Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 241 Passing away
At sunset.

At the beach, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the sand, a gentle breeze blew, and a man sat on the beach gazing at the sunset. A woman lay in his arms, and he held her close, his face expressionless.

"Crash..."

The waves rolled, and in the distance, the faint cries of seagulls could be heard.

The woman's face was pale, and she nestled wearily in the man's arms. Her eyes were half-open, and one could vaguely see the pale golden sunset shining in them. Her eyes were extremely beautiful, like the rainbow after the rain or the morning dew. That moment of brilliance surpassed even the desolation of a thousand years of soul.

She didn't speak, but quietly gazed at the sunset at the horizon. The setting sun was about to disappear, but it was displaying its greatest brilliance, spreading golden fragments across the sea and scorching half the sky with crimson clouds. Everything was so beautiful.

She slightly raised her slender neck and gazed intently at the beautiful scene.

"How beautiful."

The woman praised softly.

She loves all things beautiful and cherishes them with utmost care.

She loved the sunrise, the colorful clouds, the shimmering lake, and the bright moon; she loved the beautiful arc of the mountains arching over the ground; she loved the whispering chirping of insects in the summer; she loved the refreshing fragrance of grass and trees when lying on the grass; she loved the towering mane of a lion when it raised its head, its majestic posture reminding her of her father; she loved the heart-stirring thunder in the sky, for in her still hazy memories, the sound of thunder always gave her a sense of security.

There are so many wonderful things in the world.

She longed to be like she was back then, unaware of her identity or her future, simply running freely across the earth without ever tiring. Every morning, she would wake up full of energy and chase after the stars in the sky and the distant pillars of heaven. Even though she didn't know how far away the stars were, nor could she understand what those pillars supporting the earth's four corners meant, how happy she was back then!

But now, she is no longer able to do so.

"hidden."

the woman said.

"Ah."

The man responded blankly.

"Don't blame them. They are all good kids. Attacking me was not their intention."

As she gazed at the slowly setting sun, nestled in Yin's arms, the woman whispered.

"Ah."

"Don't leave them either. They've only made some small mistakes. It's just me who's being expelled. As long as you continue to guide them, those clever children will surely create many wonderful things."

"Ah."

The wooden voice rang out again.

"And... don't blame Father. I know he's actually a good person,"

This time, no sound came out.

The woman seemed oblivious to the strangeness around her, and wearily closed her eyes, lying in the man's arms as she spoke slowly.

"It's just missing one thing..."

Something is missing.

In a woman's eyes, her father is simply missing one thing.

After a moment of silence, the woman murmured softly.

"Actually, sometimes I envy Mona. She wholeheartedly obeys her father's orders, serves him at all times, and is trusted by him. But I am only disliked by him."

"Many times, I've imagined this scene: I'm standing in front of it, it's stroking my cheek and smiling at me. In that fantasy, the sun is warm, and its hand is warm too. But it has never smiled at me... never."

There was a hint of disappointment in her voice as she gazed quietly at the dazzling sunset before her. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face.

“But I know I can’t be like Mona, I can’t be that obedient. I’m willful, I talk back, I argue, and I never do what it wants me to do, so I’ll always just be a disobedient daughter in its eyes…”

"Yin, promise me you won't blame it, and you definitely won't hate it. Help it, and if you can, one day find what it lost for me, okay?"

The waves crashed against the shore with a loud splash.

After a long silence, a wooden voice rang out.

"Ah."

A faint smile appeared on her pale face. Her eyes, as pure as glass and as dazzling as flames, gazed at the man before her. His face was wooden and indifferent, as if he cared nothing about anything.

But in the woman's eyes, both Yin and her father were very similar, both lacking something.

Its father had no heart, and Yin's heart no longer beat.

She reached out and gently stroked his face, her soft hand touching him carefully, as if trying to etch his face deep into her heart little by little.

Only then did the woman, who had shown no fear of life or death, reveal a hint of reluctance. She loved this world, loved this vibrant world, and loved taking the green Cain from the lungs of the Earth Dragon.

