After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 19.2

The scene fell into a stunned silence. They had all been tense due to the impending crisis of the empire’s destruction. However, as they looked at the distant devastation, they couldn’t find the words to express their thoughts.

Among them, only Philip knew why.

When the Archangel Achilles was grabbing citizens, Philip’s immediate reaction was to rescue them. That’s when he saw it—among those selected, that person was included!

What are you doing? Of all people, why pick that one?

You dare offend the Lord of the Abyss. Who else are you trying to provoke?

Philip’s eyes darkened at the realization, fearing that the Divine Kingdom of Light’s reckless actions would drag down the Aust Empire as well.

He looked at the dire situation of the Divine Kingdom of Light from afar, feeling a mix of complex emotions. Fortunately, their people hadn’t offended that person. Otherwise, what happened to the Divine Kingdom of Light today could have been the fate of the Aust Empire tomorrow.

Philip’s expression at that moment was incredibly vivid, as if he wanted to speak out the truth, but considering Aelioge, he couldn’t make a sound.

On the other hand, Eilinson looked worried, furrowing her brows as she gazed into the distance, saying in a deep voice, “We still don’t know the situation of the Divine Kingdom of Light.”

From the current perspective, it seemed like the God of Light hadn’t awakened. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have allowed its Divine Kingdom to be so devastated. However, Eilinson still felt uneasy, sensing that the Divine Kingdom of Light wouldn’t be easily dealt with. It wasn’t a matter of power but rather the fact that long-lived beings often had extraordinary means.

Boom!

Suddenly, another loud noise echoed from the distance.

People saw a gigantic shadow appear in the sky. It was comparable to a mountain, entirely white, with four wings on its back and holding a spear in its hands, resembling a majestic judge.

It was the Archangel Achilles, revealing his true form!

However, his attacks against the supremely skilled dark magician, Inpos, were like a baby’s plaything. He shouted and attacked, but he was ruthlessly suppressed by the dark magic, unable to hold his ground for more than a few rounds before helplessly falling in mid-air, his angelic form entangled in dark curses, struggling fruitlessly.

Looking again, the Divine Kingdom of Light had been forcefully reduced to half its size.

If the God of Light still existed and had consciousness, there was no way it would allow its country to be destroyed like this.

The observers from the empire were amazed.

As for Beelzebub, who was watching from the sidelines, he just smiled, his mockery directed at no one in particular.

“God won’t just watch a kingdom be destroyed? Why do you have such a misunderstanding? For beings like gods, who are almost eternal, what is a kingdom? It’s just a temporary collective, gathering some worker ants for faith, which is what you angels are. Don’t think too highly of yourselves.”

“If the Divine Kingdom is destroyed, it can be rebuilt later. As long as the god is alive, how many Divine Kingdoms can’t be created? How many castles can’t be molded in the dirt at will?”

Beelzebub rested his head on one hand, fingers shifting, sweeping across his face, brushing through a strand of hair. His dark green eyes were clouded with cunning, lips slightly curved as he said, “However, here’s the problem: Is the great luminary of mortals— the God of Light—still alive?”

He seemed to utter a spell.

As soon as he finished speaking, large portions of the Divine Kingdom of Light crumbled.

Numerous angels ceased their actions, their radiant halos dimmed, and they froze like machines.

Achilles had a large area of ​​disintegration on his body, revealing circuit-like lines and incomplete geometric indentations.

Even Achilles was shocked, staring unbelievably at his own flaws, and exclaimed in horror, “This can’t be! I am the perfect creation of the Father God, how can I be like this!”

In the eyes of divine existence, imperfections equaled ugliness. He had always thought himself to be perfect and sublime. Now, with the mask removed, he revealed such an ugly form, completely shattering his faith. This was more painful than being killed.

He cried out in agony, “Father God—why am I imperfect? You deceived me, you lied to me!”

Before the dark magic completely destroyed him, he collapsed in despair. The mythical being, with a level reaching 91, turned into fragments and powder in front of countless witnesses, from glorious radiance to dark closure, in just a few minutes, shocking everyone to the core.

Beelzebub’s smile deepened, his wavy dark green hair fluttering in the wind, as if answering his own question.

“You ask why?”

“Oh, that’s because your Creator was careless, didn’t put in enough effort, so created imperfections, so even if strong, not truly powerful.”

“And you say we don’t have a Creator, huh. How foolish and offensive. Who would like to be told by a strange being that they have no parents? Our Father put much more effort.”

As he spoke, Beelzebub’s expression suddenly darkened. “However, my Father is good, but not too good.”

He seemed unhappy, pressing down the corners of his mouth, appearing somewhat angry.

Meanwhile,

After dealing with the Divine Kingdom of Light, Inpos didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he arrived at the temple of the God of Light.

Behind him appeared Morax.

Morax raised his eyes, looking at the surging energy trough, then turned to glance at the various “collectibles” on the walls of the hall.

Inpos remarked, “They are really scheming for the revival of God.”

Morax glanced sideways, “But they failed. The angels outside look like intellectually challenged giants, which suggests their brains have also taken a hit.”

