Chapter 138: The Standoff and the Twilight

Chapter 138 Confrontation at Dusk

The two superiors locked eyes across a vast distance, as mere spatial separation meant nothing to them.

With a slight shift of his dark green irises, his gaze pierced through layers of clouds, diving down from tens of thousands of meters in the sky, plunging straight into the depths of a deep blue sea.

Before Elius’s phantom-like massive form, Chu Fu’s body was nearly reduced to a mere black dot, yet his aura held equal weight.

Perhaps sensing a latent threat from the unknown youth, the sclera of Elius’s left eye darkened from white to black, as if night itself cradled a verdant gem. Meanwhile, the pupil at the center of her eye twisted horizontally, elongating into a narrow, rectangular shape—an unmistakably sinister form.

It was the distinctive pupil of a goat.

Witnessing this transformation from below, Yu Yin couldn’t help but feel puzzled:

Could it be that the Ill Fate Witch’s divine form resembled that of a goat?

Something about this didn’t sit right with Yu Yin. Historical records had never mentioned such a trait. Instead, the *Occult Histories* vaguely described the witch as "a butterfly stirring ominous storms in the night"...

And the likelihood of historical texts being wrong was extremely minute.

Aside from innate divine beings, those who ascended from ordinary intelligent life to divine forms almost always manifested inhuman traits deeply tied to their unique abilities, inclinations, and life experiences.

Thus, the divine forms of High Beings were often highly distinctive—once shaped, they could not be easily altered.

The mystical world often regarded divine forms as "alternate visages." When recording the great figures who left their mark in occult history, scribes took pains to describe them accurately.

To misrecord a figure’s divine form in historical texts would be as grave an error as mistaking their name.

So… why would the Ill Fate Witch, once authoritatively documented as the "Night Butterfly," now involuntarily display goat-like traits?

Unless—

A bold conjecture surfaced in Yu Yin’s mind.

Unless the recently awakened Ill Fate Witch no longer possessed a complete, independent self?

Was there another superior, one resembling a "goat," influencing—or even controlling—her?

Among the surrounding players, many also lowered their heads slightly, lost in thought, clearly forming their own theories.

Yu Yin could even faintly hear someone whispering excitedly: "This information alone makes the journey worthwhile!"

"Too bad we couldn’t record the opening scene—that would’ve sold for a fortune..."

Yu Yin: "..."

Was this the nonchalance of players who had completed all main quests and secured extra rewards, knowing they could exit anytime with their items?

Show some gravity!—They were still dangling in the sky at the mercy of the Ill Fate Witch!

Ignoring the restless ants in her palm, Elius fixed her gaze on Chu Fu, her contrasting sclera—one black, one white—accentuating her unearthly aura.

Her lips curled slowly, though her eyes held little mirth. With thinly veiled mockery, she remarked, "Has the Fate Domain’s younger generation fallen so low?"

"A high-tier soul crammed into a second-order vessel… how pitiful."

Though physically looking up at Elius, Chu Fu’s expression carried an inexplicable air of condescension.

He returned a mocking grin and swiftly countered, "Still not as pitiful as you—born so much earlier, with no competitors of your era, yet vanishing before the final round for the Divine Throne, never even touching its steps."

"Don’t you feel like a complete joke every time you think about it?"

Unaffected by distance, the exchange between the two powerhouses bypassed soundwaves entirely.

Their wills descended like resounding proclamations upon the minds of all nearby living beings, rippling through their consciousness.

—A generous gift, yet also a terrifying ordeal.

Bolder players’ eyes gleamed excitedly, eager to record every word as rare, coveted secrets.

The more timid ones wished they could block it all out, fearing future retribution—yet even covering their ears and shutting their eyes couldn’t stop the words from etching into their consciousness.

Everyone understood: the reason these two High Beings spoke so openly wasn’t out of carelessness—

They simply didn’t regard the onlookers as worth concealing anything from.

At this moment, the only ones worthy of each other’s attention were themselves. The rest were but mere motes, utterly insignificant.

As Chu Fu’s biting remarks landed, the spectators held their breaths, cautiously studying the red-haired witch’s expression, fearing her wrath might spill onto them first.

Fortunately, though Elius’s smile waned slightly, she retained enough composure to reply calmly:

"From the sound of it, you reached the final battle… yet you didn’t win either, did you?"

"Fate's crown settled on your rival’s head, while you—like a beaten dog—cling to a low-tier Ability user’s body, barely surviving."

"As fellow losers with nothing to our names, what right do you have to mock me?"

"..."

At the school gates, Chang Shuyue whipped her head toward Chu Fu upon hearing these blade-like words.

She lamented inwardly—*These two seniors spare no mercy, exchanging venomous barbs.*

Was this sharp-tongued aggression a hallmark of those from the Fate Domain?

