Chapter 356
Tatsumi City, located in the distant wilderness.
Fair as jade, with skin smooth as cream, the Scarlet Moon was bathing in the icy river.
Even though there were various types of shower rooms, open-air baths, and indoor baths in Tatsumi City's rooms.
But the Scarlet Moon still loves to bathe alone in the wild.
Wild bathing was a childhood habit, back when she was still a young girl in a remote village of the Kingdom of Dark Light, where there was no bath in her home at all.
At that time, the unmarried girls would always go wild bathing together in the river.
What they longed for most, what they envied the most, was to marry a girl who could marry an extraordinary person.
Even within the same pool of suitors, extraordinary individuals had a significant advantage in terms of marriage compared to ordinary people.
Merely the fact of having longer lifespan and better health for oneself and one's children can create a significant gap.
Longevity would allow them to accumulate more resources and become wealthier more easily.
There are many ways for extraordinary powers to manifest into money.
It can be said that, apart from extraordinary powers, everything else is of lesser value.
This culture of admiration led to even the most destitute extraordinary beings feeling more superior when standing in front of wealthy ordinary people.
Extraordinary powers have a clear hereditary nature, and the stronger the offspring of extraordinary beings, the higher the probability of possessing great strength.
So it's not just the Air Alliance that has a polygamous system, the Kingdom of Dark Light and the Night Union are also the same...
Regardless of gender, powerful extraordinary individuals are legally allowed to have multiple spouses.
In the primitive era before the establishment of the Kingdom of Dark Light, it was common for a powerful extraordinary slave owner to form unions with hundreds or even thousands of ordinary people.
It may sound a bit peculiar, but from a realistic standpoint, it does make sense.
As long as one can give birth to a few extraordinary beings at the same level as themselves, for the entire faction, it can be considered a tremendous gain.
However, even if they were to form unions with hundreds or thousands of ordinary people, it would still be very difficult to give birth to hundreds or thousands of extraordinary beings.
The greater the disparity in the "level of power" between the two parties, the more difficult it becomes to give birth to offspring.
The greater the difference in the "soul's plane," the harder it is for extraordinary beings to be born within the offspring.
Therefore, during the primitive era, the various powerful forces at that time even had mighty captive extraordinary beings specifically for breeding and reproduction...
In today's civilized society, things have changed. The people in charge, however, still find ways to pressure others into marriage!
The priests of the Dark Light Church are prohibited from marriage and having children, which serves as an extreme example.
Some people speculate that these commandments are actually a ritual, granting them the power of the Dark Light... Most of the priests of the Dark Light Church were just ordinary people before becoming priests.
The power of Dark Light turned them into extraordinary beings.
Perhaps, following various commandments was a way for them to participate in a ritual and obtain the power of Dark Light.
So, these people don't get married themselves.
Every day, they encourage the other extraordinary beings to hatch!
"At that time, I was really a carefree little fool..."
Scarlet Moon stood in the cold river, calmly gazing at the flowing water.
Now it was still January.
But she was not afraid of this icy coldness at all.
She knew that just a few dozen kilometers away, a new Tribe of Sinners had just been established.
The tribe was established by Ganis and the sinners who escaped from the abattoir.
The Imperial Guards, Demon Hunt General Agency, and the Leaf King within Tatsumi City paid no attention.
As long as the sinners didn't think about sneaking into the city, they wouldn't be breaking the laws established by the Air Alliance. No one would bother with them if they weren't causing any trouble.
In the barren wilderness of the Air Alliance, there was no divine protection whatsoever. Every year, natural disasters would occur, and resources were scarce, with the land being infertile... The lives of the sinners would be incredibly difficult.
However, the supporters of Ganis were still celebrating freedom and envisioning the future.
As for what Ganis himself was thinking during the celebration, perhaps his companions would find it hard to believe.
"The Babel Tower was truly a place without limits, where anyone would be accepted... even as a dog."
As the water flowed through her fingers, the Scarlet Moon could probably guess that when the catastrophe arrived, the Savior, with the ability to dispel disasters, would protect Ganis' tribe.
She sat alone in the clear river, sensing it very clearly that there was no one within a kilometer radius.
"..."
The Scarlet Moon serenely cleansed her body in the water, as memories of that unfortunate individual, Profligate, floated through her mind.
"I thought it was the essence of delicious food, but it turned out to be a dreadful poison..."
She had already regretted it.
He deeply regretted ever drinking Moriarty's blood.
Back then, he felt that he should have died.
But if he couldn't defeat the Doomsday Crisis, his entire race would perish, and he couldn't simply choose to die...
"Profligate..."
Just the thought of him, the Scarlet Moon couldn't help but tremble slightly.
She crouched in the river, closing her eyes.