As the tides surged, the dazzling sunset gradually faded at the horizon, leaving only faint golden edges on the sea.

The woman lay in the man's arms and slowly closed her eyes.

"Yin, I'm a little cold."

At the horizon where the sea meets the sky, the sun disappears in the last pale golden afterglow.

On the desolate beach, no longer bathed in golden light, only the cold sea breeze gently blew. The woman lay quietly in the man's arms, no longer making a sound. The man's expression was blank and unmoved.

"Crash..."

The sea continues to pound against the shore, for thousands of years, and forever.

The woman's body in his arms had grown cold, but the man's face remained unchanged. From beginning to end, his expression was completely blank; he simply held the cold body silently.

……

"Ah...ahh ...

Pain, bitterness, resentment, despair, hatred... With each heartbeat, these emotions he couldn't feel before surged into his heart, making his newborn heart feel as if it were being torn apart.

I'm so sad, so painful. How can it be so painful?

The renewed beating of his heart allowed Cain to see the world clearly, but the surge of emotion made him want to tear his chest apart and rip out his heart.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!"

He crawled on the ground with great difficulty, immense pain surging in his heart. His eyes, which had just healed, were bloodshot, ferocious, and filled with resentment, as he instinctively growled.

Cain, who had maintained his indifference and rationality throughout, was now acting like the most frenzied beast, hysterical.

But at that moment, a large foot suddenly slammed down, stepping on Cain's palm and crushing the still unhealed skin of his fingers.

"Ahhh!"

A sharp pain shot through Cain, causing him to cry out in agony. But the large foot did not stop; instead, it continued to grind and rub against Cain slowly and deliberately, as if it were intentionally torturing him.

"Mmm... This scream, this scream filled with pain, Yin, I've wanted to hear your scream for a long time."

A huge shadow fell, enveloping Cain.

The godlike, dazzling figure placed its hand to its ear, closed its eyes, and listened intently, as if carefully listening to the screams coming from beneath it—screams that sounded like the most beautiful music to its ears. A smile curled its dark purple lips.

"Hmph, hehehehe, hahahahahaha... Wonderful, so wonderful, it's such a pleasant sound. Yin, it was definitely the right thing to remove your curse, otherwise how could I hear such a beautiful sound?"

It started as a low murmur, then the laughter gradually rose, and finally filled with a strange sense of joy and comfort.

Faced with that maniacal laughter, Cain could only grit his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his face, trying his best to keep quiet.

“Yin, I do admire you. You and I are indeed very similar. I promised you the opportunity to follow me, but you refused. The reason is because of that insignificant insect-like affection?!”

The previously calm voice suddenly turned violent, and a kick was delivered to Cain on the ground.

"Oh!"

The immense force sent Cain flying, crashing into the stone wall and further aggravating his already blood-spitting injuries.

Perhaps, more than Cain's rejection, it was Cain's inability to feel love or desire that made the figure so unhappy, as he was influenced by that inexplicable insect-like emotion.

Because they were so alike—Cain and it were indeed very similar. But it was precisely this resemblance that fueled Cain's discontent; wasn't this a veiled criticism that it too might become such a weak insect?

Ha, how is that possible?

But even the figure itself might not have noticed, or perhaps it knew but didn't care, that this body contained the heart of a saint. Although this heart didn't belong to it, but was merely a vessel, its possession of this body seemed to have some effect on it, making it more violent. At least in the past, it would never have taken pleasure in torturing its own food.

Cain lay on the ground, coughing up large amounts of blood, his wounds healing with great difficulty.

Without the curse, his heart beat again and regained its emotions, but he was no longer immortal. Although his body remained strong, he would eventually die here if things continued this way.

The darkness that had been cast upon him once more enveloped him.

A god? A demon? High above him was looking down at him, looking down at the little insect lying on the ground.

"How did it feel to kill Lily?"

