Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 83 – Return
The moment the Witch of Envy dissipated, Luo Yan’s vision was enveloped in a crimson mist.
A warm, hazy mist that brought a strange sense of comfort.
Luo Yan’s consciousness drifted towards sleep.
Due to “Dream Eater,” she was already in a half-dream state.
To fight the Witch of Envy, Luo Yan had made thorough preparations.
Not only did she have the “Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement” to resist Envy’s influence, and “Death” to reverse life and death, but with One’s help, she had also briefly activated “Dream Eater,” the newly acquired Demonic Offering.
Poised between dreams and reality, she could slip into a dream at any moment, then instantly return.
And the void’s turbulent currents also affected conceptual beings, while Luo Yan, for some unknown reason, was almost immune to its negative effects, giving her a significant advantage.
Finally, One had sacrificed her body, a powerful “Destruction” level body, frozen for years, stronger than any Slumberer.
If there was a second chance for humanity to defeat a Primordial Demon, besides the “Witch of Absolute Death” war… it was now.
But unexpectedly, the Witch of Envy hadn’t attacked.
She had simply told Luo Yan… another side of the truth, the Primordial Demons’ perspective.
She had called the current human civilization a flawed continuation, acknowledging the “Calamity Tide” they had unleashed, but not explaining their reasons.
Perhaps… she simply didn’t care…
And in the end, she had perished.
Witnessing the crimson figure dissipate in the void, Luo Yan knew that “Hope,” the Witch of Envy, was truly gone.
And it had been her own choice.
But… why?
Luo Yan struggled to open her eyes, her consciousness calling out to her body, but her small, silver-haired form curled up involuntarily.
Like a newborn infant, she drifted through the chaotic void.
What had the Witch of Envy done to her?
Luo Yan tried to panic, but the comforting warmth enveloping her was like a lullaby, soothing her, her consciousness growing heavy.
And it brought a strange sense of peace.
An inexplicable transformation was taking place within this small, silver figure. She fell out of the dream, yet remained in a state of… something…
She was the god spoken of by the “Malice of All Worlds,” fallen into the real world due to a conspiracy, then turned human through an act of redemption.
But she wasn’t truly human.
The Witch of Envy’s lingering power was awakening her nascent divinity, trying to break free from the constraints of a mortal form, to return to her conceptual, god-like state.
This was the true battle between Luo Yan and the Witch of Envy… what was the point of simply destroying a physical body?
Her consciousness and soul were already intertwined with a mortal’s, the result of “Luo Yan” and Absolute Death’s sacrifice.
Only by awakening her divinity, by becoming Her, could she escape these constraints, ending this flawed continuation of civilization, completing the cycle.
But…
Could the Witch of Envy truly succeed?
No, she had already sensed her own defeat.
She simply hadn’t, and wouldn’t, admit it.
After an unknown amount of time, amidst the comforting lullaby, Luo Yan finally opened her eyes.
A divine light flickered in her eyes, then quickly faded, returning to a faint crimson.
“How…?”
A faint smile appeared on Luo Yan’s lips, like when she had first learned to smile in Little Tini’s room, a small, imperfect, yet breathtakingly beautiful smile.
This was a human emotion.
“I… Luo Yan… am not a god.”
Her encounter with Hua Qiling in Ghost Town, fighting alongside Qin Wen on Flower Street, and Anna’s slightly disappointing “Day with Luo Yan”…
Whether in Ghost Town or Yan City, the joy of being with Little Tini, the sorrow of witnessing Mrs. Natalie’s departure, the quiet moments after Yan City’s battles, the heroism of the spirit soldiers…
These vibrant memories remained in Luo Yan’s mind.
Through these experiences, she had learned human emotions.
How could she let them… disappear?
After a brief yet eternal struggle, Luo Yan awakened.
The red mist surrounding her seemed to sigh, then slowly dissipated, signifying the Witch of Envy’s defeat.
The human Luo Yan had triumphed over the Witch of Envy, and over her own divinity.
As her mind cleared, Luo Yan shuddered.
She had almost fallen for the Witch’s trap…
She could sense that if her hidden divinity awakened, the danger would be far greater than the descent of the “Malice of All Worlds.”
Or rather, if her divinity awakened, the “Malice of All Worlds” could return.
Then, the “Calamity Tide” that had separated the Old and New Eras would return, and this time… there might not be another new era…
However, Luo Yan didn’t understand why the “Malice of All Worlds” wanted to destroy human civilization.
And from what the Witch of Envy had said, it seemed they had done this many times before.
“Civilizations may fall, eras may end…”
These words, so easily spoken, represented the annihilation of countless lives.
If it was simply malice towards civilization… then why was the Witch of Envy’s true name “Hope”… ?
A conceptual being’s true name was incredibly important, and they couldn’t lie, although knowing their true name didn’t grant control over them…
It was like an apple, called “apple,” but its true name might be a detailed description of its appearance, taste, chemical composition, etc., all condensed into a few strange-sounding syllables.
Those who understood the true name would instantly comprehend its meaning; those who didn’t would only hear gibberish.
Luo Yan, however, understood the meaning of true names.
