After watching Dyon dig himself back out from an abyss of despair, Oshire felt that life simply wasn't worth living anymore. He didn't allow the second form of [Incarnate] to activate because he wanted to kill Dyon, he allowed it to activate because he was too cowardly to take his own life.
There would be no grand redemption for Oshire. Even to the end, his thoughts remained as pathetic as they were from the start.
Too cowardly to take your own life? Since when was committing suicide an act of courage? Dyon had never seen it that way…
Well, at least in his youth, he didn't. It was why he hoped Madeleine wouldn't take her life all those years ago, even if it meant marrying Chenglei.
However, to the more mature Dyon, he saw things a bit different. Not everything was in black and white… Not every suicide was cowardly and not every decision to live was brave.
Still, even believing there might be subtle nuance to certain situations, Dyon would always respect those who chose to live and fight.
Even now, Oshire simply believed that Dyon was too great, that he himself was just too pathetic, that this entire battle was just another proof that he was a simple man not meant for this world.
But was this true?
Dyon would never claim that he started at the bottom in talent. Though his qi and body realm talent didn't become whole until recently, his soul talent had always been overwhelming. This fact alone had helped pull him through many troubles… Even today was another example.
But did Oshire start at the bottom either? Didn't he come from one of the greatest Clans in current existence? Even if he didn't get the best resources from his Clan, was he as helpless as others in this regard?
Just look at his Faith. He had been in the tower quadrants for so long, a place where the greatest Faith available was of the Comet Grade, yet he could find a way to improve himself here? Who could match him but a select few?
Even Clara became a Celestial in just a few decades when her cultivation talent was pitiful. Who would you be trying to fool if you said Oshire couldn't become a Dao expert with thousands of years?
"[Devour]…" Though Dyon didn't want to do it, Oshire's memories had too much useful information.
The person Dyon felt the most sorry for wasn't Oshire at all, but the woman he claimed to love.
"She cared for you so much… Yet you didn't even dare to fight."
Oshire's lifeforce faded away slowly.
"… Everything… Should just burn… Everything… Will burn…"
Those were his final words before what remained of his soul was sealed away and preserved by Dyon. He wouldn't be tortured like Matriarch Niveus, but Dyon couldn't allow him to die completely just yet. If the Sapientia's main clan realized he had died, there would be endless troubles.
"The Sapientia are still keeping tabs on the 99 universes, hm…? Interesting."
Dyon looked up and into the skies, his blood matted white fur slowly retracting into his skin.
But the moment this happened, a rumbling of golden clouds began to circulate above.
Dyon sighed. "… Why can't I have nice things…"
Dyon looked up and into the skies and sighed again. It would have been smarter of him to heal before he released his celestial beast transformation, but there were two problems with that. First, he had fallen victim to wishful thinking. He thought that maybe he wouldn't have to face his dao tribulation at all after skipping it, so such a thought wasn't even on his mind. Second, even if he had thought this far, after maintaining the transformation for four months, even he was quickly approaching his limit.
Maintaining his celestial beast form through his manifestation wasn't that taxing on his soul, Dyon wondered if there was anything besides the treasures of the 33 heavens that could test his soul stamina at all at this point. The issue was his body.
His Titan Diamond Body didn't like relying on his celestial beast body at all. Titans were created for the purpose of humans climbing over beasts and wresting away from their rule.
By relying on a beast to survive, Dyon was essentially slapping the face of his own constitution. The push and pull effect had been one of the greatest stresses on his body in the last few months, even beyond the battle with the Sapientia Ancestor itself.
Such a reality made Dyon sigh. He had been looking forward to what benefits his Demon Qilin transformation might bring him, but who knew he'd hit such a roadblock.
It wasn't all completely useless considering Dyon could still last four months in the transformation, but this truth made it certain that he would be unable to bring out the manifestation's full potential.
"Well… Come then."
Dyon's 12 wings spread. Hovering while attached to the halo a small distance from his back, it gave him a majestic look despite his beaten and bloodied appearance.
It seemed the Heavens really wouldn't ever allow him the chance to take on his tribulations while fully healthy. What a sick game it liked to play…
The skies opened up, churning with killing intent.
Of the War God tribulations, Dyon had faced two. The first was the War God Avatar tribulation and the second was the War God Heart tribulation. Of them, the second was what resulted in the War God's death for various reasons Little Yang explained to Madeleine back in the Golden Flame Mystical Realm.
[Author Note: As a quick refresher, the War God didn't embrace his title as he should. He liked to call himself Battle God, but a battle could never encompass the true weight of a war. As such, his naïve stubbornness left a shadow on his heart, leading to his eventual death. Of those with Ancient Constitutions, the War God was the closest to transcending, but he failed in his 9th and final tribulation.
