Chapter 149: King, Let Me Teach You Your Final Lesson (Three-in-One)
The world fell silent.
Only the silver-white projectile, falling from the sky, remained.
The next moment.
Inside the projectile, a tiny detonation mechanism was triggered.
In the Prime Material Plane of the Western Continent, there existed magic, holy relics, and also the Astral Realm and the Spirit World.
This was a plane with world laws vastly different from the world Shaya had inhabited in his previous life.
However, even so.
Some concepts and ideas still shared common ground.
Whether it was a familiar’s skill, or a mythical creature’s authority, divine abilities, or divine arts, their principle was the same: “To transform the power one wields into destructive force directed at the enemy.”
And even high-tier and super-tier skills had extremely low conversion efficiency.
Life had its limits; even demigods and true gods had a fixed threshold for the amount of power they could store.
But the object Shaya was currently using broke through the common sense of this extraordinary world.
Following the foundational rules created at the dawn of the world’s creation.
It transformed the “mass” of existence into the purest “energy.”
This was the principle behind the formation of stellar cores, and it was by following the same law that the blazing sun could burn eternally.
A mere fingernail-sized magic crystal, upon complete annihilation of its mass, would convert into energy sufficient to destroy a palace.
And the construct Shaya had named the “Tsar Bomba” contained a magic crystal whose mass was not merely a thousand or a hundred thousand times greater.
Thus, a hundred-thousandth of a second later.
Within the ocean of magic condensed into magic crystals, a magic factor first silently collapsed under the effect of a spell.
Then, the collapse began a chain reaction without limits.
From one to two, from two to four.
From four to eight, from eight to sixteen…
Loss of restraint, loss of limits.
The chain reaction of collapse swept up all the surrounding free magic factors, then re-aggregated, releasing mass.
Then, under the effect of the alchemy spell array.
The collapsed mass was converted, without reservation, into the purest light and heat.
…
The sound vanished.
Along with the sound, color too returned to nothingness.
The surging radiance stirred countless vortexes, engulfing the monstrously eerie crimson moon in the sky and the entire Holy City of Camelot below.
In the thunderous roar of the light, palaces built of metal and stone melted and disintegrated in an instant, coalescing into a flowing river of lava.
Both the buildings and the historical phantoms, like wandering souls, eternally haunting the conceptual realm, were annihilated by the scorching impact.
Even the three Knights of the Round Table, who had already been transformed into followers of the Crimson Moon and fallen to the Blood Race, annihilated in an instant amidst the brilliant starlight.
As legendary knights who had also received the divine protection of the Crimson Moon, their physical toughness should not have been so fragile.
But for some reason, their bodies, which as legendary blood races should have possessed infinite self-healing abilities, dissolved like snowflakes in the face of the nuclear explosion’s radiance, unable to resist for even a moment.
And on the melting earth.
Only that single, grotesque blood moon remained, suspended in the sky.
Simultaneously, it was the very center of the nuclear explosion; the surrounding river of molten metal and ash was merely a byproduct of the impact.
Hum, hum, hum—
Not in reality, for the extreme temperature in the Prime Material Plane had already distorted the air, the medium for sound propagation.
An ancient, metallic hiss, like the ringing of bronze, like the clash of black iron, sounded in the reflection of the crimson moon deep within the Astral Realm.
It was the roar of the Crimson Moon.
It felt its divine kingdom, the Holy City of Camelot, continuously crumbling under the searing impact.
The divine body and divine kingdom, accumulated over two eras, which had only just recovered somewhat, were now rapidly depleting at an astonishing rate, ten thousand years of effort destroyed in an instant.
Not just the Holy City of Camelot, but its divine kingdom as well.
In the past, its semi-crippled divine body had hidden in the deepest reaches of the Astral Realm, undetectable even by other true gods.
But at this moment, to repair its divine body and rebuild the divine kingdom destroyed at the end of the First Era at maximum speed, the Crimson Moon chose the most perilous method: directly manifesting its semi-crippled divine body in the Prime Material Plane.
Thus, every divine power factor constituting the Crimson Moon’s divine manifestation was fully exposed to the scorching impact.
Then, at a not-so-swift, but unstoppable pace, it annihilated and wore down the divine power factors that constructed the divine body, bit by bit.
Hum, hum.
Above the Astral Realm, the berserk divine thought of the Crimson Moon, for the first time, revealed an expression of incredible shock.
Mystery would submit to older, deeper mystery.
This was the axiom held by the domain of mythical creatures.
