Chapter 893: The New Era. Part-2.

Rio understood that some wounds could never be healed by gifts or kindness, and that a person who had carried such a heavy grief for so long needed to settle it with his own hands.

"Fine. I will not persuade you anymore. How about this then... Let me help you amplify your chances of success."

The forced attempt to connect with the origin was fraught with danger, and the chances of success were very low, but if Rio helped, he could indeed increase the chances by quite a lot.

The Demon King also understood the risks, and yet he still shook his head and denied the help.

"No... this is my penance... I need no help in it. This is my ’Path’, please do not interfere with it."

Seeing that look of determination in his eyes, Rio was taken aback for a second, but then he nodded his head while saying,

"Fine... do as you wish. Just remember, I am the type to repay all debts with a hundred times the interest, be it a debt of gratitude and favor or a debt of hatred and revenge."

"You have helped me a lot this time, so... in return, I will spare the Demon Race... they will live a happy life, I promise you this."

Hearing Rio’s words, a faint relieved smile appeared on the Demon King’s usually serious face, and he nodded his head.

It was a rare sight, as if a heavy chain that he had been dragging for centuries had finally loosened a little around his shoulders.

"Thanks, and farewell... may we meet again in another life, not as enemies but friends this time..."

Rio smiled at those words and spoke in an amused tone.

"Didn’t expect you to be the sentimental type..."

The Demon King just smiled and replied calmly.

"In the next life, I wish I would get to apologize to Alverto and the other children I have wronged over the course of years due to the madness induced by miasma..."

"If there is afterlife... I would like to be an ordinary, good father for my lovely children."

Rio nodded his head and unsheathed his sword.

The blade slid out of its sheath with a soft, clear ring that echoed across the silent rooftop, and the cold light along its edge reflected the Demon King’s weary but peaceful face.

"Farewell, Demon King Nebo Dahaka."

[World Authority: True Anomaly!]

[Reality Manipulation: Law of Death: Atomic Disintegration!]

...

"He failed..."

Standing atop the empty rooftop of the Demon Palace, Rio shook his head in dismay, but he wasn’t surprised, as he already knew this would happen.

Only a gentle breeze remained where the Demon King had stood a moment ago, carrying away the last traces of his presence.

The Demon King was killed by Rio in a single move and didn’t even have the power to show resistance; this outcome was what the Demon King had wished for, and Rio had granted it to him without hesitation!

’An honourable death in combat... that’s a fine way to go, I guess...’

Rio was already aware of how powerful his own world authorities were, so he wasn’t surprised at their destructive ability, but he was still a bit disheartened when he noticed that the final desperate attempt of the Demon King had failed.

’Something got in the way... The Law of ’Miasma and corruption’... this must be the doing of the Endless Sea of Miasma...’

Although the Sea of Miasma was millions of light-years away from this planet, its influence over the laws of the universe was massive and far-reaching.

When the Demon King died, Rio clearly felt the soul of the Demon King burning itself to attempt a forced communication connection with the Origin, but it was blocked halfway through by the ’Law of Miasma and Corruption.’

It felt like watching a lone candle flame rush bravely towards a distant light, only to be smothered by a wall of thick black smoke before it could reach it.

Actually, Rio could have helped the Demon King bypass this blockade, but the Demon King had already told him not to help, so he could only watch his soul disintegrate into pieces helplessly.

’Well... even if miasma hadn’t blocked him... I doubt he would have managed to make a proper connection so easily.’

’Ivan Maher made it through because of unique circumstances; his destiny was protected by King Allen’s heavenly luck, and the heavenly will help Ivan connect to the Origin directly...’

’The situation now is different... the heavenly will has been corrupted by the sea of miasma, the laws of the world are in shambles, and the chosen of the heavens is almost dead...’

’In this broken age of decay, it’s almost impossible for anyone to even be able to ascend to the level of a pseudo-true-god let alone establish a stable connection with the origin...’

Rio managed to ascend to this level of strength mainly because he wasn’t affected by the decaying reality of this universe, as he was an outlier, but others had to follow these rules properly.

It was a cruel irony of fate that the very thing that had made him an outcast in this world had also become the key that allowed him to climb so high.

’Sigh... to think he would end his life so futilely... I find it difficult to accept...’

With a wave of his hand, Rio caught the broken pieces of the Demon King’s soul.

They glimmered faintly in his palm like scattered grains of pale light, fragile and trembling, yet still warm with the lingering will of their former owner.

[World Authority: Eccentric Dream!]

[New Possibility: Dream of Joy: Soul Samsara Departure!]

Using his world authority ’Eccentric Dream,’ Rio blessed the broken soul with a new ’Dream’ and helped it enter the normal cycle of ’samsara,’ of souls.

’You said that you wanted to apologize to your children in the afterlife... although I can’t do much for you as you asked me not to interfere, at least let me send you to that so-called afterlife of yours...’

Using his powers, Rio basically gave the Demon King a new chance to live a happy life in the future someday.