第761章 61. Misunderstanding
“Empty~”
When Fisher opened his eyes, the first sensation he felt was an excruciating pain from his chest, as if it were drilling through his very core. The pain was so intense that it left him breathless, clouding the recently awoken clarity of his mind.
Before him, the floating Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans radiated a golden light, its pages flipping rapidly in the air as if moved by an unseen wind.
Fisher saw that all the pages of the handbook were dyed gold, quivering in the void like liquid.
As it shook, the connection between Fisher and the book grew tighter, and he also felt that the book seemed to become thinner. In that moment, it felt as if the ancient, hefty tome was about to dry up, leaving only its cover behind.
Noticing this, Fisher forced himself to muster some energy.
Silently, he reached out and grasped the continuously flipping pages, directly interrupting the process of the book repairing his soul. But this was still not enough; he gently pushed apart the massive gaping wound on his chest.
The added pain sharpened his consciousness, allowing him to focus more on the present danger.
Looking around, Fisher only noticed a profound silence, despite everything in front of him moving.
This bizarre phenomenon could only be attributed to the nature of what was before him.
He watched as that power, brighter than a star, continuously devoured everything around, and it was precisely this devouring that rendered everything capable of transmission into nothingness, as if space itself had completely disappeared and all sound was utterly extinguished.
But Fisher couldn’t shake the feeling, whether it was an illusion or not, that someone was worriedly calling out to him.
“Fisher!!”
It sounded like Renee, like Emhart, or like other ladies related to him in reality.
In any case, there was someone concerned for his safety.
Coincidentally, the source of those voices was also what Fisher had been thinking about.
Thus, he gritted his teeth and once again summoned his focus to face the power of “Nothingness”.
Yes, this was a power, but Fisher didn’t know how to describe or depict it.
He could feel it, yet he was unable to articulate its nature with known words or languages, so he could only endlessly repeat what reality under its influence was like.
That reality was that everything in the Spirit Realm was about to be consumed by it, and soon it would encompass the entire barrier, followed by reality itself.
As Fisher analyzed with the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans back in the cinema, now he only had one choice: to send the nature of “Nothingness” out of the barrier to attract the deities outside watching like vultures, allowing them to focus on this unparalleled secret and using this opportunity to repair the barrier.
The pain from his shattered soul was almost unbearable for Fisher, especially as he attempted to engage with the power before him, trying to push it away from the barrier towards the ultimate end.
The Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had done its utmost to repair Fisher’s soul, but the gap allowing the power to exit was just too immense; it was remarkable that Fisher could regain consciousness at all.
He simply held on, striving to push the nature of “Nothingness” further away, until it approached the ultimate end.
“What is that?!”
“Lightlight.light.light.”
Beyond the nearly shattered ultimate, those twisted figures, some focused and others murmuring quietly, all sensed that mysterious aura emanating from the barrier.
They delved into their deepest perceptions, only to feel a light imbued with infinite mysteries. This light struck against them, and regardless of the powers they possessed, it felt as if, at that moment, everything was deconstructed and an answer was revealed.
Meaning.
Under the illumination of that light, even the weakest and most marginal deities beyond the barrier could see that the order of the universe became discernible at this moment.
It was as if finally, at this time, the deep, meaningless, and cold void stretching through time transformed into strings of clearly defined characters, as if it had finally become a formula capable of explaining everything, as if it had finally turned into answers to questions they had been seeking since their birth.
Only it seemed that they were too far from that light to clearly see it.
If they could just move a little closer, if they could observe it up close…
“Caw caw caw caw!”
“It’s coming.”
“That thing is coming.”
Outside the barrier, the loathsome whispers punctured the void in an indescribable manner, causing everyone within the barrier, both injured mortals and gods, to shiver uncontrollably.
When the damaged Ramastia pulled its tentacle out from Ouyun’s broken form, it soon realized that the power capable of destroying everything was not heading towards reality, but rather towards the ultimate, towards beyond the barrier.
