I Order You to Die for Me (5K)

Immense power flooded in at once, turning the flesh of this body and its prosthetic limbs red like blazing fire.

But it was not the body that burned. It was the soul.

Second Order Descent.

Bai Wei slowly opened his eyes. The two hearts before him seemed to sense something and began pounding madly like war drums struck by heavy hammers, making the entire ground tremble.

It was like a roar, yet also like a shudder.

"What are you doing?!"

Ao Li Wei had already broken free of Jie La Er's restraints. He had even grabbed Jie La Er's Chainsaw Sword with his backhand. Now, like a paper doll that could be blown over by the wind, he charged Bai Wei in an utterly bizarre posture, the Chainsaw Sword slicing through the air with a shriek that set teeth on edge.

"Die already!" Ao Li Wei swung at Bai Wei's head.

Bai Wei did not move at all.

Then, with a swish.

Ao Li Wei suddenly felt his body grow light.

He lowered his head and discovered that his paper-thin body had suddenly been reduced to only half. His internal organs had vanished along with the missing portion.

Ao Li Wei froze.

What... was this?

Before his body could even react, before the severed parts had begun to bleed, he collapsed to the floor. Only then did he feel a chill from behind him.

Wind was pouring in. Amid its sharp howl, the gale blowing into the tower was as cutting as knives.

Ao Li Wei turned around and saw several cracks in the wall behind him, each several meters wide, as though carved open by a blade.

Through those cracks, he could directly see the sun rising in the distance. It was like...

No, that was not the sun.

Ao Li Wei's eyes widened as his entire body trembled.

That was... a pupil.

The pupil of the God of Eternal Life.

It was watching him.

No, that was wrong.

It was not looking at him. It was looking at...

Ao Li Wei instinctively turned his head toward the other person in the great hall.

Then he saw that Bai Wei had turned around as well, calmly meeting the gaze of that pupil.

One man and one god stared at each other, making Ao Li Wei—who had already gained a trace of divinity—feel like a complete outsider between them.

It filled Ao Li Wei with immense shock and unwillingness.

He had worked for so many years, planned for so many years.

Only then had he finally obtained his current strength and become the... Demigod he had always dreamed of becoming.

Yet before a true deity, even a single glance from the other party—not even a direct glance—made every hair on his body stand on end and left him unable to move.

He was even close to forgetting how to breathe, an instinctive act.

But the stare-down did not last long. The Lyra God had only been knocked down, not killed. It quickly rose again, dragging its eternal tail back toward the site of the battle.

Only after that gaze withdrew did Ao Li Wei seem to break free from his restraints. He began gasping heavily like an asthma patient.

Then he heard footsteps.

When he looked up again, Bai Wei was already standing beside him. Yet Bai Wei did not look at him. Instead, through the rifts left by Eternal Life, he watched the two deities outside the Tower of Babel slaughtering each other without restraint.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Bai Wei said.

"...What?"

"A battle between gods should be earth-shattering, shouldn't it?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "But look at them. Do they look like they're capable of destroying heaven and earth? They look more like two... wild dogs fighting over food."

He had compared a war between Gods to wild dogs fighting over scraps.

What outrageous... blasphemous words.

Yet Ao Li Wei could hear no emotional fluctuation in Bai Wei's voice, not even contempt.

It was as if he were merely stating a fact, calmly regarding the Gods as creatures no different from wild dogs.

That made Ao Li Wei raise his head unconsciously and look through the gap... no, it should have been called claw marks, at the battle outside.

How could this be a fight between wild dogs?

Lyra was doing its utmost to embody its title of order and machinery. Every time it raised a hand, the entire city answered its call.

The still-intact Gear Trains broke free of their tracks and burst into flames, shooting toward the God of Eternal Life like rockets loosed from their strings. The "thin threads" that had once linked tower to tower also transformed under Lyra's power into steel cables binding Eternal Life.

But even that could not stop the God of Eternal Life. It tore apart those "ropes," endured explosion after explosion, and charged straight toward Lyra.

At that moment, it resembled a Gear Train racing at full speed, smashing Lyra directly to the ground.

Lyra rolled across the ground, crushing countless buildings. Yet its hand moved like a magnet. With a light sweep across the earth, it drew in innumerable metal parts, which assembled and began operating on their own, forming a Chainsaw Sword dozens of meters long almost instantly.

Then it swung the weapon backhandedly into Eternal Life's shoulder. Just as Bai Wei had first seen Jie La Er deal with a contaminant, the Chainsaw Sword roared as it cut downward, splitting Eternal Life in two.

The spraying blood dyed half the district red.

Yet Ao Li Wei, witnessing this battle, felt his entire soul tremble. He no longer dared keep watching and could only lower his head desperately.

Then Bai Wei's unhurried voice sounded. "They should have put on a far more spectacular fight, but unfortunately, neither Lyra nor Eternal Life can still be considered complete gods. In fact... even combined, the two of them do not make one complete god."

There was regret in Bai Wei's voice.

Hearing that, Ao Li Wei raised his head once more, but this time he looked at Bai Wei.

