Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 487 - 424 Maternal Kindness and Filial Piety_1

Ninety-one years ago, amid the turmoil that could be described as the catastrophe of all realms, the Ranch Owner and the Rotten Dream Queen, both seeking to further their own influence, struck a deal and formed an eternal pact.

The assurance of the alliance lay in the offspring born sixteen years after their union in the hazy realm.

Strictly speaking, the Rotten Dream Queen got the better end of the deal. After all, with dual authority over the Mirror World and the Dream World, even a terrifying being like the Ranch Owner needed her help at times. It was like a young man without a penny to his name embracing the arms of a wealthy older woman, tilling the soil blindly throughout the night, sacrificing dignity that wasn't worth mentioning, bringing joy to all, and then leaving with unsteady steps and pockets full of money.

At this thought, Huai Shi was startled into realization: to some extent, was the Ranch Owner also considered his predecessor?

He quickly cut off this line of thought.

He couldn't think any further...

Anyway, after the eternal pact between the Ranch Owner and Rotten Dream, passage to the Mirror World was opened to the Paradise of Bliss and The Purified People's herdsmen, allowing the Ranch Owner to exert his influence unrestrainedly in the Current Circumstances.

It was a brilliant move. From that moment on, He became the most influential Abyss entity in the Current Circumstances. According to the conservative estimates by the Astronomical Society, in just these ninety years, He has acquired sixteen percent distortion in the Current Circumstances.

The law of the jungle, Survival of the Fittest, runs rampant in civilized society. It's even foolishly idolized by some dimwits. They are oblivious to the fact that when they view others as food, their own lives, property, and even souls are gradually becoming the meal of another.

The Ranch Owner reaped such rich rewards, and the price He paid was naturally hefty. The key lay in the child He had with Rotten Dream.

If it were merely about "donating a few chromosomes," it would only cost the nutritional fee of fifty or sixty dollars. Such a cheap trifle, He wouldn't mind birthing any number of them. Maybe He even snacked on them in His free time for fun.

But the Rotten Dream Queen's ambition was far too great. Otherwise, besides that sole child, all other offspring were either stillborn or mostly died in the womb.

No one knows what kind of price the Ranch Owner paid, but that child was destined to be one of the future Abyss Rulers even before opening its eyes. But being a Ruler alone wouldn't cause such a sensation. The key lies in the fact that even before birth, He had become one of the "Remaining Evils of the World."

In the public records of the Astronomical Society, there are only a few brief mentions of this information. Most people would probably think it's some prestigious title from the Abyss, but it's far more than that.

Huai Shi had heard its essence from Raven. This title refers to a being so terrifying that even in Hell, which is like a cradle for monsters, it stands out.

—The remnants of an old world.

It was necessary for an entire world to come to ruin, collapse, and turn into Hell, plummeting to the depths, for such a disaster crystal to be born from the most profound and chaotic Abyss Bottom. A coincidence from the deepest depths of Hell, a pure malice's mockery and jest.

Upon birth, it became the last survivor of the old world. The fate of an entire world was once entrusted to Him. His mere existence was as significant as the fate of the entire old world. To Him, the depth of Hell was meaningless; the entire Abyss would be His Paradise.

Upon birth, He was endowed with nearly limitless potential for growth. If left unchecked, there was even the possibility of growing into an Element of Destructive. His existence was a significant threat to the Current Circumstances.

The child birthed by the Rotten Dream Queen with great cunning was such a terrifying monstrosity. But nobody expected that He would be the first to suffer from His own actions… And that this day would come so soon.

Ninety years might be a long lifetime for humans, but for beings in Hell, it might just be a brief blink of an eye, not even one developmental cycle. In just ninety years, He had already driven Rotten Dream to this state. To survive, she even had to abandon her authority over the Mirror World, fleeing in disgrace and suffering severe injuries. And even now, she was being caught by her still insatiable child… who was sucking the marrow from her bones.

"Children grow up and reach a rebellious phase, isn't that normal?" Upon hearing the whole story from Huai Shi, Beelzebub's reaction was surprisingly calm, as if everything were exactly as it should be, eerily so. "In Hell, there are no limitations on lifespan like in the Current Circumstances. For beings such as Rulers, it's almost akin to eternal life. Offspring mean nothing to them. What do you think, why would Rotten Dream so desperately seek offspring?"

There's no concept of maternal love in the Abyss; perhaps true love exists there, but the love of the Abyss is starkly different from human love. Among the Rulers, the Rotten Dream Queen is not known for her benevolence. On the contrary, she is infamously known for delighting in toying with her prey.

Could such a being truly possess anything like maternal love?

Huai Shi could figure out the answer without much thought. Considering Raven's evaluation of Rotten Dream, a vague guess was already forming in his mind.

Perhaps the Rotten Dream Queen's purpose in birthing this child was not so pure after all?

