Chapter 197 - 194: Eye of Dawn

The Eye of Void waited to the side, filled with apprehension.

It desperately wanted to say more. It had just thought of a few new, brilliant lines of flattery, a few more ways to showcase its value. But then it remembered that these two beings seemed to dislike chatter, and it feared that speaking again would have the opposite effect.

Its frantic unease was excruciating.

Qin Xiaoxia stroked his chin, gazing at the largest eyeball in history. Its multicolored glow, which trembled faintly, seemed to be a perfect reflection of the Demon Eye's inner turmoil.

'Since I can't bring myself to trust it completely, I'll have to try another approach.'

"The world we currently inhabit is in the midst of a great change. We have hidden here for so long precisely for this moment."

The Eye of Void heard the terrifying figure in the black robe begin to speak. He wasn't accepting its pledge of fealty; instead, it was as if he were divulging a secret.

'Though it felt a new wave of anxiety, it also breathed a sigh of relief. A True God wouldn't waste words. If he was willing to say this much, my life should be safe.'

Its attention was then immediately captured by the content of Qin Xiaoxia's words.

'It hadn't dared to be curious before, but if even a True God had been scheming for so long, the purpose behind it all couldn't possibly be simple.'

"At this critical juncture, we must be more careful than ever not to reveal our power. Therefore, we do need some useful subordinates."

Qin Xiaoxia offered the Demon Eye a small smile.

"Aren't you curious why we have the appearance of the natives of that world?"

Of course it was curious, but it hadn't dared to ask earlier. Even now, the Demon Eye didn't risk a nod.

"Your understanding of the Six Great Order Laws, and even of other higher Laws, is not entirely incorrect."

These words left the Demon Eye bewildered, yet it felt as if it had grasped something.

The Red Demoness smoothed the long hair on one side of her head. The strands seemed to turn illusory as they stretched out, wrapping around a struggling, bat-like Giant Monster and yanking it toward her.

After a glance, she deemed it useless and released it. Then, picking up where Qin Xiaoxia left off, she spoke coolly.

"Our true forms... are the Laws themselves."

RUMBLE~

That single sentence was like opening Pandora's box. A flash of inspiration exploded in the Eye of Void's mind!

It understood!

Perhaps, countless eons ago, the Six Great Order Laws and even the higher Laws were merely cosmic principles that could be borrowed by Magic Creatures and the favored children of those Laws.

But who's to say They would remain that way forever?

Over the vast expanse of time, the Laws themselves must have begun to develop consciousness.

Why had no one noticed? Why had no one ever thought of it before?!

It was just like the birth of the first Elves, or other beings that underwent Demonization, Spiritualization, and the like! Why had no one considered that the Laws themselves could undergo a similar transformation?

What a terrifying transformation!!

"Hehehehe...."

Qin Xiaoxia laughed. The frantic flickering of the Demon Eye's iris revealed the intensity of its thoughts.

"True God! Such a noble and wonderful title. But who could have known that for us, it was once nothing more than a beautiful cage? Who could possibly understand what it feels like to watch over all creation, yet have no freedom!"

RUMBLE RUMBLE~

A peal of thunder echoed as dark clouds began to blanket the sky. What little water vapor this world possessed was now converging at the summit.

Qin Xiaoxia had only been trying to see if he could use his Magic Power to construct a Reaction Technique in this world. He hadn't expected to actually produce thunder. He had assumed his Magic Power lost that ability outside of Earth, although the scale of the effect was not very large.

This, in turn, gave the Eye of Void another fright.

The concept of weather had long ceased to exist in this Broken Origin World. Even its atmosphere was only maintained by exchanges through Magic Mirrors connected to other worlds.

Yet a mere fluctuation in the True God's emotions had caused the ambient Magic Power to turn violent, triggering a meteorological event without any visible Magic Language, Technique, or Magic Pattern.

"That world you saw before is special. It is a seed—one that is just beginning to sprout, filled with infinite possibilities! We concealed ourselves here for countless years just to obtain these avatars."

"They may be weak, but for the first time, we have bodies of our own! And yet, this is still not enough!"

Brandishing the long whip in his hand, Qin Xiaoxia turned his gaze back to the Demon Eye.

"I am telling you this so that you might avoid doing something foolish in the future. There are other secrets, but for your own good, it is best you remain ignorant of them for now."

"What you need to understand is this: now that you have heard these secrets, all the Laws who lie hidden in that world, all who have awakened their consciousness, will begin to watch you!"

The Eye of Void was nothing but an eyeball; it had no other tissues, let alone tear ducts. And yet, at this moment, a murky derivative of Magic Power genuinely began to seep from its surface.

'Oh god, I didn't want to know any of this! You didn't have to tell me!'

Being watched by an unknown number of Laws... that didn't sound like a good thing at all.

"Don't be too nervous. There isn't much you need to do. Other than continuing to heal your pathetic injuries, you will, when the time comes, answer the call of a small organization we have founded in this world."

"We are using this place as a springboard to grow alongside that world's seed. Even we do not know what heights we might reach, but it is far more interesting than our previous, tedious existence."

The Red Demoness and Qin Xiaoxia shared a knowing smile.

For her, this truly was an interesting new life. She cherished it and had no desire to ever go back.

