Several hours later—at 17:30, to be precise—some were lounging on the grass, while Yuta, Chloe, Madeline, and Kira wandered about. Elsewhere, Gia, Athena, Liri, and others strolled along, occasionally exchanging words. Meanwhile, Siri stood gazing toward the lake once more, her expression unreadable, remaining completely silent.
As if she had detached herself from the world, the color of the lake began to shift to a pale violet, and Siri's eyes turned a brilliant gold.
Without a moment's hesitation, she leaped into the lake. The act left everyone in shock; the lake contained such a concentrated force of destruction that even the "Alpha" beasts—slain by Luther de Moliar—had been reduced to mere dust within seconds of falling into its waters.
Yuta's expression remained unchanged as he watched Siri enter the lake, but Kira, Liri, and Gia were left utterly stunned. Yuta stood up and restrained Kira, who was on the verge of jumping in after her.
"Stop doing such absurd things, Kira. Entering a place like this isn't an act of heroism—it's sheer foolishness and naivety."
Kira looked at him, aghast that Yuta had allowed Siri to fall into a place where she might well be dead. Shoving Yuta away in a fit of rage, Kira collapsed back onto the ground.
"How could you let her die? Didn't she consider you the person dearest to her heart? How can you be so cruel?" Yuta did not say a word in his own defense; he was neither concerned nor bothered by their remarks. After all, neither Kira, Liri, nor Gia knew the truth—the reason he had let her descend into one of the most dangerous places in the world: the Lake of a Thousand Monsters, also known as the Lake of the Tear of Sacred Destruction.
Athena stepped in to clarify matters for everyone, hoping to prevent the existing friction from escalating. Kira and Liri were glaring at Yuta with intense anger and hatred; they had grown deeply attached to Siri from the moment they first met, despite her being quite an eccentric individual.
"In truth," Athena explained, "Siri is the reincarnation of Higurashi, the Supreme Ruler of Destruction. Entering this lake will pose no threat to her—in fact, the lake's energy is fundamentally her own. She must absorb it to break the seal that was placed upon her over 340 million years ago."
Gia, Kira, and Liri looked on in utter astonishment as they listened. Meanwhile, Chloe and Madeline felt a sense of confusion; something about the explanation didn't quite sit right, though they couldn't put their fingers on what it might be.
Deep beneath the surface of the abyssal lake, Siri swam, while memories of her past life as Higurashi, the Ruler of Destruction, began to return—intertwining with the memories of her current existence. ........….....
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Within a fractured, white void—riddled with shattered zones—stood several Rulers. Their features and physical forms remained hidden, entirely obscured by a veil of pure light that rippled in captivating, multicolored waves.
Amidst this assembly—surrounded by other Rulers, embodiments of various concepts and laws—lay Death (Athena) and Destruction (Higurashi/Sera). Both were in a dire state, suffering from severe injuries and utter exhaustion, leaving them incapable of fighting for even a single second.
The entity known as the Master—or Chief—of the Rulers spoke, his tone firm and beyond dispute. He addressed the two, whose actions had led to Zhao Li and Alessandra becoming human:
"Because of you, it has become impossible to kill Zhao Li and Alessandra and claim the power of the Rulers for ourselves. Following your defeat in the first Ragnarok War, we hereby sentence you both to a punishment befitting your transgression."
"While killing you would not serve our interests—given that you are concepts originating from the narrative of *The Dragon Angel in a World of Fantasy*—Death, the Supreme Ruler of Death, shall be imprisoned within the Central Continent. As for the Supreme Ruler of Destruction—your accomplice in this betrayal—her power shall be sealed, and she shall be cursed to wander the earth, destined to perish at the age of eleven at the hands of those closest to her."
Neither could utter a single word; they were far too drained and exhausted to even form a syllable. As the judgment was passed, their bodies began to fade from existence. Athena, the Ruler of Death, was consigned to the dungeon known as the "Graveyard of Rulers." As for Higurashi, the Ruler of Destruction, her power was sealed away within the "Lake of a Thousand Beasts and Forms," leaving her to wander through countless ordinary worlds—an outcast destined to perish in some forgotten alleyway.
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Inside Sery's chamber, Barkwa was delivering brutal, forceful kicks to her. Though energy of destruction seeped from her body, Barkwa remained entirely oblivious to it; entities at the level of "Ruler-Lord" or below are incapable of sensing the power of those at the "Boundless" level or higher—had he been able to perceive it, he would have fled long ago.
