Night World Players

Chapter 154 So, you are the gravekeepers, and I am the shorekeeper (8k)

Blood splattered on the fairy tale book, outlining a winding bloody path on the white paper, but no one noticed it.

at the same time.

thump—

thump—

Amidst the howling of wind and tide, a dull sound was heard.

At first, the sound was extremely faint... just like a seed that had not yet sprouted, taking root deeply in the amber ice coffin.

But soon, the seed flourished in an instant, turning into a giant tree that blocked out the sun and sky, becoming more and more magnificent...

The roar of the wind and the tide gradually faded away.

All that remained was the roar that permeated the heaven and earth.

It was the heartbeat of some majestic creature.

The rhythm of the heartbeat echoed with the dim sea of ​​the entire underworld, gradually merging into one.

Every heartbeat is the rise and fall of the tide.

And when that mighty heartbeat reached its peak of grandeur and gestation—

It is the day when the gods break open the rotten coffin that has been sealed for thousands of years and return to the world.

However, it was at this time.

Suddenly, emerald green runes gradually lit up in the amber ice coffin, carrying a rich energy of life.

Then, the emerald green lines were slowly outlined.

It transformed into a complicated and gorgeous formation, covering the entire surface of the ice coffin.

This was the backup plan Noah had prepared in advance on the ice coffin.

Just like life and death are antonyms.

For the newly born god of death who has just been resurrected and has not yet regained the power of his heyday... the legend of the Sequence of Abundance is his biggest nemesis.

It is a green cage constructed by the energy of life and the power of abundance. It can also be understood as a kind of seal.

This is a prison large enough to imprison gods. The resurrected god of death cannot continue to survive and accumulate any power in it, but can only serve as an energy engine, having his power constantly extracted by this sealed prison for its own use.

A red-gold pupil suddenly shot out from the amber ice coffin, followed by a deafening roar.

The storm and fury swept across the entire underworld, and the entire illusory sea was covered with huge waves that covered the sky and the sun, causing the towering tower to tremble violently.

Inside the ice coffin, the majestic will was enraged.

He had just awakened from a long sleep of tens of thousands of years, and was about to look up at the sky and down at his feet... to open his eyes to see how this world, which would be ruled by him again after thousands of years, was different from the glorious Age of Gods of the past.

But then, he realized that at this moment, in this perfect vessel that was a mixture of human and god and flowing with his own blood, there was a hidden trick hidden in it.

There were actually despicable humans who set a trap in the container of His resurrection in advance.

He attempted to seal his reborn self, turning the majestic god into a prisoner without freedom.

The solemn majesty turned into a blazing rage...

The king's rage brought about a mighty storm, which was about to destroy the despicable human who wanted to enslave the gods.

however--

Amidst the raging tide of dim divine power, the emerald green sealing rune showed no signs of weakening.

The emerald green glow became even more intense, exuding rich vitality.

Death and life complement each other.

After the ultimate death and extinction, there is another cycle of rebirth...

Therefore, no matter how violent the power of the god of death is, it can never destroy the seal of abundance, and it may even become the nutrient that nourishes the cage.

Just as wildfires can never burn down the prairie, as long as the spring breeze blows, new seeds will sprout in the fertile ashes.

The roar of the ancient god continues.

But the trembling abyss and the roaring wind and thunder gradually subsided.

The emerald green sealing cage gradually condensed into a distinct entity around the ice coffin.

Suppressing the revived spiritual consciousness, extracting divine power and authority.

They would imprison Axia, who was sleeping in the ice coffin, and the old god of death who was resurrecting in her body, as slaves, turning them into caged birds without freedom...

At the bottom of the tower, Noah's always indifferent expression finally showed some fluctuations, which was quite rare.

This was the moment after the Age of Gods, spanning who knows how many epochs... when the ancient road leading to the divine realm was opened again.

And most importantly, the newborn god is about to be completely controlled by himself and become his prisoner and puppet.

Imprisoning a true god.

Even within the Tomb Keeper Organization, this is an unprecedented feat that has never been accomplished by anyone.

Seeing his plan about to be accomplished, even with Noah's vision, his embodiment of abundance couldn't help but be slightly dazed.

The distraction of the rich half lasted only a thousandth of a second.

This can't even be called a flaw... Even if ordinary people discovered his split soul, the genuine legendary status of Noah's fertile half body is enough to suppress any changes.

but--

That's when.

"Oh, the world..."

