The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 466 The Mouse and the Butterfly

At the top of the Great Sage's Tower, Doryuk, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, a look of surprise appearing in his cloudy pupils.

What surprised him was not the "descent of angels," but the fact that the "Claw of Eternal Hunger," which had descended upon the mortal realm, retreated so easily.

In the end what happened?
Dolphin could not comprehend the dramatic changes unfolding before him.

The being hiding in his shadow could not understand the hint of regret and fear that "Claw of Eternal Hunger" showed before leaving.

A misty black snake crawled out from Dolph's wrist and flicked its tongue towards the crystal ball in front of him.

A whisper from the depths of his being appeared in his mind, a nonchalant arrogance tinged with a barely perceptible sense of vigilance.

"This is very unusual."

"He has been preparing for this ritual for a long time, even taking advantage of the expedition of the Flames of Destruction. There's no reason for Him to just withdraw like this."

"unless……"

"Unless?" Dolrich raised his eyebrows slightly, casting a questioning glance at the hesitant voice.

The voice from the heavens pondered for a moment, but instead of answering his question directly, it left behind a profound riddle.

“You are ants moving through the material world. In your world, there are only things that have happened and things that are happening.”

“But we who exist in the void are different. We are fish swimming outside the fish tank, ghosts outside the bottle, and phantoms reflected on the wall.”

"From our perspective, there are only things that are destined to happen, and... things that are not certain to happen."

If this is the past of "Novell", then Urgos's decision to retreat makes sense.

In His view, the future of this universe is already predetermined.

Wasting any more energy here would be superfluous.

However, Avano had a different view; he did not believe that what Urgos had realized was necessarily the truth.

That guy is the evil spirit furthest from the truth. His power often comes from the resonance of fools, and making mistakes is perfectly normal for him.

Therefore, there is another possibility—

He was simply deceived by Norville's "madman".

Considering Colin's acting skills, this possibility is very high.

The dark shadow wrapped around the Great Sage's wrist let out a dry laugh, like the phantom reflected on the wall, mocking another disheveled phantom.

Dolphin fell into deep thought, and after a moment spoke.

"Could there be a third possibility?"

The voice from the void paused for a moment.

"...The third possibility?"

Dolphin nodded slowly and said in a thoughtful tone.

“He is neither the ‘madman’ nor Norville’s past, but… something else entirely.”

"What is that? The chosen one of Saint Sith? Or a demon god?" The voice from the void carried a hint of mockery.

"I do not know."

Dolphin shook his head slightly.

"It's just a guess."

Extreme light inevitably gives rise to an equal shadow; they are like two sides of a coin, complementing each other while also being each other's natural enemies.

Saint Sith's opposite is the demon god.

He couldn't help but wonder if chaos might also have its own "natural enemy".
of course.

All of this was merely his conjecture.

Even if such a thing existed, the Crown of Pride would likely never tell him...

……

The dark clouds that had been hovering over Twilight City vanished completely, along with an inconspicuous butterfly.

At first, what met Luo Yan's eyes was a dazzling white light, followed by a scarlet wasteland.

He seemed to pass through a barrier, and then was thrown out by a huge suction force... along with those evil spirits returning home.

“I am Grove! Let me meet his parents—! I did him a favor! Let me see him one more time! Please!” a dark shadow screamed pitifully.

It's finally back!

I'm leaving that damn place!

Luo Yan didn't recognize the evil spirit, but guessed it was one of the Chosen Rats he had seen earlier. As the nests outside Twilight City collapsed, Urgos took their souls away again.

It was as if it had been stuffed into a can of sardines, and an unseen hand had forcibly pressed it onto a baby abandoned by the roadside.

"No—" it cried out in terror, trying to escape, but where it went was not up to it.

The poor little guy lay there without crying or making a fuss. He had already stopped breathing, his soul had gone elsewhere, or perhaps he had never come here to suffer, leaving only an empty shell on the ground.

However, the moment the evil spirit possessed it, it suddenly opened its hazy eyes and let out a loud wail.

The crying seemed to be more than just a biological instinct; it was as if it were an attempt to release the unresolved sorrow from the previous life, along with the pain of this life.

poor child.

Luo Yan mourned for it for a second, but there was nothing he could do to help, so he turned his gaze elsewhere and looked at this brand new and desolate world.

The sky here is the color of congealed blood, the earth is cracked red soil, and there is not a sound of wind all around, only the silent whisper of death.

