Chapter 281: Me, Profligate
The power of the Chaotic Saint is incredibly terrifying.
The entire street had already been lifted by the dreadful "universal gravity," with numerous buildings floating in the sky, resembling a sky labyrinth constructed from buildings.
But even as the buildings adorned with spells were lifted up, the ongoing ritual of descent didn't come to an end.
The crimson ancient incantation, at this moment, had detached from the buildings and existed independently, contorting and hovering in mid-air.
Wriggling.
They, in fact, don't belong to the dimensions of reality.
Even if everything in the real world was destroyed, the ritual of descent would not be affected at all, unable to be disrupted as a result.
And so, the members of the Babel Tower had to find a special way to simultaneously shut down the five ritual locations.
Only in this way, could everything come to an end.
Alan thought he had hidden himself at a distance of thousands of meters, believing that he wouldn't be easily detected by the search party, let alone captured so easily.
Sure enough, he had underestimated the power of the Potential Apocalypse-level sorcerer.
Underestimated the characters who walked out of the textbook.
There was no other choice, Alan had never faced such formidable enemies before!
The opponent was incredibly strong, far beyond his expectations!
Hals appeared like a proud conductor.
He closed his eyes and gently waved his hands.
Inside the tremendously vast "gravity zone", all the dolls, debris, trees, vehicles, and buildings that were drawn in became "water".
And thousands upon thousands of "water" formed a tremendously terrifying whirlpool under his command.
Alan found himself at the center of the gravitational whirlpool. Even before being attacked by those things, his body was already being squeezed inward by unimaginable gravity.
"Boom!"
In the center of the gravitational whirlpool, Alan was crushed to death, turning into a blurry mass of flesh. In an instant, he lost all signs of life.
"Just so so."
Seeing his opponent meet such a fate, Hals gently shook his head, a tinge of regret in his voice.
"If you can't survive, then you won't be able to do anything, and there won't be a future... The boastful words you speak are completely meaningless."
"That's it."
He no longer had any intention of maintaining the spell, casually lowering his "commanding" hands and turning around to stroll away with his hands behind his back.
Within the gravitational area of the sky, a colossal structure gradually took shape, resembling a fortress. However, once control was lost, it suddenly collapsed and crumbled, descending towards the ground.
The scene was so magnificent and grand.
But for the elderly man standing with his hands behind his back, it was all meaningless.
What he said might be right.
Hals looked even more crestfallen.
All this time, he had been such a hypocrite... so arrogant and self-righteous.
But the meaning of my life, had already been devoted to magic.
"We have all reached this stage, and can no longer turn back, but only move forward."
Hals sat on a stone, lifting his head quietly, waiting for the end of the world.
What has he gained and lost over all these years?
The friendship, honor, and reputation from the past had long vaporized into thin air.
Now, the entire world would turn to ashes and disappear.
He was about to obtain what he desired, but deep down, he knew... that he wouldn't truly feel "satisfied" afterwards, let alone experience "happiness".
Ah.
Hals looked up at the sky, and behind the massive golden ribbon, there was His gaze.
"Many things are beyond change and redemption."
Come forth!
"Pupil of Chaos, the great one, come forth!" exclaimed him.
No matter what the final outcome may be, please put an end to the confusion and pain in my heart at this moment!
Hmm?
Hals furrowed his brow, momentarily taken aback.
With his exceptional intuition, he sensed something subtly amiss.
"Surprisingly, still alive?"
"It seems that I underestimated you," Hals slowly stood up from the stone.
Alan had actually "died" just a moment ago.
But among the numerous forbidden spells that Alan had mastered, there was one spell called... the Substitute Puppet.
Vague flesh had already fallen to the ground as the "force of gravity" was released, slowly restoring itself. Fingers, bare feet, shoulders, abdomen, cheeks... Alan painstakingly climbed back from the realm of the deceased, step by step.
He knelt on the ground, with eyes closed, resembling someone repenting before a deity.
Alan whispered to himself and made the same gesture as the old man had done before.
He reached out with one hand, grasping it tightly.
"Universal gravitational force."
The crumbling ruins that had collapsed and continued to collapse suddenly began to reform into a massive whirlpool of gravity!
In the next moment, Hals' body soared into the air without control!
"This, how is it possible? You can actually learn?"
The floating old man widened his eyes, feeling a sense of shock and fear unlike anything he had experienced in his entire life!
This was simply impossible!
Why?
How could something like this happen?