Yet in his vision, he was still looking at Jie La Er.

This should have been Jie La Er. This clearly was Jie La Er.

But that gaze, that tone, that demeanor—none of it was something Jie La Er could possibly have displayed.

"You..." Ao Li Wei suppressed the fear in his heart and asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you?"

Bai Wei did not answer. He merely continued watching the battle outside.

Clearly, the battle was not over.

Eternal Life, which had been cut into two pieces, shakily stood up again. The divine blood that had soaked nearly half the district began to boil like water brought to a rolling boil.

Lyra sensed something and immediately swung the Chainsaw Sword in its hand.

At its summons, countless metal components surged in from every corner of the city, swiftly covering its body as it attempted to forge itself a metal body.

Just like the form it had always used to reveal itself to the world.

But unfortunately, Eternal Life moved faster.

The boiling divine blood shot countless streams of blood toward Lyra from every direction.

In an instant, Lyra's divine body was pierced through by thousands of blood threads.

The metal components that had yet to cover its body scattered everywhere. It collapsed helplessly to the ground, and the balance between attack and defense shifted in an instant.

"One dead god wants to live, while one living god does not want to die." Bai Wei gently shook his head. "So one fights without caring for its life, while the other cherishes its life... the outcome of this battle was destined."

"...Who exactly are you?" Ao Li Wei asked again.

"Does it really matter who I am?"

Bai Wei still did not answer. His gaze remained fixed on the two distant deities, his tone relaxed like that of a retired old man.

But in stark contrast was his body... no, more accurately, his soul.

Having gained a trace of divinity, Ao Li Wei could clearly sense Jie La Er's life force rapidly weakening.

His soul was like dry wood set ablaze, turning to ash at a rate visible to the naked eye.

It was practically... self-immolation.

Yet this very person who was burning himself away was calmly chatting with him and commenting on the battle of the Gods nearby.

It made Ao Li Wei feel a tremendous sense of absurdity... and fear.

He struggled to stand.

The battle between Eternal Life and Lyra was not over. His battle should not be over either.

As long as he killed Jie La Er, then everything would...

Squelch.

A steel pipe pierced through Ao Li Wei's throat, once again nailing his head firmly to the wall behind him.

"Behave yourself." Bai Wei did not even look at him as he said flatly, "I do not have time for you right now."

With his throat pierced, he could not speak at all. What frightened him even more was that he tried to repair the wound, but failed.

A casual attack from Bai Wei had actually left him unable to regenerate!

Why... why was this happening?

Bai Wei still did not explain. He simply watched the distant battlefield in silence before saying softly, "Killing a god is hard work."

His left eye, brilliant as the stars, reflected the God of Eternal Life as it continued launching attacks against Lyra.

"I need to focus more."

Bai Wei was not the only one watching this battle.

The Lyra People who had already escaped to safety were watching as well.

They had never witnessed a battle between gods.

Such a battle made their hearts quake.

They watched their homeland collapse amid thunderous roars.

They watched everything familiar to them vanish into nothing.

It filled them with immense fear.

And in their fear, faced with those two powerful deities, they instinctively chose to believe in the one they knew better.

That was Lyra, which also wielded metal and fought like a warrior.

Last night's madness had long been washed away by everything that happened today. Right now, they only wanted to return to their former peaceful lives. They even wished they could return to yesterday, to that mad referendum assembly.

Because everything Eternal Life revealed filled them with fear.

Thus, they placed their final hope in their former faith, in the deity that had given them everything.

As long as Lyra could win, everything could return to how it was before, right?

That was what they thought.

But all they saw was Lyra's body exploding again, blooming with sprays of blood.

Clearly, these were the blood threads that had pierced its body earlier.

Eternal Life had injected its power into Lyra's body. Lyra wanted to expel it, but Eternal Life attacked like a mad dog.

Even as Lyra repeatedly swung that enormous Chainsaw Sword and severed Eternal Life again and again, it was useless. Eternal Life could split into countless pieces and continue attacking it.

In the end, Lyra's enormous body crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom. The pieces of Eternal Life swarmed over it, madly gnawing at Lyra's body.

Lyra could no longer summon even a trace of strength to resist. The hand it had struggled to raise was swiftly chewed away.

Like livestock awaiting slaughter.

At that moment, countless Lyra People broke down.

They knelt on the ground and wept bitterly. They desperately kowtowed, even killed themselves outright, only wanting to stop everything—but none of it was of any use.

Lyra was dying.

"It is over," Bai Wei said softly. "Old Gods still cannot defeat New Gods, can they?"

He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also seemed to be speaking with Ao Li Wei.

But Ao Li Wei could not say anything now, because his throat was damaged and could not be restored.

And under Bai Wei's restraint, he could only watch this divine battle to the end.

Watch Lyra be killed by Eternal Life.

Yet at this moment, no joy arose in his heart.

Because Eternal Life's cruelty filled him with dread as well.

After all, his current half-body had been destroyed by Eternal Life.

He absolutely did not believe Eternal Life could fail to sense his presence. After all, Eternal Life's power still remained in his body.

