"According to our previous alliance, we have an obligation to provide aid. Aren't you going?"
Myriad Serpents' beautiful eyes fixed on Leilin.
At that moment, strands of the power of Laws descended around the two of them, silently dissipating their strength.
This was the penalty for violating their contract. However, since there was no deliberate malice or intent to harm the other party, the punishment was quite mild—even Leilin could endure it on his own.
"Not now!
Leilin shook his head gravely.
Shar was an exceedingly cunning goddess. Having devised this plan to annihilate them all in one stroke, she certainly had contingencies targeting both Leilin and Myriad Serpents. Wouldn't charging in blindly walk right into her trap?
Even Myriad Serpents had to be cautious against such a mad and ruthless Shar.
"I share the same view..."
Myriad Serpents sighed, then suddenly froze.
Vast dark clouds blanketed heaven and earth. Blood-red lightning flashed, and thick drops of crimson rain began to fall.
In the blink of an eye, a blood-red storm engulfed the entire Shadow World.
Within the tempest, Leilin felt the entire Shadow World rejoicing. The World Force, which had been on the verge of exhaustion, recovered slightly, pulling back from the brink of collapse.
"Marsha has fallen... I sensed the annihilation of her Laws Essence..."
The Mother of Myriad Serpents sighed softly.
Shar's cunning and strength had clearly exceeded her expectations, eroding her confidence in the plan.
Before long, a second storm struck.
And within it, all sentient beings in the world could feel a surge of grief alongside a furious roar: "...Ah! Night Witch! And Myriad Serpents! You..."
"It's Uri. I didn't expect even it couldn't escape..."
"Judgment!" "Judgment!" "Judgment!"
After Uri's death, a point of golden light suddenly illuminated the western sky, and the faint phantom of a terrifying vertical eye appeared.
Thunder roared and tore through the
"The Eye of Judgment has fled with heavy injuries!"
Leilin sighed. "Two fallen! One gravely wounded! Three Laws-level beings lost their combat effectiveness in an instant! Such cunning and scheming—truly worthy of the Night Mistress..."
Crack!
A Seal of the Urn shattered on Myriad Serpents' hand. She frowned slightly and said to Leilin, "I've received the Eye of Judgment's final message. It intends to return to the Inferno and have nothing more to do with this place..."
"It seems the injuries were quite severe..." Leilin nodded with lingering apprehension. The Eye of Judgment had suffered terribly this time—rivaling even
"However... ascending a world prematurely without adequate preparation is tantamount to suicide from the perspective of the World
The Mother of Myriad Serpents nodded solemnly at Leilin's conclusion.
World ascension was no joke!
Take the current Shadow World, for instance. Its World Force reserves were insufficient, and it hadn't nurtured enough Light of Civilization, yet it was forced to ascend regardless. Although the territory expanded considerably, most of it consisted of desolate wastelands!
Moreover, the elemental energy that had once been relatively abundant had thinned and weakened due to being spread across the new territories. The chain reactions this would trigger hadn't even begun to fully manifest.
In Leilin's estimation, at least half the original Shadow World would become barren. The soil would lose its fertility, and humans deprived of adequate food sources would suffer catastrophic casualties.
The decline of sentient beings, along with the death of the land and vegetation, would lead to the weakening of the World Will! The ultimate consequences would have to be borne by the World Will itself—so it was nothing short of suicide!
No autonomous World Will would ever do such a thing!
This made it abundantly clear that the World Will had already been largely subjugated.
However, Leilin vaguely sensed that this Shadow World's ascension had only been halfway—or "expansion" might be a more accurate term—so the backlash had been relatively manageable. After all, sacrificing several Laws-level beings had barely been enough to stabilize the situation.
...
Inside the imperial palace, Princess Ling rushed to Emperor Aragon. "Father!"
"Go on! Tell me the results quickly! Don't worry—I can take it!" Aragon commanded urgently.
"Yes..." Ling stole a glance at Aragon, then finally took a deep breath and delivered the catastrophic news.
"According to our assessments... the earthquake that struck the entire empire this time measured above magnitude nine. Even the capital was partially destroyed. Reports from other provinces and cities are still being compiled, but none of the news is good. Several coastal provinces suffered simultaneous attacks from the earthquake and tsunami, and multiple cities have completely lost contact. I'm afraid all inhabitants are likely dead..."
