Chapter 379

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Chapter 379: Move With Emotion

He didn’t manage to hug her.

Hmph, Bai Yan wasn’t about to let her touch him so easily!

Casually, he entered the Deep Blue World, and in the next moment, he found himself standing behind Merete Chambers.

Merete remained perfectly still, her face adorned with a familiar, ever-present smile.

Bai Yan couldn’t decipher her thoughts and had no idea why she had suddenly hugged him. What was she planning?

“This stance… it makes me feel tempted to kick her from behind,” he muttered.

Time resumed its normal flow.

Merete Chambers noticed the man in front of her had vanished, but she didn’t seem surprised. She had long been aware of Bai Yan’s abilities.

“Oh, how did he just teleport like that?!” Samoyed exclaimed, clearly startled.

Bai Yan stood behind the witch, his voice calm but firm as he said, “If you have something to say, speak up. Miss Witch, I advise you—don’t lay a finger on her.”

Merete didn’t turn around. She offered him nothing but the view of her back.

“Tell me,” she said, her voice steady, “how do I join the Babel Tower? You promised me this a long time ago.”

Bai Yan’s thoughts swirled. I don’t know either…

But he maintained a façade of composure.

After a moment of silence, he whispered, “Merete Chambers, you’ve been chosen by the Savior of the Babel Tower. Sooner or later, you’ll enter its ranks. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Hmm? Is that so? I sense some confusion in you,” she replied, her faint smile unwavering.

She turned around to face him, her gaze piercing, as if she could see into his soul through the “window of the heart” before her.

“In fact,” she continued, “you don’t know how to join the Babel Tower, do you? Or perhaps, you’re waiting for the Savior’s approval yourself.”

Bai Yan said nothing.

Merete nodded slightly. “The Savior of the Babel Tower—so magnificent, so beyond comprehension—am I right?”

His silence spoke volumes.

Her brow furrowed as she continued to stare into his eyes, a peculiar sensation washing over her.

“Strange. Why is it that I feel you don’t oppose my joining the Babel Tower? Could it be that there’s some reason or limitation preventing even the Savior from bringing me in for now?”

Without waiting for his response, she pressed on, “What is it? What’s the reason?”

This was precisely why Bai Yan avoided close contact with the witch. Her ability was unsettling.

It wasn’t mind-reading, as fairy tales often described. Rather, it was a power that resembled dissecting someone’s essence—their personality, their very being.

No matter how strong a person was, as long as they lacked an extraordinary aura or a veil of mystery, Merete could unearth something revealing.

Still, compared to actual mind-reading, her ability had a theoretical weakness: it could be blocked by a mask.

But what good would it do her to uncover Bai Yan’s thoughts?

The advantage was his. The little witch couldn’t overturn the situation anymore.

Bai Yan smiled faintly and said, “Why don’t you guess again?”

For some reason, he found a strange pleasure in seeing her lose composure, especially since she was usually so composed.

For the first time, her smile faded.

In its place was an exhaustion so profound, Bai Yan had never seen it before.

She looked utterly drained.

Centuries of betrayal, countless reincarnations, a fate doomed to end in tragedy—for thousands of years, the Moon Witch and the Ultimate Witch had ceased to be the same person.

Yet Merete had inherited all their karmic ties, and it had worn her down.

“I can’t guess, Bai Yan,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ve been unkind to many people, especially those who betrayed me. But I’ve listened to you and obeyed you from the start. I’ve helped you. I’ve helped Holly and the others.”

“And yet… what have you done? You’ve taken away my hope of breaking free from this fate.”

Her tone grew colder. “Are you betraying me too?”

“I knew,” she continued, “that no matter what I guessed, it wouldn’t matter in the face of such an overwhelming disparity in strength. It was inevitable.”

“Now, standing before you, I feel like a crumpled piece of paper—waiting to be either picked up and cherished or mercilessly trampled underfoot.”

Bai Yan remained silent for a moment before finally responding, “I will never betray you.”

“Since I met you, what have I done wrong?” Merete Chambers stared into his eyes and continued, “Have I ever committed any heinous acts? No. The tragedy of the Order of the Moon Witch stemmed from their greed, feasting on the flesh and blood of the Ultimate Witch. The descendants of the culprits were cursed with that flesh and blood, but is it the victims’ fault?”

“Given this, the self-proclaimed Savior Babel Tower has no right to stop me from pursuing my dreams.”

Rare traces of anger colored her voice.

“I never wanted to harm anyone. I just wanted to break free from my fate. Bai Yan, you’ve been resisting me all along, but deep down, it’s because you’re afraid of me—just like the family of that half-elf girl who fears her. Your actions are no nobler than theirs.”

After saying that, she left the room with a solemn expression, leaving Bai Yan and the clueless Samoyed behind.

“Oh, oh, oh? Wait, wait, Master! This is our room! Why are we leaving?” Samoyed quickly ran out after her.

Bai Yan knew she was trying to mislead him, but he couldn’t help admitting that Merete Chambers’ words were persuasive.

In this timeline, she hadn’t done anything truly malicious. On the contrary, she’d been quite helpful to him.

Yet he continued to dismiss and resist her, taking advantage of her goodwill.

Merete Chambers, however, understood his nature. She knew he was someone who valued emotions deeply.

So, she confronted him head-on, appealing to his emotions, reasoning with him… and then waited for his response.

Bai Yan didn’t dislike her. Her goals didn’t even conflict with those of the Babel Tower.

If given the chance, he would help Merete Chambers ascend to godhood.

“I’d rather say that, as the Lord of the Tower, I’d hope to have as many god-tier operators as possible before the end.”

When he said these words, Bai Yan had already left the room.

