Apocalypse Forecast

When the engraved of the miracle turned into an iron wall was shattered by the Gear Emperor, death came rushing in!

In an instant, the Sword of Judgement pierced through the chest of Publius, sweeping across and tearing apart the heart and left arm. The precious God’s Body Shell shattered into pieces, with the arm flying into the air.

But immediately after, Publius’s remaining right hand firmly gripped his arm.

With his own blood, he cursed this Sword of Judgement.

Extinguishing the burning light.

The fallen left arm rapidly transformed, reborn, forming a curse-laden scarlet arrow that tore through Huai Shi’s armor, piercing his body shell, causing large parts of the body to swiftly become fragile, crystallizing, showing cracks.

Publius laughed heartily as he retreated, but the hand he held instead grabbed his wrist tightly.

As he looked up in astonishment, he found that they were already face to face.

Beneath the broken mask armor, Huai Shi grinned, "What is this?"

Delivering food to the door?

The thunder of extreme interpretation burst forth.

With one punch, it shattered most of Publius’s skull, leaving that face completely incomplete.

But when Huai Shi clenched his fist again, he found that the arm he was holding tightly was also broken.

Just like a gecko dropping its tail, Publius forcefully tore off his remaining right hand, falling from the sky, accelerating swiftly, trying to widen the distance.

But it won’t work!

In Huai Shi’s hand, the outline of the Axe of Anger appeared, with iron wings behind him spewing hot streams, diving down!

But before that, an anxious reminder from Balder resounded in his consciousness.

"Wait—"

He said nervously, "Don’t use other weapons, call Ah Dong!"

"Ah Dong?"

Huai Shi was taken aback, the Axe of Anger in his hand disappeared without a trace, replaced by the returning steel Behemoth.

The Hammer of Sorrow!

But now, as Huai Shi dove, Balder’s divine soul ran on the Hammer of Sorrow, bringing supreme blessings from the Nordic God System.

Causing the terrifying wolf beast’s skull to transform again, as divine nature operated, becoming more and more ferocious, the savage aura erupted from within, painting the whole world in blood red!

With Balder’s blessing, it is no longer merely a source armament, nor can it even be called a border relic, but responding to some terrifying presence of fallen authority!

This is distinct from a freak like Balder, truly belonging to the Norse Gods, absolutely not gentle, but cruel and cold, like the icy frost that swallows the world.

At this moment, the activated beastly soul roared, making the halo representing extinction light up around the hammerhead.

Ending all light, creating eternal darkness.

This is eternal greed that devours everything in the world, even the sun, to swallow it whole.

——[Divine Soul Transformation: Fenrir]!

"Truly, tangled endlessly!"

In mid-air, resolution surfaced in Publius’s single remaining eye, the broken arms opened wide, recklessly driving the God’s body, making the projection of the sun wheel appear once more.

The Alchemy Matrix emerged once more out of thin air, and after pouring in almost all his strength, dazzling fire erupted continuously from Publius’s body shell.

It was a terrifying transformation that surpassed the limit of human imagination, causing Helios to burn red instantly, with violent rays shooting in all directions, igniting everything.

He truly transformed himself into the sun!

But darkness descended from the sky!

The Gear Emperor accelerated once more, plunging straight into that endless heat, allowing it to burn its armor to a red-hot.

From the scorching pain, it poured all its source substance, raising the iron hammer transformed into the end.

"With this one strike, let human suffering knock the god from the sky—"

Huai Shi roared hoarsely:

"—your eternity should end, Publius!"

In that instant, the burning sun shattered with a roar.

Under Balder’s divine soul blessing, Fenrir’s strength pierced through the high temperature comparable to a star, shattering the core together with Huai Shi.

That incomplete sun wheel.

As the sun collapsed, terrifying heat transformed into torrents, flying in all directions with the fragments.

The entire dark universe seemed to be illuminated.

But soon, everything disappeared without a trace, as Fenrir’s mouth opened wide, consuming all light in that bottomless maw.

Even the sun was completely devoured!

Only one rapidly shattering shell, together with Huai Shi’s trampling, fell from the sky, crashing onto the scorched earth.

Feeling divine power constantly draining from his body, Publius tried hard to open his eyes wide, but broken pupils couldn’t see anything more.

Only seeing that menacing shadow close at hand.

And the blood-stained hammer that he raised again.

"Do you have any last words, Publius?" Huai Shi raspily asked.

Publius opened his mouth, hesitating to speak, but in the end, it turned into a self-deprecating cold smile, he closed his eyes, and under Fenrir’s attack, completely turned to dust.

Soon, Balder’s divine presence gently faded.

The Gear Emperor rapidly shattered, leaving only a complete "Lord of the Flies" among the fragments.

"Brother, your ruler experience card has expired." Beelzebub lamented regretfully: "Why don’t we go find the Sun Caster to renew it? You could make a sacrificial sell, and we could both happily pilot the mecha again."