"Rough estimates place the death toll at over ten billion! The devastation spans the entire empire, and the economic losses are catastrophic. According to the expert panel, once the remaining food reserves are exhausted, famine and plague will follow. In the worst case... in the worst case..."
Ling could no longer continue, but her trembling voice said everything—this was a catastrophe capable of toppling the entire empire!
"Heh heh..."
Upon hearing this, Aragon actually grew quiet, letting out a laugh like that of a wounded wolf.
"Great Sovereign, are you truly preparing to abandon us once and for all?"
Aragon's expression darkened, then twisted into madness. "Ling! Don't you think this is the perfect opportunity? No matter how hard we try to salvage things, the empire's destruction is inevitable. So why not take matters into our own hands!"
Ling fell silent. Her father's reasoning was, indeed, quite sound.
The catastrophic disaster was the root cause of the empire's destruction. But if the Tree of Life plan were completed, there would be no resistance left—and the empire could achieve eternal glory!
"And... that final voice—you heard it too, didn't you?"
Aragon's eyes blazed with intensity. "An unknown being, and Myriad Serpents have both returned!!! Everything matches the Blind Eli's Book of Redemption prophecy exactly!"
"That was indeed a terrifying display of power... Had it not been for the catastrophic disaster preceding it, it would have sparked widespread suspicion..."
Ling recalled the voice that had resonated in the hearts of every sentient being, along with its final roar of defiance. The name "Myriad Serpents" in particular matched the ancient sovereign in Eli's prophecy precisely.
"The ancient sovereign descends—the flame of rebellion shall ignite!"
Aragon murmured, then suddenly waved his hand. "Ling! Leave now! Leak the second half of the Book of Redemption to those rats in the Military Council!"
"What do you mean?" Ling hesitated. The existence of resistance organizations within the military was hardly a secret.
"Give the information to the resistance! We need them to draw attention away. Ideally, they'll make contact with that ancient sovereign and have them pin down the Night Mistress—that will give us enough time to complete the Tree of Life substitution plan..."
Aragon's eyes gleamed with calculation.
Scheming against two Laws-level beings was tens of thousands of times more terrifying than dancing on the edge of a blade.
"As you command!"
Ling hesitated briefly, but ultimately obeyed and departed.
Stepping out of the hidden chamber and onto the high terrace, Ling gazed out across the capital. The city lay in utter devastation. Despite the most advanced technology and the protection of the Weave, nearly half the capital had been destroyed.
Tens of millions of displaced victims wandered the streets aimlessly, weeping and wailing, inflicting severe damage on social order. Thick columns of black smoke rose everywhere.
The empire had established dedicated disaster relief organizations, and with its accumulated resources, it could normally have managed even millions of refugees in the capital. But the sheer scale of this catastrophe had far exceeded its limits!
"Ah... such a beautiful and magnificent empire! Must it now walk into its twilight? What awaits it at the end—eternal darkness, or the light of dawn?"
The imperial princess sighed as a single tear traced its way down her cheek.
...
The empire acted swiftly. By nightfall, Crow Eyes had received word from the Bloodline Alliance.
"Master!"
In the villa's grand hall, Leilin and Myriad Serpents sat across from each other, seemingly enjoying a candlelight dinner, while Crow Eyes stood to one side in attendance, his demeanor humble and reverent.
"The Bloodline Alliance has found me. They wish to receive the Master's guidance!"
"Do they know of our existence?"
Leilin picked up a pristine white napkin and dabbed at his lips. The Shadow Empire had to be given credit—after its rapid technological advancement, it had also made considerable progress in the culinary arts.
"Yes! According to Porty, a high-ranking member of the imperial resistance named Clevey approached her and delivered a portion of the Book of Redemption, which references the Master's existence... According to Blind Eli's prophecy, only the Master is the true savior of the world!"
Crow Eyes spoke with excitement, clearly a firm believer.
"Blind Eli?"
Myriad Serpents gently closed her eyes, as if sensing something.
"A familiar yet foreign feeling. Could this prophetic power be the reincarnation of Prophet Kalei?"
"And what do you plan to do?"
Leilin smiled. After dinner, Shawel, dressed in servant's attire, dutifully cleared the table and set down a board of international chess.
"What's your take?"
Myriad Serpents gazed at Leilin.
"We are the King and Queen!" Leilin pointed to the center of the board. "The most critical pieces cannot be moved lightly, so let the pawns at the front test the waters..."
With that, he picked up a pawn modeled after a sword-wielding guardsman and advanced it one square.