Chapter 662: 140. Love Before Dusk
“Do you even know what you’re saying, Elizabeth?”
Fisher quickly walked up to Elizabeth, pressed his hand on her shoulder, and turned her to face him, staring fiercely into her eyes.
Elizabeth, without any resistance, was led by Fisher, even dropping the wine bottle she was holding into the ocean.
“Are you sure you haven’t been influenced by Pandora’s eye? Are you sure you haven’t been subtly affected by her power? Five years ago, Blake and Anna thought they were acting on their own ideas until the end, and now you think the same, don’t you?”
Faced with Fisher’s questioning grip on her shoulder, Elizabeth merely smiled at him, allowing him to attempt to persuade her with his words.
“That eye you have embedded in your eye socket comes from the most powerful force in this world. Once, an angel beneath a demigod mysteriously perished and formed it; it is very likely contaminated by chaos. It is your eye, allowing you to see what it wants you to see, instilling the thoughts it wants you to think. This subtle influence is not terrifying; what’s terrifying is your belief in it, thinking you can control it with your mortal body.”
“Pandora, Salie? Is that the name of the archangel? But you’re mistaken; the eye is not her, but a completely new consciousness. For so many years, she has been in my mind. Did you think she would manipulate my desires like I did with words and suggestions to deceive Blake? Or like a sycophant, whispering in my mind to change my thoughts? No, you are wrong, Fisher. She has always been just an observer.”
“That’s just what you think, Elizabeth. It’s entirely possible that—”
“Possible that she has been effective without my knowledge?”
Elizabeth, with her shoulder still held, smiled and spoke the words Fisher was about to say, then reached out to touch his cheek, continuing, “Hehe, Fisher, trust me, as a mere mortal, I know far more than you can imagine. Let’s not discuss this anymore, okay? I still need to have the people below rearrange the honeymoon that these guys messed up.”
“Elizabeth, this is not the time for a honeymoon. Look over there.”
Fisher pointed to the distant sea, where, at dusk, the shattered crimson sky was still conspicuous.
“Fine, even if we set aside whether you have been affected by the eye, just look over there. The signs of the Apocalypse Prophecy’s invasion by outsiders are already so obvious. We are in dire straits; the whole world is being roasted over the fire, especially you. How can I be at ease when the chaotic outer god power called ‘Death Trinity’ is growing in your eyes?”
Elizabeth sighed, rubbed her forehead, and then patiently countered Fisher, “Yes, but Fisher, as a scholar, shouldn’t you be better at grasping the crux of the matter after all this time? Have you ever considered the possibility that the so-called apocalypse is merely targeting the deities of this world? This ‘Apocalypse Prophecy’ is merely a death declaration for these deities, arising from their desperate need for support, tying the entire world to their war chariot of shared life and death.”
“What are you saying?”
Fisher was momentarily stunned; he truly did not expect Elizabeth to counter him from this angle. But soon after, Elizabeth scoffed, looking at the distant crimson color, and continued, “Fisher, you mentioned the ‘Death Trinity,’ which shows you are already aware of the power those deities complain about as ‘chaos,’ right? Then you should at least understand the meaning of the Death Trinity. The so-called Death Trinity represents the Trinity of Death: the death of animals, the death of wisdom, and the death of deities. This is not merely three similar concepts in parallel but also contains completely different distinctions from each other. It means that the deities holding this authority are also in a trinity; the true body of the ‘End of Filth’ consists of three deities who share the same authority from the gods.”
At this moment, Fisher was completely stunned by the secrets leaked from Elizabeth’s mouth, leaving the rebuttal he planned to make stuck in his throat.
“You should know that the power of chaos needs to grow under the seal of the gods. When did Pandora’s eye ever have anything to do with the chaos of external death? She awakened from the Ideal Nation that erupted from the authority of death; the only power she has ever touched is that of the goddess of death. But now, the unclean power is still thriving under my control. Why is that?”
“Because the goddess of death, Heya, is one aspect of the End of Filth. She represents the ‘Death of Wisdom,’ while the so-called chaos beyond the ultimate is one of her three sisters, originally born together, representing the ‘Death of Deity.’ The death authority of Heya is indeed the chaos authority of death beyond, which is why the eye tainted by Heya’s aura can communicate with the gods beyond the ultimate.”
