(This must be the end of Fate.. We will eventually be crushed into the bodies of those Cthulhu Lifeforms just like the Gods created by the Humans of the Previous Era; we will be digested and fused while still alive.. meeting that horrific end..)
(All Life bows toward Death, whether it be Gods.. or Cthulhu Lifeforms.. Death is the eternal end..)
In a trance, the Monster's jellyfish-like touch had already wrapped around his entire body. Through the translucent body, Wood could see other Gods and..
All the Life trapped within exhibited an unprecedented calm and serenity, even Jormungand and Fenrir—
I am sorry! These are all my treasures! You cannot take them away!
It was a scene of ultimate radiance suddenly thrust forth from the endless Abyss, it was also the visage of the Boss, which existed only within the deepest layers of Wood's memory—such an incredible spectacle should not exist in this world, yet it had now truly come to pass!
His long silver hair, burning with golden Fire on the surface, fluttered brilliantly within the Monster's White Light, massive wings sprouted from his back, blotting out the sky. His long serpentine tail shimmered with multicolored hues like glazed glass and gemstones. He reached out a hand toward him, his smile radiating an ancient and Divine aura.
Boss—
Wood couldn't help but cry out loudly, "Doing this really won't.. You wouldn't.. Could it be.. No! No! You can't do this! A result like this would be.."
Perhaps because he found Wood's incoherent state amusing, or perhaps because he had long ago anticipated his attitude, the Boss, having released his true form, said with a smile, "He has long been an adult, has experienced being on the brink of death more than once. Why are you still as childish as a child? Look, They are watching me calmly—even the behavior of our Children at this moment is more adult than yours."
“..”
You understood long ago. I know you've always understood, you just weren't willing to admit it, you didn't dare to admit it, right?
Understand.. understand what.. What.. what should I understand..
Wood frowned deeply, his heart gripped by a massive sorrow, as he asked back in confusion.
I understand there is only one way to resolve this Cataclysm—
Nuwa and Fuxi's voices rose slowly from behind: "To drive away these Cthulhu Lifeforms.. we can only rely on the Chaos Serpent.. only the Chaos Serpent.."
But—
Mister Wood let out a pained groan: "The ancient civilization that was born from the Chaos of the Universe in the form of the Chaos Serpent has long since been extinct.. And.. you never left any myths or legends regarding yourself in the current civilization.. If you die here, you will be gone forever! Human Civilization might be able to recreate the Chaos Serpent through Collective Imagination, but He is not you! He is absolutely not you!"
“—As for that, I've known for a long time; I've known everything from the very beginning.”
Then why did you—
Wood cried out in shock.
Am I to just watch as the World faces Destruction?
Master said with a smile, a gentle radiance called compassion surfacing deep within his eyes.
To me, the World is not just the World, it is also our world.. Can you understand what that truly means?
“..”
Love is the vital emotion that has allowed All Things to propagate to this day; it is the foundation upon which civilization relies to survive, it is the only means to defeat Cthulhu Lifeforms—Cthulhu Lifeforms are essentially a collection of primitive cells that exist solely to live, having been stripped of the emotion known as love.
Master looked at the Gods present at the scene with a profound expression.
Wood silently lowered his head.
If this is the Truth—
“I am willing to believe in love!”
Nuwa spoke slowly, sharing a smile with Fuxi, then—
The spiritual body detached from its physical body and merged into the body of the Chaos Serpent.
The light entwined around the surface of the Chaos Serpent's body instantly grew even brighter and more dazzling, filled with a divine compassion known as divinity.
Immediately following that—
Since there is only one answer!
In any case, we must also make a choice!
I love this World! Even though it has many problems—
Human imagination created us, so naturally, we should sacrifice ourselves for humans!
If the Human World ends, we will no longer exist either..
Because I have always loved this World..
“..”
The Spiritual Body of the Earth Gods detached from its Physical Shell and merged into the body of the Chaos Serpent, transforming into a Divine majesty comparable to a star that nearly submerged Master's body, yet within that shining World, his smile was mature, inclusive, profound.
For this world—we must make sacrifices.
Then what about me! Why won't you let me—
Wood screamed in agony.
As the Earth Gods poured into the Chaos Serpent to save the World, he also attempted to break free from his Physical Shell to merge into it, but the result was—
Because I want you to live.
But..
You are different from us.. You are Fire, the sprout of light.. As long as there is even a single shred of hope left for Earth, you must continue to exist, do you understand?
I—I don't want to know anything! I just want to—
Don't be naive.
A strand of light split off, sweeping across Wood's face. Then, the Chaos Serpent, which had almost become an ocean of light, soared into the sky, flying toward the Source of Calamity that radiated with White Light!
[I will lead the Gods created through Collective Imagination, born from all living beings nurtured by Earth's current civilization, into the deepest reaches of the World Tree and Valhalla, which have completely fallen into becoming a nest for Cthulhu Lifeforms. I will send those Monsters into a long slumber—killing them, purifying them, burying them—through hundreds of billions of lives and hundreds of thousands of years of intersecting beliefs, the final and most powerful power was finally born..]
Divine notes rang in his mind like wind chimes, their whispers carrying a strange resonance. Wood remained motionless, not even daring to blink.