The soft singing suddenly echoed throughout the world, drowning out the howling of the wind.

"Here, be still."

The next moment.

Whether it's the tide, the storm, or the slow beating of your heart...

Everything is stagnant and frozen at this moment.

The entire underworld was transformed into a still landscape photograph; even the movement of the air... and even the ripples of the spirit and soul were gone.

The whole world is silent.

The only one left who could move normally in this still world was the boy.

[You have equipped the original "Destiny Stagnant World"]

[Warning! There is an oversized target within the skill range. Forcibly launching this codex on an oversized target may cause serious consequences including codex failure, mental backlash, and soul trauma!]

【Please consider the consequences carefully before using this source text! 】

In Rast's mind, lines of text were constantly flashing, with colors as bright as blood.

This is the latest original text unlocked by Rast.

After the fateful duel with Gray in Paradise Royal City... in his "Fool's Library", the long stage of the Destiny sequence finally unlocked a new ability original.

Perhaps because the bond level had not yet reached the required level, what Luster unlocked was not "Time Rewind", which was Gray's ultimate trump card, but "Stagnation World" -

Taking oneself as the origin, the world around him falls into a state of complete time stagnation.

Only the user himself remains, with full ability to act.

Judging from the effect of the skill, this is somewhat similar to a vampire who likes to hold a steamroller and shout "XX Lola"... It can be understood as a slowing down of the flow of time in the surrounding area, or it can be understood as a super acceleration of its own effects.

pat-

pat-

Almost at the moment when time stopped, one sound of shattering after another came from the bottom of the tower.

The world is like a still photo, but at this moment, tiny cracks have appeared on the frozen picture, as if the photo was torn by external force and could be completely shattered at any time.

This is a matter of course.

Whether it's "Stagnant World" or "Time Rewind"... the targets on which they can be effective do not include the option of the Legend status.

Interfering with the flow of legendary time was something even Gray, a favored one of fate, found difficult to do... let alone Last, who was merely simulating the sequence of fate through the original text of the "Fool's Library."

And now it was forcibly activated... Just like the glaring blood-red warning light that was still flashing in front of Last's eyes -

The time stop, which could originally last from several seconds to dozens of seconds, was destroyed the moment it was activated, and might be broken in less than a second.

Once that "stagnant world" is forcibly broken by Noah's legendary clone, both the "Library of Fools" and Last himself, the initiator of the original text, are likely to suffer a huge backlash of the soul... It is not impossible that they will even suffer severe mental damage and become a vegetable.

However, at this moment, Rast did not pay any attention to the blood-red alarm that kept beating in his spiritual world.

Although the forced time stop can only affect the legend for less than one second.

but.

Less than a second, but it was enough.

Suddenly, a cracking sound came from between Rast's fingers.

In his hand, a tiny crack appeared on the surface of the emerald green gem.

That was Noah's backup plan.

It was also the core of the abundance sealing formation on the ice coffin...

As long as one holds it, one can fully control this cage that is powerful enough to imprison gods, extract the power of the old god of death, and use it for one's own benefit.

But, at this moment.

Dense cracks cover the entire surface of the emerald gem.

Subsequently.

click-

The emerald uttered a clear groan and then shattered.

Only the rich energy of life and countless scattered emerald green fragments remained, which exploded on the platform and dissipated in the strong wind in the sky.

On the surface of the amber ice coffin, the emerald green sealing rune suddenly lit up.

Then, the rich seal and the green cage dimmed inch by inch.

In contrast, the remnant of the god of death, who was originally imprisoned in the ice coffin, was gradually suppressed and was about to become a prisoner in a cage... suddenly surged again.

The core of the Seal of Plenty was shattered by an external force.

Therefore, the resurrected god in the ice coffin was naturally no longer shackled.

……

boom--

The static world was torn apart by the legendary power, and the originally stagnant flow of time returned to normal.

"Last."

Noah's words, tinged with a hint of anger, came from the end of the abyss.

"Break the core of the Seal of Plenty and release the resurrected Ancient God from his cage."

"Do you know...what you are doing?"

"Do you know exactly what you are rejecting?"

……

"Humanity……"

At the same time, another voice came from the ice coffin.

It was a language from the Age of Gods, accompanied by wind and thunder. The sound was like the clashing of bronze weapons, as if it came from the infinitely distant ancient times.

