by Feng Yue
The last bit of the illusion was cut off.
“Teacher,” he said, “I want… to kill you.”
“Good.” Abraham nodded approvingly. “Come on, Charles! This is your graduation ceremony.”
…
The iron light rushed forward.
A flood of mercury swept out.
A terrible force like a Silver Tide once again manifested. It was not a terrible wave that would destroy the world, but a sturdy iron light that gathered in his hands. A burning light flowed under Abraham’s skin, igniting him and turning him into an inhuman. He truly became a purple-eyed griffin, once again turning into the catastrophe teacher who could destroy everything.
Even if the enemy before him was his child.
A huge array that had never been seen before was engraved on his chest.
Inscribed in the format of the Silver Tide and interpreted through the interpretation method, the Church had modeled it after the Net of Aether and had awakened the artifact implanted within him.
A heavy ion emission generator.
It was a precious relic from the Age of Dark, the only surviving weapon from that world, created purely for killing and destruction. It was a monster that would leave not even ash in the world in order to destroy its enemy.
When it started up, the iron light that burned in his hands soared up, gathered into a narrow bundle, and was contained in an invisible force field.
Obviously, killing was something both ugly and despicable, but at that moment, the light was so brilliant that one could not even look at it directly!
It was aether that had been accelerated to the speed of light, wrapped in the torrent of ions that remained after matter had been broken down as much as possible. It was not limited to the shallow physical world. It broke free of its restrictions under the support of the aether and rushed out from the higher dimensions to completely destroy all music theory.
This was the only weapon that could threaten the Holy Cauldron. Before it, even the Three Pillar God and the Three Wise Men would be as fragile as bubbles.
In the past, the Kings of Red had removed the weapons sealed away in the arsenal in order to prevent humans from destroying themselves in their struggles. Now they had once again appeared in the world.
A weapon strong enough to kill a god was now held by a man strong enough to kill a god.
He would completely destroy the coming god!
Charles closed his eyes.
The illusion of Eden reappeared behind him, and countless elements emerged from the Kingdom of Heaven. Numerous movements flashed out from the illusion. Both the secret inherited movements of the Three Kings and music theory whose inheritance had been cut off in the past quickly rose from the realm of aether according to his will and quickly dissipated.
In the end, there was only one line left.
It was a melody that had been inherited from the King of Yellow, a movement that originally no one besides Ye Qingxuan had been able to master, the core music theory of the Requiem.
Day of God’s Fury!
A crystal sword full of pure killing intent grew from Charles’s hand. He held it and it seemed as if all the light in the world was gathered there.
But the blade was no longer transparent. It had become dark.
The Abyss was contained within it.
The unparalleled power of the King of Yellow’s authority was coming.
The terrible wave that it formed swept out across the entire world. Even far away in the Sacred City, they could observe a terrifying radiance like a star exploding.
The blades collided.
The ripples from the aftermath tore the sky apart.
The string of gravity was broken, and the ground collapsed without it. Countless sandstones detached from the shaking plate and rose towards the sky, dancing in the mourning melody, burning, and finally turning into a rain of fire that fell back towards the earth.
It was as if the day of judgment described in the Holy Bible had come.
As a result, Charles was pressed hard.
He had been put into a weak position by the person who understood him best.
The weapon for killing the gods did not disappoint those who had released it. At the moment of collision, countless cracks appeared in the black blade of fury, and it fell apart unexpectedly. It was not aether that supported its existence, but the darkness of despair and burning madness.
The flowing beam of iron wrapped around the flame that burnt on it continuously, making it very hot and burning Charles’s face and body. But in the burning, his fierce body regrew quickly as sacred light flowed above his rugged bones.
He was the one who would kill, not the one who would die.
Unless all of his tissue was completely vaporized in an instant, nothing could kill him. It could only make him stronger.
At that moment, his burnt face looked up from within the flames. “You’re getting old, teacher,” he said hoarsely.
Bang! Abraham leaped back and a bloody mark appeared on his chest. His fluttering flesh was like a lip curled up in sorrow or madness. The wound opened up over his broken sternum. He vomited blood, twitching and finding it difficult to breathe in the hot air.
There was another sword.
The crisp sound of growing crystals came from Charles’s open left hand. A dark and slender shadow grew from it, slowly expanding until, in a flash, the dagger grew to a ridiculous size.
If the previous one had been pitch black, then, in this one, no color could survive within its hollow outline, as if it were a crack that led into the Abyss.
The phenomenon that chilled all observers had finally happened.
This was completely different from the recent movements. Now Charles was able to create matter and distort reality through only his own wanton thoughts.
Only his resentment and pain were enough to create an artifact that was above even the gate of heaven.
No, not only this.
This alone was not enough to cover the anger and pain contained within his soul.