“Seems like they’ve lost some of their intelligence. The Harmonious War is a simplified version of the War of the Gods. Even in the Gods Era, there was constant strife for control. They prefer making an existence imperfect rather than destroying it, because for them, death isn’t painful, but flaws are.”

Inpos raised his hand, manipulating magic. The “gems” on the wall moved, arranging themselves into a long river that converged around Inpos.

There were elements of human conscience, virtues, the love of beauty, as well as fears, vices, and ugliness.

There were things taken from human nations and things voluntarily offered by them.

Inpos released their bindings, they trembled, then remembered where they should return, gradually disappearing.

Morax remarked, “They are good resources to refine into magic.”

Inpos replied, “Yes, but I don’t need them.”

Morax smiled, then his gaze turned serious. “I should say, none of us do.”

Inpos fell silent for a moment, then said, “I can understand resorting to any means to find Father.”

Morax chuckled, “So can I.”

A few seconds later, they walked out of the Divine Kingdom of Light.

A few seconds after that, a monstrous creature beyond human comprehension suddenly appeared, swallowing the remnants of the Divine Kingdom of Light in one gulp.

It was like an eclipse!

The spectacle was so astonishing that the Imperial forces were left dumbfounded, their warships rendered speechless.

After a long silence, they realized they had gone from being the protagonists to mere supporting characters. Dealing with the Divine Kingdom of Light was never their concern.

“But… at least the crisis is resolved.”

Philly cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood.

The staff around him glanced at each other, realizing the same thing.

“Yeah, no matter what, we’re safe now.”

“Everyone stick to their roles, and stay cautious, don’t let your guard down.”

“National alert temporarily lifted! The Divine Kingdom of Light has disappeared, and the Aust Empire has overcome the crisis!” 

Amidst cheers, Anna lowered her head in thought.

Eilinson walked over, saying, “The actions of the Abyss Lords are unpredictable. Let’s focus on our own affairs. If we can communicate with them, I truly want to thank them face to face.”

Anna paused for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial City, the hero Luo Jie had a feeling that he had missed something important as he stroked his chin lost in thought.

The neighboring countries of the Aust Empire had varying thoughts after learning the complete situation but chose not to make them public.

On the other side, an elder statesman of the Continental Human Alliance’s council wore a somewhat dark expression, his eyes clouded with concern.

At the same time.

Without anyone noticing, Beelzebub stealthily infiltrated the Imperial City, following the trail of his kins’ aura, his gaze fixed in one direction.

Back at the antique shop, Xiu Si looked into the distance, lost in thought, murmuring to himself, “I always feel like there’s something there…”

The white cat sensed something amiss and quickly meowed to interrupt Xiu Si’s thoughts.

Xiu Si paused and turned slowly.

Outside the door, the gray cat and the red cat returned.

Seeing their father unharmed, both cats pounced on him simultaneously.

The black cat, coming a few steps later, realized there was no room left for him.

Damn it, they’re all learning from me. Shapeshifting into a cat was supposed to be my unique skill! 

Aelioge grumbled through gritted teeth.

However, the one who contributed the most this time was undoubtedly Inpos. He was feeling a bit tired, wanting nothing more than to lay down and sleep.

After thinking for a moment, Xiu Si thought that teaching him magic was tiring and he needed to rest well. Teaching was also a physically demanding task.

However…

As Xiu Si patted the gray cat’s back, he suddenly noticed something peculiar about its magical aura. It seemed similar to the magic that brought him back home…

Just then, the red cat, in an untimely manner, let out a yawn, and then, like a satisfied cat after a meal, plopped down and fell asleep.

Xiu Si turned to see that the red cat seemed to have gained some weight, almost rivaling the white cat in plumpness, if he recalled correctly.

He had a nagging feeling that his children were hiding something from him.

Frowning slightly, Xiu Si was about to delve deeper into his thoughts when he noticed a fine golden thread entwined around the red cat.

What’s this?

His curious gaze caught the attention of the black and white cats, and Aelioge turned to look as well.

What they saw surprised them. Morax, after swallowing the Divine Kingdom of Light but before fully digesting it, had returned, emitting divine power!

Aelioge was about to give Morax a wakeup slap when Xiu Si suddenly reached out and lifted the golden thread.

The black and white cats widened their eyes simultaneously.

Huh? Is that something that can be touched?

This approach was similar to what Inpos did to deal with Achilles, as if Xiu Si unconsciously synchronized with Inpos’s power.

But fortunately, nothing was exposed because the golden thread was lifted and broke apart, dissolving and disappearing in less than a few seconds.

However… What would Father think if he knew they had just destroyed the Divine Kingdom of Light?

He would probably be pleased, after all, they did what Father wanted!

Vassago felt a bit moved.

But it’s not the time to say anything yet. Aelioge exchanged glances with Vassago, mentioning that historical revision was already in progress.

Vassago felt a bit conflicted. He didn’t want to hide anything from Father, but for now, it seemed best to wait.

Meanwhile, another thing caught Xiu Si’s attention.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but with a glance just now, he saw that his achievement points had inexplicably increased by 30!

