Chapter 4: The Cycle of Oblivion

In the desolate, pitch-black land, an unprecedented wave of jubilation swept through the realm the moment the Sin Lord fell.

Amidst this joyous celebration, the Allied Forces finally allowed their spirits to relax.

Yet, in their state of blissful relief, no one perceived the looming, hidden threat.

It wasn’t until a strange spatial tremor rippled through the air that Lolotie, an Archmage of the Celestial Realm, abruptly narrowed her eyes, her face contorting into an expression of unparalleled gravity.

“No! This is bad!”

In that instant, Lolotie, whose nerves had barely begun to unwind, snapped back to full alert. Without a moment’s hesitation, she surged forward, cloaked in crimson flames, hurtling towards You’s rapidly descending head.

Her companions watched in bewildered confusion, but Lolotie had no time for explanations. She abruptly channeled every last vestige of her magic, conjuring a massive sealing array in her hands. She desperately intended to deploy the most potent sealing art at her disposal, hoping to suppress the terrifying energy that was about to erupt.

–”Origin Magic: Asaroth’s Eightfold Seal…”–

Alas, Lolotie’s realization had come too late.

Even if she had detected the anomaly sooner, she would have been utterly powerless to prevent the unfolding catastrophe.

In the very next moment, before Lolotie could even complete her magical incantation,

The silver-haired youth’s body, along with his head plummeting from mid-air, began to radiate an intense silver light. His form blurred, seemingly dissolving and merging with the very fabric of the surrounding world.

The immense power, long suppressed within his body—or perhaps, deep within his soul—now burst forth. Guided by the might of the contract, it erupted from him like a catastrophic flood, unleashed and untamed.

As this power swelled with terrifying speed, the silver light transformed into a spectacle of breathtaking brilliance. It surged outwards, a colossal wave of energy engulfing everything in its path.

“Run! Everyone, run!”

Overwhelmed by a profound sense of doom, Lolotie shrieked a desperate, heart-wrenching warning to her companions. Her voice was laced with terror and despair.

Yet, before the words could fully escape her lips, the colossal, terrifying silver light surged forward. It instantly consumed Lolotie’s sealing array, and then, her very being.

Within that horrifying silver brilliance, the Allied Forces’ most formidable mage didn’t even have time to utter a single cry of pain. Her body disintegrated, dissolving into a shower of glittering dust.

The Allied Forces, still reveling in their victory, vanished in an instant. Their faces etched with confusion and disbelief, they were obliterated into nothingness.

But the devastation did not cease there. After annihilating everything in its immediate vicinity, the silver light swelled and erupted further, threatening to consume all existence with its terrifying might.

As the dazzling silver light silently expanded, the nearby structures and war fortresses were the first to succumb. The moment the light touched them, they emitted sharp, rending sounds of collapse. These bastions, once thought impenetrable, now scattered like fragile paper in the wind, leaving no trace behind.

Next came the mountains. Entire ranges disintegrated into fine powder under the silver light’s relentless assault, their shattered remnants scattering far and wide.

The celebrating armies vanished without a trace, unable to comprehend their demise. Distant cities, vast forests, sprawling deserts, and towering glaciers all met the same fate. Every obstacle was instantly annihilated by the bizarre silver light.

The very earth trembled, and space itself warped. Every force that dared to resist was utterly obliterated, reduced to nothingness by the silver light’s cleansing torrent.

Even the Savior, who had just vanquished the Sin Lord, was not spared.

Xing Lian, operating at his full power, found himself utterly incapable of resistance. Swallowed by the light, he vanished with a final, bitter surge of defiance.

–”Damn… damn it all… What in the world is happening?!”–

Amidst that final, hysterical roar, the Savior’s consciousness plummeted into eternal darkness.

In an instant, a profound silence descended upon the heavens and the earth. The silver light, like an ethereal canopy, enveloped the entire world.

Everything it touched was utterly reduced to oblivion.

****

As the silver light expanded, all existence faded away, as if the world itself had been reset.

Within that very same light, You’s damaged body was likewise annihilated, dissolving into the vast expanse of the cosmos.

Yet, unlike all others who were utterly extinguished, You’s consciousness, despite his body’s destruction, slowly began to awaken in an entirely different space.

****

Within a rift in spacetime, at the heart of the Starry Dawn Palace.

“Back here again, I see.”

The youth, now with his eyes open, gazed at the familiar surroundings and spoke with a detached calm.

He found himself in a void, a boundless expanse where time held no sway and space knew no limits. It was a place that felt simultaneously illusory and profoundly real.

You stood upon a solitary island, adrift in the infinite void. No signs of life stirred anywhere around it.

The island was strewn with long-abandoned gardens and dilapidated structures. What might once have been vibrant flowerbeds were now merely withered blossoms and paths choked with jagged stones.