Ever cautious, he never spoke the most important truths in a place where the witch might overhear.

Perhaps, in the end, no one would ever know the true identity of the Savior.

But what would be wrong with that?

As long as he successfully completed the game of “Babel Tower,” met the expectations of the people, and saved the not-so-beautiful—and even somewhat ugly—world of Noah, that would be enough.

Bai Yan sat alone on the throne inside the Babel Tower, silently reflecting on everything he had experienced in the past few months.

In just four months, he had met so many different people and encountered countless unexpected situations, things he’d never imagined before.

He had even become the Savior of the world.

“I hope to respond to everyone… so I can’t be ‘carefree’ anymore,” he muttered to himself.

He had changed a lot, and deep down, Bai Yan was well aware of it.

A pale blue thread appeared in his hand. It was something the witch had left behind before she departed.

It was a memory belonging to the Ultimate Witch.

***

The Continent of Zeuo

Mindani City

Mindani City had long been governed by the legendary Sage of Crystals. It was a city of progress on the Continent of Zeuo, standing strong for hundreds of years.

Its position had always been second only to the Holy City of the Heavenly God Church in the Holy Light Kingdom.

However, just before the Decaying Disaster struck, the great sage mysteriously vanished, no matter how hard people searched for him.

Without the sage’s leadership, the order within Mindani City began to crumble as the Decaying Disaster descended upon it.

To this day, the city’s former glory is but a distant memory.

At the center of the now-ruined city stands a colossal evil creature: the Demon Crystal Dog.

Countless corpses lay scattered around the Demon Crystal Dog. It wasn’t a creature that ate people; killing was merely its hobby.

This colossal monster had mutated from the crystal after the Decaying Disaster. The Demon Crystal Dog stood over a hundred meters tall, its glowing red eyes piercing the darkness. Its entire body was made of unique, transparent crystals, rendering it nearly immune to all attacks from the material world.

Crash!

Ganis leaped into the air, delivering a powerful punch, but it had no effect.

Roar!

The Demon Crystal Dog growled in anger, releasing a flurry of crystal spikes that hurtled toward Ganis as he descended.

“Perfect timing!” Ganis took a deep breath, standing firm on the ground like an immovable iron fortress.

The crystal spikes rained down upon him, but as they made contact, they dissolved into white dots that vanished without a trace, unable to pierce his defenses.

“Now it’s my turn,” Ganis said quietly.

Suddenly, the temperature around him began to rise rapidly.

Ouch!

For the first time since its creation, the invincible Demon Crystal Dog—undefeated and unchallenged—sensed a grave threat.

A faint platinum glow surrounded Ganis’s body. In his blazing eyes, two scorching flames ignited, radiating immense heat.

The primordial power of fire emerged.

Burning White Sun.

The Demon Crystal Dog, whose crystalline body had never been harmed, now melted effortlessly under the searing heat of the Burning White Sun. Its impenetrable defenses were useless against the inferno.

Ouch!

Writhing in pain, the Demon Crystal Dog let out a furious roar and charged at Ganis in a desperate final struggle.

But Ganis stood like the sun itself, his entire body transforming into a blazing white flame. He shot toward the creature’s massive head, and in the next instant, an earth-shaking explosion erupted.

Boom!

The Demon Crystal Dog’s enormous body collapsed, hitting the ground with a force that made the earth tremble.

Though few survivors remained in the city, one thing was certain: from that moment on, they had one less tremendous threat to fear.

“So powerful, so mighty—the force that gave birth to the sun itself.”

Sitting on the ruins, Alan clapped in awe. “You’re incredible, Ganis. The destructive power of your strength is unmatched, obliterating anything in its path instantly.”

Pausing thoughtfully, he added, “In theory… I’d say even gods could be killed by it.”

Ganis, breathing heavily but fully restored, shook his head. “This power comes at a great cost and cannot last long. Moreover, it requires significant preparation time. Compared to fire that lingers and can’t be extinguished easily, it has its drawbacks. Its only real advantage is its sheer destructive force.”

Changing the subject, Ganis looked at his companion while they awaited their return to Noah. “Alan, do you know the origin of the original Noah people?”

Alan’s expression froze briefly before he responded. “I remember the Noah people originally lived on the land of Noah, guided by the Heart of Radiance. Why do you ask?”

He didn’t realize that the Fist of Duel was worn by sinners.

In truth, several Core Operators were unaware of this fact. Unless their clothing was removed to reveal the black markings, it was nearly impossible to distinguish sinners from Noah people.

Ganis remained silent for a long time before calmly replying, “It’s nothing.”

Thick black mist enveloped them as they prepared to return to Noah.

One would return to Tatsumi City, where drinks and electronic games awaited in a civilized environment.

The other would remain outside the city, among natural disasters and wilderness, caring for their self-reliant tribe.

Despite their relative proximity within Noah, Ganis hesitated to enter Tatsumi City.

For a sinner, sneaking into the city was a grave offense under the laws of the Air Alliance. The mighty Imperial Guards and the Demon Hunt General Agency would never overlook such a crime.

***

Upon returning to Noah, Ganis stood atop a hill, gazing at the small town built by Amicio. The streets were bustling with tribal people going about their lives. He stood there for a long time, deep in thought.

Finally, he turned and entered the stone house located outside the town. Inside, Amicio and Noah were seated.

Amicio, the Son of God, was reading a book. With his glasses and scholarly demeanor, he seemed every bit the intellectual.

When he noticed Ganis enter, Amicio smiled and closed the book. “What’s wrong, King of the Persecuted?”

Ganis simply looked toward the nearby city.

“I want to go to Tatsumi City.”