As the most embarrassing idiot in the group according to Raven, the weakest among all Rulers... Rotten Dream Queen's reason was all too clear.

Due to her own limitations. Wanting to produce an offspring more outstanding than oneself, and then... Whether it's by devouring, merging through a ritual, or even sacrificing and trading, there's no hesitation or soft-heartedness.

Unfortunately, despite all the schemes, no one anticipated the "Remaining Evils of the World" would grow so absurdly powerful.

And most importantly, that one detail—His child was planning to do the same as He did.

So, it naturally led to a grievous capsizing incident. The Rotten Dream Queen, who had survived so many storms over the years, was now cornered by her own bloodline and offspring to such a desperate situation. It was as pitiful as an old person who after a lifetime of hardship has to retire, sell their house and blood, and work to pay off the gambling debts of an unworthy descendant. There's not much to say about such an ending today.

Huai Shi was more curious about what role Golden Dawn had played in all this? Anyway, no matter what, that bunch of bastards weren't here to do anything good. But what did this have to do with him, Huaihai Road Little Peppa? Seeing that it now involved the Remaining Evils of the World, someone like him, who could only throw strong punches in his dreams, probably would be restored to his original form the moment he opened his eyes, then casually getting stepped on until he's utterly finished. Better find a place to rest instead.

Beelzebub squatted on his henchman's leg and comforted him, "Don't worry, the Astronomical Society hasn't sunk so low that they need you to turn the tides. There probably won't be much for you to do next—chances are they just sent you in here as insurance. If it's time to deal with Rotten Dream, you might still be able to contribute a bit of damage. For now, just quietly enjoy the show and wait for rescue."

"I was planning to be part of the action! Why won't they even give me that chance!" Huai Shi clicked his tongue in discontent. Though he was relieved on the inside. The scheming of those Abyssal fanatics of Golden Dawn was too profound. Honestly, if he really had to participate, he would probably feel a bit intimidated. Now that he wasn't needed, he was naturally happy to slack off and fish for opportunities. Being a tool for the Astronomical Society had its perks. Since the organization had made arrangements, they would surely see them through, and at the very least, secure some safety. Moreover, he had already snatched "Lord of the Flies". This trip wasn't a loss. All he needed to do was to sit tight here and watch the small TV shows Beelzebub was playing; he could just wait for the big shots to clean up the rest. He could even add another feather to his cap. He had both face and inner satisfaction. Massive profit.

"Look, it's starting." In front of the projection of the Steel book, Beelzebub suddenly spoke up.

.

.

Just as the Remaining Evils of the World, that colossal inverted tree, burst forth from within the Mirror World, the Group Star ship was suddenly violently shaken. Numerous flames burst out from inside the massive train.

From within the sticky muck of the nightmare, countless train modules roared to life. The paneling quickly split open, followed by the rise of enormous alchemical apparatus from the sealed compartments, screeching along the rails, rapidly assembling together amidst the intense operations.

The containers scattered throughout the train disintegrated in a flash, and heavy cannon barrels, under the assembly of a thousand mechanical hands, rapidly expanded and extended, brutally connecting to the train's Power Cabin. Directly after, enough Source Fuel from storage to blow several Group Stars to the sky was completely extracted, and the terrifying heat spraying out of the reactor was incessantly transformed into fierce electricity.

Within the cannon barrel, a light as harsh as the sun began to shine. A Whirlwind of Fire swept through, instantly spreading in all directions. The crude cooling method almost raised the temperature of the entire Group Star to over thirty degrees. Some areas even completely melted under the high temperature, with steel evaporating.

Bearing the continuous erosion of the Abyssal nightmare, the Yan Shi hidden within Group Star finally launched their counterattack. Instantly, accompanied by the thunderous tearing of steel being forcefully split, the heavy cannon barrels pierced out of the Group Star. A terrifying caliber of 5,000MM aimed at the double helix pillars close at hand.

The shell was loaded. The Legacy-grade weapon, meticulously forged by the Great Grandmaster and named 'Jupiter,' underwent violent shaking under the sixteen-fold electromagnetic acceleration. Its metal shell rapidly evaporated and peeled away, revealing the terrifying condensed ball of electric light within.

It's a pity that… even though such a massive weapon of war held tremendous power, the time it consumed was still too drawn out. Even if it was just a mere three or four seconds. It was enough time for Matthes, who was close at hand, to react.

Sneering, he glanced at the futile defiance within the cage and raised his hand with a feigned grip. In an instant, the double helix pillars in front of the cannon barrel started to proliferate rapidly. The Secret Ritual composed of the entire Abyss Bloodline rapidly intensified, growing, and even extending out a huge hand, crudely reaching out towards the cannon barrel.

Shortly after, a sound similar to a water bottle being smashed echoed.

CRACK.

A light sound emerged from behind Matthes.