Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Because of your sins, I have anointed you with oil and branded you with my mark. Eternity is given by death, and forgiveness is now.

Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, sins will be washed away.

The world will be reborn from this experience!

In an instant, a broken half of the covenant stone tablet emerged from the sea of ​​nothingness, and the sacred words from the Gospels and Revelation in the New Testament were carved on it word by word.

At the same time, the angels around Marduk, whose distorted forms had been stripped away, their savagery and coldness washed away, and the specks of light and dust coalesced into beams of light and shadow with the forms of ordinary life.

One by one, radiant human figures, with their arms crossed and folded over their chests, sang hymns, guarding the new vows, and sank into the pale sea.

"The Lamb will surely return; may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

In an instant, the cruel and bloody old pact within Marduk's body dimmed further, dispersing into countless streams of light.

"No! No! I am perfect! I have ascended to godhood!"

Marduk struggled in terror, but no matter how he called out, the cracked Star of the Broom, despite its tremors, could not resonate with him again, which was sealed within the twelve spears at the end of the tree.

"Congratulations, you have once again become one of the gods on earth..."

Samael grinned maliciously, and as the Star Sword shone with its ultimate brilliance, he turned and looked around.

The World Tree behind them burned to ashes, and those figures, almost invisible in the flames, showed no resentment or regret.

The ancient serpent's lips moved, gazing silently at the desperately struggling white giant.

The gods offered themselves as kindling to light my way and ignite the fire for me; so I shall build a new paradise from this day forward!

At this moment, Samael's expression turned solemn as he uttered his final vow, and corresponding patterns immediately appeared on the blade of his sword.

"This battle is the battle to save the world—I acknowledge it!"

The ancient serpent asked and answered itself, its eyes full of composure. The golden sword in its hand shone like a galaxy, its power seemingly piercing through the darkness of the universe.

"Excalibur!"

As the oath was made, the golden torrent surged forward relentlessly, engulfing everything in its path.

"No! I am perfect! I am perfect! How could I possibly lose to you, damned... worm..."

In an instant, the white giant bound to the cross seemed to crumble and melt away like ice and snow encountering the sun.

boom!

In an instant, a cross-shaped beam of light, resembling a nova explosion, shot straight into the sky. The Broom Star above was shattered into pieces by this beam, and the fragments, large and small, were swept away by the unstoppable stream of light into the depths of the vast universe.

"Qiang!"

With a crisp clang, the Star Sword plunged into the rocky ground. The chosen swordsman sat down on the dust, gazing at the pale world, lost in thought.

Snowing?

The man raised his hand to catch the spirit particles that were falling from the sky like snowflakes. He looked at the sea surface that seemed to ripple slightly as the "snowflakes" melted, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

The omniscient and omnipotent God has completely vanished from consciousness, and his own spiritual particles will be scattered throughout the world, becoming the foundation of the earth.

In a sense, he has achieved his long-cherished wish to rebuild this planet, hasn't he?

"Buzz!"

At the same time, the Book of Destiny in the ancient serpent's arms floated into the air, moving on its own without wind, making a rustling sound, and golden runes peeled off the pages, drifting in all directions.

Samael sat quietly, leaning on his sword, gazing in all directions.

Time slips away silently, light and shadow intertwine without a sound, and the surface of this planet, riddled with holes, is undergoing earth-shattering changes.

On the first day, the sky closed, the stars lit up, day and night were separated, and the four seasons revolved.

On the second day, the waters separated into upper and lower parts, the ocean receded, and the continents appeared.

On the third day, life on the surface and humans revived, and fortresses rose up.

In just three days, the traces of the planet's birth—earth, islands, mountains, rivers, oceans, forests, fortresses, animals, plants, humans, and so on—were once again etched onto the earth's surface by the imprint of golden light patterns.

On the fourth day, as the first rays of sunlight fell on Avalon Island, a deep, mysterious figure emerged from the center of the lake, approached Samael, and spoke softly.

