"You... you..."
The nine heads of the Nightmare Hydra opened their massive jaws simultaneously, yet no complete sound could be uttered.
He finally understood.
The Mother of the Stars is not here to save the day, to uphold justice, or to be some kind of savior.
He came to reap the harvest.
Harvest Him, harvest the Lord of Time, harvest the Fantasy Dimension, harvest the entire Astral Realm.
"Lord of Time!" The Nightmare Hydra abruptly turned to the golden figure, its voice tinged with a final hope, "We have Chaos Contract! You cannot let Him kill me! The pact forbids you from harming me in any way!"
I didn't hurt you.
The voice of the Lord of Time was as calm as still water.
"The Mother of the Stars harming you has nothing to do with me."
Although this reason is very far-fetched in the face of the contract, as long as the Mother of the Stars can control the entire Astral Realm, there is a way to help the Lord of Time eliminate these effects.
In short, the Lord of Time is fearless.
"You--!!!"
The Nightmare Hydra's rage was like a candle flame in a storm before the presence of the Mother of the Stars; it was instantly extinguished.
He finally realized that he had been a pawn from the very beginning.
A chess piece placed on the chessboard by the Lord of Time.
A pawn destined to be sacrificed by the Mother of the Stars.
Ironically, He was just mocking the Lord of No Void, but now He has become a pawn.
The situation could not have changed more dramatically than this.
"Give up resistance."
The voice of the Mother of the Stars echoed in the Land of the Heart, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if stating an unquestionable fact.
Your struggles are pointless.
The Nightmare Hydra did not give up.
It wasn't because of courage, nor because of stubbornness, but because of unwillingness to accept defeat.
He had planned for countless years, waited for countless years, and paid countless prices, all for this day. He devoured the Fantasy Dimension, he defeated the Lord of No Void, and he became one of the most powerful beings in the Astral Realm —at least, that's what he thought he was.
But now, He finds himself merely a pawn.
A chess piece that is used and then discarded.
He was unwilling to accept it.
"I'm not reconciled!!!"
The Nightmare Hydra's nine heads roared simultaneously, unleashing a deafening roar. Dark purple light erupted from its body, turning the surrounding hundreds of miles into a sea of despairing fire. Nine Sword of Despair materialized above its head, each containing the power to Destruction an entire plane.
This was His final act of madness.
Nine Sword of Despair simultaneously hurtled towards the Mother of the Stars.
The Mother of the Stars didn't even look at it.
He merely raised the fingers of his left hand slightly.
The nine Sword of Despair suddenly stopped tens of thousands of miles away from the Mother of the Stars, as if they had crashed into an invisible wall. Dark purple light exploded on the wall, sparking a sky full of sparks, but the wall remained unmoved.
"I told you, your struggle is pointless."
The Mother of the Stars gently clenched her left hand.
The nine Sword of Despair shattered simultaneously, turning into countless dark purple fragments that drifted through the Void.
A flicker of despair flashed in the eyes of Nightmare Hydra.
His strongest attacks were nothing more than a tickle to the Mother of the Stars.
"Lord of Time," the Mother of the Stars ' voice rang out again, "Make your move."
"Yes."
The golden dragon body of the Lord of Time surged forward, so fast that even the Nightmare Hydra's dynamic vision couldn't keep up. When it reappeared, it was already standing directly above the Nightmare Hydra, its golden dragon claws like five sharp swords, plunging fiercely into the Nightmare Hydra's back.
"Ah--!!!"
The Nightmare Hydra let out a scream, and dark purple blood gushed from its wounds, turning into swirling wisps of mist in the Void. It twisted its body madly, its nine heads simultaneously lunging at the Lord of Time, but the Lord of Time had already vanished before its attack could reach him.
The next moment, the Lord of Time appeared on the belly of the Nightmare Hydra, and the golden dragon claws plunged in once more.
Another scream.
The Lord of Time is too fast. He not only moves through space, but also leaps across timelines. Each appearance and disappearance is separated by an imperceptible time difference, making the Nightmare Hydra's attacks always a beat too slow.
This is what makes time manipulators terrifying.
It's not about the magnitude of strength, but the absolute advantage in speed.
But what truly drove Nightmare Hydra to despair was not the attack of the Lord of Time.
Rather, it is the existence of the Mother of the Stars.