The problem was, their escalating hostility had the bystanders trembling in fear!

Chang Shuyue had already started calculating how long the instance world could last if they truly fought…

Yet, against expectations, Chu Fu showed no anger. Instead, he studied Elius’s state thoughtfully and conceded plainly:

"You’re right—I have no grounds to boast. In the eyes of the true victor, our mutual jabs must seem like clowns squabbling."

"Still, I’d argue I’m slightly better off than you."

A hint of pity tinged his tone, further irritating Elius. "At least I know who I am and what I seek. Can you say the same?"

"Are you still the original Ill Fate Witch—or a revived puppet of the Old Gods?"

The implications were staggering, corroborating some players’ earlier suspicions.

Elius lightly touched her left eye, the horizontal goat-pupil contracting slightly, deep in contemplation.

After a long pause, she lowered her hand and smoothed her hair, as if persuading others—or herself: "My Lord brought me back to this world, and I carry His remaining will… This is a fair exchange."

"‘Fair exchange’?"

Chu Fu slowly repeated the words, then retorted sharply: "But you know better—scales between inferior and superior are never balanced. They always tip toward the heavier side."

After a long silence, a flicker of confusion and struggle seemed to pass through the witch's eyes, but these emotions soon vanished like a fallen meteor, swallowed by the demonic goat's slit pupils.

Elius's tone noticeably cooled: "What a pity. Our circumstances are actually the same—neither of us is truly blessed by the Fate Domain, both equally pitiable and pathetic..."

"I had thought we might become allies who could help each other, but it seems you insist on standing against me?"

Chu Fu remained unmoved: "Keep your 'pathetic' for yourself."

His expression remained indifferent and arrogant. "I have never needed anyone's pity—the only one who feels pitiable here is you."

Clearly, even now, trapped in this fragile human body, temporarily casting aside his former name and identity, wandering aimlessly through the amusement park—Wu Suer never considered himself at a disadvantage.

For someone as proud as Wu Suer, any unwanted sympathy or comfort would only be seen as disdain and humiliation.

After a pause, Chu Fu added, "Moreover, in my opinion, compared to that cruel and ruthless old god, the current Fate is marginally more tolerable... Of course, they'd both do well to stay far away and never appear before me again."

All the onlookers present, as well as the audience in the live stream, fell into a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop.

Such irreverence... Could it really be used to describe a powerful True God?!

The speaker might be careless, but the listeners were still fearful and valued their lives—they prayed he'd stop his blasphemous tongue!

"...Very well."

A smile crept back on Elius's face, the high clouds draping her in a hazy veil, making her grin seem distant, icy, and inscrutable. "Even with your shattered and weakened form now, you still dare to oppose me."

"—I admire your courage."

Beside Chu Fu, Chang Shuyue immediately felt a gaze sharp enough to kill lock onto them. A terrifying sense of crisis crawled up her spine, ice water in her veins.

Chang Shuyue's legs trembled slightly as she weakly asked, "M-Mr. Chu, do you have any chance of defeating her?"

Under Chang Shuyue's hopeful gaze, as if he were her last lifeline, Chu Fu shook his head and spread his hands: "As you can see, I'm merely a second-rate Ability User now."

"..." All was lost.

Her last shred of hope shattered abruptly. Chang Shuyue's eyes glazed over, her lips trembling slightly, unable to speak for a moment.

Watching her face grow increasingly pale, Chu Fu sighed softly, offering a hint of reassurance: "But I never said I planned to confront her head-on—don't worry. I still have one last gift in reserve, just for her."

As he spoke, Chu Fu raised his arms high and stepped toward Elius. Between his arms, a brilliant phantom of a solar disk slowly rose.

The blazing solar disk, like a phoenix taking flight, soared into the sky in an instant, its outline growing more solid. The radiance it cast reflected in the eyes of all who looked up, as though the heavens had birthed a twin sun.

The light of the solar disk phantom illuminated the world, piercing through the clouds and radiating a magnificent orange-red hue, as if a blood-red dusk had suddenly descended, enveloping the city skyline in a dreamlike beauty.

Yet upon closer inspection, one would notice the surface of this sun was covered in intricate vein-like tendrils, faintly rooted into the sky, as though the sun itself were a closed eye emerging from the firmament.

"Elius!"

With a grin of impending mischief, Chu Fu called out his opponent's name, then executed an overly elaborate bow, politely explaining:

"This is a recording I once made of twilight in my homeland. Such scenes accompanied my ancestors for years, seared into my memory."

"Now—do enjoy the show."

Faced with the ever-intensifying radiance radiating from the twilight phantom, Elius sensed the arrival of a force of decay, her face underwent a sea change.

This was no mere twilight!

—This was clearly a past recording of the True God of the Decay Domain, "Twilight Calamity"!