Shielding her face with her swollen arms, Sery cried out:
"Barkwa, stop! Please, stop! I haven't done anything to you—why are you treating me like this?"
A look of sadistic pleasure crossed Barkwa's face as he listened. He delivered a powerful punch that sent Sery flying several meters, slamming her into a wall and causing blood to stream from her head.
His voice, dripping with a mixture of contempt and mockery—evoking a surge of intense rage and hatred within Sery—rang out:
"What's the matter, you son of a bitch? Your family was found and designated as a sacrifice for us. You're nothing but nauseating trash."
"Don't worry—once you're older, you'll make a fitting concubine for me. Just like what my father did with your mother for four years, before tossing her into the Underworld as a sacrifice to its ruler—to serve as his sex slave there, too." ........….....…
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Siri's expression was filled with rage; her eyes transformed into violet abysses, and her hair began to shift from black to a pale shade of purple. Meanwhile, the water level of the lake started to drop at a remarkably rapid pace.
As Siri continued to swim, consuming the lake's water with ever-increasing speed, she encountered her own past—manifested as an entity bound by twenty chains of terrifying, immense power. Yet, she paid it no mind.
She accelerated the consumption of the lake's waters, leaving those watching from above speechless. Their expressions varied: shock—etched upon the faces of Kira and Liri; curiosity—clearly visible in Chloe and Madeline; satisfaction and joy—radiating from Athena and Yuta; and caution and anxiety—seen in Gia, whose gaze remained fixed toward the forest, from which she sensed an utterly terrifying power.
Speaking in a calm tone, yet one laced with caution and a hint of tension, she remarked:
"Enemies are everywhere. Are they attempting to kill the incarnation of the Supreme Ruler of Destruction, Higurashi? That certainly seems to be the case."
Meanwhile, Siri stood directly before the seal, shattering it with absolute ease. She then absorbed her former vessel—a manifestation of destruction so highly concentrated that it had become nearly solid, save for the faint, rippling movements of its mantle.
The curse within her began to fracture, piece by piece, until it was completely destroyed. A pillar of energy erupted, soaring into the sky and breaking beyond the confines of the ordinary world they currently inhabited.
The pillar reached the palace of the Supreme Rulers, striking them with a profound sense of danger; it was an energy of destruction, saturated with pure hatred. Yet, they were powerless to act—especially with the presence of the Exalted "Heavenly Blessing" Iselabeth, the Exalted "Lotus Blossom" Jihao Yuxuan, and the final "Game Board" master, Ping Tao Xin, all standing on Yuta's side—each of them far more powerful than any of the Rulers themselves. In an ordinary world known as the "Origin of the First," Kira gazed at the energy pillar—into the center of which the lake's waters were being drawn—and remarked, sounding perplexed:
"What? How could she break that seal and curse so easily? And more importantly, doesn't this mean the other Rulers will come to settle the score?"
Yuta, watching the energy pillar that had completely swallowed the lake—leaving not a single drop of water behind—replied:
"It stands to reason that she would be able to reclaim her power; there is no law forbidding it. Furthermore, the Rulers from the higher realms wouldn't dare to make a move right now—they know exactly when to act and when to yield. Besides, they won't kill her; maintaining the world's balance is far more important than any personal enmity."
"As for the inhabitants of this world, they will be divided into two groups: those who have yet to reach the 'Boundless' rank will assume that a follower of the Dao of Destruction has broken through, simply because they lack the capacity to sense the true power of such entities."
"Those who have attained the 'Boundless' rank, however, will recognize this as the power of a Ruler; consequently, they will remain cautious and choose not to intervene at all."
Yuta's words struck like a sharp blade, leaving both Kira and Liri unable to even meet his gaze. Yet, he remained indifferent—now was hardly the time for such things. His focus remained fixed on Liri, intent on preventing any reckless actions that could land them in dire, unforeseen trouble. A tremendously powerful explosion erupted, obliterating several universes within the ordinary realm—the very story in which they all resided—while the standard worlds remained shielded by the Higher Rulers.
Siri, whose appearance had shifted slightly—her hair turning a pale violet and her eyes a light, golden hue—clenched her fist with immense force. She let out a boisterous, raucous laugh, one steeped in fury and loathing for everything within this fictional world:
"Hahahahahaha!
