Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

"But!" Ji Yushen's tone shifted abruptly, "The primordial demons can't kill me, but they can easily destroy the world. I don't want to rule a desolate land..."

"So, I'm counting on you."

With that, Himegami bowed deeply to Freya.

The crowd fell silent.

At this moment, the giant tree that the sage Murphy had transformed into finally withered and collapsed, revealing a gate in the sky leading to the outside world. Cheng Cheng and the others did not waste any more words and immediately flew towards the gate.

Then, countless dragon shadows, composed of residents of the Dragon Realm, flew towards the passage.

The earth trembled more and more violently, mountains crumbled, and dust threatened to bury everything; primordial magic unleashed an eternal hurricane, the gale sweeping away all buildings, tearing the earth apart, and even dragons were swept into the sky by the wind; the earth's veins fractured, and volcanoes erupted one after another like fountains, raining down fiery rain, lava and heavenly fire scorching mountains and vegetation, turning the earth into scorched earth; the ocean surged with giant waves during the earthquake, which then turned into torrential rain, flooding all land, submerging mountains into the ocean, and drowning all things in the world.

This scene reminded Himegami of the myth recounted by the priest:

In the Aztec myth of Mesoamerica, the Sun Legend, the world will be destroyed by earth, wind, fire, and water in succession, and finally, in the Fifth Sun Age, it will be destroyed by an absolute earthquake, bringing about its end.

They look so alike...

Unfortunately, to protect this world, the dragon vein had to be relinquished. The "Immortal Crown" mentioned by the Divine Official was something I would never have the chance to personally claim.

Thinking about this, he felt a little regretful. He came here to conquer this small world, so how did he inexplicably become the protector of the world?

Freya and the others should have taken the hit, and then seized the scepter after Freya died, before going to the real world to steal the dragon vein—since they wouldn't die anyway, why should they stand up like heroes and give up their own interests?

...Perhaps it's because they're unwilling to accept it.

Even that greedy, cowardly, stupid cat Felix could stand up and maintain the world for over four hundred years; how can I, as the first emperor and the first god of all time, be inferior to a stupid cat?

What a stupid cat! Couldn't it be more careful and avoid getting killed?

I'm not reconciled...

"call……"

As she muttered to herself, a gust of wind brought four figures down to Ji Yushen's vicinity. She turned around and glanced at them, her face cold: "Didn't I tell you to flee for your lives? How dare you disobey my decree?"

Sky and Wind King Dvalin shook his head: "We have already sent our lieutenant to lead the residents away, there is no need to worry."

“This is our world. As the Dragon King, how could I abandon my people and leave first?” Xia Mi, the King of Earth and Mountains, sighed. “Besides, we can’t bear to watch an outsider come to protect our world.”

"Hey everyone, stop looking so gloomy," said Funina, the Queen of the Ocean and Water. "This is our last dance, so let's all enjoy ourselves."

Constantine, the King of Bronze and Fire, bowed his head and asked, "Your Majesty, what... what are you fighting for?"

Ha... a bunch of rebellious officials who disobey the emperor's orders.

Fine, considering their loyalty, let's recognize their throne in the name of the emperor.

Himeko lowered her head, gazing at the world that was about to become a stranger, and answered Constantine's question: "Behind me lies my land, and the people upon it are all my subjects. I can lead them toward the future I have promised, and I can also have them all die for me for my goals..."

"But that is my power. As for others, whoever they may be—"

"Absolutely not!"

After saying this, the earth completely shattered, and the four primordial beings tore through the barrier and descended into this world!

Endless darkness, eternal chaos, unspeakable unknown, rotting and rusting plague... The four primordial beings descended in their true forms, not attached to humans, and thus had no human form. Instead, they symbolized their respective concepts, ultimately transforming into an unstoppable black tide that engulfed the entire world!

The Dragon Realm is the dungeon closest to the Abyss. Once the demons break through its defenses, they can quickly flood into the world through kingdoms, empires, and dungeons of all sizes.

Therefore, we must stop them here!

"A bunch of evil spirits, daring to defile my treasures?"

God was angered, and countless miracles rained down upon the world, enough to destroy all things three thousand times over.

He spread his arms, personally leading the army, treading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, standing high in the heavens, with billions of golden lights shining behind him, and billions upon billions of divine weapons raining down; the gates of the Hall of Heroes opened wide, and warriors from a thousand years ago, fierce generals of the battlefield, and warlords of conquest...

Countless powerful figures traversed time and space to attend this grand feast, raising their divine weapons—

They charged toward the dark waves.

…………

(Ji Mikan·Doomsday·Impression Painting)

Chapter 154, Gluttony: The Lost One Follows the Shadow

"You little bastard, who gave you the right to step on my turf and steal my shit?"

"You bastard, this is the territory of the Bear, Wolf and Dog Gang. How dare you steal our shit? Don't you know the rules? You're tired of living!"

"Damn it! Stop wasting your breath on this little bastard! Just attack!"

"Snapped!"

The thugs from the Bear, Wolf, and Dog Gang grabbed John Clement by the collar and slammed him against the stone wall, unleashing a torrent of profanities: "Trying to steal our shit? You don't even know your own worth! You filthy thing, you think you're fit to make money on this street? Beat him up!"

John clutched his head, screaming desperately, "No, no! I'm just so hungry, I'm sorry! Mom! Help!!"

But he soon couldn't shout anymore, because the thugs' fists and feet rained down like a storm.

Get lost! If you cross the line again, I'll kill you!

