Ch. 116 - Child, Go Slay the Gods
Scarlet DescentThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
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As the blood threads returned to his body, Wei Wei felt his mind become dazed. He was still falling from the high-rise building, seeing Black Cat rushing to catch him, and Ye Feifei, startled out of her pretended unconsciousness, praying with her eyes wide open.
Black Cat grabbed Ye Feifei and tossed her aside, then caught Wei Wei with his other hand. However, his glider couldn't support both of them. Wei Wei quickly reached out and pulled Ye Feifei back into his arms.Across a building, they heard a deafening crash, like a massive force was pounding against something. Holding Ye Feifei tightly, Wei Wei's mind began to haze over. With the influx of blood threads from the God's Death Knell, he heard strange ticking sounds and the ebb and flow of a blood tide. Everything around him seemed to slow down rapidly. He saw a tall execution stand whizzing by, and numerous giants opening their eyes.It felt as though he wasn't falling but speeding down a deserted highway. At the end of the road, he saw a man wearing a red hat, holding a red-covered book. The cover was as red as blood."Father An..."Wei Wei recognized the kindly old man, feeling complex emotions.In his rapid fall, he crossed paths with Father An, and time seemed to stop. He hovered twenty meters above the ground, the vertical wall of the high-rise building appearing like the ground beneath him. The wind ceased, and Ye Feifei and Black Cat, who were following him, became blurred, like decorations in space. Only Father An, smiling and holding the red book, watched him calmly."You've done well, child."Father An's smile was as warm as it had been four years ago."In what way?"Wei Wei replied, able to speak and think clearly."After leaving the orphanage, I've done many things."Father An nodded, his expression gentle yet restrained, full of praise: "You successfully mastered the Scarlet Power while keeping your sanity. You endured fate's trials, passed the training camp's tests, and helped the Foundation win several victories on the secret battlefield. You also assisted them in creating that forbidden weapon."He continued, "And in the end, you weren't swayed by their promises. You returned to Scrap Iron City and found your direction there, discovering the weight of your life...""The soul has no weight; will is its weight."Father An explained patiently, "Twisted desires invite demonic scrutiny, and a light soul easily falls to temptation. You've found the weight of your life, so you have the potential to truly wield demonic power, especially the most dangerous kind."Wei Wei listened intently, a gentle smile on his face."Is all this your arrangement?"He asked, smiling, "I used to be angry with you. You were always so kind, yet you never appeared when we needed you. We had to escape the orphanage, and when we encountered the demon family marked by roses, we were eaten one by one. I was angry because you seemed indifferent.""But later, I realized you were stronger and more mysterious than I imagined."Wei Wei continued, "So, I don't blame you anymore. How could such a powerful and mysterious person allow accidents to happen around you? It must have been your plan all along."Father An's smile gradually faded."It's not my arrangement; it's fate's."He replied softly after a long pause, "The Fate Demon is unlike others. It doesn't favor one person and doesn't give answers. Everyone must make choices and provide their own answers in fate, without the chance to revise them.""Even I, who believe in fate, remain uncertain and don't know what kind of person I'll find in the end..."Father An's voice was filled with a sense of resignation."But fortunately, I found you.""You weren't the most outstanding among those I've seen or nurtured. You've always walked the line between losing control and falling. Yet, you're the most resolute, resolute enough to master the Scarlet Power.""Fate?"Wei Wei's brow furrowed slightly, his smile no longer comforting."I've waited too long, child."Father An sighed lightly, "Because I couldn't see hope, I had to gamble once.""What were you waiting for?"Wei Wei asked."I was waiting for a prophecy to come true."Father An replied seriously, "Our entire Rose Sect has been waiting for this prophecy: a scarlet rose will bloom on the earth, driving away all demons, and the world's fate will return to its original path.""But I've waited too long, and the prophecy hasn't come true. The Foundation once made me believe I was about to see it fulfilled. They had ideals back then, so I helped them without reservation. Unfortunately, they disappointed me, and I decided to create a weapon before the prophecy arrived.""With this weapon, whether the person in the prophecy appears or not, I can fulfill the will of the rose..."Wei Wei raised an eyebrow, "The God's Death Knell?""Yes."Father An nodded, "In its heyday, the Twelve Gods Church sought to hunt down the world's only demon, the greatest threat to them. They captured and sealed the Scarlet Demon in the God's Death Knell, paying a huge price. They believed it would be their strongest weapon, helping them secure their dominance forever.""However, they didn't realize this weapon was meant to be turned against them. It was we who helped them seal the Scarlet Demon, and the name 'God's Death Knell' was finalized through them. This wouldn't be a weapon to help them rule the world forever but one destined to toll their own demise...""They were fortunate that the cost of hunting the Scarlet Demon exposed their weakness. The Foundation intervened, overthrew the Twelve Gods Church, and exiled them to the Wastelands...""But it seems you failed, Father..."Wei Wei couldn't help but sneer, "The Foundation and the Wandering Sect have already acted. The God's Death Knell is about to be taken away...""No one can take the God's Death Knell..."Father An was silent for a long time before looking at Wei Wei lightly."The God's Death Knell is just a container for sealing the Scarlet Power. It developed self-awareness due to the demonic power it absorbed, deluding itself into thinking it's a god. But it's merely a consciousness born from power, a slave to power, not a perfect weapon...""Only something driven by will can be called a weapon. So..."He looked at Wei Wei calmly, "The true God's Death Knell has always been you."Wei Wei was momentarily bewildered by this sudden revelation. He thought about how he acquired the Scarlet Power and how the God's Death Knell had failed to take it from him..."I found you..."He recalled the little girl with the big head, who had said, "I found you..." with determination.Afterward, the Head Pendant thought that Wei Wei was only related to the God's Death Knell, not the true answer. Wei Wei had also believed the girl was mistaken. Later, the Seventh Sect confirmed the God's Death Knell was in Scrap Iron City and planned this attack. But now, it seemed others might have been correct all along. Perhaps the little girl had given the true answer from the start..."Do you think you would encounter these things, child?"Father An's voice was gentle yet coldly distant."Do you think you became the person who awakened the Scarlet Power and hears murmurs every day by chance? There are things you can't refuse that fall upon you; that's called fate..."Father An's face seemed distant, his voice filled with a cold gentleness."I was the one who planted the Scarlet Power in your body. I watched it grow, nourished by hatred and anger. I saw it shine differently in you from the beginning. I still had to wait, waiting for you to return after three years...""I wanted to ensure you didn't become a slave to the Scarlet Power but its master. And you've proven that by taking the Scarlet Power from the God's Death Knell.""This means you've fully integrated with the Scarlet Power, becoming the perfect weapon.""So..."Father An's figure seemed as vast as the sky, with an unyielding will beneath:"Go slay the gods, child... This is the fate you should face as a weapon..."Wei Wei felt a faint headache and his heart pounding. He knew this conversation was ending. He wanted to rage but found himself smiling instead."You say everyone faces choices, but what about those lambs who can't even grow up? Where is their chance to choose?"Wei Wei asked, his smile not comforting."You say you believe in fate, but is the fate you believe in inherently unfair?"Father An looked at Wei Wei calmly, seemingly unbothered by such a naive question."Fate has never been fair, child. When you lived in the orphanage while others lived in the city, you couldn't eat your fill while they could pick their food. You should have understood that back then.""I don't understand such complex questions, nor do I like arguing about them."Wei Wei smiled at Father An, showing a radiant, almost overly bright smile."But if the fate you believe in is unfair from the start..."Wei Wei's voice was cold, "Then this fate itself should be afraid..."Father An's expression faded, and time suddenly returned to its normal flow.