Chapter 110: The Game Is Merged

Millions of ordinary people had been left behind.

Some lived in small towns that were too distant from the nearest fortress. Others had arrived too late, only to discover that the gates had been closed after the defensive barriers were activated.

There were also those who had never believed the warnings in the first place.

They had laughed at the idea of an apocalypse, dismissed the game as entertainment, and assumed that their governments would never allow a catastrophe of such magnitude to occur.

Now, with midnight approaching, those same people stood outside the fortress walls, staring at the enormous transparent barriers separating them from safety.

"Please! Let us inside!"

An elderly man pounded against the metal gate with both hands.

"My grandchildren are inside! Please, I just need to get to them!"

A young mother held her crying child against her chest, desperately pleading with the soldiers stationed above the entrance.

"Please, he’s only five years old! You can’t leave us out here!"

The soldiers exchanged uncomfortable glances.

They had received strict orders to prevent overcrowding and maintain the integrity of the fortress defenses. Allowing an uncontrolled influx of people at the final moment could create a dangerous bottleneck at the entrance.

Some soldiers looked away.

Others stood rigidly at their posts, refusing to meet the desperate eyes of the people below.

It wasn’t that every person inside the fortress was heartless.

Many had argued for wider evacuations. Some had even given up their own supplies to accommodate strangers.

But humanity had never been united, not even when confronted with extinction.

The wealthy had secured places for their families long before the deadline. Powerful players had used their influence to protect their relatives. Political elites had reserved entire residential districts for their supporters.

Meanwhile, countless ordinary people had been forced to compete for whatever space remained.

Even Arthur’s warning had not been enough to change human nature completely.

He had explicitly instructed the authorities to bring every possible human being inside the fortress cities or else they would become dangerous enemies of humanity.

Yet there were simply too many people, too little time, and too many individuals who believed that protecting their own lives mattered more than saving strangers.

"Please! Somebody help us!"

The cries continued.

But the gates remained closed.

Most of the people outside had no idea that the monsters they had once encountered through their screens were about to descend upon their world.

They believed they were facing a natural disaster, a mysterious atmospheric phenomenon, or perhaps another crisis that their governments would eventually resolve.

None of them understood that the very laws governing their reality were about to change.

And by the time they discovered the truth, it would already be too late.

Aurora City.

The atmosphere near the main gate was suffocating.

Arthur stood at the front of a gathering that included his ten cousins, Sebas, Anastasia, and the other players from the Miller family.

Sofia stood nearby with Alex and several military personnel. The president of Arvia had also arrived, accompanied by his most trusted bodyguards and senior officers.

Above them, the transparent defensive barrier stretched across the night sky, its faint glow illuminating the enormous fortress walls.

Beyond the walls, the surrounding landscape was unnaturally quiet.

No insects chirped.

No birds called from the trees.

Even the wind seemed to have disappeared.

Everyone could feel it.

Something was coming.

Noah tightened his grip on his weapon. Henry repeatedly checked his equipment, while the others remained unusually quiet.

Sofia’s face had lost its usual brightness.

She had fought countless monsters inside the game and had grown considerably stronger after receiving her lifebound weapon. Yet the thought of facing those creatures in the real world made her stomach twist.

There would be no resurrection after death.

No safe zone to retreat to.

No logout function to save them when everything went wrong.

She glanced at Arthur.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as he gazed into the distance.

"Arthur..."

Her voice was barely audible.

Arthur turned his head.

"What is it?"

Sofia hesitated before asking, "Do you think we’ll survive?"

Several people nearby immediately looked toward him.

The president, too, turned his attention toward Arthur.

They had all heard the same question in their minds, but none had dared to voice it.

Arthur was the person who had warned them about the apocalypse. He was also the one who had provided crucial information about the fortresses and defensive preparations.

If anyone understood what was coming, it was him.

Perhaps he knew something they didn’t.

Perhaps he had another plan.

Perhaps there was still a way to prevent the catastrophe altogether.

For a brief moment, everyone stared at him with an almost desperate expectation.

They wanted him to tell them that everything would be fine.

They wanted him to say that the apocalypse had been a misunderstanding.

That the monsters wouldn’t appear.

That they had spent the past several days preparing for nothing.

But Arthur merely glanced at Sofia before returning his attention to the sky.

"I don’t know," he answered honestly.

The simple response made everyone’s hearts sink.

Even Arthur Miller couldn’t guarantee their survival.

However, he wasn’t particularly worried about the fortress itself. His primary concern was Xaltherion, the Dark Dragon of Apocalypse.

He had already made several preparations, but he still needed to determine how much of his strength would be required to confront that monster as nobody has ever fought it in his previous life.

Genesis Prime was ready.

The Origin Cube was in his possession.

His shadow army was prepared

Yet even with all those resources, Arthur refused to underestimate his enemy.

Xaltherion was something equvalent to despair it self. Even the strongest boss monsters humanity fought inside the game was not as strong as it. Its existence was tied to the apocalypse itself.

He needed to remain calm.

Panic wouldn’t help him.

Neither would wishful thinking. He knew the future. He knew humanity would survive. But he didn’t knew whom among these people might die because he had already changed the destiny.

In his previous life, there were no fortress cities at this point. Over 50% humanity died this night but Xaltherion didn’t take action.

Would it take action today because of the unexpected fortress cities? Would he be able to fight it?

He didn’t know.

If the world truly fell apart tonight, he would have to fight his way through the catastrophe and discover the truth behind the dragon’s appearance and it’s existence.

Arthur raised his head and looked at the night sky.

The clock was approaching midnight.

One minute remained.

11:59 PM.

Across the world, billions of people watched the time on their devices.

Inside the fortresses, soldiers stood ready with their weapons. Players activated their skills and checked their equipment for the final time.

Command centers monitored every available sensor.

Leaders waited behind reinforced walls, their eyes fixed on the defensive barriers above them.

Outside those fortresses, ordinary people gathered in homes, streets, shelters, and abandoned buildings.

Some prayed.

Some cried.

Some continued to insist that nothing would happen.

Others stared at their clocks, counting down the seconds with trembling hands.

Ten seconds.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

12:00 AM.

For a fraction of a second, nothing happened.

The world remained silent.

Then the night sky erupted in light.