Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 434 - 374: The End of the Long Night_1

One thousand four hundred years later, the Green Bird's burning ended prematurely. The furnace core opened once again, and this time, two Giant Beasts entered.

"Our bodies are relatively small, so we discussed it and decided to go in together. That way, we can last a bit longer, and we'll have company," they said.

Hand in hand, the White Wolf and the Moon Deer bade farewell to the crowd and walked through the open gate of the furnace core.

Inside, they saw walls covered in carvings and the Green Bird, who was intently studying those records. She seemed to have been startled awake, turning her head in a daze. "Is it your turn?"

"Yeah," the White Wolf grinned. "You're off the stage now."

"What a pity. I would have almost finished my paper in a little while…" The Green Bird sighed, then turned back to them with a smile. "Just don't go making any babies, okay?"

"We're not as bored as you."

The White Wolf and the Green Bird high-fived. As the White Wolf took the flame, the Green Bird's outline flickered. She sighed softly, "It wasn't as terrifying as I expected, but I'm a bit reluctant to leave."

She vanished without a sound.

The furnace core closed.

The White Wolf and the Moon Deer lasted five thousand one hundred years, longer than expected. Next came the Red Disaster Lord. As a collective of fungal life, it was at a disadvantage and only lasted six hundred years before passing on the burden. Before doing so, it grumbled unhappily, "I can still burn a little longer!" only to be kicked away by the impatient Unlit Scorpion Lion.

The Unlit Scorpion Lion lasted for about three thousand one hundred years, and then…

And so, whether peacefully, helplessly, indignantly, or unwillingly, the Giant Beasts stepped into the flames one by one.

As time flew by, the Eternal Titan Empire also constantly renewed itself. Wave after wave of leaders and citizens were born, grew up, aged, and died. They witnessed unification, followed by division, and then unification once more. Countless technologies met with failure or success. Systems were overthrown and rebuilt. History, like a spiral, sometimes advanced and sometimes retreated, its course wavering and uncertain.

One might say that change was constant. Unfortunately, aside from that ignited sun, there were no changing lunar phases by which to reminisce.

Time continued to pass, and Huai Shi kept moving forward.

Until one day, Taurus told him, "It's my turn to leave the stage."

"So soon?" Huai Shi could hardly believe it.

"It's been over forty thousand years, Big Brother," Taurus sighed with resignation. "I can't hold on much longer."

"What will happen to the energy supply after you're gone?"

"I was replaced long ago. The new engines have been online for three hundred years. Nowadays, my only job is to recharge things for people..." Taurus sighed again. "I really miss the times when they still considered me the God of Thunder. Are you going to keep moving forward?"

"Might as well keep walking. It's no bother," Huai Shi said. "Look how healthy I am."

"You're the most abnormal one here, aren't you?" Taurus clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Your body has expanded at least tenfold. Why are you still growing?"

"It just means these stones are nutritious," Huai Shi suggested. "You should eat more of them too."

Taurus did not reply.

Before him, the streak of lightning that was Taurus slowly dissipated. Only a flickering figure remained, waving at Huai Shi before silently vanishing into the darkness.

Huai Shi stood stunned for a long time. The last person he could talk to had left the stage, and this couldn't help but make him feel a tinge of sorrow.

Still, it wasn't all bad. He had recently fashioned an electric violin, which he now carried on his shoulder. In the future, when he was utterly bored, at least he could play a few tunes.

At least I feel like I've made significant progress, so the time hasn't been wasted, he thought.

He continued onward.

And so, he walked onward for another five thousand years, then slept for a very long time.

It took an envoy from the president three years to reach him. The envoy used a gigantic loudspeaker to awaken him from his dreams and then nervously awaited his response.

"Hmm?" Huai Shi was calmer than expected. "Is it my turn?"

That's fine too, he thought.

Huai Shi nodded. He set down the city he carried on his back, opened its protective cover, and reached out his hand. "Bring me the furnace core."

It took half a year to transfer the furnace core safely. By now, Huai Shi's body had swelled so much that the furnace core, once the size of his palm, now seemed as small as a marble to him.

"So, it's your turn?"

From within the opened furnace core, the seated Gray Bear remarked with a sigh, "Speaking of which, you've grown bigger again. How on earth will you fit in here?"

"There's no need for me to go inside," Huai Shi said. "I have a more convenient method."

Then, he opened his mouth, tossed the furnace core down his throat, and swallowed it with an "AWOO!"

Smacking his lips, he earnestly commented to the waiting envoy below, "Your rust removal work these past years hasn't been very good. It has a rusty taste."

Not the sweet and sour flavor I was anticipating. Quite disappointing, he mused.

And then, he was ignited.

He felt flames surge from his abdomen, instantly enveloping him. It was as if his body was being disintegrated inch by inch, bringing an agonizing, burning pain.

In his agony, he involuntarily bent over, stifling the roar in his throat.