He had only witnessed his own release once, that modified, forbidden magic from the higher realms...
The members of the Babel Tower were amazed to see that they had learned all at once!
"It can't be!" exclaimed.
Hals couldn't understand, for this kind of thing was completely illogical, without any sense of reason!
Alan chuckled with a smile.
He knelt on the ground, exhaustedly maintaining a powerful forbidden magic, feeling his spiritual energy being continuously drained.
Slowly opening his eyes that emitted a radiant glow, he revealed the immensely precious Pupil of Mystery.
In terms of growth, it is the mightiest Tactical Card!
"Ah, it is possible... The power of the Babel Tower, the gift of the Savior, are all an unimaginable existence."
He wouldn't last much longer.
Both sides actually knew this.
"Damn it!"
Hals's body was unable to move in the sky, and in his voice, a hint of anger finally emerged.
He couldn't die here!
At this moment, so much had already been sacrificed!
How could he/she die here?
"Do you think that using my magic, you can kill me?"
The old man chuckled coldly.
Even with the improved effects of "Universal Gravity", Hals felt dizzy and overwhelmed, but he was strong enough to stay focused in such extreme circumstances.
Unraveling his own improved magic!
But, this also needed time.
Alan quietly exerted his own power.
He was in a sorry state, closing his eyes and raising his hands high.
"Praise, Sun."
A magnificent golden glow shimmered on the surface.
The power belonging to the ancient sun god, even if just a tiny bit, still possessed extraordinary strength!
In an instant, the world seemed to be filled with nothing but gold!
Hals, in the sky, let out a painful and sorrowful cry. In the intense brightness, the covering of his eyelids became meaningless, and he instantly lost his sight.
He covered his eyes in overwhelming anger.
The attempt to unravel the curse was interrupted by "The Sun Anthem".
"I will kill you! Ahhhhhhhhh!"
In intense pain, he could feel that this force was a kind of divine power, symbolizing a "god". Otherwise, his usual defensive spells would not have been easily penetrated!
"Ordinary magic, extraordinary power, it should be really difficult to kill you..."
Alan continued to kneel on the ground, breathing softly, both his physical and mental strength draining away.
"Fortunately, I had always been prepared."
The ground.
Something strange appeared.
On the ground stretching hundreds of meters, black flames gradually ignited.
Hals's INT was frantically sounding the alarm.
Even though he couldn't open his eyes, every pore of his body sensed a deadly sense of crisis.
It had been many years, how many years exactly, I hadn't experienced this feeling for a long time!
Alan smiled and said, "The Fire that Burns Everything will never extinguish on its own. It continues to 'multiply' beneath the surface, in places that you cannot see..."
From the very beginning, the Fire that Burns Everything unleashed by Alan was not meant for instant destruction.
He couldn't have been any clearer.
That distance was impossible to directly attack the opponent.
When Alan unleashed the Fire that Burns Everything, he controlled them to burn continuously underground, waiting for the flames to multiply.
Now, there were enough black flames available for use.
Plan before taking action, this has always been his style of warfare.
Alan murmured to himself, trembling as he extended a finger towards the sky.
"I can improve the spells too, the 'Fire Dragon', as the name suggests, is a spell that controls flames... Hmm, the Fire that Burns Everything is also a kind of flame, right?"
He smiled.
Swallowing the soil underground, the black flames surged to the surface, transforming this place into a terrifying abyss of pitch-black fire in an instant.
Alan took a deep breath and pointed his finger at the enemy who had stepped out of the textbook.
Fire Dragon!
The enchantment took effect, and the surrounding sea of black fire transformed into several long dragons. Roaring, they soared into the sky, twisting and turning, fiercely "biting" at the old man suspended in mid-air.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"
With a piercing scream, wails of despair, the old man who had emerged from the textbook immediately ignited within the destructive black flames that had consumed numerous vast worlds, letting out a resounding cry!
About to turn into ashes.
The sky was engulfed in black flames.
It was over.
That's enough for now.
Alan suddenly felt his vision darken, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move and powerless to cast any spells.
The debris from the sky came crashing down with a loud rumble, black flames scattered like rain, burning all around. The protective spell he had prepared in advance saved him from being crushed to death.
The Savior...
I have not let you down, for all the time you have invested in me...
Hehe, Lin Bian, I am also worthy of the title 'Night Watcher', aren't I?
A smile appeared on Alan's face.
And there was still more...
"You truly pushed me into a desperate situation."
What!?
