Chapter 364: All Are but Weeds

Ansu suppressed the chill rising in his heart, trying to bargain with the deity through Freya.

“Is there no other way? One that isn't so extreme?”

He sighed and said, “I will definitely form the holy army, and I will surely spread the faith of the Holy Light. But there is no need to destroy Benalu City. That is my home, the place where I grew up...”

“Besides, the Empire is already rotten to the core. Its collapse is only a matter of time.”

“The real enemies are the demons and the City of a Thousand Stars. Shouldn't we deal with them first?”

Despite Ansu's attempts to appeal to both reason and emotion...

...Freya's gaze suddenly grew cold and indifferent, the pressure belonging to a deity manifesting once more.

“I can create an opportunity for you; that city will fall to the demon army first,” she said in an icy voice. “With the power at your disposal, you will be more than capable of wiping that city completely off the map, and no one will lay the blame on the Holy Light faction.”

Before Ansu could speak again, the voice, completely devoid of warmth, rang out once more.

“The role of the Chosen One has never been uniquely yours.”

“Over the course of three long eras, civilizations have risen and fallen cycle after cycle, and the world has been reset many times.”

“A world-ending catastrophe like the Demon Calamity War is neither the first nor will it be the last.”

“Mortals believe that only two Chosen Ones have ever saved the world. In truth, such roles have emerged countless times throughout the long span of history.”

Ansu's gaze darkened bit by bit.

The Goddess was delivering a crystal-clear message: the rise and fall of countless civilizations had never been accidents, but rather a game of chess played by the gods.

All things in the universe, the countless living beings, were nothing but weeds.

Every great purge of civilization was merely the reset button they pressed whenever they felt their chess pieces were slipping from their control.

In his heart, Ansu completely rejected this path.

This was no solution at all; it was merely pushing the world toward destruction by another means.

And...

She might not actually be able to guarantee Celia's safety.

From beginning to end, the deity had not mentioned Celia once. She hadn't even closely questioned his vague phrasing regarding the “hero party.” It was rather strange...

He had truly let his desperation cloud his judgment to have come here begging the Goddess of Holy Light for help.

Suppressing these chaotic thoughts, Ansu maintained a respectful expression and took the opportunity to ask:

“Very well. Since I am required to assist Freya in gathering the divine spark fragments, I pray the Goddess will inform me: where are the remaining two fragments now?”

The indifference in Freya's eyes slowly faded, and she recounted in her own voice:

“Lord Ansu, one fragment is in the hands of Barcas, and the other is in the City of a Thousand Stars.”

“As for the one in the City of a Thousand Stars, they have modified it into the 'Filthy Heart.' The City of a Thousand Stars is deliberately manufacturing a large-scale mana plague, attempting to spread it across the entire world.”

The Filthy Heart? Ansu was inwardly shocked.

No wonder that thing could spawn such a terrifying level of corruption, even affecting him with illusions...

Freya continued, “After the Fall of the God of Nature, its unwilling will and residual divine power coalesced into the Filthy Heart. It is both a relic of a god and a vessel for resentment.”

“The Filthy Heart hates all living things. It turns its own agony into blood mist, polluting the entire South.”

“Please, resolve this. Bring the Filthy Heart back, and bring purification and salvation to the world.”

Hearing these high-sounding words, Ansu sneered in his heart.

Wasn't the Goddess of Holy Light the very reason this mess existed in the first place?

He said nothing more, merely engraving this matter deep into his mind.

The divinity enveloping Freya gradually receded. Before fully dispersing, the deity left one final message:

“The God of Magic's curse will take effect in less than two hours. If you wish to save Celia, give me your answer immediately.”

With those words, all pressure and holy light completely vanished.

Freya remained dazed for a few seconds before her gaze slowly focused on Ansu.

“Lord Ansu, do you plan to...” She bit her lip, leaving her sentence unfinished.

Ansu looked at her, shaking his head with a bitter smile. “How do you think I will choose?”

Freya smiled along with him. “No matter what you choose, Lord Ansu, I will follow you to the very end.”

But deep down, she still felt that Lord Ansu would not accept the Goddess of Holy Light's proposal...

...

By the time he teleported back to Norvigel from the Talin autonomous territory, the night had grown even deeper.

The underground laboratory was empty, save for Valger, who still stood by the experimental table, silently flipping through the manuscripts left behind by Professor Duncan.

On the floor, the bloodstains left by Professor Duncan's sudden death had dried into a dark brown, like an indelible scar.

Ansu walked briskly toward Celia's laboratory.

Pushing the door open, he found her still curled up in her chair, hugging her knees. Her face was incredibly pale, and even her lips had lost almost all their color.

She sat there, waiting, completely motionless.

Upon hearing his footsteps, she raised her head, and her dull eyes instantly lit up.

“Ansu! You found a way, didn't you?”

Ansu fell silent for a moment.

In the end, he gently shook his head.

“I'm sorry, Celia. I couldn't find... a solution.”

He watched as the light in Celia's eyes faded bit by bit, like a dying ember.

Celia lowered her head and forced a bitter smile. “Oh, it's fine... Ansu isn't omnipotent, I understand.”

“I'm already very content, really.”

She handed Ansu a manuscript from her desk. “If you find yourself unable to hold on in the end, try my method. I still believe... my logic is correct. It just needs time to be proven...”

“Ansu, you absolutely mustn't die.”

She looked up, her eyes curving slightly. “You have to carry your memories of me and keep living! That way, it'll be as if I'm still living right alongside you.”

Ansu didn't speak. He reached out and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Celia leaned quietly against his chest, greedily clinging to the last trace of warmth. But after a few seconds, she pushed him away with all her strength.

She gently turned her face away. “You said the way I die... is far too ugly. I don't want you to watch me become like that.”

Before her voice could fully fade, her figure flickered within a ripple of space magic and vanished from the laboratory.

“Celia!”

Ansu's heart clenched. He immediately gave chase, following the residual traces of mana.

When he burst into the vacant, unused laboratory at the end of the hallway, he was still a step too late.

On the cold, white floor tiles, nothing remained but a large, jarring pool of crimson blood and foam, slowly spreading outward.

12:14 AM.

Celia was dead.

Once again.

Ansu stood at the doorway, staring at the striking crimson. He stood there dazed for a very long time.

His churning emotions sank layer by layer, leaving behind only an indissoluble gloom that slowly crept into his eyes.

Ansu clenched his fists in a deathly grip.

...