Chapter 74 Ending (Full Text)
Tartarus seemed to notice something and tried to reach out to touch Xia Ying's cheek, but she grabbed his hand.
Quickly refocusing her attention on the present, Xia Ying asked urgently, "How is the situation now?"
Tartarus glanced at her, then used magic to activate the imagery. Several images popped up one after another, presenting Xia Ying with scenes from different locations within the academy.
In Cocytus, the crimson moon and blood-red light intertwine, splashing scarlet across everything, leaving almost no place untouched.
"The anti-virus barrier is still effective. Lilith's army cannot yet enter Cocytus in large numbers, but it won't last long," Tartarus said. "The barrier cannot block the moonlight, and the abyssal creatures within the school are fighting each other out of control. Most of them are already dead."
He paused slightly before continuing, "I have closed the Fountain of Life. The souls of the deceased will remain in the fountain temporarily until the appropriate time for them to be resurrected."
"That's good." Xia Ying was relieved. "Where's Lilith? What's she doing now?"
"She is gathering strength for the final battle."
"Accumulate strength?"
"Lilith has dispatched an endless army of viruses to the entire Demon Realm. They are eroding space at an alarming rate and transferring the power they gain to Lilith."
"...What a stereotypical, world-destroying villain!" Xia Ying couldn't help but mutter in her panic. "So, does that mean I should have to fight Lilith as soon as possible?"
Tartarus nodded slightly.
Xia Ying did not answer immediately. She turned her head and looked at the scenes in the image magic one by one.
Amidst the cruel scenes, she saw Fafnir and Nidhogg perish together in dragonfire, Qilin walk through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to fend off the invaders' attacks, and Charybdis struggled to maintain the barrier. When the barrier broke, Taotie tore off a piece of its body to plug the gap.
Her gaze fell on the final scene, where the fierce battle between Typhon, Cerberus, and Fenrir was still raging.
“If you think you can’t face Lilith in a direct confrontation, perhaps we have other options.” Tartarus stepped behind her. “Cocytus can perform spatial jumps, and its current magic is enough to keep it operating in the void for decades…”
“That doesn’t sound like something you would say.” Xia Ying turned to him and smiled. “Shouldn’t the Demon Lord be telling me, ‘Stop dawdling and get going’?”
Tartarus smirked: "Didn't you ask me to be gentler with you?"
Xia Ying asked in shock, "Did you really write this clause into the contract?"
“Of course,” he said. “Don’t you think I’ve been gentle enough with you so far?”
Xia Ying thought for a moment and reluctantly admitted, "As the Lord of Demons, it seems that it is indeed... To be honest, thank you for telling me this. I don't seem so nervous anymore."
Tartarus awaited her next words and was prepared to carry out any decision she made.
Then, he heard Xia Ying say to him, "But I don't intend to run away. This is not only for Xia Kaiyun's wish, but more importantly, only by defeating Lilith can I truly reach the future."
Xia Ying raised her head, gripped her weapon tightly, and felt the magical wind passing through her hair.
Wish me luck, Tartarus.
She spoke slowly.
Xia Ying rose into the air, passing through the barrier like a reversed meteor. Just as she sensed Lilith's presence, Lilith immediately noticed her arrival.
They gazed at each other from afar, as if confronting another version of themselves that was both similar and possessed a completely different essence.
Xia Ying was the first to move.
The white, skeletal moon shone brightly at that moment, illuminating her path ahead.
In the instant the white moonlight fell, Typhon's claws tore open the Frostwolf's throat, and in the next instant, Cerberus's giant scythe pierced Typhon's heart.
Typhon let out a deafening howl, but ultimately could not reverse the outcome of her defeat. Her body collapsed and gradually became still.
Cerberus's injuries didn't look much better than Typhon's corpse, but after personally shattering the powerful, once invincible shadow in his heart, he suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
“Hey, Fenrir, we won.” Cerberus struggled to push aside Typhon’s corpse and dug out the frostwolf trapped underneath. “Did you hear me, Fenrir?”
The frost wolf's cold body remained motionless, its fur covered with dried blood.
"So you were already dead..."
Cerberus withdrew his hand, bored, and prepared to leave. But as he was about to turn around, he noticed Fenrir tilting his head back, seemingly gazing at the sky. The white and red moonlight mingled and reflected in his dull blue eyes.
Cerberus looked in the direction Fenrir had gazed before his death and saw a white trail spreading rapidly across the horizon.
“Xia Ying…?” he murmured to himself, “That’s right, that’s Xia Ying.”
Cerberus's body moved, and he couldn't help but rush towards the white light path, but another red light attacked Xia Ying's location even faster than him. When the two lights collided, an unparalleled energy shock burst forth.
Cerberus felt almost no pain as his body was silently annihilated by the impact.
Not only the demon hounds, but all living things in Cocytus were equally enveloped by a grand and irresistible death at this moment.
Cerberus exclaimed in astonishment at the Fountain of Life, which was almost dyed into a galaxy by countless points of light: "There are so many! Are all the dead in the entire Demon Realm here?!"
In fact, the truth was not much different from his casual guess. Not only the abyssal creatures that died in Cocytus were contained in the Fountain of Life, but also monsters from other parts of the Demon Realm that had perished due to the viral invasion.
Death suddenly became bustling. Cerberus, who was a loner and disliked all group activities, was pondering how to leave this crowded place when the spring water suddenly rippled and began to flow in a certain direction.
