Chapter 271

Herbert had a dream.

Unlike previous dark illusions, this time he clearly knew he was within a dream, and none of his senses were restricted.

But Herbert could not move; he remained fixed in place, observing everything in the dream as an outsider.

In the dream, Herbert found himself in an endless expanse of dark void.

He did not know how long he had stayed, gazing down at the darkness before him.

It seemed that no matter how much time passed, nothing here changed.

Finally, in the endless dark void, an invisible force first appeared.

It flowed like a river through the void, gently stirring the stillness.

Herbert's consciousness was not fully awake, but at that moment, he instinctively knew the name of this force—Time.

And once the void had Time, everything finally began to change.

As Time flowed slowly, a being emerged from this primordial force.

It was a shapeless, hazy shadow, constantly shifting with the passage of Time.

It was the 【Time God】.

His appearance brought no substance, only planting the concept of "change" in the chaotic void.

He was a silent observer, initiating the conceptual beginning of this world.

And just after opening the beginning of all things, he met his own end.

It was not death or downfall—here, the concept of "death" had not yet existed.

The Time God's shadow dissipated.

There was no grand struggle, only a quiet, slow fading into the heavens and earth.

As if he had completed his mission and found rest.

With the Time God's downfall, the power he left behind began to stir the chaos.

Amid swirling vortices of chaos, one place began to coalesce dense matter; the matter gathered more and more, gradually forming a massive lump of earth.

The 【Earth Mother】 slowly awoke from this massive lump.

Shortly after, in the void surrounding the earth, vapor gathered, converging into an endless ocean that clung to the land.

The 【Ocean God】 was born amid the waves.

And as earth and ocean appeared, a powerful force emerged in the void above them.

A mighty wind gathered the air, binding earth and ocean tightly together to form the vast sky.

The 【Sky God】 descended.

Under the combined influence of these three forces, the world began to slowly take shape.

It did not form into a planet, but under immense power became a flat, sprawling continent, like a scroll unrolled across the void.

After the Earth Mother, the Ocean God, and the Sky God stabilized the world's foundational framework, the first ray of light was born in endless darkness.

A colossal sphere slowly rose in the void, its light spilling like golden threads across earth, ocean, and sky.

The 【Sun God】 was born from radiance.

He emitted boundless heat and brilliance, dispelling darkness and bringing life and vitality to the world.

Yet it seemed the Sun God's radiance was too fierce and violent; a second ray of light appeared in the void.

A cool, luminous glow spread outward, and another, smaller orb emerged.

The 【Moon Goddess】 came into being.

Her light also brought illumination to the world, but granted it greater rest.

Hmm.

And as they alternated across the sky, the concepts of "day" and "night" emerged.

New deities were born accordingly.

……

Just as Herbert watched with rapt attention, the "Genesis" before him suddenly vanished.

His vision went black; when he saw again, his perspective had been forcibly shifted—he was no longer the lofty, overhead observer.

Herbert appeared upon that continent.

He hovered in midair, beneath him lay deep seas and vast land, above him stretched the blue sky.

Time had passed unknown lengths; the land now teemed with all manner of plants and animals, the oceans held life, and colossal beasts flew through the sky.

Concepts of seasons, birth, aging, sickness, and death had already taken root…

In the heavens, a colossal sun hung suspended.

That sun was impossibly large, as if it occupied half the sky!

Scorching rays, like dense golden threads, rained down upon every corner of the world.

It was the core of all things; all light radiated outward from it, filling the entire world with brilliance, leaving not a single shadow.

!!!

And as Herbert was awestruck by this magnificent sight, he saw a deity emerge from the sun, radiating ten thousand rays of light.

The deity's form was towering and majestic, as if capable of holding up the entire heavens; each step he took carried boundless power as he walked slowly through the sky.

The world grew even more blinding because of his arrival—even the dark void itself was illuminated by his radiance, and countless stars dimmed before his blazing glory.

He did not descend to the continent, but walked higher into the sky.

In the void before him, a massive black vortex swallowed everything around it while exuding an aura of corruption.

While the deities slowly matured and shaped the world, an unwelcome guest had intruded.