That was just a small part of it…
Just above the earth, countless clusters of crystals extended out of tiny cracks. They grew like sorrow, expanded like pain, proliferated like the Abyss, and widened like despair…
It was an ocean.
A wild ocean.
Among a myriad of profound rainbows, the dark crystals covered the earth. They distorted reality above that piece of land, easily reaching to the level that people in the past had only dreamed of and bringing the Abyss to earth. However, this was more purely alien than the Abyss, a Flame of God’s Wrath more crazy than the evils of man.
Blood crusted over and crystallized, pain condensed to form a desperate and turbulent rainbow that turned into air.
It was like the world had been wounded!
Malice and pain poured out from the Originator like a waterfall.
A single thought would be enough to send everything to hell.
And in this hell, the flow of iron sprinkled down, and two thin beams of light passed through it, shattering all the proliferating crystals destroying both the earth and the new hell that had formed.
Weapons created by human malice could not bring redemption.
But at least they could bring eternal nothingness.
Before destroying itself the enemy would be completely destroyed.
“Old? I’m still very young, Charles!” Abraham gasped hoarsely under the broken griffin mask. He stroked his chest, and the sound of steel wedging into bones rang out. The iron light closed his open wound, stitching it up with what looked like nails. Finally, it was completely whole again.
Then, the griffin’s flaming wings unfolded yet again.
The rushing flow of iron tore through everything.
It turned into a shooting star and rushed forward.
It cut through all light, destroyed all power, and buried everything.
It made everything return to nothingness!
Only in a b
attle like this could the purple-eyed griffin’s true worth be shown. Only this kind of situation could show Abraham’s value.
The executioner who had once taken the power away from the people, who had become entangled with countless sinners and monsters, had finally found a stage for himself.
Even in the face of a god he could advance step by step!
In the frenzied glow, the griffin’s face smiled crazily.
One step, two steps, three steps.
Half his body was covered in blood. He was wounded in numerous places, but each wound was immediately pierced by iron, riveted and stitched up. The sea of despair was also opened, torn, and cruelly cut in two.
Charles’s expression became distorted.
He was completely mad!
“You want to kill me like this? Teacher!!!”
With a roar, numerous crystal trees shot up from the earth into the sky like spears of enmity, desperately growing, spreading wildly and turning into countless dark cracks that closed towards the purple-eyed griffin.
Growing! Growing! And growing some more!
But the closing trees were broken by the iron light and split open!
The iron light was blazing.
Abraham, who had been pierced by countless spears, rushed out of it. Half his body was broken and he had lost an arm, revealing his broken internal organs. But his footsteps still did not stop.
Three steps!
Scarlet blood burst forth from the one remaining purple eye on the griffin mask.
After three steps he would kill a god!
He covered the distance with a leap.
He held the iron light up high, aimed it at Charles’s face, and struck!
Charles roared, but he couldn’t hear his voice.
At that time any speech would have been meaningless.
Only endless resentment and anger erupted from his thin body. His face twitched fiercely, like that of a god that had degenerated into a demon.
The resentment and pain that he held in his hands trembled violently, and his dark power swept out. All the darkness of the world gathered there without hesitation.
It struck forward!
It struck towards the one he had once respected, the one he had once esteemed, the one he had once treasured, the one who had thought he was so important, the one who he had thought would not spare anything for him—his enemy!
And so, let everything be finished!
His hatred and the iron collided.
Blazing light swallowed up everything.
Ripples of destruction spread out for thousands of miles. The suffocating pressure could be felt even far away in the Sacred City as it screamed in the hurricane.
Numerous bells tolled.
They announced the beginning of a funeral.
…
The flames of the burning earth were extinguished, and dust shrouded the moon.
When all the light dissipated, Charles stood upon the hole-riddled ground, stiffly bowed his head and then looked at the man before him.
He hugged him.
The blade of pain and anger pierced him, completely ruining him inside and out.
At the last moment, just when it had been enough to kill a god, the iron light had dissipated.
He stopped.
Facing his own child, the griffin that seemed like he was dying opened his wings.
This was an embrace that had come too late.
He embraced his child, and he embraced his death.
“It’s good to see you, Charles,” he whispered. “It’s really good.”
Charles finally saw the familiar face underneath the broken mask. It was so calm, as if welcoming his release.
“Teacher… you…” Charles turned away dully, falling into a state of loss and fear.
In that moment, he finally understood.
In that moment, he was finally enlightened.
In that moment, he finally realized what he had done.
“I’m sorry I let you down. The Sacred City… doesn’t have… an amusement park.” The old man wearily leaned into his son’s arms, whispering as if he was talking in his sleep, “I’m sorry there… there’s no… place for you to go. I’m sorry, Charles. I’m sorry…” He gave an embarrassed smile, just like he had in the past.