Hahahahahaha! I have reclaimed my memories and my power! I am Higurashi, the Ruler of Destruction! After all the suffering this world has inflicted upon me, I shall bring it nothing but ruin. I sought peace and order, yet this wretched novel betrayed me, stabbing me in the back with pain and tribulation!"
Athena's expression shifted to one of shock as she listened to Siri. Attempting to maintain a composed tone, she turned toward the colossal crater where the lake had once been:
"What? Are you serious, Siri? How could you do this—after everything we went through during the First Ragnarok War?"
Gia, Kira, and Liri all turned their gazes toward her, stunned. They had not known that she was the Ruler of Death herself—a "Higher" entity, the absolute sovereign over all Rulers of Death across infinite ordinary worlds. For Gia, this revelation finally cleared the fog, revealing the true nature of who Athena really was. Elsewhere, Siri was only semi-conscious, her mind and being held under the sway of an immense, overwhelming force. She spoke in a tone dripping with arrogance and conceit:
"Who is it that speaks to me? Oh, it's the Ruler of Death—Athena—with all her cold, radiant light. Have you forgotten, after all these centuries spent 'ruling' from within your own prison? Surely not. After all, you refuse to leave me be; you still insist on dragging me into yet another Ragnarök—the second, the third—who knows? I couldn't care less."
"And why wait for another Ragnarök, anyway? I shall kill you, and in doing so, exact revenge for the suffering I've endured—trapped in this endless cycle of death and rebirth for over 340 million years. I have died and been resurrected millions of times, all because of you—for you are, in essence, the very embodiment of death."
Siri's words struck like razor-sharp blades, piercing Athena's heart without mercy. Yet, Athena could not utter a single syllable in response. In truth, this was the very outcome she had once aspired to; her own arrogance and thirst for vengeance had blinded her to the agony of her friend—her sister—with whom she had shared a bond since the very dawn of their existence in the world of *The Dragon Angel*.
A deep, heavy sigh, laden with sorrow and frustration, escaped Athena's lips as she gazed toward her. Still, she remained silent. After all, what weight could words like "Please, forgive me—I didn't mean for this to happen" possibly carry—especially now, when Siri had come to her aid in yet another Ragnarök, a conflict in which she might very well perish? Such an apology would have been so hollow, so utterly cheap, that Athena dared not even entertain the thought. She turned her gaze toward Siri, who was approaching her with a formidable, destructive power held in her hands. Adopting an offensive stance, she spoke in a calm, apologetic tone. Though the others were calling out to her, she couldn't hear a single word; her entire focus was fixed solely on Siri.
"I apologize, my friend and sister Siri, but I must stop you now—you are in an unstable state, both mentally and physically. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you can forgive me."
With effortless ease, she seized Siri's hand—leaving Siri stunned for a split second—before slamming her into the ground with immense force, drawing a cry of pain from her:
"Arghhhhhhhhh!"
Athena delivered another blow, causing Siri to lose consciousness instantly—all while the onlookers watched in complete silence. To her surprise, however, Kira and Liri began to embrace her, weeping.
In that moment, as Kira and Liri clung to her, she could not grasp what was unfolding around her.
Death... since when did the living embrace Death? Everyone loathes Death—yet here they were, two children who had spent two thousand years in solitude within a house in the city of Berhais, holding her close. She stared at them, her expression vacant, struggling to comprehend the scene.
The living were embracing Death, having found warmth, love, and solace within her. How could one capture this in writing without merely repeating the same idea? It was a scenario almost impossible to believe—let alone commit to the page—if, indeed, there were someone writing it at all...
As Athena looked down at Kira and Liri, she reached up to touch her own face, only to find tears streaming down—the accumulated sorrow of countless centuries. She had witnessed entities suffering in hell, others begging for their lives, and her own companion dying time and time again. She longed to weep, yet she could not; for she was Death itself. And who would ever believe that Death could weep for those whose end she had brought about?
She gently stroked the hair of Kira and Liri, who clung to her legs in profound grief, while Chloe and Madeline looked on—their gazes filled with curiosity—at the unconscious form of Siri. Elsewhere, Yuta watched them in silence before turning toward Siri to take her inside her tent. He ignored the gaze of Gia, who followed his every move—as did Chloe and Madeline, both of whom trailed him toward Siri's tent.
Gia followed them immediately, without a word or any attempt to block his path, until they reached Siri's tent.
