Return! Destiny Descends Here!

"......" The voice fell silent for a long time. Just as Bai Zhou was wondering whether it had vanished— A thunderous boom ripped through the sky. The deathly stillness of the heavens was torn asunder. From the inverted megalopolis hanging high above, a pillar of light plunged straight down toward the blighted wasteland. A shadow descended from the sky. Then, an immense sandstorm rose from the horizon, sweeping up turbid waves of dust that surged into the air with magnificent momentum. "What is that...?" Bai Zhou's eyes widened as he stared at the sandstorm billowing on the horizon. Yet he soon froze in his tracks, his scalp prickling with numbness. Amidst the echoing clatter of hooves, a towering skeletal pegasus with bony wings tore through the sky. Its hooves sent ripples through the empty air, emerald-green flames burned within its eye sockets, and astride its back sat an undead general clad in rotted armor. The general's skeletal visage was hideous beyond measure. A war banner fluttered behind him, followed closely by a horde of over a thousand galloping undead warriors. The dark, pressing army marched across the sky, their rumble echoing like rolling thunder. Thousands of steeds and soldiers blotted out the heavens, resembling an ominous cloud of white bone and death. —What sandstorm? Swept along by that crushing aura was none other than an army of thousands charging forward! "Where did an undead army come from?!" Beneath the blood moon, the terrifying monsters swarmed like flies across the sky of the ruined wasteland. They barreled toward him with ferocious malice. The sheer horror of the spectacle forced a sharp breath from Bai Zhou, cold sweat soaking his clothes in an instant. For a moment, he did not even know which way to flee. —What did it feel like to stand alone on a wasteland, watching a cavalry legion thunder straight at you? —And what if that cavalry legion rode flying winged pegasi? Bai Zhou frantically calculated the approximate time that had elapsed since his arrival. If he remembered correctly, it should be soon... Suddenly, Bai Zhou frowned and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Then, his head felt as if it were about to burst. —Wait, that wasn't an army of thousands! It was the undead general riding the skeletal pegasus, holding a long whip in his hand. The whip extended infinitely, twisting like a monstrous serpent, piercing the chests of over a thousand desiccated corpses and skewering them all in a single row like candied hawthorns on a skewer. Their limbs were stiff and their expressions frozen. Strung together and dragged through the sky by the whip, they resembled dolls hung on a line to dry. Right now, they bobbed and swayed with every move the general made, their armor clinking and clattering, making them look at first glance like a marching host. Yet from time to time, broken weapons and bits of bone crumbled loose, showering a brief "rain of bone" wherever they passed. And so he flew grandly across the sky, dragging more than a thousand withered corpses behind him. "Hear my command!" "All forces, halt!!" The undead general issued his orders with grandiose theatricality, as if oblivious to the fact that behind him trailed only a thousand lifeless cadavers. "Whoa—" He pulled his warhorse to a proud halt, his back straight as a ramrod, looking for all the world as though a true army of thousands stood at his back. Then, he raised the saber in his hand and pointed it toward Bai Zhou from afar. The raspy, low voice belonged unmistakably to the one who had spoken just moments ago. Yet he chose to deliver it in a booming, heroic tone that clashed horribly with that rasp, sounding thoroughly awkward and jarring— "Young general approaching, will you declare your name?" The good news: there was no army of thousands. The bad news: a monster far more terrifying than an army had just come charging down. And its mind seemed completely deranged! ...Yet the moment Bai Zhou laid eyes on this creature, two questions that had been lingering in his mind were instantly answered. He had always wondered why there were only suits of armor left on this ancient battlefield, with hardly any corpses in sight. Looking now, every single one was skewered onto this general's whip. What kind of bizarre hobby was that? It was impossible to imagine how long it had taken him to gather all these bodies. Even less imaginable was the grotesque spectacle of him dragging this enormous string of withered skeletons every single day, flying from sky to ground and back again, thundering across the heavens back and forth. —As for the second puzzle, it was the final piece of the corpse pit's last wishes. He finally knew where that missing piece was. —Because, hovering directly above this unhinged undead general's head, was a crimson final wish that Bai Zhou knew all too well: [Grant me rest!] This final wish was identical to the dozen or so he had seen in the corpse pit—a perfect match. Yet the one above the general's head was redder, brighter, and bordered on ink-black... as though it were the culmination of a thousand wishes combined. "Fool who digs the earth." "I acknowledge your character, and I acknowledge your presence." Seeing Bai Zhou remain silent, the undead general simply dismounted and drifted slowly down through the air toward him, saber in hand. Sweat beaded more heavily on Bai Zhou's brow as he retreated step after step. So you can fly even without the horse? Walking on thin air, really...? The undead general raised his blade toward the sky and declared in a low, gravelly rasp: "Surely, you must be the one I have been waiting for." "—And surely, you must have come seeking me as well?" "Come! Defeat me! Let my bones serve as the altar for your ascension!" "And... grant me release!" At last, he solemnly proclaimed the true purpose of his arrival. As he uttered those words, the crimson last wish above his head flickered violently. This was a formal prayer offered by the deceased. So long as it was fulfilled, that line of script would shatter. In fact, even the dozen or so wishes he had buried would shatter alongside it. When that time came, Bai Zhou would receive an unimaginably lavish reward in a single stroke. However... "Me? Defeat you?" Bai Zhou blinked his clear eyes. Who came looking for you? I don't