Gasping for breath, Cain, already aware that his days were numbered, suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Seemingly surprised by Cain's question, the figure thought for a moment before answering.

"Hmm? Feeling... Haha, I don't really feel anything. What special feeling should I have about killing a little bug?"

His dark purple lips sneered.

On the ground, as the figure spoke, Cain's pupils were terrifyingly cold.

"Phew, I'm already tired of this little game before I wake up. Let's end it here."

This little game should end. And when it ends, the fully awakened Orochi will reshape the universe once more, and the millennia-long gamble will finally come to a close.

The hand slowly rises, and when it falls, everything will come to an end.

A dark purple smile played on its lips; at that moment, it felt a deep sense of ease and joy.

But that's it.

“I’ve been waiting… I’ve been waiting for this opportunity.”

Suddenly, Cain, who was lying prostrate on the ground, spoke.

"Ok?"

For some reason, the figure suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

“I’ve been waiting… waiting for this opportunity when you completely let your guard down and underestimate me. Now, I’ve had it!”

As he finished speaking, Cain roared and suddenly reached for the figure's ankle.

The snake's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, and for some reason, the figure felt a tremendous sense of threat, as if Cain was about to do something extremely dangerous to him.

"Stop!"

Without holding back, accompanied by a sharp reprimand, the entire world, and even the entire universe, slowed down and eventually fell into stillness in an instant.

Everything, whether it be time, space, or matter, will bow down before a more powerful will. This powerful consciousness can make all matter obey its commands, or even stop moving.

Cain froze before the figure, his face contorted with rage.

Without holding back, with a slight thought, the body in front of him instantly shattered.

Without the curse's interference, even Cain, who could rival the last angel, would be annihilated in the face of a figure possessing both divine and demonic power. With a mere thought, he would vanish.

Perhaps Cain was trying to do something, but in the end, it was all wishful thinking in the face of absolute power.

But for some reason, even though everything had come to a standstill and Cain was dead, the powerful sense of threat only intensified.

"What's going on?"

The figure vaguely sensed that something was wrong, something very wrong, as if it had overlooked something extremely important, but what was it?
Something's wrong, something's very wrong, that's...

"wrong!!!"

Suddenly, the figure broke through the invisible illusion, and in an instant, the illusion that had been binding the figure dissipated.

There was only darkness before my eyes, as if someone had covered my eyes with their hands, and I felt as if a soft body was embracing me from behind. A woman's voice was speaking in my ear.

"It's time for the children to grow up."

The voice and figure were familiar. Tens of thousands of years ago, during the great flood, that same voice pleaded with her Heavenly Father; but now, she had blinded herself, creating illusions to deceive herself.

When was it?
Perhaps the illusion existed from the moment Cain spoke.

She was a tiny phantom lurking within a human body, a minuscule entity devoid of even a personality. From the very beginning, she had always resided within this mortal body, but she was so insignificant that even the shadow itself had forgotten her.

But she did exist after all, and at some unknown time, she gathered on this body and manifested her own consciousness.

And now, she is displaying a wondrous power that has never been revealed before.

Illusions that can deceive gods and demons simply do not exist, but what if such illusions are actively provided to gods and demons by the body itself? Such illusions are not even realized by the figure, because it is the mortal body it relies on that tells it.

The eyes, ears, nose, touch, and smell of this mortal body—all its senses—are telling it an illusion.

“I’ve been waiting… I’ve been waiting for this opportunity.”

Perhaps, as the illusion suggests, she had been waiting for such an opportunity, silently clinging to a lingering obsession, just to play a role at this moment, thus momentarily deceiving the gods and demons who control all things.

And this moment was the only obsession she had held onto for countless years, besides her own wish.

The smallest, yet most fatal, chance to free their children from the shackles of gods and demons.

"You deserve to die!"

The illusion had shattered, and in the blink of an eye, the furious figure easily erased that tiny obsession. In his ear, there seemed to be a woman's sigh.

"A monster who doesn't understand human nature..."

Reality has finally been revealed to it.

(End of this chapter)