“What…”
It still didn’t quite understand what was happening, but Renee, who had been calling out Fisher’s name, seemed to sense something. Her pupils contracted as she gazed at the layers of interference that always obscured Fisher’s form, and said to Ramastia and others beside her:
“It’s Fisher! He must be the one directing that power away from the barrier! He’s creating an opportunity for us to repair the barrier. As long as that power leaves the barrier, the other outer gods rushing here will be attracted by it.”
Anebatos understood everything as well and quickly said, “Now all the arrangements of outer gods left within the barrier have vanished—it’s the perfect opportunity! We just need to repair the barrier. But Fisher has yet to tell us how to repair it; only he can contact Azanros.”
“I…” Renee opened her mouth. She already knew the method from the ocean, and judging by Fisher’s reaction, it seemed the ocean spoke the truth.
But the problem was, the power of dream has only a portion left, which is insufficient to fully repair the barrier, and it remains unknown how much power is required.
Thus,
Renee took a deep breath, and her gaze finally turned resolute.
“Repairing the barrier requires our powers.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the deities present fell silent for a moment, as they all understood that deities who lost their powers would die; this act was tantamount to using their lives to fill the gap.
Still, it was Ramastia, the leader of the gods, who first spoke. He glanced at the remnants of Dream’s grand power at the ultimate gap and asked:
“How much power will be enough to repair the barrier? Dream’s body was almost entirely consumed by Fisher’s nature, so conservatively estimating, no more than three powers should be left. Along with my power, Anebatos, Dalasgon, and Hamon Hamon’s powers, as well as Ouyun’s and yours, that amounts to ten.”
“Heya’s power has already merged with reality, becoming part of it.”
In fact, before dream entered the barrier, there were already seven powers within it. Originally, the ocean placed the power of “Infinity” inside to amend the shortage of powers for repairing the barrier.
In other words, just six powers would be enough?
Renee turned to share her conclusion with Ramastia, who nodded calmly and said to her:
“If that’s the case, using the remaining three of Dream’s, plus my two and Hamon Hamon’s one, should be enough.”
The suppressed Ouyun lifted its massive head to look at Ramastia above, who simply said to it,
“When the edges of the material are destroyed, all your creations are annihilated within; from that moment, this place has only been a cage to you, which caused me to ignite this disaster, and hence I do not intend to blame your betrayal. Since you wish to leave, then go, before the barrier is repaired.”
“Ramashtia.”
Anebatos, like the aurora, flickered slightly, but Ramastia interrupted its words and solemnly spoke to Renee:
“Repairing the barrier is not trivial, but the key is the Ocean. Of its four avatars, two have died, one within reality is soon to perish, but there is still one remaining—the one that has never shown itself.”
“But there is no better way now, Ramastia.”
Renee gritted her teeth, looking at the barrier shrouding this world in flickering light and dark, as if sensing the barrier’s tremors.
“The Ocean is directing its nature toward Fisher. All we can hope is that once that nature is sent out, it will spare him… that avatar has never revealed itself, and if we delay any longer, the entire world within the barrier will be consumed by its nature, and Fisher…”
At the last moment, Renee’s voice could no longer suppress her sobs.
“Every time the Apocalypse Prophecy unfolds, whether it’s Saint Nali against Heow, resolving Hamon Hamon, or confronting Dream, it has always been Fisher stepping forward in the critical moments. This time against the Ocean, even if it ultimately fails, I ask you to understand him once. I just want him to survive, please.”
Ramashtia sighed slightly, looking at the moonlight-enshrouded Renee. He gently extended a tentacle as fluid as water toward her, saying,
“There’s no need for such distress, Renee; it was we who failed Fisher. If a cost must be paid, it’s my duty. I just worry we cannot fully resolve it once and for all. Yet, it seems we have no other choices at this point. Then let us depart, to repair the barrier; this is the last chance.”
After speaking, Ramastia slowly floated upwards, glancing at the nature approaching the ultimate, then dashed forward.
Anebatos, like an aurora, quickly transformed into a wave of light, heading toward that direction with Dalasgon.
“That nature may destroy the barrier. I don’t know how Fisher explained the method to you for repairing the barrier, but what if it isn’t enough?”
Renee looked gratefully at the departing Anebatos, then cast a glance at the colossal Ouyun that still stood there in a daze, and without another word, transformed into moonlight and moved towards the ultimate.