“And do you think the unconsciousness of Heya within this world is voluntary? No, she has been deceived and imprisoned by the gods, reduced to an unconscious tool for them to maintain the order of the world. Now, her sister, regarded as an invader beyond the ultimate, comes to release Heya and hold the gods accountable for their sins.”
After saying all of this, Elizabeth pointed at her eye and looked at Fisher, then asked, “I don’t know about the other chaos, but Fisher, have you ever thought about why this Apocalypse Prophecy was produced? Are we to assume that this world is born with original sin and deserves to be destroyed for no reason? No, it’s because the gods who created this world have committed sins, and we are just collateral damage. Why should we bear the sins they committed, simply because we are their creations?”
Fisher looked at Elizabeth, who casually revealed so much information. It was only at this moment that he realized the woman who had been sharing his bed for several days actually knew just as much as he did.
But he was not swayed by Elizabeth’s arguments. No matter how the situation changed, some things would still remain unchanged.
“Elizabeth, the invasion of chaos is not just against the deities themselves but everything they constructed. I don’t care about how they are, but all existing rules have been constructed by them. Once they perish, those rules will collapse. Isn’t the crevice in the sky proof of that?”
“What’s wrong with the collapse of existing rules?”
However, Elizabeth just looked at Fisher and suddenly calmly countered, which made Fisher feel incredulous, “Do you know what the collapse of rules means? You have never witnessed the chaos of death eroding the rules; I have seen it. You don’t know how many lives will be lost due to the collapse of rules or how many living beings in this world will perish; I know.”
A million years ago, when the authority of death erupted, he saw how the power of death devoured all living beings around him indiscriminately, regardless of rank. He just mistakenly thought that Elizabeth did not know such a tragic scene, so he wanted to describe it to her as vividly as possible.
But today, Elizabeth’s replies always took him by surprise.
She merely looked at him expressionlessly and said softly, “Yes, but what does that matter? I just want the Nali people to remain unharmed; I only want you to return safe and sound. Do you think I have created wars across the world to cause death for fun? To watch those corpses explode like fireworks? No, I was just preparing for the imminent new order. With the Death Trinity, when the gods perish and the new order arrives in the new world, I will have the power to create the rules I want.”
As Elizabeth again blocked Fisher’s words with her every word and sentence, the fantasies in his mind—or rather, his hopes—finally shattered at this moment.
All along, perhaps Fisher had always been finding various excuses for Elizabeth in his heart.
She was just hurt by her previous actions; it was his fault that she had come to this state today. She was merely bewitched by the eye, leading her to understandably commit those mistakes. She was just confused by the chaos attached to the eye, not understanding its specific meaning.
Therefore, although Fisher appeared to be trying to persuade Elizabeth with various reasons and viewpoints, he was actually just persuading himself. And when Elizabeth repeated this again, he truly found himself with no retreat, unable to dress up her actions with any other reasons.
Only now did he understand what the Fate Lord meant when he said those words to him.
He looked at the expressionless Elizabeth before him as if seeing her for the first time. He felt an unfamiliarity he had never encountered before and couldn’t help but take a step back, seeming unable to bear the terrifying shadowy aura she radiated. He found himself mumbling, asking her, “What happened to you during the four and a half years I was gone, Elizabeth? When did you become so cruel?”
Previously patient Elizabeth, no matter what Fisher said, seemed unable to endure any longer upon hearing his words. The muscles in her face twitched unnaturally, but in the end, it turned into a cold laugh.
“When did I become so cruel? What do you mean? Do you mean the Elizabeth you knew is different from the one I am now, right?”
“You know what I’m talking about. How could you have so casually said such terrible things before? Elizabeth, do you know the weight of the words you’ve said? How many lives are they burdened with, yet you can say them so freely.”
But Elizabeth directly broke down, her expression instantly shifting from a cold laugh to rage. Her eyes quickly expanded with dense golden patterns, filling part of her forehead and temples, just like an enraged lion. Coupled with the bulging veins on her forehead, it was instantly clear how furious she was.
She could no longer control herself, pointing at Fisher; the anger in her voice was like thunder.
“Enough! Fisher! Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?! Do you think standing on moral high ground allows you to criticize me? I am the Empress of Nali, and I am only responsible to them! Do you think you are a world citizen caring for the world? In reality, you are just considering those other women related to you! Are you thinking that if this world perishes, what will happen to their hometowns and lands?”
