Chapter 317: The Twins' Fated End (62K First Update)

"Aaaah!"

Within the lavishly decorated lord's manor, crimson flesh and blood grew wildly.

Grotesque flesh spread from Stella's serpent tail throughout the entire room, destroying and transforming everything, turning it into a chamber of blood and meat.

And at the center of that chamber, the appearance of Swinney—who had originally been only a single head—rapidly changed.

Several tendrils of flesh pierced into her neck, forming a spine that grew outward wildly; within a few breaths, she had transformed into a brand-new body.

Riiip—

A tentacle of flesh tore down the ornate hanging curtain from the bed, fashioning it into a simple cloak draped over her body.

Swinney's expression was calm as she gazed at her struggling sister, a faint trace of sorrow in her eyes.

She walked slowly to stand before her sister, who was bound and restrained by her own serpent tail, and shook her head: "Stella, stop struggling. It's over."

"... Over?"

And upon hearing those words, the trapped Stella grew even angrier. She glared at the one person who should never have appeared before her, nearly grinding every tooth in her mouth to dust.

"Swinney!!!"

She roared hoarsely, losing all composure, as if staring at a sworn enemy.

"How dare you show yourself before me!"

"You—you tricked me again!"

At this moment, how could she fail to understand how the other had done it?

The other had killed Vilameia, then assumed her appearance to come assassinate her, and then let herself be "killed" and swallowed.

Stella had originally thought "Vilameia" truly foolish—naively believing such a crude assassination plan could possibly succeed.

She had never expected that the naive one was actually herself.

The other had come here deliberately to die.

She should never, ever have swallowed that "foolish assassin" as she normally would to replenish her strength... that was the greatest blunder.

What she had swallowed was not a nourishing corpse of the same bloodline, but a deadly parasitic seed that would seize her body!

Swinney had quietly taken root within her body, absorbing nourishment, then blooming and bearing fruit, taking everything away.

Yes, just like in the past.

She had taken everything from her again!

"My power—no! That power belongs to me!!!"

Stella had indeed obtained power.

She had sacrificed her clansmen, sacrificed the city in which her clan had lived for generations, offered up everything she had!

And after paying such an enormous price, she had indeed obtained power that should have been enough to reverse fate and utterly crush everything.

She was powerful—only half a step away from the Epic realm.

Truly only half a step away!

She was now the most powerful being here, without exception!

It was precisely because of this complacency about her strength that she had been able to arrogantly extend an invitation to Herbert.

Even though she clearly saw that Herbert was deliberately stalling for time, she still paid it no heed.

Stella even felt pleasure and satisfaction at this.

She was like a lazy beast watching cornered prey, maliciously toying with it, watching him struggle with all he had.

But now... she had botched it.

The dying prey had not only found a way to escape, but even reversed the positions between them.

She had become the one about to die.

But Stella still couldn't quite understand.

Why, when her own strength was clearly greater, could the other seize control of that power?

"Swinney! What exactly did you do to me!?"

That power which belonged to her had been taken by the other with the greatest of ease; in the face of that power's ownership, she even felt that she herself was the outsider.

Now, apart from her mouth which could still move, not a single part of her body belonged to her.

Powerless.

At this moment, Stella once again recalled that feeling of helplessness she had experienced countless times in the past.

"Why? Why can I still never defeat you!?"

She had paid so much—had even become a ghoul that gnaws the flesh and blood of her own kin.

"Why!!!?"

And in response to Stella's furious questioning, Swinney, after a moment of silence, shook her head slightly and said softly: "Because you and I were originally one and the same."

"You are me, and I am you."

They were twin sisters, twins who shared everything.

Stella had long had a rough guess in her heart, but after truly hearing the answer, she still couldn't help but stare blankly, murmuring:

"Just because of this? Again because of such an unreasonable reason!?"

"... Puhahaha!"

"Again because of this accursed fate!!!"

She couldn't help but burst into wild laughter, fury blazing in her eyes as she glared at the woman before her.

It was her.

It was she who had taken everything that should have belonged to her.

It was all her fault!

Stella clenched her teeth, forcing a dry voice from her throat: "It's all your fault, it's all because of you…"

In response to her younger sister's accusation, the elder sister actually gave a slight nod.

"I'm sorry, you're right."

"It's all my fault."

Hm?

Stella froze on the spot, staring at Sifanni in disbelief.

"You said… what?"

She admitted it?

