Death is not the end.

In the Lord of the Rings-Alda worldview, the death of all living things is not the end.

Whether it's elves, dwarves, or humans. When their bodies die, their souls do not perish. They will leave Middle-earth and head to the northern part of the overseas wonderland of Amen, where a fortress known as the 'Temple of Mandus' awaits them.

This is where the elves will reshape their bodies and start their destiny in the next life.

The dwarves will wait in the ashram until the end of the day breaks.

Humans, on the other hand, will travel to another place after a short stay, another world that no one knows except the Creator and the King of the Gods, but is destined to be extremely sublime.

This is Alda's rule. It is the foundation of the universe that is as solid as mathematics and physics.

Just like Iluvita's will, it drives everything in this direction. No matter what happens, no disobedient person will have the power to resist such might.

Unless...... Illuvita was left to herself.

Unless...... The gods are powerless to maintain order in the world.

That's it.

That's it.

Nothingness spreads across the lands of Amen with the silence of the gods. It is the tide that engulfs Vientiane, eroding every piece of sacred land that was once a pure white sandbar. The majestic and fortified temple of Mandus was struck by the tide of nothingness. And when the hub of the underworld crumbles and shatters in the tide, the first to bear the brunt are the thousands of souls hiding in it.

The elven's soul radiated a brilliant glow, but it quickly turned to gray stone and gravel.

The dwarven soul burst out with a warlike roar, only to be drowned by the waves in the blink of an eye, grinding until it turned to ashes.

And like the first two, the most fragile human souls obviously can't escape the same doom. Some of them gather in groups, huddling together in the tide of nothingness to keep warm. Some fled in all directions, trying to avoid the omnipresent waves—they were the most numerous, for it was a time of war in Middle-earth. They are powerless, for the void of nothing engulfs everything, leaving no remnant of those who resist.

Yes...... One thing is wrong.

In nothingness, there is not nothingness. Even in the chaotic void where order does not exist, there are still clusters of predators.

They have sharp arthropods.

Their outlines are blurred.

Their most famous cousin bears the name 'Ugoliant'.

They are spiders in the void, clad in a veil of twilight, so much so that they look like they can manipulate shadows.

'Sss

'Sss

Blurred arthrops peek out from the waves of nothingness, delicately capturing the scattered human souls. The screams and begs for mercy were soon drowned out by the crumbling of chews, and the delicious food attracted the attention of the spider colony.

'Sshh

Sharp arthropods dismantled the temple of Mandus that had been shattered in the tide of nothingness. The dark mouthparts captured the horrified wails of the spirits, and then drank heartily.

This is true death.

Even if Iluvita prescribes the fate of humanity, there is nothing he can do about it at this moment. Because the Void Spiders do not exist in the great movement of Illuvita's creation, they will only hide in the distant depths of the void when the splendor of the gods shines, far away.

As a result, death has piled up thousands of dollars in a very short period of time, and the weight of the enormous 'death' has even affected the stability of the recent Great Barrier of Iluvita - the huge barrier that was already crumbling due to the silence of the gods finally emitted a burst of unbearable sounds. Perhaps in the next moment, a chain reaction will be created like the collapse of a dam.

Maybe.

There was a slight lag in the convergence of the spider colony. Before they devoured the last of the souls in the wreckage of the temple of Mandus. They were met with a small glimmer of light.

Not the light of the elves, not the light of nature.

It was a dim, cloudy, not even stable light. It wandered aimlessly through the ruins of the temple, cutting at will everything that stood in its path—small strands of human spirits lurking behind it, following it in any direction it scrambled in any direction. Soon, a hungry gluttonous splut appeared among the Void Spiders, screaming sharply towards the cloudy mass of light.

'Huh——! The spider's arthropods and the front half of its skull shattered suddenly, and it made a miserable sound, and then died. The predator became food in an instant, and its remains were immediately eaten by its kind.

It was the brilliance of the gods—and the Void Spiders immediately agreed. Although it was the first time they had seen such a cloudy and incomplete radiance, they could be sure of the divine power contained in the glow.

Why is there a deity here? - I don't know.

Why is this deity so weak and so unclean? - I don't know.

