Chapter 692 – 170. Twisted Life
The perspective temporarily shifts away from the battlefield of women in deep trouble below, and time gradually rewinds back to the moment before Pandora’s phantom fell.
At this moment, Fisher was still unaware of the chaos erupting below and was wholeheartedly focused on fighting Heow in front of him. Meanwhile, Ashley, who was responsible for chasing the chaotic guide, still had not caught up with the constantly fleeing avatar, merely following closely from behind, attacking it with strikes.
“…”
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
This persistent feeling of being unable to catch up left her with an unsettling sense of anxiety, but after observing that Fisher’s situation was relatively optimistic, she felt relieved.
As long as everything was fine over there…
“Boom!”
At that moment, countless bubbles erupted, and the peach blossoms burned brightly, as the petite elf body twisted and turned within, fiercely battling against the seemingly disheveled Chaotic Being avatar.
In the corner of her eye, Duke of Peach glanced at Ashley, who was still in pursuit, and loudly asked,
“Why are there so many threads of fate here?! What is that thing doing?”
“What? Threads of fate?”
Ashley was slightly taken aback, and at this moment, the Duke of Peach once again struck the Chaotic Being with a palm, looking at her with confusion,
“What do you mean, threads of fate? Can’t you see? All of these are the yarn left behind by that avatar. Aren’t you its vessel? Don’t you know what this stuff is for?”
“Buzz!”
Ashley’s mind suddenly jolted. For thousands of years, she had regarded the chaos within her body as an enemy to be suppressed. After learning its knowledge, she had embarked on a path of difficult self-restraint, aiming not only to completely separate those memories from her mind but also to avoid using its power as much as possible.
So for a long time, Ashley had not observed fate or disturbed it.
Although this dulled her senses and prevented her from being seduced by chaos, that dullness was at this moment a disadvantage, as she had failed to notice the threads of fate left by that avatar!
And the Duke of Peach, being an elf favored by fate, picked up on this in her peripheral vision.
This meant that the chaotic guide was not actually running away, but was instead laying out a web of fate.
Calm down, Ashley. Don’t forget you have studied the completion manual; you should know how the “chaotic guide” operates.
If fate is a flow, a multitude of possible probabilities, then the chaotic guide is a fallacy beyond those probabilities.
Its power can alter the predetermined direction of fate; when the threads of fate become entangled, what was originally a set probability can become a dead end with no escape.
They hadn’t anticipated that Fisher could control Dalasgon’s authority to some extent, or… had they already foreseen difficulties arising?
So the chaotic guide’s avatar had been running from the beginning because it knew attacking Dalasgon directly would not succeed, and right now, it was actually searching for an opportunity to make Fisher’s victorious outcome “chaotic.”
“Bad, bad, bad, bad.”
Ashley suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, her facial muscles trembling, followed by her lifting her hand fiercely to slap herself, her heartbeat racing.
Because her oversight had leaked such a huge disaster, while the Duke of Peach managed to suppress the Chaotic Being, Fisher was fighting two enemies alone, and she had done nothing but hinder him.
It would have been better to let Fisher kill her first!
In a panic, Ashley raised her hand, closing her eyes; when she opened them again, her surroundings were now filled with dense golden threads.
Those threads wrapped around her, the Duke of Peach, and Fisher, but most of them still coiled around Fisher.
“Buzz buzz buzz”
The threads entangled by the chaotic guide suddenly began to sway in unison, as the chaotic guide moved in an erratic manner, the originally smooth threads began to tangle together, rapidly forming knot after knot.
Ashley gritted her teeth and suddenly reached out to touch the rotating golden threads above, attempting to stop them from becoming chaotic.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah!!”
As soon as she touched them, Ashley’s hand instantly exploded into a mist of blood; the threads, like steel cables, nearly sliced through her skin, yet she still desperately clutched the threads in an attempt to rectify them.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
As the threads of fate formed more and more knots, an extremely unsettling feeling surged instantly in Fisher’s heart.
“Thud, thud, thud!!”
Just above them, the impact of twelve chaotic race demigods appeared terrifying, but because Dalasgon was itself a deity, this could not kill it. However, as those knots formed, in the entangling threads, a collision from the chaotic race above suddenly struck a certain point on Dalasgon.
“Woo~”
A distant sound like a foghorn rang out, connecting to Dalasgon’s authority as the entire crevice began to tremble. The already severely injured Dalasgon’s wounds unexpectedly worsened again under the continuous assault.
“Crack!”
The entire sky suddenly shattered, pieces of distorted tissue from Dalasgon continuously fell from above, and the connection between Fisher and Dalasgon’s authority broke at this moment, leading to a gradual retreat of the suppression that had been causing the avatars to plummet in rank.
The chaotic guide and Chaotic Being avatars at the very top were the fastest to change, as they were closest to Dalasgon’s true body.