“Do you think if I don’t consider those women connected to you, I am a villain? Do you think if I don’t stand with those women, I will be defeated and criticized? So now you use these words to deny me? Let me tell you, during the four and a half years you were gone, I didn’t kill them all out of consideration for your letter! I had thousands of ways to eliminate them, but in the end, I gave it up. Do you know why?”
“You think I have changed, yet it seems like you only realized this now? Look at your eyes; they’re all saying, ‘Quick, give me the Elizabeth from more than a decade ago, the current you is not her’. How unbelievable, how astonished, how heartbreaking. What about me?! Did you see my heartache, my astonishment, my disbelief?”
“Fisher Benavides, I have fulfilled all things and promises I made to you. The universal request I promised you at the Griffin Contest—despite how critical the moment was, even when I was reluctant to let you go, I still kept my promise to meet your request. You sent a letter back to me, and I waited painfully for you for four and a half years. During that time, have I ever done anything excessive? Don’t think I don’t know about the women you know.”
“The Dragon Queen from the Dragon Court, that damned Whale Folk, the Phoenix from the Northern Region, that Renee who you don’t even remember where she went, and that Alagina whom you probably forgot long ago. I received one letter from you and endured for four whole years. I didn’t ask for anything; I just wanted you to come back alive, to come back to see me. Even if Alagina took my sister away, I reproached the Black Chieftain who ambushed her ship. Even when the Dragon Court in the Southern Continent could be crushed by Barbatos and his men, I didn’t issue a cleansing order for four years.”
Elizabeth’s eyes were red, even her eye seemed unable to bear the extreme emotions and made a “crackling” sound like breaking glass. Yet she still stared straight at Fisher, using a hysterical tone to interrogate his actions.
“But what about you?! Fisher Benavides, now you question where the Elizabeth from many years ago went; do you remember that you promised me to marry me, to grow old together, only having each other for this life?! Well, you’ve forgotten that promise; it is void, unfulfilled. What about the promise you made to see me four years ago?”
“Four and a half years!! You left without a word; I worried about your safety day and night. You have no idea if the person you wanted to see put me first, as you mentioned in your letter. What happened? You went to the Southern Continent for months, happily with that Dragon Queen, right? When you came back, you had to be with that Phoenix. If I hadn’t discovered you, would you have planned to keep hiding, or would you wait until everyone else saw you before you graciously remembered there was an Elizabeth?”
“I still forgave you. Even if you disappointed me so many times, even if you broke our vows so many times, I still said nothing. Even when you doubted that I was being manipulated by the eye and became a follower of chaos, I was willing to explain it to you. But, but!! You just promised me to spend this honeymoon together. Not even this simple, small promise can you fulfill!!”
Elizabeth, in despair, grabbed Fisher’s collar. She stared fiercely at him, making it clear how the eye he vilified as the “culprit” struggled and endured within her emotions.
“At this time, why don’t you ask yourself?! Where did that promising, gentlemanly Fisher Benavides from years ago go?! If all these words and matters are merely my unreciprocated sentiments, then what about the vows we agreed upon together that you unilaterally broke? Are they garbage! Scrap! Are they the paper you used to wipe yourself after sleeping with one woman after another! Only I, this wretch, still cherish them as treasures, holding them dearly!”
“Yes, I am a fool. Even if I have long seen through that you have already changed, I still believe in you. And today, you look at me with such incredulous eyes, thinking that I have changed?!”
It was only after Elizabeth said these words that he recalled it all, and it was only at this moment that he felt those familiar feelings had become so distant.
Fisher suddenly remembered that the golden color in Elizabeth’s eyes resembled the color of the sun in his impressions and also where he often gazed in his youth.
He would often see his own reflection in those bright eyes, seeing her boundless love for him in her smile.
Unfortunately, at this moment, after so many years, the sky above the ocean had already been ignited by the crimson sunset, masking the golden color belonging to her eyes at noon, leaving only desolate emptiness.
“Waves~ Waves~ Waves~”
The sea and her roar occupied everything on the shore, eventually sounding like a dry echo similar to tinnitus, retreating them, intertwined over the past decade, into the ocean.
So, love before dusk.
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(Chapter End)