After a moment of silence, Ouyun slowly stood, struggling towards that ultimate direction.
“Nature! The nature has reached the ultimate gap!”
Before the barrier, as that terrifying nature drew closer to the ultimate gap, under the blinding light, even deities like Ramastia could not perceive what transpired ahead.
Sound, existence, and all vision were completely consumed by that light, which resembled nothingness. Still, at the back, Renee could approximately see the direction in which the light source was leaving, allowing her to call out a warning.
While warning Ramastia ahead, she was also trying her utmost to find Fisher’s figure; regrettably, she had not found any trace.
As the nature began to leave the barrier, Ramastia started to repair it, and Renee’s heart grew increasingly anxious, a profoundly ominous feeling surged through her.
“Caw caw caw caw.”
“It’s coming. The light is coming.”
Outside the barrier, the outer gods had surrounded the gap so tightly that not a drop could escape. Clearly, the universe outside the barrier should have been vast, with neither stars nor planets in sight, and gravity virtually nonexistent, but now their immense bodies repelled and collided with one another, filling the space, even as visibility was obscured.
They were all drawn towards that tiny bit of light leaking from the barrier.
“It’s coming.”
Yet what awaited them was not a crown that satisfied their thirst for knowledge but rather a pitiful emptiness nearing annihilation.
“Not good!”
“Buzz!”
As the light revealed itself, some gods sensed something was amiss; logically, even those like Ramastia within the barrier could evade it in time, let alone the cluster of deities outside.
Many clever ones quickly withdrew a distance, while only a few ill-fated ones who got too close were instantly engulfed, suffering considerable losses, and their powers disappearing without a trace.
However, those retreating gods were not frightened to flee; instead, they revealed even more excitement, their eagerness growing as they beheld the increasingly radiant light.
Especially when they discovered that a god in a soul form remained steadfast in front of that light, not immediately devoured.
“Souls… wrapping it with souls might work.”
An ancient sage murmured, and in an instant, it seemed like the light emitted by that nature brightened even further.
As for what was happening outside the barrier, Renee could not understand or wished not to understand; she simply sensed that as the nature left the barrier, the light within it dimmed slightly, while the ultimate, originally damaged by Ouyun, further deteriorated due to the nature of “Nothingness.”
“Caw caw caw caw!”
This time the destruction came as a fatal blow, causing the entire barrier to begin collapsing under the pressure, but just before it completely crumbled, it seemed like a dying madman grasping a lifeline, frantically drawing upon the powers left behind by Dream at the edge of the barrier.
“Vroom vroom vroom.”
In an instant, the three powers of Dream disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Yet even so, it merely slowed the rate of its collapse.
Not enough!
“Lady Ramastia!”
Behind her, Xu and Gouwen, clutching the unconscious Jasmine, seemed to have realized the current danger and instinctively understood Ramastia had made that decision, and began calling for her.
And Ramastia, who hovered just before the ultimate, couldn’t help but turn her head, taking one last look at the now serene and beautiful Spirit Realm.
No longer tainted by crimson fog, only the brilliant flow of souls remained, like a glowing river flowing through the pitch-black dark, symbolizing the world’s endless cycle of life.
And just at the end of that Sea of Souls was connected to that extraordinarily beautiful core world.
Is there a problem with this world?
Yes.
Perhaps every idealist is like this; they hold the highest ideals in their minds, envisioning a world that could last for ages, wanting to bring it into existence.
But the heavy gravity of reality always drags that ideal down to the ground, distorting it, deforming it, preventing it from ever matching the form you initially envisioned, leaving you inevitably disappointed, even gods cannot escape this fate.
Thus, every realist will not hesitate to mock, scorn their futile efforts, deride their lowered heads of disappointment, and scoff at the so-called ideals as unworthy and illusory.
Those standing in reality can’t help but ask: Even if the so-called ideal has only a one percent chance of becoming reality and ninety-nine percent turns to ruins, is it still not worth trying to achieve it?
And every time, the answer they receive from idealists is the same disdainful response:
Worth it.
Ramashtia did not regret escaping the cold universe, holding an ideal in his heart…
He wanted to come here to establish a world belonging to Him.