The air hung heavy with the stench of death and decay. All traces of the gardens’ former splendor and vitality had vanished without a trace.

Beneath a perpetually gray sky, not a breath of wind stirred. No birds sang, no insects buzzed. The profound stillness was so absolute it seemed to have brought time itself to a standstill.

You, it seemed, had long grown accustomed to the surrounding desolation.

After all, this was where he always returned, waiting for the summons of a new master after every single failure.

Ignoring the terrifying spectral beings that drifted like lost souls between heaven and earth, and the eerie presences stirring within the surrounding shadows, the youth advanced. His face remained impassive as he soon reached a more open area, stopping before a stone platform.

Then, You slowly unclasped the crystal necklace from his neck, its faint blue light pulsing softly, and placed it upon the stone platform.

If any survivors from the human Allied Forces had been present, they would have been astonished to realize that the intense aura emanating from the blue crystal was undeniably the Sin Lord’s own—the potent, chilling power of the Black Abyss.

Undeniably, this necklace, which You had always worn around his neck, was a crucial gift from the Sin Lord.

It symbolized the unique bond they shared.

However, with the Sin Lord’s demise, the necklace had become utterly valueless.

Thus, You removed it, setting it upon the tomb-like platform that served as a cenotaph.

Silently, You stared at the necklace, his lips remaining sealed.

He offered no words, no gestures, no hint of emotion—only a silent, unwavering gaze fixed upon the blue crystal adorning the necklace.

For a long moment, an eerie silence descended once more upon the space, already thick with its oppressive, somber atmosphere.

****

After an indeterminate stretch of time, a pleasant, melodious female voice, tinged with resignation, abruptly shattered the frigid silence, reaching You’s ears.

–”Failed again, did we? After all this time, I truly believed there was hope.”–

Hearing the voice from behind him, You, who had been silent for so long, finally spoke.

“There was hope, yes. If Lord Sin Lord had chosen to eliminate the rebels and hostages in the dungeon first, instead of directly engaging that Savior in battle, his score would have surpassed eighty. He would then have been qualified to summon you, and would not have been killed by that Savior.

“Ultimately… after conquering the ancient capital of Luosai, he should have simply eliminated them all…”

As he spoke, a fleeting flicker of anger and vexation crossed You’s usually serene face—a sight rarely seen.

Yet, just as quickly, this surge of emotion was wiped away by an inexplicable force. The momentary stir of feeling vanished from You’s expression, and he reverted to his customary state of detached apathy.

His words, too, abruptly ceased.

“It doesn’t matter now. It’s already over.”

–”Do you feel lost? After striving for so many years?”–

“It doesn’t matter. It’s hardly the first time.”

As he spoke, You slowly lifted his gaze, looking forward. Before him lay countless stone platforms, each resembling a tomb.

Shrouded in a dim, spectral glow, they appeared particularly eerie and desolate.

Evidently, You had endured this cycle—these failures mirroring today’s demise—thousands of times before.

Different worlds, different identities, different contractors, different experiences, different processes… yet always the same failed outcome.

Was he lost? Perhaps ‘numbness’ was a more fitting description than ‘despair’.

As he surveyed the myriad tombs rising from the ground, a hollow, lifeless quality subtly crept into You’s silver eyes.

You no longer remembered when he had first arrived in this space, nor could he recall how long this endless cycle had persisted. Yet, one truth remained irrevocably clear to him: he had to cultivate an entity capable of inheriting those legacies.

“Failure is simply failure. If it doesn’t work this time, there’s always the next. If not the next, then the one after that. As long as I persist, success will inevitably come.”

‘I will absolutely ensure Lord Cthulhu descends once more… This is the very purpose of my existence.’

As his words faded, You’s body abruptly began to break apart, gradually dissolving into a myriad of shimmering silver-white energy particles.

He watched his body steadily disintegrate, yet his eyes held no fear, no unease. Instead, he calmly narrowed them, accepting his fate.

It seemed his time was up. This cycle’s expenditure had been considerably greater than usual.

‘Am I to sleep once more? It seems there won’t be time to tend to the mausoleum this time.’

‘No matter. Sleep then.’

‘Hopefully,’

“the next master will be able to fulfill my long-cherished wish.”

After silently bidding farewell to the crystal necklace resting on the tomb, You slowly closed his eyes. His temporary body, in that very instant, completely disintegrated and vanished.

The disintegrated silver energy particles, along with You’s consciousness, were—just as they had been for the previous one thousand three hundred and twenty-one times—recalled by an invisible force to the heart of the garden, drawn back into the silver crystal.

You’s consciousness, too, plummeted into darkness.

There, he would recuperate his soul and replenish his energy, patiently awaiting the summons of the next qualified individual.

****

–”Next time, it will absolutely succeed. There will be no more mistakes. Absolutely…”–