Night World Players

Chapter 221: Civilization has been defeated several times, but the shore guardians have never been defeated (two in one)

"Gray..."

Last whispered the name of the gray-haired girl who was walking on the wasteland.

This is a reunion after more than two hundred years.

Although Last had heard Gray's voice before in the watchtower, it was ultimately just a recording that the other party had recorded and played in advance.

This was the first time that Luster saw Grey in person after the Battle of Broken Coast.

Whether in clothing or appearance, Gray still maintains the same appearance as in the beginning, when she had not yet become the leader of the Shore Guardians, but was just a member of the team under Last.

This scene made Last feel a little dazed, as if everything had gone back to many years ago when they were still in the watchtower, on a carefree and peaceful afternoon after training.

However, the colorless earth, the ruins of the city buried in the desert, and the fatigue and weakness revealed in Gray's petite figure hidden by the hooded cloak... all pulled his thoughts back from memories to reality.

That’s right, this is the world after the apocalypse.

The civilization of the Sixth Age no longer exists.

……

"Have you finally faced reality, this generation of masters of the 'Fools' Library'?"

Above the colorless earth, in the pitch-black sea of ​​sky, a high and vast voice descended.

"Even the most prosperous era will eventually end, and even the most prosperous civilization will inevitably come to an end... This is the law engraved in the very foundation of this world, an unchangeable rule."

"Even if you are the darling of fate, even if you have deduced all the future tributaries of the long river of time and exhausted every possible divergence...but at the end of all possibilities, all divergences, all tributaries, there is only one ending."

"This is fate, this is the law of nature."

This sound coming from the distant sky echoed in every corner of heaven and earth.

"Oh my god, another angel?"

"Have angels become cabbages these days? Can they be sold wholesale like this?"

The hair on Dean Yin's tail stood up again, and he stared at the dark sky vigilantly.

Of course, this was just Dean Yin's instinctive stress response.

Their current state is very special, just as if the scenery observed by humans using astronomical telescopes is actually the universe billions of years ago. These billions of years are the time it takes for light to propagate... This is a history that has already happened, and they are just audiences watching the performance below the stage. The audience cannot interfere with anything that happens on the stage, and the actors on the stage are also unaware of the existence of these audiences.

"It can't be helped. After all, this is the end of an era, the end of everything...all those monsters and demons that usually hide out will come out at this time."

Last looked at the dim sky from which the magnificent voice came. "Besides, given his status, it would be abnormal for him not to come out at this time."

He had already guessed the origin of this new angel—

Gravekeeper.

This is a secret organization that has existed since the Age of Gods.

And now, at the end of this era, it is naturally the time for the gravekeepers to collect and bury the dead civilization.

As if to confirm Last's guess, Gray raised her eyes slightly and looked up at the dim sky.

"Even though one of their members was killed by Leader Cecil not long ago, they've been hiding in shame all these years since I became an Angel, not daring to show up..."

"Is it only at this point that you are finally willing to show up?"

"Noah... He was trapped in the Legend for too many years, and thus developed a greed for the Death God's Star Grail. He never sought help from the organization, but instead wanted to take it all for himself."

"If you die, you die. There's nothing to regret."

"On the contrary, Cecil... that legend of the Sun Sequence is indeed a figure that cannot be underestimated."

When talking about Noah, the high and distant voice was unusually indifferent, as if it was not talking about a fellow gravekeeper, but just an ordinary chess piece.

But when talking about Cecil, he did not hide his admiration at all.

"If he could unfetter himself from those illusions and choose to compromise... then in time, perhaps he could truly ascend to an angel through his own strength."

"Like you and me, become a truly immortal great man."

"Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world. Angels are angels, and legends are legends... It seems like just one step away, but it's the difference between eternity and vanishing."

"And everything he did, that seemingly tragic sacrifice...looking back now, it's clear that it was all in vain."

"It's nothing more than forcibly extending the lifespan of this aging era for a few hundred more years—in the end, it will still end in such a miserable death, having accomplished nothing, having changed nothing, and having wasted its chance to become an angel."

Above the sky, that indifferent gaze slowly descended.

"I've personally witnessed this countless times in the long years since the Age of Gods..."

"Among them, there are many brilliant individuals who are even more passionate, gifted, and talented than you. They too once held a burning passion, wanting to protect their civilization and end the fate of the Epoch..."

"But in the end, they all failed without exception. From being full of hope to completely despair, they finally chose to join the gravekeepers."

"Admit it—"

"The civilization of the Sixth Epoch..."

"And the Shore Watcher has failed."

The voice from the distant sky paused slightly.

"And the invitation I extended to you still stands. Join us... You are an angel of destiny, and possess the value that matches it."

"Use your power to guide future civilizations to conform to the laws of nature and destiny, and avoid meaningless struggles and internal friction."

……

The high and distant voice sounded like thunder, and also like the verdict of fate.

Proclaiming the cold truth.

Civilization has collapsed, and the Sixth Epoch has come to an end... This is a fact that has already happened and cannot be changed.

But at this moment, Gray took off the hood of the shore guard's standard cloak and raised her head.

"Gravekeeper, you are a little wrong..."

Her voice was soft, but the determination it radiated made the heavens and earth resonate: "The civilization of the Sixth Epoch has undoubtedly failed."

"It's not just us. In the six eras since the Age of Gods, humanity has been defeated several times and fallen into dust..."

"but--"

"The Shore Guardian has never been defeated."

