Chapter 572 50. Competitive Gate
After the Fate Lord spoke these words, even Holland, who was uninterested in anything outside of death, turned to look at him, seemingly intrigued by the long-missing president of the Creation Society from legend.
Although the Fate Lord in front of them had no normal appearance and only a mouth, Fisher could still keenly detect a hint of excitement in her words.
The Fate Lord was indeed very concerned about Tang Zeming Asuka, but Fisher had no knowledge of their story; they must have met long after he left.
Since the Fate Lord truly worried about Tang Zeming Asuka, Fisher saw no need to hide anything further and prepared to tell her everything he knew.
“I have indeed seen her. Earlier, I was pursued by Death and needed a demigod specialized in this field to help me. So, I went back to the past, where I met the Magic Lord, who was just arriving in this world, that is, Tang Zeming Asuka.”
“Travel back to the past?! No. This is impossible.”
But to Fisher’s surprise, the Fate Lord reacted with unusual excitement upon hearing that he had returned to the past.
“How did you go back? Are you sure you’re not lying?”
“No, I’m serious. Someone helped me break the shackles of fate, allowing me to return to the past. There, I used the power of the Heavenly Lock to escape from death.”
“If you really met Asuka, who had just transferred here, then you should have gone back ten thousand years into the past. But how is this possible? How could you withstand the shattering of fate, unless you… unless you can endure the direct destruction of the authority of fate, but this…”
“Enduring the authority of fate? What does that mean?”
Fisher appeared somewhat confused; he thought that with help from a true god-level chaos like Renee, breaking fate and returning to the past sounded quite impressive, yet it should also be reasonable.
For some reason, the Fate Lord’s concern suddenly turned to him, and she seemed uninterested in how Renee was able to break the rules of fate.
Behind her, the Death Lord, who had just taken a sip of wine and was now crossing his arms, spoke up.
“Ahem, fate is indeed a mysterious subject, but essentially, there are only two critical barriers: one is time and the other is space. These two things determine the dimension of fate and the development of all things, which is why fate is divided into past, present, and future. If you really broke fate and returned to the past, it means that both your time and space would undergo fundamental changes. Your fate would be violently embedded within the overall fate, and fate would thus be corrected, making you a part of the entire fate.
“So, your actions would create a closed loop, making your time travel an inevitability. Everything you did in the past would have corresponding effects. Thus, during this entire process, when you traveled back, you would have to face the true god-level authority of fate. Even so, you survived, living as if nothing were amiss while actively driving away death. The chain reaction triggered by your time travel did not affect you at all.
“Nothing changed because of your time travel; instead, it formed a closed loop. This is not how the authority of fate operates, as the authority would constantly resist the impact you brought during your intervention. Unless you can be completely immune to the effects brought by this authority, the closed loop cannot be formed without cost. But how is that possible? That’s true god-level authority; you should know that true gods cannot interfere with the world because of their own authority. If you can be immune to such influences, that is… I can’t even imagine.”
Although named the Death Lord, Holland seemed quite knowledgeable about the matter of fate. After saying so much, the Fate Lord had not refuted him; she only added deeply to Fisher at the end of his discourse,
“You are very [special], Fisher.”
“…”
In fact, this was not the first time Fisher had heard someone say he was special; the last time was from the elf Ch. He could also somewhat realize this himself.
He did not believe that Tang Zeming Asuka really deceived others as Erwind said, that every person could only read one supplement handbook. Therefore, it was indeed his specialness that allowed him to read both the Life and Soul Supplement Handbooks without damage.
Earlier, when facing the Duke of Peach in the Tree Continent, it was similar; he directly triggered Renee’s mark. Although it was painful, compared to the “disappear without a trace” outcome that scared Renee, this kind of pain should not count as much.
Moreover, when Hela was consumed by the Sea of Chaos, he could even jump down and bring her back safely as if she were a candle flickering in the wind.
