Chapter 46: "Aidri" and "Dewen"
On the summit of the Molten Mountain, the dark red sun hung low above, seemingly within reach, yet actually located high in the sky.
The headless corpse of the First King, Aidri Dewen, sat on the ground. The greatsword in his hand was half-buried in the earth. Even in death, the First King had not fallen.
Baha landed on Amu's shoulder. The wound on his chest was slowly healing, his eyes fixed on the First King's headless corpse. Even though the First King's head had been severed and a kill notification had appeared, Baha still had the illusion that the First King might stand up again and strike them all down, with everyone severely injured.
Just as Baha breathed a sigh of relief, the First King's corpse suddenly moved. His left hand pierced into his already damaged heart and pulled out a fire-red crystal the size of a pebble. This was the Source of the fire attribute.
"W-w-w, what the hell!"
Baha spread his wings, ready to continue fighting, but the First King's corpse remained still.
"Amu, give me some quick-acting heart medicine."
"Moo?"
Amu clearly didn't understand Baha's nonsense.
[Notification: You have killed the First King, Aidri Dewen.]
[You have obtained 27.3% World Source. Current total World Source: 145.15%.]
[You have obtained a Holy Spirit Chest: Uncrowned (83%).]
[The seal on Source Crystal (Fire) has been removed. This item cannot be taken out of this world.]
[Hunters must find a new Source Guardian. This action will significantly increase the overall evaluation at the end of this world.]
...
Su Xiao stepped forward to the First King's corpse. After sheathing his longsword, he reached his right hand in front of the First King and began to extract soul memories.
A white orb floated out from the First King's body. This white orb was the size of a fist, the largest condensed soul memory Su Xiao had ever extracted.
[You have obtained 'Soul Memory: Source Guardian (Complete)'.]
Su Xiao held the white orb in his hand. This was the first time he had extracted a complete soul memory; previously, they had always been incomplete.
Three blue threads pierced into the white orb, and the scene before Su Xiao changed. It was a viewing-type soul memory. This kind of soul memory, which resembled "watching a movie," had the lowest risk among all types of soul memories. Moreover, he would not devour this kind of soul memory; he would only watch it.
Dark, damp. A faint firelight illuminated a stained black wall and an iron cage.
Inside the iron cage sat a figure. His frame was large, but he was emaciated. Because the cage was too low, the figure inside could only keep his head down. His beard was messy, and his skin was rough, like tree bark.
"Is this him? The one who killed 16 of our soldiers on the battlefield?"
"Yeah, don't be fooled by how thin he is. Give him a sword and feed him well, and he's a beast. Sell him. It'd be a waste to kill him."
"Sell him as a slave? Are you crazy? That's a serious crime. The current situation doesn't allow for slaves anymore."
"Servant. Sell him as a servant."
"Good idea, but... he's as thin as a withered tree. He won't fetch a good price."
"Brand armor all over his body. Who can tell how thin he is? Dewen, you handle it."
The conversation died down, and the scene before Su Xiao shifted.
A red-hot furnace, boiling molten iron, bloodstained molds, and an old man with white hair but a strong physique.
"Servant, eat these. Close your eyes when the armor is branded. Sigh, someone like you shouldn't be treated like this. What a cursed world."
A rough hand, calloused on the palm, reached into the cage, offering a slightly burnt potato. The 'beast in the cage' remained silent.
The scene shifted again. Outside a cylindrical stone tower, a blizzard raged.
"Run!! Run that way! Remember, you are not a beast! You have a name too. I'm giving you my name. Dewen. From now on, you are Dewen!"
In the blizzard, the strong old man named Dewen braced himself against the iron door behind him. Inside the iron door, swords thrust out, piercing his body and staining it with blood. Filthy curses came from within the door.
In the blizzard, the beast in the cage, hunched over, stared at the old man covered in blood. He remembered two words: Dewen.
The scene shifted again. The 'beast in the cage,' branded all over with armor, lay collapsed in the blizzard. A tapping sound came from the helmet on his head. A finger was knocking on his headgear.
"Aidri Xiyer, if you dare sneak out of the Divine Realm again, even if you are my sister, I will tell Father. As a descendant of the gods, you need to know what you are bearing."
"Brother, there's a person here."
"Human? Kill him."
"Huh? He hasn't done anything wrong."
"All humans deserve to die."
"Why?"
"Get back!"
The scene flashed again. Inside a burning castle, the beast in the cage lay in a pool of blood. His blood slowly spread, eventually reaching the base of a stone platform. On the platform, a fire-red crystal was embedded.
"Roar!!"
A beast-like roar echoed. The beast in the cage straightened his body. On his back was a small, delicate corpse. And embedded in his chest was a crystal called [Source].
In his entire life, only two people had shown him kindness: one was Dewen, and the other was Aidri Xiyer.
12,575 invaders. None survived. All died.
The scene shifted again. On a mountain range that looked like piled-up lava, a tall figure stood at the top. He was Aidri Dewen, no longer a beast in a cage, but the Source Guardian.
"We are willing to honor you as King."
Aidri Dewen looked at the few people kneeling before him. These people were quite strong; they had already made him bleed. But they were not qualified to take away the [Source].
Waiting. A long wait. Aidri Dewen waited for many challengers. They called themselves Tianba. But Aidri Dewen knew these were not the ones he was waiting for.
The scene changed. Black and red alternated. Inside the boiling lava, Aidri Dewen felt a sensation of falling. He was back on the Molten Mountain. He had waited for 447 years. He could feel that he was about to 'crumble.' He needed an heir to guard the Source in his place.
Clang.
A longsword hummed softly. Aidri Dewen looked ahead and saw a man holding a longsword, his eyes glowing red. He felt that the person he was waiting for might have arrived. But first, he had to determine if this person was qualified to take the [Source]. If not, death. Although he couldn't hold on much longer, he would not hand the [Source] over to a weakling. The unqualified must die.
Soon after, a dark blue 'Demon Scythe' swept through. Aidri Dewen knew that he had found someone qualified to take the [Source]. He could rest.
The scene before Su Xiao disappeared, and a notification appeared.
[Your Willpower attribute has been permanently increased by 8 points.]
The soul memory in Su Xiao's hand dissipated. He hadn't absorbed it; just watching it had increased his Willpower by 8 points. As for absorbing it, that would be very unwise.
Su Xiao reached forward and grabbed the [Source] in Aidri Dewen's hand.
"Source, I am taking it."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, Aidri Dewen's corpse turned to ashes, and sparks scattered.
Holding the floating Source in his hand, Su Xiao was momentarily at a loss. This thing couldn't be placed casually; he needed to find someone to inherit it.
Crack!
As Su Xiao was thinking, cracks appeared on the Molten Mountain beneath his feet. It was about to collapse and fall into the abyss below. Seeing this, he and Bubu Wang quickly rushed down the mountain.
Behind them, Amu stood on the Molten Mountain, scratching his head.
"Amu, why aren't you running?"
Baha, on Amu's shoulder, spoke up.
"Moo."
"You say I'm not running? I'm not running because I can fly, hahahaha."
With that, Baha flapped his wings and took off, laughing heartlessly. The ship of friendship had capsized.
Soon after, the Molten Mountain completely collapsed. Amidst the falling debris, Baha grabbed Amu and flew away.