Chapter 293: Growth, Death, and Rebirth!
Bai Yan could feel the piercing pain as his body was being penetrated and his bones shattered.
But even at this moment, there was still no expression on his face.
In fact, Bai Yan had already exhausted his mental strength. He had been suffering from a splitting headache for a long time, and there was a constant risk of passing out at any moment.
Every second that Bai Yan forcefully remained conscious brought him a wave of intense discomfort.
He, however, persevered until now.
All this time, what exactly had he been pursuing?
Bai Yan reminisced about his past self, who had a strong desire to achieve a flawless playthrough of the game... In the beginning, that was the reason why he started playing the second playthrough of the game Babel Tower.
Almost the sole reason.
However, the current me already had many other thoughts in my mind.
Something seemed to have completely changed.
Was he really proclaiming himself as the Savior?
It didn't seem like it, after all.
The idea of being the Savior and such didn't really matter anymore. Looking back now, it seemed like anything could be possible.
Even though he had empathy and a little bit of kindness, Bai Yan didn't believe that he was truly a compassionate saint, constantly taking on the responsibility of deciding the fate of the world.
So, what exactly was he fighting so desperately for?
He suddenly realized.
He realized that he was fighting for the trust and deep connection between himself, Mu Ling, Maryse, Alan, and others. These people had placed such great trust in him, and there existed an unbreakable bond between them.
As it turned out, he simply didn't like seeing the people he cared about in pain and sadness.
And that was just how simple it was.
Bai Yan, with his abdomen pierced, transformed into a shimmering dust that dispersed through the air, resembling a magnificent shower of stardust.
This was merely his incarnation, nothing more than that.
Glofield, who had been bestowed with a health bar by the "game," was now exhausted, with very little life force remaining.
But it still possessed a terrifying power.
As the pitch-black gigantic claw lunged towards Mu Ling, it was halted by the blade of the Shadow Dagger held by the young girl.
"Bam!"
The two sides clashed, producing a tremendous sound.
However, under the terrifying force akin to raging waves, Mu Ling's light body was immediately sent flying.
Mu Ling flew a great distance, but she didn't receive any harm. She landed steadily on a leaning wall, and then the entire wall collapsed in front of her.
She calmly wished to leap back again.
That person still needed her help.
Victory was just within reach.
Just then, Mu Ling's body suddenly paused, slowly sinking down, unwillingly and reluctantly closing her eyes.
The time has come for the Tactical Card - Dust of the Past.
"Please make sure to win..."
In the sky, within the shimmering radiance, a massive and majestic Golden Palace appeared.
From the magnificent Golden Palace, White Thunder descended from the sky, like a divine beam of light, directly striking Glofield's colossal body.
"Ow!"
It howled and struggled, its voice filled with pain!
Although the Spiritual Plane surpasses the material realm, this lightning from the Golden Palace still holds considerable power.
The "health bar" above Glofield's head had diminished to a barely visible level, almost vanishing.
On the ground, many monsters emerged from the River Styx, gnawing at Glofield's body, pushing it to the brink of exhaustion.
In the spot where Bai Yan's incarnation was shattered, a tattered piece of paper floated.
This white piece of paper fluttered in the wind, about to gently land on the ground.
The Reanimation Spell.
In the next moment, the piece of paper and the real Bai Yan swapped places.
At the same time, Glofield also dealt with all the spirits in the River Styx.
In his hand, there was a striking green pendant, underneath which lay a pair of bewildered bronze eyes.
The Civilization-level Relic: 'The Sorrow of Euryxus'."
It emitted a dazzling green light, beginning to disrupt Glofield's intellect. Despite possessing "Hodur's Heart," Glofield would not be affected by this type of power.
But things were different now.
With Glofield, the Chosen for Eternity, now having a vulnerability, he became capable of being defeated, and his eyes grew vacant.
"Splash."
One of the six dark yellow eyes on its head closed.
The power of the Civilization-level Relic was twisted.
In an instant, Glofield's vacant gaze returned to normal.
In Bai Yan's hand, the silvery moonlight had been unleashed, capable of severing all things.
He was startled to discover that the terrifying monster had vanished.
In an instant, the swiftly moving Glofield appeared behind Bai Yan, but he was once again immobilized. Instead of launching an attack, he remained motionless and seemed to entertain the idea of self-harm.
"Script of Pseudo..."
Maryse knelt on one knee nearby, gasping for breath, her face adorned with a smile.
In her fair hands, she held the long-standing Civilization-level Relic of the Augustus family, the Script of Pseudo, a scroll that had once been concealed by her father, an aged yellow parchment.
When another dark yellow eye closed, the power of the Civilization-level Relic was once again distorted.
From Glofield's mouth, an abundance of black and red lightning manifested, ready to...
There was no chance left!
Deep Blue World.
Everything, every single thing, came to a standstill. In the entire world, there was only one person left who could still move.