The Void Spiders' minds are not active, and limited information cannot provide them with much more. But the fear of the splendor of the gods, etched in the depths of the blood and bones, is a precious enough weight. And it was enough to shake the scales in the hearts of these void predators.

So they retreated and acknowledged the power of the gods. The ownership of this hunting ground is temporarily abandoned, after all, the predators also cherish their hard-won lives.

After all...... This is not the only hunting ground for dining.

…………………………

[From the beginning, I didn't need you. 】

[Withdraw from the world in my eyes, and don't disturb me in any way. 】

That sentence still echoed in Zhao Fukong's mind, even though he was dead.

He was aware of his death, but he also realized that he was in a complex situation of 'not being born and not dying'.

- Why haven't I died yet?

He thought. He couldn't find a reason to live.

- Is it because of the special nature of the Lord of the Rings? Or was that stupid woman Alexandra buying me a resurrection item?

- If she really resurrects me, the first thing she will do when she wakes up is to cut off her head.

Zhao Fukong didn't want to live - what did he mean by living? Before he stepped into the world of reincarnation, the only thing he couldn't worry about was his sister Sakura, who had lost her memory and power. And after he arrived in the reincarnation world, he has also been exploring ways to find external forces to solve the death situation of the congenital cripple of the spiritual light of the members of the Empty Project.

He knew that Zhao Yingkong was in the reincarnation world—he had known it for a long time. Because when he returned to reality for the first time and risked being punished by the Lord God to search for Zhao Yingkong's traces without any results, he knew that Zhao Yingkong must have arrived in the world of reincarnation. The only thing he wasn't sure about was which team Zhao Yingkong had descended on, but he knew that as long as he had enough experience in team battles, he would be able to meet Sakuraku's reincarnation team sooner or later.

This is where the strategy of killing all the newcomers in team battles comes from, as he wants to meet Sakura as soon as possible and join his sister, who has lost her memory and powers. And if the team is so strong that it is overrated, then ...... When he met Sakura, what awaited him might be Sakura, who had the same power realm as himself, unlocked the fourth-order genetic lock, and penetrated deep into the state of demons.

Sakuraku's inner demon has already erupted once, and if she breaks Ruikong's seal and explodes again. Then the symptoms must be much worse than the last time. And if the hollowness of the mind of the members of the empty plan grows, maybe even if they find a way to save Sakura, they will not be able to play a sufficient effect.

I'm going to lose Sakura once again if that happens.

So, I had to get in touch with Sakura before she was growing up - to make sure she was doing, her symptoms. and then use all means to save her. Even...... When making sure she hasn't wasted her chance at resurrection, and that she doesn't have a cure yet. Temporarily wipe her and her team out of the way there is only one dead seed left.

This is the price of necessity, the sacrifice of doom.

He believed in Sakuraku's potential, and he was sure that Sakura would be resurrected again and appear in his eyes. Of course, the execution of such a plan is bound to require some small risks. But even so......

- In an infinite world, there must be infinite opportunities. Sooner or later, I'll be able to find a cure for Sakura. And even if Sakura dies, sooner or later I will be able to find a way to resurrect her.

The power of the Lord God is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there is no doubt about it.

Zhao Weikong has made a lot of efforts for this. He has been looking for a way to solve the lack of innate spiritual light, and he has been working hard to suppress the rating of the East American team. Under his manipulation and occasional out-of-control frantic interference, except for a few leftovers in the East American team who were a little talented, but destined to have no upper limit, were left by him to work as handymen, almost all newcomers with potential or no potential could not survive the three reincarnation world battles he interfered in.

Until the woman...... No, including that woman.

The woman named Yalishandra, a person who hid her cleverness under her love brain, had the ability but not the most capable mental potential—in Zhao Yukong's original plan, even if she survived this world, she would find a reason to erase her. Because although her ability is not very strong, she has also reached the point where she can shake the rating of the East American team a little. And...... I was unexpectedly a little indulgent to her.

Zhao didn't understand what was going on, but he did find that he was extra patient with Alexandra, and would unconsciously set his eyes on her - this may be the reason why Alexandra disguised herself with her love brain. Although that love brain is nine false and one true, and as time goes by, it gradually becomes more than one true.

This can perhaps be understood as some kind of love at first sight.

But Zhao would not allow it - the plan he had set for himself was to kill Alexandra at the end of this world. And if he can't control himself before that, so that he has some kind of deep physical connection with her, he will kill her immediately.

