"The corrosion… stopped?"
Elliot stared at his reflection in the water, touching his cheek in disbelief.
Since the last time he had removed his mask and seen his corrupted face, he had never dared to take it off again.
This time, bracing himself for the worst—I've probably already turned into a complete monster—he took it off, only to find that the erosion on his face had remained exactly as it had been years ago.
By the pace the Abyss had been corroding him before, his entire face should already have been twisted into something hideous and grotesque.
He quickly stripped off the black cloak covering his body, suspecting the Abyss had instead spread inward.
But even after removing all of his clothes, Elliot discovered that his body bore no trace of corruption.
Only then did he recall the voices of karmic debt he had once heard deep inside his heart.
"Could they really have purged the Abyss within me…?" he murmured in shock.
If so, then one of his greatest burdens had already been lifted.
And once he completed this lifetime's mission, the traces of corruption left on his surface would reset as well. Without the Abyss festering inside him, he would no longer need to fear returning to those he had left behind.
...
[What a stubborn fool. To survive, he abandoned corrosion itself—hiding like this all along.]
[He'll give in one day. And that day will be his funeral.]
[The Archon War has dragged on for years, yet this vessel hasn't slain a single god resonant with us. And now he dares to seize another's territory before it's even over!]
[Patience. Whether he kills gods no longer matters. Once we devour the thing infecting this vessel, we'll gain immense power regardless.]
[And don't forget that mask. There's no way that object is useless. One day, he'll borrow our power again. When he does—after we've devoured the Abyss and he calls on us once more—that will be the moment we claim this vessel for ourselves.]
[May that day come quickly. I can hardly wait.]
Those murmurs of karmic debt whispered faintly through his mind again, and once more, Elliot caught them.
It seemed they still hadn't realized he could hear their conversations.
He also discovered that the mask itself was suppressing their voices—only by removing it could he eavesdrop on their thoughts within him.
The truth became clear: the Abyss hadn't been destroyed. It had simply been forced into hiding by the karmic debt, too frightened to resurface and resume its corrosion.
But that balance came with danger. If the karmic debt ever found where the Abyss was hiding, they had more than enough strength to devour it and claim its power for themselves.
For now, though, this was the best possible outcome.
The Abyss was hidden, unable to corrupt his flesh. The karmic debt couldn't consume it to grow stronger.
It was a delicate equilibrium—one that favored him.
If only this state could last, it would be ideal.
But Elliot wasn't optimistic. He knew well that the Ninth Life would never be so simple.
Just as the karmic debt had said, the very fact that he had been given this mask meant it would inevitably be needed.
Like in his Eighth Life: at first, One Thought, Three Thousand had seemed useless, but in the end, it filled the gap left by his missing left hand, giving him the strength to unleash [Thunder Flash: Rakshasa Death Domain].
This Mask of Good and Evil, too, would surely find its purpose.
A sudden shiver ran through him, as though he had caught hold of a terrible realization.
In his third reincarnation, he had obtained the Lonesome Transcendence. From his fourth to seventh lives, he had lived as a [Human], completing his missions smoothly, without unexpected calamities.
Only in his Eighth Life had he borne the identity of a [Ancient God's Vassal]. From Orobashi's invasion of Yashiori Island, to the pirates' assault on Watatsumi Island, to the final eruption in Khaenri'ah, where countless Abyssal gods stormed Narukami Island—each disaster had been worse than the last.
Could it be that the starting identity determined the strength of the Lonesome Transcendence?
As a [Human], its power had seemed limited. Even living with Ningguang for a year hadn't caused anything catastrophic.
But as a [Ancient God's Vassal], its intensity had risen by a tier, unleashing far greater calamities.
Elliot knew these were scripted events of the game.
Yet now he couldn't shake the suspicion: was he himself the trigger? Was the system forcing him through this cycle to atone for the disasters he had unleashed?
If that logic held true… then as the Ninth Life, with the identity of a [Ancient God]—and the strongest one, wielding mastery over three elements—
The calamity the Lonesome Transcendence would bring…
How terrifying would it be?
The thought chilled him to the bone. Holding the Mask of Good and Evil, Elliot grew more convinced that his fears were right.
He was already so powerful—why would he ever need to borrow evil power through the mask?
But the system never gave useless rewards. Every gift he had received at the end of one cycle had always proven necessary in the next.
This time would be no different.