That arrogant, haughty creature who had never paid her any attention—actually admitted it?

How could she possibly admit it!

"I'm the one who harmed you; it was all because of me that you became what you are now."

A bitter smile tugged at Sifanni's lips as she sighed softly: "I thought that as long as I left, you could be freed from fate, but I never imagined it would cause you to be targeted by Him."

Him?

Wait!

This was clearly about the Twin Curse—why would Him be mentioned?

Stella sensed something was wrong and asked in a hoarse voice: "You… what exactly are you saying?"

Seeing that Stella still looked lost, the sorrow in Sifanni's eyes deepened as she said softly: "Stella, don't you understand yet?"

"It wasn't because of your talent that He noticed you—it was because of me."

She gazed at her younger sister, who had long since become an evil, mad figure in everyone's eyes yet remained as innocent as she had been as a child, and sighed as she spoke the cruel truth.

"It's precisely because you are my sister that you were targeted by Him…"

Crack!

A tooth, clenched tight, shattered; Stella's emotions completely lost control as she struggled desperately.

"No, you're lying to me!"

Even though her violent struggles caused her body to split open and bleed profusely, she remained oblivious, screaming hoarsely.

"I get it now! You're lying to me again! You're lying to me again, aren't you!?"

At that moment, Stella desperately wished that after her screaming, Sifanni would show a mocking smile and admit she was toying with her.

But Sifanni did not.

She simply looked at her with eyes filled with sorrow and helplessness…

Don't look at me with eyes like that!

You should be looking at me with scorn—that would be right!

No…

This isn't real.

No!

Stella gradually stopped struggling, lowered her head, and pleaded in a mournful voice as if in prayer: "No, it shouldn't be like this, my lord, this isn't real…"

Fate had never been kind to her; only the divine had given her warmth.

But now, was even this favor from the divine a lie as well?

If… if even this favor is a lie, then what do all my years of devotion amount to?

She prayed to the divine, but received no response.

The divine ignored her.

Casting her aside, heartless and cruel.

As though tossing away a piece of tattered rag within easy reach.

After Stella had calmed down somewhat, Sifanni looked toward the black-snake ritual at the center of the field and said slowly:

"Stella, you didn't seek Him out on your own—you were dragged into it by me. Because the one the God of Depraved Desire first set His sights on… was me."

"Back then, an accidental experiment drew His attention to my research."

"The God of Depraved Desire valued my talent and 'generously' offered His aid, bestowing power freely without asking anything in return."

When it came to describing the scene at the time, Sifanni clenched her fist, then slowly and powerlessly released it.

Stella would feel an inability to resist in her presence, and she herself, when facing a god, would likewise feel her own weakness and helplessness.

"Although I knew the God of Depraved Desire harbored strong malice toward me, I couldn't refuse, and could only passively receive forbidden knowledge from Him."

Everyone knows a Miss Xie Shen would never give something for nothing; there must be far more demanded in return.

But even knowing this, what of it?

Before a god, mortals have no right to refuse.

It is the absolute crushing of the weak by a higher existence; those below simply cannot resist, and remaining intact is already a stroke of luck.

After a sigh, Sifanni shook her head again and said softly: "No, I was still too arrogant back then, thinking I could find a way to escape."

"After hesitating, I ultimately accepted that gift and continued my research using the knowledge He had supplemented."

She frankly admitted the mistake she had made back then.

Mortals are foolish, believing they can deceive the divine.

Dancing on the edge of a blade, pulling chestnuts from the fire, attempting to harness a god's power to complete their own research.

"As the research deepened, I gradually sensed something was wrong. He wasn't helping me complete the research, but secretly guiding me toward fulfilling His own purpose—the God of Depraved Desire was attempting to create a perfect vessel for His long-term descent into the mortal world."

The gods of this world spend most of their time within their own divine kingdoms.

Within their own divine kingdoms, where they possess vast divine power, the gods gain what amounts to unlimited mana and unlimited health—nearly equivalent to being invincible.

Even high-tier deities find it difficult to forcibly kill a low-tier deity within the latter's divine realm.

Whenever a battlefield involves a divine realm, ninety-nine percent of the time it becomes a protracted, endless divine war.

Once outside a divine realm, one effectively breaks this golden body—mana depleted is depleted, blood lost is lost, and the risk of sudden demise becomes real.

Thus, except for a handful of wanderers, most deities never lightly leave their own realms.

