Edward continued calmly, "You weren't even afraid of death. For a fleeting mont of freedom—just to live—you were willing to cast everything aside. You fear nothing. So what, exactly, should I be afraid of?"
Li Li stared at Edward with terrifying intensity, enunciating each word slowly and clearly, "Do you believe that I could let the Oldest One awaken inside right now?!"
"You can try."
BOOM!!
The Mirrored Original Creator finally ceased the internal division of the Outer Deities within Its body. In a single surge, It shattered the barrier between dinsions. Multiple authorities roared forth simultaneously, instantly plunging this "Dwelling of the Gods" into violent upheaval.
The heavens and the earth tore apart in unison, fissures ripping open across sky and land, revealing one hollow after another that led directly into reality itself.
Edward imdiately empowered his imagination, forcibly twisting the destructive effects of the Mirrored Original Creator's authorities, redirecting them back toward the Mirrored Original Creator itself—and toward Li Li as well. At the sa ti, he unleashed a barrage of Distortion, Fooling, and Desire Detonation, seizing the opening to pry apart their Mind Worlds and infect their ntal Islands with a plague-like corruption.
Next, he opened an enormous Illusory Door, once again grafting an erupting stellar flare into the battlefield, while simultaneously collapsing space itself, forming one miniature black hole after another.
Li Li forcibly snapped awake from several layers of control abilities. Without hesitation, He used the Mirrored Original Creator as a shield, retreating behind It. The Mirrored Original Creator, however, possessed a body both thick-skinned and resilient—utterly unfazed by Edward's myriad abilities.
Yet Edward had never harboured the delusion that the twenty-two pathways he had "devoured" could truly defeat an existence beyond a Pillar. His goal had always been disruption—to plunge the Mirrored Original Creator into chaos, forcing It into a state where It could not even tend to Itself.
He abruptly raised both hands.
In that instant, Edward constructed a Divine Kingdom entirely favourable to himself. And within this kingdom, there existed a single, absolute iron law:
"Beyonder characteristics are forbidden to converge here."
In the blink of an eye, the Mirrored Original Creator—having only just stabilized Its division—was torn apart once more. This ti, the fragntation was faster, more violent, and far more severe.
Because Edward had invested even more imagination.
Even the residual authorities of the Chaos Sea and the River of Eternal Darkness that Li Li had housed for countless years began to peel away from Her body bit by bit.
Li Li's expression grew increasingly dark—but not because of the Mirrored Original Creator's renewed fragntation, nor because of the loss of authority.
It was because if Edward continued to squander imagination so recklessly, he would no longer possess enough imagination to advance beyond the Sequence.
The final outco would be mutual destruction.
And in that mont—when Edward's imagination was fully exhausted—the Mirrored Original Creator would erge as the uncontested, irresistible final victor.
Li Li imdiately transmitted Her intent through the Mind World, "Do you truly intend to die together with ?"
Edward said nothing.
"Stop! I agree! I can return and exchange places with Lilith—continue suppressing the Oldest One's consciousness myself! If you keep this up, once your imagination runs dry, everything will truly be lost!"
Edward's hands did not slow. He continued pouring imagination into the Divine Kingdom.
"The Oldest One?" he sneered softly.
"Heh. Haven't you already awakened?"
"!!!"
Li Li froze.
"What did you say?"
"That's about enough."
Edward looked down at Him from above, his voice calm and cold.
"From the very beginning, the Oldest One's shadow has been everywhere. It not only granted you consciousness, but also guided Cheek into fusing with the Mirrored Original Creator, tore open the barrier, and drove the Outer Deities to invade Earth ahead of schedule—at all costs."
"If you…or It…truly possessed such overwhelming power, would there really have been any need to go through such convoluted sches? To stir up chaos on this scale?"
"If the Oldest One could accomplish all this while supposedly being suppressed, then what aning does that so-called suppression even hold?"
"The only explanation I can arrive at is this—The Oldest One had already awakened long ago."
Li Li replied coldly, "If the Oldest One had truly awakened long ago, do you think we would still be standing here, chatting so pleasantly?"
"I don't know exactly what happened," Edward said evenly, "but the awakened Oldest One seems unable to reclaim all of Its lost authorities at once."
"Of course, I suspect that has sothing to do with whatever Lilith once did."
"And for you to retrieve all your authorities—to truly complete your resurrection—you likely need two conditions fulfilled simultaneously."
"First: freedom."
"Second: my advancent beyond the Sequence."
"One represents your consciousness. The other represents your authority."
"Only when both are present can you beco the Oldest One in the truest sense."
"That's why you've been constantly applying pressure—forcing to believe that only by taking one more step forward could everything be resolved."
"But the mont I truly advanced beyond the Sequence…I would have fallen straight into your trap."
As he spoke, Edward lowered his gaze.
"Of course," he added softly, "these are only my conjectures."
Li Li remained silent for a long while—then suddenly laughed hoarsely.
"So what?" She said.
She moved in a blur, appearing beside the Mirrored Original Creator.
"Do you really think I've given you a choice? No. You have none. The worst-case scenario is simply my fusion with the Mirrored Original Creator."
"When that happens, what exactly will you use to stop ?"
Edward replied flatly, "Then why don't you fuse right now?"
"Is it because you don't want to?"
"Or because you can't?"
"Or because you dare not?"
"You—!"
Li Li was just about to speak when Her expression changed drastically. She instantly dissolved into a streak of afterimages and vanished.
"Adam!!!"
Rumble—!!!