Could it be that he really was very special?
But why?
Was it because the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans was very special, thus making him special?
Or was it because he was special that the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans chose him?
Fisher squinted his eyes, suddenly unsure of his situation. He could only look towards the nearby Death Lord and Fate Lord, then took out the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
“Perhaps it is because this handbook was not produced by your Creation Society that I am considered very special?”
“Pfft!”
Both the Death Lord and Fate Lord turned their heads to look at the handbook he had taken out, which had a rather humorous name. After a long silence, the Death Lord uncontrollably laughed, then awkwardly took a sip of wine to cover his smile, but the grin was harder to suppress than cannon fire, and instead, it grew larger.
The Fate Lord, being more composed, remained calm even after seeing the handbook that was not produced by the Creation Society. Her mouth examined the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans for a long time before she shook her head.
“No, it’s not it. The chaotic aura on this handbook is not strong enough, and it contains no corresponding chaotic knowledge. Instead, it has a strange flavor that makes me unable to see clearly… like it is hiding.”
The last sentence was spoken in a faint voice, as if the Fate Lord was also unsure.
Fisher was somewhat disappointed to put the handbook away and spoke again to the Fate Lord.
“Asuka said the contributor of this handbook is a Trans from a place called… China. Have you seen them?”
“… No, not at all, not the slightest impression.”
“I see.”
So, could it be that he himself was special?
But he was just an ordinary human, a bit of magic talent, considered outstanding among humans, but that was all.
He had a decent life; though an orphan, he had a gentle and kind foster mother who cared for, nurtured, and educated him, helping him grow strong. He had many close friends, had juniors who admired him, and had idols and teachers he looked up to. He even had a dazzling and beautiful first love, but due to some changes and youthful naivete, he separated from her.
From a human perspective, perhaps he really was very special; his life was interesting, but from a macro perspective of the world, considering mythical beings, true gods, and authority, was he such a special existence?
But for some reason, both the Fate Lord, Ch, and he himself felt something was off about him.
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Fortunately, the Death Lord clapped to quickly interrupt his thoughts. He glanced at the nearby Fate Lord and said,
“Alright, stop thinking about your specialness. Even if you are special, you won’t find out anytime soon. The old immortal has seen your fate so many times, and only now that you said you traveled back to the past did she realize your specialness. This shows she currently has no ability to discover your special traits. Compared to this, weren’t you just talking about the president? Continue with that; I still have to hurry to my death.”
“…”
The Death Lord’s words made sense, and Fisher had no choice but to share some tidbits about his relationship with Tang Zeming Asuka with the Fate Lord.
“Ah, so… you are the teacher she has been waiting for.”
As soon as the Fate Lord’s somewhat shocked words fell, the Death Lord began to laugh foolishly.
“Hey, so you taught the president magic. If the president is the Magic Lord, then what are you? The Ancestor of Magic?”
The Fate Lord opened her mouth, and as the knots swayed, her intangible gaze seemed to be digging into his flesh, but she quietly said,
“… Even without him teaching, with Asuka’s talent, she could master magic by herself.”
“That is indeed the case.”
Fisher recognized that Tang Zeming Asuka had an improbable talent for magic; he could only be seen as a catalyst for her greatness. Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to seek out chaos beings to uncover the mystery of magic. Just like her casting multi-ring magic to deal with Barbatos and Agarese would be ideal.
However, the problem was that, beyond knowing more about Tang Zeming Asuka’s past and that she had also been quite clumsy and naive when she traveled over, the Fate Lord gleaned no clues from what Fisher said.
She gradually fell silent and did not speak for a long time until quite a while later she said,
“If you met her ten thousand years ago, then she has waited for you for over four thousand years. Her feelings for you have transformed into a long wait. She has continually battled with the chaos in her mind, maintaining her sanity and has taught and saved numerous Trans, including me, who came to this world. We all see her as a model, a pillar — as if as long as she is here, we still have hope of going home and confidence to resist madness and collapse.
