100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods

Chapter 429: 429. Ancient Physique - 2

The spirit’s hollow eyes widened as genuine fear finally appeared within them.

For the very first time since its arrival, it could clearly see the end approaching.

The overwhelming gravitational force generated by the countless miniature suns hanging above the dream world had become completely irresistible. The tangled mass of roots, vines, and living wood that made up its enormous body was violently ripped away from the earth before being dragged toward the blazing furnace in the sky.

The spirit fought desperately.

Countless roots shot downward into the earth in an attempt to anchor themselves, while thick vines spread through the ground like enormous chains searching for something stable to hold onto.

It accomplished nothing.

Every single time the spirit managed to secure its roots into the ground, the very piece of land beneath them would crack apart from the surrounding terrain. Entire sections of the earth broke away from the crust and immediately joined the countless rocks, trees, and debris that were already being pulled upward by the impossible force of gravity.

The dream itself seemed unable to resist William’s spell.

The spirit continued rising higher and higher along with the floating debris, struggling with everything it possessed.

Then, without warning, something suddenly stopped its ascent.

A hand reached forward. William had appeared directly before it.

His fingers closed tightly around the spirit’s neck, gripping the thick wooden trunk that served as its throat before completely halting its movement despite the immense gravitational pull surrounding them.

The spirit instinctively struggled. William’s grip did not move even a single inch. He calmly looked into the spirit’s hollow face.

"What is your name?"

His voice remained perfectly calm, carrying neither anger nor excitement. The spirit remained silent. It glared back at William without answering.

William’s expression did not change. Instead, a brilliant golden-orange flame suddenly ignited within his hand.

Stellar Fire erupted across the spirit’s body.

The divine flames rapidly spread through every vine, branch, and root as though they had found the perfect fuel. The organic body burned with terrifying speed, and the fire refused to be extinguished.

"Arghhh!"

The spirit let out a horrifying scream as its wooden flesh blackened beneath the flames.

"Stop!"

William simply repeated the same question.

"What is your name?"

The spirit could no longer endure the agony.

Its resistance completely collapsed.

"My... my name..."

Its voice trembled as pieces of its burning body continued breaking apart.

"My name is Vaan."

William quietly listened before giving a small nod. "So your name is Vaan."

His expression remained completely unreadable. "Then send my greetings to your master."

With those final words, William released his grip.

The spirit’s body immediately resumed accelerating upward under the overwhelming pull of the miniature suns.

Vaan desperately tried to reach toward William. It was already too late.

Within a single instant, the enormous spirit disappeared into the blazing furnace hanging in the heavens.

The countless miniature suns consumed its body completely. There was no explosion. There was no corpse.

The massive creature simply disintegrated into glowing particles before vanishing into nothingness, leaving behind only drifting vapor that quickly disappeared beneath the overwhelming heat.

William quietly watched until he was absolutely certain that Vaan had ceased to exist.

Only then did he slowly lower his hand.

The countless miniature suns filling the sky gradually faded away one after another until the oppressive gravitational force finally disappeared.

The dream world slowly returned to silence.

William lowered himself toward the ground.

Several meters away, Seraphine remained standing exactly where she had been freed.

She did not move. She simply stared into the distance, her beautiful crimson eyes carrying countless complicated emotions that words could never properly describe.

Everything she had experienced inside the dream continued replaying inside her mind. Every memory felt painfully vivid.

William quietly approached her.

As he walked closer, the appearance of his previous life gradually dissolved until he returned to the form Seraphine knew best.

He became William once again.

When Seraphine finally looked toward him, confusion could still be seen lingering within her eyes. She seemed uncertain whether everything had truly ended.

William did not attempt to explain anything. He simply stepped closer before gently wrapping both arms around her.

The embrace was warm.

Steady and comforting.

It carried none of the overwhelming emotions from earlier. He simply wanted her to know that she was safe.

Seraphine remained motionless for several moments while resting inside his embrace.She did not immediately hug him back.

She simply stood there, quietly feeling his warmth and listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Only after several silent moments did her trembling hands slowly rise.

She gently wrapped her arms around William and held him tightly.

Neither of them spoke another word.

There was nothing left that needed to be said.

Around them, the dream world slowly began falling apart.

The ruined city gradually dissolved into countless streams of green light, while the sky, the buildings, and the remaining fragments of the illusion quietly disappeared.

The entire dream slowly faded away until nothing remained.

