第764章 64. A New Chapter
Outside the barrier, the unconscious Fisher was unaware of how long he had been fainted beside the Ocean, but for the beings still awake within the barrier, time was undeniably passing.
The earth-shattering war occurring in the Spirit Realm had reached a point where even the slightest crevice could not completely mitigate its impact, causing those within the crevice to inevitably look up and seek to discover what was happening.
What caught their eyes was an extraordinarily dazzling golden light.
“What is that?”
“Look up, quickly look in the sky!”
“So bright.”
“Ka ka ka.”
Raphael stepped out of the Demon Dynasty’s gates, carrying a blazing Dragonblood spear. The intensely glowing golden light in the sky momentarily made it difficult for her to open her eyes.
To suppress the dizziness, she raised her claw to slightly shield her eyes, but it felt as though she sensed something from the void, causing her to instinctively clutch her chest and feel the surge of palpitations rising from within.
“…”
Behind her, Valentina also noticed the dazzling golden light above. She seemed to feel the same unease as Raphael and quickly turned to inquire of the Duke of Peach,
“Duke, we have already killed that incarnation of the Ocean, so we have… succeeded?”
The Duke stood in the wilderness of the Southern Continent, gazing up at the sky, whispering,
“I… I don’t know, but I suddenly can’t hear the voice of the Master God anymore. No matter how I call out, there’s no response… As for what has really happened…”
“Boom.”
As she spoke, beyond the Spirit Realm, with the barrier fully mended, that extremely dazzling golden light suddenly released a thunderous roar, and in the next moment, the entire sky returned to normal, just with a hint more dampness.
“Woosh.”
“Drip drip. Drip drip.”
The entire firmament was soon covered by dark clouds, moisture gathered in the air, and it began to rain, pattering down on the land of the Southern Continent, which was gradually entering summer.
However, Raphael and the others standing there did not realize that it wasn’t just the Southern Continent that was covered by this curtain of rain; it was more like the entire world.
It was raining.
Raphael raised her head, her bright horns particularly eye-catching in the rain, and she simply stared at the now exceptionally quiet sky, not knowing what she was thinking.
The Duke behind her frowned as well, nervously attempting to establish contact with the Spirit Realm, but it remained silent on that end, not a hint of an echo, making her increasingly anxious.
“Regardless, I will escort you back first, and then I will personally go check what is happening in the Spirit Realm.”
After several attempts, the Duke turned to Valentina and Raphael and said.
In the rain, Valentina’s white hair became a bit damp as she opened her mouth, wanting to say something, when a loud explosion suddenly resonated from the sky, carrying an immensely powerful aura.
The Duke quickly looked up and then soared into the air, rushing in that direction,
“Stay here; I will go see what’s going on!”
“Duke!”
Valentina instinctively spread her wings, wanting to follow, but Alagina quickly called out to her,
“Miss Valentina, wait!”
“What’s wrong?”
Valentina turned around and saw Raphael kneeling on the ground, her pale face pressed against her chest, looking extremely distressed.
Valentina’s pupils constricted, and without caring about anything else, she quickly flew back to Raphael’s side.
Although she was very concerned, due to her youth, she appeared utterly at a loss.
“Are you alright, Miss Raphael? Is… is something wrong? I’ll take you back to the Dragon Court right now.”
“No, I…”
Raphael clutched her chest, lowering her head and murmuring,
“I’m here; I just suddenly feel like something bad is happening.”
“Something bad?”
Valentina froze momentarily, unable to respond as Raphael’s words seemed to precisely hit a certain feeling deep inside her.
She looked with some surprise at Alagina, only to find her wearing a similarly apprehensive expression; it was then Valentina confirmed that the earlier feeling was indeed not an illusion.
“Could it be Fisher?”
Valentina’s delicate lips trembled, as the incredulous thought escaped her.
“Boom.”
The rain above gradually thickened, and the three of them stood frozen in the downpour, none daring to confirm that speculation.
Yet, they knew someone had to strike the death knell for it.