"Let go, don't continue. After this divine war, the earth's surface is already shattered. Even if we try our best to repair it, this is the limit that the earth can contain."

"Mythological history will eventually fade away, and the history of heroes has also dimmed. It seems that everything is inevitable."

The ancient serpent slowly opened its eyes, looking at the Book of Destiny inscribed with the ancient epics of the Ten Great Ages of Gods in its palm. Its fingertips touched the familiar names engraved on it, and it sighed softly.

Instead of worrying about these things, worry about yourself.

Gaia remained silent for a moment, then looked at the figure sitting with his sword in hand with a complicated expression, a wisp of firelight reflected in his eyes.

If his former power was the light of the stars, his current state is nothing more than a candle flame in the wind; though it may not go out, it is destined to never shine brightly.

Using the gods as fuel, forging swords from the stars, and building ladders from all things, they guide one person to ascend to godhood, risking everything in annihilation, and awaiting the slow rebirth of the world.

But by then, things will inevitably have changed, and everything will have to start anew.

This is the answer that was destined to be.

However, in order to preserve the embers of the gods and etch the memories of heroes, this man was willing to give up the shortcut to becoming a god and used the concept of the serpent, which has existed in various divine eras, as a medium to wield that sword.

The price to pay is to relinquish one's divine position, divine authority, and divine power.

Snakes are everywhere, but in the end, they can only remain as shadows in the darkness.

"It doesn't matter. Even if I regress to my original state, I will still be immortal after consuming the Undying Spirit Grass. It's better for one person to start over than for a group of people to start over. I would feel very uncomfortable doing that."

Samael chuckled lightly, and while Gaia was still in a daze, he leaned on his sword and stood up, looking down at the center of the lake in the inner sea of ​​the connecting star. His eyes reflected the magnificent and beautiful scenery, and he couldn't help but murmur in a low voice, quite moved.

"The ideal land that can heal all sorrows and soothe all wounds is called Avalon!"

Then, the ancient serpent turned around and reluctantly handed the Book of Destiny to the spirit of the stars.

"The earth is no longer suitable for the restoration of the gods and heroes. Take them away to the true ideal land."

Gaia paused briefly, then looked up at the ancient serpent with a deep gaze, offering a thoughtful reminder.

"But you will never be qualified to enter this land."

An ideal paradise isolated from the world, accessible only to the innocent.

The precious blood of the lamb permeates the world, washing away all the filth and sins of the past, allowing old friends to enter that paradise in a pure state and slumber. But he himself inevitably carries the burden of sin and is not allowed to set foot in this beautiful land.

"I know……"

Samael replied with a faint smile, without the slightest regret or resentment. From the moment he made the decision, he knew his fate.

"I can't get in. They will awaken one day, and they will leave one day. Even if it takes a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will wait!"

The ancient serpent gazed at the Book of Destiny in Gaia's hand, its eyes resolute, uttering its vow with unwavering conviction, its gaze filled with tenderness.

"The threats facing the world go far beyond this."

Gaia seemed to have thought of something, she gently bit her cherry lips, raised the Book of Destiny, and spoke solemnly.

"I will use this as a wedge to establish the Throne of Heroes, eliminate potential crises, mend the broken surface as soon as possible, and accelerate the convergence of spirit particles."

"Yes, that's a wise move. Although the Broom Star has perished, the world faces far more crises than these."

Samael nodded, his vertical pupils narrowed slightly, his mind racing with thoughts, and one dangerous word after another, buried deep in his heart, surfaced.

Human evil burned away by the flames of reason, the taboos of Salem descend upon the courtyard, the utopian roots of a world bleached...

Earth is indeed as fraught with disasters as ever.

"You guard the tombs of the gods, guide the heroes, and enlighten humanity..."

Just as Samael was getting a little distracted, the Star Spirit, which had been maintaining its limit, solemnly entrusted the man before him with an important task.

"Stop! I don't have time! I'm already in this state, and you still want me to work? Have you no humanity?!"