That colossal vortex appeared out of nowhere, shattering the world's peace; like a monstrous beast, it voraciously devoured the surrounding void.

There were unknown deities from other worlds who crossed realms to arrive.

They attempted to vie with the ancient gods for this newly born seedling.

Their power was far stronger than that of most newly born gods.

Except for the one walking toward them.

The Sun God advanced without the slightest fear; wherever He passed, the darkness melted away swiftly like ice and snow meeting the warm sun.

As He advanced,

the vortex hidden beneath the shroud of darkness gradually revealed its true form—a layered continent of unknown depth, constantly shifting.

And upon that continent lay a scene of desolation and evil; all manner of creatures, whose bizarre yet oddly familiar appearances struck Herbert, roamed the land, battling one another.

Some creatures that looked like devils had twisted bodies, sharp claws, and blood-red eyes, letting out blood-curdling roars.

Others looked more like demons, radiating an aura of darkness, flapping enormous wings as they circled in the air, occasionally diving at the suspected devil-like creatures.

Even with the Sun God's arrival, the fighting on both sides did not cease—they still tried to beat each other's brains out, regardless of whose it was, the enemy's or their own.

The entire continent was also laced with lava, its eerie tone a ground of dark crimson.

The Sun God gazed calmly at the land corroded by evil, spread His arms, and released boundless sacred power.

Golden light poured down like falling meteors, surging toward that fallen land.

Under the illumination of the light, those creatures thrashed in agony and let out shrill screams; many evil beings gradually dissolved beneath the sacred purifying force, turning into wisps of black smoke.

His purification campaign seemed to have achieved remarkable results; the greater part of the evil power was purged, and this fallen land seemed to have a chance of rebirth.

But just as things were turning for the better, that otherworldly deity hiding in the shadows—who had allowed the Sun God to ride roughshod over Him—finally struck.

In but an instant, shadow eclipsed the sun.

All the light vanished.

And when the light returned, Herbert witnessed an astonishing sight.

A massive wound had appeared on the sun, a ghastly bloodstain as though fresh blood were flowing from it!

The Sun God had been gravely wounded.

The light He radiated grew dim, His body tottering on the brink of collapse at any moment.

But He still did not depart; instead, He continued to exert every last ounce of strength to radiate light and warmth, striving to purify that fallen land.

Yet everyone knew that if the Sun God persisted in His stubborn course, the final outcome would be nothing less than total annihilation.

And if even the Sun God were to fall, then everything in this world would utterly collapse in the chain reaction following His demise.

At this critical juncture, a deity stepped forward.

The Moon Goddess, the companion goddess born of the same origin as the Sun God, always quiet and gentle, came to the Sun God's side and kicked Him back with a single blow.

The Sun God, already at the absolute limit of weakness, offered no resistance and sank completely into unconsciousness.

Thereafter, the Moon Goddess took over the Sun God's place and voluntarily bore His wounds for Him.

And as the Moon Goddess took over everything, the backlash of power transferred onto Her as well.

It was as though a blood-drenched blade had been driven into Her chest; Her pristine white form was shrouded in blood-red—and thus was born the Blood Moon.

And the otherworldly deity hidden in the shadows did not strike again; no one knew whether He had perished in the battle with the Sun God or had likewise suffered grave wounds and could not show Himself.

But whether alive or dead, that being's condition was certainly not good.

Because soon, the layered continent, no longer sustained by Him, could not maintain its balance in the void and began slowly plummeting toward the continent below!

The gods attempted to intercept, but even the gods' power was utterly insufficient to obstruct that far greater might.

They could only watch helplessly as the two continents collided with the force of an avalanche, booming together.

Herbert watched all of this with his own eyes.

In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color.

The tremendous impact of the two continents' collision unleashed a catastrophic disaster!

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis… every manner of natural calamity descended at once; flames shot skyward, the sea boiled and churned, and the earth split open with rift after rift.

Countless lives vanished in the disaster.

Even the gods perished in great numbers during this catastrophe.

The world seemed to face its destruction.

But… even as destruction unfolded, a miracle was quietly taking shape.

After their violent collision, the two continents did not shatter completely; instead, in a way no one could comprehend, they slowly fused together.