This is……

Another universe?
The divine sense attached to the "Butterfly of Myriad Phenomena" emitted a ripple of surprise. Luo Yan's curiosity at this moment was no less than when he was pulled into the 440th Void Realm.

This place is similar to the planet Chao, yet fundamentally different. Only fungi can survive on Chao, but here there are traces of human activity.

And there are quite a few.

In the distance, on the desolate plain, a group of emaciated people were stiffly wielding hoes, like walking corpses.

At first, Luo Yan thought they were farming, but then he saw them turning over ripe crops into the soil, crops that could have saved their lives.

What puzzled him even more was that a man who was starving and barely clinging to life seemed unable to bear it any longer and tried to dig out the grain buried in the ground, only to be beaten to death by a group of fanatical believers.

The grain cannot be eaten.

But it seems that people can.

Luo Yan speculated that these cultists seemed to be performing some kind of evil ritual.

Only in this way can we explain why they would do something that is neither logical nor common sense.

Grove's howling finally attracted someone's attention. A pale and thin woman was pleasantly surprised to find it and quietly took it away.

Seemingly realizing that it wasn't her mother, Grove struggled even more fiercely, her cries tinged with fear.

And regret.

I wonder if he regrets not being braver and charging ahead of the other mice during the fight.

Such an ending is not necessarily much more dignified than dying on the battlefield.

Of course, there might not be any difference.

Urgos's hive has no exit mechanism; once a soul is offered to Chaos, it is virtually impossible to escape from the hive.

Death is not the end, but merely the beginning of a cycle.

Luo Yan, attached to the Butterfly of Myriad Phenomena, felt weary and even disgusted by the foolish behavior before him, so he flew forward for a while longer.

He soon arrived at a large settlement, where a huge steel structure stood, which appeared to be the wreckage of a starship.

Nearby, rows of gray concrete buildings stood on the ground, like moss growing in a corner.

This place is probably a "wasteland".

Moreover, it is a wasteland that is similar to, yet completely different from, the past of the 178th Void Realm.

There is no "vengeful spirit coke" here; people are probably using nuclear energy or relatively primitive fossil fuels.

Luo Yan did not sense any fluctuations in extraordinary power, which suggested that the extraordinary power here must be even weaker than that of Void Realm No. 178.

At least that's the case on this planet.

Just as Luo Yan was observing with great interest, he suddenly heard a long, resentful sigh.

"Ugh... I'm not clean anymore."

Luo Yan, who was manipulating the Myriad Butterflies, looked to the side and saw a rat sneaking around in the withered bushes.

That was Urgos's voice.

He seemed to have possessed the rat.

This rat was only of average size, far smaller than the ones outside Twilight City. It was probably no match for a wild cat, let alone a human.

"I didn't even look down on you, yet you're looking down on me." Luo Yan stopped not far from him, looking down at him with a meaningful gaze.

Although this world lacks supernatural powers, it does not prevent two gods from outside the realm from communicating seamlessly through the touch of the "Sea of ​​Consciousness".

Perhaps his strength restrained his temper, for the rat did not lash out as it had outside the city of Dusk; it merely pursed its lips at him.

"Tsk, what do you know? It's just a bug that happened to fly out the window. If it hadn't stuck to my hand, you would never have been able to fly this far in your entire life."

That’s hard to say.

Luo Yan smiled faintly.

"I do know a lot about things, but even with my limited perspective... didn't I fool you?"

“…” Urgos fell silent.

From the change in His attitude, Luo Yan could clearly sense a hint of discouragement and suppressed annoyance.

Although He was unwilling to admit it and even tried to avoid it, He had clearly realized that He had just been tricked.

And it was not by the "mysterious fog" of Novell.

Instead, it was a blustering native.

After a moment, the mouse hiding in the bushes slowly spoke.

"...What an annoying brat! Can't you just keep pretending to be Novell? I didn't ask you."

The butterfly perched on the leaf fluttered its wings gently.

Is it fun to lie to yourself?

"Don't get cocky... We'll meet again! Next time we meet, I won't let you off so easily."

"Then let's give it a try." Luo Yan smiled nonchalantly and continued, "But there's one thing I didn't lie to you about: I really am from Novell—"

The mouse squeaked loudly, interrupting him.

"Enough! I don't want to hear what you have to say! You never tell the truth!"

“That’s not quite right,” Luo Yan smiled. “Everything I say is true, but I usually only say half of it, and you only hear the part you want to hear.”

