Chapter 786: Departure
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 786: Departure
"It’s over..."
An unknown whisper echoed through the vast, silent space. Muen finally snapped out of his daze as the starlight filling the sky vanished, and he let out a long, weary sigh.
"Yeah. It’s over."
It had been another long ordeal, another treacherous adventure. The Demon Race, the throne, the hunts and counter-hunts, the noble suicides, the remnants of the Demon God—all of it, along with the life-and-death crises they had faced, seemed etched into his very marrow. He knew he wouldn't forget these moments, no matter how much time passed.
Yet, as those millions of souls dispersed, all that remained was a single, ethereal sigh.
"By the way, where do these souls go?" Muen asked curiously, looking around at the empty space where the throne had shattered and the artifacts had been destroyed.
After all, the souls of millions of demons represented a far greater number than the million he had burned back in the Lost Homeland. Watching them turn into distant sparks of starfire before fading away was a truly staggering sight.
"Who knows? They probably just merge back into the world," Mela said.
"Merge into the world?" Muen thought for a moment. "Like reincarnation?"
"In a way, but that’s not a very precise way to put it."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever heard stories of some legendary powerhouse being reborn through reincarnation?"
"That..." Muen paused. It was true. He had been in this world for a long time and heard plenty of strange adventure stories—the "untold tales" of the Hero and the Demon King, the Hero and the Prince, the Prince and the Demon King... but he had never heard of a top-tier powerhouse successfully reincarnating to start their cultivation over.
"Because, strictly speaking, true reincarnation doesn't exist in this world. Once a soul returns to the world, it is completely broken down and restructured to become a new soul. This is one of the fundamental laws of this world, the very foundation that keeps it running. The 'Eternal Cycle' is nothing more than a clumsy imitation of that process."
Mela’s tone turned mocking.
"That’s why, whether it was the Origin-Tier Grand Magisters from a thousand years ago or the overconfident fools of today, they all pursued true immortality. No one would be stupid enough to bet their hopes on a so-called cycle of rebirth. Because once you enter that cycle... you are no longer you."
"...Is that so?"
A strange thought flickered in Muen’s mind. He thought of himself. He wasn't exactly a product of reincarnation either; he was a soul from another world who just happened to transmigrate into this body.
Then there was Ariel’s teacher, that hidden powerhouse who existed only as a soul and used every method possible to remain in the world. She likely had her own reasons for refusing to face total erasure.
"I guess death is the only thing that's truly equal in this world..."
"Well... it’s not quite that absolute," Mela added.
"Hmm?"
"The world operates on absolute rules, but it isn't as cold as you might think. The return of these millions of souls is a form of restoration, enough to give this broken world a moment to breathe. Because of that, it might grant certain people unexpected gifts within the rules later on."
"Gifts?" Muen was baffled.
"Who knows?" Mela chuckled. "Even I can't fathom the will of the world. Besides, the world actually dislikes me quite a bit."
"...Teacher Mela, why are you acting like a riddle-monger again? Is this related to some kind of taboo?"
Muen gritted his teeth and turned around. Every time this old loli stopped halfway through an explanation, he felt the urge to pinch her youthful-looking cheeks until they bruised.
But as soon as he turned, he froze.
Wait.
Something was wrong.
Where was the haughty old loli he remembered?
Where was the thousand-year-old loli with white hair and red eyes, the one who loved wearing strawberry pajamas and eating strawberry lollipops, the one who acted incredibly arrogant while pretending to be a child?
Why was there only...
"A head?"
Muen rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
"What happened? Teacher Mela, have you gone into some kind of extreme energy-saving mode?"
"What do you mean energy-saving..."
Mela’s head, resting on the ground, wobbled. Seeing Muen look over, she immediately put on a show of fake sobbing.
"It’s all because a certain unfilial disciple arrived so late, leaving his cute and beautiful teacher to suffer at the hands of the villain. Now I’m in this pitiful state, and he still has the nerve to be so disrespectful..."
"Stop! Cut it out!"
Muen cut off her lamentations and sneered.
"I’m the one who should be crying, your poor disciple! You were clearly here the whole time, yet you ignored your handsome and dashing disciple and let him walk straight into danger. If I weren't so stubborn about staying alive, you wouldn't even be able to find my corpse by now!"
"Oh my, oh my..." Mela’s eyes darted around. "How can you say that? That was a trial for my most cherished disciple. It was filled with a teacher’s love!"
"A trial? I’d love for you to experience a few 'trials' yourself, dear Teacher!"
"Wait!"
Mela’s small head suddenly floated up, dodging Muen’s lunging pounce. "I know my dear disciple has been starved for his teacher’s company after being apart for so long, but surely you have more important things to do."
