Chapter 155: Your Majesty, I've Come to Take You Home
The world fell into a deathly silence.
Only the silver-white sphere, radiating scorching brilliance, remained.
At the same time… within the shell of the Holy Grenade, a minuscule detonation mechanism was triggered.
Whether it was the current Sixth Era of the Nightworld or the Present World where Starfall University resided… in truth, both were vastly different from the Blue Planet where Rast had lived in his previous life.
This was a world where supernatural powers existed.
Ancient Dragons, Giants, Elves… even the traces of the gods could still be found.
Higher Sequence Tiers, the Nightworld, Night Blades, or what was referred to as Supernatural Powers, and even the magitech developed in the Present World… these numerous elements, nonexistent on the Blue Planet, clearly illustrated the differences in the rules of existence between the two worlds.
However—
Even so.
Just like how, no matter the world, there always existed a race called “humans”—
Lacking fangs, lacking claws, without wings capable of soaring the skies, devoid of powerful physiques or long lifespans… yet still, relying on the knowledge passed down through generations, they rose from humble origins to become the rulers of a new age.
There were always some most fundamental rules, rooted in the very foundation of the world, that remained unchanged.
Such as that formula, which converted "mass"—the existence of material in the world—into the purest form of "energy."
This was the principle upon which stars were formed, and only by abiding by such laws could the sun continue its eternal burn.
On the Blue Planet of Rast’s previous life, weapons created by applying this stellar principle were named “nuclear weapons.”
And at this very moment.
Though altered in form due to the presence of magitech.
The structure within the “Holy Grenade,” modified by Dean Agatha’s mechanical engineering, followed the same fundamental principle.
Within the sea of magic condensed into a crystalline form, a single magic factor collapsed silently under the influence of the ritual.
Then, the collapse began an unrestrained chain reaction.
From one to two, from two to four.
From four to eight, from eight to sixteen…
Unshackled, unrestricted.
The chain of collapse swept all the surrounding free-floating magic factors into itself, then recombined and released the mass.
Then, under the effect of alchemical rituals—
The collapsed mass was entirely, unreservedly, converted into the purest light and heat.
…
Light surged forth, light roared.
Just as described by the Holy Grenade—annihilating all, destroying all.
The pitch-black Nether Abyss was instantly bathed in holy brilliance, and the entire Phantom Ocean shimmered with rippling waves.
“This is… a Divine-type ability?”
“This destructive force being unleashed… it resembles solar flares… is this a new method developed by Sisel through his study of the ‘Sun’ Sequence?”
Gazing at the dazzling surge of light before him, Noah couldn’t help but slightly furrow his brow.
Even with his prolonged life as a Gravekeeper, this weapon was utterly incomprehensible to him.
It had appeared at first to be nothing more than an unremarkable sphere…
Yet, when mass was annihilated in a cascading ritual and pure energy was released—it was enough to shake even a Legendary.
Such an unbelievable efficiency in energy conversion had never been witnessed in Noah’s lifespan, which spanned multiple eras, nor recorded in any history… as though it transcended time itself, a technology from the future.
At this moment, the only guess Noah could make was that perhaps this weapon was Sisel’s invention… for the energy release from the Holy Grenade felt faintly similar to Sisel’s “Sun” Sequence.
However—
“This bizarre weapon I’ve never encountered before, so eerily akin to the flares of the Fierce Sun…”
“Is this it? Is this the trump card of you, the Shoreguards, and Sisel?”
After a moment of astonishment, Noah quickly regained his calm.
He looked toward the churning, dusky sea beneath the towering spire—the direction where Rast was located.
The tower that pierced the heavens and the Nether Abyss that devoured the light; the peak of the firmament and the end of the earth.
Seemingly within arm’s reach, yet separated by an infinite expanse.
That fragmented human figure drifted like a withered yellow leaf, floating midair in the wind, accompanied by splashes of blood and shattered flesh… yet it still had not touched the Phantom Ocean at the bottom of the Abyss.