Alan, who was lying on the ground, trembling all over, slowly opened his eyes.
He was horrified to discover that the dreadful old man was standing unharmed not far away, staring at him with a serious expression on his face.
"Why...how could this happen..."
Alan gritted his teeth, unable to comprehend.
"Not only do you have relics of civilization, young man, but in the world of Noah, the biggest advantage is that there are more 'relics' in this world than in other worlds..."
Hals calmly pushed away the elderly hand, revealing a green and yellow jade pocket watch resting on it. Inside, the only hand on the watch continuously spun backwards.
It's called "Looked Back".
A high-level civilization relic.
It possesses the power to make people "regret", and can be used once every seventy-seven days, consuming half of the current lifespan, instantly rolling back the user's "state" to one minute ago.
The top-tier experts of the Potential Apocalypse level naturally possess profound "foundation" and "reserve."
Hals calmly waved his hand, pushing away the ruin around him that was stained with black flames, keeping them as far away from himself as possible.
Just to be safe, he even dug deep into the ground, moving aside all the remaining black flames.
"Um, that will do."
To make sure the young man had no tricks up his sleeve, Hals remained calm as his elderly body suddenly burst into flames, revealing a flickering crimson light.
"Finally, let me grant you a dignified death."
"I need to completely erase you from the world, only then can I move on."
Hals remained silent for a moment. Finally, at the very end, he spoke a profound sentence to the young man standing before him.
"You are truly a one-of-a-kind genius!"
Forbidden sorcery.
Transformation: Flame Giant
Hundreds of meters of flames boiled and burned, rising fiercely without end. The terrifying giant made of fire, with wings on its back, turned half of the sky into a blazing red.
He stood beneath a massive golden ribbon of light, gazing down at the tiny humans below.
Just the terrifying heat alone caused Alan to collapse on the ground, unable to move, as he was on the verge of dehydration.
"Cough cough..."
Alan coughed, feeling exhausted from the drain on his energy, his vision even becoming blurry.
"Indeed," he thought to himself.
Even if able to replicate forbidden spells, one's fundamental strength still limits oneself.
The gap was indeed real.
If one's spiritual power is strong enough, they can unleash multiple spells and even continuously activate powerful spells like "foreseeing the future" that constantly consume spiritual energy.
Perhaps, they could change the outcome of the battle.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"I couldn't protect Tatsumi City, the Savior," he whispered with regret.
"I believe that the world will not perish due to my own failure," he said confidently. "I also believe in the others at Babel Tower, they will surely succeed in saving the world in the end."
"But I truly can't go on any longer," he sighed.
"Um..."
Lost in a daze, Alan suddenly found himself standing up without even realizing it.
And, he was also attempting to unleash a spell.
So that's how it was.
The thought of continuing the battle had become instinctual, truly befitting of me.
The spell failed to unleash.
At this moment, Alan had almost lost his clarity, on the verge of slipping into a state of unconsciousness, completely unable to unleash spells that required focus and precision.
"I still can't do it."
He sighed and muttered to himself.
Waiting for his own ending.
This time, Alan didn't have any tricks left to use.
Finally, he was about to journey towards true death.
The Flame Giant stood tall, with its fist constantly dripping molten lava. It resembled a volcanic eruption as it heavily pounded down towards the tiny humans below.
"Boom!"
In the midst of a tremendous roar and heat, the ruins were completely engulfed, and to Alan's astonishment, he realized that he had miraculously survived!
Something... something had saved him!
He felt his energy steadily replenishing because of the "Blood of Darkness," so he took the opportunity to take out some food and began eating.
Using the Heart of Life, her vitality quickly recovered.
Soon, Alan finally discovered the reason why he had not died yet.
That man.
Mr. Profligate stood in front of him.
The man chuckled softly and raised his hand.
In his palm, a temperatureless red light was burning.
This is the scarlet blood from the Queen of the Scarlet Moon.
The flickering red light resisted the terrifying strike of the Flame Giant!
Hals roared in anger, wanting to continue pressing his fist down, but he was powerless.
The difference in size between the two was unimaginably exaggerated, making this scene even more astounding!
"Sorry, I arrived a little late."
Bai Yan shook his head gently and apologized to his friend behind him.
Alan knelt on the ground, staring at the elder in front of him. Vaguely, he began to recall the figure of that man.
Thirteen years ago, he had also been trapped in despair, unable to free himself.
And then, that man appeared out of nowhere, changing everything.
