Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 1278 - 823: Cosmic Reincarnation—Continuation II
The battle between the two sides persisted from the beginning of the universe to its end.
This led Eve to vaguely realize why dragons and titans had always been at odds; not only were they arch-rivals during the Age of Giant Dragons and the Titan Era, but they had also become nemeses striving for survival in other universes since long ago.
In this universe cycle, it was the Insect Race that ultimately ended everything, albeit in a different form than before.
Their forms no longer possessed uniform strength; instead, like dragons, they showed diversification, with their skin having evolved scales akin to Dragon Scale Armor.
Their ability ranged from very weak to very strong, with the strongest being comparable to Mythical Giant Dragons and Mythical Titans.
Notably, the psychic abilities they had once learned from the Curich species had degraded, retaining only the ability to influence the minds of enemies.
"The Titan World endured for four hundred and thirty million years, birthing one hundred twenty-three thousand portions of Original Law, successfully collecting one hundred twenty-two thousand five hundred portions for the Master."
The stele so inscribed.
Gazing at the ancient text, Eve’s eyes grew deep.
The universe’s age had once again shortened, while the number of birthed laws, or planes, increased, and the efficiency of so-called "collection" had improved...
Poseidon World, Giant Dragon World, Titan World...
The universes that had perished now numbered three.
Eve glanced behind the stele, where another temple stood.
Undoubtedly, this cycle repeated indefinitely.
"Let us continue onward," Ulinos stated.
The two mythicals stepped forward, proceeding toward the new temple gate, as yet another destroyed universe unfolded before Eve’s eyes.
This marked the fourth destroyed universe, in which the number of planes had increased.
Moving past numerous shattered planes, Eve arrived again at the stele on the platform, beginning to read.
Unlike the previous planes, this universe had not birthed any native civilization.
Because from the beginning, dragons and titans appeared within the universe.
Their presence obliterated the species that were most likely to develop civilization right in the cradle.
Instead of engaging in relentless conflict as they did earlier, dragons and titans developed, proliferated, and expanded from their respective planes into others...
Until their forms spread across the entire universe.
Then, war broke out anew.
The "Insect Race" reemerged, though this time their appearance had evolved beyond mere insect imagery, adopting a titan-like humanoid shape, which increased their agility.
Eve... faintly detected the essence of demons emanating from them.
This time, the united titans and dragons took ten million years to eradicate the invading "Insect Race," finally achieving victory.
However, this was not the end.
Just after winning the war, dragons and titans immediately turned against each other, and the fighting resumed...
The conflict ended disastrously for both sides, without any victor.
And at that moment, the "Insect Race" that was supposedly eliminated reappeared.
Boundless darkness swallowed the planes as the countless "Insect Race" descended upon them.
With both major races severely damaged, they could no longer resist, and the universe met its demise again...
"The New World lasted for three hundred eighty million years, birthing one hundred ninety-seven thousand portions of Original Law, successfully collecting one hundred ninety-six thousand seven hundred portions for the Master."
The stele recorded at the end.
Once more, Eve fell into silence.
"Is this ’Insect Race’ the origin of the Abyss Demon?"
He asked.
"What do you think?"
Ulinos countered the question.
Eve remained silent.
He had already arrived at a faint inkling of the answer.
"Was ’New World’ named by the dragons and titans?"
Eve inquired.
"It seems likely that the universe names on the stele reflect the perspectives of ruling races, and this one’s name was probably imparted by dragons and titans who fled from the previous universe."
"Why do dragons and titans ultimately fight, no matter the circumstances?"
"Perhaps... they sensed the truth of the universe by then."
Ulinos sighed.
With that, he perked up and gazed towards the next temple gate:
"Let’s proceed to the Fifth Universe."
The fifth time...
Eve glanced complexly at the temple before him, then stepped forward once more.
The temple doors opened anew.
The two True Gods entered again.
A universe larger than the previous "New World" spread out before Eve’s eyes.
Dense and countless planes surrounded them.
Within this universe, the presence of dragons and titans persisted.
But besides them, other mythical creatures had existed here.
On the stele within this universe, Eve saw records concerning them.
They were energy beings capable of merging with planes and influencing the properties of planes, known as Elemental Giants.
Accompanying the universe’s birth, they emerged alongside the planes, with some even integrating with the essence of planes to become Plane Masters, able to transform entire environments based on their attributes.
Yet, after their emergence, they entered into conflict with the dragons and titans who had escaped to this universe.
This war, sporadically, extended for over a billion years until the reappearance of the "Insect Swarm."
And once again, the universe met its destruction.
This time, Eve keenly discerned within the records that the "Insect Race," seemingly related to demon origins, displayed overall reduced strength.
Of course, the might exhibited by the titans, dragons, and energy beings in this universe was noticeably lower than in previous universes.
The planes appeared to continually expand, yet... the overall strength of the beings was gradually diminishing.
"Even knowing a formidable enemy would come, why did dragons and titans battle Elemental Giants?"
Staring at the inscriptions on the stele, Eve couldn’t help but ask.
But as soon as he spoke, he himself connected to the answer...
Escaping from one world to another doesn’t necessarily preserve the truth of the universe.
Just like Ulinos, when he arrived at Segis World, he had lost all his past memories.
Perhaps... the memories of dragons and titans were also "lost" this time.
"The Elemental Universe lasted for three hundred thirty million years, birthing two hundred forty-six thousand portions of Original Law, successfully collecting two hundred forty-five thousand nine hundred portions for the Master."
The stele noted thusly.
After finishing reading the stele’s account, Eve’s mood grew heavier.
His gaze moved to the next temple gate, his voice somewhat grave:
"How many are there left?"
"Only the last one remains. The Land of Origin holds six destroyed universes; this one is the penultimate."
Ulinos replied.
The last one...
That means... should the World Tree appear in the final universe?
Gazing at the temple gate identical to the Pantheon, Eve couldn’t help but ponder.
Like dragons, the World Tree also originated from beyond.
No records of the World Tree existed in the previous universes, so this final one... has a great chance to touch upon its origins.
"Let’s go to the last universe."
Ulinos opened the temple door.
Eve did not hesitate, following him inside.
As the scenery shifted, he arrived in a space larger than any previous universe, where countless silent planes drifted calmly.
In this universe, Eve discovered remnants of human civilizations and scattered remains of the Human Clan deep within the planes.
Their style was entirely distinct from that of humans in the Segis World, even carrying a hint of sci-fi vibes.
Additionally, dragons and titans reappeared, though far less dominant than they once were.
Yet, here too, no traces of a World Tree’s existence were found.
Approaching the stele within this universe, Eve saw its name:
"Plane World."
Plane World?
Noticing the name, Eve displayed a surprising expression for the first time.