Amidst endless destruction and death, the utmost vitality was born.

The forces of evil and righteousness intertwined, entangled, and contended with one another.

Over the long ages, the two utterly different forces gradually achieved a delicate balance.

As new life was born, Herbert saw the sun once more.

Was that a new sun?

Herbert did not know.

But the sun rose as usual.

Only, the revived sun was no longer as vast as before; most of its power was lost, and it appeared far gentler.

At the same time, it also no longer seemed as pure and stable as before.

Herbert noticed something.

Beneath the dazzling, eye-catching brilliance, that massive, ghastly scar still seemed faintly visible.

That scar was like a pitch-black blemish, standing out jarringly amid the dazzling light.

Before he could think about what this meant, Herbert's vision went black once more.

The perspective shifted again.

This time, he appeared on a battlefield shrouded in blood-colored mist.

Hundreds of agile, radiant war angels stood ready in formation.

Their wings spread wide, each feather glimmering with holy light, gripping sacred weapons as they fixed their gaze upon their enemies.

Before them surged an endless tide of terrifying demons in countless forms, roaring with dread as they charged toward the angels.

Just as the two sides were about to collide, a stirring horn blast rang out from the center of the angelic host.

"Purge them! Let the sun's radiance illuminate this place!"

With that bold cry, fierce battle erupted instantly, the clamor of combat shattering the clouds.

The angels swung their weapons, moving through the enemy ranks like flowing water, their figures flashing like agile lightning.

Wherever they passed, enemies fell, and as the foes died, their power was devoured by the angels, strengthening the angels' already immense might.

Amid the battle, some of the most valiant angels stood out, displaying astonishing power—holding back hundreds alone.

And when they achieved glorious victories, the sun's radiance would descend from the heavens.

That blessing, warm and blazing like sunlight, would fall upon these most outstanding angels, granting them even greater power!

Yet this power came at no small cost.

As the angels continually drew strength from corpses, subtle changes began to occur; their once-pure holy aura started to be tainted by darkness.

At first, the changes were faint—a fleeting strange glance, or a shadow creeping into the holy radiance.

But as time passed, those corrupted angels grew less and less like their former pure, benevolent selves.

Their behavior turned erratic, revealing greed and desire in their slaughter.

And when they finally fell, transforming into fallen angels… their former comrades became enemies to be dealt with first.

All true angels would abandon their current foes and unite to attack the fallen comrade.

It was a cruel civil war, yet a necessary act to defend the light.

Light does not betray!

True radiance does not fall!

All corruption stems from the angels' own failings.

It was their greed that destroyed them—not the sun!

…Really?

As Herbert harbored this thought, his vision darkened once more.

When he opened his eyes again, he stood in another realm.

Before him stretched endless blinding light—but not the Radiant Sanctuary he remembered.

He knew he had not yet awakened.

For in the awakened Radiant Sanctuary, no such angel waited for him.

A tall, agile war angel gazed at him with gentle eyes, offering a faint smile.

A battle horn hung at her waist, her white wings drifting behind her, her eyes glowing with fierce heat, like burning flames.

She wore a blazing battle armor etched with solar war patterns, wielding a spear radiating holy light.

Her beautiful face and heroic bearing merged perfectly, making her beauty and power instantly clear to any observer.

"Luciel," she asked softly, watching Herbert still dazed,

"You have witnessed all the sun god has brought since his birth—tell me, did you see destruction?"

Herbert frowned slightly, thought for a moment, recalled all he had seen, nodded slowly, and said:

"I did see destruction. Innumerable lives perished because of Him; the world nearly slipped into eternal ruin."

In the previous dream, Herbert had indeed witnessed that terrible disaster.

Had the sun god not acted impulsively, had he not chosen to face that otherworldly deity alone, but instead joined other gods in unison, the outcome might not have been the apocalyptic twilight of the gods.

Upon hearing Herbert's answer, Luciel smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

"If so, do you now understand that He has always been an exceedingly dangerous being?"

Herbert did not answer immediately. After a pause, he asked: "So His arrogance and extremism have already committed two great errors?"

This time, he knew of another: the previously mentioned 【Scorching Sun Catastrophe】.

