Sub-Title: Dare to harm my family! All of you shall return to nothingness!
When Qiweiya finally reached the Divine Realm, she was met with a scene of utter devastation: shattered, ruined buildings stretched as far as the eye could see.
Her expression turned grim. With a low hum, two faint golden light blades sprang forth from beneath her wrists.
“Thump, thump, thump.” The rhythmic sound of her shoes striking the ground echoed through the desolate, silent expanse.
“Clang… boom… hum…” Faint sounds of battle drifted from ahead. A hint of relief softened Qiweiya’s face as she lowered her arms and charged forward.
It was Hart Blazeflame! He was locked in fierce combat, wielding his blazing Sunflame Greatsword against a youth in light purple armor, who fought with twin blades. The very fabric of space-time, constantly shattering and reforming around them, betrayed the severity of their struggle. If it continued, the Divine Realm itself might be torn asunder.
Qiweiya’s gaze flickered to the heavily wounded Hart. In a flash, she appeared before the youth, piercing him through with a single sword thrust.
The light blade, having passed clean through his chest, retracted. The lifeless body crumpled onto the ravaged ground.
Qiweiya’s voice, devoid of all warmth, drifted ethereally through the palace. “Where are the others?”
Hart Blazeflame weakly lifted his eyes. “They’re fighting individually inside… I was the weakest, so only one person was sent to hold me back… And… Veto has already returned to the world.”
“Boom—” The air grew heavy, and a vacuum of oppressive silence formed around Qiweiya.
Through gritted teeth, Qiweiya forced out a few words. “Who… killed… him?!”
“Crack, crack…” Hart clenched his fists. “It was a powerful Earth-element Watcher from inside…”
Qiweiya closed her eyes. “You are so much stronger than them. Why have you fallen into such a disadvantage?”
“Thud.” Hart looked at his fist, now slammed into the ground. “Their armor is peculiar… all of our rule-level attacks are negated. Moreover, their weapons possess the ability to ignore our world’s protective characteristics.”
Qiweiya’s eyes snapped open, now entirely consumed by a golden glow.
“Rest and recover here. I will deal with the enemies inside.”
Hart reached out a hand. “I’m coming with you!” His gaze fixed on Qiweiya’s pale golden eyes. “I’m not entirely incapacitated yet. As an Origin God, I am too weak… I must join this asura-like battlefield and undergo the trial of life and death!”
“Thump, thump.” He fell to his knees, shouting fiercely. “Please, Elder Sister, grant my wish!”
Qiweiya’s icy expression finally softened a fraction. “It’s best that you think this way. I have no right to stop you from growing stronger. Rise. But if you step onto that battlefield, I hope you won’t make me rescue you a second time! Do you understand?!”
Hart cried out gratefully, “I understand!” Qiweiya nodded, a faint smile gracing her lips as she crouched down to gently caress his white hair. “I’m not saying you need to be a certain way, but… I truly see all of you as my children. I nurtured you for hundreds of years before you emerged from those orbs of light. Even the most heartless would feel some familial affection, wouldn’t they? How much more so for someone like me…”
As she spoke, Qiweiya stood up and clapped her hands. “Very well. It’s about time these audacious cross-world invaders, who have been so bold since ten millennia ago, learned what true fear is. Hehehe…”
****
Lomance parried an enemy with her staff, surveying the chaotic, god-slaying battlefield.
Nagornes was entangled with four peak Watchers. Dark energy fluctuations were easily sliced apart by the strange weapons in their opponents’ hands, forcing her to rely solely on her divine artifact, the Moonblades, for defense and counterattack. Had it not been for the absolute mastery each Origin God possessed over their unique weapon, they would never have held out this long… much like their younger brother, Veto.
Lomance had never yearned for Qiweiya’s return more intensely. If not for the three sisters sending Qiweiya down to the lower realm, these otherworldly humans, who had always been at odds with the Origin Gods, would not have so easily breached the Divine Realm… nor would their brother have returned to the world to await reawakening.
As Lomance pondered this, the force behind her staff swings intensified. For a time, the enemies dared not enter her attack range.
Yet, she knew this was merely ‘for a time.’ Once her strength was nearly depleted, the enemies before her would mercilessly plunge their cold blades into her, consigning her to the same fate as her brother.