“Damn it!!”
Ashley gritted her teeth, filled with regret, as she held onto the increasing number of threads tightly, that terrifying power twisted in front of her, and she could actually see signs of recovery.
“You insignificant creature, don’t move around, let’s work together!”
Duke of Peach, equipped with combat experience, pushed the Chaotic Being back before it could elevate its status, then quickly flew towards Ashley to help her deal with the threads of fate.
They couldn’t let the chaotic guide proceed any further; if things continued like this, if Fisher made a mistake, they would all die, not to mention the entire world would be doomed.
The Duke of Peach grew anxious, gritting her teeth as she stood beside Ashley, both of them trying to pull apart the threads of fate from the chaotic guide.
The threads of fate were incredibly fragile, for inherently, this was not fate itself, but a means through which that deity influenced fate. Due to the barriers and crevices, this method couldn’t reach the level of true gods; even reaching the mythical rank was remarkable, but simply because there were too many, Ashley couldn’t handle it alone.
“You… insignificant creature, break for me!!”
Duke of Peach and Ashley gritted their teeth together, holding the threads of fate tightly. The chaotic guide showed no intention of resisting them; it seemed to be the weakest in combat among the three avatars.
The strongest in direct confrontation was the Chaotic Being, followed by Heow and Pandora, and lastly, it.
“Crack, crack, crack, crack!”
As the two of them pulled with all their strength, the threads interfering with the entire space let out an ear-piercing tearing sound, like glass being cut, causing Ashley and the Duke of Peach great pain, but soon, the surrounding threads began to break, causing the previously trembling Dalasgon to slowly calm down.
“Ugh ah ah!”
Duke of Peach panted heavily, and with Ashley, they tore apart all the threads, returning the whole environment to normal.
Both of them half-knelt to the ground, nearly exhausted, while the Duke of Peach looked at Ashley with disappointment,
“You insignificant creature, you couldn’t even notice this small issue; what use are you?!”
“…I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
Ashley also felt immense regret. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head, only to see a large red shadow with a gaping maw rushing towards the Duke of Peach’s neck from behind.
“Duke of Peach!! Behind you—”
Ashley’s expression changed, but it appeared to be too late; the Chaotic Being’s open maw was about to bite down on the Duke of Peach’s neck in an instant. She couldn’t even finish her words,
“What are you say—”
“Throat!!”
The Duke of Peach froze for a moment, just as she was about to react, she heard a cracking sound from below.
“Whoosh!”
A wooden staff shot up like lightning just in time, piercing through numerous crevice bubbles, soaring into the sky. At the moment the Chaotic Being opened its bloody mouth, it pierced through its head, and in the spray of blood mist, its gaping mouth was held open by the staff.
“Loud roar!!”
It let out a cry, and its entire body was propelled into the sky by the force. The Duke of Peach looked down nervously, only to see Fisher maintaining his throwing motion.
He was breathing heavily, and in the midst of battle, splitting his attention to save the Duke of Peach would inevitably come at a cost.
As expected, the next moment, Heow’s wings swung violently towards him.
“Boom!!”
Fisher’s pupils slightly contracted as he raised both hands in front of himself but was still caught off guard and sent flying up into the clouds.
“Chaotic Being!”
Heow’s indecipherable voice echoed through the crevice. Above, the Chaotic Being that had been pierced by the staff shook its head and shook off the staff. Immediately after, its entire body began to swell, transforming from the Duke of Peach’s elf form into something resembling a giant python.
Fisher’s mind went blank in mid-air. Before he could fully digest Heow’s immense force, the Chaotic Being opened its bloody mouth and dove down.
“Fisher!!”
The Duke of Peach’s expression changed, and she stomped the ground hard, rushing towards the sky in an attempt to catch Fisher, but the transformed Chaotic Being was faster, having already broken through the clouds to bite down on his neck.
There was no time!!
“Puff!!”
With a jolt of piercing pain, Fisher’s face contorted as he grabbed onto the Chaotic Being’s body, cursing loudly,
“Aren’t you supposed to be gods? Why do you act like wild dogs only fit to bite people?!”
“…”
The Chaotic Being behind him had no reaction, its biting sensation deepening as if attempting to penetrate his very soul, while before Fisher, a kaleidoscope of light suddenly exploded. Amidst the shimmering golden light, his consciousness began to blur.
“Duke of Peach, catch!!”
At that moment, Ashley quickly noticed the staff belonging to Fisher being flung downward. She hurriedly flew toward it, catching it, then turned around to throw it towards the Duke of Peach above.
“Perfect timing!”
The Duke of Peach was slightly stunned, gritting her teeth in mid-air while simultaneously turning to kick; her tiny body instantly burst forth with terrifying power.
“Boom!”
With a loud explosion, at the moment Fisher’s head was about to be crushed, the staff shot through like lightning, aiming to pierce through the Chaotic Being’s head.