Sun God, you really know how to stir up trouble…

"Not just that."

But Luciel shook her head gently and said: "Not merely two—only these two are known to outsiders."

Herbert fell silent, slowly shaking his head.

Hmm, fine.

This guy is truly terrifying.

Seeing Herbert's silence, Luciel whispered:

"The sun god must not embrace extremes. Each time he does, he inflicts great wounds upon this world, committing unforgivable sins."

"He is wrong."

Luciel stated her conclusion once more: "Where there is light, there is shadow. Beneath radiance, shadow must exist."

She fixed her gaze on the frowning boy before her and whispered: "No matter whether you understand my thoughts now, do not let Him deceive you."

"I do not know what you encountered outside, but you are already tainted with His aura. If this continues, He will inevitably notice you."

Luciel extended her hand toward Herbert and said softly: "Enough. In your dream, let me purge His aura from you completely."

But just before Luciel drew near, Herbert suddenly lifted his head, meeting her eyes: "Do you know? I always thought this was my dream."

"But now I think I was wrong… this seems to be your dream?"

Luciel's motion halted. She froze, stunned.

"Hm?"

In response to his question, the War Angel paused, then shook her head slightly and sighed: "You're wrong. This is your dream."

"Are you sure?"

Herbert raised an eyebrow, scanned her up and down, and asked:

"If this really is my dream, then why are you dressed like this?"

"My dear Fallen Angel Young Lady, why are you in your past appearance?"

Why are you wearing Pinru's clothes?

Lucifer:!!?

…

…

Endless Labyrinth.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Heavy footsteps echoed through the silent cell.

"Hmph! Don't let me catch you!"

Valentina puffed out her cheeks, stomped angrily through every corner, her steps swift and forceful.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Hunger Dragon Young Lady's bright eyes scanned warily in all directions, leaving no corner unexamined for possible hiding spots.

Where is he?

She bit her lower lip tightly, determined to catch that mischievous thing that might suddenly dart out from behind any door.

Damn it!

Herbert, you dare run again!

Valentina was furious.

She had just happened to spot Herbert opening a teleportation gate—she was this close to catching him!

If he'd just cooperated, they could have gone to a secluded corner and enjoyed some intimate time.

But he actually dared to run!?

I won't eat you, so why are you running?

Hmph!

Valentina felt humiliated and let out a furious, venomous grunt.

"How on earth can I find him!!?"

As she pondered, her inner "Sage" offered a hint.

She froze slightly, a flash of delight crossing her eyes, then turned to look at the ordinary-looking door beside her.

It's this door!

If I open this door, I'll find Herbert!

"Hehehe… hehheh, hahaha!" She let out a triumphant, eerie laugh and stormed forward to push the door open.

But just before her hand touched the doorknob, she hesitated visibly, her face twisting with reluctance.

"…"

After a moment of silence, Valentina whispered barely audibly: "Fu Leimei."

She immediately clamped her mouth shut, waiting for the other's response—and more so, hoping she wouldn't appear.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Three seconds passed. No response.

Valentina exhaled in relief and smiled faintly.

Good!

Don't say I didn't call you—you just didn't come yourself…

"You called for me?"

!!?

As Valentina was about to push the door, Fu Leimei's voice suddenly appeared behind her.

Fu Leimei stared at Valentina, who had jerked her hand back from the doorknob like a guilty thief.

She had no idea what the Hunger Dragon Young Lady was acting out.

What are you up to now?

Isn't this just an ordinary cell? What's the point of opening the door?

"…Tch."

Valentina turned to meet Fu Leimei's gaze, pouted, said nothing, and turned to shove the door open.

Creak—

"So, what exactly are you… trying to do?"

As Fu Leimei was about to ask why she'd summoned her, she saw the scene beyond the door—and froze, mouth agape.

Both Valentina and Fu Leimei were stunned, staring blankly at the sight before them.

The man they had both been waiting for now lay peacefully asleep, like an unguarded child, cradled in another woman's arms.

The towering Fallen Angel wrapped both arms around him, one hand gently stroking his back, tender and doting.

Valentina: "?"

Fu Leimei: "???"

What is going on here!?!?

(End of chapter)