It was an ancient god born in the Abyss as early as the First Era, an ancient existence who had truly experienced the divine war at the junction of the First and Second Eras.
“Primordial Moon,” “Crimson Moon”…
This ancient deity had possessed many titles.
Therefore, its divine body was also enveloped by the highest level of mystery.
Under normal circumstances, a mere stacking of power and might, as long as it did not involve mystery of the same level, should never have been able to harm it.
But at this moment.
From the impact of the explosion, it distinctly felt a mystery no less than its own…
No, not merely no less than its own.
It was a mystery far more profound and deep than its own.
It was like the divine being it had glimpsed in its nascent stages, a deity named the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Although its scale was incomparable to that supreme deity, the principle of its composition was remarkably similar, as if originating from the same source.
The radiance of the moon, though brilliant, was the brightest star in the night.
But in the face of the sun’s radiance, no matter how bright the moon’s glow, it was merely a firefly.
Boom—
That twisted, grotesque blood moon instantly dimmed.
But in an instant, it was repaired by forcefully gathered divine power.
Just like its kin, the Blood Race, immortality was the specialty of the Crimson Moon, its absolute advantage even among all true gods that had ever existed.
Vast divine power gathered from the Astral Realm, barely managing to reignite the Crimson Moon’s radiance, protecting the innermost domain of Camelot.
Then, a thousandth of a second later, the blood-colored moonlight shattered once more.
Within a few breaths, annihilation and aggregation cycled dozens of times.
Although it didn’t know how that guy, who seemed to have some connection with Augustina, achieved such destructive power.
However, this release of energy, capable of threatening mythical creatures, could not possibly continue indefinitely…
As long as there was a moment of respite, it could use its esoteric authority to break free from the lock.
Then, abandoning the Prime Material Plane, abandoning everything in the conceptual realm, and also abandoning its divine kingdom and all its kin.
It would retain only its core divinity, authority, and self-awareness, and flee into the Astral Realm.
Then, it would lie dormant…
Yes, it did not consider thoughts like revenge.
The Crimson Moon had survived from the First Era to the present; many deities of the same age had ceased to exist, either waiting for resurrection in the depths of the Astral Realm, or their divine thrones usurped. Yet the Crimson Moon continued to endure.
This was precisely because it was cautious, or rather, it knew how to keep a low profile.
However, such a thought had only just arisen in the divine thought of this ancient abyssal deity.
The next moment.
It saw golden specks of light.
A cold and melodious voice echoed in the Astral Realm, and also in its ears.
“It’s been a long time indeed, Crimson Moon.”
“I never expected to see an acquaintance from the First Era here again.”
“Even less did I expect that the coward who chose to flee like a piece of trash during the final battle of that era would now be posing as a high-and-mighty deity…”
These were calm words, as if casually stopping to chat with an old friend.
However, they caused the operations of the Crimson Moon’s divine thought to freeze instantly.
Deep within the Crimson Moon’s divine thought.
Memories sealed for several epochs, long thought forgotten, resurfaced and began to sprout once more.
It was a story from who knew how long ago.
With the change of epochs, the history of the First Era had long been annihilated in the deepest mists, beyond the reach of even thrones and newly born true gods.
Even some of the more ancient mythical creatures who knew some secrets only had a rough idea of the Crimson Moon’s past in the First Era.
They knew it was an ancient god born from the Abyss, who had experienced the divine war at the end of the First Era and survived at the cost of being nearly destroyed.
Countless true gods had perished in that war, and even more divine thrones had changed hands. Therefore, the Crimson Moon’s survival from that divine war, even becoming crippled, gave it a seniority that set it apart from ordinary deities.
However, only the Crimson Moon itself knew.
Its survival from the end of the First Era was not because it was more powerful than the ancient gods who perished, nor because its own authority was skilled at survival, nor because its immortality was exaggerated.
The only reason it survived was this—
It was a coward.
After its divine kingdom and more than half of its divine throne were destroyed in one blow, it directly chose to flee into the Astral Realm…
Although it had experienced the divine war at the end of that epoch, its participation rate was probably akin to throwing a shuriken from eight hundred miles away and then running away immediately.
“You… are the Golden Elf from the Black Tower?”
A violent ringing, like the trembling of bronze, resounded. “No, impossible!”
“Your true body was exiled to the ends of dimensional void at the end of the First Era and could no longer return…”
In the Astral Realm, the Crimson Moon’s radiance flared, probing the surrounding deep starry sky, but it captured no trace.
“You don’t need to remind me of such things anymore.”
An elegant and clear voice sounded again.