“But more than five thousand years ago, her powers were nearing their peak. All her abilities began to approach true god level, and this does not even account for the magic she used. She kept her whereabouts concealed, communicating only with a few friends. She thought she could wait for you to return, but unfortunately, as her rank ascended to the peak, she inevitably began to nurture authority and rules within her being. This would put her, who had been fighting madness, into a more dangerous situation; the world’s rejection of her reached a climax, and at the same time, a potential path home opened before her.
“She felt unprecedented entanglement and struggle but could do nothing; in her urgent situation at the time, she was forced to enter the Spirit Realm, truly stepping into the gods’ direct视野, embarking on a journey home. The Mother Goddess within the Spirit Realm is her friend, and despite the pollution in the Spirit Realm, theoretically, with the help of the Mother Goddess, her probability of returning home should have been quite high. But immediately afterward, she became uncontactable. We had an agreement: when she successfully crossed the ultimate threshold and left, she would send me a message, but I did not receive anything.”
Fisher stroked his chin, frowning as he said,
“Is it possible she has already left, but for some unknown reason, cannot send you a message?”
“… There is another thing that makes me certain she did not leave but something may have happened. After her disappearance, the Mother Goddess, who had calmly observed this world for thousands of years, suddenly changed temperament, began to violently interfere with the world using Asuka’s magic, and ultimately even directly used authority to seal the demons. At that time, I exerted considerable effort to connect with her to inquire about Asuka’s whereabouts, but she completely ignored me and shared nothing.”
Fisher could understand the situation at that time because if Tang Zeming Asuka encountered a problem, the Creation Society, which viewed her as a pillar, would surely face unimaginable turmoil.
To put it nicely, under Tang Zeming Asuka’s leadership, the members of the Creation Society still bore some humanity. To put it harshly, if Tang Zeming Asuka were no longer there, every member would be a ticking time bomb, a monster capable of killing demigods.
Perhaps it was precisely to maintain the society’s stability that the Fate Lord would disguise herself as Tang Zeming Asuka. Even so, it still led Jahl Uzz to the Dragon Court in an attempt to enter the Spirit Realm and ultimately birthed Erwind’s betrayal.
The Death Lord stroked his chin and then spoke up.
“I think it’s possible that the pollution appearing in the Spirit Realm is the president? After all, it seems that the pollution that suddenly manifested appeared five or six thousand years ago.”
“Absolutely impossible!”
The Fate Lord gritted her teeth and said so, making the sharp teeth in her uniquely shaped mouth emit a piercing friction sound.
“When Asuka was still preparing to return home in front of me, that Spirit Realm pollution appeared out of thin air; how could that thing be Asuka!”
“… Regardless, no matter where she is or what condition she is in now, we cannot be sure, we can only say it is all possible. She is also my student; I will certainly not give up on finding her. I promised you that I would find her, and I will not break my word. Coincidentally, tonight I might try to contact the chaos beings in the Spirit Realm; they might know some clues. But in any case, the priority right now is still those two level eighteen demons.”
Fisher sensed the Fate Lord’s emotional fluctuations and quickly interrupted her.
Right now, there were already too many matters: the two demons, the secrets on Elizabeth’s side, the Apocalypse Prophecy, the whereabouts of Tang Zeming Asuka, handling relations with various ladies, Hela and Ch’s trade.
All of these responsibilities weighed on Fisher; even if he needed to address them, he had to do it one by one.
He could only assure the Fate Lord that she need not be so anxious.
“The intel you shared with me is extremely crucial. If I receive any news later, I will contact you immediately.”
“That’s right; I also think you should let me die first, then you all can busy yourselves with other matters. Old immortal, what do you think?”
“…”
The biting teeth slightly released, revealing the knots within her mouth once more, and only then she spoke.
“You all better remember.”