"Happy my ass."

Huai Shi smiled wryly: "I always feel like every time I pilot the mecha, nothing good happens."

He gasped with difficulty, but his shell nearing the limit couldn’t maintain consciousness anymore, he opened his mouth trying to speak, but exhaustion and drowsiness had already pulled him, dragging his soul into a long slumber.

He only remembered, before falling down, someone supported him, carefully placing him on the ground.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The gentle male voice said to him, "Leave the rest to me."

Thus, Huai Shi peacefully closed his eyes.

Falling into sleep.

.

.

On the other side of Helios, under the same dark sky, beneath the incomplete Tower of Skeleton, amid the ruins, He Di slowly retracted his palm.

Falling silent.

In front of him, the reforged body collapsed again.

Death follows like a shadow, inescapable.

"Give up, I’m beyond saving."

Publius’ final fragment said calmly, "The fragmentation is too much, it’s already... beyond the limit... killed by the gods, seems that there’s no way to maintain the structure of consciousness anymore."

In the silence, He Di said nothing, just leaned against the wall, sighing silently.

And Publius, observing his weary appearance, couldn’t help but laugh.

"Is there something to be happy about?" He Di asked coldly.

"No, actually, I just want to be happy... After all, if I’m not happy now, it’ll be too late." Publius said, "Garan... that guy often said it, seize the moment, right?"

"..."

"Sorry, He Di." Publius said, "In the end, it was still a bit short."

"...Fool, why didn’t you escape?" He Di asked coldly, "From the very beginning you should have known, facing the Astronomical Society, even if you became a god, there was no chance of success, right?"

He asked, "Why not take your achievements and leave here directly?"

"What nonsense, He Di."

Publius shook his head, gazing at the empty cosmos, and spoke softly, "Immortality is already within reach, how could I... turn away now?"

Chased for too long, yearned for too long, making one feel that as long as it succeeds, nothing else matters.

Even if, ahead, there is no immortality.

Just a dead-end.

"How ridiculous, those who chase immortality and eternity, instead become fleeting and insignificant... yet somehow, there’s a feeling of happiness."

Publius stared blankly at the stars and suddenly asked:

"He Di, our wish, was fulfilled, right?"

Even if it’s just for a moment, our wish was fulfilled, wasn’t it?

He Di turned away, slowly nodding.

"Yes."

Thus, Publius’ expression relaxed.

"Thank you." he said.

"No need to thank." He Di shook his head, "It’s what I should do."

Publius paused, unable to hold back, amused.

Laughter.

"Fool, is there anyone in this world born to do anything..." Publius shook his head, "Learn from your brother, He Di... He’s died once, can’t he live for himself?"

He Di frowned, displeasedly glared over: "Without him, how could all this have fallen to such a state? And then, you ask me to learn from him? What’s going on in your mind?"

"I know."

Publius said calmly, "But he accomplished me, He Di, just like you accomplished me."

"We are the same kind of people."

The dying man greedily gazed at the stars, softly murmuring: "We all live in our own cage, yet all long for what’s in others’ cages, all want to escape, but in the end, all returned to the original place...

Is all this also a part of fate? How ridiculous..."

"Enough!" He Di angrily interrupted him: "At this point, what’s the point of saying this to a replica!"

"Of course it matters, He Di."

Publius answered seriously, no longer looking at the too bright starlit sky, but forcefully propped up his eyes, looking at the person beside him, solemnly telling him: "Aren’t you... also my friend?"

He Di paused, wanting to scoff and retort, but saw Publius raising his finger.

An invisible force bound his body.

A matrix as thin as silk slowly spread from Publius’ fingertips, using every last drop of divine blood to forcibly bridge the distance between depths.

Opening the gate to Hell for him.

In a trance, there seemed to be a sound of chains breaking, a law engraved into the deepest consciousness was cracking, the forced mission left by former alchemists rapidly dissipated, vanished.

This is the final miracle created by Grandmaster Publius.

"Hey, you..."

When He Di finally understood what happened, it was already too late. He was being pulled by that invisible force, swiftly leaving Helios, flying towards Hell.

"Don’t live in the cage, He Di, go outside the cage..."

Publius smiled, bidding a soft farewell before that gate closed with a bang.

My friend, please, seek your own future.

Even if the whole world stands in your way, even if you lose everything, even if this future leads to Hell, it does not matter.

You must learn to live for yourself, seek your own meaning.

If in the leisure of the future you occasionally recall all this, if you can remember me, remember that pitiful one who longed for immortality but thus perished, then laugh loudly.

Mock that foolish one who did not know their limits.

Finally...

"Please, mourn for me."

Thus, with the final prayer, that thin ray of light slowly dissipated.

Publius, sighed lightly, closed his eyes.

Peacefully welcoming death.

No more fear.

This fleeting eternity, thus, comes to an end.