Main God Creation Rules

Page 370

Under the influence of "equivalent exchange," from the perspective of "Azathoth," Lin Yi experienced its entire chaotic and disorderly fate.

Born from primal fear

At the invitation of the "Fragments," one can achieve "sublimation."

The "primordial chaos core" created "darkness," "nameless mist," and "creeping chaos."

Then, inside the "palace" at the center of the universe, an invisible giant drum was being pounded wildly, and a flute that produced only nauseating, monotonous sounds was being played, accompanied by the frenzied howls of the Great Old Ones.

……

This long and monotonous memory once completely captivated Lin Yi.

Suddenly, I realized that Azathoth's "blindness" and "folly" were quietly replacing and eroding the very foundation of this individual named "Lin Yi".

The "equivalent exchange" does not involve exchanging each other's memories, but rather everything that has happened and been experienced since acquiring the "fragments".

It is conceivable that when this "exchange" is completed, Lin Yi will become the new "God of Blindness and Folly," while the original Azathoth will replace everything about Lin Yi and exist as the new "Lin Yi."

Upon realizing this situation, Lin Yi did not hesitate to block all "information" from the outside world, sealing himself away layer by layer within a "shield," but at the same time, doubts arose in his heart.

Based on its previous performance, "equivalent exchange" shouldn't have made such a "basic mistake" of being discovered regarding the "exchange content." Even if Lin Yi could realize the problem, it should have been too late to salvage the situation—he should have been unable to distinguish whether he was Lin Yi or Azathoth, let alone the fact that this "exchange" was based on itself as the "balance."

This "exchange" can be seen as a concrete manifestation of the concept of "exchange," and there's no reason why such a concrete "exchange" should have any loopholes beyond the realm of "exchange," unless...

"*&￥*&＃￥&"

—The premise of “equivalence” has become invalid.

Even if you use "information" to block yourself out layer by layer, this chaotic and disordered "sound" can still penetrate all forms of barriers, echoing as if it were resounding directly in the depths of your mind.

Visible to the naked eye, there are strange "protrusions" moving back and forth under the skin, as if they were living things, ready to break free from the shackles of flesh and blood at any moment.

In this state, even his vision, which had been shattered by the "forbidden zone of life," seemed to have been "restored." However, through the faintly flickering "light," what Lin Yi saw was not the chaotic place, but a magnificent palace, within which countless lights shone forth—

"—!"

Without hesitation, Lin Yi shattered this brief "restored" vision once again.

There are many ways to judge whether you have fallen into "madness", but for Lin Yi, who has fallen into this state, there is only one thing to be clear about: everything that you can perceive is an "abnormality" that has the potential to spread "madness".

Azathoth's blindness and folly dictate that when facing it, one must cease all perception of it, whether visual, auditory, or tactile.

This is not a self-imposed constraint; on the contrary, it is a self-protection.

With Lin Yi's decisive action, "vision" once again fell into eternal darkness, and the chaotic whispers of the outside world seemed to slowly fade away...

In this deep darkness where even time seemed to have become chaotic and blind, a silent atmosphere gently surrounded me.

As the "unknown" and "unease" it contained gradually disappeared, staying in the "embrace" of this darkness instead produced an unprecedented sense of "familiarity" and "peace of mind".

Compared to being bathed in warm sunlight, darkness seems more... wait, warm sunlight?

--what is that?

The moment this doubt arose, an illusory "scales" appeared before me, and then—it collapsed silently.

Accompanying this scene was the outer layer's "high-pitched" "call," which seemed to pierce the soul.

"*&￥*&＃￥&————————————————"

Amidst the excruciating pain that felt like the soul was being torn apart, endless blazing light pierced through layers of confinement, wantonly engulfing everything.

In the final moments before breaking free from this "exchange," Lin Yi saw the ultimate "fate" of this "blindness and folly."

……

In the endless chaos, it seemed to come into contact with something (the fragment host), digest something (the fragment) – becoming even more chaotic, and then came into contact with something (equivalent exchange), and exchanged something (blindness and reason).

Then, it was pulled into a "dream".

A long, intoxicating dream.

In the dream, it saw many things that it had never felt or been able to feel before.

