Eternal Thief

Everything suddenly became clear after Ace heard that urgent warning. No wonder it wasn’t Heavenly Punishment, for this wasn’t aimed at him. It was the Abyss itself descending upon the Corpse Governor.

Yet, Ace’s expression quickly became incomparably ugly because that solved one problem and created an infinitely bigger one.

His own breakthrough was still coming, and Ace slowly looked toward the cocoon of black flames.

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[Growth-Type Spirit Fire Evolution in Progress...]

[Current Progress: 94%]

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His lips twitched bitterly, ”...Seriously?”

The timing couldn’t have been worse, as an Abyssal King’s Ordeal and his Heavenly Punishment were both about to descend upon the same place. Just imagining those two supreme powers colliding sent a chill down his spine.

Moreover, unlike ordinary heavenly tribulations, his Heavenly Punishment acknowledged no interference. Anything standing between it and him, whether a King or an entire world, would be annihilated without exception.

’If Heavenly Punishment descends while this Abyssal Ordeal is still here...’ Ace didn’t even dare continue that thought, for the consequences would be beyond imagination.

Right then, the emotionless voice of the System suddenly echoed.

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[Warning!]

[A Supreme Will has descended beyond the ordained sequence.]

[The ancient covenant does not permit intersecting destinies.]

[The Mark above has already been acknowledged.]

[When the Silent Watcher opens its eyes...those who still remember shall yield their path.]

[Await the inevitable.]

=====

Ace was startled as he stared blankly at the cryptic notification.

”The Mark? Silent Watcher?” His brows furrowed deeply as he demanded, ”What does that even mean? What the hell are you up to, system!?”

But as usual, the System offered no explanation, and only silence remained. Yet for some inexplicable reason, Ace instinctively raised his head.

As though something high above the heavens was quietly watching everything.

---

Far above the Undead Cradle, the invisible Devilish Wise Owl engraved into the heavens quietly flickered once; no radiance erupted, nor did laws fluctuate. It was so insignificant that not even the Evernight Demon King, who possessed one of the keenest perceptions in the First Abyss, noticed anything unusual.

Only, the Abyss itself seemed to notice because the next moment, the gigantic white moon suddenly trembled.

”...?” The Evernight Demon King’s pupils contracted as she stared upward. ”...It moved?”

She almost thought she was hallucinating, but then beside the white moon, the crimson Sacred Moon also emitted a faint ripple, and the next instant, the two celestial bodies which had descended with absolute authority suddenly seemed uncertain.

It was as if they had sensed something; something that should never have existed.

---

’BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!’

Suddenly, the heavens violently shook, not because another phase of the Ordeal had begun. But because the Ordeal itself had become unstable.

The endless rivers of Sacred Fire pouring across the skies suddenly slowed. The scarlet Purgatory Thunder swimming between the two moons froze in midair.

Even the terrifying pressure blanketing the entire Undead Cradle momentarily weakened, and everyone instinctively noticed it.

”Hm?”

”The pressure...”

”It changed?”

The Evernight Demon King’s beautiful brows immediately furrowed with disbelief, ’Impossible, the manifestation cannot become unstable. Unless...’

Before she could finish the thought...

’BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!’

The white Sacred Moon moved, but not forward; instead, shockingly, it moved backward.

”...What?!” Her calm expression finally shattered.

She had witnessed at least ten Abyssal King’s Ordeals throughout her long life, and she had studied every record preserved by the Evernight Council. But never, not once, had an Abyssal Ordeal retreated because it was simply impossible, and like an absolute rule that can never be violated.

Yet, the moons of the Purgatory of the Sacred Moon had retreated, even though only slightly and barely noticeable; they had undeniably moved away.

---

The Corpse Governor also noticed, and his faint smile immediately froze.

”...What?”

He almost thought something had gone wrong with his breakthrough, but his King’s Might continued rising without any disruption, which meant his breakthrough hadn’t stopped.

Moreover, the Ordeal should have become increasingly violent, but instead it seemed farther away.

He instinctively raised his head, and for the first time since beginning his breakthrough, confusion surfaced within his hollow eyes.

”No... this...is impossible!?”

---

Just then, the second retreat came as the crimson Sacred Moon slowly drifted backward. Like an emperor taking one step away from an unknown existence.

’BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!’

The entire manifestation violently shook as countless rivers of Sacred Fire collapsed, and Scarlet Purgatory Thunder exploded without striking anything.

The pale radiance cleansing the Undead Cradle rapidly weakened, and the terrifying suppression engulfing every undead suddenly lessened.

The Corpse Clan looked upward in disbelief.

”My body...”

”It...”

”...stopped burning.”

”My Corpse Qi...”

”It’s recovering!”

Even Belfast stared blankly as his endlessly shrinking Abyssal Miasma Ghost unexpectedly stabilized.

”What? My purification...stopped?”

The First Commander became completely stunned, ”Governor succeeded?”

”No... This isn’t success. The Ordeal...is retreating?” The Second Commander absent-mindedly muttered with utter disbelief.

That single sentence spread like a plague.

”The Ordeal...”

”...is retreating?”

It was as absurd as it was ridiculous, yet everyone could see it: the two majestic moons were becoming smaller and disappearing because of a lack of power, but retreating.

---

High above, the Evernight Demon King’s breathing unconsciously became hurried.

”This...cannot happen.” She slowly shook her head almost hysterically, ”No... the Abyssal Ordeal never retreats. It only advances, only destroys, and only judges. It has never...feared anything.”

Yet what she witnessed before her eyes overturned everything she had known. The twelve Supreme Abyssal Ordeals represented the absolute authority of the Abyss itself.

Who could possibly make one retreat?

---

”BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!”

The heavens trembled once more, and this time everyone saw it.

The gigantic white Sacred Moon shrank, and it wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t because it was moving farther away, but its manifestation itself was shrinking. Like an endless ocean being forced back.

Like something invisible stood before it, and was refusing its descent!

---

The Evernight Fiend King was startled as he also felt the disappearing pressure, and he thought the Corpse Governor had died. After all, this was a Supreme Abyssal Ordeal.

He sighed in relief as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He quickly communicated with the Evernight Demon King and asked with anticipation, ”Did that filthy undead die already?”

”N...o.” The Evernight Demon King was stammering.

The Evernight Fiend King’s expression changed as he instantly detected something wrong, ”What? Then the Abyssal Ordeal?”

”I-it’s...retreating!”

The Evernight Fiend King thought he had heard something absurd as he sought her confirmation, ”Did you just say retreating? Is there something wrong with the communication channel?”

”No! It’s retreating!” The Evernight Demon King almost screamed, startling the Evernight Fiend King, for he had never seen the former behaving like this.

When he finally realized that the Evernight Demon King was dead serious, and she didn’t have to make something so absurd to trick him, even someone as prideful as him felt an indescribable chill climbing his spine.

His voice became unusually hoarse, ”What...is happening?”

The Evernight Demon King did not answer because she couldn’t, as her entire understanding of the Abyss had been overturned!