At this moment, a powerful aura was gradually approaching under the Duke’s guidance.
Valentina quickly turned around and saw the Duke with a grim expression, followed by a man and woman of the Whale People—XU and Gouwen, who had just returned from the Spirit Realm, with Jasmine unconscious in XU’s arms.
“Uncle, Auntie… Jasmine!”
The somewhat dazed Raphael, upon seeing Jasmine returning safely, finally felt some relief in her heart. She hurriedly pushed herself up and ran toward XU.
XU gently placed Jasmine down so Raphael could check on her friend’s condition while he said,
“Don’t worry; Jasmine… is fine.”
“Great, great.”
Raphael nodded, confirming Jasmine had merely fainted; she finally breathed a sigh of relief, gratefully saying.
On the side, the Duke’s expression remained grim, but she sighed and said,
“And now for some good news, everything is over.”
“Everything is over?”
Alagina froze slightly, murmuring.
“Ah, all those intruders who invaded this world have completely left; even the breach in the barrier has been repaired. You may find it hard to understand, but in short, this means we can all relax now.”
Valentina looked at the Duke, who announced this joyful news yet wore a face of mourning, feeling her own unease spreading, leading her to finally ask the most concerning question for Raphael and Alagina at this moment,
“What about Fisher?”
The Duke fell silent, merely glancing back at XU and Gouwen, seemingly hoping they would say something, but both remained silent, making the Duke’s face even darker.
Frustrated, she rubbed her temples and finally admitted,
“He stayed out in the world to repair the barrier and most likely can’t return. And not just him, all the Master Gods who created this world have also perished in the process of mending the barrier.”
The Duke’s gaze was complicated; for her, an ancient mythical being, the Master Gods were like dear ancestors. Now, with the powerful beings who created this world having all departed, it left her feeling lost.
“From now on, this world will only have its creations, but no sight of its masters.”
Yet no matter if it was Alagina, Valentina, or Raphael, their eyes gradually widened with shock, clearly unable to hear any further sounds.
“Wha—what did you say?”
It wasn’t until a long while later that Valentina managed to force these dry words from her throat.
“…”
“Duke, what… what do you mean? Say that again—the barrier outside, being left outside, I… I can’t understand. What does it mean Fisher can’t come back?”
The Duke helplessly crossed her arms, her tone increasingly frustrated and resigned,
“I should have let you both go up to hear them say this; how am I to explain? Say something, both of you!”
XU sighed helplessly, holding the unconscious Jasmine in his arms. He apologetically addressed Raphael and the others,
“I’m sorry; we couldn’t help much while we were in the Spirit Realm. Until the very last moment, we didn’t realize Fisher stayed outside to repair the barrier; we only learned everything from the moon… He sacrificed everything to protect you and Jasmine, and we failed to protect him. I’m very sorry.”
Gouwen gently retrieved a bright, translucent pure substance from his pocket—it was pure soul extracted from the Sea of Souls.
He looked at Raphael kneeling on the ground and softly said,
“Fisher told me earlier that he would retrieve the soul necessary for a child’s birth from the Spirit Realm for you. He’s not here, so I can only apologize on his behalf.”
Raphael stared blankly at the pure and flawless soul resting in Gouwen’s hands. She seemed to sense the life growing in her womb yearning for it.
She opened her mouth, about to say or do something.
But the excruciating pain in her heart struck her brain like a steel needle, making her dizzy. In the next moment, she lost control and collapsed softly to the ground.
“Raphael!”
“Raphael, are you okay!”
“Quick, help her up.”
Fisher would never return.
This news had reached the Golden Palace half a month ago; however, Isabel, who received it, remained hesitant and had not stepped into the depths of the Golden Palace even once.
At this moment, Nali was still in the difficult process of rebuilding, with the whole nation continuously comparing her with her sister. The dissatisfaction lingered, making this acting queen’s situation incredibly precarious.
