EnCoffin Me Chapter 115
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 115
Underworld River, one of the world's foundations flowing through the dark depths of earth.
If it hadn't been for the primordial goddess Freyna willingly falling, this place would never have had a trace of life. The fallen goddess and the Underworld River gave birth to the dark pantheon. During the War of the Gods, the three elder sons descended to earth, leaving only the youngest behind nestled within the goddess' skirt.
It wasn't out of affection for the youngest, but compared to his elder brothers, the little red fish took after his father more, without divine status, neither living nor dead, and devoid of extra emotions. The entire space beneath the goddess' skirt was his entire world. Everything on the surface was incredibly distant from him.
Even destruction held no meaning there.
The little red fish was always dreaming, and all his dreams were prophecies. More than once, he dreamed of fire raining from the sky, destroying the land. After having this dream thousands of times, when he realized every vision pointed to the same outcome, he opened his eyes and looked at his mother.
【The world will end.】
He spoke the prophecy aloud.
【Mother, call back my elder brothers. The surface is no longer safe.】
But the goddess only shook her head with a sad smile. Her gaze was distant, filled with deep affection for the earth below.
【I have already called them back. But they refused to return.】
Her children loved the beings on the surface and chose to live and die alongside them.
【I don't understand】The little red fish was confused. 【What is there about those beings worth caring for?】
Just like his father, he operated with complete indifference, as the world's safety mechanism.
The goddess flicked her robes, and in the rippling water, she cupped her youngest child in her palm.
【Look.】
She pointed to the souls wandering across the wasteland. Some souls were fresh, carrying a faint glow that made them appear almost sacred. The little red fish stared at those lights in silence. It was the first time he had ever seen them, as he almost never looked up above the water's surface.
【Those souls are the souls of heroes.】
【That light is the crown of heroes.】
【Among thousands of beings, such shining souls are always born. Simply by seeing them, even gods can't help but feel joy.】
The little red fish lowered his head and glanced at the glowing sprites that surrounded him. The goddess' laughter fell from above.
【No, my child. That light is not from the sprites. Their souls naturally shine. Your elder brothers also have sprites to accompany them, so even if those sprites leave, they still shine, because the crown of heroes rests upon their heads.】
The little red fish shook his empty head. He had no crown. The realization was disheartening.
He looked up, broke free from his mother's hand, and dove into the Underworld River. His veil-like tail swirled beside him as he swam towards a certain shore without looking back.
On the shore sat a glowing soul, head bowed, lost in thought.
【Can you give me your crown?】The little red fish surfaced from the Underworld River and looked at the soul. The soul had pale platinum-blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. He looked down at the little red fish in the water, his eyelashes twitching.
“Why should I?”
The little red fish blew a bubble underwater in frustration.
“My crown and my light were earned because I foretold the prophecy of the world's end. I have struggled alone with this prophecy for the sake of this world until the very last moment.” The soul spoke slowly and deliberately, yet for some inexplicable reason, the little red fish found his words infuriating.
【Are you trying to brag?】
“You misunderstand. I'm expressing my sincere contempt for you.”
【……】
The little red fish nearly died from anger. He absolutely had to have that soul's crown.
【I'll trade with you, human.】The water of the Underworld River swirled around him, giving the little red fish some confidence on his home turf.【What do you want? I can even bring you back to life if you give me your crown.】
【You may still carry some traits and attachments from your past life, but soon, you won't remember anything.】
“…Bring me back to life?”
【Yes!】The little red fish wagged his tail proudly.【You can even keep your memories! Aren't you full of regret? I can let you be reborn with the prophecy of the world's end. You'll have a lifetime to strive against it. The price is just a humble hero's crown.】
“Sounds like you don't care much about the world's end?”
The little red fish revealed an expression truly belonging to a god, no, perhaps even colder than a god's, an expression belonging to a ‘mechanism.’
