Ron was surprised to find that he could feel the presence of his body.
The warmth of sunlight on his skin, the flow of air in his lungs, the beating of his heart... everything felt so real.
"I... I’m back?"
He couldn’t believe it, could all this just be a dream?
Those memories of the Black Mist Jungle and the Wizard World, were they just an illusion he had on Earth?
Just as he was bewildered, a familiar figure walked towards him.
"You blockhead! Hurry home."
His father’s irritable voice was just as he remembered it.
"Dinner’s ready." His mother’s simple words gradually calmed his heart.
Ron wanted to move forward but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His gaze was involuntarily drawn to a strange phenomenon in the sky.
In that azure sky, two celestial bodies that should not be there were slowly moving.
The solitary silver light of the "Hermit Star" and the purple-black cloud of the "Annihilation Cluster" were approaching along a specific trajectory, almost forming a perfect geometric arrangement.
"How is this possible..." he whispered in shock, "This is Earth, how can the star alignment of the Wizard World appear?"
In an instant, Ron’s mind became extraordinarily clear, and he realized that none of this was real.
The joy of reunion, the familiar scenes, were all part of a meticulously constructed illusion realm.
Ron’s alertness was fully activated, and the effect of "Star Dew Morning Glow" began to manifest:
His spiritual perception became exceptionally sharp, able to detect the energy fluctuations behind the illusion, and even sense the breathing rhythm of that enormous entity.
At the moment this understanding formed, a terrifying change occurred in the sky.
The once azure sky gradually darkened, no, it was not simply darkening, but being occupied by some indescribable "existence".
Neither cloud nor fog, nor any visible matter, but a distortion, a "nothingness" that defied natural laws.
People looked up at the sky; their expressions changed from confusion to fear, and finally solidified into despair.
The once blue firmament began to twist and tear, revealing an endless blackness behind it.
It was not simply the disappearance of light, but an utter "void", a state of existence that exceeded understanding and defied natural laws.
Time seemed to cease flowing, all people and objects frozen in place, only Ron remained conscious.
The next moment, horror descended.
Countless black, twisted "tentacles" descended from the sky, each larger than even the mightiest mountain.
When the first "tentacle" touched the ground, the entire planet began to tremble.
The land fractured layer by layer, breaking like glass;
Tall buildings collapsed in an instant, turning to powder;
The ocean surged and boiled, forming towering waves;
Distant mountains melted and twisted, like candles melted by a flame...
More terrifyingly, those "tentacles" began to "lick" the surface of the planet.
With each "lick", large areas, along with all life forms within them, were "erased".
—Erased from existence entirely, as if they had never appeared.
Ron watched helplessly as his parents and friends were "erased" before his eyes, they didn’t even have time to scream, disappearing just like that from reality.
The city was "eaten" piece by piece, the land "peeled away" layer by layer.
The entire planet was like a tiny candy being continuously "licked" by an unnameable "tongue".
He felt an unprecedented fear and helplessness.
In the face of such an existence, any resistance seemed so insignificant.
Even his most powerful magic and most exquisite sword skills were no more effective than an ant trying to shake a tree before such an existence.
When the Earth was "licked" down to its core, the enormous "mouth" that transcended all dimensions finally revealed itself completely.
It seemed to exist simultaneously in countless dimensions, with each perspective showing a completely different form.
Ron, along with the Earth’s remnants, was swallowed into that "mouth".
An indescribable terror overwhelmed him.
He felt the Earth... along with himself, being slowly and meticulously chewed.
It was a total disintegration, with every atom, every proton, and every quark being split, absorbed, assimilated.
The sound of "crunching" echoed in Ron’s consciousness.
He could "hear" the final struggles of every life, the final dissipation of every form of matter, the last dispersal of every piece of energy...
The pain became unprecedentedly clear.
It was a deeper essence of tearing than mere physical pain, like a soul being dissolved bit by bit, consciousness being dismantled inch by inch.
No, this was not an illusion, but a more complex existence—a possibility, a prelude, a warning.
The "Devourer" was showing him the process of a planet being devoured, but the purpose was not to intimidate, but rather some incomprehensible "teaching".
Like a teacher demonstrating an experiment to a student, the "Devourer" was conveying some sort of message to Ron in the most direct way.
This pain went beyond Ron’s limits of endurance, almost annihilating his consciousness entirely.
At this desperate moment, the special talent and skills within Ron’s body suddenly activated.
The traits of "Dual Soul" began to function, dispersing the tearing pain between two souls;
The "Sun’s Protection" formed a faint layer of protection on the level of consciousness.
Although it was difficult to withstand such a level of attack, it could at least slow down the disintegration of his soul.