Goodbye

Lyle bent down and crouched beside Ye Chen, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. Memories of days gone by and scenes from the past kept surfacing in his golden eyes, and before long, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Ye Chen, ever since you were three, I've forced you to undergo all kinds of harsh training and read all kinds of obscure books."

"Frost White parents buy their children all kinds of toys, but all I ever gave you were blades, guns, and firepower. Frost White parents play with their children, but all I ever did was wear you down, body and mind, with endless brutal training. Frost White parents always encourage their children to make friends, but all I ever did was teach you rhetoric and deception, warning you every moment to guard against betrayal."

"Because of me, your childhood couldn't be as happy and fulfilling as that of other children your age. Instead, it was always filled with tedium and hardship, with bloodshed and violence everywhere. For that, I'm truly sorry. As your teacher, I feel I failed to do my duty."

After hearing this, Ye Chen's emotions spiraled even further out of control. He immediately shouted, unable to bear it any longer:

"But I'm not even a Frost White Person! I don't care about any of that! I never took it to heart, not from the very beginning! Whenever you taught me something new, I was genuinely happy! I understood long ago why you were so strict with me!"

"I've always been happy during the time I spent with you, Teacher—!"

"I'm content! I've been content for a long time!"

"I've worked so hard to train and study because I wanted to become a Hunter who could stand on his own, live up to your expectations, and make you proud!"

"But... if you die, then none of this will mean anything, will it? I don't want this. I really don't..."

Ye Chen covered his face with both hands, his fingertips raking bloody streaks across his cheeks as he cried out uncontrollably.

His sorrowful cries and sobs echoed throughout the spacious Prayer Hall.

"You've already made me proud."

Lyle's gentle, resonant words reached Ye Chen's ears. He raised his red, tearful eyes and looked at Lyle's calm, resolute gaze. For a moment, he could no longer say a word.

"If I had a choice, I'd rather this be the last time you showed such weakness in your life as a Hunter. Just this once. I'll allow you to be weak this one time."

After speaking with solemn gravity, Lyle held out a pristine journal, its cover new and its material fine.

"In the first half of this journal, I recorded all kinds of information that will help guide you going forward. Remember to read it as soon as you leave this place."

"The second half contains secrets that concern your life and safety. My identity, and your origins, are all written in there. But you won't be able to read it until your connection to the Labyrinth reaches a certain level."

"Remember, this journal is of the utmost importance. Never let anyone else see what's inside. You'll understand why I did this in time, so don't ask anything now. Just remember everything I've told you."

After finishing, Lyle helped Ye Chen up from the ground. He took out a handkerchief marked with strange runes and used Space Storage to store the journal inside it, then handed it all to Ye Chen.

"Besides the journal, this handkerchief also contains various combat tools and daily necessities. They should help you get by for a while in the outside world—the Holy Light Pure Land. But if you want to survive there long-term, you'll have to join a Hunter group and officially become an Auling Hunter."

Lyle gave his instructions with a grave expression.

"Auling... Hunter?"

Ye Chen wiped away his tears and repeated the strange title without thinking.

"That's right. I used to be an Auling Hunter myself. Once you reach the Holy Light Pure Land, go to the Auling Hunters' main headquarters and join them. That's the only place that might become your home in the outside world."

Lyle finished speaking calmly. Just then, the floor of the Prayer Hall began to tremble. A soul-shaking sound wave descended without warning, shattering every stained-glass window in the hall at once.

Screeeee—!

The sound wave swept violently through every corner of the Prayer Hall, then surged toward the Broken Stone Statue at its center.

But Lyle's expression showed no surprise. He spread his hand, releasing a dense surge of Auling Power that enveloped Ye Chen, Heiqi, and the Broken Stone Statue together.

The sound wave slammed into the barrier, but could not break through its solid defense. It could only retreat in vain, consumed by the Auling Power and vanishing into the void.

"The Abyss's true form is about to appear. It's time to send you away."

Lyle looked through the Prayer Hall's doors toward the hazy chaos in the distance, where a pitch-black singularity had appeared out of nowhere. He made his final announcement.

He strode over to Heiqi and vigorously stroked the horse's sturdy neck.

"Heiqi, I can't be sure whether the Abyss will send pursuers after you, so I'm entrusting Ye Chen to you."

"This is my final order as your master. Protect him and get him safely outside the Labyrinth."

"After that, you're free. Go wherever you want."

Lyle's voice was low as he gave his instructions. He looked at Heiqi as if at a comrade who had fought beside him for many years, his eyes full of reluctance, but also of trust.

"Neigh!"

Heiqi let out a loud whinny, then rubbed his great head forcefully against Lyle's cheek. At this final moment, the old horse showed himself to be utterly reliable, parting from his master as if they were bidding farewell for life and death, so his master could leave in peace.

Lyle gave a faint, relieved smile at the answer, then held out his palm toward the Broken Stone Statue and activated the connection between them.