“Indeed, the destructive power of this weapon is formidable… and coupled with the holy attribute it shares with the ‘Fierce Sun,’ it becomes a devastating nemesis for the undead, bloodkin, and cultists who fear sunlight.”
“If the targets were lackeys of the Evil Gods, contaminants, or undead creatures of the Chaos faction, then even a Legendary could potentially suffer grievous harm.”
“But—”
“You chose the wrong opponent.”
The Domain of Bounty suddenly expanded.
One after another, emerald branches and leaves quietly rose within the Domain of Bounty, shielding Noah’s figure within.
The Holy Grenade, modeled after the composition of a star like the Sun, was a weapon specifically effective against targets bearing attributes such as “Undead,” “Contaminated,” “Corrupted,” or “Disordered.”
However, Noah was neither an undead creature, nor a lackey of the Evil Gods, nor part of any corrupted lifeform.
He was a true human, a Legendary of the “Bounty” Sequence.
And this incarnation of his currently standing within the Nether Abyss was constructed with a piece of the “Origin Leaf” from the “Primal Ancient Tree” of the First Era as its core.
If he were to face a true star, a real sun… Noah wouldn’t be able to stir even a ripple before being consumed by the corona of the star.
But at the end of the day, this was merely a weapon mimicking the Sun’s composition, nothing more.
Just as in nature, plants survive through photosynthesis, nourished by sunlight.
The blazing solar light released from the Holy Grenade, rather than harming Noah’s incarnation, whose core was the Origin Leaf of the Primal Ancient Tree, instead became nourishment for him.
The emerald branches and leaves evolved from the Domain of Bounty, bathed in the surging brilliance, were not annihilated. On the contrary, they absorbed the sunlight’s power…
They grew increasingly lush, even further evolving into more branches and leaves, forming what resembled a dense miniature forest.
As he felt the impact of the Holy Grenade’s brilliance being absorbed by his own Bounty barrier, the shockwave gradually weakened, thinning and losing momentum.
A cold smile emerged on Noah’s aged face.
He gently extended his hand, and from the void, a verdant vine suddenly shot forth, heading straight toward Rast, who was falling into the Nether Abyss.
He intended to seize that shattered youth and pull him before his eyes, to thoroughly study his body.
Though he didn’t understand why his previous move, the complete bloom of the “Flesh Blooming,” had failed to claim the other’s life—
Nonetheless, this match—
Was still his victory in the end.
And the Shoreguards would become dust in history, remembered by none.
However, just as Noah’s gaze crossed the abyss and fell upon the humanoid figure plummeting from the high cliff, his eyes froze slightly.
On the youth’s pale and shattered face, there was not a trace of fear or panic from having his schemes fall through.
On the contrary—
A mocking smirk hung on his lips.
…
What was he laughing at?
What was he mocking?
Clearly, your most proud technique, the final trump card left to you by Sisel, had already been completely neutralized by me.
Just as this thought surfaced—
In the next moment, Noah sensed the sudden abnormality arising around him.
It was not from the outside.
It came from within Noah’s own Domain of Bounty…
The branches, leaves, and root systems that had been growing vigorously under the radiant brilliance of the Holy Grenade… though the energy fluctuations were now fading, their rate of growth did not diminish in the slightest.
In fact, they grew even more rampantly.
Absorbing all the sunlight was not enough… they had begun to extract from the source—draining the energy stored within Noah’s Bounty incarnation to feed their abnormal growth.
Such a turn of events was completely beyond Noah’s control.
This was a mutation originating from his own being, ignoring his will and overriding his control.
His flesh and domain, including the vines, roots, leaves, and plants—extensions of his Bounty—
Everything had fallen into an abnormal state—uncontrolled division and growth, draining all the energy stored in this Bounty incarnation.
On the Blue Planet of Rast’s previous life, this was a flesh mutation known as “cancer.”
Once it occurred, it was extremely hard to halt, sending the body’s cells into an uncontrollable spiral of infinite division… an incurable terminal illness.