“Although my true body is indeed still trapped at the end of the dimension.”
“However, this is the Astral Realm, even if it requires crossing through myriad walls of worlds and the gaps between dimensions…”
“But, here.”
“I still have the power of a single finger.”
The Crimson Moon’s radiance surged.
Even though it knew this was not the other party’s true body.
It was merely a voice transmitted across myriad dimensions from the end of the multiverse.
But when it confirmed the owner of that voice.
The long-sealed memories that had instantly resurfaced made the Crimson Moon lose even the slightest inkling of resistance.
The feeling of cowardice, which it thought it had long forgotten, once again occupied its entire divine thought, causing that grotesque blood moon to shine and quickly flee this locked astral coordinate.
However, the next moment.
A plain white finger quietly appeared in the vast, deep starry sky.
Compared to the backdrop of the entire universe and the star abyss, this slender finger was so insignificant. Yet at this very moment, it caused the radiance of the vast sea of stars to dim.
The world froze.
No matter the twinkling of starlight, or the flow of the stars…
Even the ripples of the Crimson Moon’s divine thought turning were quelled.
In the stagnant world, only that plain white finger continued to enlarge.
“After undergoing weakening through so many levels of secondary planes and sub-dimensions… a single finger might not be enough to annihilate divinity along with the divine spark, and it will eventually return from the Astral Realm.”
The clear voice suddenly carried a hint of trouble.
“In that case, I’ll leave it to that little fellow.”
“After all, he’s the one who cornered it; it wouldn’t be good to snatch his kill…”
In the frozen Astral Realm, only the cold monologue remained.
“I don’t know why I took a disciple thousands of years later.”
“However, since I could accept him as my final disciple in the future, and he has that feeling… he must be the only reason.”
“I hope—”
For some reason, that voice, which had been cold and elegant from beginning to end, suddenly held a trace of imperceptible waver.
“That it’s not just my own wishful thinking.”
The next moment.
That plain white finger lightly pointed.
No surge of magic, no explosive burst of energy, and no grand display of power.
After pointing, the plain white finger disappeared.
As if it had never existed in this world.
And time in the Astral Realm resumed its flow.
“Golden Elf… Black Tower…”
“She said, the power of just one finger?”
The Crimson Moon’s divine thought also resumed its operation, its previously frozen train of thought reconnected.
But then.
The fluctuations and ripples of its divine thought were forever frozen.
Frozen on the noun that last appeared in its divine thought.
A term that made the Crimson Moon, and all the deities of the First Era, tremble in their hearts.
“Divine Annihilation Finger.”
Thus, this astral coordinate was annihilated.
…
Prime Material Plane, Holy City of Camelot.
No, more accurately, the ruins that were once known as “Camelot.”
But at this moment, they had transformed into a burning river of lava.
The gentle night slowly receded, revealing Shaya’s figure in his black robe with red clouds.
He tilted his ear slightly, listening to the information transmitted from the Astral Realm.
After a long while, Shaya finally clapped his hands. “As expected of Teacher. Whether it was you a thousand years ago or you a thousand years later, you are as reliable as ever.”
“The barriers between the Astral Realm and other sub-dimensions are weak, which is why I could intervene to a certain extent… things within the Prime Material Plane are different.”
“In my perception, the King of the Conceptual Realm is not someone a coward like the Crimson Moon can compare to.”
Indifferent information transmitted from the Astral Realm.
“It’s fine, young Shi Jiang, who is a thousand years younger, managing to knock the Crimson Moon down from the Astral Realm is already beyond my expectations. I thought you were still holed up in some dimensional rift at this age.”
“As for what comes next, you don’t need to worry about it, Teacher. That is my own matter.”
“Holed up, young Shi Jiang…”
The cold voice from the Astral Realm paused for a moment.
Shaya felt a lofty gaze descend from the Astral Realm, looking deeply at him before slowly drifting away.
Hoo—
Sensing that the gaze from the Astral Realm had disappeared, Shaya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Indeed, whether it was a thousand years ago or a thousand years later.
Teasing his Shi Jiang was always a dangerous yet exciting endeavor.
Dark shadows wove into a shadow beside him, transforming into a maiden shrouded in faint night.
Although her profound and silent demeanor remained unchanged, Shaya could perceive that the eternal night curtain and shadows surrounding Augustina had dimmed considerably.
To hold back Isadorella, who wielded the Holy Sword and stood in the Hall of Thrones, possessing the dual buffs of “King of the Conceptual Realm” and her native domain, and to protect Shaya from a nuclear blast using the secret authority of eternal night, Augustina could not have done so without paying a price.
