"Damn it! How does it know? Can it see into my memories?"
Orson felt like he was falling into an icy abyss—this was the deepest secret in his heart. He had never heard of an Ocular Demon possessing the ability to peer into memories. This clearly didn't make sense!
"I have all the time in the world, but you... you have only one year and two months left."
Beirut cackled, a hint of human-like disappointment visible in his massive golden eye.
"Perhaps, only if you face the nightmare again, will you recall some clues."
"Nightmare Haunting!"
A new negative buff appeared in Orson's status. The next instant, his vision went black, and his consciousness was completely consumed.
"Hand it over, and I'll spare your life."
"You're just a fallen esports player, your glory has long faded with the past. You need to beg for forgiveness!"
"Hey! Stop zoning out, give me the Soul Seal!"
Orson snapped out of his stupor, muttering, "Where have I heard this before? Sienna! Where's Sienna?"
Orson suddenly woke up, panic flooding his senses as he looked around. A group of people, looking almost Celestial, surrounded him. They rode towering Vilitian beasts, or high-standing chimeras. Orson, on the other hand, was weary, his legs caked in mud, lips cracked, thirsty and starving.
He looked around: the land was barren, not a blade of grass in sight, with craters and scattered corpses. Above, broken meteorites floated, glowing faintly with silver light.
The wasteland.
A shattered moon.
This was the merged world, after being ravaged by Heaven Demon.
"Bradley!"
"Sienna!"
"Madman..."
Orson felt an empty, hollow feeling in his chest. Was this a hallucination?
Without thinking, he pulled out a small food-cutting knife and slashed it across his palm. Immediately, bright red blood dripped down his fingers, the sharp pain flooding his mind, but it only added to his confusion.
He had experienced similar illusions before, but this one was too real to be ignored.
"Orsonever, no... Orson, I respect your past, but you've taken something that doesn't belong to you."
The crowd parted, and an intense cold aura rushed toward him.
A woman covered in an armor of dark ice, glowing with a blue aura, stepped forward. She appeared so divine and flawless, her eyes a pale blue, resembling an ice goddess.
"You're Ivy..." Orson hesitated, his mouth filling with the acrid taste of the wasteland, making him want to gag.
"Yes, as a former opponent on the pro circuit, I admired your skills. But this is no longer your time."
Ivy sighed softly, reaching out her pale hand to demand the item from him. "He'll be here soon, your friend... has already died."
"Bradley's dead... so this really is my memory."
Orson's heart sank, his eyes instinctively looking at the object in his hand.
[Beirut's Time Coordinate]
Tier: Epic Rank
Unique Effect: Die with hope, be reborn with regret (Proficiency: None)
God's Comment: Unknown Error...
"Immortal Slave... Beirut!"
The words exploded in Orson's mind like a thunderclap, his ears buzzing with the sound of it, drowning out everything else.
A terrifying realization surged within him. No wonder Immortal Slave had called him "the greatest creation."
This reborn soul of his wasn't a coincidence. It was a trap!
And the span of time for this trap had lasted two entire eras, two timelines!
Only beings like the so-called immortals could pull this off!
As for Orson, he was simply a pawn in this game!
"I've been outplayed by my ancestor..."
Orson's heart lurched, not with anger, but a sense of helplessness.
From the moment he had found the Soul Seal in his past life, he had already entered the game.
He had only fully realized it when he saw Beirut. Every step he had taken was part of BlazeKing's plan. The so-called "gift" was merely the rope pulling him forward.
"Back off! The Supreme Emperor is here!"
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it. Don't blame me."
Ivy sighed again, waving her hand indifferently. A snowstorm swirled around her, lifting her into the air.
The gray sky was suddenly lit by a grand light.
A three-headed chimera appeared, and the man on the golden throne glared down, unrivaled, the ruler of this world!
US Emperor—Usher!
"Immortal Slave thinks I'm his nightmare?" Orson smiled enigmatically.
The negative buff "Nightmare Haunting" applied by Immortal Slave stated that if Orson was trapped by the nightmare once again, his soul would completely collapse, forever lost in the beautiful world of his own making.
Until... the end of the world.
"You and I are from the same land. Why do you oppose me?"
This Usher was even more arrogant, his head always held high, destroying any being that dared to defy his royal power.
Usher, with his great fortune and grand ambitions, had already been crowned as the "Emperor among men!"
His strength spanned the heavens, shaking the merged world. He had killed countless Heaven Demons and trial-takers, the undisputed first on the Heavenly Rankings!
"Looking at you, I don't see the potential of another Usher. He knows how to be humble, unlike you."
Orson smiled, his heart as calm as still water.
At these words, Usher furrowed his brow. The world trembled, Heaven Demons quaking in fear.
"What are you talking about?"
The first-ranked War Supreme of the Heavenly Rankings radiated enough power to crush Orson's body, yet Orson remained unflinching, his eyes locked on Usher. "Your blade is pointed in the wrong direction. You're too proud. It will lead you to failure."
Hate?
He killed his brothers and tried to steal his Soul Seal.
Sure, he had every right to hate.
But not to this extent.
Because the true strong aren't just defined by their stats but by the unyielding determination in their hearts!
"You piece of trash, how dare you speak like that to the Emperor! Die!"
Thunder roared, and eight Dragon's Kiss Guild sages appeared. The world-shattering magic and combat abilities tore through the sky.
"Remember my name. I'm not Orsonever..."
Orson's eyes blazed with intense battle spirit. The dark red six-pointed star covered the sky. He spoke through gritted teeth: "I am Orgod, the destroyer of the world created by the gods!"
Roar!!!
Orson's body erupted with white light, the War Supreme Artifact set covering him, and the Supreme Arcane Blade appeared in his hand.
The stars shined because of him, and then dimmed because of him!
With one slash, the heavens split!
One strike, breaking a thousand!
Slash!
The Supreme Arcane Blade pierced Usher's chest. He was filled with fear and confusion as both he and his three-headed chimera turned into a mist, vanishing from existence.
The nightmare was shattered!