Likewise, this was Rast’s trump card against Noah.
The Holy Grenade’s energy burst, modeled on a star, due to its solar properties, indeed could not inflict substantial harm upon Noah.
However… just as the greatest threat of nuclear weapons in Rast’s past life wasn’t the initial explosion, but the ensuing radiation and indiscriminate contamination of all organisms in its vicinity—
Noah’s magnificent and majestic Bounty incarnation had now fallen completely out of control.
Each abnormal division sapped the incarnation’s remaining energy, and this division would begin to infect and contaminate even the previously normal Domain of Bounty, turning it into a new source of mutation.
Even with his Legendary status, this was an extremely thorny situation… the power of a Legendary was vast, yes, but it could only destroy external enemies.
And at this moment, Noah’s enemy had become himself… indistinguishable and unrecognizable. To eradicate the source of all these mutations, he would first have to kill himself.
Worse still—
Noah clearly felt something wrong with the core of his Bounty incarnation.
That relic from the First Era, the Origin Leaf of the Primal Ancient Tree, which had supposedly had all remnants of divine consciousness erased by the Gravekeepers…
Now too was exhibiting abnormal fluctuations.
Affected by the mutations and divisions of the Bounty incarnation, it seemed as though a new will was awakening upon that Origin Leaf.
It was about to seize control of the Bounty incarnation from Noah’s residual will.
Amid the brilliance’s turbulent tide, the emerald Domain of Bounty suddenly contracted.
Now in a state of crisis, Noah had no choice but to divert all his power and spirit to suppressing the flesh mutation of his Bounty incarnation and fighting the awakening second will for control.
He could no longer spare any attention for the falling Rast or anything else.
…
At the top of the Sky-Piercing Tower, on the opposite side of the high platform.
The surging brilliance stirred countless vortices, swallowing the entire grand amber-colored ice coffin.
Unlike Noah’s Bounty and plant attributes—
Whether it was the Nether Abyss or the amber-colored ice coffin formed from solidified twilight, both belonged to the Death God's divine power, manifestations of the concept of death.
And that sacred solar brilliance was precisely the nemesis of such beings as the Death God—its perfectly countered target.
Within the scorching radiance, whether it was the solidified twilight or the eternally frozen ice coffin, all melted away like snow and ice in spring.
The ice coffin, sealed for ten thousand years, slowly fractured and dissolved.
Brilliant and dazzling sunlight shone through the gradually thinning walls of the ice coffin, illuminating the girl’s face within.
Her ice-blue long hair spread out within the coffin, as if she were a snow maiden who had slumbered for millennia.
Roar—
An ancient god’s furious roar resounded from within the ice coffin.
It was the wrath of the Old Death God.
He had sensed that the ice coffin shielding Him from the outside world was gradually shattering, and beyond it, the brilliance was surging.
That very light was the ultimate nemesis of Him, a remnant soul of the old era, a departed being.
If it were during the full strength of the Age of Gods… then not to mention a mere Holy Grenade simulating solar power—even if a true god of the Sun Sequence descended, it would merely result in mutual restraint, and the Death God might not be defeated.
But now, He was nothing more than a single remnant soul, painstakingly revived.
After being extinguished for multiple eras, His power had long since dwindled to less than a tenth. He had not even broken the seal, unable to absorb the Nether Abyss or reclaim even the slightest trace of His remaining power.
Once the ice coffin shattered, the Old Death God's remnant soul would be engulfed by the sacred brilliance outside and utterly annihilated, without the slightest chance of survival.
The Death God’s will withdrew from the girl’s body and abandoned the Perfect Vessel meticulously prepared for Him.
Compared to the imminent threat of death, no Perfect Vessel, no grand plan of returning to godhood in human form… nothing else mattered.
Though once the Lord of the Netherrealm, the Old Death God who reigned supreme… at this moment, as nothing more than a remnant soul, He trembled before death like the most ordinary creature—fearing death, craving life, yearning to survive by any means.