No one in the country knew her struggles. Without Elizabeth’s iron fist, the repercussions from earlier actions continued unabated. Fortunately, Elizabeth had personally issued her abdication decree, which lessened some difficulties for Isabel.
If there were matters she didn’t understand—like how to balance domestic forces and what to do next—asking her sister, who was now deep within the Golden Palace, would always yield answers.
But apart from this, Elizabeth no longer involved herself in anything, like a corpse waiting for death deep within the Golden Palace.
Yet perhaps only Isabel knew that her sister might still be waiting for another existence, other than death, to knock on her door.
That person was undoubtedly Fisher.
Thus, at this moment, when she received a handwritten letter from the Southern Continent along with news that the Dragon Queen had fallen seriously ill and was still struggling to recover, she quickly realized the contents of this letter must not be disclosed to her sister. Otherwise, it would be but a few days before she would lose this sister forever.
At that moment, Isabel’s face was drawn with weariness caused by internal and external pressures. She sat in the office chair where Elizabeth once handled state matters, anxiously opening the letter again, her gaze locking onto its contents once more,
“Please inform Miss Elizabeth Godlin about Fisher’s current situation; she has had contact with the outer gods and may be able to help us retrieve Fisher from beyond.”
“Sigh, but how can I dare to tell my sister about this?”
Isabel had subtly hinted about the circumstances beyond the barrier but received a response from Elizabeth that was nearly despairing.
Outside was a home in complete chaos, a fathomless abyss difficult to comprehend.
This was Elizabeth’s response.
If she were to find out that Fisher was outside, with his life hanging in the balance…
“Sigh.”
Isabel let out a breath and looked in a certain direction within the Golden Palace.
In that direction’s depths, in a quiet and secluded dark palace, within layers of knightly guards deep in the hall, a woman with disheveled golden hair, now much thinner, struck the bedside table with her palm.
“Your Majesty.”
The outside knights immediately felt the call of that presence inside and quickly responded respectfully.
Inside the palace, Elizabeth’s hoarse voice faintly replied,
“I am no longer your queen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…How’s it outside?”
In the cold bed within the palace, the emaciated Elizabeth had her eyes wrapped in bandages, her pale face instinctively looking toward the window, but what met her was darkness. Then she asked,
“Princess Isabel is working diligently day and night, and with your guidance, everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.”
“….”
Elizabeth did not respond satisfactorily, for both she and the knights outside knew she was not inquiring about state affairs.
What she was really asking was about the source of the catastrophe that struck Nali months ago, the so-called Apocalypse Prophecy.
“Cough cough.”
“Your Majesty, I will go request Princess Isabel to bring a physician over.”
“…No, it’s not necessary. Dismissed.”
Within the palace, Elizabeth’s hoarse voice extinguished like an illusion, leaving the knights outside unable to rise for a long time.
“Your Majesty.”
Inside the Spirit Realm.
In the Sea of Souls of extreme brightness, as everything had ended, the free Chaos Races were floating once more outside the crevice, as if nothing had happened, turning into stars in the dark Spirit Realm.
Only deep in the Sea of Souls, a beam of moonlight lingered before the barrier.
“What now? Are we just going to leave Fisher out there? There’s so much chaos outside; what if something happens to him?”
At the end of that moonlight, Renee hung her head and reached out to touch the glowing golden barrier before her. Meanwhile, beside her, the square-shaped Emhart buzzed around anxiously like a headless fly.
Hearing his trademark duck-like voice, Renee seemed to come to life from a statue.
She slowly raised her head, her black hair parting slightly to reveal her sorrowful visage,
“The essence of the Ocean is out there; those chaotic beings are definitely no match for the Ocean.”
“The Ocean! Doesn’t that mean Baemon!”
As soon as Emhart heard this, he became even more agitated; his eyes widened, nearly fainting,
“Isn’t that even worse?! That ruthless Baemon out there will certainly do something to Fisher! If we don’t go out to save him, I’m afraid… I’m afraid before long, he will have no resting place, treated like a toy and ruined!”