【Whether the world ends or not is beyond my jurisdiction. My mission is to reverse the flow of the Underworld River when the world is about to collapse. Then everything starts anew. A new world rises from the river, and all things come back to life.】
【Even if you agree to the trade, I will erase this memory. It's not something humans should know.】
The soul regarded the little red fish in the river with a strange look.
“It sounds like… you are truly… incredibly powerful…”
He repeated it again, in a soft tone.
“Truly… incredibly powerful… I've changed my mind. I'm willing to trade with you. I'll give you the hero's crown.”
【Really? Then I'll revive you at once!】
“No, the trade I want is something else.” The soul smiled at the little red fish. “You are so powerful, it inspires my respect. May I… reverently touch you?”
This was far easier than bringing him back to life. Although leaving the Underworld River carried some risk… the little red fish really wanted that crown. The man was somewhat annoying but not entirely bad. After allowing the touch, the little red fish decided to grant him resurrection as an act of generosity befitting a goddess' child.
【Go ahead, touch me. Not the tail, not the head, but you can touch my fin…】
The little red fish floated up from the river and offered a fin like a gift. The soul reached out, then—
He snatched him into his hand!
【! ! !】
Without a moment's hesitation, the soul ran toward the glowing gates where souls continuously poured in. He knew clearly that he was committing sacrilege. In the end, his soul might be crushed as well. But this was probably the last hope for a world on the brink of destruction.
【Are you crazy? Do you want your soul to be shattered too?!】The little red fish struggled to surface. His tail broke free and slapped wildly at the lunatic's hand.
【Let go! I can't leave the Underworld River!】
“A crown isn't something you can get through a simple trade. Even if I gave it to you, you'd only have an empty crown. You'd be far from a hero.”
The little red fish's body trembled with anger. In that moment, he completely forgot he was a ‘mechanism,’ completely forgot his mission was simply to wait for the world's end. All he knew was that this human, who wore the hero's crown, truly looked down on him.
【What do you know?! You—】
“At least I fought for this world. That's better than you, hiding away in the Underworld River.”
Black-armored guards of the Underworld River came to stop the human soul who had kidnapped the goddess' youngest child, but they were swept aside by two flicks of the little red fish's tail. Leaving the river greatly weakened the goddess' youngest child, yet never before had he seemed so utterly ablaze.
【I'll prove it to you! I can get a crown too!】
The river surged violently, but the goddess' skirt intercepted it midway. The little red fish glanced once toward his father and mother, then quickly turned back.
【You resurrect too, and watch with your own eyes how I get that crown!】
With a flick of his tail, he swept the troublesome human soul into the gates, then shouted toward the goddess.
【Mother, I'm bringing my elder brothers back! And a crown too!】
Then he plunged into the gates as well. The soul had already risen high, but he quickly caught up. Seeing the withered roots of fate entangled beneath the earth, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of regret. This was a gray land destined for destruction. Even he couldn't reverse the scenes he'd witnessed in his dreams.
Then, he'd cut through it!
A golden vertical axis appeared before him. It was the true controller of the Underworld River, capable of manipulating the flow of time and space within it. Gritting his teeth, he used the tip of his tail to push the timeline marking the firestorm forward. Countless fate events instantly crowded and stacked together. However, this move left a void of ten thousand years after the firestorm. This void presented a chance for a reprieve. The destruction would not be of the world, but merely an era.
After finishing this, the little red fish let out a long breath. He was utterly exhausted but still remembered to spare the life of that annoying witness. He swam forward, his veil-like tail wrapping around the human soul. The flames rippled as if burning. He stared absentmindedly for a while. Like the Underworld River, calm and undisturbed, it turned out there were times he burned fiercely.
Sensing he was reaching his limit, he closed his eyes.
The fire ignited the gray earth.
In the conservation center, Pupil suddenly exploded with unprecedented brilliance! Countless bands of light intertwined and clustered, undergoing violent expansion and contraction. The instruments were all destroyed, unable to record data. Finally, a layer of grey film covered the sharply defined eye. The outer shell began to harden, cracking crisply. From inside, a sharp beak broke through the top, and a white bird hatched, letting out a long cry toward the sky.