Just as Lomance felt the world’s inexhaustible power begin to falter, an enemy seized her opening. With a swift lunge, their blade was mere inches from piercing her fair, smooth skin, poised to enter her body and bring about her demise.
But then, countless faint golden streaks of light flashed through the bodies of the surrounding enemies. They instantly disintegrated into scattered fragments, their scorching blood flowing across the cold floor like evil, alluring spider lilies of hell.
“Plop.” An ice-blue shoe stepped onto the blood-stained ground.
Lomance and Nagornes stared blankly at the petite, ice-blue figure standing amidst the blood-red spider lilies before snapping back to reality. “Elder Sister!” they cried in unison.
Qiweiya retracted her light blades, a faint smile on her face. “That’s right~ Your invincible Elder Sister is back.” She gently pulled both of them into a warm embrace.
“There’s no need to be afraid anymore~ Everything is about to end… It’s Elder Sister’s fault. I knew about them back then, yet I failed to deal with these nuisances in time! It caused our brother to fall into the Source and slumber. I am the true culprit…”
Lomance raised a finger to her lips, silencing her. “You cannot blame yourself, Elder Sister. You were simply too kind, hoping they could integrate into our world. You did nothing wrong… All of this is because we were too weak… a disaster brought about by not possessing the corresponding strength.”
Nagornes echoed her words. “That’s right! Elder Sister, this is not your fault! Even if this incident hadn’t happened now, it would have erupted eventually. This is original sin! The original sin named ‘weakness’!”
Qiweiya stroked their heads, smiling with relief. “You’ve grown up… and learned such profound truths! How time flies! I once thought you might live your entire lives carefree under my protection. I never expected such a calamity to truly make my children grow! As your mother and Elder Sister, I am truly delighted.”
The two in her embrace blushed, playfully pinching the soft flesh at Qiweiya’s waist in annoyance. “Hiss!” Qiweiya quickly let go, raising her hands in surrender. “No more, no more! The most important thing now is to rescue Waity Life and Eartha Earth!”
The two girls nodded heavily. Hart, standing nearby, asked, “Um, Elder Sisters, have you finally finished talking?”
Under Lomance and Nagornes’ murderous glares, Qiweiya calmly replied, “We have. Now, I’m about to go deal with the remaining scum. Hart, come along!”
With that, she vanished from before Lomance and Nagornes. Hart offered an awkward smile to the two. “Elder Sisters, I’ll go with Big Sister to handle the remnants now! Please rest well for a while, given your conditions.” He, too, vanished from their sight.
The two women stared blankly at each other. “We seem to have been abandoned…” “I thought so too…”
****
“Boom, boom, boom, boom…” Waity Life exchanged blows with over a dozen opponents. Surging air currents filled the temple, yet the structure remained utterly undamaged by the chaotic battle.
“That little girl, the Goddess of Ice and Snow, certainly knows how to enjoy herself! Your temples are so dilapidated, yet this magnificent temple is so splendid. Tsk, tsk, tsk, don’t you resent her?”
Fighting fiercely on the other side, Eartha Earth heard this and retorted with intense emotion. “What do you otherworldly beings understand! How could you ever know the burden Elder Sister carries?!”
The man took a drag from his smoke. “Hmph~ What she carries has nothing to do with us. All I need to know is that all of you must leave this interesting world, and then… we shall dominate and control it!”
“You…” “Enough, Eartha!” “But Second Sister! This guy, he—” Waity Life’s face was grim. “What is there to discuss with these people whose souls have decayed after living for tens of thousands of years! They only want to banish us, the administrators of order, and then rule this world! Gaber, you once deeply loved Qiweiya. Your original intention in fighting the Origin Gods was actually for Qiweiya to acknowledge you, wasn’t it?”
Gaber was expressionless. “Even if that were true, what of it? Everything is different now… We intend to be your masters. As long as we defeat you, Qiweiya will also be subdued by our combined efforts. At that point, won’t I be able to do as I please? Why not?”
Waity Life looked at him with pity. “You don’t know how truly powerful Elder Sister Qiweiya is. Since the dawn of creation, she has never truly unleashed the power hidden deep within her. But we can feel it; if that power were fully unleashed, the world would be instantly crushed to dust.”
