In Luca’s imagination, the so-called Ancient Gods should be beings hidden high in the sky, existing for countless ages, towering and vast, calmly overseeing all worlds, exuding an aura of eternal desolation. At the very least, they should resemble the Sun’s Radiance Lord or the Goddess of Dawn, with their divine light dazzling and illuminating the ages, capable of shaking the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers with a mere gesture, suppressing billions of living beings with their immense power.
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But he could never have imagined that the mastermind behind the Eternal Game—who had calculated the downfall of countless gods, overthrown the Divine Court, killed the God King, and initiated the cataclysmic fusion of the two realms—would be an ugly octopus barely bigger than a calf. While Luca understood that appearances could be deceiving, at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel a complex mix of emotions. It was almost like preparing for battle against an overwhelming enemy, only to find that the opponent was a goofy, curly-haired Teddy bear—absurd and comical.
But this was not the time for such thoughts.
After the monster detached from Fratis’ body, the divine light around her began to fade. She swayed a few times before collapsing straight toward the ground.
Luca quickly moved, catching her in his arms. He was struck by how light Fratis felt, almost like a delicate feather.
After checking her condition, Luca found that Fratis’ eyes were tightly closed, her face pale, and her life force was like a flickering candle in the wind—on the verge of extinguishing at any moment. He summoned golden divine light in his hands, pouring it into her body, barely managing to sustain her life force. Only then did he let out a breath of relief.
Meanwhile, the black octopus, though captured, had not given up on its escape. Its body writhed and oozed thick black mist, struggling to break free from Zenobia’s grip.
Yet no matter how it twisted and turned, her slender, pale hand remained locked around its head, unyielding as iron, without the slightest tremor.
Zenobia lifted the black octopus with one hand, a seductive smile playing on her exquisite face. “I can see you want to live. Tell me the locations of the other Ancient Gods, and I might spare you.”
Was she planning to find the Ancient Gods’ lair? Luca’s mind raced. If they could locate where these beings were hiding, perhaps the calamity of the game could be avoided.
However, the black octopus seemed to ignore her, continuing to struggle without a hint of answering.
“Are you sure you won’t reconsider?” Zenobia’s dark purple eyes narrowed slightly, and her fingers slowly tightened. A surge of purple divine energy flowed into the black octopus’s body through her hand.
The octopus’ body stiffened for a moment, then its eyes widened in terror, as though it had encountered something horrifying. Its struggles suddenly grew more frantic.
The octopus’s gem-like eyes flashed wildly, and dark purple veins began to appear all over its body. The slippery tentacles beneath it twisted together, writhing in what seemed like unimaginable agony.
It was only at this moment that Luca realized that Zenobia’s power had an absolute suppressive effect on these Ancient Gods. Under the erosion of Zenobia’s strength, the aura of the Ancient God rapidly weakened. Its body began to shrink at a visible rate, and its eyes bulged out, grotesque and twisted in appearance, as its form grew increasingly distorted and terrifying.
Even so, this Ancient God did not speak. Instead, it only emitted sharp, high-pitched, wailing cries.
“Utterly clueless,” Zenobia scoffed, clearly displeased.
In Luca’s astonished gaze, she exerted a sudden burst of force with her palm. The ugly black octopus immediately froze in place. Then, its body began to expand rapidly, purple light radiating from its eyes and body like a brilliant, shimmering halo.
As the space around them began to warp, a jet-black beam of light flashed out, and the Ancient God’s form continued to distort and shrink, until it completely vanished from the air. It was as if it had never existed, leaving behind only a diamond-shaped crystal that emitted a mesmerizing, psychedelic glow.
In Zenobia’s hands, the so-called Ancient Gods were no more than fragile children, easily crushed with a wave of her hand. Luca understood that this didn’t mean the Ancient Gods weren’t powerful—it was simply that the woman before him, the one who had overthrown the Divine Court, was far too terrifyingly strong.
The colorful crystal slowly floated toward Zenobia, hovering in front of her before vanishing in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace of where it had gone.
As if sensing Luca’s gaze, Zenobia’s eyes turned toward him.
Her gaze glinted with an eerie, purple light, and a seductive smile curled on her lips. This woman was strikingly similar in appearance to Sophia, but beyond that, they were nothing alike. The thought of this comparison made Luca think of another woman.
The same face, yet three entirely different personalities and identities, with power levels that couldn’t be more different—Sophia, Pandora, and Zenobia. What was the connection between them?
Luca found himself unable to make sense of it, but if someone suggested it was all a coincidence, he would never believe it.
Zenobia’s gaze shifted, briefly scanning Luca before landing on Fratis in his arms.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and with a cruel, almost gleeful tone, she said, “This girl won’t last much longer. You should start making arrangements for her final rites.”
