The Fate of Death

Li Yue sat under a tree, holding a novel Clo had given her in one hand and a few pieces of dry bread in the other. She had originally planned to make some steaks for a sandwich, but after Clo’s earlier fussing, she had completely forgotten.

“It’s a decent enough novel, but not quite as good as she claimed.” Li Yue rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment. “Could she have written it herself? Whatever, I’ll just tell her it was great when I get back. As long as she’s happy.”

The autumn wind delivered a withered, yellow leaf into her palm. With just a slight application of force, the dry leaf crumbled into tiny fragments in her hand. Li Yue scattered them onto the ground, believing that before long, these decaying remains would reintegrate into the great tree.

A faint scent of burning drifted through the air, carrying the aroma of roasted meat. Li Yue wasn't hungry and had no appetite; she still remembered the principle she had established for herself long ago.

Do not eat humans.

Li Yue walked along the coastline for a long time. From her current position, looking back at the distant high wall, it no longer appeared as a black, oppressive mass blotting out the sky.

Not far away, a once-prosperous village was now reduced to black, charred ruins. There were also corpses whose gender could no longer be discerned; one could only guess whether they were adults or children based on their size.

“Quite a large town. What a pity.” Li Yue crouched down, examining the features of a corpse closely, trying to reconstruct the deceased's appearance in life, but she failed. “It seems the civilization here has a longer history than I thought. Pirates actually building towns... interesting.”

She took a bite of bread and took some jam from her ring to make the food a bit more palatable. As she walked through the ruins, the corpses exposed to the wilderness slowly sank into the ground wherever she passed.

Though there was no funeral, Li Yue felt it was better for them to rest in the earth. They were human corpses, after all, and one should respect human civilization. She wasn't sure what the traditions were on the Western Continent, so she simply followed what she knew.

She crouched down, carefully observing a corpse that had died a tragic death despite hiding in a cupboard. The burned area wasn't large, but Li Yue still couldn't make out her features.

This was because the skin of her face had been cruelly torn off, leaving the muscle fibers exposed to the air, charred to a slight blackness with the seared look of cooked meat.

“The ‘Kings’ said a white-haired lady would come this way, so I waited here for a while.” A beautiful woman stepped out, pinching her own face, seemingly in a good mood.

“I knew someone would be waiting for me. After all, being the descendant of that person, it’s only normal to be able to predict a bit of the future.” Li Yue stuffed the rest of the bread into her mouth and tucked the light novel into her pocket. She clapped her hands, letting the breadcrumbs fall to the ground.

“Here, you do not need to humble yourself within such a tiny body. You may freely display your grand divine body,” the beautiful woman said with a smile. Her body grew immensely large, and a grotesque giant snake appeared before Li Yue. Unlike Li Yue’s pitch-black scales, this creature had no scales—or rather, its body was covered in human faces with various expressions.

“Here?” Li Yue gave a contemptuous laugh. “This world cannot even contain my body.”

“Here, it can also extend to the entire world.” The thousand faces on its body spoke in unison, emitting an eerie, cackling laughter.

“No need. I don’t care who the world belongs to,” Li Yue said flatly. She looked at the sky. “It just cannot be His...” she whispered softly, glancing sideways at the giant snake. The thousand faces on its body were staring at Li Yue’s profile, a barely concealed longing dwelling in their eyes.

“Do you also think this face is beautiful?” Li Yue tilted her head in confusion. “I thought the aesthetics of humans and magic beasts would be very different. Do the ‘Kings’ look good in their human forms?”

Li Yue asked casually, looking at her pinkish-white fingernails. She seemed to have no interest in discussing “official business,” merely chatting idly as her mood dictated.

“To be honest, they are not as beautiful as you. If you wish, we can fill this world with statues of you.” The thousand faces on its body smiled fawningly. “We hope you will not interfere in our struggle with the humans.”

“Of course I won’t interfere.” Li Yue smiled, her expression holding a touch of mystery and an eerie sense of tenderness.

“By the way, did that fellow who saw a glimpse of fate really not tell you whether you would truly survive after meeting me?” Li Yue glanced at her. Her eyes were a pool of stagnant blood, devoid of any killing intent or emotion; all her expressions were performed rather than reflections of her inner thoughts.

“I will not die.” The creature nodded with certainty, seemingly convinced that Li Yue would not strike for some reason.

“A long time ago, They were unwilling to accept their fate. When the twilight arrived, they still launched one last counterattack.” Li Yue slowly walked toward the distance. “They were once the group that believed in fate the least.”

“Now their descendants have learned their lesson. That’s good.” Li Yue slowly walked past the giant snake’s body. “But... fate can actually be changed. It’s just that in the end, we chose the best path... that’s all.”

“Just a tiny ripple in the river of fate won’t actually stir up much of a storm.” Li Yue gently stroked its body. “Because in the future they saw, I actually refused you decisively. Perhaps they also wanted to see if I had any other tricks.”

“Then I’ll show them one, just to teach them to prepare for ‘death.’” Li Yue smiled, and this time the smile was genuine. The creature’s body twisted violently, and the human faces on its skin began to peel off one by one.

“You... lied to me...”

“I didn’t lie. I haven’t interfered in anything; it’s just that they interfered with what I am currently doing.” Li Yue took a small piece of bread from her bag, spread strawberry jam on it, and took a large bite.

“Goodbye.” Li Yue gave a casual wave. Behind her, the giant snake’s body instantly exploded. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, turning into flecks of ash in mid-air before completely vanishing from the secular world.

“I should walk a bit further next time.” Li Yue watched the sky gradually darken and stretched, preparing to head back immediately.

The clock of war had been wound a few notches faster, yet in the shadows, something seemed to be blocking the hands, as if pressing the brake on the progress of the world.