Chapter 66: Silent Sorrow

Belial collapsed…
Just one sentence brought this demi-god-like warrior, powerful enough to subdue three apostles, to collapse…
Because he suddenly realized that everything had lost its meaning…
Why…
Is everything I’ve done meaningless?
Have I made a mistake?
I’m not wrong. I just wanted to bring her back to life. Yes, I just wanted my dearest one to return to this world. I just wanted to see her gentle and sweet smile again. I haven’t done anything wrong…
Belial collapsed. His eyes were filled with incomprehension. Having endured loneliness all along and embarked on this path with no return, his mind had reached its limit. What could be more disheartening than realizing one’s efforts are worthless? What could be more painful than not having one’s actions recognized by the one they love?
Watching Belial kneeling in despair, the woman showed a pained expression. Her hazy figure gently pressed against his back as she murmured, “My silly brother… Seeing you step further into sin fills me with sorrow. I’ve tried so many times to call you, but you never heard me. I understand your feelings, but you’re too stubborn. A life gained at the expense of others isn’t what I want…”
Hearing her soft words, Belial slowly raised his head and looked at the beautiful woman. With a tone of disappointment and despair, he whispered, “Why? Don’t you want to be like before…”
Before Belial could finish speaking, the woman gently covered his lips with her hand.
“My silly brother, of course I hope to be by your side forever, to comfort you when you face setbacks, to encourage you when you encounter difficulties—forever and ever… But definitely not in this way…” With a sad expression, she continued, “Do you remember when you stole someone’s purse on the street as a child? Why did I punish you? It wasn’t for justice—what does justice mean to two children who can’t even afford food? But still, stealing from others is wrong. I had no choice… And you were my only hope. I wanted my brother to become a respected great mage, a righteous person who helps others. That way, at least it could ease the guilt deep in my heart…”

“My brother… will become the greatest archmage, be recorded in history, and revered by countless people, not like now…”
“I…” Behelit’s voice stopped as he looked into the woman’s indulgent eyes.
“Enough…”
“But this is an opportunity I’ve worked so hard to get…”
“A rebirth achieved at the cost of others’ lives, at the expense of my own brother’s sacrifice—do you think my sister would be happy? Stop being stubborn, my silly brother…”
Seeing the unwillingness in Behelit’s eyes, the woman sighed softly, reached out her hands as if to embrace him, and spoke to him gently.
After about ten minutes, Behelit’s emotions seemed to calm down. At that moment, the woman waved at Thos and Nina.
Thos and Nina exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and slowly walked forward until they stood in front of Behelit and the woman.
“I’m very sorry,” said the beautiful woman, bowing slightly to Thos and Nina with apology. “My foolish brother has done many, many unforgivable things to you. Though I know my words alone can’t make things right, I’m truly sorry!”
Beside her, Behelit still turned his head away, clearly unwilling.
“Huh…” Thos smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Nina, standing next to him, stared wide-eyed at the beautiful woman, unconsciously opening her mouth and murmuring something.
Smiling slightly at Thos and Nina, the woman turned to Behelit and said gently, “Don’t you want to say something?”
Behelit seemed unable to refuse her request. He looked at Thos, hesitantly raised his right hand, and handed him the Holy Spirit Stone, saying in a tone of reluctance, “The Land of Death has completely disappeared. With no Immortal King left, it’s impossible to restore it. But there’s another way to stabilize this world… Throw this Holy Spirit Stone into the center of the Eye of Chaos and release its energy. In that way, the destroyed Eye of Chaos will gradually retreat, and the disasters in this world will end. But don’t expect this world to return to how it was before.”

Although the energy of the Holy Spirit Stone will merge with the earth of this world and human souls will not vanish under the sunlight, this world has still suffered severe damage, and its laws have been distorted and broken. Those who live in darkness will be able to enter this world more easily from now on…”

“Hm?” Thors looked at Belial in disbelief, only to see Belial snort coldly and casually throw the gem into Thors’ hands.

