Chapter 226: The Falling Moon (Part 1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: The Falling Moon (Part 1)
"Truly worthy of being the greatest genius in the history of the Church."
With a sincere sigh of admiration, Mela quickly withdrew her gaze.
"However, it seems I’ll have to pick up the pace once I return. Even the Church has grown tense; this means the fated day will arrive sooner than we imagined."
Teacher Mela composed her thoughts and looked up, staring into the void.
Peering through the membrane-like world barrier to glimpse the scenes beyond the world, Mela’s small face gradually grew solemn.
"Is it... almost over?"
*
Beyond the world.
A magnificent scene, akin to the apocalypse—one that would drive any mortal to madness just by witnessing it—shrouded everything within sight.
An endless crimson sea and an infinite black tide collided with a terrifying force that threatened to destroy all. The mere aftershocks caused the void to surge and distort.
This was no mere skirmish within the world barrier using restricted projections.
This was a Divine War! A clash where complete divine bodies and supreme godhoods wielded true Authority in this unrestrained expanse, unleashing world-ending power.
Evil God: The Withered King.
VS.
Evil God: The Silent Moon!
At an infinite height, a massive, hideous pupil rose like a brilliant sun, radiating a terrifying intent of destruction. Countless withered palms swayed around that giant eye, forming a majestic corona.
Crimson flames spilled forth as the phantom of ten thousand miles of scorched earth, carrying the prestige of world destruction, slammed down with crushing force!
The moonlight was cold.
The silence was profound.
Upon the flawless lunar orb, countless streaks of scarlet spread, veiling the entire blue moon in an eerie, blood-colored shroud.
The black tide surged, raising towering waves like a sea, meeting the all-consuming scorched earth with equal ferocity!
Boom—
Authorities collided.
The void trembled.
No sound traveled, for the Place of Void was naturally silent. Yet, at this moment, every top-tier powerhouse within the world barrier looked up simultaneously.
Though most could not truly see the scene with their naked eyes, anyone who had reached the Crown Level clearly sensed this violent collision that existed beyond ordinary perception.
The mere act of sensing it caused the souls of many who considered themselves extraordinary to suffer damage. Their blood and qi surged violently, forcing them to withdraw their perception in pathetic haste, not daring to peek again.
Thus, in the place closest to the world barrier, only a crow, a pigeon, a rat, an old man, and a white-haired loli remained.
"It’s over," Hezekiah suddenly sighed softly.
Countless rays of Holy Light brewed within his weathered eyes, insulating him from the searing heat and blinding radiance, allowing him to see clearly.
At the start, the black tide and the scorched earth were indeed evenly matched.
However, the Silent Moon clearly lacked staying power. Under the full weight of the Withered King’s crushing force, the ethereal blue moonlight and the boundless black tide rapidly collapsed after only a few breaths of resistance.
With the concealment stripped away, a hideous, canyon-like wound was revealed upon that blue moon.
"I see. Did the Withered King pounce on the Silent Moon so urgently because he knew of its weakness?"
Hezekiah understood everything in an instant, remarking with a sigh:
"But having reached this stage, the Silent Moon calculated so much to prevent the Withered King from succeeding that it ended up consuming too much of its own power. Even without that weakness, it likely wouldn't have been a match for the Withered King. In the end... was it fear that defeated this deity?"
"An Evil God dying of fear. What a textbook irony of an ending."
"Next... Ulrons."
"Present."
"Begin."
"Yes."
*
High in the void, the Withered King seemed surprised by how easily the blue moon had been defeated. A flash of human-like ecstasy appeared within that hideous pupil.
The majestic corona swayed frantically as countless withered hands pierced directly through the void. Carrying the crimson flames that burned all things, they lunged violently into that hideous wound.
The Silent Moon let out a furious roar, but it was helpless.
It and the Withered King were originally deities of the same rank. However, in a life-and-death struggle between equals, it was like a dam blocking a great river—a single ant-hole could lead to a total collapse.
Not to mention, the power it had squandered recently could hardly be described as a mere ant-hole.
Several projections, countless blood food, and the sacrifices of all its evil believers had been exhausted in its previous plans, yet it had gained nothing. In fact, it had lost something vital.
Under such circumstances, how could it contend with the Withered King, who had been conserving energy for this Divine War and had ignored even the prayers of his believers during this time?
As stated before, the outcome of this Divine War had been decided long ago!
Thus, as the infinite phantom of scorched earth descended, it shattered all the ethereal blue light. The world-burning fire poured into the lunar orb like lava, ruthlessly sweeping through and devouring everything along that massive, hideous wound.
Boom—
The Silent Moon shuddered violently. Accompanied by a silent wail that nevertheless made the entire world feel a sense of grief, the ethereal blue moon was no longer flawless. Instead, like a shattered mirror, desperate cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
The divine body was breaking.
And behind those countless shattered moonstones, at the very core, the Withered King finally saw the object he had pursued for so long.
It was something whose form could not be observed, whose meaning could not be known—infinitely brilliant, its magnificence beyond the description of any words in the world...
The Authority Core.
*
While the Withered King was focused on the Authority Core, a golden door suddenly took shape in an inconspicuous corner of the void.
Hezekiah stepped out from the doorway and looked up, a flash of fanaticism crossing his gaze.
At a time like this, how could the Withered King be allowed to enjoy the spoils alone?
In the distance, a crow flew by, dropping a few feathers.
A white pigeon flapped its wings, taking away a piece of cold moonlight.
A mangy rat scurried about suspiciously, loitering at the very edge.
Hezekiah gripped his scepter and gave it a gentle wave.
Golden light descended as if countless doorways had overlapped in an instant. A portion of the shattered divine body from the infinite distance actually appeared directly in front of him.
The fragment of the divine body still carried a heart-stopping intent of dead silence. That terrifying pollution could turn a Crowned one into a puppet of the moon in a single instant.
But unfortunately, the moon was already dying.
Hezekiah swept his large sleeve, and sacred light descended, sealing the aura of dead silence within. With a clench of his fingers, the fragment of the divine body automatically flew toward him.
But he suddenly experienced a moment of trance. Like a video tape glitching and then rewinding, the fragment flying toward him weirdly retreated.
Hezekiah froze for a second, then suddenly realized what was happening. He roared:
"Mela Domir!"
"Oh my, oh my, why all the shouting? Don't you know anything about respecting your elders and loving the young?"
Mela appeared nearby at some unknown point, the faint phantom of a giant clock manifesting behind her. She opened her small hand, and the fragment of the divine body automatically shrank, landing in her palm.
"You should be a bit more yielding toward your elders, don't you think, little guy?" Mela said with a wink, her face looking adorably innocent.