Renee clenched her teeth tighter, her fists tightening as if she wished to strike the closed barrier before her with her own power.
But as her palm lifted, it fell weakly, and she could only vent her frustrations with words.
The resentment in her heart,
“Outside must be very dangerous, I know! But I’ve researched all possible methods, and Azanros won’t respond to us at all. Only Fisher can communicate with Him, but He can’t let me out to find Fisher. The only way is for me to use my power to breach the barrier from within like the ocean.”
As she spoke, Renee couldn’t help but choke up again,
“But… but Fisher has worked so hard for so long, fighting desperately to repair the barrier, to drive all invading outsiders away, saving all living beings within the barrier from annihilation. Now that he has finally succeeded, how can I betray his wishes like this?”
“If only my authority had been used to repair the barrier at that time, then he wouldn’t have to be unable to return; if I had discovered sooner that the last hidden incarnation the ocean had taken from me in the shelter, Fisher’s soul wouldn’t have been damaged like that.”
Renee painfully covered her face, with crystalline tears dropping from her fingers, but her regret was like water without roots, leaking endlessly.
Emhart opened his mouth behind her, feeling as if he had lost all his strength, and managed to fly to Renee’s shoulder. He sighed and said,
“If it had been your life used to repair it back then, perhaps Fisher would be suffering a thousand times more than being captured by the ocean outside. Let’s be optimistic, Renee. Maybe after he was caught by the ocean, nothing happened to him, and he might even be carefree, not wanting to return at all.”
After long contemplating his words, Emhart consoled Renee in this way.
However, he was met with Renee’s murderous gaze.
“I was wrong, Lady Renee.”
Emhart wilted instantly and hurriedly apologized.
But after all, at this moment, his sorrow over Fisher’s departure was probably no less than that of any other lady.
Renee helplessly lowered her head. At this moment, facing the barrier that seemed like both a sanctuary and a cage, and the whole world behind her that had become vivid after surviving the calamity of annihilation, she felt utterly at a loss.
Just like the solitude she had experienced over the past millennia, she felt despair.
The entire world fell silent, as if all colors had been drained away with Fisher’s departure.
The ocean coveted the nature within him so much; having left the barrier, she could hardly imagine what kind of pain Fisher would experience outside.
What should I do, Fisher?
“Buzz”
Just when Renee felt hopeless, a glimmer of crystal light gradually brightened in her vision, illuminating her tear-streaked face.
She blankly raised her head to look at the barrier before her and gradually discovered that the entire barrier began to shimmer with golden light.
“Buzz buzz buzz”
It was clearly a call for some kind of presence to enter, but for some reason, Renee’s nearly stagnant heartbeat reignited with vitality.
“Bang bang… bang.”
Renee looked incredulously at the barrier that was gradually unveiling its veil. In the deep darkness outside, a figure was tightly enveloped in golden light, rushing into the barrier at a very high speed, then diving straight toward reality.
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
That golden light rushed past Renee, and she widened her eyes, turning to look beside her at Emhart.
In a fleeting glimpse, they simultaneously saw the figure of Fisher, wrapped in golden light, eyes closed.
“Fii—”
“Fisher?!!”
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
Renee and Emhart exchanged glances, both filled with disbelief.
Then, Renee’s body sparkled with moonlight, and she turned back to chase after that golden light diving toward reality.
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
Like a shooting star, the golden light passed through the darkness, cutting through the bright Sea of Souls. In the Sea of Souls, small chaotic beings jumped about, looking like enlarged, adorable dumplings.
“Eee… Aaa”
Outside the crevice, the “stars” that had once again become silent were also astonished and turned to look, as if they sensed who was wrapped in golden light.
Meanwhile, in reality,
In the Dragon Court palace, Aria had just finished brewing the medicine for pregnancy and was about to take it to the room when she suddenly noticed in surprise that her once frail daughter seemed to have sensed something and had already awakened, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
“Raphael, you… you woke up! I’ll go call Jasmine and that Phoenix lady over right now, just wait.”