Urgos seemed unwilling to continue the topic; this guy's arguing skills were probably equivalent to two Taufens, no more.

"Is this your nest capital?" Luo Yan's voice, carried by the fluttering of butterfly wings, transformed into a whisper of spirit, asking about something Urgos might be interested in.

He sensed to some extent that this guy's personality was like that of a giant baby, and this might be related to the source of His power, as most of the believers who worship Him are like that.

Just as Luo Yan had predicted, when asked about his treasure trove, his two tiny, beady eyes immediately lit up with a gleam of pride.

"To be precise... not yet, but it will be soon, hehe."

Luo Yan glanced at him in surprise.

"Like Twilight City? They were driven out?"

The mouse clicked its tongue.

"Ha! It was Avano who got kicked out, not me!"

"arrogant?"

“That’s right. This used to be that guy’s territory, but that arrogant guy got careless and messed things up, so I took over.”

"Lost? Lost to whom?"

"A materialist who never saw Him, yet utterly defeated Him. The latter was unaware of His existence, yet thwarted His plans time and time again... His disheveled appearance was truly delightful."

Urgos's voice seemed to carry a hint of schadenfreude.

But He quickly grew tired of the topic, and a sly glint flashed in His beady rat eyes.

"Since you're already here, let me take you to see something fun."

"What's so fun?"

"You'll see once you come with me!"

Watching the rats dart towards the distant city, Luo Yan pondered for a moment before finally deciding to follow them.

It won't hurt to look at it anyway.

He was also very curious about what this guy was up to.

Urgos led the way, while Luo Yan flew behind, observing the bustling settlement and comparing it with the area outside.

The situation inside the city was slightly better than outside. The people living here were probably "those who longed for bread." They lined up to receive bread, and although they were starving, they were not starving to death.

Luo Yan was unfamiliar with the situation here, but based on the Twilight Province of the Kingdom of Ryan, it should be a similar system of serfdom practiced here.

In other words, serfs were forbidden from leaving their land, which was considered the private property of the tyrant. The citizens of Twilight City, on the other hand, lived on the king's land, could exchange taxes for relative freedom, and were protected to some extent by the laws promulgated by the king.

However, they are not entirely similar.

There are still many differences in form. A mouse and a butterfly passed through the bustling settlement, and no one noticed the god passing by them.

Several times during this period, Urgos was nearly caught by the hungry men, but the cunning fellow managed to evade them each time.

Seeing the despair on those people's faces, the wretched little mouse seemed to feel genuine pleasure.

What a twisted guy.

Luo Yan followed Him to the starship that resembled a palace, and next to that starship sat an even more luxurious palace.

Urgos led him through the back door, bypassing the heavily guarded officers, and into the most luxurious room.

An aging king lay on his bed, the table beside him laden with delicacies, but his withered arms could no longer hold a knife and fork.

Having already possessed everything, he seemed to have lost interest in everything.

It wasn't until a servant approached him and whispered a few words in his ear that an excited expression appeared on his wrinkled face.

"Our parent... Sawa has passed away!"

Upon hearing that his lifelong rival was dead, a sickly flush appeared on the king's face, and he sat up from his bed, his frail body propelled by the weight of his body.
"Hahahaha! Good riddance! This traitor is finally dead! Pass down my order: fire a salute... to mourn him!"

The servant dared not say more and retreated tremblingly, but was worried about how to make this story more believable.

The room fell silent again.

Looking at the empty room, the elderly king suddenly felt a little lonely and couldn't help but recall his high spirits when he was in Kinggalon.

He told Sava personally that the most brilliant business was religion, and he also spoke many truths to the boy, which was quite rare for him.

At that time, he didn't have any children of his own, and he truly treated that boy as his prince. No one could have imagined the decades of "love and hate" that would follow.

The air was eerily still.

He felt as if he were back on that stormy night, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the conspiracy, always feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

He wanted to crawl under the bed to take a look.

However, he was already quite old and could no longer bend over. Without anyone's help, he even had difficulty getting out of bed and taking a few steps.

"You brought me here just to show me an old man who's about to die?" Luo Yan looked speechlessly at the interested mouse on the windowsill.

Urgos chuckled.

"Of course not, guess where he'll go next?"

"Your chosen ones will simply go to your hive capital, is that even a question?"

"That's certainly true, but it's too general. Okay... I'll give you another hint! You've already met him!"