The remnant soul of the Death God repeatedly rammed into the lingering seals and restrictions on the ice coffin, attempting to escape this soon-to-be tomb bathed in holy light… yet what strength could a remnant soul without a divine body muster?
Each attempt ended in failure.
Ultimately, the Death God's remnant soul could only remain trapped within the coffin, helplessly watching as the sacred light dissolved every last trace of the ice.
Crack—
A transparent fissure suddenly appeared atop the amber-colored ice coffin.
In the next moment—
Blazing brilliance surged in through the crack, pouring directly into the coffin.
…
In Akxia’s nightmare.
Though her figure trembled in a snowstorm, she still stubbornly spread her arms, protecting the faint Spark in her embrace, unwilling to let her precious memories and self be taken away.
At that moment—
A beam of brilliant sunlight illuminated the girl’s eyes.
She dazedly raised her head.
And saw that all around her, the seemingly endless snowstorm had, at some unknown time, quietly come to a halt.
Even the boundless darkness that devoured the light had vanished.
The pitch-black dome suddenly fractured in several places, with clear, pristine brilliance shining through the cracks above, falling onto her ice-blue hair and reflecting a glassy luster.
The master of the snowstorm and darkness—
That evil god from the fairy tale, her past life—who sought to revive through her body, to seize her self, and steal away all her precious memories with Rast—
Had He… left her body?
A trace of confusion rose in Akxia’s heart.
The cracks in the dark dome continued to expand, more sunlight pouring in…
Eventually, the entire sky shattered into pitch-black fragments, leaving only infinite light cascading down from the heavens, illuminating the snowy field above the Eternal Night.
The ancient soul that wished to occupy her body had departed.
Akxia, too, awakened from slumber.
The moment she opened her eyes and returned to reality—
She saw the ice coffin she lay in, and the blazing sacred brilliance outside it.
Fragments of memory remaining in her mind surged forth like a tide, and Akxia understood her current situation.
Am I… going to die?
She gazed at the melting, crumbling ice coffin before her, and the searing holy light that made her feel extremely unwell, as if it were her natural enemy, and murmured in her heart.
However—
To be able to retain her own will, to preserve those memories with Rast… those irreplaceable moments she refused to share with anyone else—
To die as Akxia, as Helen, and not as the revived Death God—
That alone… was enough for her.
She opened her amethyst eyes, gazing at the flood of brilliance that had broken into the ice coffin.
Waiting for the sacred light of the Fierce Sun to purify her, born of the Divine Bloodline of the Death God… waiting for that moment of death’s arrival.
But—
At that moment—
Akxia saw, within the ice coffin, a chess piece tightly grasped in her hand, resembling a piece from international chess.
It was from the very beginning, when Rast had ascended the high platform and first inspected the ice coffin, silently placing the piece into the sleeping girl’s hand.
This happened during Rast’s initial climb of the tower… and so many changes and upheavals followed that no one had noticed such a trivial detail.
【Substitute Chess Piece (King)】
【Type: Extraordinary Item, One-Time Consumable】
【Rarity: Purple】
【Item Description: A pair of “King and Rook” chess pieces. When held by two users, the “Castling” effect may be activated.】
【“Castling”: Swap the positions of the holders of the “Substitute Chess Piece (King)” and the “Substitute Chess Piece (Rook)”.】
Is this… an Extraordinary Item of the Nightworld?
Akxia stared blankly at the piece in her hand, feeling ancient memories revive in her mind.
In the next moment—
The boy’s voice echoed through the entire ice coffin via the chess piece.
Akxia would never forget the owner of that voice, even in death.
“Life is a thing destined to end.”
The boy’s voice reached her ears, yet seemed to come from an entirely different world.
“Life is a pilgrimage of accumulated suffering.”
“But—”
“I believe that the fairy tale of the Caged Bird Queen…”
“Is not a story of death and finality.”
“So, Student Akxia…”
He paused briefly.
“No—”
“Your Majesty Helen.”
“I’ve come to take you home.”