Cerberus surged forward with the flowing water, pushing aside the points of light around him, and forcefully darted to the very front. His vision finally became clear, and Cerberus saw a familiar figure in the direction he was heading.
"Xia Ying!!!"
In the midst of the chaos, Xia Ying seemed to hear someone calling her.
Realizing this, Xia Ying regained her human form, and as her consciousness became clearer, her size continued to expand. Then, Lilith appeared.
Xia Ying couldn't help but take a step back: "Uh, it's really big..."
Although Xia Ying felt that she had become very big, Lilith was like a towering tree. Her upper body was still a woman with black wings, while her lower body transformed into translucent roots that burrowed into the space, constantly absorbing golden energy.
That was the power Tartarus spoke of, the power stolen from the demon realm.
Lilith crouched down, casting a cold gaze at the enemy. Xia Ying felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly jumped away. Lilith's roots missed their mark and quickly launched a second attack on her landing spot.
Xia Ying didn't dare to stop dodging around for a moment: "No! This is too big! How am I supposed to fight it!"
"Xia Ying!" she heard someone say, "I'm here to help you!!"
Xia Ying immediately looked around: "Kerr? Is that you?"
She did not see Cerberus, so she held her breath and tried to catch his voice again.
"??" Xia Ying looked at the surging spring water and didn't know whether she should run or not. Suddenly, the [Abyss Dangerous Creatures Compendium] appeared and automatically turned its pages. The spring water flowed into the pages, and as the souls of the abyss creatures activated the compendium page by page, the power also flowed into Xia Ying's body.
Her size continued to grow, quickly surpassing Lilith's rate of increase. Lilith, watching her appearance change in various forms, felt a chill for the first time.
She suddenly realized that her enemy might not be the ordinary human girl she initially thought...
The moment Tartarus's soul entered the encyclopedia, the entry for the Lord of Demons was also activated, and six black wings suddenly unfurled behind Xia Ying.
The situation had completely reversed. Xia Ying opened her eyes and gave Lilith a malicious smile.
"Excuse me, from now on I will be entering the second stage."
Two fragments of the deity merged within her body, unleashing an blinding light. Lilith's body was torn apart in the intense light, and a third fragment gently floated up, drifting towards Xia Ying.
Cerberus watched this moment intently until, in the silence, Xia Ying reached out and caught the fragment.
...To be honest, the sheer number of abyssal creatures currently resurrecting in the Fountain of Life is making Cerberus feel a bit disgusted.
He frantically searched for Xia Ying in the spring, but could not sense her presence. Suddenly, magnificent wings appeared in Ker's sight, and the newly resurrected Demon Lord rose from the lake, using magic to brush away the water droplets, still maintaining his annoyingly arrogant demeanor.
Before the Demon Lord could leave, Cerberus rushed forward and stopped him: "Wait! Why isn't Xia Ying here?!"
“Lilith has indeed been defeated, but Xia Ying’s battle is not over yet.” Tartarus slowed his pace slightly. “After the fragments merge, whether 'Xia Ying' or the original deity will be preserved is something no one can know right now.”
After mercifully answering the demon hound's question, Tartarus turned and left.
He had no time to linger any longer; whatever the outcome, he had to make sure he was the first to reach the end.
The Demon Lord flew towards Cocytus. The three moons that were originally high in the sky were obscured by dark clouds, and the moonlight of various colors was intertwined, like an unsolved riddle that could not be clearly seen.
Suddenly, a shadow tore through the dark clouds and emerged from the moonlight.
The deity flapped its black wings and slowly descended, finally taking its seat on the platinum throne.
Her face was hidden in the shadows, and Tartarus could not see her expression.
He stepped forward, knelt before her, bowed his head, and awaited her judgment.
After a long while, a hand gently landed on Tartarus's head.
Her fingers slowly moved down, picking up a strand of his hair.
Tartarus looked up in surprise and met Xia Ying's smiling eyes.
"Are you willing to officially become my priest, Tartarus?"
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Cerberus returned to room 1008 in building C.
He leaned against the windowsill, anxiously observing the moonlight, all sorts of random prayers swirling in his mind, but he dared not think about the possibility of Xia Ying disappearing.
That's right, Xia Ying always wins; she always keeps her promises.
...But what if?
If Xia Ying no longer exists in the world, how will he find himself?
Before he could completely lose his mind, Cerberus suddenly saw the clouds disperse and the three moons merge into one.
The moonlight was white!
At that very moment, the door to room 1008 in building C was also knocked on.
Cerberus rushed to open the door at the fastest speed he had ever been, and the moment his eyes met the other person's, he was warmly enveloped by a tremendous sense of security and happiness.
This was perhaps the happiest moment of his life so far, but Cerberus blinked and found tears streaming down his cheeks.
"This...this isn't..."
He explained frantically, and the other person reached out and gently wiped away his tears.
Cerberus relaxed, took Xia Ying's hand, and wholeheartedly felt her body temperature.
Are you hungry? Shall I make you something to eat?
He thought for a moment and then suggested in a low voice.
How about the birthday cake?
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Author's Note: Main story complete! Side stories will be updated gradually next week!
From a romantic point of view, I think it's an open ending. If we define the male lead as the male character with the most screen time, the main male lead in the main storyline is Cerberus, and the subplot is the Demon Lord. But I think since they've all become gods, it wouldn't be a problem to have one, two, three, four, or five of them (cough). In short, the final position is still vacant, so everyone keep trying!
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