Ah.
I understood.
Alan suddenly realized why he cared so much about Bai Yan's whereabouts and wanted to find him.
Because that kind of hero, who can turn the tide like him...
He realized that he had always wanted to become that person!
It was his...goal, his dream.
But it seemed that he was destined not to make a final appearance, unable to become the hero who would save everything... Even though his power was no longer weak, the enemy had grown even stronger.
Bai Yan stared at the enemy in front of him and calmly said, "You have done well, just like everyone else, you have all done exceptionally well."
"In the world, there are enemies that cannot be defeated. It is not your fault."
But it was my mistake.
It was me who couldn't fully unleash the power of the Babel Tower, and it was me who couldn't make you become stronger step further.
Strong enough to overcome any obstacles.
However...
I will personally change everything, paying the price for the imperfection of the Babel Tower.
"Are you Profligate?"
In the form of a Flame Giant, Hals' voice boomed like thunder, echoing for miles around.
Even he had heard of the infamous "Profligate" of the Babel Tower.
This man was definitely not to be underestimated!
"Um, it's me."
Bai Yan calmly nodded.
He smiled and continued,
"I am the 'Profligate'."
"I am a member of the Babel Tower, the Savior of the world, as are my companions..."
"As for you folks, no matter how weak you are, legends say that you are nothing more than disgusting old witches and clowns, plain and worthless."
"Arrogant person!"
Hals's emotions were clearly fluctuating, and the flames on his body turned into shooting stars, continuously surging around him.
He roared and swung his fist!
Bai Yan continued to smile, as he suddenly threw Gungnir from his hand. It transformed into a dazzling white light.
Deep Red - Divine Punishment!
The white light transformed from Gungnir suddenly sped up, like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the body of the Flame Giant, interrupting its attack.
"Ah!"
Hals shouted loudly, growing more and more angry!
In the next moment, Gungnir returned once again, piercing through the enormous body.
"Impossible! Impossible!"
The elderly man within the Flame Giant found himself faced with this situation, completely powerless!
After being pierced through numerous times, the body of the Flame Giant crumbled and fell apart.
Hals roared and shouted angrily as he immediately unleashed an extremely powerful forbidden spell with a sense of triumph.
Gravity!
Alan was taken aback and felt a powerful pull, thinking he was about to be drawn towards it, but suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm.
Bai Yan stood firmly on the ground, wearing a smile on his face.
At this moment, he is currently in Power Possession mode, mastering the power of the "Queen of the Scarlet Moon," continuously accumulating, while the gravity keeps increasing.
"I can't just stand here like this, your body would be torn in half," Bai Yan said calmly.
"It's time to go."
Bai Yan's one eye glowed with a dark light.
The power of connection allowed him to perceive the current situation in every aspect.
In the next moment, he leapt up voluntarily, accelerating with the help of "gravity," instantly transforming into a burning, fiery glow!
Gravity is simply another form of power.
Harnessing strength to deliver a powerful blow.
This was almost impossible, a battle technique that existed only in theory.
Ordinary people could never accomplish such a feat, but Bai Yan, who possessed a special "connection," instantly perceived the only precise point to harness strength!
A burning, fiery red glow shot towards Hals' body!
Hals felt an indescribable sense of suffocation, as if he was about to be crushed, as if he had already sunk into the depths of the ocean!
No!
I must survive no matter what! I must become stronger no matter what! I must explore more no matter what!
"Go away and die! It should be you who deserves to die!"
He roared, fuming, and shouted hysterically!
In an instant, a protective spell, like a shimmering barrier of light, was cast.
But, in the next moment, the protective shield shattered completely as the charged Crimson Blood struck!
Hals was engulfed by the aftermath of a dreadful power, causing him to be flung away like a tiny insect, flying hundreds of meters in one breath.
The elderly body fell to the ground, bones shattered and muscles torn. He struggled to get up, coughing up blood repeatedly.
If it weren't for Hals' regular use of protective spells, he knew deep down that he would have been killed directly by this terrifying man.
"Ah, you're not dead?"
Bai Yan stood calmly several hundred meters away, while Alan was also by his side, catching his breath and recovering.
When the spellcaster Hals was gravely injured, the spell that required continuous maintenance, the force of gravity, naturally dissipated.
The Scourge of War.
Bai Yan slowly reached out his hand and calmly pulled out a silver longsword from the red halo beside him.
This was the fantasy of the Civilization-level Relic, "Gorgeous Moonshine".
