I'm Back

Were the Six Hells and the Seven Heavens connected? Yaxiu froze. A flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, connecting all the clues: the Six Hells had only five layers, and the Seven Heavens had only six... The hint the Playwright Poet had given for advancing to God-Leader was: "At the peak of Hell, step onto the floor of Heaven." So that was it. This was the Path of Origin advancement method for a six-winged God-Leader—so extraordinarily difficult, yet so astonishingly simple. But just whose side was that bastard the Playwright Poet on? He appeared to be helping them, but in truth, he was aiding the Void Realm. It would have been better if he hadn't given them that hint at all. Seeing the look of sudden realization on his face, Dead Frenzy guessed that he had deciphered the final secret of the Path of Origin. "So you understand now—they can't sever the Six Hells at all... Not even the Void Realm can sever them, unless you're willing to pay an unimaginable price, though that wouldn't be much different from destroying the world." "But they should have known this too." Yaxiu looked toward the God-Leaders. "They are Lords of Heaven who advanced through the Path of Origin!" "They had no other choice. A single glance into Ouroboros's eyes was enough for them to know they couldn't possibly stop it from destroying Hell. Aside from abandoning Hell, what else could they do?" Dead Frenzy said. "Self-deception is just another name for having no way out. "Besides, what if it actually worked? Even if it only bought a few decades, that would still be enough for them to grow to the pinnacle of sorcerer civilization... though it ultimately wouldn't mean much." Yaxiu looked down into the abyss connecting the four layers of Hell, gazing at the infinite array of colors in its deepest depths. He heard Hell begin to rumble once more, sounding like a monster from beyond the world grinding its teeth against Hell. "How much time do we have left?" "Two months, or perhaps one," Dead Frenzy answered. "Destroying food is much faster than digesting it. "The gamble on which you wagered all your hopes didn't buy you more time; instead, it accelerated the coming of the end. The only thing you've won is dignity. Across all worldlines, yours is the only world that hasn't been devoured by Ouroboros. You will die by the bite of the Serpent of the End with the dignity of sorcerers. No world will have died with more backbone than yours." Though her words were dripping with irony, there was not the slightest trace of mockery in Dead Frenzy's voice. Instead, there was an inexplicable compassion. It was as though she genuinely believed that an end full of dignity was already far from the worst outcome. There weren't that many fairy tales in this world. Sometimes, a story could only choose between a bad ending and an even worse one. Reality was just that cruel. "It can't be like this." Yaxiu slowly shook his head, murmuring in a low voice, "This isn't the ending I want. I even wagered my memories of her. I clearly even—" Dead Frenzy said, "Speaking of which..." "What are you muttering about to yourself?" Fanxing looked toward Yaxiu. "Whose memories did you pay?" "Fanxing!" Yaxiu said earnestly. "We can't sever Hell! We have to right here—" *Thud!* As the final, drum-like heartbeat resounded with a crash, a violent shudder ran through Yaxiu. It felt as though someone had struck him with an open palm, knocking the mad girl hiding within his heart right out of him... or perhaps his soul body had reached its limit, no longer able to imprison the prismatic Demon King whose power far surpassed his own. "Your mind has paid in full," Dead Frenzy's voice rang beside his ear. "The transaction is concluded." Yaxiu was no longer capable of replying to Dead Frenzy. The moment he lost Black Demon, an overwhelming exhaustion crushed his soul. He had anticipated this long ago: forcibly commanding five Kingdoms of Heaven at his level of power was only possible by leveraging Black Demon's fractured personality to strain his cognitive faculties to the absolute limit. When Black Demon was present, no issue was an issue; once Black Demon was gone, every problem erupted all at once... The one truly powerful had been the pilot, Black Demon. Yaxiu had merely been a high-performance machine. And it had to happen right at this moment... His body devoid of strength, Yaxiu plummeted downward. He sensed the God-Leaders instantly lock onto him, as though he were a Lalafell fallen from the sky that anyone could take a bite out of. Forget convincing them—he couldn't even protect himself now... Yet the only one who could reach him was Fanxing, who stood right beside him. Fanxing caught his arm, making it appear as though he were still standing proudly in the sky. She turned toward the four God-Leaders and said calmly, "Go and evacuate the demigods. I will watch Ouroboros." Her tone didn't sound like one addressing rivals, but rather subordinates. It was as though the demigods of Hell and the four God-Leaders would all eventually become her possessions. The four God-Leaders hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to resist, but as the Lord of Joy voluntarily departed, this loose alliance had no choice but to abandon their petty schemes and yield Yaxiu to Fanxing. Yet Yaxiu felt not the slightest panic, nor did Fanxing show any joy at having gotten her wish. "The weak fear consequences; the strong fear causes," Fanxing said calmly. "Earlier, you said that for the sake of the four God-Leaders protecting the world, you were willing to wipe away the grudges between you and them. I, too, am willing to spare you this once because you protected my world. "I never owe anyone, nor do I let anyone owe me. "However, the next time we meet..." Right then, two demigods of Hell rushed to Yaxiu's side, mustering all their courage to surround Fanxing. Fanxing glanced at the two of them, tossed Yaxiu into their arms, and said, "Stay by my side until he returns." Held in Igola's arms, Yaxiu finally felt at ease, his eyelids growing impossibly heavy. He faintly heard Igola say something to him, and then felt a spatial ring slipped onto his finger... *** Yaxiu opened his eyes, his head groggy and heavy. For a while, he couldn't even sit up. The cost of overclocking his mind extended all the way into reality. His soul was probably injured from exhaustion, and something might even be wrong with his brain... It would be best to lop off his head and grow a new brain entirely. Memories gradually surfaced: Ouroboros, Fanxing, Dead Frenzy, the Six Hells, two months or one month... Yaxiu slowly closed his eyes, wishing he hadn't woken up. Compared to the weariness of his soul, the dejection in his heart pulled him down even deeper. He didn't even want to get up. What could he do once he got up? Count how much time he had left? He might as well just sleep for two months straight; then he wouldn't have to worry about anything at all... Yaxiu took a few deep breaths, summoned his willpower, and sat up. Suddenly, he felt something stirring in his arms. Looking down, he saw a little white-haired girl. Seeming to have been awoken by Yaxiu, she let out a lazy whimper, so sleepy she wouldn't even open her eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him back down onto the bed and whispered softly, "You're back?" Just like when he had been held by Igola, looking at the little white-haired girl in his arms filled Yaxiu with an inexplicable sense of peace and responsibility. With her dazed, sleepy greeting, the gloom that had shrouded his heart quietly melted away. The world was in imminent peril, but at least right now, he had something more important to do. Yaxiu ruffled her little head and answered briskly, "I'm back."