"I might as well find an opportunity to chop off this guy's limbs and directly pick him up and keep him in a fish tank, with a straw... No, a faucet would be better, convenient for immediate use... What an annoying fellow!"
Of course, the Scarlet Moon was just complaining, venting her frustrations. She would never actually do something like that.
Not only because the Savior would stop her, but also because she had already recognized the people of Babel Tower as her companions.
She would never harm her companions and family.
This has been the Scarlet Moon's guiding principle for hundreds of years.
The Scarlet Moon in the river started to become smaller... Little Scarlet Moon floated on the water, looking up at the sky, and occasionally kicking her little feet, swimming on her back in the river.
She began to play.
Hmph, anyway, there was no one around, so it didn't matter what she did by herself!
Actually, the Scarlet Moon would often sneak out to play outside of Tatsumi City, but no one ever knew about it.
"If anyone finds out, I'll dig out their eyes."
The Scarlet Moon murmured to herself and sank to the bottom of the river, blowing bubbles expressionlessly.
[Scarlet Moon, this is the potential that you were meant to have.]
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a cold, familiar voice sounded. Startled, Scarlet Moon popped out of the river, completely unprepared. Amidst the water splashes, she swiftly put on her clothes in a flash.
"..."
Scarlet Moon stood calmly in the river, her expression incredibly displeased.
"Savior?"
So that's how it is, the great being was granting me power once again.
This was not the first time, in fact, she had already grown accustomed to it.
However, as the legendary Scarlet Moon of Tatsumi City, every time Himeko secretly snuck out to enjoy a wild bath, she would always feel a little afraid of being discovered by someone else. That's why her reaction just now was so intense.
But once Himeko realized that the voice was coming from the Savior, she didn't feel panicked at all.
"That thing, no matter how you say it, shouldn't be regarded as a "person"..."
When Himeko drifted off into her own thoughts, a subtle transformation of the "Heart of Shadows" began to manifest on her.
"Probability: Heart of Shadows"
"Heart of Shadows, with a stylish black leather jacket and a fitted gray sweater, accompanied by a cloak made of shadow that seemed to float even without wind, giving off a cold and mysterious aura, like a king of darkness."
In this world, the once prosperous civilization is on the verge of collapse due to the ravages of a great war. People in this 'end of the world' era reside in gathering points, while scavengers and mutants pose visible threats outside the safety of these points.
"Queen of the Scarlet Moon led the blood clan and ruled over a settlement of a million people. Due to a unique power, some members of the original power group mutated into the 'Shadowblood' power group, gaining abilities related to shadows."
Of course, these introductions about possibilities were something that the Scarlet Moon herself could not see.
Standing in the river, she only saw herself dressed in a new outfit - a black leather jacket, a knitted sweater, and a cloak with an ethereal shadow.
"What a messy and ugly sight!"
Scarlet Moon was very unhappy, she really didn't like this outfit.
She knew that once she took off this outfit, she couldn't put on her original clothes again, unless the "Savior" removed this possibility.
"I don't care, anyway I'm taking a bath..."
Scarlet Moon quickly discarded all her new clothes, then lay down once again, floating in the river.
[Queen of the Scarlet Moon]
[Searching for One's True Heart]
[Embark on Your True Path]
[Seeking One's True Heart]
Will it ever end?
The Scarlet Moon, floating in the river, remained silent. She simply wished not to be disturbed.
[This is your revelation...]
"I..."
In the next moment, the Scarlet Moon's vision went dark.
Lost in a daze, her consciousness had drifted away from the real world and arrived in a pitch-black space.
Where have I arrived?
Scarlet Moon realized that her thoughts had entered another dimension.
This was a special space where there was no sound, no direction, not even the presence of time.
Scarlet Moon had vaguely heard of this place, but couldn't remember it at the moment.
Revelation...
Wait a moment, could this be the place where the 'Apocalypse' is said to be unleashed in legends?
The dimension of ultimate will!
Scarlet Moon felt nervous.
"The Ultimate Will" is the embodiment of consciousness in the multiverse, often referred to as the "Apocalypse" by many individuals.
Scarlet Moon had heard a long time ago that there was a significant connection between the promotion to Apocalypse and "The Ultimate Will."
Then, the surroundings of the Scarlet Moon began to change.
There was a picture.
Just like a scene from the real world, but it had nothing to do with the Scarlet Moon herself.
She was not a "person in the painting".
Scarlet Moon suddenly saw her younger self, the girl was reliving all the things she had experienced, one after another. Scarlet Moon's emotions became excited and saddened.
The past, unable to be undone.
She let out a sigh.
When all of her impossible experiences played out rapidly, Scarlet Moon then saw three brand new versions of herself.
This was herself, yet not quite herself.