This was the reborn remnant of the old Death God talking to him. Although Last had never learned the language of the Age of Gods, the ancient language rang directly in his heart, allowing Last to clearly perceive its meaning.

"You, you did a good job."

"Break the seal further and release me."

"My divine body has been completely reforged, no longer bound by the laws of the world. Unlike my former compatriots, I am no longer confined to hiding within the threshold of the Blazing Sky, but can now walk freely upon the earth."

"Once I have regained my full strength and ascended the throne of God again... whether it's this voluptuous half of his body, his true form, or even the gravekeeper behind him, they will be no different from ants in front of me."

"At that time, you will be the vice-king of heaven, the right hand of God, and the ruler of the entire mortal world."

……

The majestic words rang in Last's ears almost at the moment when the "time stop" was broken.

There are Noah's angry questions, as well as invitations and temptations from the regrets of the old god of death.

At the very center of the vortex, at the highest point of the abyss, Last's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

The blood-red warning in the Fool's Library is no exaggeration.

The "Time Stop" world was forcibly broken, and as the user, how could he not pay any price?
In the "Library of Fools", the original text of "Fate Stagnant World" that had been equipped suddenly dimmed.

Forcibly activating this skill caused damage to the Fool's library... Before the library was fully repaired over time, the original text of this time-stop had completely faded and could no longer be used.

And his soul was severely damaged in an instant.

If it weren't for Rast's unimaginable mental resilience, which was honed through hundreds of years of cycles in Deep Blue Harbor... he would probably have already become a vegetable due to mental trauma.

But, at this moment.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, and I know what I'm giving up... Your Majesty Noah."

Even though his remaining mental strength was barely enough to sustain even the most basic actions, Last was still smiling.

"If I follow your plan step by step, then even if the Gravekeeper takes away most of the power in the Netherworld, or even imprisons the entire consciousness of the Old God of Death... the remaining remnants of the throne will be enough to benefit me greatly."

"Most of my current strength is based on my status as the King of Paradise, standing on the Abyss, and gaining the bonus of my home turf... If I left Paradise, without the boost from the Abyss, my true status would be no more than Rank 3 or 4."

"Before you and that old god of death, we are nothing but insects... perhaps not even insects, but merely insignificant specks of dust."

He ignored the temptation from the remnant of death in the ice coffin.

Rast just looked quietly at Noah, the old man who looked like a gardener under the tower.

The respectful disguise he had put on in front of Noah faded away quietly, revealing his true self... He still maintained the courtesy towards the elders, but there was a hint of cynicism in his calm voice.

On his pale face, the corners of his mouth clearly outlined a slight curve.

"If I choose to accept your gift, Your Majesty Noah, then even if I leave the Nether Abyss and the blessings of my home turf... I will still be a true peak-level sixth-order cultivator. Furthermore, my path to legend and the divine realm will be unimpeded, free of the bottlenecks that plague ordinary transcendents for half their lives."

"Also, I'm rejecting your invitation. I'm giving up on becoming a 'Gravekeeper'... I'm giving up the chance to reign supreme over the long river of time, to exist eternally, regardless of the passing of eras and the shifting of times."

"If I do this now, not only will it not benefit me in the slightest, but I'll also be giving up the prototype of the throne that's so easily within my grasp. It will also create a mortal enemy with you and the gravekeeper... No matter how you look at it, this is an option that will do me no good but only harm."

Rast stared at Noah's voluptuous half, ignoring the violent roar of wind and tide in the ice coffin beside him.

"So of course you don't understand my choice."

"Just as you don't understand why, despite having ascended to Legendary status and possessing the ability to protect themselves, Leader Sissel and the Legends of past civilizations still refuse to compromise for what you consider to be illusory things."

"They gave up their own eternity and chose to fly into the flames of their own civilization and perish together."

……

Last's voice was so soft, almost inaudible amidst the howling storm.

However, the legendary figure of Noah, the embodiment of fertility, still clearly understood all of Rast's sentences.

"Leader Cecil..."

Noah repeated the words that Lust had said.

A flash of realization flashed across his old eyes: "No wonder, the time stop just now was clearly the power of the advanced stage of the Destiny Sequence..."

"You are not a patron of 'Fate', yet you are able to use this supposedly unique sequence ability."

"I see."

"Cesare, he has passed on the fire to you."

"Because he knew the fateful outcome of the battle on the Broken Coast, he gave up his pointless struggle and resistance... and chose his own successor in advance?"

There was a hint of surprise in Noah's words.

