Chapter 152: The End of All Things

It was as if a play that had accompanied everyone's fantasies was finally reaching its end.

The twelfth bombardment was complete.

This was a matter of course.

Everyone had already steeled themselves to sacrifice a large portion of the world; although the light of the twelfth bombardment was still filled with a beautiful sense of self-destruction, it no longer had any way to snatch away the souls of the Salvation Army.

Having witnessed the sacrifice of the Chaos Gods and realized that the miracles of the Subspace would vanish forever, all members of the Salvation Army had already reached this realization. Of course, from a probabilistic standpoint, it was impossible; perhaps it was because of the cause brought about by that world-ending ritual that everyone regarded them as the savior.

The moment time stopped, the twelfth round of radiance shone in the distance, and the shrieks of countless spires and intelligent creatures dying composed the most tragic scene for the planet. People were clear that within this radiance and vibration, it was likely that over thirty billion souls had vanished into the light. And more—perhaps the vast majority of living beings—had their souls damaged.

The Subspace began to dry up, the world began to wither, and everything was developing in the direction of the most silent and terrifying outcome. The moment they saw Li Ang, people realized there was no longer any path of retreat to speak of.

That was the incarnation of destruction, the original sin piled up by countless intelligent creatures over tens of thousands of years.

But what of it?

"I admire your shamelessness, Salvation Army."

Amidst the flowing time, bathed in the brilliant light of destruction, the radiant god opened his arms to the crowd, his spiraling eyes, which signified destruction, filled with a certain mocking smile.

The Veil before him was an existence that surpassed the imagination of the Salvation Army. It was the final wreckage of the Subspace. What they had to face was the manifestation of their own souls, the appearance of the essence that ultimately craved all destruction. From beginning to end, the Salvation Army realized this point; from beginning to end, it was impossible for them to break this barrier. Because that golden Veil was themselves; they themselves were craving the arrival of such dazzling destruction.

Feeling anger when watching news of social injustice, feeling sorrow when watching their once-steadfast companions completely descend into depravity. When facing the abominable things done by incompetent scum who bullied the weak, people would even sometimes be unable to help but think, if only this world would be destroyed.

And those lights were those "ifs." They were the things they prayed to obtain, the mixture of their longing for a world of Great Harmony, for absolute beauty, and the sorrow they could never reach.

These thoughts, which were the most beautiful ideas for the world, eventually mixed into the world's deepest curse.

"I wish this world would just be destroyed."

Countless voices, including their own, were saying exactly this.

The sound of weapons dropping "clattered" into one, and everyone looked at the golden Veil with sorrow; these intelligent creatures with souls could instinctively realize this point.

Those were their own thoughts. As long as one had a soul, as long as a soul still existed within one's own mind, one could realize it. Those were their own thoughts and wishes. Everyone's, every individual's; they simply could not do the thing of deceiving themselves.

Even if the most strong-willed people shouted loudly at those around them, constantly repeating the sacrifices and efforts of others, most people just had tears in their eyes, looking at the golden, disintegrating Subspace, feeling a warmth of becoming one. They were originally one thought, only some people thought it was their own decision, while others thought it was someone else's decision. But the thought itself would not change.

This was the resonance of the soul, which even hindered the pace of their rationality.

"You are so seeking destruction and self-destruction, yet you clearly think this way in every one of your hearts. You resent why the world has become like this, hate why there are so many treacherous villains and useless trash, and many of you even wish you could personally annihilate this world completely."

"But now, you stand before me. You sacrificed the Chaos Gods, you sacrificed all souls and freedom, but what did you get in exchange in the end?"

"You only hoped for the world to die by your own hands! What can you do now? Hmm?"

Behind the golden wreckage of the Subspace, Li Ang laughed wildly, watching the sky that had become fragmented as the twelfth beam of light dissipated, where one could vaguely see some deeper darkness, and stretched out his palm, the expression on his face gradually becoming fanatical.

"Soon, it won't even take long, and I will be able to see it. The cage of this world will be broken sooner or later, and people will not be bound by the interference of the soul. We will finally be able to obtain complete freedom!"

"Look at these people! Look at yourselves! You claim to have self-awareness, you think you are standing on the correct side, but what is the result? Facing such thinking, facing such reality, what can you do? After the resonance in your souls, you cannot even swing your blades. Because your souls are controlling your bodies, you cannot do anything that goes against your own instincts."

"So it is almost over, whether it is this world or your lives. The Thirteenth Impact has already branded the souls of everyone in the world. And thanks to the sacrifice of the Chaos Four Gods, I can soon directly trigger the Thirteenth Impact. By then, I will be able to—"

Suddenly, at the moment of completion, at the moment the God of Destruction was laughing wildly, an inconspicuous figure walked silently out from the remnants of Li Ang's guard.

Immediately following, under the surprised gazes of everyone, a sharp blade pierced through Li Ang's chest.

A pale green magic crystal, a dagger made of Warpstone, was releasing a dazzling green light, constantly destroying the integrity of Li Ang's body structure. These most precious treasures from the Underground Kingdom were forged into a dagger that absolutely destroyed the ritual, completely breaking this node of fate.

And looking at the dagger overflowing with green light in his chest, which was gradually destroying the ritual and letting the sense of destiny fade away, Li Ang spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to look behind him.

"Orivien... why is this... why would you betray me..."

"This is my answer."

The cold Phoenix King replied as such, twisting the dagger that represented destruction twice in the heart.

"The soul is indeed the master of our bodies, but we do not need a world that is completely extinguished. What we have exchanged for is the hope of life. No matter how much of a price we pay, we can break free from the shackles, but death will have no result."

