"I shall fulfill your wish!"
Gregrace flew before Azik, and deep within her eyes, a mass of golden flames transformed into a phoenix spreading its wings and soaring into the sky, plunging into Azik's mind.
Inside the room, Azik's expression remained calm. Cooperating with Gregrace's power, he used that power to completely suppress Salinger's consciousness.
Realizing that the situation was dire, Salinger began his final struggle.
A gigantic feathered serpent covered in dark-green scales, with pale-yellow, greasy feathers growing from the enormous gaps between them. Pale flames burned within its eye sockets, while its face was that of a human.
It was another Azik Eggers, one who made people feel utterly unfamiliar!
As the phoenix and the feathered serpent fought, Azik, who served as their battlefield, felt as though two steel spikes had viciously pierced through his temples, making his entire head feel as if it were about to split in two.
Memories and scenes from the past repeatedly hammered against his mind like the Hammer of the God of Thunder. Unable to endure this soul-rending agony, he covered his head with both hands, his knees gradually weakening as he nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Hah, hah, hah!"
At some point, Azik's hands were braced against the desk before him, while his throat produced several sounds that no human being should have been able to make.
Drops of sweat rolled down his forehead, falling to the ground and spreading a layer of pale-yellow grease that gave birth to fine white down feathers.
At this moment, he once again felt the call and yearning of the other half of his soul. The two selves, separated for more than a thousand years, desperately wanted to become one again and return to completeness.
"No!" Relying on the last vestiges of his tenacious self-awareness, Azik resisted the desire for his soul to return to wholeness.
He did not want to become that cold and insane Death Archon again. The fragments accumulated through one reincarnation after another were his warm and precious memories, as well as his strongest shield against madness and fusion. They were his anchor!
Yet his eyes still involuntarily lifted little by little, while patches of pitch-black, sinister scales began to grow around his eye sockets.
His forehead seemed to suddenly come alive, bulging outward on its own before splitting open down the middle and pulling apart into a long, bloody gash.
A streak of golden-yellow light then emerged from nothingness, taking shape within the flesh.
It was an ancient ornament forged from gold, shaped like a slender bird. Wings formed from pale flames surrounded it, while within its bronze-colored eyes, layers upon layers of light overlapped, each forming a mysterious and illusory door.
Azik's expression became even more pained. Yet as time passed, the ancient golden bird-shaped ornament seemed to be reborn through the flames, changing from a static object into a true phoenix capable of soaring through the heavens!
The pale flames surrounding it were gradually devoured by golden flames, which slowly replaced them completely.
"No!" Finally, a twisted and unwilling roar escaped Azik's throat.
The gigantic feathered serpent's body rapidly shrank, becoming like a caterpillar. The phoenix caught it in its beak, then raised its head and swallowed it whole.
"Gulp…"
Gregrace pretended to let out a satisfied sound.
The various abnormalities in Azik's body returned to normal, leaving only the phoenix transformed from the golden ornament within the flesh of his forehead.
"This item was originally something I left behind. Salinger, when you began resurrecting, my consciousness was also gradually awakening."
Gregrace let out a sigh. The phoenix transformed from the golden ornament then transformed back into a golden ornament, embedded itself into the flesh of Azik's forehead, and disappeared from sight.
"Your wish has been fulfilled."
At this moment, her tiny body radiated an awe-inspiring majesty that could not be ignored. Beginning from this room, everyone within the palace could not help but feel an urge to kneel to the ground.
This was already the result of Gregrace doing her best to restrain her aura. Otherwise, the entire population of the Southern Continent would have been affected by her presence, kneeling on the ground to welcome their new god.
The members of the Life Church who devoutly believed in the God of Death simultaneously felt an emptiness in their hearts, as if the deity they had always worshipped were moving away from them. But immediately afterward, a different kind of fullness rapidly filled their previously empty spiritual worlds.
Their god had returned! And it was even more powerful than before, even more awe-inspiring and worthy of reverence.
They all knelt down in unison, their eyes filled with fanaticism. Only now, they no longer used the image of a feathered serpent as their totem of faith.
The phoenix, the phoenix that had returned from the flames, this was now the truest object of their faith!
Just as everything seemed about to settle down, the crimson moonlight was enveloped layer after layer by dark clouds.
The cold and silent night descended!
Tonight, not a trace of light could be found anywhere in the Southern Continent's starry sky. The thick darkness swept over everything, making people instinctively shudder.
At the same time, it was accompanied by an aura of tranquility and sleep. People who were already deep into the night could barely lift their eyelids twice before closing their eyes in exhaustion and falling into a deep sleep.
The liveliest streets in the entire East Balam Empire were still brightly illuminated, with the bars along the streets glowing brilliantly. Yet the people who had been drinking and enjoying themselves were now sprawled across tables or curled up in corners, drifting into dreams.
