The sea of consciousness was calm and still, the silver lake's surface like a mirror.
Two figures stood in the center of the lake, sharing identical faces.
One was like a frozen lake, devoid of any mortal emotional ripples, cold and indifferent.
The other was like a newly forged sword, cold, sharp, wise, and forever in control.
Rationality was thinking.
Like the divinity, he possessed all the memories of the Silver-Crowned God, but he was not just the Silver-Crowned God; he also had his own name—Phoenix.
He quickly accepted his new identity and began performing cold, logical calculations in his mind.
The divinity and rationality locked eyes.
Who would dominate this body was secondary; they now had a far more important matter to discuss.
A matter of survival.
The divinity spoke first: “Creation is not without its costs. Our fall was because of this world's existence.”
Rationality interrupted him: “Be precise. Not ‘us,’ but the Silver-Crowned God.”
The divinity fell silent for a moment before continuing, “This world has been flawed since its inception, because magic elements do not generate spontaneously.”
“Only through the continuous provision of divine power by the Silver-Crowned God can this world function.”
“But the Silver-Crowned God suffered damage to his origin after his great battle with chaos. To maintain the stability of this world, he chose to disintegrate, his divine body dispersing into magic element particles to continue nourishing this world.”
“And his will split into three different attributes, which led to our birth.”
Rationality asked, “So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
The divinity said, “This world is imperfect. It should be destroyed.”
Rationality shook his head. “I disagree.”
“Why do you disagree?” The divinity's voice suddenly rose, instantly sending ripples across the lake. “You should know that returning this world to chaos is the optimal solution for us.”
Rationality raised a hand, and the ripples immediately settled. “Destruction is not the optimal solution. We have seen another possibility, haven't we?”
Countless silver water droplets rose, forming a massive curtain of water that flickered with different scenes.
It was a world without magic, where science took the place of magic, and humans relied on their own wisdom rather than divine power to survive.
Rationality said softly, “Magic is the core of the problem. It is the channel for chaos's erosion, and also the fulcrum that supports the world.”
The divinity frowned. “You mean...”
“Eliminate magic,” Rationality said nonchalantly. “Not destroying the world, but changing its fundamental rules. As long as magic no longer exists, chaos cannot invade.”
The divinity said, “But then this world will also lose its fulcrum.”
Rationality nodded. “That is the problem we must solve.”
“Perhaps you do not know, but the experiment in the City of Steam failed. The rules of that world are not compatible with ours,” the divinity questioned. “What if you cannot find a new fulcrum?”
“A new fulcrum must exist.” Rationality paused, then said solemnly, “Do not doubt my correctness.”
“Of course I do not doubt your correctness. On the contrary, I know better than anyone just how correct you are.” The divinity's voice was cold and cruel. “But the simpler way is to destroy this imperfect world and create a new one.”
Standing opposite him, Rationality spoke in a calm tone that was as sharp as a blade: “Our initial purpose was to create life.”
The divinity added, “To create perfect life.”
“Whether perfect or not, the moment you create them, you should be responsible for them, rather than discarding them at will,” Rationality said with resounding force. “That is what is correct!”
The divinity said, “Do not forget that the will of chaos is still eyeing us greedily. Since we have awakened, he will soon recover as well. Perhaps before you can even find a new fulcrum, he will have already devoured this world.”
The divinity remarked, “Your plan is not perfect.”
Rationality took a step forward. “But it is correct enough.”
They quietly stared at each other, their gaze filled with sparks of tension like drawn swords.
In truth, they did not care much about who would become the dominant will of this body, and they could even accept coexistence—but only if they shared the same stance.
But now, their stances were completely opposed, with no room for compromise.
Simply put: the talks had broken down!
Therefore, they had to fight for control of this body.
The lake's surface suddenly churned, silver waves slicing through the calm like blades.
The divinity abruptly raised a hand, and thousands of silver lights transformed into sharp blades, slashing toward Rationality.
Rationality sidestepped to dodge. The silver blades grazed his figure, carving deep rifts into the lake's surface, but in an instant, the water healed as if it had never been damaged.
Rationality counterattacked, silver radiance condensing into chains that wound toward the divinity's limbs, attempting to bind him.
Silver flames surged around the divinity, shattering the chains inch by inch.
The lake exploded as silver waves shot into the sky, turning into countless sharp shards that rained down upon Rationality like a downpour.
Rationality pressed his hands together, and silver light coalesced into a barrier, blocking all the shards. Then, flickering silver flames similarly erupted around his body as he launched an attack toward the divinity.
The lake boiled completely, silver waves churning like a raging sea.
The figures of the divinity and rationality crossed and clashed amidst the wild tides, and the entire sea of consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse from their struggle.
Yet no matter how fiercely they fought, they could not affect what lay beneath the lake.
The bottom of the lake.
Ning Busan slept quietly.
He curled up in the deepest part of the lake bed, completely unresponsive to everything happening outside. His face was peaceful, and he even wore a faint smile, as if he were having a wonderful dream.
Even if the war between divinity and rationality grew more intense, it could not wake him.
This war could not affect him in the slightest.
This war had nothing to do with him.
Rate on N.U.