Her wearing a red swimsuit, her wearing a black leather jacket, her wearing a black formal dress...
The previous incarnation of the Scarlet Moon lived on a hot small island, leading the people there to fight against the endless sea creatures, almost as if she were the embodiment of justice.
On the island, both humans and vampires, everyone is desperately resisting, but even so, they are still unable to counter the massive army of sea creatures.
She fought until the very last moment, but in the end, she was captured by the relentless sea creatures.
Finally, the Scarlet Moon was mercilessly devoured by the savage sea beasts, leaving no trace behind.
The latter Scarlet Moon lived in a ruined stronghold without daylight, ruling over the people who inhabited the post-apocalyptic world.
The order of this world was on the verge of collapse, with no currency. People traded goods with each other and engaged in constant fighting and plundering. The weak ones could only end up as slaves.
Even though she was as powerful as the Queen of the Scarlet Moon, she was still surrounded and defeated by a group of leaders from different strongholds in the end.
Being the queen of the blood clan, she was burned alive in front of everyone, and people cheered loudly... Here, she was seen as evil in the eyes of the people.
As the last remaining Dark Lord, she lazily confronted the heroes in a battle, her incredible power beyond doubt. But in the end, she was surrounded and slain by the mightiest warriors from all around the world.
Silently observing everything, the Scarlet Moon knew deep in her heart that the three versions of herself were more than just mere illusions.
Just as the Savior had said.
"They" were actually possibilities of herself... paths that she could potentially take.
A thought suddenly emerged from deep within her heart.
What path did she really want to take?
Once upon a time, Scarlet Moon used to believe that only fools would ponder over who they truly are and what future they should pursue, finding such thoughts to be utterly baffling.
But now, she also understood that she must grasp this realization within the dark dimension in order to truly reach the Apocalypse.
Any extraordinary being of the level of "Apocalypse" possessed an unwavering spirit, scarcely vulnerable to outside influences.
It was precisely because they had already come to terms with themselves and decided on the path they wished to follow that they were able to reach the Apocalypse.
Scarlet Moon closed her eyes and fell into deep thought.
For hundreds of years, Scarlet Moon had been carefully selecting individuals with both ability and character, bringing them into the ranks of the Scarlet Blood Clan to expand the size of the lineage.
The people of the church even believed themselves to be ambitious beings.
Actually...
The actions taken over the past few hundred years were nothing more than a pursuit of the shadows of "family."
He had already succeeded.
The Crimson Blood Clan saw themselves as the chief, the ruler, the deity, and admired them wholeheartedly.
As the king, I don't bow my head, shed tears, or fear death.
Therefore, I embarked on the path to become a king...
No.
Scarlet Moon immediately thought of other things.
The so-called Bloodline Queen had long lost her freedom.
Had become a slave of the Babel Tower, the Savior.
They were known for being unconquerable, yet gradually they started relying on various aspects of the Babel Tower.
Even though they constantly claimed to be unyielding, they ultimately accepted the existence of the Savior, and even complacently embraced His blessings, regarding the members of the Babel Tower as comrades!
Yes, indeed, they truly felt the reliance placed upon them, and they experienced sincere friendship...
But the foundation of all these bonds was not voluntary!
If they were to start all over again, allowing themselves to choose whether or not to join the Babel Tower... would the solitary self truly be willing?
The Scarlet Moon didn't know.
Besides that, she also thought about the vampire-obsessed mother beast.
There was hardly any reason to be found.
Incredibly wild and unreasonably savage, Profligate seemed indifferent to the blood of the pleasure-seeker, but deep inside, he took great pleasure.
And of course, it was himself.
Deep within him, there was a side that he detested, a side that he couldn't shake off.
The person who seeks bonds of family and friends, the spirited king, the person without freedom, the indulgent mother beast... Each and every one of them, without a doubt, was himself, a facet that he had grown unable to let go of.
"So, what kind of path will I take..."
In Scarlet Moon's heart, something suddenly became clear and bright.
After losing loved ones, he set off to find them.
Facing challenges, never backing down.
Bound by a great force, they angrily resisted.
If they wanted blood, they dashed forward without hesitation.
In the eyes of others, whether they were seen as good or evil, didn't really matter. What mattered more to them than the future was the "present."
Actually, she had been walking on this path all along.
The three possibilities within the soul of the Scarlet Moon suddenly vanished without a trace, merging completely into the deepest parts of her soul.
The essence of the soul started to undergo a gradual transformation.
And the divinity hidden deep within the soul radiated with brilliance.
In the dark space, the fiery Scarlet Moon shone like burning blood. She took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand.
The final revelation was...
"From now on, I will embark on a path where I can do whatever I please, and follow my heart's desires!"
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