Although a sword had been thrust into its arm, no blood flowed. The Plague God seemed entirely indifferent to the wound, its gaze fixed intently on Buze. Its eyes were filled with an astonishment that suggested something fundamentally illogical had shattered its worldview.
In the eyes of others, Buze appeared no different from an ordinary human, albeit stronger and more courageous than before. If one ignored his trait of infinite resurrection, he was merely an ordinary person who had suddenly found his bravery.
But as a god, the Plague God saw the world and humanity in a completely different light; it could perceive the deepest roots of existence.
In its eyes, Buze was not a human-shaped being, but a mass of brilliant golden energy.
The radiant splendor it emitted even overwhelmed the malevolent aura of the Plague God's own body.
This was not something a human could possibly achieve!
Yet, Buze was clearly far from being a god himself.
His current state was neither human nor divine. The Plague God could not even sense life within the golden energy body before it. In other words, this was a non-living entity...
Yes, this individual who should have been human possessed no life at all!
He was merely a program run by underlying code, without life, without flesh, and without form! The desires deep within his heart drove him, and these desires were so powerful they allowed him to face the wrath of a god without fear.
The Plague God did not understand.
What kind of desire could drive him to such an extent?
To even reach a state of being both alive and dead?
The Plague God was as fascinated as a chemist discovering a new element in a laboratory. In the past, it might have dedicated itself to studying Buze's state, but now... truth be told, it didn't have the luxury to think that much.
After all, the most important matter at hand was its own resurrection.
The troublesome part was that while Buze's sword strike hadn't truly harmed it, that strange golden domain seemed to naturally counter an evil god like itself. Not only did the power of the abyss feel dread, but even the god itself felt a stinging pain.
Dammit!
"Buze?" Grinya called out in astonishment.
She had never expected that the person coming to her aid at this moment would be the second son of the Kritov family!
That arrogant, haughty, narrow-minded, and biting noble scion?
Like the Plague God, Grinya looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"What, are you surprised to see me?"
Buze stood alongside Grinya, helping her hold back the gates of the abyss. Grinya immediately felt the heavy burden on her shoulders lighten significantly.
"You aren't the only one who wants to protect this city. This isn't a responsibility that belongs solely to you," Buze said in a low voice. His frame was naturally broad, allowing him to shield Grinya from even more of the abyss's corrupting energy.
His body reacted almost instantly. His flesh twisted and mutated, and tentacles began to sprout one after another.
Yet he seemed completely oblivious to these changes. His expression remained resolute, showing not the slightest hint of retreat from the very beginning.
Grinya's heart was a whirlwind of emotions; she didn't know what to say.
She looked at Buze. He was staring intently at the abyss. She had expected him to show disgust or hatred, but she soon realized he wasn't looking at the abyss at all; he was merely reminiscing about something...
She saw a faint, almost imperceptible trace of tenderness on Buze's face. She froze, surprised that the usually fierce Young Master Buze could ever show such an expression. It was unexpectedly jarring.
Buze suddenly spoke softly:
"I love this city dearly. It is everything that birthed and raised me. It is my mother, the source of all my beautiful memories. I love it deeply—every inch of this land and every one of its people. Yiertaya is my entire life, and I will give everything I have for it."
"I am a member of the Kritov family. I have enjoyed wealth, status, and all the praise and flattery that comes with it. I deserve to enjoy those things because the people held me up so high. Therefore, all the responsibility should also be borne by me alone."
"The Kritov family enjoys the glory of Yiertaya, so its blood must also be drained for Yiertaya!"
Grinya had never seen this side of Buze. He was bathed in radiance, his face glowing golden and framed by an ethereal halo, looking like a deity stepped out of a myth. She stared at him blankly, momentarily lost in a daze.
Then, Buze slowly turned his head and looked at her seriously. "You are already being assimilated by the abyss."
A strange light flashed in Grinya's eyes. She hadn't expected Buze to be able to see even that.
"It doesn't matter. I will protect this city with you," she replied dismissively, continuing to put all her strength into closing the abyss.
"You didn't understand what I meant," Buze said.
Grinya paused, looking at him with confusion.
"I said, the responsibility of protecting this land is mine, not yours. There is no need for you to sacrifice yourself for this city," Buze stated.
Grinya's expression turned odd. "Are you telling me to leave?"
"Me being here alone is enough." Buze glanced at the edge of his golden domain, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
Grinya lowered her head. After a brief silence, she let out a cold laugh.
"Buze, you're as arrogant as ever."
"What makes you think this is your responsibility alone? Just because you're a noble, you want everything for yourself? Even a chance to save the world—you aren't willing to let anyone else have it, are you?"
"You really are... selfish!"
Grinya didn't budge, but her cold words struck a chord deep within Buze.
"I'm not leaving this place. Even if I die, I want to die protecting the world, just like you," she said firmly.
The atmosphere fell into a wordless silence, save for the howling wind and the discordant low-frequency noise.
"Grinya!" a shout suddenly came from the distance. Grinya instinctively turned to look.
It was Gexi in her angel form, arriving with Morai. They had actually reached Axi Town slower than Buze.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" Gexi set Morai down and rushed to pull Grinya into a tight embrace, unwilling to let go.
"Gexi, why are you here?" Grinya asked in surprise.
Gexi bit her lip. "You wanted to leave me behind and face a god alone? That's impossible. I won't leave you to face this by yourself!"
Hearing this, Buze turned his head away and chuckled. "So, to put it simply, you're just as selfish as I am."
Grinya was left speechless. Buze was right; they were the same kind of people.
Buze took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He turned to Gexi and said, "Miss Gexi, please take Miss Grinya away. she's reaching her limit."
Gexi looked at Grinya's body, which was already being assimilated by the abyss. Her heart trembled, and she nodded while biting her lip.
Sensing that Gexi was trying to pull her away, Grinya gripped the frame of the gate with all her might and glared at Buze. "Buze, don't go too far!"
"Why must it be you who sacrifices and not me! I'm telling you, your life isn't more noble than ours! We are all Katar people, and we are all willing to sacrifice ourselves for Katar! If you want to be a hero all by yourself, I'm telling you, it's not happening!"
"I absolutely will not leave you here alone. If we're going to die, we'll all die here together!"
Grinya was stubborn—so stubborn that she wouldn't listen to anyone.
Buze replied, "Then I'll tell you this: you cannot die here. Your life still has meaning and value, so you must live!"
"The meaning of my birth was to protect everyone on this land. If someone dies right under my nose, I could never accept that outcome!"
"Then what about your life?" Grinya shot back. "Does your life have no meaning or value?"
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent again.
Gexi and Morai exchanged a look. It was as if they knew something, but they couldn't bring themselves to speak, only lowering their heads in silence.
"Yeah... my life lost its meaning a long time ago," Buze said with an easygoing air.
"The person you see before you is nothing more than an empty shell without a soul. The real Buze is already dead. What you see now is just a lingering obsession."
Grinya's eyes widened in shock, and she froze in place.
She couldn't believe Buze's answer.
But the look of liberation on Buze's face forced her to accept this reality.
Buze looked once more toward the edge of his golden domain.
"When the domain fades, I shall die."
"But until it does, not even a god will step over me."
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