Having gained recognition from the spark, the three pillars of darkness were about to return to their places.
At the ruins of Beizhu City, Zhen seemed to sense something. He pressed his hand to his chest and looked toward the floating black sun.
“In the end, it was just a cheap imitation.” He spoke softly, a faint smile flickering at the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath and respectfully knelt on one knee in a certain direction.
“My God Qizhi.”
Helgodon bowed deeply as a sign of respect to the god. Then they all looked up together, watching the white bird glide down from the horizon, pecking at the black sun. The black sun resisted for a moment before completely collapsing. Qizhi swallowed a massive amount of dark energy and cried out once more.
All the arrangements of the Holy Temple ultimately served as a ceremonial send-off for Qizhi's flight.
At the Holy Temple's stronghold, the God of Slander, who used Theo's body, changed his expression. He looked at Alexio with shock and suspicion.
“You…”
“You're the one who pulled the god off the stage first,” Alexio said softly. “Of course, I wouldn't stoop as low as you to do it myself.”
He lifted his deep rose-colored eyes to the saint. Coincidentally, the saint was also looking at him. Just by his dignified and holy appearance, no one would guess the doggish personality beneath. Alexio smiled and opened his arms. The saint immediately embraced him.
“Alexi.” Lucius lowered his lashes. He felt no joy of imminent victory at that moment. He knew Alexio's identity was special but never imagined he was the goddess' youngest child. Gods were bound by the goddess' pact. The God of Slander's downfall meant Alexio would fall as well, and Lucius instinctively felt a bad omen.
The divine power overhead was still pressing down heavily, yet the God of Slander's face was pale as death.
In a god-against-god situation, a god like him, who only excelled at schemes behind the scenes, had no chance of winning, especially here in the Underworld River!
Qizhi suddenly ascended, and the Underworld River surged violently. At the center of all the swirling power, Alexio closed his right eye. The rose-covered sword tattoo immediately became fully visible. It was the divine favor his mother had given him. Of course, gods could not grant divine favor to other gods, so his mother's intent must have been something else.
For example, the treasured sword wrapped in roses!
The sword tattoo detached and enlarged in midair. Around Alexio's eyes, only a few roses remained. A piercing cold light stabbed at the God of Slander's eyes. He watched as the goddess' youngest child signaled the saint to grasp the sword.
That was undoubtedly a sword capable of slaying gods!
Knowing the situation was hopeless, the God of Slander refused to surrender. He let out a roar toward the ground. Dark purple slanders swirled down with clamorous whispers. The saint only slightly raised the sword, and in an instant, a bright sword light flashed across the God of Slander's vision.
He was struck and began to fall. At that moment, he heard the voice of the goddess' youngest child.
“Through me is the way to the city of woe. Through me is the way to eternal pain. Through me is the way to the lost below…”
This was the incantation Alexio had recited when liberating the Red Moon Royal City. Even if fully unleashed, it would only culminate in these very words. These three lines were a reflection of Alexio's life as a transformed vampire. But this time, he continued, reaching a realm undoubtedly beyond the mortal world.
“Justice drives my lofty Creator, divine power, supreme wisdom, and primordial love…”
It was a reference to the primordial goddess Freyna, who scattered the Flowers of Heaven upon the mortal world, bringing forth all life, which then flourished.
“She created me, yet there were already creations before me…”
Before the little red fish were the three pillars, who, like the goddess, loved the beings on the earth. By the time of the little red fish, however, he had grown closer in nature to the Underworld River.
Alexio raised his eyes. The great waters stirred and hovered by his side. He glanced sideways at the saint. No one understood better than him what was about to happen next. His elder brothers were already calling, urging him to leave the mortal world and return to the realm of the gods.
But…
He spoke his final words, and the Underworld River instantly engulfed them all.
“Save that which endures forever…”
“And I, too, shall exist eternally.”