The Mother of the Stars did nothing; she simply stood there. But it was precisely this "doing nothing" that made Nightmare Hydra feel every ounce of its power being suppressed, every movement being restrained, and every breath becoming increasingly difficult.
The pressure of Third-Step Eternity is not something that First-Step Eternity can withstand.
Like an ant, it doesn't need to be stepped on; just being watched will make it instinctively feel fear.
"Lord of Time... you traitor..."
The Nightmare Hydra's voice was filled with pain and rage.
"You'll regret this... The Mother of the Stars won't let you off the hook either... Do you really think she'll take you to the Land of Origin? Do you really think she'll consider you an ally? You're just a more useful pawn than I am!"
The Lord of Time paused slightly.
But it was only one meal.
"Perhaps," the Lord of Time's voice was calm as still water, "But at least for now, I have outlived you."
The golden dragon claw pierced the Nightmare Hydra's body once more, this time wreathed in golden temporal power. That power seeped into the Nightmare Hydra's body through the wound, beginning to freeze its timeline.
Nightmare Hydra felt its body stiffening, every movement slowing down, like an insect frozen in amber. It wanted to struggle, to resist, but the torrent of time was engulfing it.
"No... no..."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, his movements slower and slower, and the light in his eighteen eyes dimmed.
"It's over."
The Mother of the Stars raised her right hand, her five fingers spread.
Nightmare Hydra felt the undigested Fantasy Origin within its body begin to surge violently, like ten thousand venomous snakes writhing wildly within it, tearing apart its muscles, shattering its bones, and disintegrating its very essence.
The Fantasy Origin that He devoured are being forcibly extracted from His body by the power of the Mother of the Stars.
"No--!!!"
The Nightmare Hydra's nine heads simultaneously let out their final screams, dark purple blood gushing from its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, turning into swirling wisps of mist in the Void. Its body began to shrink, from tens of thousands of miles to thousands of miles, from thousands of miles to hundreds of miles, from hundreds of miles to just a few miles, finally becoming a twitching ball of flesh curled up in the Void.
A faint trace of consciousness still remained within that ball of flesh.
That was the final consciousness of the Nightmare Hydra.
"Why...?"
The Nightmare Hydra's voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, but the despair and confusion it contained were more awe-inspiring than any roar.
"Why... betray me...? We... have Chaos Contract... you can't..."
"Chaos Contract?"
The Lord of Time walked up to the mass of flesh and looked down at it. His clock-like eyes reflected the lingering consciousness of the Nightmare Hydra.
"The Chaos Contract is indeed inviolable. But have you carefully read the terms of the contract?"
The Nightmare Hydra's consciousness fluctuated violently.
"The contract states, ' The Lord of Time must not harm the Nightmare Hydra in any way,'" the Lord of Time said with a hint of amusement. "But I did not harm you. It was the Mother of the Stars who harmed you, not me. I was merely watching from the sidelines."
"You--!!!"
The Nightmare Hydra unleashed its final fury, but before the power of the Mother of the Stars, that fury was like a candle flame in a storm, instantly extinguished.
"Furthermore," the Lord of Time added, "The contract also states, 'If the Nightmare Hydra attacks the Lord of Time, the contract will automatically become invalid.' You just unleashed nine Sword of Despair at me; although they missed, the fact that you 'attacked' is still established."
"Therefore, the Chaos Contract became invalid the moment you attacked me."
"Besides, is the contract you believe to be unbreakable truly unbreakable in my eyes, or in the eyes of the Mother of the Stars? You're incredibly stupid!"
The Nightmare Hydra's consciousness froze completely.
He finally understood.
He was plotted against from the very beginning.
"You... you bastard..."
The last vestige of Nightmare Hydra's consciousness slowly dissipated in the Void, leaving behind only the shrinking mass of flesh and a faint sigh.
"But... you will... regret it..."
"Maybe."
The Lord of Time turned away, no longer looking at the ball of flesh.
"But not today."
The Mother of the Stars withdrew her right hand, holding in her palm the primal essence extracted from the Nightmare Hydra. This essence contained the full power of the Nightmare Hydra and the entire primal essence of the Fantasy Dimension —the two had merged into one, inseparable.
He looked down at the origin in his palm and remained silent for a moment.
This primordial source contains the dreams of countless beings, the fantasies of countless civilizations, and the hopes of countless worlds. What He wants to do is devour all these powers and make them His own.
This is not out of greed, not out of ambition, but out of necessity.
