In the East Continent, an old man in a study opened his eyes. His eyeballs were nearly decayed as he gazed at the far-off horizon, a flicker of surprise and astonishment crossing his gaze.
In a corner of the Royal Court, within a cathedral that resembled a palace, several mages sat in a circle. They were dressed differently, but all carried an air of darkness and oppression. Clad in long robes and wearing masks, each harbored their own schemes, yet they seemed to share a common interest.
“Silas succeeded. Truly...”
“How is that possible? Wasn't his plan to resurrect Redemption already sabotaged by me? I killed the Favored One of Redemption with my own hands and buried the god's remains beneath the cathedral's main hall myself.” The man in pitch-black armor spoke with a muffled voice. A crown sat atop his helmet, giving him an incredibly solemn appearance.
As he finished speaking, a mark appeared upon him. The defense magic arrays within the hall roared to life. A massive golden spear broke through layer after layer of defense, pinning itself into his armor. Even though the power had been weakened countless times, cracks began to spiderweb across his armor under his terrified gaze. Fortunately, this sudden strike did not pierce through his chest.
“The power of Judgment... these golden spears are still judging his enemies... Is this the god who has just descended... to be this powerful?”
“It seems we were all deceived by him; he even deceived his own followers.” A man with a cigar in his mouth and sunglasses spoke with an indifferent expression. “This has become very troublesome. There will be nothing stronger than this on the entire continent...”
“His followers believed in the mercy of Redemption, yet in the end, he manifested as the brutal ‘Judgment.’ What a cruel irony. Everyone, why do we suddenly seem so upright and honorable? I always thought we were the ones on the side of darkness.” A woman with deep purple hair propped her feet onto the table, looking quite casual.
“It seems we must accelerate our plans as well, everyone.”
Above the rainbow-colored ocean, the figure of Judgment flickered with light. Countless giant spears fell from the heavens, plunging into the sea. The holy light interconnected, as if the numerous giant spears were forming a massive magic array.
“I really can't win...” Li Yue’s body was submerged in the sea. A golden spear had pierced through her, pinning her to the seabed. The god's remains within her were being suppressed ruthlessly by the other's divine power, and now her injuries could no longer heal naturally.
“Is this the peaceful death I’ve always looked forward to?” Li Yue looked at the deep blue seawater. In her eyes, which had always lacked emotion, there was now a hint of unwillingess. “I’m so unwilling...”
“Ah... so many memories are suddenly coming back...” Li Yue murmured. “I haven't thought about that world in so long. Even as I approach divinity, I still can't feel that world.”
“Those decades, passing like a fleeting dream—was it all just my dream? That era without gods, without magic...” Bubbles escaped Li Yue’s mouth as she spoke. Her eyes gradually began to lose their luster. The power of Judgment was destroying her body. Because of the spear called Punishment, she could not move, nor could she hide within the Death Abyss.
“So... was all of that just a dream dreamt by Li Yue? Or is Li Yue a vast dream dreamt by Jormungandr?” Li Yue slowly closed her lifeless eyes. She didn't feel a strong sense of attachment. Even at the final moment, she surprisingly didn't care much about anything. She could only faintly recall the blurred blue figure of Clo.
Even if I die, you’ll have a good home under the academy's protection... You shouldn't have stayed with me... Even with the influence of fate... you shouldn't have been so persistent about me...
“But if I’m gone, who will end all of this? We can't just destroy everything and return to the old era...” Li Yue closed her eyes. Her figure appeared in a river. she drifted along with the current. There was no pain here, and no madness. For the first time, she felt her body was truly at peace.
“The Ocean of Fate... how have I... come here again?” Li Yue slowly stood up and began to walk along the riverbank. She paced slowly, but at a certain moment, she felt a pair of small hands grab her.
“Clo?” Li Yue murmured. The Clo before her did not speak; she simply took Li Yue’s hand and led her slowly along. “To think I’d meet you here... No... this is a projection of fate.”
Li Yue frowned. As she walked further down, Clo’s figure gradually became illusory. Wounds appeared on her body, and her eyes slowly filled with exhaustion, despair, and numbness.
“Even in a future like this, will you die in such pain? I cannot accept this...” Li Yue looked at the river and stopped her forward progress. She turned against the current and began walking upstream.
“Perhaps... ‘I’ am just a vast dream. And now, the time to wake up... is it finally here?” Li Yue murmured. She opened her somewhat lifeless eyes, and her vitality-drained body twitched once more.
“No crown... only a long sword... Then, I can only pay a massive price. No... this card.” A card depicting a crown of thorns appeared in Li Yue’s hand. As she looked at it, she suddenly smiled.
“Merlin... you really are... worthy of the title of Miracle...” A phantom of a crown of thorns appeared in Li Yue’s hand. The long sword of death turned back into a blood crystal, slowly merging into her body.
“Goodnight... Li Yue...”
“This time... I shall define death...”
Blood-red began to swallow the ocean. Judgment, who was executing the liquidation, finally turned his gaze back to the sea. An extremely powerful aura was slowly brewing. Within the abyss, a skeleton clad in a black robe slowly rose. It held a massive scythe in its hands, and lingering souls struggled upon its blade.
The sky, which was already at dusk, seemed to regain a few flickers of light. Though it was already night, the color shifted back to twilight. Hundreds of dark blue rivers fell from the sky toward the ground, with countless wailing souls being driven through them. The power of deathly silence began to spread through the air. This was the final destination of all living beings: the silent River of the Dead.
In that instant, everyone in the world felt their lives pause for a moment. In that second, they seemed to catch a glimpse of their own deaths. All those on their deathbeds, clinging to life through magic, died in an instant. Crows cawed as they took to the sky. In this moment, the world consisted of only three colors: black, white, and blood-red.
These were the colors of the death god. And in this instant, death is coming!
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