Gaber extinguished his cigarette. “Even so, what of it? As long as we can capture you, we’ll have leverage to threaten her! Haven’t our goal of controlling the world and my personal ambition already succeeded?!”
“How arrogant must you be to think you can defeat me, the absolute ruler of this world, and still dare to threaten my kin? Is it merely because of your strange weapons? Then I shall let you know that before absolute power, you are nothing but a bunch of pathetic clowns! Kneel before me—”
Within the temple, over twenty enemies involuntarily fell to their knees at her command.
“Clack, clack…” Qiweiya slowly walked into the temple, stopping before Gaber and gazing at him with cold intensity. “You have pursued me for tens of thousands of years, yet I always held back and ignored you… Now, you dare to stir up trouble in the Divine Realm! You even caused my most beloved brother to fall into the Source and slumber! Under what circumstances did you ever believe you could defeat me, who truly possesses a world’s worth of power and more, in a negotiation? You are far too naive!”
“Release me and let me fight you… I’ll show you what our true trump card is!”
Qiweiya’s pale golden pupils fixated on Gaber. Just as he was about to break out in a cold sweat, she spoke languidly. “Very well! Let me witness the foundation of your pride! Come, entertain me! Only then will you have a chance to escape the Divine Realm! Otherwise, you shall accept the eternal corruption of evil, never to be reborn… You will surely entertain me! After all, that is a feeling you surely wish to avoid.”
Gaber felt the world’s suppression vanish, finally regaining his ability to move. “You will regret letting me rise, Qiweiya.”
“Then let me experience the feeling of regret? Make your move!” Qiweiya’s expression remained serene.
Gaber clenched his fists. Purple patterns emerged on his body, quickly covering him entirely. Slowly, a full suit of armor, like amethyst crystal, materialized on his skin.
He clasped his hands, and a knight’s sword appeared within his grasp. Qiweiya watched his entire transformation with interest, then clapped. “Not bad, not bad~ It reminds me of childhood memories, like Armored Warriors and Masked Riders… But I won’t let you escape because of such things.”
“Frozen Scythe of Judgment.” At Qiweiya’s call, an ice-blue scythe, engraved with golden divine runes, appeared in her hands. Qiweiya wiggled her middle finger. “Come on, baby~”
Gaber tightened his grip on the knight’s sword. “Hmph!” The two divine weapons clashed. “Sizzle… crackle, crackle.” Invisible, Origin-level, high-dimensional energies on their weapon surfaces canceled each other out.
Qiweiya was slightly surprised, having not expected Gaber to find a divine artifact on par with the Frozen Scythe of Judgment. Yet, even a divine artifact required its master to activate it; otherwise, it was merely a sharp ornament.
“Hah!” Both pushed each other away simultaneously, then instantly closed the distance again. The temple was almost entirely enveloped by a dense storm of golden-blue and purple energy blades. Everyone else present was forced to retreat from the temple; this was no longer a battle they could interfere with.
****
Days of battle had passed.
The sounds of energy explosions and clashing blades reverberated through the colossal hall. Qiweiya’s divine attire was somewhat damaged; her wrist gauntlets showed smooth cracks, and her dress was torn in places, revealing alluring, smooth skin. However, if the exposed areas weren’t stained with blood, it would undoubtedly be more perfect.
Gaber’s armor was also covered in slashes from Qiweiya’s scythe. On the surface, it appeared largely intact, but his body had suffered energy紊乱 from the high-dimensional energy collisions with each successive strike. Every movement now caused him agonizing pain.
Qiweiya’s scythe twirled, swinging up and down, both protecting her body and deflecting Gaber’s knight’s sword. From time to time, she even managed to land a blow. Yet, Gaber’s martial arts were also extraordinary; he often seized these fleeting moments to inflict a new wound on Qiweiya.
He was utterly helpless against Qiweiya’s nearly flawless, defensive scythe-work. He knew his internal energy was of a lower grade and couldn’t sustain prolonged combat with the knight’s sword. But her infuriating, airtight defense was impenetrable. Moreover, the surging energies from their clashing weapons had caused irreversible damage to his body. He would surely die beneath this magnificent scythe sooner or later. He possessed one technique that could reverse the situation, but using it would leave him utterly defenseless. Yet, seeing Qiweiya’s serene expression, he gritted his teeth.
Raising his purple knight’s sword, the energy coiling around it grew denser and more concentrated. “Hmph—Dimensional Annihilation Slash!”
