Chapter 1100: Weng Faluosi 3.1 (146)

Wandi also found an excuse to leave first; looking at his lonely back, Bai'e couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

"Teacher Tibao, since just now you've also looked deep in thought—did Tining bring any news?"

"Hmm… she found Tian." Tibao lowered her head sadly, "... in the ravine outside the hall. Too bad, it's bad news."

A feeling of indescribable grief welled up, and Bai'e didn't know how to console her: "... Please accept my condolences."

"It's fine. Besides Tian, another person was found at the scene…… When Tining and Fengjin arrived, that person was already as good as a corpse. He endured countless cuts, then leapt down a ten‑thousand‑foot cliff, forcibly dragging Tian's body away from the black‑clad swordsman's clutches."

Bai'e was instantly astonished: "There's still such a warrior? Can you identify who he is?"

"It's… Kelatus."

——

Harry Potter.

"Kelatus?"

Hermione's motion of flipping a book paused slightly, she lifted her face with an expression of disbelief. For a moment she doubted she had heard wrong, until seeing the same shock written on the faces of the two beside her, she then closed the potion book in her hands.

"Did he also go to the Hall of Fate's Three Phases? Is he trying to protect Tian?"

"This… it's a bit hard to picture that scene, doesn't he dislike those demigods very much?" Ron fiddled with the feather pen in his hand, keeping it balanced on his fingertip like a scale. He very much wanted to also put the words "Kelatus" and "protect" on the same side of the scale, to see if they could balance. A person from Xuanfengcheng actively protecting a demigod he once hated is indeed remarkable.

"It seems he wanted to protect Tian—could it be that after the Hundred Worlds Gate was flung open, Tian actually didn't die? She's still alive! Kelatus couldn't bear to see her die at the hands of the Fire Thieves, so he stepped forward to shield her." Ron continued speculating.

"No, by then it was already too late. Tian had exhausted all her strength; even if the Fire Thieves didn't lift a hand, she couldn't hold on. In fact, Kelatus gave his life to protect Tian's corpse…" Harry lowered his head, somewhat regretfully, "I never imagined that the Xuanfeng people who once held Tining's life as leverage would willingly sacrifice their lives to protect Tian."

Ron also felt sorry for him: "Ah… I hope Wandi can give his teacher a proper burial. Although he did some foolish things before, well… at the end of his life he died like a hero, worthy of Xuanfengcheng's perpetual champion."

——

"Before that, in the Hall of Fate's Three Phases."

"——Stop!"

Facing the lifeless girl lying on the ground, Kelatus resolutely rushed to her side, holding up his round shield to protect her body from behind.

The Fire Thief coldly stared at him and let out a disdainful snort.

"If you want to take this girl's life, first step over my corpse!"

"Laughable… a mere flesh‑and‑body, able to withstand even a single strike?"

Even with only a shield as a weapon, Kelatus's aged face showed no fear; he puffed out his chest: "'Better to die in battle than to return in disgrace'—I was born a Xuanfeng person; when have I ever feared death?"

The Fire Thief's gaze pierced through him to the fallen Tian on the ground: "An empty shell stripped of divine power holds no interest for me… but answer me, Child of Strife, why do you raise a shield for her?"

"Hmph…" Kelatus snorted coldly, "As the chief champion of the God Shield Brigade, I once bore this round shield, escorting the king before the Black Tide countless times… you miserable butcher, how could you possibly understand its weight?"

Regarding Kelatus's remarks, the Fire Thief's face hidden behind the monster mask showed no expression; only, his hoarse voice seemed to carry a faint hint of regret: "What a pity."

"Then let you crumble like rusted iron."

"How I wish! Let me enjoy the descendants' libations and incense, bask in supreme glory!" Kelatus shouted loudly, "——Come on! For Xuanfeng, for my king… for Weng Faluosi!"

——

Dungeon Meals.

"In the end, Kelatus seemed to have endured countless cuts, then he embraced Tian's corpse and leapt off the cliff… truly remarkable."

Marcille clenched her staff, a bead of cold sweat sliding down her forehead. "From a mortal's perspective, being able to face the Fire Thief head‑on without being instantly killed already says a lot about his combat prowess. No wonder he's a Xuanfeng person…"

"But I think the Fire Thief held back." Chilchuck said, "You know the Fire Thief alone can suppress Star and Bai'e and the others; if it weren't for Wandi's sudden appearance, this trap against the Fire Thief would never work. Do you think if he really went all out, Kelatus could last three rounds?"

"But the strange part is right here…" Marcille gazed up at the Fire Thief's silhouette against the sky, "... if the Fire Thief held back, why would he do that? Surely a demon that commands the Black Tide, annexes myriad nations, and brings suffering to the people of Weng Faluosi wouldn't suddenly start preaching 'mercy' when faced with a veteran Xuanfeng warrior? Or perhaps he was moved by Kelatus's words and decided to show mercy."

That is a truly terrifying answer.

Laios also gradually came to realize, he finally understood: if the Fire Thief were a person possessing a 'merciful heart', then it might not be an absolutely evil being who does nothing but evil. Slaying the Titans and stealing the fire seed were likely done under compulsion. Just whether he was deceived or forced… that remains unknown.

"It feels as the Fire Thief's death leaves Weng Faluosi with even more mysteries." Marcille let out a soft sigh, "... but that's also good; although he died with many secrets, at least from now on no Golden Descendant will die because of him."

——

"Time returns to the present."

Inside the Cloud‑Top Heavenly Palace, everyone's eyelids drooped, their expressions grave.

"We had already foreseen the cruelty of parting a thousand years ago; today we merely tasted it once more." Aglaea lifted her head, gazing at the red stuffed doll placed on the table; since Tian's departure, her body has taken this form.

"But Lady Aglaea… I don't understand, what dragged Tian down isn't life…" Fengjin gave the tabletop a puzzled look, "She seems… to have really turned into a doll?"