This is not his true self, but merely an incarnation of abundance.

In order to conserve the power of this incarnation and prevent it from disappearing prematurely, this abundant half has been sleeping at the bottom of the abyss until Rast arrives and is triggered.

Therefore, Noah's fertile incarnation was unaware of all the commotion Gray had caused during the Holy Scriptures in Paradise City...

Therefore, from the perspective of this incarnation, Rast is Cecil's chosen heir... This is undoubtedly the most reasonable guess.

"But..." His voice quickly returned to calmness from surprise: "Although it's a bit unexpected, what's the point of all this?"

"As the successor chosen by Cecil, I should have continued the legacy of the Shore Guardians after his death in battle..."

"You have completely exposed your identity to me in an extremely foolish way."

Noah's words turned slightly colder.

He slowly reached out his hand and then clenched it.

The next moment, Last's heart and all his internal organs suddenly tightened as his flesh and blood twisted.

At this moment, thousands of plant roots silently took root, sprouted, and grew in every blood vessel, every tendon, every strand of flesh and blood, and every inch of organ in Last's body.

Then, a strangely beautiful blood-red flower bud condensed.

Flesh and Blood Sprouting

The Sequence of Plenty, an ability that can only be used after reaching the seventh step, can also be said to be a symbol of the legend of the Sequence of Plenty.

Unlike most of the abilities in the Order of Opulence, which are healing and auxiliary, "Flesh Sprout" is a pure killing skill.

It is possible to silently implant a seed that no one can detect into the flesh and blood of any living being, using breath and air as the medium.

Normally, this seed lies dormant in the host's body and does not show any abnormalities.

However, if necessary, this seed can quickly germinate in the other person's body.

Then, using the flesh and blood of the target's body as nutrients, a beautiful blood-colored flower grows.

And when the bud in the heart blooms, it means the end of the other person's life.

It cannot be reversed, it cannot be stopped... The flower that sprouts with flesh and blood as nutrients will completely destroy every blood vessel, every tendon, every muscle and skin in the host's body.

Even the Death God Sequence, whose passive skill "Pale Body" could remove vital parts of the body, couldn't survive "Flesh Sprout" because even "Pale Body" only distributed the damage to the vital parts evenly throughout the body, not being immune...

But the sprouting flesh and blood flower will destroy all of a person's flesh and blood and organs - just like in an FPS game, even if you can't blow up the head, you can still kill the person by hitting the feet.

Noah's hands clenched slightly, and at the heart of Rast's body, the flower bud nourished by flesh and blood became more and more enchanting and beautiful, as if it could bloom completely at any time and completely end the host's life.

This is the reason why Noah has been as steady as an old dog from beginning to end.

From the very beginning, he implanted the seed of the "Flower of Flesh and Blood" in Rast's body, so he never doubted Rast's identity as a spy... Because whether Rast was a spy or not, whether he truly yearned to be the gravekeeper or was just giving a hypocritical compliment, it didn't really matter.

As long as that seed of flesh and blood is still there, Rast's life is completely in his own hands.

No matter what happened, as long as the flower of flesh and blood bloomed, Noah could directly wipe out Rast from this world.

"It seems that Cecil made an extremely stupid and wrong choice."

"The next successor to the Shore Guardian whom he chooses will die before he does."

Noah's voice sounded calmly.

He had never expected that Cecil would actually bring the successor of the fire... right to him like this.

Without any effort, he could recover the fire that the Tomb Keeper Organization lost many years ago.

As for the old god of death who has lost his shackles in the ice coffin and is gradually reviving... compared to being able to successfully recover the fire, it seems less important.

Even though the God of Death was reborn, it had been extinct for a long time after all - its remaining power had long since disappeared to the point where only one tenth of it remained, and the thousands of believers in the Kingdom of God no longer existed.

It will take an extremely long time for the Grim Reaper to recover to its peak state... During this period, the Gravekeeper is more than enough to hunt it down.

"I didn't expect you to be even more stupid than I thought."

Noah looked at Rast, whose face was pale and strange buds had grown on the flesh of his heart. His life was completely in his own control, and his voice was calm.

"Originally, if you chose to feign forbearance and cooperate with me in completing the ascension ceremony, you would have completely transferred the authority of the God of Death and the prototype of the throne to yourself."

Noah's voice remained calm. "Then, wait until you become a new god of death and have accumulated enough power... then turning against me might make things more difficult for me."