She waited by the tent entrance while Yuta laid Siri down on her bed and covered her with a blanket. He felt a flicker of annoyance, realizing she still failed to grasp his true intentions—both in his past actions and in those he planned for the future.
As she stepped into the tent, Gia spoke in a calm, questioning tone, prompting a look of pure derision from Yuta:
"Yuta Caseral—based on the information I've gathered, both past and present—Athena is the Supreme Ruler of Death, and Siri is the Supreme Ruler of Destruction. You know this perfectly well. Furthermore, you've been planning this from the very beginning. But what is your true intent? Are you aiming to trigger a second Ragnarök, or something else?"
Yuta remained silent, listening to Gia with cold indifference. Chloe and Madeline, meanwhile, looked on in bewilderment—baffled by the arguments that had unfolded—and let out sighs of frustration.
In a hushed voice, Madeline remarked—to which Chloe responded with a nod of agreement:
"Yuto needs to see a psychiatrist—or perhaps a highly respected, all-knowing sage capable of reading souls. A session or two should do the trick." "You're right; sometimes he seems like a madman, talking to himself. Has he lost his mind, or what? I don't know—he scares me sometimes when he acts like that."
Yuta's eyes betrayed a flicker of annoyance as he listened to her, but he chose to ignore it, turning instead to address Jia, who was looking at him as if demanding answers.
"Yes—as you've seen, I knew all of this, and I made good use of it. Is that what you wanted to hear, Jia? Regardless, we should let 'Destruction' rest for a while; she's completely exhausted."
Without another word, Jia left immediately, not waiting a single second longer. She had already obtained the information she sought; listening to anything else he had to say would only lead to more questions.
Yuta watched her until she vanished from sight, then turned his gaze toward Sira, who was fast asleep. He leaned down and kissed her forehead—a gesture that stirred a sharp pang of jealousy in both Chloe and Madeline.
With a tone of clear mockery that only fueled their irritation and vexation, Yuta remarked:
"I'm a 'psychopath,' after all, and you two are the 'sane' ones—and surely, a madman wouldn't go around kissing a sane person on the forehead, would he? Isn't that what you said earlier?"
He then walked away, leaving them behind in a state of anger. Yet, there was no real danger in their fury; it was merely fleeting—the kind that wouldn't fester or intensify over time, nor would it ever escalate into the sort of deep-seated hatred that might arise if someone else had provoked them. The following day, inside Sira's tent, she opened her bright golden eyes and sat up, only to be struck by a sharp, intense pain in her head. She clutched her skull, wincing in agony.
In a voice strained by the throbbing headache, she asked:
"What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?"
As Sira struggled to gather her scattered thoughts regarding the events of the previous night, Athena entered the tent—visibly nervous and fearful that Sira might cast her out. She brought with her a remedy for the headache, which had been triggered by the flood of memories that had surged into Sira's mind in a matter of minutes.
Sitting down beside her, Athena tried to feign composure, masking her anxiety. She attempted to fix Sira with a sharp, steady gaze—a tactic that failed miserably, as Sira saw right through her with ease:
"You're finally awake. Here—take this for your headache. Then, say whatever it is you need to say."
Sira stared at her for several long seconds before taking the medicine and swallowing it, without uttering a single word to Athena—whose nervousness only deepened, leaving her with an urge to laugh at the ridiculous situation she had found herself in. Siri took a deep breath as she looked at her, then set the bowl on the floor. She spoke in a calm tone that made Athena's body tremble for a few seconds:
"I assumed it would be my brother, Yuta, who would visit me upon my awakening, given that he was the one who placed me here. I suspect he asked you to bring me the medicine yourself—a request you initially resisted. Your visible tension and your fear that I might cast you out only confirm my suspicion."
"Nevertheless, I bear you no ill will, Athena. After all, you are Death itself, while I am the catalyst for wars, massacres, catastrophes—or, to use a single term, destruction. There is no reason for us to be enemies. I believe I said some hurtful things last night; I..."
Before Siri could finish what she was saying, Athena embraced her tightly, tears streaming profusely from her eyes. A faint smile appeared on Siri's face as Athena pulled away, wiping off her tears of joy:
"Let's go outside; everyone is waiting for you and wants to make sure you're alright, Siri."
Siri stood up and followed Athena out of the tent, saying:
"You're right, Athena. It's time for something delicious to eat—I'm absolutely famished!"