“Where is this…”
After the thrill of having his soul yanked ten times like a roller coaster, Mu’en realized he had arrived in an unfamiliar space.
He looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
Endless red earth stretched out to a horizon unseen.
Dried plants, stripped of moisture, were scattered pitifully across the ground, like the thinning hair on a middle-aged programmer’s head.
Apart from that, there was no sign of life.
A scorching wind blew, bringing with it a nauseating smell of blood, sharp as a blade, stinging his skin.
And high above in that vast sky, among the flames burning ever so bright, a gigantic and ghastly eye quietly floated.
Around the pupil, the outline spread like a solar halo, expanding in layers like a kaleidoscope, but when Mu’en focused, that dazzling corona turned out to be a cluster of dry palms, swaying in perfect unison.
“What the hell is this?”
Once again shocked by the utterly sanity-busting scene, Mu’en instinctively glanced at the culprit—the black book.
The black book flipped quickly, vivid records of the past emerging, finally resting on an entry nearly forgotten by Mu’en long ago.
That entry recorded the name of the being before him.
The God of Merging Worlds.
The Lord of the Red Sun.
The King of Withering.
In short, yet another Evil God.
He had briefly appeared in the assassin’s prayer, exchanging a hundred children’s heart’s blood for power, and the single strand of crimson flame he bestowed could even suppress Celicia’s blizzards!
And now, here he stood before this Evil God!
Mu’en was so shaken by this damn reality that his vision darkened. Grabbing the black book, he shook it frantically, gritting his teeth:
“I asked you to tell me how to save An, not to bring me another Evil God!
What, do you want to drive away the tiger and then lead the wolf to benefit from the situation? Do you believe that before the tiger arrives, I won’t just have a heart attack and die to show you!”
The black book, of course, had no answer.
But it seemed that Mu’en’s commotion had caught the attention of the great King of Withering. The eye turned, its menacing pupil fixing its gaze upon this insignificant ant.
At that moment of being watched, countless crazed thoughts swarmed into Mu’en’s mind like fish drawn to feed.
So hot…
So burning…
So eager to burn something…
So desperate to plunge the world into a sea of flames…
So longing to go mad…
“The sound of flipping pages…”
The sound of the book pages turning was like a cool breeze, blowing away the heat.
Mu’en regained his rationality.
But before he could feel relieved, he looked at the black book in increasing terror.
You see.
Just taking one glance, it couldn’t hold itself together. How am I supposed to play with you?
It seemed that Mu’en’s ability to maintain his composure astonished the ghastly eye.
Yet that astonishment was also incredibly trivial.
As if discovering a bigger ant at home.
However, upon this eternally dry red earth, even a tiny ant seemed enough to pique the interest of the King of Withering…?
Then.
Like countless great bells ringing simultaneously, a voice both solemn and eerie echoed.
Those voices flowed, intertwined, and transformed upon the red earth, eventually turning into familiar language in Mu’en’s ears.
Human language.
[Human]
The King of Withering spoke solemnly.
[Do you desire power?]
“Ah.”
Mu’en was astonished.
His mouth opened reflexively, almost wide enough to fit a goose egg.
He couldn’t have misheard.
The high-and-mighty Evil God took the initiative to speak to him?
For a moment, Mu’en felt a sense of bewilderment as if being gently addressed by his idol.
So gentle, I love him.
No, wait, an Evil God asking if you want power is definitely the beginning of something bad!
He was completely naked, with nothing to offer as payment, and there was no way he could heartlessly sell his backside!
Eluka’s example was still fresh in his mind!
“Is this your way of saving me?”
Mu’en looked at the black book, feeling that this thing didn’t seem reliable at all. “Is this okay, sir? I know magic can only fight magic, but driving away one Evil God only to bring another in? What’s the point?”
Wouldn’t An just get eaten?
The black book trembled slightly, as if responding.
Unfortunately, Mu’en didn’t understand at all.
Then it suddenly floated.
The pages turned, and one page detached, floating toward the ghastly eye.
Finally, it hovered before the throne of the King of Withering.
The King of Withering seemed curious about what a mere human could present, casting his gaze toward that page.
Then the next moment, that curiosity morphed into… disdain.
Indeed, disdain, as if a naive person frequently taken advantage of saw the same old delinquent holding a note of debt they’d never honor walk by again.
Hey bro, lend me some, will you?
Ah, it’s not like I won’t pay you back.
Why are you so stingy?
When I have it, I’ll definitely pay you back.
Definitely, definitely, this note as proof.
In Mu’en’s speculation, the King of Withering might have seen the likes of that level of delinquency, and that disdainful look was so real and human-like.
Mu’en even felt for a moment that the King of Withering would wave its countless swaying little hands and throw a massive slap at him.
Fortunately, he didn’t throw a big slap, nor did he angrily eject the black book, crushing the tiny ant that had intruded into his domain.
Instead, it seemed to be pondering something.
The King of Withering was in deep thought.
But it didn’t take long, merely moments later.
A skeletal hand suddenly reached out from the void and seized the page.
The majestic voice echoed once more.
[Exchange completed]
The King of Withering looked at Mu’en.
[I can lend you power without cost]
[But]
A trace of mockery suddenly appeared on the ghastly pupil.
The King of Withering pierced through Mu’en entirely, as though examining every inch of him.
Including his soul, revealing no secrets whatsoever.
[Do you truly wish to accept?]
[To accept the power of the Evil God, as humans call it]
“…”
Mu’en fell into silence.
The power to change everything lay before him, but he hesitated.
He had to hesitate.
He wanted to live, but he wanted happiness even more.
That was his small goal after crossing over.
However.
The Evil God was the greatest source of misfortune in this world.
Getting involved with them would likely yield no good outcome.
Attaining the power of the Evil God, even if temporarily at no cost because of the black book—
But the consequence between him and this Evil God would be forever unbreakable.
There would be a mark upon him belonging to the Evil God.
An indelible mark that he couldn’t easily rid himself of, like a fate.
He might utterly lose sight of the word “happiness.”
Perhaps even “living” would become more difficult than he imagined.
…
“But do I have a choice?”
Mu’en said with a light smile.