“Mom… I… wait a moment.”
Raphael struggled to climb up from the bed. Seeing this, Aria quickly set down the medicine in her hand and came to the bedside, gently patting Raphael’s back,
“What happened?”
“Bang!”
At this moment, the door to the chamber was suddenly slammed open. Aria was about to frown and scold the person for being so rude to disturb her daughter’s rest, but what caught her eye were Jasmine, Valentina, and Captain Alagina, all panting.
“Raphael! Look outside at the sky! Hurry!”
“You guys…”
Raphael was momentarily taken aback, and disregarding Aria’s pleas, she hurried to the balcony of the chamber, looking up at the sky alongside Jasmine and Valentina.
What they saw was a sunny sky completely occupied by the golden light of the barrier, and at its center, a bright meteor, shining like the sun, was descending toward the Dragon Court on the Southern Continent.
Raphael blinked her emerald eyes, roughly estimating the distance and direction, then murmured,
“It’s the direction by the sea. The barrier must have just opened! Mom, I want to go see! I want to go to the sea!”
“Raphael, you… you should take the medicine first!”
But Raphael seemed to have regained her energy, still wearing her pajamas, and quickly walked to the door of her room, draping a heavy cloak over her shoulders. After a few steps, she felt her legs go weak, when a cool hand reached out to support her steadily from behind.
Raphael turned back to see that the owner of the hand was Valentina.
Valentina smiled faintly at Raphael and then opened her wings, saying,
“Let’s go from the balcony. I’ll take you there.”
Raphael opened her mouth, and then a smile appeared on her pale face,
“Okay.”
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
The enormous golden meteor, blessed by Azanros, smoothly passed through the crevice, diving down through the atmosphere towards the edge of the Southern Continent, where the crowds were noisy and the azure sea was located.
“Boom!!”
With a deafening sound, the golden meteor crashed onto the beach, creating a large pit in the sand, with water shooting up into the sky and then falling like raindrops onto the beach.
“Hah”
In the center of the pit, gradually being swallowed by the ebbing waves, Fisher, drenched in seawater, gazed up at the sunny sky within the world, breathing the air that had become peaceful at that moment.
It felt as if all of this was an illusion, yet the warmth brought by the sunlight, the sticky sensation of his damp clothes against his body, and the tangible reality of breath entering and leaving his body reminded him vividly.
He was back.
“Hahaha”
Lying in the pit, Fisher finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.
The sea water gently drizzled down from the sky, falling on his face, creating bangs of hair that fell over his eyes.
Everything around was extraordinarily peaceful, with no more chaotic howls in the heavens and the earth, only the sound of waves lapping against the shore and seagulls freely soaring in the sky.
“Buzz!”
Suddenly, a beam of moonlight descended from the sky, wafting a waft of fragrance to his nose. Fisher’s pupils contracted, and he quickly sat up, looking over to see Renee, also dressed in black, equally incredulous.
“Fisher!!”
After confirming that the person in front of her was really Fisher, who had returned from beyond the barrier, Renee’s eyes turned red, unable to control her trembling body, and then she threw herself at Fisher without a second thought.
Fisher caught her body steadily, but before it was over, a square book suddenly opened and smacked onto his face,
“Slap!”
“Wuuuu! Fisher, I thought you were beaten into a state of incapacity by that despicable Baemon, suffering painfully yet blissfully, simply never wanting to come back! Wuuuu!”
Fisher tightly hugged Renee’s body and didn’t forget to push Emhart, who was blocking his vision, away a bit.
Listening to Emhart’s baseless slander, Fisher grit his teeth, preparing to give him a piece of his mind, but when he saw Emhart’s book trembling in panic, he ultimately couldn’t help but chuckle, saying,
“Aren’t I back now?”
“Fisher, what happened to you outside? How did you come back…”
Renee clung onto him tightly, unwilling to let go, her face pressed against Fisher’s neck, her voice muffled with a choking sound and a salty taste from the sea.
Hearing this, Fisher was briefly taken aback. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, three voices called out at once,
“Fisher!!”