But Eternal Life... did not care.

Or rather, it had never considered such a thing at all.

It was like a true beast, wanting only to claim everything and destroy everything.

Should such a god... truly descend here?

For the first time in ten years, Ao Li Wei doubted his own decision.

But now, doubt and regret were useless. It was already too late.

Lyra, the final hope and the only being capable of contending with Eternal Life, was about to die as well.

The future of this city... had already been decided.

Eternal Life gnawed for a full ten minutes.

It devoured Lyra's body until only the skeleton remained.

Only then did it seem to remember something. It slowly raised its head and looked toward the Tower of Babel.

It saw Bai Wei, still seated within the tower and staring back at it.

When Eternal Life turned its gaze toward him, Ao Li Wei's heart clenched again. That overwhelming pressure nearly crushed his heart outright.

But Bai Wei still showed little reaction. He merely chuckled. "Have you finally noticed me?"

Ao Li Wei raised his head and saw Bai Wei finally stand.

In the distance, Eternal Life slowly straightened as well. The portions of its body severed by Lyra returned to the main body.

Clearly, it had marked Bai Wei as its next target.

Ao Li Wei had originally thought Eternal Life would charge over directly, just as it had against Lyra.

But Eternal Life did not. It merely slowly lowered its head and let out a deep growl.

As if... threatening him.

That left Ao Li Wei utterly incredulous.

Because Eternal Life had not made such a gesture even when facing Lyra. Its current reaction made it seem as though Bai Wei was an opponent it feared more than Eternal Life itself.

But why?!

"Looks like devouring Lyra gave you more reason." Bai Wei chuckled. "You finally don't look like a pure beast anymore."

Ao Li Wei had no idea whether Eternal Life could understand Bai Wei's words. He only saw Eternal Life continuously drawing back the body parts Lyra had severed earlier, as if it wanted to recover before fighting Bai Wei again.

But... why?

Yet what shocked Ao Li Wei even more was Bai Wei.

Facing Eternal Life's eager preparations for battle, Bai Wei showed no intention of retreating. He simply stood there.

As though the God of Eternal Life... was the challenger!

Ao Li Wei became even more convinced that he was not Jie La Er.

"Who exactly... are you?"

Bai Wei still said nothing. He merely suddenly bent down and rummaged through a corpse at his feet.

This was the corpse Bai Wei had somehow dragged out earlier to use as a stool.

What was he looking for?!

Before Ao Li Wei could figure it out, Eternal Life roared again and charged toward the Tower of Babel.

That enormous body made the earth tremble with every step.

After devouring Lyra, It had become even stronger than before. Even the sight of Its charge could make those looking directly at It go blind for an instant.

Even Ao Li Wei, who had gained a trace of divinity, dared not meet Its gaze. In overwhelming terror, he could only lower his head.

Everything was about to end.

That was what he thought.

Eternal Life would never stop attacking just because It cared about him.

At that moment, Ao Li Wei could not even tell how much regret filled his heart.

He only...

"Ah, here it is."

He heard Bai Wei's relaxed voice. Turning back again, he saw Bai Wei pull a chunk of flesh from the corpse.

His pupils contracted slightly.

Was that... a tongue?

There was still not enough time.

Or rather, he was still far short.

Bai Wei knew very well that with his current methods, the only way to kill a god was through the Rule of the Left Eye.

So he needed time—more time, enough time to erase Eternal Life completely without leaving even a trace behind.

Unfortunately, he was still far from having enough.

If he activated the rule of his eye now, he could still take away half of Eternal Life's body.

But that would be useless. Against an existence like Eternal Life, being unable to kill It completely meant killing himself.

So, he still needed time.

He needed someone who could buy him time.

And on Lyra, the only one who could buy him time was... Lyra itself.

He attached the tongue.

At that moment,

three pieces of the corpse were united in one body.

The power he displayed became more complete, more powerful.

This also drove Eternal Life even madder.

If he had attached the tongue from the beginning, Eternal Life would have immediately turned Its attention to him instead of Lyra.

But now, it was already too late.

Bai Wei raised his head, looked at Eternal Life now within arm's reach, and smiled.

His lips parted slightly.

Ancient, unquestionable words emerged from his mouth.

"Lyra."

"I command you."

"Die for me."

The moment those words were spoken, Jie La Er's body immediately aged, turning almost instantly into a decrepit old man on the verge of death.

Yet in that same instant, Lyra, who had nearly died, suddenly trembled, like a broken puppet whose strings had been pulled again.

The scattered, devoured remains of Its body rapidly gathered in one place.

The dissipated Holy Light shone once more.

That flesh, blood, and steel body transformed in an instant into pure, vast divine power.

Then that divine power gathered into the shape of a sword.

Divine Art: Sword of Order!

Before countless watching eyes, the Sword of Order slashed down through the air.

Eternal Life had sensed something, but it was already too late.

The sword drove straight down along Its spine.

"Boom!"

Its body was pierced from top to bottom, nailed completely to the ground!

"Roar!"

The wail of that mad and powerful god instantly echoed throughout all of Lyra!