William once again found himself drifting through the familiar green vortex.

His consciousness floated peacefully for several moments before his eyes suddenly opened.

He had returned.

William slowly sat upright before looking around the room.

Seraphine had awakened as well.

A soft emerald glow surrounded her body as dense nature-element mana gently flowed around her, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

The moment her eyes met William’s, a bright smile immediately bloomed across her face.

Without thinking twice, she excitedly rushed toward him.

She clearly intended to throw herself into his arms and shower him with gentle kisses.

Unfortunately for her...

Someone moved even faster.

"My baby!"

Selena suddenly stepped directly between them with moist eyes and a trembling smile before pulling Seraphine into a tight embrace.

"My precious girl..."

Her emotional voice quivered as she tightly hugged Seraphine, refusing to let go.

William could not help smiling at the heartwarming sight.

Rather than interrupting the emotional reunion between mother and daughter, he quietly stepped backward.

His attention instead shifted toward Tamasya.She had remained unusually silent ever since everything ended.

She simply stood nearby, looking at him with a strangely complicated expression.

It was not anger. It was not sadness.

It was simply... unsettling.

William knew that expression well enough to realize something was bothering her.

Deciding to speak first, he casually walked over.

"It was a spirit from the Astral World," he explained. "It wasn’t related to Seraphine’s physique, yet somehow it still managed to interfere with her."

Tamasya blinked before finally looking away from her own thoughts. "Oh?"

Her curiosity returned almost immediately. "What was its name?"

William let out a quiet sigh. "Vaan."

The moment that name was spoken, another voice suddenly echoed inside Tamasya’s mind.

<"Ah... that guy."> Shadow sounded as though something had suddenly clicked inside her memory.

Tamasya immediately noticed the reaction.

"You know him?"

Shadow remained silent for several seconds. Then she awkwardly replied,

<"I... don’t really remember. Hearing the name just feels strangely familiar. I’m certain I’ve heard of that spirit somewhere before, but I can’t remember where.">

Tamasya sighed.

"Could you at least try thinking a little harder?"

Shadow lazily yawned.

<"That sounds like too much effort. I’d rather spend my time eating some god meat instead.">

Tamasya blinked. "God meat?"

Virgo immediately interrupted [She means dog meat]

The correction came so naturally that Tamasya nearly laughed.

She simply shook her head.

"The two of you are completely useless."

Virgo immediately protested.

[Not me.]

Its voice sounded slightly offended.

[I helped William throughout this entire situation and shared everything I knew. At the very least, we now know that Vaan was serving someone else. The spirit had nothing to do with Seraphine’s physique despite our earlier assumptions.]

Tamasya smiled softly. "Thank you, Virgo."

"I really appreciate everything you did."

The sincere praise immediately made Shadow click her tongue.

<"Tsk... fine. I’ll see what I can remember about that peasant spirit. Happy now?">

Meanwhile, outside their mental conversation, William continued speaking.

"If Seraphine hadn’t awakened when she did, that fight could have become a real headache."

He smiled faintly.

"I only managed to defeat Vaan because she unconsciously helped me."

Tamasya quietly listened. A very subtle change appeared in her expression.

She lowered her voice until only William could hear her.

"She woke up because of you."

"And she’s safe because of you."

Her tone were soft and low enough that nobody else in the room noticed them.William looked at her for a moment before smiling gently.

Without saying anything, he casually slid a little closer on the sofa until they were sitting closer side by side.

Their hands lightly brushed against one another. Then William spoke in a deliberately innocent tone.

"It suddenly feels a little cold in here." He chuckled quietly. "Did it snow while I wasn’t paying attention?"

Tamasya immediately understood exactly what he was trying to do. She deliberately looked away.

"If you’re cold, then take a blanket."

With those words, she stood up and calmly walked toward the door.

"William, are you cold?"

Seraphine’s concerned voice immediately reached his ears. Having just finished changing into fresh clothes, she was still wrapped in a warm blanket.

Without hesitation, she hurried over before carefully removing it from around herself.

She gently draped the blanket across William’s shoulders with an innocent smile.

"There." she said while checking his forehead for any fever.

Near the doorway, Tamasya witnessed the entire scene. She paused for just a moment before quietly looking away.

A small annoyed pout appeared on her face.

Without another word, she continued walking out of the room.

William watched her leave with a faint smile lingering on his lips.

He had already noticed the slight irritation she was trying so hard to hide. He knew how he was going to make it up to her.