“What will happen to you then?” Nina couldn’t help asking, “If this world regains its original balance…”

“Perhaps we’ll disappear,” the woman, ‘Nina’, sighed softly, gazing at Belial with an affectionate look and saying gently, “Because we never really belonged to this world… I’m already very satisfied to be able to hear my voice reach this fool’s ears again, to see him once more, and to touch his face like this…”

“Hmph!” Belial snorted. It was clear he was still reluctant to hand over the gem.

Just then, an angry roar came from the sky.

Thors instinctively looked up, only to find that the dark force that had separated from Belial’s body was gradually coalescing into a tangible entity.

It was the form of an enraged bear!

It was the ancient will representing [Laziness], Sloth. Due to ‘Nina’s’ words, Belial, who had been severely shaken, could no longer control this will, allowing Sloth to completely escape his grasp. Worse still, Sloth was now extremely angry, as if determined to unleash all the humiliation he had suffered at Belial’s hands and take revenge on the humans of this world.

First and foremost, Sloth’s angry gaze fell on Belial, and his fang-filled maw let out deep roars.

Belial stepped forward, shielding ‘Nina’ behind him, and looked up at Sloth fearlessly, saying coldly, “What do you want, Sloth?”

Strangely, the pale red eyes of the ancient will Sloth showed signs of fear. It kept roaring loudly at Belial, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

To be honest, Thors was genuinely worried for Belial. After all, that was the ancient will Sloth—a being immortal and divine, the ruler of the dark world. And Belial, whose soul and will had reached their limits, was no longer the same person he had been before.

Worse still, Belial’s body was gradually fading, meaning he would soon disappear from this world entirely.
“Roar!”
Slos’s furious roars continued to echo from the sky. Everyone instinctively looked up at its massive form, which covered most of the sky.
“Hm? Is it over? Who won?” Alan, still unconscious, was awakened by the loud roar. He instinctively raised his head and was stunned.
“Hey, what’s the joke? What is this?”
As soon as he spoke, a weak voice came from beside him.
“It must be the Ancient Will Slos. I just saw it burst out of Belial’s body…”
Alan turned his head, his face showing surprise. He rushed over to that person and said cheerfully, “Scott? You’re still alive!” He habitually patted Scott on the shoulder, causing him to stagger almost to the ground.
“Almost dead, if you hit me again!”
Alan scratched his head awkwardly, wiped the blood from his mouth, and looked at Slos roaring in the sky, saying with a bitter smile, “This is really bad. We haven’t even dealt with Belial yet, and now this guy shows up… Can you feel it? This anger. I don’t think Slos will coexist peacefully with us…”
“Hm!” Scott nodded in agreement, saying worriedly, “The Ancient Wills are ancient beings formed from various negative wills. They too can become angry…”
Just then, the ground trembled violently. Slos used its massive body to slowly approach Belial. Strangely, though seemingly insane, it still showed caution toward Belial. After all, Belial was the first human in history to be able to suppress eternal beings like Slos with his willpower—his will was incredibly strong.
“Stop, Slos! Calm down!” Thors shouted loudly, but his voice had no effect.
If humans anger a god, they will surely pay a heavy price!
This saying applied perfectly to Slos. Right now, Slos was like a dragon awakened from slumber, completely insane. How could Thors’s words ease its anger?
If destroying the world could calm its fury, then without a doubt, Slos would do just that!