even know who you are, brother... Did this freak who dropped out of nowhere even know what it was saying? Even Laia, a little girl who could only "glow," had become celebrated in later ages as the Goddess of Light. Just what kind of terrifying background must a monster like this have had...? In the undead general's grip, the gleaming saber traced an arc across the gloomy night sky, shimmering with strange violet-gold radiance. A purple gemstone embedded in the pommel ceaselessly fed a stream of translucent violet light into the blade. —It practically screamed "Extraordinary Weapon" right in anyone's face! And it was a saber! A bench leg, a mechanical spear-gun cobbled together from scrap metal, and a broken banner pole... This was the first time Bai Zhou had ever seen an Extraordinary weapon in the form of a blade, aside from Crow's! It looked extraordinarily formidable. Unfortunately... he couldn't take it. Because this terrifying thing was about to be used to lop off his own head... A chill ran down Bai Zhou's neck, colder than the day he had first seen a portrait of Louis XVI. "I have to say, those two black sockets of yours have definitely mistaken me for someone else." Bai Zhou shrank his neck and waved his hands repeatedly. Yet the undead general heard nothing and saw nothing. One had to wonder whether that crazed skull possessed functioning eyes and ears at all; perhaps those hollow cavities were only meant for venting hot air, for how else could he carry on talking entirely to himself— "Come! A fair duel!" "I shall not permit the thousands of soldiers behind me to intervene." "As for you, display all your might!" A terrifying aura rippled out in all directions from the undead general, making the gravel on the ground shudder on its own as eerie green light surged straight into the sky from his frame. Compared to Bai Zhou standing on the ground with his spear-gun and short rod, they seemed to belong to two entirely different worlds. Yet the general simply confronted him from across the empty air. "Strike! You first." Lowering his blade at an angle, he spoke thus. Talking about fairness... Anyone listening would genuinely think you had an army to command. Bai Zhou couldn't see a single shred of fairness in this, and he grumbled endlessly in his heart. Utterly fair indeed. As long as it was one-on-one, it was deemed fair, while not a single word was spared for the massive chasm in their power. He felt that this skeleton had immersed itself so deeply in playing the grand general that it could no longer break free. —An arrogant, self-absorbed lunatic of a general, who practically embodied the textbook villain practically begging to be beheaded. Yet on the surface, Bai Zhou could only face the undead warrior with an expressionless gaze, playing along with his little game. Just stall for time; it was almost here... Fortunately, the undead general insisted on waiting for him to strike first... which gave Bai Zhou his chance. —So long as Bai Zhou made no move, the other party would wait for him in the short term. During this window, Bai Zhou was temporarily safe. Gripping his weapon tightly, Bai Zhou wore a solemn expression, as though pondering the opportune moment to attack. In reality, his nerves were frayed and his muscles were taut, stalling for every precious second. Three seconds later, Bai Zhou finally got what he was waiting for... Dong— High above, in the inverted megalopolis of the sky. Just like last time, at precisely 36:00, a thousand bells chimed in unison. His goal of stalling for time was achieved at this very moment. [Zhuluoji Pass], activate! In the next instant, time seemed to freeze. Cradling the lovely wooden horse in his arms, Bai Zhou let out a long breath. "See you next time!" He waved at the undead general, who remained frozen in place with a bewildered expression. Time to slip away! In the blink of an eye, golden radiance swallowed him whole. The scene before his eyes shifted abruptly. His surroundings transformed back into the warm, familiar dormitory. The familiar, reassuring scent of coffee mingled with the faint aroma of tangerines, greeting his senses. Crow approached, her pupils widening slightly. Those ruby-like eyes reflected the disheveled silhouette of the youth in tattered clothing. Even the shirt beneath his jacket was half-missing, lost to who knew what. ...At first glance, Bai Zhou looked utterly pitiful, like someone who had just returned from scavenging in a junkyard. Yet Crow remembered clearly— Bai Zhou had taken only his mechanical spear-gun when entering the Reflected Ruin Realm. Upon his return, he carried a strange little wooden horse in his arms, and an extra short rod in his left hand. Though they resembled two comical props suited for circus magic tricks, Crow detected an unusual scent upon them. Mystical items...? Furthermore, even Bai Zhou himself seemed to have undergone some indescribable, wondrous transformation. —Had he truly ventured into the Reflected Ruin Realm and found a way to deal with Adjutant Han? —Could someone really obtain whatever they wished for just by wanting it? Her earlier words urging Bai Zhou to abandon his delusions still echoed in her ears, yet now... Crow's ears burned hot. Hotter than the first time she had touched fire as an Extraordinary. She did not understand. She was intensely curious. "You..." Crow looked Bai Zhou up and down, shaking her head every so often, and said with profound uncertainty: "Did you go restocking wholesale?" Then, met with Bai Zhou's innocent, clear gaze, Crow sighed. She finally realized she had to admit... She, who was nominally supposed to be blessed by fate as a Destined, might be an impostor. "And you... you are the true Destined, Bai Zhou." ...Did the ritual to convert romantic luck into career luck really work this well? Maybe I should try it next time too? Crow pondered suspiciously. Yet because of this, she also gained confidence in Bai Zhou for tomorrow night. To make two trips to the Reflected Ruin Realm and bring back two bountiful harvests. Such a thing... was unheard of. Perhaps Bai Zhou's desire for vengeance had earned an answer from destiny. —Yet what could prove the point better than this? Destiny had descended upon this place. Those favored by fate were invincible. Crow felt... —Perhaps, this time, luck truly was on Bai Zhou's side.