Chapter 696: 174. Just Once
In the crevice of the heavens, Fisher, who had just awakened, immediately used the power of the crevice to pull the injured Chaos beings below into the gap. At this moment, he was already nearing his limit.
Previously, Heow’s power had eroded his body, and even though he had taken Gouwen’s medicine, his recovery was still slow. Despite this, he looked at the Chaos beings in front of him.
He thought there was no need for battle unless absolutely necessary.
The five Chaos beings before him were all gravely injured, and they were in a similar state. Even with Dalasgon’s authority assisting them, the five demigods in front were daunting opponents, and victory was uncertain.
“Pisces, stop. The incoming deity has already failed. No matter what you do, it’s just venting frustration. Instead of this, let’s solve the problem practically.”
The five Chaos beings, their postures twisted from Xu’s strike, merely lowered their gazes to him. Just as countless tentacles were about to extend, they suddenly froze.
After a moment, Pisces emotionally spoke to Fisher with a melodious voice, “That Whale Folk went to our homeland and kidnapped my kin.”
“Whale Folk? Kidnapped?”
Fisher, still on guard, slightly paused and glanced back at the Duke of Peach and others, only to find them equally perplexed.
But soon, a light of realization flashed through Fisher’s mind. He furrowed his brows and asked, “Are you talking about Gouwen?”
“That wandering medical practitioner, the husband of the Destroyer. He thought that by slaughtering our other consciousnesses, we would stop?”
Pisces snorted coldly, raising a hand to reveal twinkling lights containing his intact laws. “We have endured long enough. Now, even if we turn to ashes, we will not return to that polluted place.”
“And then what? Once you destroy reality, when the Outer God tramples all gods, will you be free? I have managed to preserve the crevice during the Outer God’s attack, and I’ve gotten a lead on the pollution in the Spirit Realm. Stop, Pisces, I can save you.”
Pisces’s compound eyes suddenly brightened. Although he seemed to fall silent, the starlight representing his laws grew even more intense in his hands.
The Duke of Peach behind him tightened her small fists, and Raphael also felt the pressure from the demigods. He raised his tail and took a battle stance.
But oddly, after a moment of silence, the law’s light in Pisces’s hand abruptly dimmed. The tentacle in his hand moved slightly, and he said to Fisher, “Alright, we will trust you this once.”
“?”
Fisher was somewhat surprised because this group of Chaos beings clearly did not appear to be preparing to accept negotiations, yet suddenly the tense atmosphere dissipated, making the Duke of Peach raise an eyebrow in confusion.
Fisher would not think that the group had suddenly lost their minds; instead, he felt a very ominous premonition blooming in his heart. “You… have received other conditions.”
“Smart.”
The light of the law in Pisces’s hand completely extinguished. He swayed his tentacle and continued speaking to Fisher, “That human Empress told Gouwen a spell fearsome against the pollution of the Spirit Realm that the Outer God shared with her. He relayed that spell to us, and through testing, it proved effective. As for whether you can save us and save this world, while I trusted you after fighting those incarnated deities, you… have too many lives to save. We may not be within your considerations.”
Since the negotiations were established, Ashley, the Duke of Peach, and Raphael all sighed in relief, but Fisher’s body remained tense, and the sense of unease within him only intensified. He stared intently at the floating Chaos beings and asked, “And besides that?”
“What besides?”
“Besides that spell, what other conditions did Elizabeth provide?”
“…”
Pisces looked at him and then revealed the truth, “The human Empress’s false eye, and her life.”
“Boom!”
Fisher’s breath hitched. He quickly turned and wielded the authority of the crevice, causing the surrounding bubbles to rotate, gradually drawing the scene below closer.
He saw that the square in front of the Golden Palace, now a ruin, was surrounded by countless Nali people kneeling on the ground, encircling a small circle formed by the Northern soldiers. A terrifying law that Fisher had faced earlier manifested.
He had encountered that filthy aura more than once; it was the aura of the authority of death, but it felt different.
The same was true because Heya and Heow shared a single authority, so the power manifested from His incarnation would carry Heya’s aura of death; but different, because it had consumed part of Fisher’s essence, and now also had the taste of Chaotic Being and the threads of fate.
With the threads of fate, it was vaguely evident that all the kneeling Nali people were indeed connected in the same destiny, becoming the same entity.
It actually worked; who told Jasmine this method?
But just as Fisher relaxed a bit, he suddenly saw the law centered around Elizabeth and a pair of false eyes unfurl, revealing a black hole that emanated a thick aura of death.
Fisher’s pupils contracted, and behind him, Pisces mocked, “The earlier law of Heow should have only blossomed within the crevice, right? Don’t forget, in reality, there are still the powers of Heya that share a source with Him. Such a law will connect with His true authority. Now they are using this fractured law to repair the Destroyer, and the aura of death will taint them as vessels.”
However, in that black vortex, all the kneeling humans furrowed their brows, struggling under the contagion of the aura of death.
But what about Elizabeth?
Is she sinking?
“You should know that, according to the protocols set before Heya’s death, none of these people is due to die yet. The desire to live will transform into a blade to resist the erosion of authority, but that human Empress’s will to live is now a candle in the wind—fear, regret, sorrow, and pain will serve as food for authority, dragging her into true death.”
Fisher watched Elizabeth continue to sink into the aura of death below, that feeling capable of shattering his heart surged once more.
He dragged his wounded body to stand up and nearly subconsciously moved downward.
