Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Abyss—
“Still… too weak…”
Qi Wub lay in a pool of blood.
Opposite him sat Mammon, the embodiment of Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. He sat enthroned, cradling a red moon in his hand, his grotesque, crimson face adorned with three pairs of scarlet eyes that radiated profound malice.
“I must say, you are the most peculiar and praiseworthy human I have ever encountered!” Mammon gazed down at Qi Wub.
Possessing Legendary-grade strength and a fully demonized body, yet retaining a clear mind – this was almost an impossibility. Although there were precedents of humans fusing with demons throughout history, even merging with just a single part of a demon would drive a human insane.
This human undoubtedly held some secret.
Qi Wub propped himself up with his demonic blade, staggering to his feet. A vast amount of demonic blood poured from the numerous wounds that crisscrossed his body, from his collarbone to his thigh. These scarlet gashes had nearly cleaved him in two, his internal organs already churned into a mess. It was the first time Qi Wub had sustained such severe injuries since fusing with the scales of the Xuanjia Demon.
The Seven Deadly Sins were indeed worthy of their name. Even Mammon, the weakest of them, was not someone he could provoke easily. The opponent had left him crippled in mere moments.
Qi Wub looked up. Mammon stood bathed in the blood-red moonlight, his colossal form, hundreds of meters high, resembling a titan splitting heaven and earth. Merely standing there, his aura was enough to suffocate Qi Wub. In the surrounding darkness, countless imps peeked out, trembling under the Demon King’s might.
“You are truly remarkable.”
Mammon took a step toward Qi Wub.
“But it is truly a pity that the demons you fused with were of far too low a rank. To you, they might have been powerful, but to me, they are barely even a snack. Keke~”
“Take this scaled armor you wear, for instance. If I’m not mistaken, it comes from a Champion-level Xuanjia Demon under my command? Do you know what Xuanjia Demons are to me usually?”
Mammon didn’t wait for Qi Wub’s reply, continuing on his own: “Peanuts! Keke! Just like the peanuts you humans eat!”
The Gluttony Demon King let out a piercing, wild laugh.
At a certain moment, his laughter abruptly ceased, and the three pairs of scarlet eyes blazed with infinite greed and malice:
“How many demons did you devour along your path to reach this point? Why not simply find a plane and become an Abyss Lord? All for the sake of challenging Satan? How laughable. It’s a shame you can only become my food now, the nourishment to make me stronger!!”
Qi Wub’s face was half-hidden by demonic scales and bloodstains, making his expression unreadable. Blood trickled from his wounds, gradually forming a pool on the ground.
“Alright, you can die now!”
The embodiment of Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, tossed the red moon in his hand towards the sky.
As this red moon overlapped with the blood moon in the heavens, it seemed to be imbued with some world-ending power. Then, it plummeted down like a missile with a force that could destroy heavens and earth.
Staring at the red moon descending from the sky, Qi Wub felt a profound sense of powerlessness. Forget becoming a hero of Blue Star, he couldn’t even conquer the Cain Abyss. Along the way, ordinary Abyss Players had long been left behind by him, for no one was harsher on himself than he was. He relentlessy stitched demon parts onto his body, constantly devoured demon hearts, and perpetually endured the pain of a thousand swords piercing his flesh.
But he was not of this world. His fusion with demons was merely superficial, like a toy glued together with adhesive. No matter how sturdy it appeared on the outside, it would gradually melt when exposed to high temperatures. The Blue Star Will’s fusion with the Abyss was that adhesive; the deeper the fusion, the better the quality of the adhesive. If he could fully integrate with the Abyss, the adhesive might genuinely become true fusion, and perhaps then he could stand against this Demon King.
“It’s fine if it ends like this…”
Qi Wub looked up at the blood moon, scarlet tears welling in his eyes. Within them, he seemed to see his sister from another world. In that world, there were no Old Ones, no disasters, no Cain’s Game; his sister had healthy legs and lived every day happily.
“It really hurts so much…”
The red moon crashed down.
[World Synchronization preparation complete, countdown: 86399 seconds!]
The system’s notification chimed like lightning splitting the night sky, awakening the dormant Qi Wub. This notification did not originate from the Blue Star Will; it came from Cain! Qi Wub was certain of this. World Synchronization, what did it mean?
[Stand up!]
A grand will descended.
Boom—!
The red moon exploded, but Qi Wub remained unharmed. In his vision, a petite figure hovered in the air, holding up the descending red moon with one hand, clad in an azure blue dress that fluttered in the gale. Compared to the Gluttony Demon King, she appeared incredibly small, yet she was like the most steadfast haven, blocking all storms.
[It is not yet time for you to fall. You have more important things to do!]
The Blue Star Will tilted its head slightly, its voice cold. Qi Wub saw her long, azure hair rapidly turning white. Her once-youthful pretty face had already become completely abyssal, fine demonic scales spreading upwards from her neck like moss.
[Time is short, so I’ll be brief. Cain initiating World Synchronization is equivalent to drawing closer to me, which will greatly accelerate my abyssalization. I believe you can see that…]
As she spoke, there was no intact skin left on the Blue Star Will.
[The Abyss Will is an immature, high-ranking will. I can devour it, but I will inevitably be influenced by it. I do not know what I will become…]
[Furthermore, after devouring it, there will be a long digestion period. Blue Star is already being invaded by the Old Ones, and we do not have this time. Therefore, I intend to directly disintegrate the Abyss Will. This will result in the instantaneous release of abyssal power, after which the World Will will be reborn. During this period, you will have absolute freedom.]
As she spoke, a crimson light bloomed on the Blue Star Will’s chest. Barely visible, the phantom of a demon struggled within the crimson light. Its appearance kept shifting, transforming into the forms of various demons from the Abyss, emitting piercing shrieks. Clearly, the Abyss Will was not foolish. Upon hearing the Blue Star Will’s intention to perish with it, it began to resist the Blue Star Will’s integration, attempting to break free from its body. But how could the Blue Star Will allow that?!
[After letting you gnaw for so long, how could I not make you pay a price?]
As the crimson light spread across the Blue Star Will’s entire body, Qi Wub saw a faint smile curve the girl’s lips. It was mingled with a touch of pride, a wistful sigh of fading affection and sorrow, and a resolve to face anything.
[Then, the rest is up to you, Qi Wub.]
The red light exploded violently. The entire Abyss trembled in the fierce blast. Ferocious abyssal energy crossed the planar barrier, spreading from the Cain Abyss towards Blue Star. Simultaneously, it pulverized the astonished Gluttony Demon King into fragments. Shielded by a faint blue barrier, Qi Wub remained unharmed. He felt his strength rapidly increasing, like a wild grass that had long been suppressed by a stone. Once, he had endured immense pain and exerted all his effort just to grow. Now, the Blue Star Will had moved that stone for him.
