The True Savior

Within the violently spinning bronze vortex, time had long since fallen into chaos. Countless fireballs shrank from large to small, then grew from small to large, until at last they all became a meteor shower, crashing toward the ground.

As if they meant to completely evaporate this sea and utterly incinerate the Life Furnace.

Amid the roar of the fully formed Dragon King, Lawrence’s consciousness was interrupted in its endlessly rising ascent.

He could only look down from beneath the sea of clouds at the entire ocean. The English Channel, France, England, Ireland, and the broader continent beyond were all within his sight.

His countless eyes looked in different directions.

Scenes appeared in his mind, the sights currently being witnessed by the beasts that had already spread across the continent.

Lawrence suddenly dove downward, his consciousness burning like a furnace.

A strange light and fluctuation spread from his consciousness body.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death—the eternal laws that bound every living being in this world.

No matter how Astounding Talent one was, like Lady Latina of the Dark Ages, who had created a new human civilization alongside visitors from the stars.

And through a few small schemes, had caused the mighty dragon race to ultimately fracture.

Then she died. In just over sixty years, she had become dust.

That Chosen King of England had been so favored by Destiny, a peerless hero who had dared to fight even dragons.

Then she died as well.

Lawrence had seen too many stories like this. He should have become just another part of someone else’s story.

"His Excellency Lawrence possessed Astounding Talent. As a human, he gained power comparable to a Dragon King, allowing humanity to flourish in the medieval era, before ultimately dying in such-and-such year."

He had once accepted such an ending, but unfortunately, he was too strong…

Back then, the few people Lady Latina had brought with her divided up the Blood of the Ancient God. Each drank a portion, and as the bloodline passed down, they became the unchanging pillars of the Church of Healing.

Generation after generation, they fought against the reviving Dragon Kings and those powerful Second Generations.

But through a fortunate coincidence, Lawrence had obtained multiple portions of the Blood of the Ancient God at once. Moreover, he had completely resisted the Ancient God’s mental corruption.

So-called Ancient God corruption was not absolute. It was a kind of knowledge, knowledge that ordinary humans simply could not learn, knowledge that existed only among the stars.

Humans unable to adapt to that knowledge would ultimately mutate into beasts. Yet Lawrence had accepted all of that knowledge, earning the title of Crimson Pope.

Thus, following the lingering consciousness of the Ancient God, he saw that starry sky. And it was there that Lawrence saw true power clearly.

There were no gods, no demons, no hell.

Everything was merely the result of observation.

The world had originally been chaos. A group of higher-dimensional beings observed that chaos according to the future they desired, and reality was thus born.

Human birth, aging, sickness, and death were all merely the result of observation.

Why did people have to die?

Lawrence remembered asking his mother that when he was five, but she had only been a peasant woman with little knowledge. She merely patted Lawrence on the head and said,

"People will die sooner or later. There’s nothing to be done about it, Lawrence."

Bzzzz~

It was as though something began vibrating out of nowhere, causing the sea to boil. The fiery meteors falling from the sky exploded in midair before they could touch the massive blood mist.

Circles of golden ripples spread outward from nowhere. The ripples expanded at incredible speed, surpassing tens of thousands of meters in the blink of an eye.

Like a gigantic magic circle stretching across the skies above the continent.

At the center of the golden ripples, an eye opened. It was Lawrence’s massive eye, containing countless pupils within it.

Lawrence’s gaze grew increasingly compassionate. He knew very well that his next strike would kill tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands or millions of people.

But humanity… had always been this tragic.

If they could not evolve alongside him, they would remain forever trapped in the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

They did not know why they were born, nor why they died.

That immense sorrow was precisely what allowed Lawrence to contain such a vast number of bestial humans without losing control.

Lawrence looked down on Bai Cangshu because he had seen through the beast’s nature at a glance. No matter how well Bai Cangshu disguised himself, no matter how much he wished to draw close to the human heart, his heart was ultimately as lifeless as the stars.