Some drinkers who had been heading to the washrooms to relieve their discomfort merely undid their belts before collapsing onto the toilets and falling asleep.
The aura of peaceful slumber spread everywhere. Apart from some powerful Beyonders who could vaguely sense that something was wrong, everyone else was swept into sweet dreams.
Sharon, who was still waiting for Gregrace to return, did not sleep tonight either. Yet at this moment, she unexpectedly felt like relaxing and having a good sleep in bed.
Ever since she began acting as a Puppet, she rarely slept. She might not even sleep once in half a month, let alone when she was this exhausted.
"Could something have happened tonight?"
Sharon came to the window and gazed at the starry sky above, only to see the eternal darkness blocking out every trace of light.
The crimson moon and the stars filling the sky did not shed the slightest bit of light. Even the surrounding world did not make the faintest sound.
Silence. This was a world of night without a single sound.
She wanted to investigate further, but her eyelids slowly closed. Her entire body went limp, and leaning against the corner of the window, she fell into a deep sleep.
Southern Continent, Berens Harbor.
A young and handsome man looked at the crowds already sleeping throughout the harbor. A smile appeared at the corners of his lips as he walked over to one of the harbor officials who had just extorted fifty pounds from him.
He crouched beside the man and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a stack of pounds. He counted out fifty pounds, then casually tossed the remaining money onto the man's face.
Only after doing all this did he stand up and look toward the starry sky covered by layers of darkness.
"The aura of the night is so incredibly dense. This is the authority of concealment. It really is quite the coincidence to encounter such a grand occasion."
The High-Dimensional Overseer admired tonight's starry sky for a while longer before heading toward the place where the aura of the night was most concentrated.
Tonight, he had merely happened to arrive on the Southern Continent. He had not expected to encounter something so interesting.
Simple coincidence was insufficient to explain this. It should be the hand of the Stars.
Tonight's events should have something to do with the Stars. Because he himself had a bond with them, he had been unconsciously influenced, causing him to arrive on this Southern Continent.
One could only say that it truly lived up to the title of the One Who Returned the Stars to Their Places. The aggregation effect of the stars was indeed terrifying.
When he reached the streets of the capital of the East Balam Empire, his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at an ordinary-looking priest who had suddenly appeared before him.
"Long time no see."
"Tsk, how interesting. Did you come here specifically to wait for me?" the High-Dimensional Overseer said with a light laugh. "This makes me even more curious about what you intend to do tonight."
Adam raised his head and looked at the starry sky shrouded in darkness. His expression was difficult to read.
"Aren't you curious about the true state of the stars?"
"I am rather curious, but I'm not bored enough to pry into it."
"Then stay here and be a spectator for once."
"What do I get out of it?" The High-Dimensional Overseer curled his lip disdainfully. "To borrow a phrase from you humans, if you want me to sit this one out, you'll have to pay more. Can you bring out enough chips?"
Adam remained expressionless and spoke calmly.
"I can help you hunt the Lord of Storms."
"That is quite an excellent proposal. I admit I'm tempted."
The High-Dimensional Overseer glanced around, found a seat along the street outside a bar, and sat down. With a brilliant smile, he said, "I accept your proposal. The Stars did not call upon me for help tonight. I simply happened to pass by."
Adam also walked over and sat opposite the High-Dimensional Overseer.
The High-Dimensional Overseer idly toyed with the empty wineglass on the table with his right hand. With his left hand, he reached into the space beside him and rummaged around before pulling out two bottles of fine wine that he had apparently obtained from somewhere.
He poured himself a glass before speaking.
"Want to try some?"
"I don't have a habit of drinking." Adam shook his head.
"Then your life is missing out on a great deal of fun."
The identities of the two seemed almost completely reversed. The High-Dimensional Overseer was the one who had spent years mingling in the human world and knew it like a native, while Adam was the outsider who had come from beyond the cosmos.
After happily taking a drink of wine, the High-Dimensional Overseer looked up at the starry sky, a smile in his eyes.
"If you want to probe the Stars, be prepared for the chessboard to be overturned. Even I have yet to completely see through its authority."
As he spoke, he pointed toward the sky.
"Perhaps it is watching this place right now. Everything is under the gaze of the stars."
Adam's expression also became slightly more solemn. His eyes gazed into the starry sky, though no one knew what he was observing.
Inside the palace, in the study, Gregrace suddenly disappeared. Azik, who had returned to normal, looked at a figure that had suddenly appeared inside the study.
It was a beautiful woman wearing a classical robe and a black hood. Her face showed no expression, and although her eyes were pitch-black, they lacked any trace of spirit.