Looking at the little mouse with its expectant and boastful expression, Luo Yan pondered for a moment and answered in an uncertain voice.

"Silas?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Urgos's face, as if he hadn't expected him to guess so quickly, before he raised a mouse paw in appreciation.

"clever!"

This time, it was Luo Yan who was surprised.

etc--

Isn't this guy still alive?
how come--

Just as Luo Yan was feeling this confusion, he suddenly remembered what he had said to Urgos earlier.

"Time doesn't exist... You don't really understand that, am I right, you bluffing brat?" Urgos grinned slyly, seemingly pleased with himself for winning the round.

However, Luo Yan only felt that this guy with a perverse sense of humor was incredibly boring. He went through all that trouble just to prove to him that he hadn't lost.

Is this interesting?

Whether you understand it or not... is really not certain.

Luo Yan thought for a moment, then said with a hint of a smile, "If I really didn't know anything about it, guess how this butterfly ended up in my hands?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of jealousy flashed in Urgos's eyes, along with a trace of greed and desire.

His followers far exceed the mysterious fog by more than an order of magnitude, spanning countless universes; yet the lack of knowledge is His eternal torment.

Anyone with a modicum of knowledge would either be lured away by the Crown of Pride or deceived by the Fog of Deceit, and would never choose Him.

He also wanted to lead His children to conquer countless planets, cultivate the universe in which He lived, and expand the territory of His faith, but unfortunately, it was simply impossible.

and--

Not only does He desire the treasures of the mysterious mist, but He also wants the man before Him.

He is capable, ambitious, and desireful!
If this guy could be converted into one of His Chosen Ones, His faith territory might expand by another order of magnitude!

Making him a native god is such a waste of his talents!

"Kid, let's make a deal."

"Oh?"

"That butterfly is useless to you. You can't even fly off your own planet, let alone travel through the universe. Why don't you give it to me, and I'll give you the entire nest of this world... no, I'll also throw in an even better one!"

Faced with the seductive whispers, Luo Yan smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the king, who was barely clinging to life.

"Then when I die, I'll return to your hands, right? Just like those stray dogs we saw before, reincarnating in your lair."

Making a deal with the devil is at most selling your soul in this life, but making a deal with chaos is to realize your blessings for eternity.

Moreover, it wasn't that he was intentionally mocking this guy; who would poach someone like that?

Selling one's soul to the "Crown of Pride" at least gets you a sage title, but selling your soul to the "Claw of Eternal Hunger"... he hasn't seen a single one die a good death.

Clearly, Urgos, who was possessing the rat, froze on the spot, unable to utter a word.

That's exactly what He thought.

I just didn't expect to be seen through so easily.

Just then, the old man, who was nearing the end of his life, suddenly looked up at the windowsill and saw the mouse and butterfly standing there. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

Butterflies are one thing.

How could such filthy creatures as rats appear in one's palace?!

Just as Zaid was about to lash out, he suddenly noticed something, and a bead of cold sweat involuntarily rolled down his face, which was covered with age spots.

He vaguely remembered a witch doctor saying that mice and butterflies were spiritual beings. Although he always told the people around him that he didn't believe in such things, he was actually the most suspicious person.

Especially lately, he keeps dreaming about "Grov" and "Gopal," his old friends whom he killed countless years ago. He always feels that they are not doing well in the afterlife.

He finally realized where that unseen gaze was coming from—it was from his window, not from under the bed.

He took a breath and spoke in an aged voice.

"Where are you two distinguished guests from?"

Urgos was already annoyed and had no interest in paying attention to him, so he just gave a perfunctory reply.

"It's none of your business, you go to sleep."

Clearly surprised that the rat could talk, Zaid was genuinely startled, his face turning pale, but he managed to calm himself down.

"Are you from below or from above?"

He tentatively asked, but the two immortals ignored him, chatting amongst themselves and treating him as if he were invisible.

Zaid was somewhat annoyed and wanted to lash out, but he was afraid that these two people had come to pick him up, and it would be bad to rashly create bad karma.

Moreover, he felt that his days were numbered and that he might have to make arrangements for his passing.

He softened his tone, looked at the mouse that had previously paid attention to him, and spoke with a rare, long-lost sense of awe.

"Your... uh, Supreme God, I won't trouble you with anything else, I only humbly request that you grant me a small wish, and I will surely repay you in the future!"

Urgos remained silent, but Luo Yan, intrigued by the king's awakened spiritual abilities, asked with great interest.