Ding!

With a clear chime, the surface of the Broken Stone Statue abruptly cracked, and countless motes of light spilled from the fragments and dust.

They quickly gathered together, finally merging into the entrance of a vast spatial tunnel. Inside, colors shimmered and shifted like stardust.

Ignoring Ye Chen's resistance, Lyle grabbed him and tossed him onto Heiqi's back. Two strange streams of Auling Power immediately poured from his fingertips, pinning Ye Chen in place so he couldn't break free.

"Ye Chen, once I'm gone, there'll be no one watching over you or protecting you in secret. So you'll have to rely on yourself and trust yourself on the road ahead. This is all I can do for you as your teacher."

Ye Chen listened to Lyle's words, unable to force out a single one of his own. He could only let helplessness and grief flood his heart like an ocean.

"If you still don't understand what the point of living is, then start by setting yourself a goal. Any goal will do. At least it'll give your life direction and motivation."

"All right, that's enough talk. It's time to part."

"Ye Chen, keep going. I believe you won't let me down. After all, you're the apprentice I'm most proud of."

After saying this, Lyle gave a dim smile, then turned and walked toward the Prayer Hall's exit with calm, unwavering steps.

"I... I..."

With Heiqi and Lyle facing away from each other, and the horse about to step into the spatial tunnel created by the Broken Stone Statue, Ye Chen on its back watched Lyle's increasingly indistinct figure. He bit his lower lip and finally managed to say his farewell.

"Teacher, you've always been like a father to me—!"

At that, Lyle's back suddenly stopped. His clenched fingers began to tremble violently, and the resolve he had steeled himself with was shaken by Ye Chen's words.

"I'm so glad that someone like you has been by my side all these years—!"

"I'll become a powerful Hunter. I won't let you down, and I won't waste all the effort you put into me!"

"So... so..."

Ye Chen's voice was choked with sobs, but he managed to say the final words.

"Goodbye, Teacher."

The boy said his farewell, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say the word "farewell forever."

Then he followed the old horse into the spatial tunnel, vanishing amid the countless stars within.

As the man and horse departed, the spatial tunnel abruptly disappeared into the void. The Broken Stone Statue seemed to have finally succumbed to years of wear, collapsing heavily onto the cold floor. It crumbled into countless specks of dust and lost its light forever.

In the blink of an eye, only Lyle remained inside the old, dilapidated Old Church.

"Hahahahaha—!"

Alone, Lyle suddenly burst into laughter, his expression utterly satisfied.

When he finished laughing, he took a deep breath, then couldn't help muttering to himself.

"Just one word, and it makes me feel that a hundred years were all worth it. Humanity really is a terrifying thing!"

"With this, every butterfly effect has been perfectly 'locked in.' From now on, every cause and consequence will become 'reality,' just as I saw it!"

"I've paved the road ahead for you, all of it with these eyes. So go, child. Spread your wings and fly!"

Lyle murmured, and the smile on his face gradually transformed into excitement, exhilaration, and finally outright madness.

It was the expression of an old Hunter, eager after a hundred years to return to his former work, slaughter his prey, and savor the taste of blood. It was the true nature Lyle had always hidden beneath his mask.

Then he plunged his hand straight into his chest, condensing the soul within his body on the spot into a golden cross.

The cross was as large as Lyle himself, its four ends wrapped in countless swordlike thorns.

Though the Prayer Hall was now pitch-black, the cross still gleamed with golden splendor. It radiated an invisible, noble divinity, and the moment it was set on the floor, it left countless cracks in the ground. A faint golden light shone from within them.

This cross was Lyle's Life Relic.

He casually lifted it by the handle at one end, rested it on his shoulder, and strode out of the Old Church, brimming with fighting spirit.

Outside, neither earth nor sky remained.

The entire world, the entire space, held nothing but endless blackness.

Blackness that was cold to the extreme, greedy to the extreme.

The Abyss was about to devour everything.

And Lyle was its next target.

"Long time no see."

With the cross on his shoulder, Lyle greeted it without a trace of fear.

At his greeting, a massive outline slowly emerged from the center of the darkness that shrouded the world. Countless grooves and ridges came into view. From afar, it looked almost like an infant's face.

"Y—ou... l—i—ar..."

The outline uttered its words indistinctly, shaking the entire space until it cracked.

"Heh. You're just too naive."

Lyle gave a disdainful smile. The chaotic space behind him instantly began to shift, then condensed into hundreds upon hundreds of Golden Giant Eyes. Each was as large as the golden eyes on the dome that had previously annihilated the pitch-black sea, forming a galaxy of gold.

The next moment, the Abyss roared, and golden light blazed.

Darkness and gold tore the entire space apart.

Amid the chaos and tremors, Lyle smiled faintly. As his form began to change, he softly recited the Hunting Declaration unique to Auling Hunters.

"Golden Eye Hunter Yelun now begins the hunt for the Abyssal Deformed God Havijordan."