Chapter 256: Aya
Chapter 256: Aya
Karl gathered the scattered golden hammers, longbows, and silver spears on the ground and looked up at the barrier trapping him.
The barrier was not complex.
Given time, he could break it soon, but under the siege of two devotees, he had no chance.
Soon.
Karl broke through the barrier, collected the thin veil, and turned his gaze downward to a slender figure below.
Was it her?
"Ah!"
Before Karl could react, a deafening roar filled with murderous intent echoed from a distance.
"Esther!"
"You killed my dearest brother!"
Karl's lips twitched slightly.
In the distance, dark clouds billowed, and a whirlwind swept by as a giant dragon over a hundred meters long tore through the void and pounced.
Dragon's claws! The dragon's claws ripped through the air, and though the attack seemed simple, it carried an all-encompassing aura.
This was...
The power of law!
Although he couldn't truly wield the power of law due to the world rules' restrictions, he already possessed a fraction of its might.
After the dragon's claws, the black dragon's eyes glowed with intense anger.
To ensure the smooth execution of his plan, the black dragon hadn't approached the City of Death, thus easing Lady Mewaya and the others' vigilance.
The situation was similar.
After learning the black dragon's location, Lady Mewaya left the City of Death at ease, and the others also fell one by one.
Unexpectedly.
The two divine devotees who were supposed to deal with Karl had been killed in a short moment, including Esther.
"Hmm!"
Looking up at the approaching dragon claws, Karl's expression remained unchanged as he lifted his hands to meet them.
Ten Thousand Buddha Hands! The power provided by the Silver Body was thick and solid, like the earth, also containing the power of the third-rank law.
The rushing true energy coalesced into a Buddha aura, no longer as massive as before, but tightly enveloping Karl's body like a real person, with his hands also lifted to clash with the incoming dragon claws.
"Boom!"
Ripples visible to the naked eye formed in the void, and the white clouds within a ten-meter radius were directly torn apart by a mighty force.
Karl's figure wobbled, and the black dragon flipped in midair, halting in the sky.
"A third-rank indigenous..."
The black dragon's eyes showed a hint of apprehension as it looked down at the minuscule figure below.
"How is this possible?"
Even with the favor of a foreign deity, how could a native of this world reach the third rank in such a short time? It was well known that the world rules rendered even the deities helpless.
"Swoosh!"
The black dragon's form flickered, transforming into a human with a pitch-black spear in hand, pointing at Karl from a distance.
Pseudo-fourth-rank artifact! The sharp killing intent made Karl's skin hurt, but after the Holy Demonic Transformation, he could still endure it.
If he hadn't advanced, today would have been a disastrous day.
"Rumble, rumble..."
Just as the man and dragon were about to engage, thunder roared in the distant sky, and two massive auras rapidly approached.
One of them was very familiar—Lady Mewaya.
After driving away Hong Qiu, Lady Mewaya and the others rushed back, just in time.
"Hmm!"
The black dragon's expression shifted, and he coldly humphed, "Consider yourself lucky today. Our business is not finished!"
With that, he transformed back into a black dragon, riding the clouds and mist toward the horizon, fleeing into the distance.
Although powerful, he couldn't withstand the siege of three third-rank beings.
Needless to mention Karl's physical body, Lady Mewaya had been at the peak of the second rank for centuries, mastering various arts to the core, especially the fourth-rank Void Gloves, making her even stronger than a typical third-rank being.
As for the other person...
"Karl."
Lady Mewaya appeared nearby, relieved to see Karl. She extended her hand and introduced, "This is Nyctos' mentor, the upper-rank devotee of the God of Death, and the Wing of Death, Abel."
The Wing of Death?
Karl's eyes flickered, nodding at Abel.
Usually, upper-rank devotees of deities didn't have titles, only demigods or divine sons would.
This indicated that Abel was either exceptionally powerful or held a special status, in any case, not ordinary.
On a bare mountain peak, a figure huddled at the end of a protruding stone path, gazing down at the forest below.
Karl descended from the sky, slowly floating down beside her.
"Aya."
"Uncle Karl..."
After a brief exchange, silence filled the air.
"It's been a while."
After a moment, Karl broke the silence, "What happened to you?"
Since Aya had followed him, she no longer had to worry about food and drink, and her once thin body had become plump and full.
But now, her hair was white, her skin was drawn tight over her bones, and her clothes were tattered and torn, making her look like an old hag that people would despise.
"The Divine Realm collapsed, and heavenly fire rained down," Aya said, her eyes lifting to the sky, a complex expression in their murky depths. "One of the fireballs struck Tortuga Island, causing it to distort and nearly killing all its inhabitants."
"I was protected by the Bodhi Tree and managed to survive."
"But the others..."
"They're all dead."
Her voice was flat, like a stagnant pond, devoid of any emotional reaction even when speaking of sorrow.
Karl sat cross-legged beside her.
"Perhaps things would have been different if I were there."
"It's all the will of fate," Aya shook her head lightly. "The gods will be destroyed by the War God, and at that moment, sealed by fate, nothing could be changed."
"They thought killing the War God would change the outcome, but it was their actions that led to the destruction of the gods and the collapse of the Divine Realm."
Karl was taken aback.
Upon reflection, he realized it was true.
This world had experienced several celestial conjunctions, and other worlds had no means to enter.
In their attempt to kill the War God, the gods suffered heavy losses, leading to internal strife and the collapse of the Divine Realm.
Every breath and every bite, all predetermined by fate!
But how could Aya know about this?
Karl turned to look at Aya, and in her eyes, he saw countless intertwined threads.
Threads of fate!
"You..."
"To glimpse the world's ending, even the Goddess of Fate must pay with her life," Aya smiled, her lips quivering. "Perhaps, after witnessing so many fated resolutions, she grew bored and sought to see further..."
"She wanted to see her own future, the future of the gods..."
"And so, she died."
Karl's eyebrows furrowed.
"Death is also a form of liberation," Aya chuckled softly. "I couldn't understand it before, but now I finally realize that the Goddess of Fate was seeking death."
"Uncle."
"Hmm," Karl acknowledged.
"We're not livestock raised by the gods. There shouldn't be gods here or in your world, Uncle," Aya said. "There shouldn't be any gods."
Hmm?
Karl's expression changed.
He had never told anyone about his ability to traverse two worlds, and it was his greatest secret.
Yet Aya knew!
Fate?
"Sometimes, stepping away is the solution," Aya lifted her trembling hand and placed it on Karl's arm. "Uncle, will there be no more high-ranking deities in this world in the future?"
Karl fell silent.
He understood Aya's thoughts.
But how could they possibly slaughter the gods?
"There will be."
After a moment's thought, Karl spoke softly, "There will be such a day."
Upon hearing this, a relieved smile appeared on Aya's face.
"Uncle, your words are fate's arrangement. I believe that day may be far, but it will come."
In her eyes, the countless branching futures suddenly solidified as Karl spoke.
The future,
had been determined!
"Tortuga Island is nearby, transformed into a volcano, and inside is something we've prepared for you."
Aya grasped Karl's arm, her expression grave. "Now, follow the guidance of fate."
"Uncle..."
"It's good to have met you."
As her words fell, her body began to dissipate at a visible rate, leaving behind only a transparent thread in the air.
Karl sat cross-legged for a long time before gently touching the 'Thread of Fate'.
The next moment,
he appeared at the bottom of a volcano.
(End of Chapter)
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