As Edward's imagination burned away at an even greater rate, an even more massive Divine Kingdom was constructed. He added another rule to it:
"Entry and exit are forbidden here."
Li Li's figure instantly manifested.
She stared at Edward with unrestrained fury, roaring madly, "You think you've cornered ?! You think that just because you haven't advanced beyond the Sequence, I can't awaken inside your body?!"
The very next mont—
A vast, violent, and deranged consciousness was born within Edward's mind.
———
"So?"
Amon pinched his monocle and looked at the amber before him. Casting a sideways glance at Grisha Adam, he spoke indifferently, "Since the Oldest One already awakened long ago, what exactly do you think you can accomplish by dragging here?"
Grisha Adam replied calmly, "I believe I have more or less discerned the Oldest One's true intentions. The Oldest One was born of madness, instinctively converged with everything amid that madness, and ultimately split apart within madness itself."
"But the Oldest One we are seeing now is clearly lucid. No one wishes to remain mad forever. The ancient gods were the sa—that is why, driven by instinct, they constantly expelled excess Beyonder characteristics."
"The Oldest One was no different. That is why It gave rise to those Outer Deities together with the Mother Goddess of Depravity, and why It split into the relatively lucid Almighty and the Mysteries."
"Now that It has finally regained true lucidity, It naturally does not wish to return to madness. Thus, It severed a portion of Its consciousness."
"That fragnt exists as an independent individual, replacing 'that person's' forrly mindless avatar. anwhile, the remaining mad portion of consciousness remains suppressed—and even voluntarily ceded part of its authority to the Mirrored Original Creator."
"Although doing so inevitably weakens Its authority and power, no matter how much is lost, It still remains stronger than a Pillar. To It, a completely lucid existence above a Pillar is far preferable to a mad Original Creator."
Amon nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, sure, that all makes sense," he said lightly. "But my question is…so what?"
"So long as the Oldest One's consciousness can be completely suppressed," Grisha Adam replied evenly, "all problems will naturally be resolved."
He paused, then added, "Amon, I need you to help steal Lilith's fate."
"..."
A faint glint flashed across Amon's monocle.
"And then?"
"Then I will inherit Her fate," Grisha Adam said calmly, "and obtain the qualification necessary to suppress the Oldest One consciousness—together with the fragnt of consciousness It severed, forcing them back into suppression once more."
"Heh~"
Amon laughed. He raised a hand to cover his forehead, letting out a kind of laughter unlike anything he had ever expressed before.
"So after going in such a massive circle, you're still planning to go die?" he said. "I was wondering why you suddenly arranged so many things, rushing to help advance to Sequence 0. So that was your plan from the very beginning?"
"Soone must make the sacrifice," Grisha Adam replied. "Besides…sleep is still better than death, no matter how you look at it."
"Then why can't Edward be the one to do it?"
Grisha Adam answered indifferently, "I can choose to sacrifice myself, but I cannot demand that others make that choice."
After a brief pause, he added, "Furthermore, I would not entrust such a matter to anyone else."
"Sorry."
Amon spread his hands. "This is beyond my capabilities. I'm only a Sequence 0—how could I possibly steal a fate that is at least Pillar-level?"
"I will assist you," Grisha Adam replied. "And Lilith will surely let go of everything and allow you to steal it freely. This matter is not as difficult as you imagine."
"But I still can't understand sothing," Amon said slowly.
"Since the Oldest One already severed Its madness through self-division, that ans It will no longer instinctively gather everything together—no apocalypse, no end of all things. So why must you still sacrifice yourself?"
Grisha Adam raised his hand and gently patted Amon on the head.
"Have you forgotten the most basic principle I taught you?" he said softly. "The convergence of Beyonder characteristics does not depend on anyone's will."
"The Oldest One is still the Oldest One. Even after becoming lucid through division, It remains the Original Creator. It will no longer instinctively gather everything in madness—but everything else will still converge toward It uncontrollably."
"And besides," he continued gently, "my answer remains the sa as before. I do not trust It. I do not trust how an existence that wields supre authority would choose to treat this world."
He looked at the God of Mischief with warmth and tenderness.
"I am very happy that you now possess such abundant humanity and emotion. But sleep is not death, nor does it an separation."
"We will et again."
As Amon listened to Grisha Adam's words, the eyes behind his monocle flickered uncertainly, as though weighing sothing internally. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh.
"Since you've put it that way," he said, "I'll give it a try."
He extended his hand toward Lilith within the amber, attempting to grasp the fate-threads that shimred faintly with light.
However, just as his fingers were about to touch the threads, a powerful resistance surged forth—as if an invisible force were tightly locking Lilith's fate in place.
"As expected, it's not that easy," Amon muttered.
He pinched his monocle and mobilised all of his abilities, attempting to break through the obstruction.
Worms of Ti writhed violently beneath his skin, then burst forth with desperate force. In an instant, Amon's body twisted into a mosaic composed of countless wriggling worms, slick and grotesque tentacles shooting out one after another from his form.
Yet even so, he was still just a hair's breadth away from breaking through and stealing Lilith's fate.
Suddenly, the corner of Amon's mouth—distorted by the Worms of Ti—curved upward.
He had thought of a solution.
Through the point of contact between his fingers and the amber, Amon smiled faintly and spoke with playful mockery, "Lilith—do you like the surprise I prepared for you?"
"What does it feel like," he continued lightly, "to discover that the Beyonder characteristics you worked so hard to obtain…suddenly turned out to be fake?"
———
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