Li Yue felt everything within this silent space. Before the domain of death could conclude, she pulled herself out of it. She had never attempted such a feat before; it seemed to be a sign of her growing mastery over magic. Of course, it was also a sign of her desperation, as this was the first time she had ever been hunted so relentlessly.
Her body plunged into the sea. Only a few spires of the structures beneath the surface were visible. In these few short seconds, she had to find the entrance to this temple.
Just like that year at the castle, something seemed to be pulling her, guiding her, forcing her to draw closer to the truth—closer to the God's remains of death.
“Is this telling me... that I have no choice...?” Li Yue sighed, praying that the temple's exterior could hold Fen'ao off for a while. Above her, the sound of the barrier being attacked echoed through the water. A fierce breath of flame forcibly evaporated the surrounding seawater, bathing the massive structure in fire.
The temple seemed to have a design similar to the castle. She sprinted through the corridors, her blood blades slaying the flesh-mutated creatures along the way. After a while, she began to realize that these creatures showed no hostility toward her whatsoever. In fact, to some extent, she could even sense a sort of friendly attitude from them...
Am I... being treated as one of their own?
No way... Please, no...
Li Yue felt a wave of despair, but now was not the time to be swayed by emotion. The Royal Court's fleet would arrive eventually. Everything seemed to be urging her to hurry, to end it all quickly, to seek "His" help, to understand "Him," to accept "Him," and to become "Him"...
Enough already... Her running figure stumbled, and she fell. She scrambled back up and immediately resumed her sprint. From outside, the sound of glass shattering echoed from the barrier; it was on the verge of vanishing.
Li Yue recalled her experience of being chased by monsters six months ago. At that time, those flesh-mutated creatures had viewed her as an intruder and sought to drive her out at all costs. Now, that hostility had vanished... she even found these disgusting creatures somewhat tolerable to look at.
A massive wall appeared before her, bearing a giant mural. It depicted a colossal white snake, and atop its head stood a deity clad in black divine raiment, slaying one arrogant god after another. In the shadows of the painting, Li Yue could also see a fallen dragon.
Her Death Abyss manifested on its own, spreading out beneath her feet. Her body began to sink slowly into it, as if she were traveling to another world.
She didn't even bother to struggle. Every fiber of her consciousness told her to accept it; even the slightest thought of resistance was instantly extinguished. Her expression briefly turned distorted with inner conflict before quickly settling into a calm state...
Why... why was I so resistant... because of whom?
I seem to recall... that a long time ago, I wasn't resistant at all... Did I... commit some kind of crime?
Forget it... I am already beyond redemption. Let it be.
This was a world of blood. It didn't seem to be beneath the temple, nor was it in reality, nor was it in the world between reality and dreams. This was the purest world of death, the place people always talked about.
Hell.
The temple was merely a decoy... "His" bones have actually been within my Death Abyss all along... Everything was just to bring me here, to enter Hell at these coordinates.
No wonder no one could find "His" remains...
Outside, the temple had been scorched nearly to cinders by the intense flames. Fen'ao didn't have the patience to search; he chose to use his fire to burn away every lock, every wall, and every seal. Everything was slowly fading into nothingness, but he could not find the Li Yue he had been hunting and toying with, nor could he sense that massive God's remains.
How is this possible...?
How is this possible...?
Li Yue asked the same question. Standing within the domain of death, she silently gazed at the colossal corpse. From a distance, it appeared to be a vast expanse of skeletal remains. It felt as though it were right before her eyes, yet even after drifting toward it for a long time, the skeleton only seemed to grow larger.
It was like looking at the Earth from the Moon; it didn't seem far, and the Earth didn't look large, yet it remained untouchable.
She reached her hand forward but then pulled it back in a moment of resistance. Just as she was about to drop her arm, another hand caught hers. She dazed for a moment, looking at the girl before her. They were identical, yet there were profound differences between them.
“We meet again... I knew we would reunite at this moment.” Her voice was ethereal and pleasant. Although her face remained expressionless, Li Yue could vaguely sense an underlying feeling of joy.
“It's you again... You're behind all of this, aren't you? I am you... and 'He' is also you... You just wanted me to find this place, and that's it...” Li Yue felt a sense of hopelessness. She sighed, having long felt like a puppet being led by strings.
“You're half right. Why stop there?” The other girl smiled. “'He' is also you, isn't 'He'? Otherwise, why would it be you?”
“The physical body is merely a vessel for the soul. The souls of the dead gods may have been trapped within various husks.” She held Li Yue's hand, walking slowly. “Some of their souls shattered, merging into the bodies of many others. Those are the vassals.”
“And those who, like me, leave behind a divine oracle, are the will. I am the one who will eventually dissipate.” She continued walking forward. “The gods created humans in their own image. Humans inherited their beauty, as well as their flaws.”
“After death, they became human. Perhaps some humans will become gods, or perhaps some lingering gods have their own ways of being reborn. Nothing is certain.” She kept walking. “From birth to destruction, everything eventually has an end.”
“So... it was me from the beginning... and it's still me now?” Li Yue was stunned.
“Mhm... It is simply becoming your true self once more. However, why you are here is an intriguing question. Perhaps someone found you and sent you back.”
“Fragmented souls gather and scatter. From wholeness to brokenness, and finally back to wholeness. It is possible that the age of gods will return once more.”
“Alright... let's go.” She smiled. “Before the final end arrives, we shall meet again. Everything is a gift... everything is a boon...”
Her figure slowly dissipated, along with the skeletal remains. Even Li Yue herself seemed to be slowly fading away. Everything shattered, only to begin aggregating once more.
Rate on N.U.