This is a scene that the "blind" will never be able to see in their entire lives; it sees things that should not and cannot be seen.

This is something that the "foolish" cannot understand at all; it clarifies the connotation and meaning of those things.

When "blindness" is lost, "reason" arises from it—this should be the "right" thing, but for "blindness and folly," which are born from "chaos," this "right" action leads to destruction.

When the "blind" are no longer blind, and the "foolish" are no longer foolish, its meaning of existence is eliminated—along with all the "Great Old Ones" derived from its existence, they are gradually annihilated in this long, endless dream...

Within the dream world, as Azathoth gradually loses the qualities of "blindness and folly" that sustain its existence, it has the ability to forcibly terminate this "exchange," even if it requires paying a considerable "price," but it is not without choice.

But even when it was placed on the scales of "equivalent exchange," it never made that choice.

……

The principle of "equivalence" is abandoned by one party – or it may simply be a blind act.

The balance of the scales embodied by the law of "exchange" collapses silently, and as the scales gradually tilt, the "exchange" naturally loses all meaning.

The separated dimensional units all returned to themselves, along with the incomplete "fragment" that was "one-fifth" the size of a complete sphere.

As the scales collapse, a fantastical "sound" is introduced.

[You have not proven your 'path,' forerunner.]

There is never a definitive conclusion about whether something is superior or inferior; our choices are merely relative.

【…】

"In this 'exchange,' choosing whose option is more feasible is one option, but choosing the one that is worse is also an option."

Perhaps already aware of the impending end, the "equivalent exchange" ceased to occur in the slightest, silently awaiting its collapsing fate.

When it chooses to build this "exchange" on its own foundation, its very existence is the manifestation of "level exchange". If the "exchange" is established, then both sides of the scale will be swallowed up and absorbed - which proves that the path of "level exchange" is more likely to lead to the end.

However, as the "value" on the side of the scales where Azathoth was placed collapsed, its existence also perished with the failure of the "exchange"... If the equivalent exchange had the "fragments," it wouldn't have come to this, since the many systems brought by the "fragments" could have completely changed the outcome. But the previous "exchange" that stripped away the "fragments" not only dragged Lin Yi and Azathoth into their weakest state, but the "equivalent exchange" itself was no exception.

Watching as "Level Exchange" was completely annihilated at the center of this universe, and as it entered its demise, the universe it shaped began to split apart.

As the hand grasped the manifested, mimicry blade, tearing a "gap" through the space ahead to the outside, its final "gaze" swept towards the "blindness" that was also beginning to fade away—

On this "scale," it could have obtained everything from "Lin Yi" through "equivalent exchange," but instead of waiting, it collapsed itself.

The old Lin Yi would never have been able to understand this choice, but after experiencing its "chaotic" life, he seems to be able to understand it somewhat.

For "blindness and folly," the greatest fear is not being in perpetual chaos, but rather that when one has become accustomed to "blindness," there exists that teaches one what "reason" is.

The moment it first learned what "reason" was, it sealed the fate of everything that came into being.

It is not afraid of darkness if it has never seen the light.

PS1: Thanks to "Infinite God's Wings" for their numerous donations and support, otherwise it might have really dragged on indefinitely.

PS2: Picking up this book again and continuing to write it is extremely difficult. I was stuck for a whole day and finally finished this volume. The next volume... emmm, I'll take it slow.

Dungeons & Dragons (DND): Chapter 951 My Name

The material world.

Imprint City.

High atop the mage tower, a nightmare ignored numerous warnings, magic, and golems, silently invading the depths of the consciousness of a mage residing at the tower's summit.

His peaceful sleeping face slowly contorted, his supple limbs tensed involuntarily, sweat beaded on his face, and his complexion gradually turned deathly pale.

"Do not--!!!"

With a terrified cry, I opened my eyes and found myself not in the "apocalypse," but on the tower of the City of Sigil, the very center of the multiverse.

As I calmed the lingering fear within me, a soft light shone before me, and at the same time, a kind voice gently approached.

"My child, I hope my arrival has not affected you."

"I'm sorry, Professor Anthony, I just had a nightmare."

