Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

That was Ji Yushen's monumental feat of ascending to godhood after a century of planning, the night of the witch's endless cycle, and Mu Zimi's first victory over the World Honored One in her spiritual world...

That was the panic after death disappeared, the failure of the Dragon Realm, the responsibility after ascending to godhood, and also the girls' 120,000 years of perseverance and waiting...

That was the will to fight to protect the world on the lunar battlefield, the determination to bear the hopes of loved ones and friends, and to prove immortality!

That was... the life of "Cheng Cheng".

All memories, all joys and sorrows, all obsessions, all ties, all surged forth, rushing into the resurrected consciousness and completely awakening it!

"Ugh—!"

"I am... Cheng Cheng, I am Cheng Cheng!"

Cheng Cheng let out a painful roar, feeling as if he had fallen into two bottomless abysses at the same time.

A deep abyss, a cold, vast, and endless torrent of divine symbolism; it is the supreme and pure divinity, the mastermind behind over 60,000 eternal cycles of rebirth. To touch it is to touch the ultimate truth and eternal mystery of the universe.

The other abyss is the humanity and memories accumulated in the "Human Emperor Sword" through 65,537 reincarnations!

In an instant, he had watched his life 65,537 times, seeing how he grew up, how he took risks, how he fell in love with others, and how he was forced to separate from his lover time and time again because of fate.

He saw his vow, he saw all the possibilities, he saw all the choices, and what lay behind those choices—

It is called the will of humanity.

After accumulating through 65,537 cycles of reincarnation, humanity is no longer a clay sculpture that can be manipulated at will by divinity.

He displayed unimaginable willpower, charging again and again toward that immortal divinity with the soul of a human being!

"But you know, it's all in vain."

The divine dragon whispered, easily dispelling all of Cheng Cheng's attacks.

Nine fundamental elements, twenty-two paths, the imaginary energy of destiny… all power stands on the side of divinity, while those who possess only willpower…

How can you defeat me?

…………

"Not always."

A clear and sweet voice echoed in this spiritual realm.

The dragon opened its eyes and looked down—beside the tiny figure stood a little girl.

Sylvia de Claire.

“You said that the next time we meet will be even better than this time.” The girl took Cheng Cheng’s hand, kissed his lips, and looked directly into his eyes. “To fight the dragon with you and become a hero… it is indeed an opening I never thought of, but it is romantic enough, and I like it very much.”

The [Glory] essence that supported the dragon's authority began to fall away, transforming into a dragon vein of order, protecting the young boy and girl.

"After becoming a hero... will I have to marry a princess? I would love to."

Freya walked up from behind the boy, glared at Sylvia, and then took his other hand.

"You promised that we would never be separated again."

The scepter of understanding slipped from the boy's grasp and fell into his palm, causing his memories to shine brightly.

Divine power is constantly fading, while the power of humanity is constantly rising.

"Boss, I love you so much~ so much~"

Bugu gently patted the boy's shoulder and blinked: "Although I was wrong to summon the World Honored One back then... at least the final result was good, you will forgive me, right? After all, I am the Great Demon King!"

"Tsk, I gave you a chance but you failed." Ji Yushen sighed as he sat on the dragon throne. "If I had known that proving immortality would cause so much trouble, I would have done it myself..."

[Beauty], [Victory]

"Hmph, I feel like my IQ has dropped since I started hanging out with you guys." Mu Yuan sighed. "But I do quite like this feeling of being an ordinary person."

“Brother Cheng Cheng is family to me.” Mu Zimi hid behind Mu Yuan. “Family will stand together.”

[Wisdom], [Foundation]

"I... well, I still miss the days when we went on adventures together."

Li Xianyu stretched out her small hand from the coffin and said in her hometown dialect after a long time: "If there's a chance... next time, let's cut through the dungeon together!"

"Lord Cheng Cheng, no, my lord... Ahhh, my lord has been by my side all along, why didn't I know it???"

Serafina looked at Cheng Cheng, wanting to approach yet hesitant, almost crying with anxiety: "My Lord Amber God, in the name of the Prophecy Saintess, I am willing to be your sword, your shield, and forever offer you everything! Whether it be faith or body, I will..."

Serafina's speech was abruptly interrupted by Sylvia and Freya.

Just kidding, you're the prettiest one here. How are we supposed to fight if you join us?

【Majesty】, 【Kingdom】.

Apart from [Benevolence], the other eight essences all detached from pure divinity and came to Cheng Cheng's side.

"Ah... I see."

The immortal divinity gradually came to understand everything.

When He attained immortality, it was not that He seized all the source matter to attain immortality; rather, those source matter lords, out of trust, friendship, or love, voluntarily merged with the source matter into the boy's body, entrusting their wishes to this insignificant person.