At these words, Luca’s brow furrowed in concern. Just as he was about to ask her what she meant, he noticed a flash of blue light from the ring on Fratis’s hand. The terrifying aura around her began to dissipate, and her dark purple hair quickly turned to silver-white. Her expression, too, slowly returned to its usual cold, serene state.
Had the other party left? Luca still had many unanswered questions. What was the true nature of the relationship between Sophia, Pandora, and Zenobia? Why was Fratis still alive? Why had Zenobia said such things? What were the Ancient Gods’ ultimate goals, and so on.
He was about to ask Sophia when, as if sensing his thoughts, she wearily said, “Let’s first deal with the situation in Dawn City. I will tell you everything later.”
Luca’s gaze shifted to the upside-down Dawn City below. The floating city hung in midair, its countless buildings destroyed, and the streets filled with cries of despair. Even though several powerful individuals had intervened to slow the descent, the city was still plummeting rapidly toward the ground. Right now, the forces and armies within Dawn City were busy rescuing the citizens, so it was clearly not the time for questions.
There was still some time before the Gods’ Revelation. Luca leaped into the air, and in his eyes, the Divine Flame blazed, a radiant light suddenly bursting forth, like a sun suspended in the sky. Above the sky, a colossal golden statue, resembling a mountain, flickered with light in its eyes. It then extended its massive hand toward the plummeting Dawn City.
Amidst the frantic shouts of the panicked crowd, a deafening boom rang out from all directions. The falling Dawn City was caught securely by the golden giant’s hand. People looked up in awe, the golden figure high in the sky imprinting itself firmly in their minds.
The statue bent down, gently placing the falling sky city onto the wide ground. More booming sounds echoed as other floating islands around them were also supported by waves of golden divine light, slowly descending to the earth.
After the series of shocks and scares, with the danger now past, cheers erupted across Dawn City. People embraced and wept, overwhelmed by a mix of sorrow and joy.
Luca landed, and the sun-like Divine Flame around him slowly faded. His aura gradually returned from the Divine Realm to his usual level.
Looking at the devastated Dawn City, Luca’s expression remained unchanged. He had seen enough of such tragic scenes to be numb to them by now. Moreover, the situation in Dawn City could be considered better than most—it was nothing compared to the devastation in Southwind City. However, the significance of the two cities was very different.
After all, Dawn City was the capital of the Clinton Empire, and it had almost been destroyed by the Dawn God Sect and Alfred. Once everything settled down, the empire would have to explain the situation to the public. The Dawn God Sect would certainly be held accountable, and the empire would likely undergo a large-scale purge.
Amid the ruins, countless civilians stared at Luca from a distance, not a single person daring to approach. In their eyes, there was only awe, mixed with deep fear. When a person’s power surpasses the comprehension of ordinary people and stands before them, a god becomes no different from a monster.
Luca paid no attention to the gazes of others, his focus solely on Fratis in his arms.
Her eyes were tightly closed, lost in a deep slumber. Though her vitality had been restored, she still hadn’t woken up.
Luca didn’t understand why, but Zenobia must have seen something wrong with her, which was why she had said those words to him.
“Her soul is barely hanging on. It’s very difficult to save her,” Sophia said as she walked up to Luca, her gaze falling on Fratis in his arms, her expression complex.
The body is the vessel for the soul, and the soul carries a person’s consciousness. If the soul dissipates, even if the body remains, it will only become a lifeless shell with no consciousness. Luca understood the importance of the soul. He knew that restoring a person’s soul was like bringing someone back from the dead, far more difficult than healing physical injuries.
He sighed, looking at Fratis, and asked, “Does she have any other methods?”
He was referring to Zenobia. As a god, someone who had possibly lived for an eternity, she might have a way to restore Fratis’s soul energy.
Sophia’s blue ring flashed for a brief moment.
She fell silent for a while, as though asking something, then furrowed her brow. “She does have a method, but she needs something from you in exchange, and it will only help awaken the Sixth Princess. There’s no guarantee it will fully restore her soul…”
Luca froze, then suddenly realized what she meant.
A flash of black light flickered in his hand, and a box—completely black, with strange patterns etched on all four sides—appeared in his grasp.
“She wants the Demon Box?” Luca asked.
This was probably the only thing on him that Zenobia would find of interest.
“Yes,” Sophia nodded, her tone calm. “You can think it over, but this item is very important to her tomorrow.”
As she spoke, the ring on her finger flashed wildly. Zenobia had clearly figured that Luca would stop at nothing to save Fratis, and so she made her demand, hoping to extort Luca. But it seemed she hadn’t anticipated a traitor in her own ranks.
Luca thought for only a moment before handing over the Demon Box.
He nodded, saying, “I agree, but I need a way to fully restore Fratis’s soul.”
The Demon Box might be important to Zenobia, but to Luca, it held little significance. The most important thing right now was saving Fratis.