You must stay, not just because you are my love, but because—even if our strike successfully sends every Cthulhu Lifeform in the nest to their deaths, there are still countless Humans on the Earth who will sell their souls for fleeting interests, attempting to hand over the planet we protect at any cost to those Monsters who bring nothing but Destruction, madness, Darkness! You must stop them, awaken the love and kindness deep within their hearts..
Compared to Gods, Humans might be foolish, greedy, twisted, but they do not possess only hatred, covetousness, resentment; within their hearts, there also truly exists a longing for Happiness, a yearning for beauty, a devotion to lovers, care for kin—as long as these emotions take shape, even if the Darkness within the hearts of Humans summons new Monsters, They will surely be successfully repelled!
But—
[Hey! Is there no end to this boring nonsense! Hurry up and join us! Join us!]
A Voice, sounding like Odin but not quite, suddenly interjected, interrupting the current Divine moment.
We do not know what you are! Nor do we care what you seek! We only know—from the moment of birth, Life has been in an endless struggle against Death! We must prevail! We must do everything in our power to fight against Death!
You—
Wood was stunned into confusion by the greed displayed by the Cthulhu Lifeform: "Do you think Life creates Consciousness just to combat Death? Fate only has two options: living and death!"
[That's right! Whether it be love or hate! All these things you obsess over so crazily have nothing to do with us! We only want to live! To achieve eternal success in the everlasting struggle against Death!]
Cthulhu Lifeform—that disgusting, evil creature from the Outer Universe that had coveted Earth and devoured the Asgard Gods, including Odin, as well as countless foolish Humans who harbored deep-seated desires for eternal life over ten thousand years ago—was now gradually revealing its unspeakable, eerie form, swallowing the Physical Shells of the Gods into its translucent body and extending its membrane-like, massive tentacles and light waves toward the Chaos Serpent.
The Chaos Serpent, composed almost entirely of light, did not resist its greed, being wrapped by it as if in a voluntary Sacrifice—
And then—
And then—
Wood, standing there in a daze, heard a faint sound of laughter in his ear.
(It is..)
The Monster suddenly began to tremble, shaking lightly and continuously in a manner that was almost imperceptible, as if every element that composed him was breaking free from his control, attempting to burst out from his body!
The tremors spread from the inside out, continuously expanding until they pierced through the Monster's entire body—to be precise, the Monster's entirety!
The Monster's massive body, which nearly filled all of Asgard and expanded through the roots of the World Tree into other dimensions, convulsed from intense pain, with parts of its body tearing away from the main mass and rolling violently across the soft, fungus-like Gelatinous Ground!
(What is happening right now!)
Wood clenched his hands.
(Should I.. next..)
[Yes! You need to do something!]
A familiar Voice tore through the suffocating silence deep within his thoughts.
That was—
[While He begins to melt, use your original Fire to pierce His core! Pierce every single core! Every single part, every single segment!]
(Primordial Fire.. yes, I remember, my original self was the Fire God, the very first Flame, now I..)
The Monster began to melt.
After forcibly devouring the Chaos Serpent, it also faced a near-desperate disintegration—melting bit by bit starting from the inside, collapsing completely. Semi-rotted biological remains that had not yet been fully fused, mixed with flashes of pale bones and dark red blood, dissolved and split viscously. A massive void appeared out of nowhere within its body, that void, as if possessed with life, continuously gnawed at its surroundings, its tentacles melting and digesting everything!
A choking stench permeated everywhere; compared to this, the nauseating, high-intensity smell of fermented herring, which was widely recognized on the Internet as revolting, seemed like a heavenly fragrance.
How hideous, how bizarre!
(And what I must do at this moment is—)
(Ignite!)
(Ignite the Fire that shatters Darkness and Destruction! Even if it costs the price of Life!)
(No, I will not die because of this. I have finally completed my mission and returned to the side of those I love so dearly!)
Wood thought in a daze, his consciousness gradually blurring. He could only vaguely see tiny specks of golden Fire igniting within the body of that melting Monster, causing it to shrivel and contract like a Jellyfish being scorched by a blistering sun, until not even a translucent, withered skin remained, vanishing without a trace—including the great power that had melted the Monster from within. Everything drifted away with the wind, like the horrific stench emitted when a Monster is destroyed and burned, as if an invisible hand were secretly controlling everything from the shadows.
When his Consciousness finally cleared—
Not only were the Monsters and Gods gone without a trace, but the World Tree and Valhalla had also vanished, leaving only Wood standing alone in the desolate, returned emptiness of Asgard, silent and uncertain of what words to say.
In this chillingly silent wasteland, comparable to the surface of Earth just after it had stabilized in ancient times, he stood alone and for a long time, as a wind from an unknown place brushed against his face.
(Where is this?)
(What time is it now?)
(Who am I?)
(Where should I go?)
Everything had become a blur.
Even—
(Is the me standing here a real existence?)
Perhaps the experience of this moment and place is nothing more than a nightmare. As long as I open my eyes, I will find myself lying on the large bed in the temperature-controlled Bedroom, with Boss's face—as beautiful as a work of art even in sleep—resting by my pillow, my toes long since soaked by the saliva of that Black Cat who crawled onto the bed while We were asleep—still just a vase living a lazy, useless life, relying on Boss's protection..