Chapter 125 The End of the Line

The battle gradually turned into a one-sided affair.

The allied forces, consisting of the Monster Kingdom, the Undead Kingdom, the Illusory Demon Church, the Detective Club, and Hell's Frontline, among many other factions, experienced an exponential increase in strength through mutual coordination and cooperation.

Such a force was difficult for the Redundant Army to contend with using numerical superiority alone…

Approximately ten minutes later, the Redundant Army's casualties once again surpassed the rate at which their lines could be replenished. The once-impenetrable cloud of soldiers in the sky began to thin out and scatter from that moment on.

Meanwhile, on the ground...

Feng Bujue, who was whittling away at Dou Mo’s (Fighting Demon) health with the Rat Hammer, suddenly spoke up after a long silence...

“Hmm… just as I thought…” Judging from his tone, he must have discovered something.

“What is it? Brother Jue.” Xiao Tan understood him well and immediately inquired, “What’s the situation?”

“It’s nothing big,” Feng Bujue replied calmly. “It’s just…” He glanced at the Dou Mo in front of him, “I triggered some kind of passive ability of this guy.”

“What ability?” Xiao Tan continued to ask.

“Probably something similar to ‘grit’ or ‘inner strength’,” Feng Bujue replied, “The kind of thing that… when health drops to a certain value, it triggers automatically and significantly increases defense and health regeneration.”

“Huh?” Xiao Tan was startled to hear that. “Doesn’t that mean…”

“That’s right,” Feng Bujue interjected. “It’s probably impossible to kill him with the Rat Hammer…” He paused and explained, “Although he’s been regenerating health all along, his normal regeneration rate is clearly lower than my damage output. However, about two minutes ago, when I whittled his health down to around 15%, his health suddenly began to rebound, increasing by 10% within five seconds… until his health returned to around 30%, at which point the surge in regeneration gradually returned to normal.”

“Of course, a one-time occurrence could have various explanations. ‘Grit’ is just one of them.”

“So, I sped up my hands a little and hammered away for another two minutes, wanting to see if the same thing would happen the second time I reduced his health to 15%. The result…”

At this point, Brother Jue didn’t continue, but simply shrugged.

“What should we do then?” Xiao Tan pondered aloud. “Otherwise… this time, when you get his health down to 16%, let’s attack together and see if we can’t instantly kill a Dou Mo with 16% health?”

“No need to be so troublesome.” Feng Bujue’s tone sounded relaxed and confident. It was clear that he already had a plan. “I can handle it alone.”

With that, Brother Jue activated his title skill—Dou Mo Descends.

…………

In that instant, from Feng Bujue’s perspective, time seemed to stand still, and the surrounding space twisted and changed in this “stillness.”

When his consciousness stabilized, he was standing in a space enveloped in black demonic energy.

Standing before him was a pure white figure.

Even Du Shen (God of Supervision) had never seen this form of the Dou Mo. Who would have thought… this flawless, pure white being, which only brought to mind the word “holy,” was the truest, most unadulterated form of the demon beneath the cloak of demonic energy.

“I thought you were smart,” Dou Mo said to Feng Bujue, coldly. “I didn’t expect… you’d do something so stupid that even an idiot wouldn’t do it.”

“Oh?” Feng Bujue replied unhurriedly. “Which thing are you referring to?”

“Of course, I’m talking about you using Dou Mo Descends,” Dou Mo retorted.

“Is that so…” Feng Bujue murmured. “Why do you say it’s stupid?”

“Nonsense!” Dou Mo snapped impatiently. “Do you think I’d lend you my power at this moment? Your actions are like saying to me… ‘Hey, please help me kill you,’ as if I’d ever do that!”

“Hmm… that makes sense,” Feng Bujue mused.

“Heh…” Dou Mo paused for a second, then sneered. “I understand. You think it doesn’t matter even if I don’t lend you my power. The worst that could happen is that the skill fails, and you’ll just think of another way… right?” Without waiting for Brother Jue to reply, Dou Mo continued, “That… is where your true stupidity lies…” As he spoke, he took two steps forward, standing less than a foot away from Feng Bujue, looking down at him. “When you borrow power from me, I can pull you into this ‘soul space.’ As long as I kill you here, your body outside will die too! Once you’re dead, even if that kid named Wang Tan Zhi continues to use strange abilities to suppress me, there will be no one else around who can kill me.”

“I see… whether or not I come to this space and ‘meet’ you upon activating Dou Mo Descends is determined by you…” Unexpectedly, Feng Bujue still looked composed after hearing the other party’s words, thoughtfully murmuring, “No wonder I’ve been getting the power directly without coming here to see you every time I activate this skill recently… I suppose that’s also Twenty-Three’s order?”

“Order?” Dou Mo retorted. “Are you mistaken about something?” He emphasized his tone. “No one can order me, not even the strongest derivative.”

“Oh…” Feng Bujue nodded. “So, you’re saying that you and she ‘teamed up’ as equals out of your own free will?”