But Lawrence was not putting on an act. He was not selfish. He was the one who truly intended to save mankind… the Crimson Pope!

"Children of man, climb with me to the pinnacle of life!"

"Let us personally ask those creators who coldly shaped this world into its current form—do you find this despairing world interesting?!"

Rumble!

It was as if enraged flames erupted wildly from atop a massive furnace, transforming into an enormous torch that soared into the heavens.

The flames were so mighty that they forced the fiery meteors in the sky to reverse course. The Dragon King who controlled fire was beginning to lose control of these flames filled with human rage.

A massive roar shook heaven and earth. From the grasslands, from the wilderness, even from the frigid peaks of the Alps, the howls of beasts rang out.

The bitter consequence of the Church of Healing saving humanity for countless years through Blood Therapy, a poison to quench thirst, was reversed by Lawrence at this moment.

All evil began moving toward the good that would save everything!

Twisted, ugly bodies leaped up from every corner of the earth. Answering the will of the exalted one in the sky who embraced heaven and earth, they threw themselves into the furnace.

Their flesh-and-blood bodies melted instantly within the terrifying flames, becoming pure flesh and souls, refined by the furnace.

Below, within the thick blood mist where Bai Cangshu was located.

The already immensely potent life force increased in concentration even further.

Creak, creak…

An enormous amount of flesh continuously proliferated. Bai Cangshu’s face could no longer be seen clearly. Immersed in the pleasure of gaining such immense power, he did not realize that his body had already been engulfed by an even greater mass of flesh.

Until at last, when that giant of flesh took shape, Bai Cangshu had been wrapped within its deepest core.

The giant of flesh exhaled, and its scorching breath instantly surged toward the sea. The seawater became boiling hot, and countless fish died and floated to the surface.

"Ah!"

The giant of flesh opened its mouth and roared. A scarlet shockwave tore through the air.

The sea of clouds was pierced in an instant. The bronze vortex in the sky shuddered violently, and the Dragon King’s mournful cry came from within.

The giant of flesh spread its arms and roared ever more furiously at the sky.

Lawrence’s will had not yet descended from above. He still felt it was not enough. This level was still insufficient to set foot among the stars.

The ladder of life had yet to fully unfold.

He still needed a crucial adhesive, a "joke" that the observers had deliberately sent into this world!

A gigantic eye began to condense from within the enormous golden ripples.

Artoria’s expression turned solemn as she felt immense pressure descend from the sky.

It was… the pressure of a gaze!

The other party’s Mental Power and biological level were terrifyingly high. Merely being looked at by that eye brought tremendous pressure.

With one hand, she flung the professor, who had begun vomiting blood again, far out into the sea. Just as she was about to fling Seraphina away as well, her hand froze in midair.

That red-haired girl seemed completely unaffected by the pressure. She stood quietly on the grassland, looking up at the gigantic eye in the sky.

"His Excellency Lawrence truly is remarkable…"

She praised him sincerely. She could see that His Excellency Lawrence’s desire to save the world was genuine.

It was an ambition she could never possess, no matter what.

Unfortunately… that was not an ending everyone was willing to accept.

Seraphina raised her wrist, scarlet blood gleaming like a red gemstone.

Thump.

In the next instant, the giant of flesh seemed to have a heart that beat violently.

Thump!

A more distinct heartbeat sounded.

Then, facial features actually began to appear little by little on the giant’s face, which was covered in knotted flesh. Flesh behind its head extended like tentacles, transforming into thick strands of long, fleshy hair.

"Ha… hahahaha… haha."

A terrifying laugh rang out. Lawrence’s eye trembled, and then he heard the voice of that beastlike man.

"This power of flesh and blood… you’ve done well, Lawrence!"

Boom! A powerful, resolute aura shot into the sky. In an instant, the sea of clouds seemed to melt away and vanish completely.