This is the legendary weapon that once belonged to the Ultimate Witch, a thousand years ago.
Its effect is simple and unadorned.
It severed all things, unstoppable.
Bai Yan quietly lifted his silver longsword and gently pointed it, speaking in a very calm manner, "I have discerned your weaknesses. Yes, using this weapon against you would be just right."
"So, you should also be dead."
He calmly delivered the pronouncement of death.
Unbeatable!
Hals widened his eyes, his heart fully understanding the situation. Although neither side had reached the "Apocalypse" level, there was an enormous gap in strength between them.
He suddenly realized something.
I am about to die myself.
The years of abandonment, torment, and self-loathing have all been meaningless.
I am about to die right here.
Just as he had said, once you are dead, nothing has meaning anymore.
In the final moment, Hals still didn't give up. Instead, he became somewhat crazy.
He planned to perform an extremely difficult forbidden spell.
"I will crush you all!"
As a renowned master of magic in textbooks, Hals possessed up to seven forbidden spells, each with incredible and powerful effects.
As long as it could be cast, there was a chance for a comeback...
Deep Blue World.
In the blink of an eye, Bai Yan had already crossed several hundred meters, calmly standing behind Hals.
The silver longsword in his hand flowed like liquid, emitting moonlight.
The incompatible blood dripped from it.
The silver longsword became flawless once again.
The moonlight shimmered, glowing brightly.
Hals, who couldn't finish casting the spell, fell down, and the protective spell completely failed before "Moonlight Polarization".
His head fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, seemingly in disbelief, unable to close.
Perhaps, at the moment of his death, the old man would truly regret his decision to join the Troublemakers.
"It seems that I have managed to catch up."
The sword in his hand vanished without a trace. Bai Yan turned around with a smile, and in the next moment, he appeared back in front of Alan.
He pulled up his friend and then said, "Everything is just as we planned in the meeting, isn't it? You will hold off the enemies, and I will come to assist..."
"Long story short, Mysterious Magic, I still need to go to the next location."
He paused, his expression becoming solemn and serious as he said, "From here on, it will be up to you to guard this place."
"Um,"
Alan took a deep breath and nodded gently.
"I will protect everything."
Tatsumi City, the Air Alliance, Noah, this world itself holds everything of mine.
I will protect it with my life and everything beyond life itself.
Bai Yan nodded.
"Wait a minute! Lastly, there's one more question I want to ask, Mr. Profligate."
Before Mr. Profligate planned to leave, Alan stopped him and asked a question.
"Why have the people of Tatsumi City all disappeared?"
Bai Yan revealed a meaningful smile and said, "Because the Savior has protected them."
In fact, that was indeed the case.
Before the Doomsday Crisis began, Bai Yan spent one thousand Source Energy Points to exchange for a building facility.
"The Shelter"
Its effect is to accommodate ordinary people from a city inside, requiring 10 Source Energy Points per hour to sustain. The ordinary people inside the shelter are not harmed and don't have any impact or connection with the real world.
The drawback is that the Shelter can only accommodate ordinary people, and it is ineffective for extraordinary individuals.
Bai Yan spent 1000 points to exchange it, mainly for three reasons.
The first reason, of course, was to prevent the significant loss of lives among ordinary people in Tatsumi City during the war.
The second reason is that Bai Yan knew that, apart from the Scarlet Moon and Slime, other members of the Babel Tower would be hesitant and have their fighting abilities affected when they witness the death or hostage situations involving civilians.
The last point, Bai Yan learned from his first playthrough of the game... After the Doomsday Crisis, the number of casualties would be counted.
The significant loss of civilian lives naturally would affect the final evaluation of rewards.
"Since that's the case, I can finally feel relieved... Whew."
Alan let out a sigh of relief.
He also started to smile and even felt like bursting into laughter.
Being chosen by the Babel Tower, perhaps it was the greatest stroke of luck in his entire life!
At this moment, Alan sincerely thought to himself.
Bai Yan quickly left.
He and another "incarnation" had already split up and, as "support units", they headed towards five strategic points.
Relying solely on the Core Operators of the Babel Tower, it was not nearly enough to deal with the enemies in the Doomsday Crisis.
Bai Yan understood clearly that as the "sole variable," he must give it his all, no, he had to risk his life!
With things having come to this point, he, on the contrary, felt a bit excited.
In his eyes, there was a hint of undisguised excitement and joy.
"The power to save the world is within my grasp."