Charles, please forgive me.
“What… what… what is this, teacher??!” In his despair, he let out of powerless cry. Charles trembled. Although he was a god, he could not support the meager weight of an old man.
He had been struck by fear and could barely breathe. For so many years, he had been proud of his intelligence and talent. But now he realized that he had been… a fool!
Why?
Isn’t it simple, Charles?
Just think about it and you’ll understand.
Isn’t this your only weakness?
Even though you are a god, as long as you cling to this old man, you’ll hang your head like a dog.
Aren’t you willing to do anything for him?
Everyone knows how weak you are, how pitiful!
He has but to open his mouth, and you are willing to run around all over the world.
Even if he wants to kill you, you will kneel down and cry as you let him cut off your head.
It’s very simple, Charles. It’s really very simple.
As long as you hold onto this weakness, he can take from you whatever he pleases.
As long as this continues… as long as this continues…
You will never be free!
“Flee, Charles!” The old man hugged his child and used all his strength to whisper hoarsely, “Go far away, go somewhere where they can’t find you, and don’t come back. Never trust anyone again.”
And with that, he pushed him forcefully far away.
For he had already said farewell.
There were no tears to be shed.
As he was pushed, Charles staggered back. He stared dumbly at the old man on the ground. Cracks appeared in his broken body as he slowly fell apart.
His empty brain finally understood what was happening.
He wanted to pounce, fall down, and get up again like a dog, using both his hands and feet.
He started forward.
He screamed and shouted words that he couldn’t understand and picked Abraham up from the ground, but this only made him more broken. He was at a loss. He cried desperately, trying to put him back together, but his fingers touched only dust.
Until he saw his hands and felt that he had power.
“Don’t die, teacher, I can save you! I have power, teacher, I can save anyone… Don’t die, don’t die!” He choked and pleaded like an abandoned child. He cut his hand and scraped it across Abraham’s lips, squeezing out the blood.
His blood fell upon the dry lips.
But the miracle did not happen.
He continued to break apart.
He’s going to die, Charles.
This is fate’s cruelest irony.
A god’s salvation offers no defense from being destroyed by a god. Everything is already fated. It is too late.
In the trance that came before death, Abraham seemed to feel the warmth of his hands. A pleasant smile appeared on his simple face. He wanted to embrace him, but he did not have the strength. He could only lean on his chest.
Just by listening to his heartbeat he was put at ease.
“Charles, will you still have those nightmares?”
“No, teacher,” someone answered with a familiar voice.
“Will you be lonely all by yourself?”
“No, teacher.” Someone was trembling and couldn’t hold back their sobs.
“Will you cry like a little child?”
“No, teacher.”
The statement was so determined, but then why was there water falling on his face? Was he lying again? Was that child like this? Would he lie to him and say that it was raining? He was always like that, it was so hard to leave him…
But he could finally see the child
’s face clearly.
So handsome, so warm, so loveable.
“You’ve grown up, Charles,” Abraham whispered with satisfaction. “That’s great…”
That was the last sound he made before his vocal cords broke.
There was still so much he wanted to say, so many promises he wanted to make. He wanted to embrace the children, to keep on living, to find a world that he could understand. He wanted to go to a wedding, wanted to take one child’s hand and give her over to another child…
He wanted to make them happy.
But now he felt there was nothing he could ask for.
Is it still not enough, Abraham?
Isn’t it enough?
Has your once empty soul not been filled?
Have you not found the meaning of life that you once sought?
To die while raising a child, is that not a miracle for an executioner like you?
Yes, it was enough.
It was just like all those years ago when he had seen him for the first time.
Abraham smiled and raised his broken hand to say goodbye to the crying child.
Their fingers intertwined, closed, opened up, and then overlapped again.
Before he broke, he told him…
Charles, I’m very blessed.
This was the end of Abraham.
He dissipated in Charles’s arms.
The dust blew away in the wind.
Charles looked down at his empty hands, trying to hold onto it, but he could not grab the last traces of Abraham.
He kept trying in vain.
In the end, none of him could be saved.
His father was dead.
In that moment, he suddenly remembered something Gaius had once said: “Charles, death is serious,” that cruel voice had whispered in his ear. “One day you will understand.”
Yes, one day, Charles.
That day was now.
He covered his face, wanting to scream. He tried to cry, but though he gave it his all, he did not make a sound.
Then there was a quiet noise.
It was his last desperate cry.
To commemorate the collapse of the world, he let the nonexistent river of blood wash over him. He watched the earth being covered by hideous flesh as the embryo of a deformed monster grew out of the soil. In its mourning, everything was trending towards corruption, showing him his own ugly nature.
There was no medicine that could cure this world.