“Cling, cling!”
Then, that mouth ceased to speak, and the entire flesh instantly turned to ash, disappearing in place.
The room fell silent again; Fisher glanced at the Death Lord, who shrugged, looking as if it was a common occurrence. Fisher couldn’t help but ask,
“Why does it feel like the Fate Lord you described and the one I imagined are a bit different?”
“Oh, how are they different?”
“Didn’t you say she likes to speak in riddles? Isn’t this quite straightforward?”
“Hehe, consider yourself lucky that this time it was the [mouth] that came, so she spoke quite directly. But did you notice? The emotions of the mouth are quite unstable. Often, while speaking, she gets anxious, and when she becomes deeply anxious, she likes to curse. This time was because of the issue with the president, so she didn’t have a chance to express herself. Just wait for the future; there will be opportunities. If she doesn’t make your ancestors’ tombs smoke, consider it a loss for her.”
The Death Lord took a sip from the bottle which had very little liquid left, seemingly the last bit, then he began counting on his fingers.
“So, this is only part of her; there is a big difference between this and her other parts as well as her true self. Moreover, she is, after all, an immortal, with abilities beyond what you or I can imagine; it just depends on whether she chooses to use them. But according to my judgment, after the president left and the Creation Society fell apart, she has started to let things go. Speaking of which, what’s the plan here? You have that scroll, right? How do we go to the Demon Dynasty?”
Fisher glanced at the scroll in his hand and slowly began to open it bit by bit, revealing an ancient and complex image where it was written:
“All beings have ten desires, and the dynasty has ten gates.”
“Greed, Lust, Knowledge, Possession, Competition, Performance, Curiosity, Fame, Indulgence, Power.”
One image after another depicted various locations, most scattered across the Southern Continent. But the crucial point was that the way each gate opened was different, and Fisher had no idea which gate remained intact and where they could go.
The Death Lord looked at the scroll across from him, then pointed at the “Lust Gate” among them and said,
“Oh, I can just follow you to that gate, right? I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have a strong feeling this gate should be easy for you.”
“…”
Fisher could not be bothered to respond to him and continued reading the meanings of these gates.
It turned out the dynasty was divided into several areas, each linked together, inhabited by many different demons. Generally, the demons residing behind a single gate shared similar natures and traits.
Fisher carefully looked at the names of the demons carved behind each gate, with descriptions and summoning methods written beside them.
For example, Baemon resided behind the [Knowledge Gate], Agarese lived behind the [Curiosity Gate], and Barbatos dwelt behind the [Performance Gate].
Thinking back to Hela’s specific personality, Fisher was unsure if using these gates to correspond to the demon gods’ characteristics was accurate, after all, that guy seemed to only seek fun and pleasure.
Of course, people generally believed that the demon god Baemon possessed many secrets of knowledge and had heard Eil say she liked granting humans some incomprehensible knowledge; that indeed correlates in this aspect as well.
It’s just that he did not know how Agarese’s “Curiosity” and Barbatos’s “Performance” would manifest.
Besides Hela and those two demon gods as enemies, another name on the scroll instantly captured his attention.
Behind the [Competitive Gate], the first lines of crimson text read,
“Eil”
“Duke, Prime Pillar Behind the Competitive Gate”
“Greedy, Violent, Fond of War, Destruction.”
Next was the specific summoning method for Eil.
“Can use fresh catnip and fragrant wood incense mixed and lit in the wild, placed around the area, during which ten types of livestock must be slaughtered.”
“One hundred priests, all adorned with heavy armor and weapons, should perform a war dance to invoke his presence.”
Then there was a line of small text that served as an annotation.
“In wars, kingdoms summon him using this method, causing dancing participants to trigger inexplicable conflicts, resulting in countless casualties.”
“Yet, none ever responds.”
Please vote, tip, and support; it is incredibly important to me!
Thank you very much for your support!
(End of Chapter)