Only now did Rust see Grey's face clearly for the first time, which had been hidden by her hood—her expression was so tired and haggard, but at this moment, Grey's eyes were so bright.

It was a bright and blazing fire that illuminated the deepest darkness.

"Angel from the gravekeeper..."

"This time, I won the bet."

……

It was you who...won the bet?

Everything you cherished and wanted to protect has been buried in the dust of history with the end of the Sixth Epoch.

It has come to this point, what's the point of saying this anymore?
Such confusion only arose in the heart of the gravekeeper angel for a moment and then disappeared.

Because the next moment, he heard Gray's clear singing voice, echoing throughout the silent wasteland.

"Destiny..."

Is she going to activate the power of the Destiny Sequence? Time travel, or time standstill, foreseeing the future?

But what’s the point of this?
Only angels can fight against angels. In addition to proclaiming the power of angels... its other meaning is that there is not much difference in strength between angels.

Every angel is "unique" in the entire river of time and space, and in all of history. They exist simultaneously in every moment of time, every instant... There is no moment of weakness anymore.

Even if an angel is killed at a certain point in time, he can immediately return through his "self" at other time points in the long river of history... because in the entire long river of history, every moment, every instant, there are traces and imprints of angels, everywhere.

Temporary suppression might be possible, but to truly kill another angel, all traces of the other party in the long river of time and all the marks left at every node must be erased at the same moment... Even for an angel, this is almost impossible to accomplish.

Apart from the demise of the Age of Gods and the direct confrontation with the forces of historical revision... these irreversible trends, it is almost impossible for angels to die as long as they do not take the initiative to die.

The so-called "eternal immortality" is not just a lie, but the most realistic portrayal of the concept of angels.

Therefore, the gravekeeper angel was not worried at all about Grey attacking him at this moment, because he knew that as an angel, he could not kill Grey, and Grey would definitely not be able to kill him in such a short time...

But, the next moment.

He heard Gray's words clearly.

"Destiny..."

"This is the last wish I made—"

"Release the seal of the Eternal Night Monument."

"Let everything engraved on the stone tablet, those bygone eras and civilizations; the reverberations, echoes, and traces of time... return to reality."

"Transform those reflections of the past into a world for future generations to explore... and become the nourishment and food for the nascent civilization that will sprout in a new era above the ruins—"

Varied……

The gravekeeper angel's thoughts were almost frozen.

Since the Age of Gods, Gray is the first angel born from the Sequence of Destiny... Therefore, even he cannot know what kind of "miracles" Gray will master and be able to perform after being promoted to an angel.

It was not until this moment that he finally understood Gray's purpose.

"Monument of Eternal Night".

The holy relics passed down from the Age of Gods to the present day are the true foundation of the "Gravekeepers" organization.

Like the "Library of Fools", it originates from the Age of Gods, the nameless fool who led humanity to rise and founded the Gravekeepers.

This is a true treasure that involves the realm of time and space, and can record the imprint of history and the traces of time.

The legends of the Gravekeepers were able to return from the long river of history even after their death because they had left their souls imprinted on the "Monument of Eternal Night"... To a certain extent, they possessed the "eternity" that only angels could possess.

It can even be said that without the "Eternal Night Stele", the "Gravekeepers" organization would not exist at all.

No wonder Gray said, "I won the bet"...

The Eternal Night Stele is usually sealed in the deepest part of the Gravekeeper Organization, and even angels cannot approach it. Without a clear target, Gray's wish will naturally not come true.

But only at this moment, at the end of the Sixth Epoch, the end of everything, the Gravekeeper will surely appear, bearing the Eternal Night Stele...

Since this is the end of Ji Yuan, recruiting Gray to join the Gravekeepers is just a matter of convenience.

The true purpose of the Gravekeeper Angel's appearance here is to use the Eternal Night Stele to collect the history of the Sixth Epoch and bury it in the tomb... This is the meaning of the existence of the "Gravekeeper" organization.

"Are you crazy?"

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Do you know how much you will have to pay for such a grand wish?"

This was the first time that the gravekeeper angel's indifferent voice had adopted such an inappropriate tone.

As an angel, he knew very well the price Gray paid for performing miracles—equivalent exchange.

Every gift from fate must be marked with a price. The more magnificent and grand the miracle is... the higher the price it requires in exchange.

If it was just a wish like Gray's first two, simply strengthening her ability to predict the future, or a miracle with a single goal like "making Brother Luster come to me"... then the price of equivalent exchange would not be unbearable for Gray, who has already become an angel.

However, the ambition that Grey made at this moment is a miracle that will truly affect the entire era and the future trend of history.

The price is something that even angels cannot afford and are unwilling to face.

"Of course I know the weight of the wish I made."

Gray's voice was now filled with an indescribable calmness.

"If I want to be equal to such a grand ambition on the scale, then what I have to pay is..."

"As an angel, I possess everything, including eternity, right?"

Gray raised her head slightly, gazing at the dim sky. "Exiled for eternity, wandering in the deepest sea of ​​stars..."

"It sounds like a bleak future indeed—"

"But, at least I was chosen by Brother Rast to be the new shore guardian..."

"If my inner awareness is not even comparable to that of a little girl in her early teens, then that would be truly shameful..."

"So--"

Her calm voice came along with the distorted time and a grand destiny that flowed like a river or sea.

"An equivalent exchange has been reached."

(End of this chapter)