Bai Yan looked up and took a deep breath.
All the anger, all the pain, all the sadness, all the hope and future, would converge in these five seconds that could decide the world!
But in truth, one second was enough.
Time... returned to normal.
In the next instant, Bai Yan calmly approached Glofield. The radiant glow of the Gorgeous Moonshine in his hand gradually faded away.
The immensely powerful monster finally crashed to the ground, its pitch-black body crumbling and disintegrating, vanishing completely from the world.
Bai Yan, too, fell down from exhaustion after using an excessive amount of extraordinary powers.
A black and red lightning struck the ground and exploded.
Crimson Twilight!
Bai Yan and Maryse were immediately swept up in a black and red lightning, as the ground tore apart.
The intense pain coursing through her body was so vivid, yet Maryse smiled as she looked towards Mr. Profligate, her delicate form crumbling and disintegrating.
Feeling the evil power within him, Bai Yan simply calmly embraced the arrival of death.
He didn't show a trace of fear.
The earth was crumbling. In the midst of the intense tremors, a massive chasm tore open in the ground. Bai Yan's lifeless body slowly slid into the depths of the ravine.
The earthquake that occurred in the city lasted for a long time, until the golden ribbon of light above the sky slowly faded away, and the dark golden iris above it also vanished without a trace.
Finally, the earth returned to tranquility.
...
...
...
After an uncertain amount of time, Mu Ling slowly regained consciousness from her unconscious state.
"Um..."
After regaining her senses, she instinctively looked up at the sky.
The blinding golden light that covered the sky, the twisted and terrifying pupils, all of it had vanished, as if it were a fleeting dream, now gone without a trace.
Only the clear blue sky remained.
"The end..."
We did it!
Her body trembled slightly, and a profound sense of joy welled up in Mu Ling's heart, tears of excitement filling her eyes.
Finally, it was over.
Everything everyone has put into this has been worth it, the Savior and everyone involved in the Babel Tower, truly saved this world!
But what about everyone else...
Mu Ling rose uncertainly, walking upon a land that had turned into ruins. She also encountered many other people who were equally confused.
They were citizens living in Tatsumi City.
Tens of millions of people were placed back into the remaining two-thirds of the city. They found it hard to believe everything happening right before their eyes.
At the same time, they couldn't accept it.
Their home had unexpectedly crumbled to this extent.
Mu Ling kept walking.
Her gaze scanned across the faces of the crowd.
One by one, they looked ahead.
The worried and confused people also noticed this extraordinary girl. Some kind-hearted individuals approached her and asked if she needed any help.
She couldn't hear anyone's voice, nor did she pay attention to the gazes of those people.
"No," she replied.
"No, no, no... Why is there none?" she wondered.
"Maryse, Mr. Profligate, where are you...?" Mu Ling's voice was feeble, and her body felt equally powerless.
Is there anyone else alive in the Babel Tower, besides me?
Mu Ling knew clearly that the Savior of the Babel Tower possessed the power to revive everyone, yet a tremendous sadness welled up from deep within her heart.
If it weren't for the Savior, the current situation would be too similar to the years when she had lost all of her family.
There was only herself left.
She slowly knelt down on the ground, gazing up at the sky.
"Savior..."
"Please ensure that you revive them."
"We did it."
Mu Ling fell silent for a moment, closed her eyes, and then revealed a joyful smile.
"Thank you."
--
Death, nearly a mandatory subject for every living being, but not the final destination for all.
Bai Yan also experienced death.
His lifeless body plunged into the massive chasm, devoid of any signs of life.
The sky regained its vibrant blue color, and the Earth had stopped trembling. People returned safely to the city.
But he could no longer see any of this.
In Bai Yan's possession, the phone was completely shattered, seeming to have lost any chance of being turned on.
But, in that moment, the screen of the phone began to blur and display an image.
The people of Tatsumi City were searching for their loved ones amidst the chaos. They wandered through the ruins of the city, desperately seeking their cherished ones, their hearts filled with confusion and unease.
No one noticed that faint images appeared on each person's phone.
"Game Tip:"
"The arrival ceremony has been halted!"
"The number of the members of the Babel Tower: there is only one person alive!"
"The world's population, the vast majority!"
"The situation with the enemies: They were all defeated!"
"Doomsday Crisis: Completed!"
"Overall assessment: Excellent!"
"Award Calculation: ..."
"The game...continued..."
In the deep, seemingly bottomless abyss, from Bai Yan's shattered body, a multitude of silver lights gradually emerged.
The silver light gradually enveloped the man's shattered remains. Flesh, bones, nerves, the energy of life - everything began to return to this "corpse" once again.
The vague soul, which had once been slowly departing from the body, also returned to the shell at this moment.
It was as if the world was calling out to him, longing for his return from the depths of hell and abyss.
At last.
A miracle happened.
...
He slowly opened his eyes, welcoming a new beginning.