“Teacher Fisher!”
“Fisher wuu…”
Fisher was momentarily stunned; even before he could release Renee, Jasmine had already rushed towards him, diving into his embrace like Renee.
His body shook slightly, still maintaining his sitting position, but then when Valentina, carrying the chill of a fierce wind, and Raphael, radiating searing heat, rushed toward him again, he could no longer withstand it and fell heavily to the ground, startling Emhart into the air.
“Thud!”
Fisher fell solidly back down to the ground, and what came into view was the golden light gradually fading, dimming against the clear sky.
In his arms were several warm, crying souls, reunited after a long separation, tightly embracing him, feeling his existence, filling in the despair of believing they would never meet again.
“Fisher”
In his embrace, Raphael had lost a lot of weight, and it was hard to imagine that she was still pregnant at this moment. Just feeling her lightness made Fisher feel dazed.
And whether it was Valentina, Jasmine, or Renee, they were all equally concerned about him.
This warmth seemed to make the nature within Fisher, which yearned for obliteration, no longer exist; just at this moment, he felt more than ever his own existence.
Valentina’s wings radiated cold air, turning her tears into pearls.
“I thought we would never see each other again. You… liar.”
“Teacher Fisher, mom and dad said wuu…”
“We were all very worried about you.”
Their voices slowly pulled Fisher’s consciousness back to reality. He looked down at the person closest to him, the once frail Raphael, who was now so weak that she could not rise like Valentina, Jasmine, and Alagina.
At this moment, she was crying, her scales laying flat in layers, growing soft and warm, just like before.
Looking at Fisher, she did not question him but simply revealed a warm smile.
She said to Fisher,
“Everything is over, Fisher.”
Fisher’s eyes gradually softened. It seemed that all of his strength had been sapped away by Raphael’s effortlessly spoken words.
He had tried so hard for so long, dedicating everything for this purpose, and perhaps it was for this moment.
For this moment, he would be willing to give up everything.
And destiny seemed to finally show its mercy, returning to Fisher what he sought.
Tears glistened in his eyes, but he felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation as he embraced everyone around him.
He responded as if liberated,
“Yes, everything is over.”
“Wow”
“Wow”
“Wow”
That warm reunion gradually heated up under the witness of the waves, as if the whole world had paused in the beauty of this moment.
But the waves could not comprehend such complex and precious emotions; they simply followed their rhythm, propelled forward one after another, covering and receding gradually, producing a crisp sound of waves.
And just at the edge of the shore, at the rim of the pit where Fisher had fallen, an ancient book was being pushed around by the waves in the sand, until the next moment when its cover opened, revealing entirely blank pages inside.
“Dada”
Nearby, a mischievous grayish-white crab, seemingly living by the sea, scuttled quickly, maneuvering through the sand, stopping in front of the opened ancient book.
Yet the open pages were empty, seemingly waiting for someone to pen new chapters.
The crab paused for a moment, its eyes rotating curiously, and then it moved closer to the ancient book.
After thinking for a moment, it extended its claw to grab the cover of the book, attempting to drag this opened book away as a trophy but overlooked that its own size made it impossible to haul such a large book.
“Thud!”
Inevitably, it stumbled and flipped upside down.
This unexpected motion caused the opened book to shut again, revealing the ancient, bluntly written words on the cover.
On it, it read,
“Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.”
This object that had always been by Fisher’s side had unknowingly fallen at this moment to the beach by the ocean, just a short distance away.
The illiterate crab struggled to stand back up, still thinking that the book had attacked her, causing her to fall.
“Yah!”
It became even angrier, brandishing its claws, absolutely determined to take this book back.
“Wow!”
However, the next moment, the waves behind surged, crashing violently against the shore, engulfing both her and the book.
“Wow”
Then, the waves slowly receded from the beach, returning to the vast ocean.
And after the waves passed, neither the book nor the crab remained in sight.
(Tombstone of the World)
(End of the Chapter)