“That’s right,” Dou Mo replied. “Our goals are the same—to eliminate all the forces in the main universe and return everything to chaos.” As he spoke, he suddenly raised his right arm, pointing directly above his head. “That way, the high and mighty so-called ‘destiny’ will no longer be able to create ‘scripts’ suitable for you ‘players’ to enjoy in the main universe because by then… every inch of land in the main universe will have been transformed into barren wasteland; and on every patch of scorched earth, there will only be demonic creatures following their instinct to kill.”

“I can roughly guess what Twenty-Three wants to do, but what is your motive?” Feng Bujue didn’t seem surprised by Dou Mo’s words. He simply replied calmly, “Do you have a grudge against ‘destiny’? What good will it do for you if the main universe becomes like that?”

“Of course I have a grudge against ‘destiny’!” Dou Mo seemed agitated. “It was she! Who ended my era; it was she! Who killed Du Shen—my only opponent. Hmph… since she destroyed my world back then, I will now destroy the new world she created, the one she considers better!”

“I understand,” Feng Bujue said. “It’s because of ‘loneliness’…”

Those two words were like a sharp knife, piercing into a place in Dou Mo's heart that had never been opened to anyone.

“Your enemies, your servants, your only nemesis, the world you were familiar with, and… the meaning of your existence…” Facing the silent Dou Mo, Feng Bujue said in a gentle tone, “…all vanished with the end of the last era.” He sighed softly and continued, “In today’s new world, most living beings have never even heard of your name…

“Indeed, in this era, you are invincible, but so what?

“Do you want to rely on your power to dominate this universe? It wouldn’t be difficult for you. You could simply leave the words ‘submit or die’ wherever you go, and unifying the main universe would only be a matter of time; but… what would happen after you dominate the main universe?

“From your perspective… what meaning would that have?

“There are no longer any opponents like Du Shen who could be evenly matched with you, nor is there the simple, endless struggle representing light and darkness…

“Our world is ‘colorful,’ and it doesn’t fit you… because you come from a black and white era; you are black, and you need a white that matches you to live meaningfully. Without that ‘white,’ even if everything is dyed black… you will still be alone.”

Dou Mo listened quietly to Brother Jue’s words, without refuting or being able to refute.

“I don’t know what Twenty-Three told you, but I can roughly guess that she gave you some promises…” Feng Bujue said. “For example… by joining forces with her, you can force ‘destiny’ to compromise and change, thereby reviving your era; or… let Twenty-Three become the new ‘destiny,’ and then she will help you fulfill your wishes.” He shook his head and sighed, “Whether you truly believe it or have other plans, I’ll put it this way… no matter who wins or loses in the end, you will not be able to fulfill your wishes.

“Whether it’s destiny or Twenty-Three… if you think that the changing of eras in Thriller Paradise is determined or controlled by ‘you,’ then you are terribly wrong.

“It wasn’t ‘destiny’ that destroyed your era; she was merely carrying out this act under the instructions of a higher being you cannot comprehend.

“Do you think you are really a ‘god’ or a ‘demon’? Perhaps you are here, but in the eyes of higher-dimensional beings, you are insignificant.

“Do you think you are really acting according to your own will? How do you know that some being of a higher dimension than you didn’t set your thoughts and make you feel ‘this is my idea’?

“When words like ‘player,’ ‘script,’ and ‘destiny,’ which you shouldn’t have said, come out of your mouth, have you ever thought… maybe… you have already been infected by Twenty-Three, and you only have the illusion that you are ‘equal’ to her and have the ‘same goal’ as her under her influence?”

Dou Mo could not answer Feng Bujue’s question.

But he was thinking.

Feng Bujue… was also thinking. While he was posing questions to Dou Mo, he was also questioning himself in his heart.

When a person begins to think—"What I am thinking at this moment, is it ‘me’ thinking, or is it some higher will ‘making me think like this’; is my questioning at this moment ‘my’ questioning, or is it the existence that I should be questioning guiding me to question…”—that person is basically… not far from going crazy.

“If…” After a moment, Dou Mo finally spoke again, saying in a deep voice, “What you said… is all true…” His tone changed, no longer so fierce, “Then… we… what can we do?

“Since there has never been a ‘choice,’ why bother questioning it?

“So… even if you’re right, I still have to kill you now.

“Maybe I have really been influenced or even controlled by Twenty-Three; or perhaps… I am just being used by her because I am lonely, confused… I need someone like her to give me hope… even if that hope is just a lie, it’s better than nothing for me.”

Hearing this, Feng Bujue’s face regained its smile. “Yeah… it seems like I said some unnecessary things…

“But… that’s just the way I am. I just like to do things that seem meaningless.

“So, I will still do what I have to do, and I will do it my way.

“As for what others think… I don’t care. Love or hate, joy or disgust, admiration or contempt, understanding or misunderstanding… I will accept all of these because it is these things that prove that I once ‘lived’ in this world.”

“Then…” At this point, Dou Mo’s tone became cold again, “…I will, as you said, turn your ‘living’ into ‘once’…”

After saying that, he slowly reached out his hand and gently waved it.

