Lord: Sequence Master

"Today's performance is a Death Gamble," Ford sneered, "You and I will play a one-on-one game of blackjack. The stakes? Our lives. Only the winner leaves the stage alive. I know the script and the sequence of every card. So, tell me, how can you win against me?"

Rosen quickly realized that his transcendent abilities were sealed. On this stage, both combatants' powers were completely suppressed. Ford, a Sequence 5 scriptwriter, held an absolute advantage, as he knew the entire script in advance. While terrifyingly powerful, Rosen understood that such abilities came with limitations; otherwise, scriptwriters would be unbeatable.

As Rosen considered his next move, a gambling table materialized between them.

"Let me explain the rules," Ford grinned confidently. "This blackjack game has no dealer. The automatic card machine will deal three cards each round—two face-up and one face-down. If your hand exceeds 21, you lose. Whoever has the highest value under 21 wins. A tie is considered a draw."

"The minimum bet is one chip, with a maximum raise of three chips per round. If someone raises, the other player must call and reveal their cards. If you refuse to call, you lose one chip and forfeit the round."

As Ford finished, a pile of chips appeared on the table to Rosen's left. He had 34 chips, representing his spiritual energy. Ford, on the other hand, had 61 chips.

The automatic card machine quickly dealt two face-up cards and one face-down to both players. Ford's visible cards were a 5 and 9, totaling 14 points. Rosen's cards were an A and 7, giving him either 8 or 18 points, depending on how he played the Ace. His face-down card, a Jack of Hearts, brought his total to 18 points. If Rosen counted the Ace as 11, he would lose with 28 points.

Ford only needed a hidden card between 5 and 8 to win the round. The odds seemed overwhelmingly in Ford's favor, as he knew the outcome in advance. But Rosen soon realized that divine powers were not sealed. This made sense—if a Sequence 5 ability could suppress divine rights, scriptwriters would dominate all other sequences. With the use of his divine powers intact, Rosen's chances improved significantly.

Rather than trying to disrupt the game by force, Rosen activated his Time Eye, allowing him to glimpse a few seconds into the future.

"I'll raise by three chips and reveal my hand," Rosen said calmly, tossing three chips into the center and flipping over his face-down card. Seeing the outcome, Ford chose to fold, losing a chip. His hidden card had been a 3, giving him only 17 points.

Ford wasn't fazed, confident that his next hand would secure the win.

However, in the following round, Rosen folded immediately before Ford could even raise.

This pattern continued for the next half hour. When Rosen had the upper hand, he raised. When he didn't, he folded. Despite the uneven starting conditions, Rosen gained a few chips over time.

Ford soon realized that Rosen could also see the results of each hand in advance. The game was no longer about bluffing but had turned into a battle of luck.

While Ford still had more chips, his lead gradually eroded as his chip pile dwindled. The Fate Stage allowed him to control the game's rules, but he couldn't manipulate the automatic card machine. And despite the odds, Rosen's luck was clearly superior.

When Ford lost his final chip, his spiritual energy was completely drained, and he died on the spot.

In this game, the chips represented spiritual energy. Losing all of them meant losing all spiritual power, and without any energy left, not even a Domain of Divinity could revive him.

Ford's fatal mistake had been to place his life on the line in a contest of pure luck. With Rosen's access to miraculous treasures and divine rights, the outcome had been inevitable.

As Ford's life ended, three loot orbs appeared in Rosen's Scavenger Space.

Rosen hadn't intended to kill the scriptwriter, initially hoping to capture him alive. However, Ford's reckless bet had sealed his fate. Challenging Rosen in a game of luck, especially with Rosen's divine advantages, was nothing short of suicide.

Although Ford was dead, Rosen had captured both the doctor and assassin alive. He continued to torture them, draining their spiritual energy until they were too weak to resist the mind cage of his Psychic Canvas. Then, he began extracting their memories.

Rosen discovered that the scriptwriter's real name was Ford Amos, the illegitimate son of Duke Amos. Ford had murdered the Duke's legitimate heir, his half-brother, not only to claim the title but also to gain the demonic power of the Fallen God.

Though a bastard, Duke Amos had treated Ford well, granting him a non-hereditary countship before he awakened his spiritual power. But Ford's greed led him to secretly join the Intelligence Bureau of the World Government.

After the execution of the Fallen God, its divine rights and godhood had disappeared. Delia, the rightful heir to the demonic power, should have inherited it but suspected that Rosen had stolen it. Her suspicions caught the attention of the Intelligence Bureau, leading to an investigation into Rosen.

However, as a hereditary duke, Rosen was far above the authority of an Intelligence Bureau captain like Ford. Ford erased his records of the investigation and decided to take matters into his own hands, hoping to frame Rosen and seize the dukedom for himself.

Ford's plan to claim the demonic inheritance and the dukedom was thwarted when all three Sequence 5 operatives fell to Rosen, a mere Sequence 7.