Yet at that very moment, a powerful divine force erupted on the battlefield—the very divine force that the two archbishops of Salonia had used to seal Beelzebub. The two old bishops never expected Sloth to appear in this world in a physical form. To protect Sos, they had to unleash the concentrated holy power, as Sos was a combat force the Church absolutely could not afford to lose. “Roar!” The divine light stung Sloth’s eyes; he desperately wanted to escape the light. His massive body transformed into a wave of darkness and headed southeast—toward Thassan and Vandor… What was worse, blocked by the divine force, Sloth became even more violent, his dark power filled with rage. “Hey, look! That guy’s heading toward Thassan!” Allen said in panic. “That bastard Beelzebub—why does he have to make us suffer for his actions?” “This is really bad…” Watching the massive wave of darkness drift away rapidly, Sos’s expression was complex. He knew well that Sloth, the [Laziness], was not an evil being. Unlike [Mammon], who was full of desires and uninterested in anything, Sloth had spent his eternal life in slumber. Perhaps he was the kindest and most harmless among the ancient wills. But today, even the kindest and most harmless Sloth finally showed his violent side. Sos could understand this—after all, he had been under Beelzebub’s control for too long. That anger would turn into hatred, hatred toward all of human society. “We need to stop him…” “Stop him?” Seeing Sos muttering to himself, Beelzebub smirked mockingly. “With you?” Seeing the awkward expression on Sos’s face, Nina couldn’t help but say, “If the two of you work together, you should be able to stop Sloth, right?” As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and pointed at Beelzebub’s body, saying in surprise, “You… your body…” “I just realized it,” Beelzebub said with self-mockery, looking down at his gradually fading body. “The future I saw told me I would die today. At first, I didn’t believe it, but now… Hey, one really can’t resist fate… I never expected to die in this way!” As he spoke, two arms gently wrapped around his body. “Nina” said softly, “I’m sorry, my brother. Sister was too willful, leaving alone and making you bear loneliness. I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s not like that, sister…” Belial tried to defend himself anxiously. Suddenly, he noticed that ‘Nina’s’ body was also starting to fade, and panic appeared on his face as he realized she didn’t have the same willpower as him. Without the Holy Spirit Stone, she couldn’t stay in another world even for a few minutes.

Belial instinctively glanced at the Holy Spirit Stone in Thors’s hands, his eyes flashing with determination as if he wanted to take it back. But at that moment, ‘Nina’ stopped him…

“Don’t,” she said. She gently grasped Belial’s hands and shook her head slightly. Then, under his reluctant gaze, she gently held his face and said softly, “It seems time is running out! It’s a pity, sister… I really want to stay by your side…”

“It’s okay… it’s fine…”

“Silly… I understand. I understand your feelings. Don’t be sad. Maybe one day we’ll meet again, in some corner of the world. I hope we’ll still be able to recognize each other then…” With that, she slowly closed her eyes and kissed Belial on the lips.

“Ah!” Completely unprepared for this, Nina panicked, covering her blushing face as she watched the two embracing. Then she secretly glanced at Thors beside her.

“This is my last act of capriciousness… Goodbye, my dearest brother, and also the one I love the most…” After saying those words, ‘Nina’s’ body gradually turned into a faint blue light and disappeared with the wind.

“No… no…” Belial reached out in pain, seemingly trying to grasp the disappearing ‘Nina’, but all he caught were a few strands of blue light.

“Crack!” The crystal pendant around Belial’s chest suddenly shattered.

Watching the blue light fade away in his palm, Belial clenched his fists in pain.

“Belial…” Thors opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything comforting.

From afar, Lilith watched the scene with a confused expression. Seeing Belial’s pained face, the hatred in her eyes vanished completely. Biting her lip, she murmured with a hint of envy, “To fight against the whole world for the one he loves… Belial… Is this love? True love…”