"... Is that so?"

Li Ang looked at the dagger in his chest, muttering to himself with unfocused eyes.

Under the surprised gaze of everyone, the Phoenix King coldly stabbed the dagger deep into the chest of this god of destruction, letting the shattered green light pierce his heart and drive into the sacred place.

And Li Ang looked at this shattered light, and the ritual of destruction swirling around his body also gradually shattered. The golden Veil and ribbons snapped inch by inch, and countless golden flags slid down from the sky. It was as if everything had begun to contract and end; he just staggered to the edge of the Giant Tower.

As if the final node of a stage play had arrived, facing his own shattered sky and the dissipating destiny around him, Li Ang took a deep breath and stood up straight, enduring the excruciating pain. He looked at the Salvation Army, who had been watching like they were viewing a cutscene the whole time and had not made any moves, and a strange smile appeared on his face. The expression seemed to be certain that this world would sooner or later be as he wished. "You will not succeed... even if I fail now, there will be a later me. The destruction of the world is an inevitable result; as long as there is a breath of soul remaining, I will pursue it forever."

A twisted smile appeared on Li Ang's face, and he then fell backward.

In the twenty-thousand-meter freefall, people seemed to see the monster's final smile.

This final performance seemed to still indicate that the struggle between intelligent creatures and the essence of the soul would never have a day of ending. Everyone would welcome their own destined death as if it were fated.

"I am waiting for you."

"..."

"..."

Is it over? Standing on the highest platform blowing in the cold wind, everyone looked at this scene in a daze, unable to believe their eyes, and even more unable to believe that this scene was real.

They were not fools, and the intelligence of everyone in the Salvation Army was at a standard level. Facing such a scene that was rich in déjà vu and had appeared in almost every major film, television drama, and stage play, people just watched it all in silence. There were no ribbons of destruction in the sky, and the ritual on the ground was no longer running. It seemed that everything was developing in a good direction, and it seemed as if everything was already over.

But is the real ending really that simple? The Phoenix King Orivien backstabbed the god of destruction to death and then announced that the era of Human had arrived! Everyone can rest assured and happily do whatever they want! Is the result really that simple? Sacrificing so many people, paying so much, just that simple? People watched everything before them in silence, until suddenly a voice broke all the silence.

"The god of destruction has been killed! We won!"

A white figure darted out from the crowd, rushed to the platform under the gaze of everyone, cheering and shouting.

"The god of destruction has been killed! Our planet has been saved! Everyone look! The ritual in the sky and the energy on the ground have all faded! This is our victory!"

"..."

"Hmm? Why aren't you cheering along? You have already killed the god of destruction, isn't it worth being happy about?"

"..."

Silence.

A strange kind of silence.

Facing this silence, the familiar figure who had rushed out first to shout seemed to become a bit embarrassed, lowered their head and coughed, then took off their hood. Looking at the countless people in front, they revealed a kind smile.

"Let me introduce myself, I am the god of rebirth. On the opposite side of infinite destruction, there will also be the hope of survival. Do you know? Gods are always two-sided. When you kill or expel one of them, the other side will naturally flip and appear. Li Ang of destruction is dead, so Li Ang of rebirth has appeared."

"..."

"Disgusting, isn't it? Magic is just that kind of thing. It doesn't care about logic, only about a sense of ritual and mood. And the god of regeneration, Li Ang, has decided to bestow his grace upon you. That is the right to be revived amidst destruction."

"..."

"By the way, even if you successfully dismantled the Antarctic Giant Tower, it would be of no use at all. This thing is essentially a spire used to coordinate the internal energy and mental state of the Old World; simply put, it is a safety fuse. I have thirteen such safety fuses in the Arctic. So, your strategic target was wrong from the very beginning. Though, I can't really blame you; after all, it was I who leaked the information to the players."

"..."

"Why is there no reaction at all? If there's no reaction, wouldn't that make me look very awkward? Come on, Orivien, why don't you say what you're thinking? Everyone, give me some reaction! This is a play I directed with great care; you have to give me some feedback after watching it, right? Is it good or is it bad?"

"... It is so awkward that I cannot comment."

"Hmm, alright, it is my first time rehearsing anyway, so it's normal for my craft to be poor."

Facing the stiff reply given by Orivien's cold expression, Li Ang shrugged his shoulders with some helplessness.

"But it doesn't matter, as long as the result is good. In short, everyone has defeated the god of destruction, Li Ang, but Li Ang is not a god of destruction; he is just an ordinary person. So, the current result is very simple."

"All rituals and energy have been dissolved and absorbed, because the final impact is already beginning to take place. Everyone's energy, fate, cognition, consciousness, and whatever other messy things, are all being stored over at the Arctic now. In a few minutes, the final sorting will begin, and you will also see the arrival of Doomsday."

"Come and take a look, the scene of the end of the world. It should be a very beautiful and rare thing for you."

"See what kind of picture your final efforts will complete."

Facing the Salvation Army members who were frozen in place, their eyes having completely lost their vitality, Li Ang ran back and forth with a grin, shaping the fluid ground into various chairs and benches to let them sit down.

"Only today have I become a qualified ruler. Look, I can already announce the death penalty for all of you without changing my expression. It's as if I am the one on the side of justice. This is truly the growth I hate the most... Oh, right, if my plan succeeds completely, I will resurrect you all when the time comes. Rest assured."

"Then, the Thirteenth Impact, begins now."

Sitting in the foremost position facing the Arctic, Li Ang smiled and snapped his fingers.

(End of chapter)