As the visages of the New Deity and Progenitor Dragon disappeared from the sky, Fang Ze hovered in mid-air, yet did not feel any joy.
"But why?" Fang Ze questioned as he casually swung his hand to disintegrate a nearby devil.
The people around him were cheering in joy, as the invasion had been completely pushed back, leaving only a few invaders behind.
These stragglers were nothing but a small issue in the bigger picture, which could be cleaned up later on after things had settled down.
"Why do I feel so tired?" Fang Ze wondered as he slowly descended. In the split second that he was reinforced by the power of the world, his strength wasn't simply boosted. Even now, without the overlapping power of the timelines, he was much stronger than he used to be.
Without any notice, his [Origin] had reached the third stage of release, and a very deep level of release as well, but it was also because of this that he was feeling a sense of strange emptiness.
Landing near the D.E.R division HQ, his mental power quickly noticed the secret room and the Apocalypse Stone Tablet that was lying inside.
He could also feel the exhausted will of the world, who had used up the last of its Source Energy to achieve the overlapping of the timelines.
In the HQ's lobby was a spreading pool of blood, Seven laid there, dead from the bullet holes all over her body. However, the other people in her vicinity had fallen into a much stranger state, while their bodies remained active and lively, their souls were already gone.
They were too close to the center of the overlapping timelines and lost their lives from the influence.
Fang Ze only took a single glance at Seven's body outside the gate before kicking it open.
Inside, An Ping and Chang Xia sat in their respective chairs, but were in a considerably worse state compared to the people outside, as their bodies crumbled into ashes and vanished from the gust of wind created by Fang Ze's entry.
Standing in front of the Apocalypse Stone Tablet and reading its inscription, Fang Ze stood still for a very long while.
Without his notice, several people had already gathered behind him. The old Disaster King Yake Toth was injured, but still spoke with a healthy tone: "Mister An Ping had sacrificed himself to protect this world. I suggest that we change the name of the Disaster Emergency Response division to the Post-Disaster Relief Department, from which we will resolve the various issues after this world-wide disaster"
"Mister Fang Ze, please become the new department head"
As the strongest fighter, Fang Ze had touched the hearts of many people during his process of saving the world, as it was necessary for his ability to borrow their powers. As long as they wanted to, and with a bit of propaganda, he could become the Messiah, the most influential man in the world.
"Three Disaster Kings had lost their lives, but their Authorities did not go out of control" Fang Ze muttered in a hoarse voice, stating something completely unrelated to the matter at hand.
He turned around to face everyone, each of them had a hint of sorrow and pain on their expressions, but couldn't hide the joy of victory on it.
"I'm tired, leave me some space first" Fang Ze said.
The others looked around and sensed that something might be amiss, but since Fang Ze was the strongest among them, his words convinced the others to leave, with only He Qiao remaining.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Fang Ze's complexion became pale as he turned and asked He Qiao: "Wang Yuan!"
〖 So you've noticed 〗'He Qiao', or rather Negary, answered him without a single hint of surprise: 〖 I'm going to leave soon, so you'll naturally be able to enjoy your reputation as the Messiah and live the rest of your life with your beloved, happily ever after 〗
"Do you really think that's possible?" Fang Ze's eyes became extremely fearful: "He has already begun to recall the Authorities. Even me, the 'world's savior' might lose my life in one of the post-war cleaning battles not too long after this"
〖 You already have an idea of what to do already, don't you? Otherwise, you would have already killed me as soon as you noticed 〗Negary smirked: 〖 This is point when he is the weakest. Furthermore, don't you have a few natural allies? I'm sure they'll be thrilled to cooperate with you 〗
"It's all your fault…" Fang Ze started sobbing while clutching his hair, his current appearance was nothing like a Messiah, he was more like a coward, or even a lunatic instead.
〖 Now how could you say that, I merely gave you freedom 〗Negary chuckled: 〖 The freedom of thought 〗
〖 Well then, see you later, Mister Fang Ze. I will be leaving very soon, if you want to act, you had better do it quickly 〗Negary flashed a brilliant smile of indescribable beauty, followed by He Qiao's body collapsing to the ground.
Before the world invasion began, Negary had given Fang Ze a little gift: by using the Light Casting technique, he implanted a portion of his own soul into Fang Ze's [Origin].
That portion of his soul contained the information regarding the Dragon of Eternal Sin form, and had absolute trust towards Fang Ze.
This way, when Negary used Fang Ze's ability, Fang Ze would also be able to utilize Negary's 'error' property through the Dragon of Eternal Sin.
It was when Fang Ze achieved the third stage of release that he finally noticed Negary's gift, and also when he was the strongest. Without hesitation, he borrowed Negary's ability and created a miniature Dragon of Eternal Sin within his own head.
Under the influence of the 'error' property, his thoughts became free. For the very first time, he clearly saw his own life, his predetermined path, and for that reason, he felt pained.
However, Fang Ze's sobbing soon faded; just as Negary said, he had already made his decision, with how much hostility there was between the two of them, Fang Ze would have already killed Negary immediately as he discovered him. The reason why he refrained from doing so was because if Fang Ze killed Negary, he would lose Negary's ability, he would once again fall under the absolute influence of the so-called [Protagonist Aura], forced to walk the path carved out for him.
He was nothing but a puppet who had been under another's control all his life, his sobbing started to turn into a twisted, eerie voice: 『 Perhaps, I really was infected by Wang Yuan 』
He looked up, staring at the distant Apocalypse Stone Tablet. His original enthusiastic presence abruptly changed; turning into an eerie, ominous one that was inexplicably similar to Negary.
With a swing of his hand, the reinforced glass was broken, and the Apocalypse Stone Tablet slowly collapsed. Fang Ze covered his face and turned around, embracing He Qiao's unconscious body.
Negary will leave very soon, and once he does, I will not be able to borrow his ability any longer, so I really have to act quickly.
The final image before the New Deity and Progenitor Dragon disappeared flashed through Fang Ze's mind, the gazes they gave him were still very clear, solid enough for him to practically feel on his skin.
Just like Negary, those two had also given him a small gift. With their great power, even while they were off-world, they would still be able to lend Fang Ze their powers.
As he made his way outside with He Qiao in his embrace, a scorching power began to burn through his body, causing his visage to morph; similarly, that power was also being poured into He Qiao's body bit by bit through his hands.
With the sound of his footsteps, the cheering crowd outside suddenly froze. Fang Ze's 5-meter-tall body was now clad in burning black flames; with a flap of his devilish wings, the devil horns on his head curved towards each other to form the shape of a laurel crown.
The most powerful devil of the Burning Crusade had been born.
The entire world once again started to tremble. Now with Fang Ze as the insider, this world could no longer resist the invasion of the New Deity and Progenitor Dragon.
Flames erupted all over the world, just in time when Negary was preparing to leave.