"Oh? What's your wish?"

Zaid coughed.

"I have thirty children, but I haven't decided who will be the crown prince yet. I need to find someone to succeed me. Could you... give me some advice?"

Before the butterfly beside him could answer, Urgos replied impatiently.

"What's the difference? None of them are yours anyway."

None of them are...

Zaid's face turned completely pale.

His despair was like that of Silas standing outside the city of Dusk, like a gambler who had won everything but lost all his chips in the last round.

The thought that this guy would soon breathe his last and go to the continent of Os more than 20 years ago, to relive the despair he had just experienced until the "Nest Capital" of the Twilight Province collapsed made Luo Yan wonder if he should feel sorry for this unfamiliar old man.

What a terrible sin this is!

At that moment, a transparent ripple suddenly spread across the previously continuous space, bringing everything in this world to a standstill.

Or perhaps, the only things that remain still are the mice and butterflies standing on the windowsill.

"Since you've rejected me, there's nothing more to say. You can get out of my house now—"

"I hope that when we meet again, you won't regret your choice today! I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead!"

The little mouse's eyes burned with a fierce light, and it uttered a vicious threat in a sinister voice, its overwhelming hatred as if it wanted to devour him alive.

Luo Yan knew He wasn't that magnanimous; His nonchalant demeanor earlier was all an act, and now He's really gone all out.

However, he is not such a shameless person.

Before being swept away by the ripples, the butterfly on the windowsill gently fluttered its wings, just like that ever-elegant smile.

"I'll say it again, let's give it a try."

"I'll be waiting for you in the 'future'."

The Carrion Clan, right?

Luo Yan remembered this name, and he believed that everyone in the Twilight Province remembered it as well.

After dealing with the chaos raging outside Twilight City, he turned around and wiped out the group of ratmen hiding in the Ten Thousand Ren Mountains!
The crimson sky receded like the tide, replaced by a clear blue. Warm sunlight streamed through the cotton-white clouds, and the sky was clearer than ever before.

When Luo Yan opened his eyes again, he was standing under a decaying oak tree.

Nearby, dappled shadows of trees; in the distance, the cheers of victory; the previous hunger and death seemed like a distant dream.

Thanks to the "Claw of Eternal Hunger," he saw another "illusory realm," but unfortunately, he didn't have time to examine it closely.

To be honest, Luo Yan was genuinely curious about how the materialist mentioned by "Claw of Eternal Hunger" managed to defeat the evil spirit from the void without even realizing the existence of "Crown of Pride."

If there's no exaggeration involved, that guy is truly exceptionally strong.

certainly--

Perhaps this is related to the extreme scarcity of supernatural powers in that world.

After all, even the "Claw of Eternal Hunger" could only be a mouse there, so the "Crown of Pride" probably didn't have a better solution.

Incidentally, besides gaining more insights into the void from that free virtual realm, Luo Yan also received some tangible benefits.

Just as the clone of "Eternal Hunger Claw" perished, a portion of its "experience" seemed to be absorbed into its own body by its Myriad Butterflies.

Whether it was because he was in a privileged position or because he had incurred too much hatred from Urgos, this was undoubtedly an unexpected bonus for him.

Including the "experience" he had taken from Kailan, Luo Yan could clearly feel that his strength had increased significantly.

Although he hadn't yet broken through to a new bottleneck, he could feel that he had taken another big step closer to becoming a grandmaster!

【

ID: Luo Yan

Race: human

Soul Level: Grandmaster (Level Cap LV170)

Level: LV.141 (+10)

Constitution: 207 (+20)

Strength: 154 (+20)

Agility: 161 (+20)

Intelligence: 1061 (+120)

Spirit: 1041 (+120)

】

Having confirmed the changes in attributes and level through the divine spark, Luo Yan closed the semi-transparent attribute interface and looked up at the sky.

The angel that shimmered with golden light had vanished, transforming into countless feathers of light that rained down upon the soldiers' armor.

After everything was over, He returned the sky to those who looked up at it, even if those people at that moment might be more grateful to someone else.

Just then, a familiar shout came from afar.

"Colin—!"

Luo Yan looked up and saw Eileen, with silver hair, riding towards him, her face full of worry and anxiety.

He was about to greet her with a smile when he saw a fast horse galloping from the west, with a girl wearing an olive branch on her head riding on it.

Luo Yan's smile gradually became somewhat subtle.

This……

It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?
(End of this chapter)