Therefore, she found the Witch of Envy’s actions even more puzzling.
As for her being a god…
She had been living a normal life, with a few mysteries surrounding her past, but nothing too alarming, until suddenly, someone told her she was a god, destined to destroy the world upon awakening, so she had to stay asleep…
Honestly, Luo Yan still couldn’t comprehend it, even after almost having her divinity awakened.
Ultimately, she was just a mortal, and mortals couldn’t understand the concept of a god.
Of course, Luo Yan could potentially understand, but if she did… the world would be doomed.
Luo Yan pondered for a long time, but found no answers.
She had thought she had seen the truth, but… it was only one side of it.
What was the true purpose of the “Malice of All Worlds”?
Were they a calamity, or… guardians?
And if, as the Witch of Envy had said, her awakening in Ghost Town was due to the Witch of Absolute Death…
What was the Witch of Absolute Death planning?
And according to One, the Witch of Absolute Death had abandoned the “Malice of All Worlds,” but in the “Witch of Absolute Death” war centuries ago, who had humanity been fighting against?
A new Witch of Absolute Death, or… Absolute Death, having returned to her former status?
One couldn’t answer these questions, and the Witch of Envy hadn’t mentioned them either. Luo Yan could only seek the answers herself.
“The Sword Saint Sect Master said that the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ was sealed in ‘Noah’ after that war… It seems I’ll have to find a way to go to Noah to uncover the other side of the truth.”
Luo Yan exhaled, her thoughts slightly clearer.
Looking at the chaotic void, the alluring crimson figure still lingered in her mind, its sorrow like a brand on her soul, stirring something within her.
“It’s time to go back.”
Luo Yan thought, her form solidifying as she withdrew from the dream.
A spatial rift slowly opened, the warmth of the real world seemingly dispelling the void’s coldness and chaos.
But this was just an illusion, born from Luo Yan sensing the real world within the chaotic void.
She looked at the rift and slowly stood up.
A faint, clear tinkling sound echoed through the void, as if transcending time and space.
A crimson figure floated towards the spatial rift and vanished.
…
Yan City, the sun high in the sky.
Six hours had passed since the end of the war, since the silence within the Ember Furnace.
Almost all the residents near the core district had been evacuated, and Districts Three, Six, and Eight, surrounding the core, were also deserted, only empty buildings remaining.
All the Free Federation ability users in Yan City, including Elise, were gathered near the blockade, watching the Ember Furnace, waiting for the outcome.
They had expected a world-shattering battle against a Primordial Demon, a battle that would shake even the void.
Such a battle lasting for days and nights wouldn’t be surprising. If it ended in just a few hours, it would be… anticlimactic.
Of course, humanity’s understanding of the void was practically nonexistent. They only had vague theories about its disordered nature.
However, before the outcome of this battle was decided, Yan City had much to do, matters left to City Lord Lin Cheng and the other government officials.
Dealing with the Free Federation headquarters, requesting aid, preparing their tearful pleas to “Noah”…
After the war and the disaster, Yan City’s losses were severe.
If the Free Federation didn’t offer substantial compensation, Yan City would face a long, difficult winter.
And the Free Federation was willing to help, but if they were to fully compensate Yan City… the other mega-cities might object. It was a matter of allocating resources.
And the specific allocation… was the main issue Lin Cheng was currently dealing with.
Of course, the other mega-cities understood they couldn’t offer too little.
Otherwise, if they faced a similar disaster, and the Free Federation used this incident as a precedent… it would backfire.
Ultimately, it was all driven by self-interest.
All alliances, in their early stages, were efficient, but as they grew, they became bloated and cumbersome, just like the current situation.
However, these matters were secondary. If this battle, beyond human comprehension, ended in defeat, everything else would be meaningless.
A Primordial Demon descending upon the real world was a true “Cataclysm” level disaster, capable of threatening all of humanity.
As they waited anxiously, the leader of one of the ability user teams received a message from his mega-city’s headquarters. His eyes widened in shock as he read it.
“This… how is this possible?!”
His exclamation drew everyone’s attention, even the Holy Knight-Captain, who had been meditating, looked up curiously.
“What’s wrong?” the Knight-Captain asked gravely. He recognized the ordinary-looking, middle-aged man as being from “Lannister.” “If something has happened back home, you can return early. If the Holy Church is needed, we will assist.”
Lannister, located at the border between the eastern and western continents, was a crucial trading hub, second only to Noah in importance.
Politically, Lannister and Noah were rivals.
With Yan City in trouble, and Noah having sent the Holy Knights as reinforcements, Lannister had also dispatched a capable team, not wanting to be outdone.
Of course, setting aside politics, it was also an act of aid.
But Noah’s Holy Church wasn’t influenced by politics, only by the desire to protect humanity.
If Lannister faced a city-destroying crisis or an unmanageable disaster, the Holy Church would also respond.
The Lannister team leader’s expression was strange. He hesitated, then said,
“The ‘Witch of Envy’s’ aura has been detected within Lannister…”
“…And it’s… a full descent.”
“What?!”
Everyone was shocked.