Although, in the end, His ignorance brought forth evil, ultimately triggering a reckoning.
Then, as a way to repay for His sins, please let Them pay with their lives and authority.
But also let it be stated that Their ideals are not wrong.
“Buzz.”
Ramastia did not hesitate, and after taking one last look at the world within the barrier, He dove directly into the barrier with the authority of Hamon Hamon.
Like the three authorities of Dream, it was almost instantaneous; Ramastia completely vanished.
However, the speed at which the entire barrier spread only slowed further and did not successfully repair.
Still not enough.
Anebatos fell silent for a moment, and alongside the twisted Dalasgon, they charged towards the barrier, disappearing into it in an instant.
Once again, two authorities were sent out, and the ever-expanding collapse finally stopped, the expanded Ultimate contracting a circle.
But compared to the original Ultimate, its size was still several times larger.
Indeed, the Ultimate first suffered damage from Ouyun’s attack and Dream’s entry, and just then passed through Fisher’s ability, which could devour everything; the wounds it bore were even more than Renee had imagined.
Still not enough, but
Within the current barrier, the usable authorities were only those of Renee and Ouyun.
Renee stood before the barrier, took a deep breath, and the moonlight wrapping around her seemed to flicker in sync with her emotions.
Suddenly, the gigantic form of Ouyun passed by her.
“Thud!”
The sound seemed to return to the barrier; Renee turned her head slightly in surprise to look at Ouyun beside her.
Sensing Renee’s tangible gaze, Ouyun’s body paused momentarily.
“.”
But then, without saying a word, He walked towards the massive gap of the Ultimate instead of the barrier.
Renee watched Him silently approach the Ultimate, then cross through it, only His resonant voice echoing back,
“.”
Renee opened her mouth, then smiled helplessly, looking at the still massive gap of the Ultimate, unsure of what to do.
Yes, even if Ouyun fills in his authority, it would still be insufficient.
But what if it was her own?
Her authority was that of the Ocean, and in terms of quality and strength, it should be more powerful than that of other deities, and
【Infinite】.
Only at this moment did Renee suddenly realize why the Ocean had so many authorities, yet only sent one representing an 【incomprehensible magnitude】 into the barrier.
Perhaps what the Ocean said was true; He sent her here specifically to fill this gap.
Renee lowered her head, her fists clenched tightly, so hard that her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
At this moment, the space near the barrier seemed to turn into nothingness, leaving only a patch of darkness that made the other weaker beings far away seem even more distant.
Renee could no longer hear anyone else’s voice, but in her peripheral vision, before the shattered Ultimate, a floating form caught her attention,
“Fisher.”
Renee’s pupils constricted, and she quickly flew towards Fisher, who was hovering just within reach of the Ultimate.
Outside, countless deities surrounded the entity of 【Nothing】, which had inexplicably stopped moving forward. They had discovered the potential to wrap this precious essence with souls and seemed to be arguing over its ownership.
The number of deities outside had gathered to an unimaginable extent, densely packed with resonances of divine authorities.
She even felt that perhaps half of the deities outside had come. Though she didn’t know how many deities were out there.
But she no longer cared; in her eyes, there was only Fisher, who was now with his eyes closed and a massive soul gap in his chest.
At this moment, the remnants and severed limbs of those deities outside began to slowly drift into the Ultimate, forming a floating mass like an island, although it emanated a distorted stench from every direction.
Fisher floated atop that island of corpses, his hands hanging down, allowing the powerful essence of his soul to flow out from the massive gap in his chest.
Watching Fisher’s condition, Renee nearly cried.
It seemed that after the essence left the barrier, everything that had been devoured by Fisher returned; his devoured body automatically regrows because of his rank, and even the gray-white Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans and Fluid Sword floated beside him.
But the immense damage to his soul in his chest could not be restored by any means; Renee could only watch helplessly as his soul gradually weakened.
“No, no, no, Fisher, wake up.”
Renee, tears streaming down her face, stayed by his side, feeling something as she gently stroked his face and whispered,
“In reality, Raphael and the others have already killed another avatar. No matter what, this should all end. Although there is still the last incarnation of the Ocean, it is enough, Fisher, truly.”