The Mother of the Stars turned her gaze away from the origin and into the depths of the Void.
That place is beyond the boundary of the Astral Realm, where the Chaos Sea lies.
The Chaos Sea is a void beyond the multiverse. There are no laws, no order, no life, only Endless chaos and Destruction. A terrible natural disaster is brewing in the Chaos Sea — the Destruction Tide.
Every long cycle, Destruction Tide surges forth from the depths of the Chaos Sea, sweeping across all dimensions, universes, and worlds. No power can stop the Destruction Tide, and no being can resist Destruction Tide. It simply devours everything, Destruction everything, and then recedes, awaiting the next cycle.
The Mother of the Stars has witnessed Destruction Tide.
That was countless years ago, when the Astral Realm was still very small. A small wave of Destruction Tide reached the edge of the Astral Realm, devouring hundreds of thousands of planes and turning everything in those planes—matter, energy, life, souls, dreams—into nothingness.
The Mother of the Stars stood at the edge of the Astral Realm, watching those planes disappear in the Destruction Tide, and for the first time felt fear.
It was not the fear of his own death—as an being who had touched the threshold of the Third-Step Eternity, His vitality was so strong that it could not be taken away by a single Destruction Tide.
Rather, it was the fear of the Destruction the Astral Realm.
He has protected the Astral Realm for countless eras, the Astral Realm he considers his home, the Astral Realm to which he has poured all his heart and soul—if it is struck head-on by the Destruction Tide, it will be reduced to nothingness in an instant.
The Mother of the Stars began searching for a way to counter the Destruction Tide.
He studied for countless years, explored countless dimensions, and deduced countless possibilities. Ultimately, He arrived at a cruel conclusion—
To ensure the Astral Realm survives the Destruction Tide, it must possess the power of Third-Step Eternity.
Only beings that Third-Step Eternity can use their own power to erect a barrier large enough to cover the entire Astral Realm, keeping the Destruction Tide at bay.
After traveling to other realms, the Mother of the Stars solidified this idea, as other powerful beings shared the same sentiment.
To become Third-Step Eternity, He must devour the entire Astral Realm.
This is a paradox.
To protect the Astral Realm, you must first devour Astral Realm.
To save the Astral Realm Astral Realm the Destruction Tide, we must first make it a part of ourselves.
The Mother of the Stars hesitated for a long time.
He didn't want to do that.
Devouring the Astral Realm means the Destruction of countless planes, the annihilation of countless lives, and the Termination of countless civilizations. She is the Earth Mother Goddess, the guardian of life, and the embodiment of motherhood. To devour what she protects would violate the very meaning of her existence.
But if we don't do this, everything will be gone when the Destruction Tide comes.
It is not being swallowed up, nor being transformed, but being completely eliminated.
It has no value to be devoured, no chance to be transformed, and no significance as nourishment.
Pure nothingness.
The Mother of the Stars has made her choice.
He wants to devour the Astral Realm, refine it into his own Inner Universe, advance to the Third-Step Eternity, and then use the power of the Third-Step Eternity to erect a barrier to the Astral Realm —to protect the Astral Realm that has become a part of him.
This is not greed, not ambition, not betrayal.
This is... a helpless situation.
This is a sacrifice.
Sacrifice the current existence of the Astral Realm Astral Realm in exchange for its future eternal existence.
Countless lives were sacrificed in exchange for the continuation of countless others at a higher level.
To sacrifice one's own morality in order to ensure that what one is protecting can continue to exist.
This process will inevitably encounter countless acts of resistance and misunderstanding, but this is the path that the Mother of the Stars has chosen for herself.
The Mother of the Stars closed her eyes and absorbed the primordial essence into her body.
"Mother Goddess."
The voice of the Lord of Time rang out from the side.
"Now, it's time to fulfill your promise."
The Mother of the Stars opened her eyes and looked at the Lord of Time.
Those eyes, reflecting countless worlds, held no emotion.
He raised his left hand, and a golden light appeared in his palm. The light slowly spread, condensing into a huge, elegant, and majestic outline in the Void.
That was a dragon.
A dragon even larger than the Lord of Time.
His scales are not gold, but a "pure" color that transcends all colors—a color that has never appeared in any plane of existence, a color that cannot be described by human language, the origin of all colors, and the Termination of all colors.
Thirty-Eight Paradise Pterosaur.