For a being with a fractured psyche like the Demon Eye, the Sea Siren's Windsor Law was its nemesis. And the Red Demoness of today was no ordinary Sea Siren.

Drawing upon the Order of Truth's innate talent for inciting the Magic Power of Laws, for a single instant, the Comer Law and Windsor Law within this Broken Origin World seemed to tremble.

All the Magic Power in the Red Demoness's body began to boil as she focused all her strength into a single glance, imbued with a Sound Illusion.

In its daze, the Eye of Void thought it saw an endless void and a pair of cold, colossal eyes—as vast as the heavens and the earth—that blinked open and swept over it.

"If you screw this up... hehehe..."

The Red Demoness left the threat hanging, instead focusing on calming her Magic Power, nearly half of which had been consumed in that single instant.

BOOM.

CRASH RUMBLE...

The Demon Eye plummeted from the sky, crushing two mountain peaks below it.

A moment ago, it felt as though those eyes were about to rip its mind asunder and peel away its very soul. Then, it noticed the other terrifying being's hand resting on the shoulder of the Comir incarnation.

'That hand... it definitely saved me!'

'I take it back! He's no Evil God... at least, not to me!'

"Dororian Kwa."

"Your humble servant is here."

Qin Xiaoxia was pleased with its attitude and tone.

"You exist precisely because it is inconvenient for us to act personally. I expect you to prove your worth."

"Comir's emotions are becoming volatile. It is no longer safe for you to remain here. Remember our words. This brings you not only fear, but also opportunity."

"Do not disappoint me the next time I seek you out."

The Demon Eye let out a huge mental sigh of relief, thinking the two terrifying beings were about to depart.

"One more thing. We may send others here to communicate with you in the future. You are forbidden from mentioning anything about me or Comir. Do you understand?"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

The Demon Eye didn't even dare to rise back into the air. It wouldn't be careless about this; the fundamental interests of the True Gods were at stake.

Qin Xiaoxia gave a slight nod. He condensed a single drop of liquid Magic Power at his fingertip, containing more than half of his total strength.

After several metamorphoses, the already incredible quality of his Magic Power had become even more exaggerated. Even in its raw state, it was superior in quality to the Demon Eye's. This single drop, however, was also infused with intense emotion and spiritual energy, making it exceptionally volatile.

Like a tiny, burning purple sun, it flew toward the Demon Eye's pupil.

The Demon Eye's pupil constricted, but it forced itself not to recoil.

TZZZZ...

Like hot oil dropped in water, the drop of Magic Power caused immense pain upon entry. The Demon Eye's own Magic Power spontaneously tried to expel it, but as the two forces clashed, the seemingly insignificant drop revealed a terrifying, devouring nature, bringing with it unbearable agony.

By the time the Demon Eye could react, it quickly dropped its magical resistance, terrified of angering the god.

And in that short time, the purple Magic Power, much of which had been spent in the initial clash, had already replenished itself by devouring the surrounding magic. It even showed signs of growing larger.

'What kind of terrifying Magic Power is this?!'

The Demon Eye could only endure the agony as it felt the drop penetrate deep into the core of its fractured soul, not daring to make the slightest move.

Thankfully, the excruciating, stabbing pain gradually subsided to a subtle throb.

It knew that while this drop of Magic Power was terrifying, it could probably be expelled, albeit at a great cost. But such a drastic measure would undoubtedly damage its soul core, and more importantly, the master of that Magic Power would be alerted.

"From today on, besides your true name, you will have another title. You will be called the Eye of Dawn."

With those final words, the two of them departed together.

Even after Qin Xiaoxia and the Red Demoness had truly vanished, having exited the Broken Origin World, the Eye of Void remained perfectly still. Only after the entrance to the Magic Mirror closed did it dare to "take a deep breath."

Its first instinct was to flee!

But that impulse was immediately extinguished. Setting aside the bizarre drop of Magic Power inside it, this was different from any enemy it had made in the past. These were the Laws themselves. How could it possibly escape? And what would be the consequences if it tried?

However, as its terror gradually subsided...

A peculiar emotion quietly sprouted within it, quickly growing into a towering tree.

'What did I just experience?'

'It was a chance to take part in a grand design that had been in the making for gods-know-how-many millennia! Compared to this, what were those petty world collisions and insignificant squabbles with other species?'

'What did the true body I once lost even matter now?'

'Once I see this unknown game of chess through to the end with the True Gods, what will I gain?'

In that moment, the Eye of Void suddenly cast aside all fear. Its excitement was now as immense as its earlier terror had been. Its only regret was that its performance had not been more perfect.

'Dororian Kwa, your millennia-long streak of bad luck is finally about to turn around!'

It had to admit this was the most thrilling experience of its existence. Not even the disintegration of the Hundred-Eyed Pupil Demon tens of thousands of years ago could compare. This was the one gamble truly worth taking.

It was already starting to consider what of value it could contribute.

This was precisely the outcome Qin Xiaoxia had hoped for. The pressure of fear, coupled with the allure of mutual benefit, would buy him enough time.

His drop of Magic Power was still inside it, acting as a failsafe.

In that time, he would either have to grow stronger himself or find a permanent solution. After all, truly destroying it didn't seem all that difficult.

PS: Second chapter for Wednesday.