The Duke of Peach and Ashley were momentarily taken aback and quickly grasped his sleeve, with the Duke of Peach saying directly, “You’re crazy, fish! Below leads directly to the authority of death, where the true God resides. Don’t say you’re currently injured; even if you were whole, you might not necessarily return!”
Ashley nodded, frowning, “I’ve said this before, the moment you decided to leave her and embark on your journey, your fates were sealed. She is obsessed with the new order and probably has long given up on you, just waiting to transform you back into the old self when the new order arrives. She doesn’t care about the current you; what difference would it make if you went?”
After this was said, it was actually Raphael behind them who opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But upon hearing this, Fisher just turned to Ashley, gritting his teeth, and said, “Do you think I believe in fate?”
“You—”
“I don’t want to explain any further. Regardless of whether I have responsibility for what she has become, but…”
Fisher paused, looking at the Duke of Peach and Ashley, “Duke, Valentina doesn’t want you to die; I saved you for Valentina. Ashley, you care so much about Asuka; I hope you can see her again. I saved you for Asuka. But Elizabeth, I want to save her—just once… just once.”
Ashley pressed her lips together, and her grip on his clothing subconsciously loosened. After a moment’s contemplation, she eventually said, “Honestly, I held you back in this action; my survival is all thanks to you, so I certainly have no right to criticize you. Maybe you really can do it; you can save me and the Duke, perhaps really everyone.”
The Duke of Peach clicked her tongue; since the flower in her hair had been removed, her black hair began to fall messily.
She was actually still unwilling for Fisher to go, not for any other reason but because of Valentina.
If something were to happen to him in the realm of death, how would she explain it to Valentina?
He saved her, but she ended up losing him?
This…
“Don’t try to persuade,” the Duke of Peach’s little head suddenly flashed with inspiration, looking back at Raphael.
Yes, there was a Dragon Race member related to him here, right?
Though not Valentina, the Duke could see that this Dragon Race was a parent; with a woman bound to your flesh and blood nearby, why not let her persuade him?
“You outsiders have no say in what this fish thinks. Let her speak.”
After speaking, the Duke of Peach ran to stand behind Raphael, pointing at her, which made Raphael slightly surprised. And that was not enough; she dramatically started blowing cold winds behind Raphael, “Just so you know, that leads to the inner realm of the authority of death; no one knows what it looks like inside, it’s very dangerous. This fish might not come back if it goes, yes, that’s how it is.”
Fisher turned to Raphael, looking at her with a gaze that might hold a plea.
Raphael covered her small belly, lowered her gaze, and began to ponder.
Instinctively, she didn’t want Fisher to go.
Let alone other women; the risk alone was significant. If Fisher was unfortunate, her child’s soul had not yet been reclaimed and remained a stillborn.
However, to speak lowly, she hadn’t told Fisher that when she had delivered the medicine earlier, the last stretch was indeed insufficient; she couldn’t save him here, but Elizabeth had completed that last stretch.
What Ashley said wasn’t accurate; Elizabeth didn’t care about Fisher at all. On the contrary, she cared deeply.
As for Fisher, even if no one told him of Elizabeth’s actions, even if she remained the villain who made a grave mistake in his eyes, that mutual concern for each other’s safety was proof of the love they once had.
That warmth of love still lingered to this day.
If Raphael refused, it would not only betray Elizabeth for sending her here to save Fisher’s life but also betray the love that Fisher had shown before.
With both sides carrying a burden, how could Raphael decide?
In that case, let the answer be entrusted to her own soul.
Suddenly, Raphael remembered how she had watched Fisher’s back in the carriage; at that time, she had always been thinking of taking off that human’s hypocritical mask.
But in the end, she realized that he never regarded himself as a lowly subhuman. He did not show favoritism simply because the ones executing the invasion were his kin; he held kindness toward all beings. That kind of goodness, seeking to save everything, drove him to let go of a version of himself that could have been a factor of destruction.
Honestly, it was because of Fisher that the Rafael blinded by hatred began to change her perspective on the world. And as for Jasmine, without Fisher, she might have succumbed to madness too. It was Fisher who protected her innocence, preventing her from sinking into evil.
She couldn’t understand Fisher’s feelings at this moment; she only felt that if Fisher had not saved her back then, and if she had died or started a rampage, leading to premature doom and suffering, then he would certainly regret his choice back then.
As for Elizabeth, Fisher probably thought this way as well, and the only difference between her and Elizabeth was time.
She encountered Fisher too early, while she was fortunate to have met someone who understood many truths and gradually no longer avoided or evaded them. That was all.
This warmth and kindness were why Raphael was infatuated with Fisher; how could she extinguish it with her own hands?
Moreover, even if she said “no,” he would still go.
After several seconds of contemplation, Raphael finally smiled in relief. She lowered her gaze and said, “Fisher, be careful; our child is waiting for you.”
Fisher looked at Raphael in front of him, hesitating slightly, as if he wanted to say something to her. But at that moment, Raphael suddenly lifted her bright green eyes, her expression now just a radiant smile.
She reached out her hand to Fisher and actively said, “You can go, but don’t forget, when you return, you owe me a punishment!”
“…”
Fisher was taken aback, looking at Raphael’s outstretched hand. He naturally recalled the game they played when they first met.
It was just a mischievous experimental game, yet he didn’t expect it to boomerang back and hit him today.
But even so, so what?
Fisher also extended his hand, clasping Raphael’s hand, and softly said, “Just once.”
Please vote, tip, and support; it’s very important to me! Thank you very much for your support!
(The end of this chapter)
