The final incantation, like the last note of a final movement, caused the light to vanish abruptly.
Afrit vanished, leaving behind only a coffin, crystal clear and enormous.
Inside the coffin, the scorching flames were gone, leaving only a wisp of Eternity fire frozen in time. It emitted a faint, constant glow, no longer carrying any destructive power, and floated quietly within the translucent crystal coffin.
The entire crystal coffin exudes a strange and cold beauty, an absolute stillness after Destruction has been contained by [ Eternity ].
Fulisina slowly lowered her staff, her fingertips trembling slightly. She looked at the [ Eternity Coffin] that emitted a cold, eerie light, and the turmoil in her eyes finally subsided, turning into a deep weariness and complexity.
As the Emanator [ Eternity ], she gave Afrit the end that best suited his Destruction aesthetics and his own Path —not a vile annihilation, but being sealed away by [ Eternity ] itself.
Its very existence has become a cold monument to the [burning end].
The scorching air inside the mansion cooled rapidly, and the eternal fire seemed to fall completely silent at this moment. Only the crystal coffin stood quietly before the throne, silently telling the story of the end of a Duke of the Flame Demons.
And its chosen answer, a heroic confrontation with [ Eternity ] and [ Nihility ].
Acheron's hand, which had been resting on the hilt of his sword, had quietly slipped away at some point. He looked at Fulisina, whose profile was still taut, with a deep gaze.
The sword, in the end, remained unsheathed.
The final flame that Afrit ignited with her life, attempting to illuminate their [unfathomable dream], has solidified into a cold grain of stardust in the coffin of [ Eternity ].
Several days later, the Xianzhou Luofu.
Ye Yan opened his shop for his usual one hour a day. With some time to spare before heading to [ Penacony ], he figured he might as well stay in the bubble tea shop, carefree...
Ah, it seems we have a special guest today.
Ye Yan slowly picked up a cup of milk tea, looking at the Foxian girl trembling with fear in front of him, her Tail emitting a ghostly green light.
"Mr. Ye... Mr. Ye Yan, does that method of exorcising evil once and for all, which you mentioned, really exist...?"
The young woman was none other than Huohuo Huo, the famous... uh, trainee judge of the Ten-Lords Commission of the Xianzhou Luofu!
Who would have thought that this timid, weak, and pitiful Foxian- girl, who was afraid of all sorts of strange things, would shoulder the responsibility of seducing demons?
Feeling inadequate, yet unable to muster the courage to resign, he could only continue working in silence, filled with fear.
Now, she heard from Qingque that drinking the milk tea made by the shop owner could ward off evil spirits and cure all diseases, and that the effect was even better than the [ Dragon Lady of the Healer's Apothecary ] of the Alchemy Commission!
Sigh~ These days, shop owners really have to go to great lengths to increase customer traffic, even resorting to gimmicks like "cures all diseases."
Huohuo had heard of this milk tea shop before, whether it was Qingque who wanted to teach her how to fight [ Imperial Jade ], Bai Lu who took her Bailu at Alchemy Commission, or Hanya, who was also a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, she had heard about it from them.
But... it was precisely because the store's decor was so unique (and dilapidated) that Huohuo never dared to make up her mind to take that difficult step.
The main problem is that as soon as [ Tail ] Grandpa arrives in this area, he pretends to be asleep and can't be woken up no matter how you call him. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think that he ate all the calming medicine that Alchemy Commission prescribed for him.
This morning, Huohuo met a scruffy, red-haired foreigner, which sparked her idea to come to this bubble tea shop. All her previous impressions vanished, leaving her with a very strange feeling.
When she came to her senses, she was already in front of the milk tea shop.
Since we're already here... it wouldn't be right to turn around and run away out of fear, which led to the current situation.
"Don't worry, Miss Huohuo. It's not like I'm going to eat you if you're not satisfied with the [milk tea therapy]. Our shop supports no-questions-asked refunds... Well, although this therapy is free."
As Ye Yan spoke, he walked to the workbench and pretended to operate it. Taking advantage of Huohuo's inattention, he splashed a handful of cold water on his forehead.
"Huh?!"
Seeing Ye Yan covered in sweat, Huohuo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So making milk tea takes so much effort!"
Oh... she misunderstood the store.
"Here." After wiping the water droplets off the cup, Ye Yan handed the freshly made milk tea to Huohuo.
"Miss Huohuo, I might not be able to explain the first part of 'once and for all,' but you've come to the right person with the last two words."
Ye Yan, a truly honest Aeon, said, "Eternal ease is the same as Eternity. If you want to find comfort in your work, nothing is more suitable than opening a milk tea shop."
In Ye Yan's eyes, Huohuo's age was no different from a child's, so rounding it up, the [ Ten-Lords Commission ] hiring child labor was a rather heinous act.
In this world... Ye Yan recommends that all workplaces around the world learn from the Church of Eternity. They never do this kind of thing; all their labor is recruited through legitimate means, by bidding... cough!
Of course, the Church also has its principles. They could easily leave such good laborers like the [ Antimatter Legion ] Doomsday Beast, but they would never associate with the offspring of [ Destruction ]!
Hmm... the people at the [ Tavern ] are really something. Blake even brought them some warmth the other day. Hopefully they'll like the soap and fireworks.
In Aurum Alley, Xing is asked by Guinaifen, whom he met briefly at the [ Interastral Tournament Festival ], to join her in investigating paranormal events.
A young girl accidentally wanders into an abandoned garden, where she encounters wandering ghosts and faces constant danger! The scenes are thrilling and breathtaking. Click the link below to see the shocking secret hidden behind this deserted garden!
"... Not suitable for viewers under 200 years of age."
Xing was speechless. What did this mean... was it targeting her? Looks like she owed her a lesson in baseball!
Regardless of what kind of education she received in the first half of her life—science, magic, faith, or whatever else—when a third-rate internet celebrity sends Xing a spam text claiming she encountered ghosts and monsters in some abandoned garden, her reaction is—
1. Yay! I can get close to her!
Second, block any new types of fraudulent text messages and refuse to send them.
3. Never mind, let's go take a look.
Of course, no matter what she chose, Xing secretly made up her mind that no matter how eloquent she was, she would never spend even fifty Credits on this trip, never!
Besides, where would she get any spare cash...? She only has a little over two billion, probably not even a fraction of Asta has.
"Hello, family! You came here to find me because you're Curiosity about paranormal events, right?"
"Family, do you believe in the existence of ghosts and monsters?" Guinaifen asked first.
"I can spot a fake at a glance; I don't even look at marketing accounts."
"Hmph, those who don't believe me are in trouble now. And the video I'm about to release will prove that the Xianzhou is indeed a place full of supernatural phenomena."
"Enough with the chit-chat, look! This is the weird thing that happened during my live stream at [ Fyxestroll Garden ] yesterday!"