Only molten steel dripped from his body, forming a metallic lake that stretched for hundreds of miles. Amidst this boiling lake of metal, he took a deep breath, tilted his head to the sky, and exhaled the fierce fire—a legacy passed down for fifty thousand years.

In the fleeting flare of firelight, the silhouettes of the Giant Beasts appeared.

They gazed into Huai Shi's eyes, smiled, and waved goodbye.

"It's up to you now," they seemed to say.

"Yes, leave it to me," Huai Shi affirmed with a nod.

But no one responded; the figures dissipated.

The agonizing pain of growing bones erupted from within him. His myriad organs roared as they underwent their Metamorphosis in the fire. A pair of massive wings, ferocious and sharp, burst from his back, tearing through bone and flesh.

Huai Shi tilted his head to the heavens and let out a long cry. His giant tail swept out, unleashing the final Dragon Roar in this dead, silent world.

Now, in the flames, he was truly undergoing his ultimate Metamorphosis. His terrifying physique, already beyond human imagination, expanded once more. Amidst the fire's embrace, sharp Dragon Scales grew out from beneath his Armor.

The inherited flames spread over his once light-emitting back, rendering it even more majestic in the blaze, forming a grand silhouette like a solar halo.

And the Eternal Titan Empire floated within that solar halo, like a resplendent Treasure Bead.

The eternal Empire and the seemingly eternal Giant Beast had merged into one.

Huai Shi had truly transcended his original prototype, becoming this world's sole sovereign—the World-Bearer!

—The End Dragon·Bahamut!

Now, the Dragon that Devours Worlds, in this dead world, spread its wings and grinned.

"Let's go."

He soared into the sky, carrying the solar halo and the world on his back, embarking once more on an endless journey.

And so, ten thousand years, then twenty thousand years, passed. In a daze, time seemed to accelerate madly, as if fast-forwarded tens of thousands of times, until it lost all sense of reality.

During the long journey, the world on his back also seemed to have evolved to a degree he could no longer recognize. With the departure of the Scholars, the city had long since been handed over to these Evolutionary Groups. Now, they appeared to have become a hazy amalgamation of light and shadow, individuals no longer distinguishable from one another.

"We are indebted to you for your long protection, O Divine Great Spirit!"

Thousands of figures emerged from the light and shadow, their voices joined as one, bidding him farewell. "Today, we embrace our final evolution. We shall shed our mortal forms and merge into the eternal Origin Spring."

"Have you decided?" Huai Shi asked.

"Among our one million two hundred thousand people, not one hesitates or fears. Such a gratifying outcome is thanks to your selfless dedication."

The figures within the light and shadow bowed respectfully. "We will merge into the Sea of Silver, entering a state of unity, and will no longer be a burden to you. This is our final 'Offensive' against Doomsday. Please witness it all."

Huai Shi nodded. "Then go. I have no objections."

"Farewell then, Great Spirit." The figures in the light and shadow seemed to smile. "We hope that after Doomsday ends, we can meet again in the new world."

"Mm, goodbye then."

Huai Shi lowered his eyes, watching as the figures, one by one, walked into the brilliant, intense light, merging into the dazzling Sea of Silver.

From the boundless Sea of Silver, a pulse of light leaped out. It drew near, as if playfully pinching his cheek. Finally, it returned to his back, merging into the corona-like radiance there. Pure, clear light scattered down, as if it had transformed into a moon.

"Let's go, my friend."

A familiar voice echoed by his ear, then quickly dissipated.

Huai Shi chuckled softly, spread his wings, and flew toward the dark distance.

His journey was not yet over.

He had to keep moving forward.

The following stretch of time lost all meaning. He didn't know how many more years passed. Huai Shi's body grew ever larger and larger. Unfortunately, there was no longer any frame of reference against which to compare his immense size.

He still kept moving forward.

Until one day, he felt a profound weariness, different from any he had known before. Only then did he pause on the silent land and look around.

"I'm going to sleep. What about you?" he turned and asked the sun and moon on his back.

The Sea of Silver, still encircling the sun on his back, silently shed its radiance. It flickered once, as if bidding farewell.

"Good night, then."

Huai Shi smiled, lay down on the ground, and gently sheltered that disc of light with his wings. Then, he fell into a Deep Sleep.

He never opened his eyes again.

In the dead, silent world, only the firelight continued to dance quietly, stubbornly singing the epics of yesteryear.

Ten thousand years, twenty thousand years...

That firelight became like a candle flickering in the wind; its glow gradually dimmed but was never extinguished.

Until one day, a long-absent wind blew from the distant horizon. It carried dense moisture, coalescing into layers of pitch-black storm clouds that enveloped the barren world.

Torrential rain fell for three thousand years, filling the dried seabeds to form oceans. Lush grass seeds sprouted from the dead earth, growing into dense forests.

Heaven and Earth were reborn.

And that stubborn flame, along with the moon-disc it had become, finally dissipated.

From the extinguished firelight, the first of the walking beasts emerged. It raised its eyes blankly, surveying its surroundings.

It saw the light of a new Dawn.

The vast, long night had, at last, come to an end.