But this time, the Chaotic Being had learned its lesson, abruptly twisting its neck and fleeing in another direction, causing the staff to miss.
The Duke of Peach instinctively caught Fisher, whose head was a bloody mess, as they plummeted down.
The battle at the mythical rank was immensely swift; everything occurred in a flash.
In just a few seconds, the Duke of Peach’s gown was stained red with Fisher’s flowing blood, but he was still mentally clear and hurriedly utilized the Chaotic Being’s power to heal his wounds.
“Ah, ah, ah!”
The Duke of Peach held onto him as they fell, and as Fisher reluctantly healed his injuries, he finally noticed that the Chaotic Being had indeed bitten off part of the lower section of his neck like a dog. Meanwhile, the chaos within him triggered uncontrolled reactions, and his body began to shift towards mutation.
“Fisher, are you okay?!”
“Uh, I’m fine… I just… need more time… ugh!”
The Duke of Peach descended beside Ashley while holding him, feeling his body squirming and struggling; she understood this was a manifestation of the Chaotic Being’s chaos running wild.
She couldn’t help but seethe, biting her teeth as she said,
“You insignificant creature, in such a moment, you still had time to turn around and save us! Do you not understand that if you die, we’re all finished!”
Fisher painfully clutched his body but still squinted at the Duke of Peach,
“If you die, Valentina will definitely be heartbroken. I promised her I would save you.”
The Duke of Peach was slightly taken aback, her mouth trembling as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a helpless smile.
She had always felt that everything she cared about and those who cared for her had vanished in the long river of history. She had always thought that she lived to fulfill her duties and seek vengeance, but at this moment, it seemed not entirely so.
The future, huh, Valentina…
“What a response befitting a scumbag like you. This fellow behind you must definitely relate to your woman, right?”
Ashley looked at Fisher, fully aware that he fought for Asuka, hoping that one day he could see Asuka reunited with her caring successors.
Upon thinking of this, her expression grew increasingly regretful.
“…Sorry, if I hadn’t overlooked the earlier situation, this chaos wouldn’t have occurred.”
“Okay, insignificant creature, now that events have transpired, there’s no need for repentance. Now we need to focus, we must buy time, at least until he fully recovers.”
“Recover?”
At that moment, Heow’s voice rang out again not far away. Fisher raised his eyebrows and turned to the crevice space behind him, only to find that the Chaotic Being had already fallen beside Heow. Not only it, but also the chaotic guide and Pandora’s phantom.
“Do you think you still have a chance?”
Both the Duke of Peach and Ashley’s bodies slightly stiffened; they knew very well that even if Dalasgon’s authority was still there, they could hold out without being killed, but if they were dead-set on killing Dalasgon, they truly couldn’t stop them.
Fisher merely closed his eyes, trying to stabilize the uncontrolled chaos awakened by the Chaotic Being within his body for even a second longer.
Just then, the unexpected change occurred. The Chaotic Being transformed into a giant python, its mouth quivering, dripping drops of bright red blood. It wasn’t its blood, but rather, it was Fisher’s flesh.
It had swallowed all that flesh, and then its entire avatar’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, emitting a chilling low growl.
“What… what is this?”
Its body shuddered, seemingly unable to maintain its form. Yet even so, the Chaotic Being’s tone held a trace of excitement that even humans could discern.
“…I understand. I understand everything now. That this world has valuable things like you, no wonder… no wonder the legendary Azanros and the ocean would manifest themselves; it’s all because of you. What reckoning, what annihilation, those are all false.”
“What?”
The Duke of Peach and Ashley were slightly taken aback, while even Heow beside the Chaotic Being didn’t expect it to say such things. After pondering for a moment, Heow’s dirty wings unconsciously spread out, yet the Chaotic Being continued to mumble to itself, looking as if even deities enjoyed tasting Fisher’s flesh.
“I can feel it, that precious nature capable of encompassing conflicting powers, that mighty force that can manifest the mysteries of the universe. In your eyes, what does this universe look like? Tell me, what have you seen? Where does this nature capable of containing other powers come from?”
The Chaotic Being approached Fisher inexorably, but just as it was tremblingly stepping toward him, Heow suddenly spoke in an obscure tone,
“Capable of containing more powers?”
“Heow, do you think that strange nature is what his body possesses? No, his body was created to envelop that nature; thus, when I bit him earlier, I couldn’t alter his nature, but I absorbed a part of it, only a little, and it is continuously dissolving within me. Only he can contain it; only in him can that nature exist—he is that nature!”
The Chaotic Being turned to speak ethereally.
“He is a power without ‘mass’ that can encompass all powers in this world. Heow, do you know what that means?”
Heow paused for a moment, suddenly realizing why Azanros and the ocean had manifested.