After several minutes of silence, Belial sighed gloomily, turned to look at Thor and Nina, whose faces showed sorrow, and smiled self-mockingly. In a despondent tone, he said to Thor, “She’s gone now. I think it’s time for me to leave too… Hey, are you sure you can handle Sloth?”
Watching Belial’s body gradually fade, Thor forced a smile and said, “I’ll do my best!”
“Hmph, ‘do your best’ is something weaklings say—it shouldn’t come from your mouth!” Belial interrupted him with a cold laugh, then raised his right hand and said earnestly, “Take my power!”
“Hm?” Thor looked at him in confusion.
Belial frowned and spoke in a somewhat commanding tone, “Hurry! There’s no time! Do as I say…” As he spoke, his body faded at an astonishing speed.
Thor nodded in surprise, raised his right hand, and placed it over Belial’s. The moment they touched, Thor suddenly felt a powerful force flowing into his body.
Seeing the surprise in Thor’s eyes, Belial said arrogantly, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to atone for everything I’ve done. I’m doing this for myself… for my beloved, so she can leave in peace… She trusts me, so I can’t disappoint her!” With that, he looked deeply into Thor’s eyes and said earnestly, “Go and end it all! Everything!”
“Mm!” Thor nodded firmly.
Belial disappeared. His fading body turned into a burst of light energy that merged into Thor’s body. Then, with a sudden “whoosh,” an intense light erupted from Thor, forcing Nina, who was beside him, to instinctively cover her eyes.
Meanwhile, the Puppet of Chess, the “Dark King” Cain, approached the “Light Governor” Beship and shook his head at Beship’s severely damaged body.
“Get up!”
Beship struggled to stand, gripping a blade with his remaining right hand and watching Cain warily.
Cain smiled self-mockingly. Under Beship’s astonished gaze, he pierced his own left chest with his right hand and handed the core hidden inside to Beship.
“What… what are you doing?” Beship stepped back instinctively, looking at Cain in confusion.

Kain let out a soft sigh and shook his head, saying, “The master’s presence has vanished, so there’s no reason for me to continue existing… I never expected it to end in this way. The master might be unwilling to accept this, haha!” After a pause, he stepped back from Beshipu’s firm grip, presented his core to him, and said solemnly, “Fulfill your duty—protect… our master!”
Beshipu silently took the core from Kain’s hand and inserted it into his right chest, where the mechanical structure was exposed.
“Click…” Without its core, Kain’s body began to collapse, scattering metal pieces across the ground. Gradually, those metals darkened and turned into something resembling stone.
“You’re also a foolish guy, Kain. One gets the puppet that matches their master… But still, thank you!”
The light on Thos continued to shine for several minutes before gradually fading.
When the light disappeared, Nina eagerly opened her eyes to look for Thos. Suddenly, she froze.
“Thos… Thos?”
Nina stared in disbelief at her brother.
At that moment, Thos’s hair had returned to its original dark golden color, though mixed with a few strands of gray-white hair. His eyes, barely covered by his hair, had a dreamy silver glow in his left eye, shimmering with tiny lights like star dust. From that glow, a strong sacred aura emanated. His right eye, however, had a faint deep blue color, and within its crystal-like pupil lay a triangular magic array. The aura and vibrations emitted by this array were completely different from those of his left eye—it was the [Aetheric Power] unique to astrologers.
His attire was very similar to Belial’s before: a sleeveless tight-fitting garment, a loosely tied wide belt, black leather pants, and brown long boots.
His left arm was covered in milky white sacred runes, while his right arm bore rows of dense, unfamiliar symbols. Some of those symbols were ones Nina had even seen before.
They were symbols representing spatial magic, Belial’s most prideful power.
As Nina murmured to herself, Thos raised his head. With a wave of his right hand, a triangular magic array appeared beside him. Immediately afterward, a terrifying beam of light swept across most of the deserted battlefield, shattering the boulders in its path.
This was Belial’s unique ultimate technique, [Mirage].

“Snap!” Thors snapped his fingers, and with a loud boom, the ground where his gaze was fixed was instantly vaporized into a huge crater by merciless white flames.
It was [Flame Flash]…
“Thors?”
Nina stared at Thors in surprise. She felt that the aura emanating from him now was just like that of Belial earlier.
A demi-god…
“I’m sorry, Nina,” Thors said with aregret glance at her, smiling. “I know you have many questions, but before that, I must end this first!”
“Mm,” Nina nodded in astonishment, looking at Thors. For a moment, it seemed to her as though she saw two souls.
“Snap!” With another snap of his fingers, a black curtain appeared beside Thors—magic that allowed travel between realms and spaces.
Just as Thors was about to step into the black curtain, a white figure appeared beside him in an instant.
Thors turned to look at the figure, who was dressed in white Salonian bishop’s robes. He smiled and said, “Is it Besup?”
“No…”
Under Nina’s even more astonished gaze, the figure in the white magical robe raised its head, revealing a holy and solemn face.
“It’s Pope Puppe, my respected master!”