The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1178: The Demon: Infinity

"The Birthing Mother and the Swallowing Serpent. All things flow. Not even time escapes their embrace. For you are the embodiment of Infinity."

Souta turned his hand, and a sphere of grayish light bloomed in his palm. He crushed it gently, and shards of luminescence drifted outward like the dust of creation.

"O heartless nature of Infinity, descend upon me. Let my body become the Serpent with its maw unending, devouring the whole of existence. Insatiable void, eternal pleasure, ever-flowing through the ages without pause or stillness. All that is shall return to my belly, for I yearn for a world where all things merge into the One... into Infinity itself. Infinity... Infinity..."

The remaining demons strained to resist, yet their bodies refused to move. Their instincts roared within them. Death was certain, and there was no path to flee from it.

"Let this fragile vessel bear the weight of Infinity."

Souta’s fist closed with trembling force. Agony surged through him, searing his flesh and soul alike. It was pain beyond the bounds of mortality. An agony that threatened to strip him of consciousness and yet he endured, standing beneath the crushing presence of the higher power.

"OUROBOROS!!"

Souta thrust his fist into the air with all his might. Space itself fractured, cracks rippled outward in an instant, and from those wounds in reality, a dreadful energy surged forth.

In the far distance.

People watched in horror as the colossal floating land began to collapse. Fissures tore through its surface, and from the shattered void, a monstrous energy erupted, coalescing into the enormous head of a serpent with its maw yawning wide enough to swallow the heavens.

"W–What is that...?!"

"I–I don’t know...!!"

The distant onlookers quaked in terror. Their bodies trembled, and every instinct screamed for them to flee. The titanic serpent’s head, spanning thousands of kilometers, descended from above like a divine judgment.

In a single instant, it devoured the demon stronghold and the Bear Paw Valley alike, leaving behind nothing. No light, no sound, no trace of existence.

From afar, countless witnesses collapsed to their knees, gasping for breath beneath the oppressive might of the manifestation.

The nearest Great Country was thrown into alarm; even their God-rank powerhouse emerged, rising into the sky to behold the cataclysm.

The godlike being’s eyes narrowed as dread seeped into his soul. Though he had stood above mortals for eons, the pressure still gave him a chill.

"That... That is the power of the All-Swallowing Serpent... the Serpent of Infinity."

He remembered it well. The power once wielded by a very fearsome Monster Lord.

...

In a distant land.

Above the highest clouds, where the wind itself bowed in reverence, the No God Emperor hung suspended between heaven and the void. The stars shimmered faintly even in daylight, drawn toward his presence as though gravity itself had forgotten its master. His gaze pierced the horizon, his expression solemn.

"The power of the Lord of Infinity... It shattered every law and principle within that domain. The demons are gone, utterly erased. I suppose this marks the end of the event."

He spoke softly, yet his voice carried the weight of judgment. He understood well that the consequences of this would ripple across the entire world. None had foreseen such an outcome. Who could have imagined that the lost Cosmic Sign would resurface on this day? None had expected the Blood Lightning Monster to wield such transcendental might nor to emerge victorious from such an ordeal.

Countless beings turned their gaze toward this revelation, yet the conclusion left them in stunned silence.

The Blood Lightning Monster was none other than the Thirteenth Sign—the Serpent-Bearer, Ophiuchus.

"The outcome of this will draw the eyes of the ancients... Those old beings will not remain silent for long."

He turned his gaze to the horizon, the faint trace of a smile tugging at his lips.

"I’ve played my part. My business here is finished."

With those words, the No God Emperor dissolved into the ether. No mortal could sense his departure. It was as if he had never existed upon this land.

And so it was recorded in the annals of eternity.

On that day, the heavens trembled. The Serpent appeared in the world, and the name of Ophiuchus, the Thirteenth Sign, was once again spoken among the stars.

The gods bore witness in silence. The mortals cowered beneath the sky that no longer belonged to them. And in the heart of infinity, where light and shadow ceased to matter, the Blood Lightning Monster stood as both devourer and savior.

From that day forth, the constellations shifted ever so slightly, as if to make room for a forgotten star.

...

News spread like wildfire across the world.

