Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three: The New Sun

Under the erosion of time, this tower has long lost its original traces, but even the remnants that remain evoke a sense of grandeur and excellence— a precious artwork that once filled countless beings here with pride.

Yet, this tower that should have risen into the clouds was broken by some immense force, its fallen structure shattered on the ground, some parts having weathered into gravel, while others could still barely be recognized as fragments of the broken tower.

The remaining base, barely a few stories high, has also long since lost its original splendor, the color faded to reveal a decayed, rotten shell, much like this wasteland itself.

If it weren’t for the absence of wind here, this remaining foundation would likely have crumbled long ago.

“……”

After a brief silence, Miss Vilyric walked toward the broken tower.

“Tap, tap, tap, tap…”

The sound of her short boots on the parched earth created a melodious rhythm, becoming the only beat in this silent world, adding a splash of life to the otherwise lifeless expanse.

That crisp sound rippled outward, spreading through the hollow despair of the wasteland, as if long-silent life was finally shining once more…

Awakening some “creatures” that had long ceased to be active.

“Crack…”

A few fragments fell from the surface of an unassuming stone pedestal by the roadside and shattered on the ground.

The girl paused, silently averting her gaze in a nonchalant manner.

“Crack… crack, crack crack…”

More and more stone fragments cascaded down, peeling away from their unadorned shell, revealing what lay inside.

Even with prior anticipation, she couldn’t help but slightly frown.

“…Why is it here?”

The existence sealed within the stone post was indeed a type of creature.

But it couldn’t truly be called a living being.

It was wrapped in a shell-like armor that was impenetrable, densely covered with barbs, horrifying and menacing, standing over two meters tall, where its head bore a chaotic assortment of grotesque compound eyes, while a pair of dragonfly-like translucent wings began to unfold behind it, seemingly granting it the ability to fly.

Miss Vilyric had seen it before.

Once, in some locales at the southernmost part of another continent.

At that time, it was called— the Abyss Beast.

Again, the Abyss Beast.

“…”

But… how could this existence, mistakenly created by the Earth Mother Goddess, appear within this wasteland of the Endless Ruins Sea? It makes no sense.

You see, back when Xi Fu was gradually torn apart by the world’s laws, and the God-Made Beasts were forcefully distorted into monsters that brought destruction and chaos, the original gods had yet to disappear. For them, although the Abyss Beasts were troublesome, they were not considered a true threat. Given that, after Xi Fu was sealed…

…Wait a minute.

Miss Vilyric suddenly recognized a crucial point.

Xi Fu Lin’s memories were stuck at the moment Xi Fu was killed and sealed, but afterward, how the God-Made Beasts were sealed beneath the Abyss, and why this area, once land, now known as the Kingdom of Azure, rose to form tens of thousands of floating islands— these still remain unresolved questions.

And from the situation regarding the Southern Disaster and Phantom Cloud, the awakening times of the fragments of the Earth Mother Goddess were not entirely consistent; there was an unseen force always trying to leverage this divine power to achieve some nefarious ends.

In fact, even now, Xi Fu Lin had not recovered all the fragments of the Earth Mother Goddess’s divine spark; a few had been secretly taken away by those with ill intentions…

Like the nameless book she bought at the perfume auction, containing some divine spark, which still remains unaccounted for.

Could it be… that this is connected to the Abyss Beast appearing here?

“Snap, snap!”

As if responding to the spark of insight in the girl’s heart, the monster that closely resembled the Abyss Beast finally shook off the mud and rocks that had accumulated from standing here for who knows how many hundreds of years, its cold, emotionless compound eyes locking onto the silver-blue gaze of the Priestess, as it stomped heavily on the already dead earth beneath.

“clang!”

Without any exchange, hesitation, or pause, despite not having moved for so long, its fierce eight limbs began to move, striding toward the black-haired girl who was silently observing it!

“Tap, tap, tatatatatatata!”

It picked up speed, eventually taking off in a full sprint, its wings, thin as gossamer, buzzing loudly as they reduced its weight to increase its velocity, transforming into a rapid, dark war machine!

This was a cold machine that existed solely for killing, a merciless walker of destruction’s rule. In the blink of an eye, it reached the black-haired girl, raising its eight gleaming spikes, ready to erase the “life” before it!

“Whoosh!!!”

A golden light streaked through the air, and it was propelled backward at even greater speed, pinned harshly against a distant boulder.

“Sizzle sizzle, sizzle sizzle!”

The giant insect struggled desperately, lacking any vocal organ but scraping its hind legs against the ground in an attempt to regain freedom, to continue its assault. Yet, that brilliant golden spear pierced through its body, embedding deeply within the rock, impossible to shift.

“Crash ~”

White feathers fluttered as the black-haired girl descended gracefully from the sky, expressionless as she gazed at the violently writhing monster before her.

“Even piercing a vital spot, it still can’t seem to inflict a fatal impact… it reminds me of some rather unpleasant memories.”

Not rushing to deal with this creature, which resembled the Abyss Beast, Miss Vilyric quietly turned her head to survey her surroundings.

On the decayed earth, an increasing number of similar figures had gathered around her before she even noticed, and even more began to rise like a dense black cloud from afar, surrounding her completely, sending a chill down her spine.

The numbers were easily in the thousands.

“Heh…”

Gripping her crystalline white staff, the girl smiled wryly.

“I seem to have grasped a bit why this wasteland met its end.”

With no intent of communication, the swarming black shadows dove down like locusts, instantly engulfing her figure.

It seemed that the last flicker of “life” would also be completely extinguished in the tide of destruction.

“Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In the next moment, boundless radiance erupted into the sky like a new sun, golden sword rain swirling around the illuminated girl as she spun soaring through the sky, appearing as a new god descending upon the ravaged world after eons, penning the final lament and redemption for the world’s end.

She hung high above the lightless horizon, transforming into the radiant sun, illuminating the world that had faded away once more.

“After I return, I’ll need to ask Xi Fu Lin to reimburse me for the labor costs.”

As the sword rain fell, it brought ruin to the “destruction.”

   

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