Slightly alarmed, the young mage hurriedly got off the bed and was about to bow to the legendary mage who did not actually exist but whose gaze was fixed on this place when he felt a gentle force being applied to him.

"There's no need to be so nervous, child. If you can, could you tell me what the nightmare you just had was like?"

"As you wish, Mentor Anthony."

Although it was hard to understand why this legendary archmage, who could be considered a "god on earth" in a context where powerful gods could not set foot in the material world, would be interested in an apprentice's nightmare, the young mage quickly described what he had just seen in his dream.

“I saw it; angels were blowing trumpets.”

“Oh, that must be Gabriel. He dwells in the kingdom of God on earth, bearing six wings sculpted from light. Whenever the world is tainted by defilement, He descends from the kingdom of God and sounds the horn of destruction.”

These are compulsory courses for every mage in Sigil City—mages don't need to pray to gods for power like priests, but they must understand these great beings who have transcended humanity on a spiritual level, in order to avoid violating taboos at some point without their knowledge.

However, the young mage hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't: "No, Master Anthony, the angel I saw wasn't Gabriel—if it were his angel of death, even looking directly at that being in a dream would burn my eyes."

"What I saw was just an ordinary angel with a halo. She looked about the same age as my sister Lucia, with beautiful long blonde hair and blue eyes."

After a moment of silence, the legendary archmage changed the subject: "Child, what else did you see besides the angels blowing their horns?"

"I saw a laughing demon."

"A demon from the hellish plane?"

“No, Professor Anthony.”

Having learned from the previous example of the "angel," and realizing that his mentor wouldn't criticize him for the unusual things he saw in his dream, the young mage was no longer as hesitant as before: "It was a demon about the same age as my cousin Emily, with tiny horns and a tail."

"..."

The legendary archmage fell into an even longer silence. Just as the young mage was filled with fear, wondering if he had unintentionally offended the other party, the kind voice rang out again.

“Child, if it were just 'angels' and 'demons' like this, it wouldn’t be a nightmare, and it certainly wouldn’t wake you up in such a terrifying way.”

Along with the sound came a subtle fluctuation of magical power. Affected by this, the young mage, whose consciousness involuntarily drifted back to the scene he had seen in his dream, couldn't help but show a look of fear on his face.

"Mentor, I see it... a giant dragon clad in indestructible armor, breathing flames and bringing catastrophe!"

A dragon that breathes fire? Is that a red dragon?

"No, I don't know if it is truly the offspring of the Five-Colored Dragon Mother... I have never seen such a terrifying dragon. It burns the sky, evaporates the oceans, and tears mountains apart—its wings blot out the sky, bringing immense catastrophe. It—"

"Calm down, kid."

The fluctuations in the spell changed slightly.

"The City of Sigil is the center of the material world and even the multiverse. It is a realm that even the five-colored dragon mother cannot invade. A dragon cannot invade this place."

The young monk's fear lessened somewhat after being comforted by the words, but some lingering fear remained.

"Child, besides the dragon, what else did you see that frightened you?"

“I…I saw the Crimson Moon. They obscured the brilliance of the ‘Dark Maiden’ and unleashed crimson destruction upon the world…”

"Is there anything else, child?"

“I…I also saw another ‘angel’…No, mentor, I don’t know if it was an angel, but she did have wings and was casting the ‘light’ of judgment upon the earth from the unreachable sky…”

“Continue, child.”

"I...I saw it—"

Under the influence of the spell, the relentlessly retracing memories inevitably led back to the beginning of that "nightmare." Instinctively, the young mage howled in resistance, but the power of a legendary archmage was far beyond what the young mage could resist. With a trembling scream, the young mage "saw" that scene again.

"I saw it...the moon is falling..."

"The Dark Girl?"

“No…that’s a different moon…and it was shaped by divine power; it’s the real ‘moon’.”

“Elise…”

Ignoring the legendary archmage's self-talk, the young mage stated in a slightly dazed tone, "I saw it; the power of the magic network is collapsing."

“Missla…”

"I saw it; the magnificent mechanical machine flattened the mountains."

"Gallic Flash Gold..."

……

……

……

Scene after scene—each scene capable of causing earth-shattering upheavals in the City of Signets and even the entire Material World—finally, the final act of the Nightmare arrived.