Now, when this little one is about to become his enemy...

These girls, for the same boring reasons, will betray themselves and choose to stand on the side of the weak!

"Hehehe... What friendships, bonds, futures, love, and all that? Come at me then. Do you think you can turn the tables on me?" The immortal divinity sneered. "Unfortunately, [Mercy] and the imaginary energy of that rival world are still on my side."

Everyone turned to look at the dragon.

They knew that even with the separation of eight portions of the source essence, coupled with the countless human qualities accumulated by the Human Emperor Sword, Cheng Cheng was able to stand on the same platform as divinity to compete.

However, the nine primal substances are merely the foundation for attaining immortality. The vast imaginary energy absorbed after attaining immortality is the fundamental reason why immortal divinity can overcome everything.

A tiny seed can grow into a towering tree, but the nutrients that support its growth come from the soil, water, and sun.

At this moment, the difference in combat power between Cheng Cheng and the immortal divinity is like that between an infant and Tyson, both of whom are human... Could an infant possibly defeat Tyson?

It's not like he's Stevie Griffin.

"But what if I had the chance to try again and again, ten million times over?" Cheng Cheng took Freya's hand and suddenly said, "Back then, when you were half-immortal, the gap between you and the World Honored One was much greater than the gap between you and me now, wasn't it? Want to give it a try?"

In that hand, he held an extremely ornate scepter.

【understand】.

Memory is the authority that symbolizes the "past." The reason why the pure divinity that was once half-immortal could go back indefinitely was because of the use of the authority of memory.

And now...

What initiates a new round of eternal rebirth is the insignificant humanity; yet, it is Himself who faces the same tactics!

“What you rely on for your divine continuation now is the endless imaginary energy you have accumulated along your destiny path,” Cheng Cheng said. “If, in the next eternal cycle of return, I define ‘immortality’ with humanity and walk a further distance on this path than you…”

"By then, who will be the master of this destiny?"

what……

Upon hearing those words, even the divine was completely moved.

Indeed, insignificant humanity is as fragile as paper in the face of divinity.

But everything in the world is ultimately defined by people... Even stars and destiny are ultimately derived from human philosophical concepts.

When humanity picks up its true weapon, those mundane things called friendship, bonds, and love, even if it is knocked down a thousand times, it will still rise again and charge towards the path called God time and time again, measuring and defining all things with human will.

In this battle between divinity and humanity... the one who will ultimately lose is oneself.

"Son of man, rise, I want to speak with you." And so, the immortal dragon finally looked directly at the tiny child. "I am the immortal Dragon King—the one who freezes the universe, rejects humanity, and is eternally immortal—"

He paused.

"And then, the dragon you killed."

"If you can do it, then prove it to me—which one truly represents this supreme destiny: the immortality of divinity or the immortality of humanity!"

…………

Once, twice...

Ten times, a hundred times...

Thousands of times, tens of thousands of times...

The 33,550,336th time.

Through endless cycles of return, on the path to "immortality," Cheng Cheng has traversed a distance even greater than divinity.

Divinity met its destined defeat.

When the "Sword of the Human Emperor," symbolizing free will, was placed against the neck of the immortal dragon, the seemingly eternally silent dragon finally let out a sigh:

"Son of man..."

He said,

"By striking with this sword, you will bear the supreme divine authority with your humanity. It is a power you cannot imagine, supreme freedom, and the will of the world... With such authority, can you still regard yourself as an insignificant human being? Can you still maintain that original humanity?"

"I don't know," Cheng Cheng said, "but I've come this far not to become the strongest god, but to protect those who love me and those I love!"

“Even if you kill me, if your humanity declines in the future, I will be resurrected,” He said, “for I am immortal.”

Cheng Cheng's gaze was firm as he looked back at the group of gentle-looking girls beside him: "As long as we are together, humanity will not be defeated!"

"Hehehe..."

The dragon laughed: "You are me, and I am you... Son of Man, you will walk on a tightrope like a man on a cliff, always on guard against my resurrection in the eternal years to come... Is this life of never being able to sleep truly what you desire?"

"Put down that sword and accept a peaceful sleep; this is a gentler ending for you."

That immortal divinity began to plead for mercy.

"Otherwise... you'll regret it."

Faced with the divinity's final pleas and enticements, Cheng Cheng suddenly smiled, then drew his sword and loudly chanted—

"A cold wind blows through the narrow path of fate, and the cicadas sing as the youth returns in spring and autumn."

Soldiers shed tears on the western front, while the empire's demons wandered northward.

Gold recedes against the current on the river, and even divinity cannot withstand tears of perseverance.

Fate brings both destiny and inevitable defeat; the stars may regret it, but I do not!