“The power stored in the ‘Hourglass of Time’ is almost depleted, and the Crimson Moon’s demise has also caused a temporary loss of control over my own divinity.”
“To prevent myself from spiraling out of control and attacking you, I can only return to the Thousand-Year City and sleep eternally.”
Augustina spoke softly, the shadowy darkness slowly receding, revealing her beautiful eyes, which were crimson gold but somewhat dim.
She did not conceal her state of near exhaustion from Shaya.
“Mm, go have a good sleep.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Augustina. I’ll be sure to visit your business more often when I return.”
Watching the gradually fading night sky rising towards the distant heavens.
Shaya’s low murmur dissipated in the evening breeze, unheard by anyone.
“If… I can still return.”
But soon, he withdrew his gaze.
Then he looked up at the stationary crimson moon in the distant sky.
Crack—
It was the sound of something breaking.
A tiny crack suddenly appeared on the grotesque, twisted crimson moon.
At first, the crack was very slight, unnoticeable to those not observing carefully.
But after a few breaths, the crack rapidly expanded, soon covering the entire moon disk.
Then, crack—
The crimson moon, symbolizing the true god’s divine body, shattered into pieces, scattering into countless specks of light with an eerie luster.
Then, those scattered, distorted blood-colored light spots slowly coalesced.
Finally, they condensed into a crystal-clear, crimson-hued star chalice, resembling a chess piece.
It was the star chalice that gathered the entire divinity and authority of a true god of the Abyss.
In the historical echoes of the Ancient Azure Court, Shaya had also obtained a star chalice of a Twilight Ancient God.
However, that Twilight Ancient God’s star chalice originated from the incomplete Twilight demigod sealed beneath the Grand Duke’s family mansion.
This time, what Shaya obtained was a complete star chalice.
It could also be called—an entry ticket to the divine throne.
The moment he grasped the star chalice, countless mad whispers echoed in Shaya’s ears and his spiritual ocean.
It instantly gave him the urge to praise the moon.
Unlike the divinity of the Twilight Ancient God, which had been sealed for hundreds of years and was already inert.
This “Crimson Moon” star chalice had just been formed, still containing the residual will of that abyssal ancient god. The seductive whispers of corruption were far stronger than any evil god or pollutant Shaya had encountered before.
“Do you want to lure me into becoming your new physical vessel so badly?”
Shaya looked at the star chalice emitting a strange blood-colored glow and couldn’t help but smile.
“In that case.”
“Then, as you wish—”
“As long as you don’t fear it yourself.”
He grasped the blood-colored star chalice.
Then, without the slightest hesitation.
He directly pressed the crystalline blood-colored divinity into his left chest.
Boom—
Brilliant light surged.
However, it was not the Crimson Moon’s radiance.
But the flame of the magic furnace core burning.
In Shaya’s eyes, the runes of the alchemy matrix were slowly spinning.
Ink-black immortal metal overflowed, then was restrained and refined by the matrix, transformed into sheet after sheet of metal parts.
And on Shaya’s chest, at an unknown time, a magic furnace core blazed like the sun.
As the Crimson Moon’s blood-colored star chalice merged into the furnace core, its original grotesque radiance was instantly engulfed by scorching white light.
Then, it was mercilessly swallowed by the magic furnace core.
Clang.
Clang.
A river of black immortal metal enveloped Shaya.
Then, piece by piece, metal components were refined, assembled, and spliced around Shaya.
The sound of countless metal parts colliding echoed.
In just a few moments.
A massive black metal construct replaced Shaya.
The originally incandescent magic furnace core, tainted by the Crimson Moon’s star chalice, burned with a seductive blood-red flame, soaring into the sky.
This was the newly transformed Black Knight.
Although using the star chalice as fuel was destined to be unsustainable, serving only as a disposable item.
At least during this period, the Black Knight was no longer merely capable of barely contending with legends.
It had surpassed the realm of ordinary legends, reaching a domain that no Mechanist had ever reached.
Shaya, controlling the black and red intertwined mech, slowly raised his head.
Then, his gaze fell upon the highest point in the Hall of Thrones.
The graceful figure with silver hair, holding a holy sword.
Beneath the sky, upon the earth.
In the ruins of Camelot, where there was no one, nor any god, no spectators, and even independent of the river of history.
The two stared at each other across the vast sky.
“So, King.”
Shaya smiled, his soft voice echoing throughout the aimless, boundless world.
“Since no one can correct your mistakes.”
“Then—”
“Let me teach you this final lesson.”
