Chapter 293

Chapter 293: Growth, Death, and Rebirth!

Bai Yan felt the excruciating pain as his body was pierced, his bones shattered.

Yet, his expression remained still.

He had already pushed himself to the brink of his mental strength. For what felt like an eternity, a splitting headache threatened to drag him into unconsciousness. Each second of forced wakefulness was a trial of sheer discomfort.

Still, he held on.

Why?

What had he been chasing all this time?

Bai Yan thought back to his earlier self—a version obsessed with achieving a flawless playthrough of the game Babel Tower. That single-minded determination had been his sole purpose when he began his second playthrough.

But now…

Something had shifted.

The idea of being a savior didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t someone who sought the title of Savior or who carried the world’s fate as his burden. Looking back, he wasn’t even sure that mattered to him at all.

So, what was he fighting so desperately for?

The realization struck him.

It wasn’t about heroism. It wasn’t about perfection. It was about the bonds—the trust and connection he shared with Mu Ling, Maryse, Alan, and the others. These people had entrusted their lives to him, creating a tie he couldn’t abandon. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing them hurt, let alone losing them.

That was it. That was everything.

As Bai Yan’s abdomen was pierced, his form dissolved into glittering dust, scattering into the air like a cascade of stardust.

It was only an incarnation.

Glofield, gifted with a “health bar” by the game, was now drained of vitality. Yet its immense power persisted.

The monstrous, pitch-black claw lunged at Mu Ling—

And was met by the blade of her Shadow Dagger.

Boom!

The clash of forces roared like thunder. But under the colossal might of Glofield, Mu Ling’s light frame was flung into the distance. She crashed into a crumbling wall, yet landed unharmed, steady and resolute.

With determination burning in her eyes, Mu Ling prepared to leap back into the fray.

Victory was within reach.

Yet suddenly, her body wavered. Slowly, she collapsed, her eyes closing unwillingly.

The time limit for the Tactical Card—Dust of the Past—had been reached.

In her final conscious moments, she whispered, “Please… make sure to win…”

Above, the Golden Palace descended from the heavens, radiant and divine. A flash of White Thunder struck Glofield’s massive form, illuminating the battlefield with holy light.

A monstrous howl echoed as

Glofield writhed in pain. Its

“health bar” dwindled to the

barest sliver.

On the ground, shadows from

the River Styx clawed at the

colossal body, dragging it

further into exhaustion.

Among the ruins, a single

piece of tattered paper

fluttered—a fragment of the

Reanimation Spell.

The winds shifted.

The fragment glimmered and

exchanged places with Bai

Yan’s true self.

He returned.

Glofield, battered and

cornered, now wielded a

terrifying relic—the Sorrow of

Euryxus, its green light

wreaking havoc on reality

itself. Yet this moment of

vulnerability also rendered it

susceptible to defeat.

Amid the chaos, Bai Yan

unleashed a radiant moonlit

blade, the Gorgeous

Moonshine, its silvery edge

poised to sever fate itself.

Time froze. The world paused.

And in the stillness, Bai Yan

made his move.

As time resumed, Glofield’s

dark form crumbled and

disintegrated, vanishing from

existence. Bai Yan collapsed,

drained by the effort.

A blast of black-and-red

lightning, Crimson Twilight,

erupted in a final act of

destruction, sweeping Bai Yan

and Maryse into its wrath.

Maryse’s smile lingered as her

delicate form dissolved into

light.

Bai Yan, embracing the

inevitability of death,

descended into the darkness

of the Earth’s chasm.

The trembling Earth stilled.

The golden light above faded,

and the heavens returned to

peace.

Some time later, Mu Ling

awoke.

The golden glow had vanished. The terrifying pupils were gone.

The clear blue sky above felt

unreal, a dream too vivid to

trust. Yet, it was real.

She stood amidst the ruins of

Tatsumi City, walking past

stunned survivors, searching

for familiar faces.

“Maryse… Mr. Profligate…

where are you?”

Her voice faltered, her legs

unsteady.

She looked to the heavens and

whispered,

“Savior… please, bring them

back.”

With a quiet smile, she added,

“Thank you.”

Bai Yan’s body, shattered and

lifeless, lay deep in the chasm

. The world seemed to move

on without him.

But from within his broken

shell, silver light emerged,

mending flesh and bone,

piecing his spirit back

together.

The call of the world pulled

him back.

And in the depths of the abyss,

Bai Yan opened his eyes to a

new beginning.