“.”
Then outside the barrier, the gazes of those deities also gradually focused on the gap of the barrier.
Due to the prolonged dispute over the essence of 【Nothing】, many without a voice could only turn their attention to this gap.
“Here. A deity just came out. This is. The source of this essence.”
Sensing the terrifying glare from outside, Renee quickly lifted her head, tightly hugging Fisher and pressing her face against his chest, gently kissing his cheek, and slowly pushing his broken body towards the spirit realm.
“I can’t save you anymore, but Gouwen and the others are here; they will definitely find a way to save you, Fisher.”
If they can save you, then you can live well within the barrier, finally able to rest for a while.
Though it makes me very unhappy to let you go to those women,
This is also something I can’t help, right?
Watching Fisher slowly drift towards the spirit realm with inertia, Renee wiped away her tears, and the moonlight around her became more condensed, her authority of 【Infinite】 becoming even more active.
She had made up her mind; ultimately, she would fill the barrier.
She took one last look at Fisher, then resolutely averted her gaze, turning to face the barrier to fill it with her body.
She unleashed her limitless authority with all her might, linking it bit by bit to the barrier.
At the moment the barrier touched that authority, Renee’s face turned pale, as if something painful was extracting her blood from the barrier.
She struggled to lift her gaze to look towards the Ultimate, wanting to see the situation outside it.
But when she looked back, what met her eye was not the gap of the Ultimate, but an endless darkness.
“What…”
“.”
Fisher opened his eyes with some pain, he gasped, quickly looking down at his chest, but saw that the gap there seemed to have shrunk a bit, and the soul was no longer leaking out, yet he still felt extremely weak, his consciousness very hazy.
His eyes were immobile, letting out a painful groan, but his hand inevitably hit the gray-white Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans and Fluid Sword floating beside him.
“Fisher! You finally woke up!!”
Fisher gently reached out, trembling as he took back the now completely gray-white Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans and Fluid Sword, but even doing this simple action felt as if it was draining his strength.
At this moment, Renee’s voice, which seemed overwhelmed with joy, suddenly came through.
Fisher’s gaze flickered; he struggled to shift his gaze to the barrier before him, where a terrifying force seemed to be pushing against the gap of the Ultimate, trying to push into the world within this barrier.
“Let me. In.”
“Light!”
Outside the barrier, terrifying whispers and the layers of unmatched powerful divine essence surged like a tide, and Fisher’s vision instantaneously went black. He painfully pressed his hand against his chest as he crouched down—accurately speaking, this was not the ground, but an island formed by the severed limbs of some unfortunate deity.
Before the Ultimate, the pale-faced Renee raised both hands, using the moonlight to resist the terrifying deity’s entry.
Seeing Fisher affected by the divine essence, Renee gritted her teeth and once more activated her apparently flawed Infinite authority, exerting all her strength to push back the deity trying to force its way inside,
“Get out!!!”
“Boom!!”
The entering figure temporarily retreated, exposing the outside where deities surrounded the now-soul-wrapped entity of 【Nothing】, discussing something and attempting to carve it up.
Renee’s face was pale, but she quickly ran back, her face filled with urgency as she looked at Fisher,
“Fisher, are you okay? How do you feel? Is it any better?”
“.I. I’m fine. Barrier.”
Renee’s expression hesitated, then she spoke softly with sadness,
“I told them the method to repair the barrier. But I didn’t expect the essence within you would cause such severe damage to it when passing through the barrier. They all sent their authorities into the barrier, but still couldn’t repair it. Ouyun left; now there is only me within the barrier. I’m already using Infinite authority to repair the barrier, and it will be finished soon. At that time, everything will…”
“No, Renee.”
Hearing this, Fisher quickly reached out to press on weak Renee’s shoulder, but it seemed to aggravate the wound in her soul, causing him to lower his head in greater pain,
“You can’t repair the barrier anymore; this will…”
“But there’s no other choice now, Fisher!”
Renee, tears streaming down her face, felt as if she could no longer hold back her inner emotions after hearing Fisher’s words; the fragility she had concealed before her beloved burst forth like a dam, and she sobbed as she spoke to Fisher,
“I just want you to be okay; if the barrier isn’t repaired, the deities outside will eventually come in!”