Of course, all of these plans have been completely erased with the confirmation of Sakuraku's current situation.

Sakura has a lover...... And it's also a flowery lover. This kind of thing made him a little irritable...... Well, angry. But what he had in his heart was more joy. Because he knows that Sakura is not a person who can let go of her pride at will, and since she has made such a choice, it means that she has poured her heart.

My sister has been happy, so my brother should bless her - even if my brother does have a lot of inconvenient thoughts in his heart, it will not prevent him from making the right choice.

But that's not Sakuraku.

That's just the dregs of the void, the continuation of the void. And the real Sakura has already been saved with the help of Ruikong. And ...... for yourself Not only did nothing come of it from beginning to end, but it became an obstacle to Sakuraku's recovery.

Zhao Weikong had already made up his mind that he would pay whatever it took to cure his sister's birth defects. Even if that price ...... It's himself.

So......

- That's good.

It's good to die at the hands of Sakura, to die at the hands of Sakuraku's companions. This useless brother of mine has provided his sister with a little reincarnation resources. And since this stumbling block has been removed, it should not appear in the eyes of those who cherish it again.

So......

- Why...... Am I not dead yet?

Zhao Jiukong couldn't understand.

Zhao couldn't agree—he swore that if it was really Alexandra who resurrected him, he would have to cut off her head cleanly before dying again.

However......

- 'Zhao Fukong ......'

He heard a voice.

He had been dead for an unknown amount of time, but he heard a voice.

He heard the call, heard the whispers. The caller's voice belonged to Alexandra, but it seemed to be mixed with something strange, familiar.

- 'Zhao Fukong ......'

Shut up.

- 'Zhao Fukong ......'

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

The body seems to be surging in a certain direction, and the consciousness seems to have acquired a new form. Even if he resisted with all his might, his body subconsciously approached in that direction.

- 'Zhao Fukong ......'

No, no. Can't pass, can't wake up. The stumbling block should disappear, and he shouldn't reappear in Sakuraku's world!

The will was surging, and in a trance, he seemed to have really succeeded in moving away a little. However, the next moment, he felt another repulsion coming from behind, like a murmur, like gratitude, like the hands of countless strangers, pushing himself towards the outside.

？？？

An incomprehensible situation happened to Zhao Shukong, who didn't understand why so many strangers would be grateful to him. And those countless hands gradually turned into a huge gathering of power. And in the end, it becomes an irresistible whisper.

- 'Thank you for living......

- You ......

“…… What are you doing-"

Zhao Shukong opened his eyes.

What greeted my eyes was a crimson purgatory.

Beneath the pitch-black towers is reflected the hot wasteland obscured by red light. On the gloomy platform overlooked by the Giant Eye, an ownerless ring of power was placed on it.

However, it didn't matter, he had already been robbed of all attention by the girl in front of him—a girl with a familiar face, but it was no longer clear whether it was a Western or an Oriental girl, her long golden hair fluttering in the wind, and the girl's eyes were full of tiredness but full of smiles.

"Welcome back, Brother Empty." The girl's voice is as beautiful as a wind chime.

"You are...... Ruikong? "The voice of doubt, the affirmative sentence. The link between the hearts was suddenly established, and the next moment, he knew everything that Zhao Ruikong and Yalessandra had done.

His heart was filled with joy in this moment.

However, the next moment, it turned into an indescribable huge fear.

Because he saw the girl in front of him gently raise her head, revealing her snow-white neck.

He was holding a sword in his hand, and he had no power to stop himself.

"One goes, one goes back. It's an exchange, but it's also a guarantee. After all, in this world, you want to resurrect a powerful person...... After all, it depends on the power of the gods. ”

The girl in front of him smiled hard at him.

"So, Brother Empty. Don't worry about me, it's just a ......"

'Whew-'The sharp edge of the sword of Morgul slashed through the girl's neck like a night breeze through the grass.

Zhao Yingkong, the master of the personality, once asked him if Ruikong appeared in front of him, would he cut off Ruikong's head to free her early. He replied with default at the time.

Before he awoke, he had already booked Alexandra's death three times, vowing that if he said goodbye, he would behead her.

Now, he did.

(End of chapter)