned.
When their vision cleared—
"Did the teleportation fail?"
Serafall murmured in slight astonishment. The group was still inside Qin Shi Huang's Mechanical Body, right beneath the glowing sphere.
"Then, are we still in the virtual world? Or are we back in reality?"
Irina asked uneasily.
Just then, a sudden sigh startled them all.
That sigh definitely didn't come from any of them—it was a man's sigh.
Crack—crack, crack, crack, crack...!
Countless fissures filled everyone's vision, as if the world was about to shatter like glass.
Then, data-like light emanated from the cracks, and as it dissipated, the fissures widened into gaps.
This situation could be described as a sheet of paper burning away on the surface, revealing what lay hidden beneath as the paper vanished in flames.
Thus, as the gaps expanded before them, everyone stared in shock at the scene on the other side.
Uh, it was still the exact same scene.
No, there were some differences—an additional grand hall had appeared, and they found themselves standing within it.
Perhaps they had been in the hall all along, but it had been too dark to see clearly before. Now, with the lights on, the entire hall was visible.
They also spotted a figure seated on the imperial throne at the far end of the empty hall.
That figure—wasn't it Qin Shi Huang?
Wait, wasn't that the guy who showed up at the Akasha Chamber the other day, claiming to be an ordinary human?
As for who he exactly was, Brunhilde hadn't explained, but Serafall speculated he was connected to the human representatives, as he seemed to have the authority to decide their participation in battles—possibly even surpassing Brunhilde's own authority.
And now, this person was sitting on the throne? Was he Qin Shi Huang?
But he looked somewhat different from the projected image of Qin Shi Huang they had seen earlier.
Hmm? A burst of static flickered, and a figure superimposed over him—it was Qin Shi Huang.
It was as if the glimpse of that slumbering figure had been an illusion, as if only Serafall had witnessed that fleeting moment.
It happened too quickly—a mere flash—and only her dynamic vision barely caught it. Rossweisse and the others didn't seem to notice.
In the eyes of Rossweisse and the rest, they saw only Qin Shi Huang, with no one else present.
"Speak. What reward do you seek from Us?"
The First Emperor on the throne suddenly spoke, leaving everyone bewildered.
Why was he offering them a reward right from the start?
"Um, what does this mean?"
Irina asked, confused.
"As the first to break free from the false world We created, We intend to bestow a reward upon you."
This statement once again stunned the group...
Why did it feel like they had cleared a game and were now receiving clearance rewards?
"If there are rewards to be given, they should go to Le Fay. It was her discovery that allowed us to escape."
Irina immediately pushed the child Le Fay forward—only this child deserved the reward.
"Ah? Well, I... I don't really know either. It felt like pure luck."
Le Fay didn't understand why she had noticed that anomaly.
"Luck is also a form of strength. You may state the reward you desire."
They were really getting rewards? Le Fay couldn't think of what she wanted at the moment.
Suddenly, this Primordial Emperor slightly raised his gaze—but not toward them.
So Serafall followed his line of sight and saw a translucent figure materialize.
"You really had me fooled completely! How infuriating!"
The speaker—Buddha—appeared genuinely enraged, and the atmosphere instantly grew intensely oppressive.
The next second, that oppressive atmosphere vanished without a trace.
"So, I've lost. There's no need to continue fighting~"
Buddha spread his hands and spoke with clear frustration.
Had it not been for the disturbance caused by these individuals escaping Qin Shi Huang's Virtual World alerting him to the world's abnormality, he would have remained unaware of his false reality until the final 4.2 storyline—when he would die battling the Primordial God.
By then, if he believed he had died, he would have truly perished.
Therefore, he conceded defeat—he had genuinely lost.
Then, Buddha narrowed his eyes meaningfully at the figure on the throne, as if trying to see through it.
"So, who are you?"
This sudden question left Serafall and the others bewildered. Wasn't that Qin Shi Huang?
Wait—Serafall suspected he might be referring to the person obscured by Qin Shi Huang's form.
But Buddha's subsequent revelation was utterly shocking.
"Which one is the real you? The King of Uruk from nearly five thousand years ago? The King of the Kingdom of Judah from three thousand years ago? Or..."