Even the Sinful Desire God, a demon deity famed for madness, remains holed up in her own divine realm, rarely descending beyond possessing her devotees.

But this demon deity is greedy; she seeks a perfect vessel capable of sustaining her divine descent for the long term.

Thus, she fixated on Sifani, hoping to use her to achieve her goal.

But unexpectedly, Sifani ultimately chose to refuse.

A mortal dared refuse a deity's demand!

"This contradicts my purpose—I only wish to study the limits achievable by flesh and blood, not to create a vessel for divine descent."

Sifani sought a path to godhood forged from flesh itself, not a shortcut using divine gifts to fashion puppets.

"Later, through an opportunity, I betrayed her of my own accord, and found a way to block her gaze."

"Though I lost her aid, I finally gained peace."

Sifani withdrew her cold gaze from the ritual and turned back to her stunned sister.

"You want to know how I came to wield your power? The reason is simple—I once wielded this same power myself."

"Though I never consented, I was once regarded as her divine devotee."

Because she had once possessed this forbidden power, she could easily snatch it from Stilla's grasp.

The power bestowed by a deity never belongs to mortals; whenever the deity wishes, it can be reclaimed at any moment.

"…" Stilla stared at her sister, silent for a long time.

She no longer knew what to say.

Stilla didn't even know whom to hate anymore!

Hate the sister who stole everything from her? Hate the deity who corrupted her? Or hate the cruel fate that tormented her?

She simply stared with dead eyes as her sister stepped closer, raised a hand, and gently cradled her cheek.

"Stilla, I know you hate me—you believe I stole everything from you, and that one day we must kill each other."

"I do not wish to see such an ending."

Sifani whispered softly, revealing a secret she had never shared with another: "In this world, you are my only kin."

An aberrant body—the loneliest existence within any clan.

Born alienated from their own kind, unrecognized, unaccepted.

But by fate's cruel twist, Sifani was given a twin sister.

A half-self sharing the same bloodline, and her only kin.

Though she never voiced it, Sifani always cherished her sister deeply.

"Back then, I cared for no one—only you, I could not bring myself to kill… not you."

She gazed into her sister's eyes, speaking in a voice devoid of emotion, sighing silently.

"When I chose to leave, it was partly to evade the Sinful Desire God's gaze, and partly to escape this fate."

"I thought—if I left, you would gain all you were meant to have."

If our union could only mean mutual destruction, then I choose to abandon everything and step away.

Sifani fled.

Before fate, she bowed her head, surrendered, and gave up all that was rightfully hers.

Yet even with such a lowly retreat, she still could not escape.

In the world of the strong, the weak have no right to choose.

"I never imagined she would not relent, nor that fate would spare us—you and I ended up here, all the same."

Sifani's eyes flickered with bitterness and rage.

After centuries of circling, the sisters still found themselves on a path of mutual slaughter.

"When that child came to the Mist Monastery seeking me, and I sensed her aura, I knew those people had been deliberately let go by you."

At first, after the emissary who had infused the soul into "Grassfish" granted him release, Sifani had already deduced much.

"I realized… you had been corrupted by her, become a puppet under her command."

"And I finally understood—it was my flight that caused this tragedy."

"All of this… is my sin."

Her voice grew quieter, the emotion within it fading, so faint even Stilla, standing right beside her, could not perceive it.

"So, even if I betray others' trust, I returned here…"

"I will end this myself."

In a sense, Sifani betrayed Herbert's trust.

Though in the end she intended to kill Stilla, she never fully revealed her true purpose.

Sifani came here not out of fear that Stilla would seek revenge, but solely to atone for her own sins.

She sought to redeem her sister, corrupted and defiled by the demon deity, and grant her true liberation.

The twin bloodline must end in the hands of twins.

Sifani lowered her gaze, hiding the fury in her eyes, and touched her sister's face—now unrecognizable—gently whispering: "Stilla, stop wandering further into darkness."

"After being tainted by her, you are no longer yourself."

"This nightmare must end."

It is time to end all of this.

After Svanie finished recounting all the causes and consequences, Stilla fell into a long silence.

"…"

Stilla narrowed her eyes, carefully studying her sister—whose eyes held sorrow yet unwavering resolve—as if seeing her truly for the first time in her life.

After a long while, she exhaled wearily, tilting her head back to gaze upward, her vision seeming to pierce through the flesh-and-blood ceiling toward something higher.

With her head tilted back, she murmured: "So… you mean… even though you didn't want to, you still took everything from me?"

