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I once despised my own cowardice. Because it was a choice that made me regret it for the rest of my life.

But still, Lilith. I hoped that you would be the most timid person in this world. When you saw danger, you would not draw close. When you encountered hardship, you would learn to retreat.

When you came to understand this world’s cruelty and coldness, you would be able to hide in your mother’s arms and cry to your heart’s content. So, Lilith, live on. In this unreasonable world, live on, forever and ever.

No matter what you become. No matter how far away you may lose yourself, in some distant beyond. No matter how many times you are betrayed or deceived. You must remember this: In this world, there will always be someone who will love you, forever.

***

The Dragon Queen hesitated no longer and unleashed her peak, all-out punch toward the crystalline cocoon. At the very instant the Infinite Trials Deity Lord turned traitor, the combined assault of the other Deity Lords revealed a rare opening.

And so, there was no one left who could stop it.

Under that supreme blow, the cocoon shattered instantly, briefly revealing Lilith’s serene, sleeping face. She seemed to sense something and, in her daze, slowly opened her eyes.

Then she saw her mother, the Dragon Queen who had been unyielding her entire life, shedding fragile tears at this very moment. In that final instant, gazing at her daughter’s beautiful face that she might never see again, she broke down in sobs.

Yet the corners of her lips still held a gentle, tender smile.

“I’m sorry, Lilith, you must… live on!”

“Mom?” Lilith sensed that something was wrong. She tried to struggle, but she was still in the process of her soul and body merging and could not use any power at all. She could only watch helplessly as her physical body was crushed by that utterly resolute, scorching fist wind, shattered into countless fragments smaller than dust itself.

Her consciousness faded away. To others, this was a fist of death, but to her, it was a fist of life.

After completely pulverizing Lilith, the punch did not lose its force and went on to shatter space itself. Within the void, eerie gales descended, sweeping up billions of fragments and dragging them into the emptiness.

Then the world’s self-correcting power took effect. The ruptured space began to heal, and with the Dragon Queen’s deliberate assistance, before the other Deity Lords could even react, the space had already been fully restored.

In this place, there was no longer any trace of the girl. Because of the Dragon Eater’s immortal attribute, the girl would eventually revive, but certainly not now, and certainly not here.

Dragged into the boundless void, she could reappear anywhere.

As for when, and where, within this vast Great World, an inconspicuous girl who held the power to destroy the world would be reborn again, that would be a worry for the Deity Lords to ponder over the endless years to come.

Like fallen leaves returning to the forest, or droplets of water sinking into the sea, it would not be easy.

And even if they truly found her, what then? By that time, the overall situation would already be decided, and the Dragon Eater, whose body and soul had fully merged, would fear no one.

Only then did the utterly exhausted Dragon Queen finally allow herself to show a completely relieved smile. She softly bid farewell to the empty space before her, “Goodbye, Lilith. May you always be happy and blessed.”

Sadly, the girl could no longer hear her.

***

“Infinite Trials!” The Supreme Unity Deity Lord roared in fury. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“Of course I do.” The calm voice of the Infinite Trials Deity Lord responded. “I was merely repaying a debt of gratitude.”

“Repaying a debt? And so you disregarded the safety of the Great World? You simply allowed the Dragon Eater to escape?”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Supreme Unity. All I did was save the Dragon Queen.”

Infinite Trials met Supreme Unity’s raging gaze with icy eyes. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t see it. Just now, the Dragon Queen had already decided to self-detonate and fight to the death. In the end, we still would not have been able to stop her.”

“…Hmph.” After a brief silence, Supreme Unity Deity Lord ultimately let out a cold snort and chose not to pursue the matter further. Because he had indeed realized that if the Dragon Queen truly went all out, Nether Passage still would not have made it in time.

The excessively long wind-up was the greatest flaw of that supreme divine artifact. So the final outcome had actually been decided long ago. The only uncertainty was whether the Dragon Queen herself could survive.

Yet whether she lived or died would not affect the current situation in the slightest.

“Since the Dragon Eater has already escaped, I believe it is better to spare the Dragon Queen’s life.” The Infinite Trials Deity Lord continued, “Otherwise, if the Dragon Eater loses her reason out of rage, the damage caused may be even greater.”

“Hmph. How grandly you put it. In the end, this is still because of personal feelings!”

“I will pay the price.” The Infinite Trials Deity Lord sighed. “Resources equivalent to ten Live Stars.”

“And the consequences. The consequences of letting the Dragon Eater escape!” Supreme Unity fixed him with a solemn stare. “This burden, you will bear it.”

“…Very well.” The Infinite Trials Deity Lord agreed helplessly.

“What a farce!” With that, the Supreme Unity Deity Lord swept his sleeve and turned to leave. “That Dragon Eater… her name was Lilith, wasn’t it?”

The Luminous Deity Lord also let out a soft sigh. “We still cannot relax. Put her on the Profound Demon List, at the very top. Once she is discovered, deal with her as soon as possible. …If it is even possible to deal with her.”

The Luminous Deity Lord did not linger either and departed. Only the Thoughtless Deity Lord and the Sky Ruins Deity Lord were left, looking at each other in silence.

In the end, the Sky Ruins Deity Lord glanced at that figure who, in all his memories, had never been so battered and miserable. His gaze was complicated, but he said nothing and left.

Instead, the Thoughtless Deity Lord suddenly let out a long sigh and returned that blue planet to its rightful place.

“Why go so far, Dragon Queen? I can indeed understand your feelings, but why must you be so cruel to yourself?”

“This was the price I should pay. If I did not make this sacrifice, then this debt would fall upon Lilith instead.” The Dragon Queen lowered her eyelids, her expression unreadable.

She carefully gathered that azure planet into her arms. From this moment on, she truly had nothing left.

“Perhaps death would have been gentler for you,” the Thoughtless Deity Lord murmured.

“Perhaps that is true. But I will still strive to live on. Even if this world is left with only a single dragon, I will cling to life.” The Dragon Queen spoke softly. “Because if I die, Lilith would be sad.”

“…You truly are a good mother, Dragon Queen.”

Gazing at the Dragon Queen before her, covered in blood and so battered she could barely stand, yet whose eyes still shone whenever that girl was mentioned, the Thoughtless Deity Lord suddenly extended a finger and lightly tapped, eternally recording this scene.

“If I find her, I will show this to her.” The corners of the Thoughtless Deity Lord’s lips curved into a faint smile even she herself could not quite explain. “Perhaps once she sees this, she will obediently raise her hands and surrender.”

“…She won’t.” The Dragon Queen said firmly. “Lilith would never waver over something like that.”

“Is that so?” Thoughtless sighed softly. “It seems that although you mother and daughter share not a drop of blood, your temperaments are exactly the same.”

“Of course. That is a daughter personally raised by myself.” The Dragon Queen raised her brows and said proudly.

“I was not praising you, you b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! But fine.” With that, Thoughtless waved her hand. “Then farewell, Dragon Queen. I hope to have the chance to see you again.”

“I would rather you disappear completely.” The Dragon Queen narrowed her eyes at the Thoughtless Deity Lord.

Though she had not truly caused any real trouble, the Dragon Queen always felt that she was hiding something.

“Haha, that might be a little difficult.” The Thoughtless Deity Lord laughed heartily as her figure gradually faded. “A scourge living long… that description still suits me perfectly.”