In this “soul space” of Dou Mo, he should have absolute control. Killing Feng Bujue should be as easy as erasing a pattern from a pile of sand.

However… a second later, Dou Mo was surprised to find that the other party had not been erased as he had expected.

“A little surprised, aren’t you?” Feng Bujue looked up at Dou Mo. “I’ve said what I needed to say that was ‘meaningless,’ now let me say a few practical words…” He paused slightly, then asked coldly, “Did you really think… I would do something ‘so stupid that even an idiot wouldn’t do it’?”

As soon as these words came out, Dou Mo stood there dumbfounded. A strange emotion called fear had quietly sprouted in his heart.

“Would I not have anticipated being brought to this space by you after activating Dou Mo Descends?” After a slight pause, Feng Bujue asked again.

“You…” Dou Mo murmured, “Activated the skill… just to meet me in this space…”

Feng Bujue nodded and replied, “Actually, I could have killed you directly outside, but in order to say those few ‘unnecessary words’ to you, I decided to activate this last Dou Mo Descends. Only in this way… could I talk to you in this space where time doesn’t flow.”

“Heh…” Hearing these words, Dou Mo laughed, “Hehehe… hahahaha…”

It was a mixed laugh, filled with bitterness, helplessness, nostalgia, sarcasm, sorrow, relief, and sighs… too many indescribable emotions mixed in it.

Perhaps this was the most uncharacteristic moment of Dou Mo since his birth, but it was also at this moment that he truly realized… that he had also lived.

“Alright…” When the other party’s laughter gradually subsided, Feng Bujue spoke again, “I’ve said everything I needed to say…” As he spoke, energy bloomed around him, and a skill with an obvious “law of causality” nature was ready to be unleashed. “Now…” He put on an almost cold expression, and his tone was as cold as ice. “Take your outdated name, useless power, and empty life… and disappear for me.”

As his voice fell, Brother Jue’s Roundhouse Kick spun out.

At the moment of the attack, although his expression was cold and decisive, there was not a trace of joy in his eyes, but rather a hint of sympathy.

And Dou Mo just stood there, letting the other party’s attack come.

In the moment before being kicked, Dou Mo still seemed very calm. He even slightly opened his mouth, as if wanting to say “thank you,” but unfortunately… he couldn’t say it until the end.

…………

On the battlefield, time was still frozen at the second when Feng Bujue activated Dou Mo Descends.

From Xiao Tan’s perspective, Dou Mo’s body suddenly “collapsed” right after Feng Bujue said, “I can handle it alone.”

“Ah!” Seeing Dou Mo’s body instantly turn into black sand and collapse, Xiao Tan thought that the latter had used some means to escape from Snow Dance Nine Heavens and couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Don’t panic.” The next second, Brother Jue intentionally raised his voice and said, “He’s already dead.”

“What?” Not only Xiao Tan, but all the forces around who realized this situation exclaimed in surprise after hearing Feng Bujue’s words.

“No way… you really killed him with that little hammer?” Zhuan Jie Zun, who had just flown here from the city not long ago, was staying near Brother Jue and the others at this time. Hearing the news of Dou Mo’s death, he also sincerely felt that it was unbelievable.

“No.” Feng Bujue shook his head. “I released a killing move on him in his soul space, and that’s how I killed him.” He didn’t dwell on this topic, as if killing Dou Mo wasn’t something worth talking about, “Speaking of… the battle above is quite lively.”

“Do you want to join in the fun?” Xu Huai Shang, who was resting a few meters away, interjected at the right time.

“Looks like…” Feng Bujue turned his head and observed Goddess Xu for two seconds, “You’ve rested enough as well.” He then turned his head to look at Xiao Tan. “How are you doing, Xiao Tan?”

“Hmm… my arm is a little sore.” Xiao Tan looked at Brother Jue with squinted eyes and replied, “But compared to you… it shouldn’t be a big deal…”

Xiao Tan had witnessed Feng Bujue’s Rat Hammer tactic up close. It must be admitted… compared to that kind of hand speed, doing a handstand with one hand and flicking dandruff with the other was almost relaxing.

“Alright…” Feng Bujue continued, “Then let’s all three of us go up and join in the fun.”

He went as soon as he said he would. Halfway through his words, he was already gone.

Seeing this, Xiao Tan and Xu Huai Shang exchanged glances, without complaining. The two immediately killed their way up to the sky in their respective ways.

After the three of them went to the sky one after another, the monster legion warriors who were resting on the ground were still in a state of mental breakdown…

In a short period of time, they obviously couldn’t digest the situation of “Dou Mo is dead.”

However, regardless of how long it took for these creatures of the main universe to adapt subjectively, Dou Mo had indeed died objectively; and this change immediately triggered a chain reaction that was enough to affect the entire main universe.

“Howdy-ho!”

A moment later, accompanied by the exclamation of King Hanki, rays of long-lost sunlight… pierced through the gradually thinning cloud of demonic energy in the sky and shone on the land of the Monster Kingdom.