Svanie remained silent, then nodded quietly: "If thinking that makes you feel better, then yes… I did."

Even if those actions were never Svanie's intent, to Stilla, she remained a thief.

"…"

Stilla lowered her head, staring at Svanie, and gritted her teeth: "…I hate you."

"I despise you!"

"Svanie, do you know? I hate you more than anyone else!"

She fixed her gaze on her sister and hissed low, flames of fury blazing in her eyes.

This was no pretense to mask emotion—it was genuine anger and hatred.

No matter the truth behind the facts, the suffering she had endured over these centuries was real.

"Mm, I know."

Facing this malice, Svanie nodded calmly, offering a faintly bitter smile.

After letting out her furious scream, Stilla looked at her sister and suddenly laughed, relieved.

"Puh! Hahahaha!"

She laughed freely, not sure whether she mocked her own centuries of futility or cursed this infuriating, damned fate.

Or perhaps, she mocked the arrogant god who believed he could control everything.

At the beginning of the story, twin sisters were born.

They relied on each other.

They despised each other.

They were cursed twins who loathed one another, yet also inseparable halves of the same whole.

Even though their battles never ceased, they had never truly hated each other.

But when did their relationship change?

When did disdain turn to resentment? When did annoyance become jealousy?

When did their bond of dependence turn to murder?

Was it when the younger sister realized her talent fell short of her sister's?

Or when the elder sister became absorbed in her studies and neglected her sister?

Or when the god turned his gaze upon them?

Stilla didn't know.

Looking back now, she simply couldn't accept it—she refused to remain the weak one always protected.

She craved power; she wanted to prove herself.

Even after losing to her sister again and again, she challenged her again and again.

In this process, Stilla gradually lost herself.

She forgot why she did it, lost in the pursuit of power alone.

In the end, she chose to become a follower of Miss Xie Shen.

Svanie blamed herself entirely, believing her retreat had brought about this calamity.

But Stilla knew in her heart: even if the God of Lust had never extended his olive branch, she would still have chosen the path of corruption.

Because this was the path she chose.

Even if she sacrificed her soul, she would gain power.

Greater power—power surpassing all!

"Sister."

After laughing for a while, Stilla's smile faded. She shook her head at Svanie and said slowly: "Leave. Leave this place forever. Never return."

"Go, go…"

Her expression twisted slightly; her urging voice began soft, then quickly grew short and urgent.

"Go!!!"

She stared, murmuring as if in a dream:

"He, He is here…"

Pop.

With a quiet, unremarkable sound, Stilla's body disintegrated into a pool of pus and blood.

The follower of Miss Xie Shen—who had betrayed the former High Mother, turned her own kin into Sacrifices, betrayed her servants, and turned the city into a shrine of the evil god—vanished.

She did not fall in a grand, blazing battle; she simply dissolved, effortlessly, into a pile of rot.

"…"

Svanie was not surprised by this sudden turn; she merely sighed and shook her head.

"Stilla, my sister… goodnight."

"Now… let me handle it."

She knew perfectly well who the hidden hand was—Miss Xie Shen.

That god, obsessed with corrupting mortals, had watched everything—observing the sisters kill each other, savoring their mutual theft.

It deliberately did not interrupt, did not break in halfway to disrupt the show, watching the performance on stage from high above with great satisfaction.

Even though the one who died was a devout god-chosen it had personally selected, it offered no obstruction.

It even secretly added fuel to the fire, completely releasing its hold on the power, savoring this scene of depravity.

It was very pleased.

And now, the tragic drama on stage has come to a perfect end; it is time for the master of the theater to step forward and acknowledge the audience.

*Clap clap clap. *

"Magnificent, truly a magnificent scene!"

The exclamation of praise rang out from the center of the ritual where ten thousand serpents were devouring.

In Herbert's suddenly narrowed gaze, a slender figure with a snake's tail and a human body slowly emerged from the rapidly withering swarm of snakes.

"... Hiss."

It was a snake-person covered in scales from head to toe, its face identical to that of Stella, who had just disintegrated and vanished.

The only difference was the terrifying aura emanating from her.

No longer a legend a mere half-step from epic, but... a genuine, bona fide epic!

Through this super-large blood sacrifice ritual that sacrificed several legends and countless mortals, the God of Depraved Desire used divine power to shape a temporary vessel of epic caliber.

Miss Xie Shen has descended!

(End of this chapter)