"I didn't expect that you wouldn't even be willing to endure for such a short time. My arrangements have been wasted."

Listen to Noah's words.

Even his heart was clearly under the control of that flower of flesh and blood, and his life and death were hanging by a thread.

But there was still a smile on Rast's pale face.

He had never smiled before, never shown a smile.

"Yes, feigning forbearance and remaining dormant... inheriting the power of the God of Death, or choosing to fully unleash the God of Death and trigger a war between the old God of Death and the Gravekeeper... this is undoubtedly the best option."

"but--"

Last smiled. "If the remnant of that old god of death completely takes over this body, then everything will be meaningless."

Last turned sideways and looked down at the girl with ice-blue hair in the ice coffin.

She closed her eyes tightly, and the expression on her pretty face kept changing... Sometimes she showed the majesty of a king, and sometimes she was confused and timid, as if she was trapped in a deep nightmare.

Looking at the girl who looked like a sleeping beauty, a hint of tenderness flashed in Rast's eyes.

"Your Majesty Noah, you and the gravekeeper... have been standing in the clouds for far too long."

"It's been so long that you've forgotten what it felt like to be human."

"So from the beginning to the end, in your eyes, there are only three parties: the shore guardian, the gravekeeper, and the resurrected old god of death..."

"You believe that only these three parties are qualified to sit at the poker table, and everything that is happening before your eyes is the result of the cold-blooded game of chess and the exchange of interests between these three parties."

"You've never considered the feelings of the third key in the ascension ceremony, and you've never asked..."

"Is she willing to become the vessel for the resurrection of the old god of death?"

"How does this...container feel?"

First time.

Noah turned his gaze to the sleeping girl in the ice coffin.

But his gaze remained indifferent, just like a gardener looking at the gardening shears in his toolbox. It was a handy tool, but just a tool.

"Between male and female organisms... the most primitive reproductive impulse generated by the glands secreting stimulating hormones?"

"Everything you did—was for such a ridiculous reason?"

"I didn't expect Your Majesty Noah to have such a good knowledge of biology... It seems the technological level of those civilizations of past eras was even higher than I imagined."

Luster smiled and said, "You really don't understand, and your colleagues won't understand either..."

"After all, in your world, apart from tangible and reliable interests, everything else is meaningless and illusory."

He looked the old man straight in the eye and said, "To be honest, I used to be like that too... I forgot human emotions and even more so human nature, and lived as a cold machine."

"They exist solely for the pre-programmed goal of 'keeping themselves alive'—every action is a cold, cold judgment of value. They do what they deem beneficial to their survival, and completely abandon what they deem detrimental to their survival."

"But then I met a girl named Amys—"

“She taught me that people shouldn’t just live to survive.”

“The concept of ‘living’ isn’t about waiting to die slowly, but about constantly running, meeting all kinds of people and things, and fulfilling all the wishes you want to achieve, until you are exhausted and can no longer walk.”

"Only in this way can we have no regrets when death comes, and only in this way can we look back on our past without heartbreak and be able to say with confidence, 'I have lived a life without regrets.'"

"In the past, I didn't understand what Xiao Ai said to me... But now, after encountering Hiltina, meeting Dean Yin, Gray, Leader Cecil, Axia... and meeting so many different people and things."

"I seem to understand a little bit."

Last reached out and gently touched the girl's soft ice-blue hair in the ice coffin.

"I don't know if this is the primal impulse generated by the glandular secretion of hormones that Your Majesty Noah mentioned... But I know that this is the thought that surges in my heart at this moment, and there is absolutely no falsehood."

"The noble spirit of defending the people at all costs, the chivalrous creed of dying before one's comrades."

"For the people and things I cherish, for the world I leave behind... like a moth to a flame, I do what I know is impossible."

"Because of a common desire, the flame has been passed down from generation to generation, illuminating the long night."

"Because I hate endless tragedy, even though I know there are many hardships and dangers, I must write the ending I want for that imperfect fairy tale."

He closed his eyes, placed his right hand on his chest, and turned his back to the steep cliff on the top platform of the tower.

"You will never understand my ideas, just as I will never understand your beliefs."

"Perhaps in your eyes this is a hopelessly foolish choice, but I am happy with it."

wow-

In the howling of wind and tide.

Rast's body leaned backward, falling from the top of the Tower of Babel to the end of the abyss.

"so--"

"You are the gravekeepers, and I am the shorekeeper."

(End of this chapter)