To put it small, the nature that deities are born with is fixed, meaning they cannot change what powers they originally possess. Some even more powerful deities spanning the starry river can have more than one authority, such as Ramastia.
And with this fellow’s nature, deities could absorb other deities’ properties, allowing their own powers to change in number.
On a larger scale, the nature of the universe itself is also a type of power, a ‘default rule’ that surpasses all powers. No matter how powerful the properties a deity possesses, they are merely distortions or certain changes of it. But the vast starry river is so extensive that even deities cannot measure it; as Heow said, the universe remains a mysterious, dark, and endless road to them.
With this fellow’s nature, deities might even attempt to manifest the power of the universe itself; all the mysteries of the universe are about to unfold for deities through the nature of this person before them.
Yet, despite possessing such a valuable nature, he had always lived within the illusory rules constructed by Ramastia and their ilk, never having even glimpsed the truly vast domains.
Genius.
Genius.
These people from Ramastia are truly geniuses!
Heow trembled uncontrollably. In its eyes, Ramastia were like baboons roasting their own backsides with the divine fire meant for creating the world, of no use other than turning their own behind red!
“Are you sure about what you said?”
“…Eat me, and you’ll know everything.”
Heow contemplated for a moment. In full view of a speechless Fisher and the rest, it suddenly shot out its tentacles. As its avatar opened up into a dirty and dark space resembling an abyss, the Chaotic Being’s avatar was tightly gripped and dragged into Heow’s body.
The direct powers of authority repel each other. Unless they are innate multiple authorities, it always occurs this way; it is the nature of authority and also the reason why the completion manual cannot read more than one.
They were all direct avatars of their respective deities, and under such conditions of swallowing each other, annihilation should have occurred due to rejection. Yet Heow struggled for a moment, and to their bizarre surprise, its entire massive body stabilized.
Not only did it stabilize, but it also began to move up and down, looking suspiciously similar to the power of the Chaotic Being.
Its avatar had swallowed the powers of the Chaotic Being’s avatar!
The body of Fisher, which had been uncontrollably deforming, suddenly returned to normal as the Chaotic Being’s power snapped off, providing him a moment to breathe.
He pressed his hand to his head, sitting up and glancing at the Duke of Peach and Ashley beside him. He was puzzled as to why those avatars had not attacked them, but instead allowed him to recover as they both wore expressions of confusion, staring at him with surprise.
Fisher glanced at them and stood up, asking puzzledly,
“What’s going on?”
“We’re not quite sure either, but suddenly over there…”
“Over there?”
Fisher quickly raised his gaze downwards, only to find that the Chaotic Being’s avatar had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a trembling, writhing Heow. Its enormous eyes blinked rapidly, and its cryptic voice growled like a beast, the pupils bursting forth with golden light,
“You are all doomed.”
Fisher frowned, watching the ever-twisting Heow. Behind it, a chaotic guide of golden threads also looked at Heow in bewilderment, only to have its body suddenly grasped by a massive hand of an unknown race that emerged from Heow’s eye.
“Woo woo woo~”
The chaotic guide quickly emitted a series of ethereal sounds, which no one could comprehend, helplessly watching as Heow’s eye opened again, transforming into an abyss that engulfed it.
Two deity avatars were devoured, and Heow’s body twisted once more.
At this moment, the powers of the three authorities entangled and collided within Heow’s transformed body and bizarrely merged under some driving nature.
“Boom!!”
An extremely terrifying force erupted below, and Fisher quickly raised his hands to shield himself, his long black hair blown wildly, and the bubbles within the crevice were directly shattered.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
An unprecedented sensation of horror erupted from Heow’s avatar. Duke of Peach’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Is that… the law forming even under Dalasgon’s authority suppression?”
“What do you mean, Duke of Peach?”
Ashley looked below, still not understanding, while Fisher’s frown deepened.
“Heow understood that Dalasgon’s crevice would subconsciously repel external chaotic powers, which is why their powers were continuously suppressed. But now, it combined the powers of the Chaotic Being and the chaotic guide, ingeniously simulating a spectacle of demigods within this world—the law, a prototype of power. Thus, it wouldn’t be influenced by Dalasgon’s authority.”
Listening to Fisher’s words, Ashley’s breathing became heavier, observing the massively enhanced creature below, whose shape could no longer be identified. It looked like a life form composed of various eyes, corpses, and severed limbs, with only a golden eye in its chest still shining brightly.
The Duke of Peach was sweating profusely, her small palms trembling.
“What a… twisted life.”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, whispering,
“Twisted life”
Apocalypse Prophecy
The twisted life will stir up giant waves, erasing the rules upon which living beings depend.
“Wha… this is actually real. This is real.”
Below, Heow’s crazed mutterings suddenly crashed into Fisher’s mind, causing him to clutch his head in pain.
“Fisher Benavides!!!”
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(The End)