Since Ford had deleted all investigation records, Rosen felt relieved. The godhood of the Fallen God had already been consumed by the Main God Computer, so even if the World Government demanded it, Rosen had nothing left to surrender.

With Dragon King's Wrath in hand, Rosen executed the doctor and assassin with precise shots to the head, obliterating their lingering spiritual energy with his Psychic Canvas. Both were converted into loot orbs, and Rosen's Hunting Divinity increased the reward for his over-level kills.

When Rosen crushed their orbs, he was disappointed to find nothing of great value. Despite their status as Sequence 5, their abilities were relatively mundane.

Still, Rosen stored their transcendent essences, intending to offer them to some brave citizens in his domain. Although most of his people had already awakened their spiritual power through the virtual spirit realm, only a select few had the potential to reach Sequence 5.

Finally, Rosen examined Ford's loot orb, which contained three valuable treasures.

The first was a sealed divine domain, capable of lasting for about an hour before disintegrating. During that time, Rosen could plunder as much as he could from it.

The second was a skill crystal, containing the Sequence 5 ability Fate Mark. After converting it through his Hunting Divinity, it became a hunter skill, allowing Rosen to mark his prey and inflict continuous damage over time—an ability Rosen planned to save for his future progression to Sequence 5.

The last item was a transcendent structure—the very Fate Stage Ford had used.

Fate Stage: Transcendent Building

Level: Sequence 5

Properties: The Fate Stage supports Fate Scripts, creating various performance stages.

Fate Scripts: Fate Casino, Fate Escape, Fate Puppet Show, Fate Musical, Fate Magic Show.

Rosen studied the Fate Stage carefully, realizing its immense potential. Similar to his Void Gallery, the Fate Stage was an incredibly rare transcendent structure, especially for someone like Ford at Sequence 5.

The Fate Stage could integrate with Fate Scripts, establishing rule-bound environments tailored to various scenarios. For instance, the Fate Casino sealed spiritual powers and created a gambling match where lives were the stakes. The Fate Escape would lock abilities and trap the target inside an escape room.

Rosen understood that the Fate Stage was a powerful weapon, one that he could now add to his arsenal.

The Fate Puppet Show allowed the user to manipulate enemies like puppets.

While the Fate Stage was powerful, it required specific preconditions for optimal use. First, it demanded corresponding transcendent skills like Fate Stage Play. Second, it needed preparation time. Just as a ten-minute stage performance requires years of rehearsal, forcefully pulling an enemy onto the stage without proper setup wouldn't allow the Fate Stage to reach its full potential.

If Ford had prepared for several days before pulling Rosen into the Fate Casino, he could have created more complex rules, cutting off all of Rosen's possible escape routes.

"Never underestimate a high-sequence noble," Rosen murmured, storing the Fate Stage into his Scavenger Space.

Thanks to his Hunting Conversion, the Fate Stage had merged with Ford's transcendent essence. Once integrated into Rosen's Divine Domain, he could use it freely without needing any prerequisite skills. Unfortunately, being a Sequence 5 structure, it was still something he couldn't fully control yet.

At the edge of his Divine Domain, Rosen released the seal on Ford's Divine Domain. The palm-sized sealed territory expanded at the boundary of Rosen's domain. As the space barriers of both domains touched, they quickly merged.

Rosen, accompanied by his Brilliant Beacon, now in its solar jellyfish form, entered Ford's domain. Since Ford's spiritual essence had been destroyed by the Fate Stage, the core Sequence Tree of his domain had collapsed, rendering all transcendent structures inactive. Only Ford's citizens remained functional.

Loyalists of Ford charged at Rosen with reckless abandon, but the strongest among them were only Sequence 6 transcendents, easily eliminated by the Brilliant Beacon's radiant beams and sunlight rays.

"All who want to live, you have one hour to line up and enter my Divine Domain," Rosen's voice echoed across Ford's territory.

Immediately, those unwilling to die, including Ford's wife and children, began lining up with their families to join Rosen's domain. Even Ford's family, living in the Divine Domain castle, sought Rosen's protection. One could only imagine how Ford would feel about this betrayal from the afterlife.

Initially, Rosen planned to eliminate everyone connected to Ford, but he reconsidered. Duke Amos, now his mortal enemy, still posed a looming threat.

Duke Amos had three sons, but only one possessed true extraordinary talent—and Ford had killed him. Now, with Ford dead as well, only Amos's other, less capable sons remained, unsuited to inherit the title of Duke.

In such cases, succession would typically pass to grandchildren, but Rosen knew Duke Amos would soon suspect his involvement in Ford's death. Even if Rosen exposed Ford's crime, the Duke might still take out his anger on him. People often seek scapegoats for their grief, and Rosen could easily become Amos's target.

Thus, Rosen decided to keep Ford's family alive, turning them into potential bargaining chips for future negotiations with Duke Amos.

A few days later, Rosen saw a sky-high bounty for information on Ford's killer, issued by Duke Amos on the virtual network. It seemed Amos had yet to trace the events back to Rosen. The World Government's intelligence department hadn't approached him either, confirming that Ford had handled the investigation discreetly—though he hadn't anticipated running into someone like Rosen.