Dimensional rifts proliferated, and space-time could no longer withstand the crushing force of these high-level energies. Qiweiya’s pupils contracted sharply; she felt an unprecedented, intense sense of crisis from this attack. She would die! She would surely die!
Feeling her life threatened, Qiweiya let her scythe hang at her right side, suspended in the air. The divine runes on it emitted a dazzling golden light.
“Come forth! Passage to the Yellow Springs of the Other Shore!” Space-time shattered as their combined attacks pierced the world’s surface, breaking through into the void.
Silence—then a resounding HUM! Purplish-golden energy swept outwards, engulfing and annihilating the Void creatures lurking and observing this world.
After a long while, darkness returned. The dimensional tears within the temple gradually healed.
Gaber lay sprawled on the ground. This had been his ultimate attack, yet it hadn’t even scratched the temple floor.
“Hoo…” Qiweiya gasped for breath, limping towards him.
“Clang.” The scythe rested horizontally against Gaber’s neck. “By now, you must be ready to give up, right? We don’t have time to keep playing these childish games with you.”
Gaber offered a wretched smile. “Sure enough, no matter what, I’ll never surpass you and protect you, will I?”
Qiweiya’s face flushed slightly. “Are you just giving up now?! Do you want to provoke me into killing you outright? Impossible! My brother is still waiting to awaken and exact his revenge personally!”
Gaber shook his head. “Never mind, never mind~ I am your prisoner now. Everything I’ve done is meaningless. Come, seal me into this ‘world’s evil’ you speak of! I want to see if my evil is more formidable, or the world’s evil is stronger! Hahahaha!”
Qiweiya looked at him with pity. “My actions are partly responsible for you reaching this point, but as an Origin God, I cannot show you mercy…” She glanced at the half of his face revealed beneath his broken helmet. “The only thing I can do now is hope that you can temper a firm yet kind heart of justice within that evil… Go well. Your comrades will join you. You are not alone.”
Gaber gave a bitter smile. “I have no demands now. I only hope that you can visit me from time to time. That would be enough to satisfy me.”
Qiweiya bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. “I accept your request! But let me tell you, I’m only agreeing because I pity you! Don’t misunderstand!”
Gaber looked at her, amused. “What are you so troubled about, when I, the defeated general, haven’t even said anything? It should be me who’s troubled…”
Qiweiya angrily bound him with chains forged of order. “I’m not talking to you anymore! Now, go down there!”
With that, a dark rift appeared beneath Gaber, into which he fell. “Hey! Maintain your true self, you idiot! Your subordinates will look to you as an example!”
Qiweiya watched the rift close, then let out a sigh. “I’ve always been the one teasing others. I never thought I’d be the one getting teased in return.”
“Administrator, do you remember me?”
Qiweiya jumped in surprise. “Holy moly! You’re not dead yet? Why didn’t you say anything before?!”
“I fell into slumber after the last major Void invasion. That incident severely damaged my artifact spirit. However, the saturated absorption of high-dimensional energy from your battle just now has repaired my artifact soul.”
Qiweiya casually greeted it. “Oh, oh, oh~ Then go back to sleep! Sayonara~ Bye-bye.”
“Administrator, do not try to escape trouble. Due to the energy fluctuations in the void just now, your coordinates have been locked onto by some powerful Void creatures. Without unexpected circumstances, the Void race will launch another major invasion in a few thousand years. Prepare yourself!”
Qiweiya panicked. “Damn it! You can’t just say one thing and abandon me like this! You have to tell me a solution! Hey, come out!”
Silence— Qiweiya pouted and plopped onto the ground. “MDZZ! I’m telling you, this isn’t fun at all! I’ll just go on strike!”
Silence— Qiweiya knelt. “Big Boss, please show mercy! This newbie can’t get past this stage! I surrender to you now!”
Silence— Qiweiya stared for a moment, then angrily threw a bag of salt. “Damn it! Fine, fine! I’ll do it myself! You sleep all you want!”
With that, she ran off to deal with the aftermath.
In the silent temple, the voice of the Temple Consciousness suddenly resonated. “Creator God, what exactly are your plans? I truly don’t understand… Oh well, I’ll secretly lend a hand when the time comes… After all, this idiot is my master too~”