From the highest citadels of the divine to the hidden dens of monsters, countless factions were shaken by the revelation. The name Blood Lightning Monster swept across every realm, carried in whispers, awe, and fear.

Scholars, warlords, and ancient beings alike pondered the emergence of such a creature. A being who had awakened the power of Cosmic Sign.

Meanwhile, in a land unknown to maps,

deep beneath the surface of the world...

A colossal serpent with scales as pale as moonlight lay coiled in slumber. The air was still—too still—until its eyes slowly opened. Twin orbs of divine luminescence shone through the darkness, and the very earth quaked in response.

Above, the people on the surface felt it before they heard it, an invisible weight pressing upon their souls. Panic swept through the city as towers shuddered and streets split apart.

Then came the voice, deep, resonant, ancient.

"The Serpent-Bearer... has awakened."

A low rumble followed, echoing like the judgment of the earth itself.

"So the Thirteenth Sign has found a bearer once more. The last battle led to nothing as none knew who claimed it. But now..."

The serpent’s lips curved into what could only be described as a smile, though it carried no warmth.

"...I look forward to what may come next."

The ground convulsed violently. The city above collapsed into chaos as the earth split open. From the depths, a titanic serpent’s head emerged. Its white scales gleaming like sacred marble beneath the sun.

Its sheer size dwarfed the ruins of the city, its presence blotting out the sky itself.

...

In the depths of a dark dimension.

A colossal serpent slumbered within the void, coiled amid nothingness itself. Its scales, black as the space between stars, exhaled a grayish mist that merged seamlessly with the fabric of reality. Space bent and whispered around it—time dared not flow.

Slowly, the serpent opened its eyes. Within each slit pupil shimmered a reflection of all that was, is, and will ever be, a cosmos contained within a gaze.

"My power has been stirred..." the voice rumbled, echoing through the endless dark. "I have heard the call of the Serpent-Bearer. So, you have finally emerged into this world and you even dare to wield what is mine."

The pupils of the serpent shifted, and from their depths, a vision took shape.

A humanoid figure cloaked in both darkness and radiance, a monster who gained the power of the Cosmic Sign.

"How curious..." the serpent mused, its voice resonating like thunder across eternity. "The new Serpent-Bearer... is a Goblin. The newly ascended Emperor of their kind."

The sound of its laughter rippled through dimensions, collapsing and rebuilding stars in its wake.

Then, its gaze turned outward, beyond layers of space and time, piercing the veil that separated realms.

Through its divine sight, the serpent beheld a distant world, a massive planet suspended in the Mother Universe.

"Imperium..." it whispered, the word heavy with remembrance and authority. "It seems... it is time to return."

At that utterance, the void itself trembled. Galaxies shivered. The stars dimmed in reverence. The ancient serpent stirred and infinity shifted with it.

...

Somewhere in the silent vastness of outer space.

A lone figure drifted among the stars, suspended in the endless dark. His short, black, unkempt hair swayed gently in the void. He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, a clothing that seemed almost mundane amid the grandeur of the cosmos. Yet on the back of his hand gleamed a mark: a lion, etched in light and shadow.

He was none other than Zodiac Leo.

Slowly, Leo opened his eyes. Twin golden irises flared with celestial brilliance as he gazed upon the immense planet below—Imperium, the center of all worlds.

"I knew it..." he murmured. "The Thirteenth Sign has always been with you. I never saw how you concealed it from me, but I could feel its pulse—buried deep within your soul."

He rose from the void, and with a casual sweep of his hand, the fabric of space split apart. A rift opened, glowing like a wound in the universe. Without hesitation, Leo stepped through.

In the next instant, he appeared within a grand chamber bathed in soft golden light. At its center stood a round table of divine craftsmanship, engraved with the symbols of the Zodiac.

Leo took his seat, his expression calm but resolute.

"The Thirteenth Sign has awakened in the God’s Continent," he said, his voice echoing faintly with power. "The world has begun to change. The Great Barrier surrounding the Mars Archipelago will soon collapse."

Swoosh!!

A figure materialized across the table, silently listening.

Leo’s eyes narrowed. "Once the Great Barrier falls, the Mars Archipelago will rejoin the world. The veil that separated it will vanish. Anyone may enter or leave. Even those who have long plotted in shadows."