The ancient snake rolled its eyes and refused without hesitation.

"Alright, that's enough. We're not close, so don't cause me any trouble!"

Samael then gave Gaia repeated instructions and, with a look of disdain, pushed her into the center of the lake, preparing to see her off.

However, as they were about to part, the ancient serpent seemed to have thought of something and summoned the Star Sword from Avalon Island with a flick of its finger.

hum!

As Samael lightly touched the inscription on the spine of the sword with his fingertips, a pure white glow emerged from the blade, within which a small, curled-up figure, like an infant, could be vaguely seen.

Before Gaia could react, the ancient serpent shoved the ball of light in its hand into the heart of the star spirit, leaving the star spirit momentarily stunned and instinctively muttering a question.

"what?"

"The condensation of human will actually gave birth to an accident in the Holy Sword. Since you're all alone and quite bored, I'll give you something to raise."

The ancient snake blinked, smiled and casually replied, its expression full of meaning.

"Oh, by the way, you can call her—Alaya..."

As the Star Spirit, cradling a ball of milky white light, sank into the Star Sea with a bewildered expression, the Ancient Serpent's lips curved into a pleased smile, his eyes brimming with anticipation.

The days to come will surely be much more interesting...

As the sun rises, its warm rays fall upon Avalon Island. The snakes, bathed in this sunlight, stretch and yawn, glancing at the world now back on track. They then look down at the empty surroundings, before turning back to look at the World Tree, which is no longer there, and feel a deep sense of loss.

Am I the only one left again?

But finally... it's over...

The ancient snake breathed a sigh of relief, its taut heartstrings relaxed, and endless weariness surged up. It moved its body step by step toward the center of the lake, like an old man on his deathbed.

Finally... finally... I can get a good night's sleep...

But this sleep... might... make me sleep a little longer...

A figure with a faint smile on their face fell into the azure lake.

There, you might hear the laughter of old friends and hear the heartfelt words of confidants.

As the water rippled over the ancient serpent's body, the holy sword held tightly in the man's hand emitted a faint glow, forming a layer of light resembling a coffin, covering its master.

As the sun gradually rises, its long-awaited rays shine upon the earth, and everything, like an unreal dream, gradually fades from the memories of most people.

In a daze, a legend, whether true or false, began to circulate among the people:

God destroyed the world in the first three days, created the world in the next three days, and rested on the seventh day...

rustle……

Amidst the soft rustling of the bushes, a young girl in white robes and purple hair emerged from the forest, looking around at the scenery with a somewhat bewildered expression.

"elder sister!"

It wasn't until the two children came running excitedly toward her from the mountain path that the purple-haired girl suddenly remembered that this was Bethany Village on the southeastern slope of Olive Mountain, her home.

"Maria, Lazarus, what brings you here?"

"Mom told us to pick wild herbs together, and to pick as many as possible so we can cook dinner when we get home."

The younger siblings, with rosy cheeks, tugged at the purple-haired girl's fingers and chattered away in response.

"Alright, stay right behind me and don't wander off. There might be wild animals in the woods."

Under the purple-haired girl's instructions, the two little ones nodded obediently.

"Sister, what's that on your neck?"

However, as they walked, the younger brother Lazarus's gaze became fixed on the pendant on his sister's chest, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"This..."

The purple-haired saintess removed her pendant, opened her palm, and smiled in response.

"It is the cross, the cross that washes away all sins and gives new life to the world."

"May I wear it?"

Seeing his sister speak so solemnly, Lazarus, the younger brother, couldn't resist the urge to do so.

The purple-haired girl immediately clasped her hands together, tightly gripping the cross in her palms, and then tapped the reckless brat on the head, responding with a soft hum.

"This won't do. If you want it, I'll make one for you separately later, but before that, you have to learn to pray with me."

"Pray? To whom?"

"A very great person, a very remarkable person..."

As the three siblings chatted and laughed, they gradually walked away into the morning mist.