"..."
Muen took a deep breath and slowly pulled back.
Fine. Even if this old loli was just a head right now and looked pathetic, if he actually tried to settle scores with her, he’d probably be the one coming out on the losing end.
Who knew what trump cards she still had hidden? He didn't want his own head flying around the room like hers. Now wasn't the time to force the old hag to drop her loot.
Besides, she was right. He had more important things to do.
With that thought, Muen stopped wasting time. He stood up straight, opened his arms, and looked toward the other side with a gentle smile.
A figure was already there, waiting eagerly like a swallow returning to its nest.
"I’ve come to get you, An."
"Yes, Young Master."
A familiar fragrance wafted toward him. An appeared before him almost instantly. Her elegant face was flushed with uncontrollable excitement, and she lunged at him with such intensity that Muen actually heard the boom of air being displaced.
"Oof—my back..."
"Are you alright, Young Master?"
"I'm fine."
Muen lowered his head and gently kissed the girl's forehead.
"It’s that same familiar feeling."
"Young Master..."
An greedily inhaled the scent of her master. Having been deprived of his "energy" for so long, her senses were dialed up to the maximum. If the setting weren't so inappropriate, she would have already pushed her beloved master down for a passionate release.
Muen also cherished the girl in his arms. The joy and satisfaction of knowing his beloved girl was safe gave him the courage to face any disaster in the world.
"Young Master..."
"An..."
Hearing his little maid’s shy whisper, Muen couldn't help but hold her tighter. He was sure An would enjoy this close connection...
"Young Master... your chest is huge."
An spoke with some hesitation. "It’s squishing me a bit."
"..."
Muen’s expression froze.
He slowly lowered his head, his gaze shifting downward. After passing An’s blushing face, he—unsurprisingly—did not see his own majestic pectoral muscles. Instead, he saw the two lumps he had almost forgotten... the magic rubber.
Soft, bouncy, perfectly shaped, and in a size that didn't lose to An’s own... well-rounded magic rubber.
It was over.
Muen’s head throbbed.
When he talked about disasters... he didn't mean a social death of this magnitude!
"Dammit, I forgot to take the medicine! An, wait a second, let’s redo this in a bit!" Muen cried out in grief and indignation, frantically fumbling for the antidote he hadn't been able to drink earlier for various reasons. "An, believe me, I didn't keep this form on purpose! This is all an accident!"
"It’s okay. If it’s the Young Master, I can accept this kind of hobby," An said with an expression that screamed I will try my best to understand.
"But I can't accept it!!!"
Under Mela’s mocking and amused gaze, Muen intensely regretted that he hadn't fully mastered the Eternal Clock yet. If he had, he could have used Time Reversal to completely erase this mood-killing, shameful history.
*
"Unbelievable..."
On the other side, Ariel silently watched the master and servant embracing in celebration. A strange sense of indignation... and jealousy... welled up in her heart.
That damn Muen Campbell, actually getting to hug Miss An like that. It’s so enviable!
Why was he the only one who got to walk away with the beauty? She had participated in the rescue mission too!
"But... whatever. It’s not my place to say anything about their relationship."
Ariel pouted. In truth, she wasn't that close to Miss An; they had only worked together for a short time. She couldn't exactly butt in now, so she decided that what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over, and turned to leave.
However, before she left, she couldn't help but steal one last glance.
That glance happened to catch the moment Muen transformed from "Miss Muse" back into Muen Campbell. Her heart skipped a beat, and for some reason, a strange emotion rose within her again.
"Farewell..."
Ariel’s eyes shimmered with a complex light as she whispered to herself in a daze.
"Miss Muse..."
*
Muen, who was busy reveling in the return of his masculine physique, looked up just in time to see Ariel’s departing back.
He was about to call out to her, but Mela suddenly floated over and bumped into him irritably.
"How long are you going to stand there being narcissistic? Get to work!"
"Oh..."
Fine. He’d talk to her about that hundred million gold coins later.
Muen crouched down and, under Mela’s guidance, began to collect the pitch-black, viscous substance left behind by Divine Will’s body.
These weren't the ashes of Divine Will’s death, but rather... inert Demon God’s Blood.
After being struck by that god-slaying blow, the Demon God’s Blood—which had inherited the Demon God’s immortality—hadn't truly died, but it had lost all its vitality.
It no longer emitted pollution. Instead, it was like a clump of ordinary black mud, possessing physical form and color. One could even pick it up by hand; it looked nothing like a part of an Evil God.
"Is a regular metal box made by An really okay for this?"
Recalling the terrifying nature of the Demon God’s Blood from before, Muen couldn't help but doubt the old loli’s storage method. "It won't suddenly come back to life halfway through, will it?"