Chapter 1473: Chapter 48: The End of Eternity (Part 3)
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The crossed stars collided at the center of the universe, annihilating each other in an instant.
Fires scattered like specks, resembling remnants of stars in a world of silence.
Amidst the falling rain-like sparks, a slender shadow fell silently. The thin sword in her hand trembled, with cracks spreading across the side of the blade, dim and dull, like sprouts bursting from the earth.
"Snap," a faint sound was heard, and the shape of the thin sword collapsed. The Divine Weapon that accompanied her through billions of battlefields shattered into pitch-black dust, dispersing like smoke.
Her vision gradually blurred. She no longer felt strength in her hands.
A long-absent sense of weakness surged from the depths of her heart. Accompanying it was an almost irrational anger.
She shouldn’t have lost.
You broke the rules. You cheated. Recklessly using others’ powers, unreasonably pouring your own emotions into my heart.
How can one win like this?
How can one possibly succeed against many alone—
But soon, anger was replaced by silence, and the King emitted a silent, bitter smile.
How disgraceful.
She would never have thought like this before; she would only fight alone, even if defeated, she would come back stronger. When did she start changing? Seeking excuses, longing to speak out, desiring others’ help, embarrassing and foolish. What was once a battle for beliefs now seemed like an ugly quarrel.
Like her own seed...like the powerless self she once was...
"Ah..."
She vaguely saw that small boy. Stepping out from the alley, traversing the city with friends. Gradually growing, gradually changing, meeting more friends, possessing others’ love. Becoming different from before, standing upon the battlefield he chose...
She actually wanted to help him.
But couldn’t understand mortal ways.
She actually wanted to approach him.
But couldn’t blend into the Mortal World.
So she must continue to fight, still a deadly enemy. The end of the Silent Phase Skill is no different from other hearts, we are all bringers of destruction, eternal prisoners confined by our own selves.
The black-haired boy emerged from memories, becoming the gray-haired man of the now, wielding swords with sharp eyes. He too bore the gaze of a strong one, no longer showcasing the weakness of old. Those dual swords would bring her back to the cage.
She twisted her lips, producing a mournful smile.
Will you become the new King?
Can you create a world where I can be happy?
"——How could you possibly do that, you foolish woman!"
Gongsun Ce released his hands, the Thousand Realm Blade and Star God Sword dropping simultaneously. He bent down to grip the Silent King’s hand, pulling the dazed King from the ground.
"At this stage, you’re still talking about creating a world; what exactly are you thinking, woman? If you create a world that makes you happy, surely others will suffer because of it. What’s the meaning in such an action? Wouldn’t that be just repeating the cycle of the past!?"
The man’s face was full of helpless anger, anxiously lecturing as if to a child. The Silent King was stupefied, nearly incredulous.
"You don’t want to create a world?" she murmured, "Then why are you stopping me...why are you fighting me?!"
Gongsun Ce took a deep breath.
"Are you all eternal lives just simple creatures? How long are you going to use slippery slope logic until you’re satisfied? If someone disagrees with you, do you automatically consider them an opponent? Rejecting your methods means completely erasing you from existence? Unhappy with the current world means destroying it and starting anew.
It shouldn’t be like that, right? Surely there are other solutions, aren’t there? I have no intention of being some savior of a new world, I want to change the present world along with everyone else!"
The Silent King was agitated: "Then what should be done with past enemies? The lingering poison of the past still remains, traces of the Constant Law fill this world!"
"Then let it exist!" Gongsun Ce said, "Legacy and faults of the past can be dealt with, past inheritances can turn into new hope. Even in a world without the Constant Law, there’d still be madmen like King Infinite, so what’s the point of completely removing the Constant Law?"
"Then destroy the world again——"
"Stop being an idiot, destroying it countless times is the same!" Gongsun Ce shouted, "Admit it honestly, life is that kind of thing. It will be foolish, it will make mistakes, act self-righteously, go its own way, just like now how I can’t change your mind with all my arguing.
But so what? The Real World is full of people like you. This world is vast, even those who can’t understand each other can survive under the same sky."
Gongsun Ce recalled the various enemies he fought against, remembered the different countries and civilizations he had witnessed. He looked at the confused King and shouted at her with conviction.
"The world I live in isn’t so narrow that it needs to completely annihilate those it doesn’t understand!"
——
Instantly, the confusion in her heart vanished.
She wanted to mock his naivety, ridicule his childishness. But when faced with the man’s gaze, she couldn’t express it.
Is that truly what you believe?
A world where even deadly enemies coexist...
The blood battles of endless time flashed through her heart, those irreconcilable ideologies, those destined opposing kings. She suddenly felt very tired, yet, inexplicably somewhat happy. That wall enclosing her seemed shattered by those words.
She gently clasped the young man’s hand, feeling much more solid than expected.
"You’re too naive," the Silent King whispered, "Someone like you in the Eternal Era would be the first to die."
"Then that means our era isn’t so bad," Gongsun Ce shrugged, "It allows someone like me to live on."
The Silent King smiled silently, unable to stand due to the loss of power, she fell into Gongsun Ce’s embrace.
"Will you die?"
"Kings don’t die. We vanish, but will eventually return after a long time."
"Then I’ll try to live as long as I can," Gongsun Ce said, "Research a Longevity skill so I won’t go mad, and maybe live to see you return without being a King."
"You’re sincerely trying to anger me."
"I’m not."
"Never call me a foolish woman again."
"Alright, alright..."
Gongsun Ce scratched his head, embracing the gradually vanishing figure like a child hugging his mother.
"Goodbye, Silent King."
The black-haired woman raised her head, revealing a smile unseen for a long, long time before fading away.
"Goodbye, Gongsun Ce."
The power to shake the world returned to Gongsun Ce’s soul at that moment. She turned into glowing ashes and scattered with the sword fragments into the light.