The thugs roughly dragged away his old manure cart, stole his last copper coins, and drove off, leaving John, covered in wounds and looking utterly disheveled, collapsed on the cold street.

The cold autumn wind swept through the streets and alleys, carrying withered leaves, and penetrated his thin, worn clothes, making him shiver with cold.

He slowly struggled to his feet, his body aching terribly, and stared blankly in the direction where the thugs had disappeared, his eyes filled with a deathly stillness.

Without the manure cart, he would have no livelihood.

Because he was a "night man".

The so-called "night laborer" was the lowest, dirtiest, and most dangerous profession in the city. They worked day and night, taking advantage of the quiet of the night when everyone was asleep and the streets were deserted, to clean up the filth and excrement in public toilets and backyards of houses. They would load buckets of filth into carts and transport them to the desolate latrines outside the city, exchanging their stinking, backbreaking labor for scraps of food to eat.

He was despised by the world and scorned by passersby; even beggars and thugs on the street would not stoop to associating with Nightshade.

But this was the only way for John Clement, a boy not yet twelve years old, to cling to for survival after losing his parents.

He scrimped and saved for over a year to finally buy an old manure cart, so he could earn more money without relying on renting it out... But tonight, he accidentally crossed half a street and stumbled into the manure-transporting territory of another gang in another neighborhood. Several thugs lying in wait on the street robbed him of all his copper coins and the manure cart he relied on for a living.

He hasn't eaten for three days.

An endless sense of bewilderment and despair gripped the boy until the sun rose. He gradually recovered, got up from the ground, and walked slowly and listlessly along the streets of the dock area.

He wanted to go to the dock to see if there were any dead fish to collect.

But when he reached the shore, John was disappointed—there was nothing on the beach except for trash bobbing up and down with the waves.

He returned to the filthy street in the port area. The "gold" he once relied on for a living had become worthless after losing his latrine cart. He needed to eat; if he didn't, he wouldn't even have the strength to rummage through the garbage on the street tomorrow.

But when John arrived at the familiar garbage dump, he found two filthy old men rummaging through the stinking mess.

This area is already occupied. If I go up there to pick up trash, I'll probably get beaten up again.

Thinking of this, John trembled with fear and had no choice but to leave.

He hadn't walked far when the aroma of wheat caught his eye.

In the warm yellow shop window, neatly arranged golden and soft breads, the warm aroma of wheat wafted through the glass, causing his stomach to spasm and churn.

He was so hungry.

His mother often told him that stealing was wrong, but he was just too hungry.

John stood in front of the store, his fingers clenching the tattered hem of his clothes tightly, his fingertips trembling. Countless times he wanted to rush in and steal a piece, but countless times he suppressed the madness—he had seen the consequences of theft, he had seen homeless children beaten to death.

In the end, he forced himself to endure it.

"Since I'm going to die anyway... if I steal something before I die, maybe I'll go to hell?"

Thinking this, John slowly backed away, shrinking into the darkest shadow at the street corner, hugging his thin knees tightly, and curling up into a ball.

Life is too hard.

He desperately wanted to die.

But suicide is bad. The priests in the church often say that those who commit suicide cannot go to God's heaven... But if someone starves to death because they really can't live, perhaps God will forgive them?

— Dying like this seems like a good thing.

Just as he closed his eyes to await death, a warm, soft piece of bread, exuding a rich wheat aroma, suddenly and gently fell into his arms.

The heat penetrated through his cold clothes and burned into the depths of his lifeless heart.

John suddenly opened his eyes.

The moment he looked up, he saw a lithe young girl sitting on the eaves of the shop.

She had a pair of neat cat ears, her gray hair swayed in the wind, and her eyes were lively yet rebellious. He knew this girl; she was the most legendary figure on the entire street recently. No one knew her origins, only that she appeared and disappeared mysteriously, often stealing the rich people's treasures and food, and then giving them to the poor.

His name seems to be... "The Thief" Felix?

Such creatures usually don't live long. I hadn't seen her in a long time and thought she had been captured by some guards and become a rich man's pet. I never expected her to still be alive.

"Take this little guy, and live a good life, meow!"

Felix glanced at him, smiled slightly, then, carrying a large pile of the stolen bread, leaped lightly off the roof and disappeared into the deep alleyway in an instant.

"God... is this an angel you sent?"

John held the warm bread, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

With trembling hands, he carefully took a bite. The wheat flavor was soft and warm, filling his empty stomach. It was the first time in a month that he had eaten hot food.

"Da da da……"

But he had only taken two bites when a series of hurried footsteps came from behind him.

The bakery owner, wielding a wooden stick, chased after him angrily. He spotted the bread in the man's hand immediately, and his rage surged: "You little bastard! You really stole my bread!"

John froze, hurriedly shaking his head, trying to explain that he hadn't stolen it—but then he remembered Felix.

What a kind and beautiful angel she was! If the boss knew it was Felix who did it, she would be in big trouble.

Anyway, I'm going to die soon.

John said nothing in the end, letting the stick pound on his back, shoulders, and head. The curses, the sound of the stick, and the pain in his bones mingled together as the boss vented all his anger over the theft on this lowly boy.

In just a few minutes, he was beaten black and blue, his consciousness was fading, and he was almost dead.

"If I see you again, I'll beat you up again! A latrine thief like you doesn't deserve to live. You know, the port area is never short of corpses!"

The boss kicked him hard in the chest, snatched the half-eaten bread from his hand, threw it into the stinking, murky ditch next to him, spat, and turned to leave, cursing under his breath.