With the external threat temporarily neutralized, Rosen resumed his vacation, but this time he wasn't alone.

In Lanwing City's Heavenly Grand Theater, Rosen, using his status as a hereditary duke, secured the best VIP box. The luxurious box, insulated from external noise and offering perfect acoustics, was ideal for enjoying the finest music in the Thunder Empire.

That evening, the theater featured musicians of Sequence 6 or higher. The headliner was a Sequence 3 musician, supported by an orchestra of hundreds.

Rosen lay on Stephanie's lap as she massaged his head. Margie sat on the other side, massaging his feet, while Little Di fed him fruit. With such a relaxing atmosphere, Rosen found it difficult to focus on the music at first.

However, when the singing began, Rosen became completely captivated.

A high-sequence musician's voice could both create powerful destructive effects and provide immense supportive benefits. Rosen hoped his spiritual strength would increase to 35 points by the end of the concert, given the astronomical ticket prices.

The performance lasted three hours, and by the end, Rosen's spiritual strength had indeed reached 35 points. But his gains weren't the only success—he had also shared the benefits with his three companions.

"I've reached the peak of Sequence 9!" Stephanie exclaimed, overjoyed as she kissed Rosen's cheek.

Advancing from Sequence 9 to Sequence 8 was something Stephanie never thought possible, but here she was, on the brink of ascension. Margie, who had been a transcendent for longer, was thrilled as well—she was about to advance to Sequence 7. Although Little Di hadn't visibly changed, she was well on her way to Sequence 7, already surpassing most of their companions from Meteor Street.

The concert marked the second-to-last event of Rosen's vacation. The final item? A night spent in the Sage State.

The next morning, Rosen returned to his Divine Domain to upgrade his skills. With his spiritual strength now one point away from the 36-point cap, he focused on enhancing his abilities.

At the Ash Bee Nest, Rosen took out a second Ash Bee Nest he had created over time with his Hunter's Magic Eye. After photographing and sealing both nests, he combined them, upgrading the Ash Bee Nest from Sequence 9 to Sequence 8. Half of the bees inside evolved to Sequence 8, surpassing their previous limits.

Next, he focused on the Slime Nest. After acquiring three rare nests from the Thunder Empire, Rosen merged them, elevating the Slime Nest to Sequence 7. This meant that all newly produced slimes would now start at Sequence 7.

Rosen released several Sequence 8 Ash Bees and had his Devourer Beast consume them, upgrading his Death Strike to Level 4.

Ashen Piercing Lv4: Basic damage passive increased by 230%. Ignores all physical defenses weaker than its own.

Miracle Trait: True Damage—Damage dealt by Ashen Piercing cannot be healed by conventional means.

The transformation from Death Strike to Ashen Piercing shocked Rosen. The Ash Bees' power had fused with the skill, turning it into a passive ability with the True Damage miracle trait, making it far more dangerous than before.

Rosen then took out a Void Shadow Stone, a Sequence 5 treasure from the Void Shadow Plane, and fused it with his Shadow Step ability.

Void Shadow Step Lv4: Instantly merge into the void shadow and control void shadows.

Enhanced Trait: Dimensional Concealment—Greatly enhances concealment.

Enhanced Trait: Shadow Clone—Transform void shadows into shadow clones.

He summoned Gray Mouse and disconnected their Nightmare Shackle link, then activated Void Shadow Step and merged into Gray Mouse's shadow. No matter how hard Gray Mouse tried, it couldn't detect Rosen's presence.

Before, Shadow Step allowed Rosen to merge with shadows, but attacking the shadow could still harm him. Now, Void Shadow Step created a dimension within the void, rendering him untouchable unless someone could break through dimensions.

Rosen could also manipulate the shadow he merged with. Testing this, he made Gray Mouse's shadow lunge at it. If transformed into a shadow clone, it could mimic all of Rosen's abilities.

Rosen continued experimenting with shadow teleportation, noting that although the energy cost had decreased, the speed had slowed slightly. Instead of instant teleportation, he had to move through the shadow's internal space, which took a bit more time. However, this greatly improved his safety.

Finally, Rosen fed fragments of a mysterious skull to his Devourer Beast, enhancing his Supernatural Senses ability.

Sixth Sense Lv4: Passively enhances intuition and insight.

Enhanced Trait: Supernatural Five Senses—Strengthens the five basic senses.

Enhanced Trait: Mind Reading—Allows reading of the target's thoughts.

Much like Death Strike, the skull's power dominated the fusion, changing Sixth Sense's nature. Although Rosen lost the ability to toggle between enhanced senses, his intuition had become so sharp that he could passively predict danger. Coupled with mind reading, weaker entities would be completely exposed to him.

Though Mind Reading was powerful, Rosen learned to activate and deactivate it at will. Constantly reading someone's mind could easily provoke hostility from sensitive individuals.

(End of Chapter)