“.The Ocean, there’s still another incarnation that can’t be repaired.”
“It’s too late, Fisher, even if…”
“Thud!”
Just as Renee was about to say something, a terrifying thunderous sound came from the barrier, as if that group of deities competing for the essence of 【Nothing】 had stirred up something again, causing Renee’s expression to change as she quickly stood up to look towards the Ultimate, shielding Fisher behind her.
“Fisher, there’s no time; I must repair the barrier now. Uuuh…”
As Renee spoke, her voice cracked, unable to finish her last decisive words.
“Renee.”
“I-I don’t want to die; I want to be with Fisher, I don’t want to leave you to those women enjoying the fruits of our labor! Fisher, living happily with them forever, while I, while I…”
Renee, tears streaming down her face, lowered her head, as if all her strength had been drained by the fear of death.
If Fisher did not speak to stop her, she would have bravely accepted her fate.
“Clearly, I was all set to face death; why did you wake up and make me wavering, Fisher?”
Fisher lowered his head and suddenly spoke softly,
“There’s still a way.”
“Huh?”
“That essence seems unable to move too far from me, and I can manipulate it to some extent. But I can’t manipulate it within the barrier; the barrier isolates the inside from the outside. As long as I go out, cough cough, control that essence, I just need to kill the other deities outside without devouring them, using their authorities. This can save you.”
“Really? But that’s too dangerous; no, Fisher! You can’t go!”
Fisher shook his head, which was hanging low, and softly said to Renee,
“But the problem is, the Ocean, there’s still one incarnation within the barrier.”
“But where can we find that incarnation? There’s no time left, Fisher.”
“Exactly. No time left,” Fisher nodded, then said to Renee, “Renee, help me to the barrier; I… can’t move anymore.”
“Fisher, you… you must be careful.”
Renee bit her lip, trembling as she reached out her hand to support Fisher’s broken body, assisting him step by step towards the gap of the Ultimate. But after taking one or two steps, he appeared unable to move and knelt to the ground,
“Renee, let me rest a bit. Look at the Ultimate; I can’t let them in.”
“Fisher.”
Renee turned back with concern to look at the currently extremely weak Fisher, watching him lower his head and catch his breath. After checking that he was alright, she turned back to face the imminent crisis of the barrier.
Meanwhile, behind her, Fisher, breathing shallowly, tightly clenched his fist; he opened his parched mouth as if suddenly remembering something, murmuring to Renee,
“The irreconcilable, your errors will compose your epitaph in song.”
“Apocalypse Prophecy?”
“Ah.”
Fisher, with his head lowered, seemed to still be murmuring,
“The Und, using magic to write their epitaph in song. This is the Apocalypse Prophecy given to me by the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast; she thought that you—not, she and this world all believed that it was Renee because of the mistaken identity as the chaotic predecessor, for causing destruction and then being killed, everyone misidentified you, thus considering you an error.”
“But… she was actually wrong; everyone thought everything wrong, including me.”
Fisher’s words were intermittent, seemingly already at his weakest point. At this moment, his speech carried a hint of sorrow as if he were crying,
“She doesn’t sing. She is not truly irreconcilable; it is your hidden incarnation. It is you who hid it, making us think wrong.
“This is the real error, isn’t it?”
Renee, who was nervously watching the Ultimate, paused slightly, just about to turn around to look at the Fisher producing such sounds.
But what caught her eye was him with his black hair falling to cover his face, his hands tightly gripping the hilt of the Fluid Sword, aiming the extended blade towards himself.
One could imagine that the strength holding the Fluid Sword was already his last reserve of energy.
But his gaze was fixed intensely on Renee, as if it contained a tearful gleam, looking not at Renee but at another existence.
Someone he loved and hated.
“Buzz!”
“Hela!!!!”
He screamed with red eyes and trembling, as if in this final moment, he had finally overcome countless difficulties, and finally met the prey he had waited for so long.
The blade of the Fluid Sword swung fiercely at the last incarnation of the Ocean hidden within the barrier,
“Pfft!!”
(End of this chapter)