This wasn’t the first time. He clearly hadn’t done anything, yet his achievement points always increased suddenly.

Could it be that the system wasn’t just awaiting an update but had also encountered a bug?

Xiu Si pondered, but despite the unexpected increase in points, he couldn’t figure out the reason behind it. Seeing those monsters in the Divine Kingdom, all around level 80 to 90, while he was only level 20, he realized he needed to level up quickly, strengthen himself, and gather resources to raise his children and survive.

Xiu Si wasn’t idealistic. Having started working early in life, he knew firsthand the hardships of survival.

After some thought, he allocated the achievement points to his creation skills and magic talents.

After allocating the points, his level increased by 5 to 25, and his stats immediately improved. His magic talent points also increased to 5.

He immediately felt a subtle enhancement in the magic flowing within him, strengthening various aspects of his abilities. But instead of feeling like he gained something for nothing, he felt… as if he should have leveled up earlier.

Xiu Si meditated for a few minutes with his eyes closed.

Outside, the black and white cats exchanged relieved glances.

Aelioge: So, did you find Agares?

Vassago: No, Agares is in a very concealed place, very hard to find.

Aelioge: I think there’s something fishy about Father’s disappearance years ago. Along with Father, there were Baal and Beelzebub. I don’t doubt Baal, but Beelzeibub is different. That fellow has always been dark-minded, always up to something shady. He’s very likely to cause trouble.

Vassago fell silent for a moment, as if not entirely agreeing, and said: Beelzeibub has a dark mind, but…

Before finishing his sentence, his gaze shifted to Morax.

The red cat was sleeping soundly, emitting visible golden bubbles from its body, remnants of the Divine Kingdom’s divine power that were almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Can’t this fellow digest everything before coming back?

They both silently criticized.

Meanwhile, Xiu Si, looking at the increased creation skill, couldn’t resist trying it out.

Modeling, refining, bone rigging, weight settings, texture mapping, and so on, all required hands-on work.

With the skill enhancement, his thinking seemed to speed up, and he became more adept at the tasks, improving his efficiency.

He was completely focused and forgot about his surroundings, swiftly navigating through the game interface. After an hour’s work, he had almost successfully shaped the form.

However, this wasn’t the Abyss, where consciousness responded to the form. So, the preliminary model could only be put on hold.

No matter how well-formed, a conscious presence was necessary for it to become a living being with a soul. In a sense, back when Xiu Si was in the extremely dangerous Abyss, his main drive for constant creation wasn’t from within him but from the urging consciousnesses.

They all wanted bodies, to stabilize their existence and no longer be reliant on fleeting, extinguishable consciousness.

After finishing his thoughts, Xiu Si clicked the save button, and a new model was saved in the creation catalog.

But something unexpected happened.

Xiu Si didn’t notice, but the black and white cats outside saw it clearly: some of Morax’s bubbles happened to fall onto Xiu Si.

It was an extremely subtle divine power, posing no harm, but for some reason, Vassago felt something was amiss.

And what felt even more wrong was Xiu Si.

Because the model he had just saved started moving in the catalog, as if a mysterious consciousness was responding to this form, about to revive through this form.

The consciousness wasn’t anything else but the God of Light, which Achilles couldn’t summon back.

The newly created child unexpectedly came to life within the catalog, a situation Xiu Si had never seen before, leaving him a bit bewildered.

But the catalog’s space seemed cramped for the child, making them struggle for breath and look uncomfortable.

Xiu Si was taken aback and quickly released the child.

The black and white cats, exchanging glances, suddenly saw an additional little one.

Father actually created a new sibling? Oh no!

Aelioge was thunderstruck, almost exploding in cat fur.

But Vassago was outright stunned because he saw that the little one with two wings had golden eyes and emitted magic unique to the God of Light!

However, the little one with two wings looked confused, their golden eyes sparkling, as they gazed at Xiu Si and tilted their head, speaking softly like a child just learning language, “Father, Father.”

Their pronunciation was off, but it was clearly understood.

Vassago was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he remembered that although the conceptual gods were nearly eternal, after each generation temporarily died, their consciousness would update. Of course, with the update of consciousness, the core would change completely. The God of Light remained the same, but fundamentally, it wasn’t the same god anymore.

This was the way conceptual gods existed.

In other words, this weak-looking little one might be the newly born God of Light, and also their new sibling.

Aelioge was stunned too upon realizing this, thinking, really? Is this possible?

However, a newborn was still a newborn. They couldn’t walk properly, their eyes were half-closed, their body was soft and squishy, and they wobbled while walking, looking incredibly cute and endearing, easy to evoke sympathy.

Xiu Si couldn’t resist and gently touched the child.

Their golden eyes sparkled again, and they voluntarily nudged Xiu Si’s index finger with their head.

This scene was simply astonishing.

Aelioge was greatly shocked. A newborn God of Light, with no memory at all, but already knows how to vie for affection right from birth?!”

What was even more absurd was that the little one seemed to sense Aelioge’s anger. They innocently turned their head towards him, lifted their tender finger, and pointed at him.

“Father, he fierce…” (TL: or “Father, he is fierce…”)