"Teacher... you're telling me to stop?"
Hearing the Star Gazer's words, Gray Mist's lips twitched. He gradually relaxed from his previously rigid state, and his tone returned to its usual indifference.
"Now?"
"Maintaining Uniwal's Dream is necessary for this world. The moment you open the passage to the Nether Sea, those Dark Beings lost in the gaps will immediately descend upon the Prime Material Plane. Countless lives will die because of it. I believe you understand that very well."
The Star Gazer gazed at Gray Mist with eyes full of wisdom, his voice calm and profound.
"Therefore, I will not allow you to open the passage."
"You cannot save this world either, Teacher. Your methods are like using a mortal's bandages to dress the wound of someone afflicted by the Bleeding Curse. You are merely futilely delaying the arrival of the final moment!
From the beginning until now, you have always been like this. You care only about the false peace before your eyes, while turning a blind eye to the despair of the future!"
A cold smile appeared on Gray Mist's face. A pale gray balance appeared in his hand, and on one of its pans, Oni Chaos's irregular octahedral core shone brilliantly.
"My path is ultimately different from yours. Between the present and the future, I choose to gamble for a sliver of hope in the future! As long as I can escape Uniwal alive and leave this world, I will inevitably Breakthrough to Legendary. Then, in the endless years to come, I will find a brand-new world deep within the Nether Sea, one with no threat from any Dark Beings.
Only in that world can humanity truly multiply, develop, and grow stronger, instead of waiting in false safety for the apocalypse to descend at some unknown time!"