Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
“Roar! Get out of my head!”
Bryant wailed in agony, but the strange whispers still echoed in his mind.
Bizarre visions appeared before his eyes. He saw the world inverted, the sun transforming into a blood-red eyeball, the ground rolling like writhing flesh, and twisted monsters falling from the shattered sky. But they floated again because space was also inverted, and cities were like sheets of paper crushed by a large hand, torn into a mess.
Finally, the ground sank, and a giant eye covered in twisted tentacles rose from a black hole. Its pupils contained countless eyeballs, one within another, densely packed. Countless human faces, screaming and wailing, filled with boundless suffering, floated in the whites of its eyes. Its eyelids were covered in wriggling pink flesh strips, and its eyelashes were hissing, writhing serpents!
“Truth!”
The eyeball let out a shriek that made Bryant’s ears ring. He repeatedly smashed his head with his dragon claws, but it was useless. It felt as though countless monsters were crawling towards him. He spat plasma dragon breath at them with bloodshot eyes, but the monsters were immortal. They drew closer and closer, and Bryant retreated, finding himself cornered deep within the mountain cave with nowhere left to escape.
“Get away!”
The monsters would not heed Bryant’s roars. They gradually covered Bryant’s entire body, grinning with chilling mockery until Bryant was completely submerged.
“Truth will guide you!”
“Truth… will… guide me.”
Bryant, like a puppet, mindlessly echoed the voice in his mind.
“Thump thump—”
Countless eyeballs sprouted all over his body. His arms, palms, wings, and underarms—nearly every part of his body was covered. At the same time, his aura surged rapidly, from the sixth tier of an adult dragon to the seventh tier, barely reaching the threshold of the eighth. He now understood. He was chosen by “Truth.” Since that was the case, he would naturally spread Truth for the True God and fill the human world with Truth.
The countless eyes slowly closed, their malevolent, frenzied gazes hidden behind eyelids. Only a slightly larger eyeball on Bryant’s neck scanned the world, but it strangely displayed an emotion of compassionate love.
A man’s figure reappeared in Bryant’s mind. The man was Xi Wei—the Golden Lion, his Master… Bryant remained loyal to his Master and believed that good things should be shared with him, like Truth! But he could not return to share Truth with his Master yet because he had not accomplished anything significant. “Truth” told him that it would prepare a miraculous item for him, and this item would complete the great plan of spreading Truth. Only by allowing every life to understand the concept of Truth could a fertile ground be created for the arrival of true Truth.
“I am ready,” Bryant said to “Truth.”
Truth quickly responded, sending a tattered and ancient blueprint into his mind. It was inscribed with mysterious, ancient characters resembling wriggling tadpoles. In the past, Bryant would undoubtedly not have understood them, but now, dwelling with Truth, he was “omniscient and omnipotent.” This was the manufacturing process for the miraculous item. The main raw material was simple: flesh and blood. By sacrificing flesh and blood and performing a ritual, Truth would then help him transform it into the miraculous item.
Getting flesh and blood was not difficult, was it? There was a human village nearby. Bryant flew out of the cave and returned less than half an hour later, carrying several dead bodies in his dragon claws. They appeared to be a family. The propagation of Truth was sometimes accompanied by sacrifice. Furthermore, the sacrifices of these humans would ultimately become part of Truth, which was perfectly understandable.
At the guidance of “Truth,” Bryant skillfully carved out a ritual altar. It resembled a large eyeball growing on a squid, or perhaps a cluster of writhing intestines. Every glance seemed to reveal something different, as the pattern appeared to twist and change continuously.
“I hereby offer flesh and blood as a sacrifice, and I pray for Truth’s help!”
Bryant prostrated himself on the ground and used his dragon claws to cut the corpses into pieces. Blood flowed along the altar’s pattern, soon dyeing a small patch of ground red.
“Gurgle, gurgle—”
The darkness in the cave intensified, and the surrounding blackness seemed to come alive, writhing and leaping around Bryant. They gathered and approached like a tide, seeping into the ritual altar. The flesh and blood, cut into pieces, trembled under an inexplicable power. A chill surged into Bryant’s mind, and he felt cold all over.
The flesh and blood in the altar began to reassemble. The flesh and blood slid with a sticky sound, muscle tissues tore with a “plop,” and unnecessary bones were discarded. Fat, like discarded crumpled paper, rolled into a corner of the cave. Finally, this flesh and blood formed something that, in Bryant’s eyes, was nearly perfect. The Converter for Truth’s Followers. It was composed of disgusting, grotesque flesh, with muscles and blood vessels attached, emitting a bloody, crimson stench. It looked horrifying. Its core was an organ resembling a heart, but what pulsed within was not blood but a dark, viscous liquid. Bryant knew that this viscous liquid was the key to spreading Truth. He called it the “Water of Omniscience.” Around the converter were many pinkish, fleshy suction tubes that expanded and contracted with the pulsing of the heart core. Pouring human blood into the converter would continuously produce the dark Water of Omniscience from these writhing tubes.
Bryant’s dragon eyes gleamed as he gently lifted the converter and examined it. It was undoubtedly a magnificent creation. Through this small instrument, Truth had shown him the greatness of knowledge!
“Praise Truth!”
Bryant knelt on the ground, holding the fleshy creation, tears welling up in his eyes. He lay prostrate beside the altar, feeling that his past self had been utterly pathetic. How could he have fretted over a sapphire or become enraged when the Mother Dragon was stolen? Those were such base pursuits! Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to awaken. By following Truth’s footsteps, he could return to his true self.
“Let Truth spread throughout this land!”
Truth issued its first command to Bryant. Bryant raised his head, flapped his wings, and flew out of the cave. He needed more blood to create the Water of Omniscience and planned to sprinkle it into the largest nearby city. He knew he could accomplish this. It would be like bringing a special rain to these cities.
“I will let you all enjoy the irrigation of Truth.”
Bryant floated in the sky, his dragon wings spread wide, gazing at the villages and towns. He murmured with compassion and benevolence:
“You’re welcome!”
Let’s add Bai Yao, hehe.
