Super Righteous Player-Chapter 1300 - 327 Heaven Seizing Expedition
The two figures floating high in the sky remained silent.
The dusk that held the entire world hostage, except for Annan.
And Annan, who held himself hostage.
The two had reached a strange equilibrium.
Until the neon lights in the city gradually recovered, and the stars in the sky rekindled one by one. Light returned to this world once more, and the two froze like statues, saying nothing further.
"...Heh."
Dusk suddenly chuckled. "It seems I still have the upper hand.
"I dare to strike at them because I have countless chances. But you have only one bullet—once the trigger is pulled, there will be no second shot.
"You will be completely erased from this world. No one will remember you... Tell me, is all this really worth it?"
"That is the phrase I hate most."
"I know, which is why I said it."
The Worm, also known as Dusk, sighed in relief. "It looks like I’ve won."
He tilted his head and looked at Annan with certainty. "Clearly, you don’t dare.
"Right now, there are only two outcomes: I win, and you lose; or I lose, but you don’t win either. Yet, if I triumph, you and I can merge into one... we will devour this world and become a true, complete dusk entity.
"In that case, my memories will be your memories, my power your power. From this perspective, isn’t it as though you are the one devouring me and transcending into a being far greater than any god?"
"You’re the one who’s afraid."
Annan said lightly, "You should know—as the first to speak in such moments, you’re the first to break composure."
"But what can you do now?"
Dusk sneered. "Aside from holy relics, my power is identical to yours. Moreover, I have infinite chances of resurrection... you can no more erase me than you can destroy the shadow beneath your feet.
"I truly can’t fathom how you could still win at this point. You’re simply stubborn, wasting time in a futile display..."
"You’re wrong."
Annan suddenly interrupted. "Because they are here."
Behind Annan.
Like the rising sun, like the arrival of dawn... the pale light of daybreak emerged from the horizon.
But that was impossible.
It was clearly only the latter half of the night...
Soon, the radiance moved closer, illuminating the entire sky.
Delicious Wind Goose, Stray Child, Yiyi, Snowball, ADian, Dragon Well Tea, Four Concealed Kan, Kafney, Salvatore, Hugo, Chiron, Alfonso, Naifertali...
Travelers from the Otherworld.
Resurrected Transcendents.
Renowned sages.
These were the "players" whom Annan had gathered...
—They were the six hundred stars that ascended along with the celestial chariot!
"I knew it—I knew I could return to this world..."
The resurrected Lin Yiyi was the first to fly to Annan’s side, raising her voice. "Together with Annan, I’ve returned to this world!"
Dragon Well Tea, with their hood obscuring most of their face, followed: "Though we’ve forgotten where our savior went, or when he will return, we have unwavering faith that he would never abandon us. He is simply fighting elsewhere."
Delicious Wind Goose, draped in a crimson cloak and wielding a sharp sword, intoned solemnly. "In those times, we made a mutual pact..."
Stray Child continued: "That we would never let Boss Annan face despair, or lose hope in the future."
Four Concealed Kan spoke softly, his words imbued with authenticity: "We have wholeheartedly dedicated ourselves to safeguarding the natural and social environment, maintaining peace in the world, and protecting Justice and Truth."
Naifertali added firmly, "We have ensured that the world continues to progress!"
ADian exclaimed, "We don’t simply wait for the celestial chariot’s return to redeem us—"
Salvatore flew closer as well.
His demonic black wings shimmered with a sacred iridescence. Like Kafney, he was one of the only two "stars" who didn’t possess wings of pure light.
He hovered beside Annan with the bearing of a god, speaking gravely: "The Father of Fire once launched an unjust campaign known as the ’Heaven Seizing Expedition.’
"Thus, we initiated a proposal—for the past and the unknowable future—to become the Guardians of this world."
Kafney flew to Annan’s other side and gently placed her hand on Annan’s gun-wielding right hand.
She looked almost unchanged from how she was during their wedding over a hundred years ago... Now, she wore the same bridal gown from back then. Although meticulously preserved, it had yellowed and dulled over time, losing its former luster.
Yet Kafney remained as steadfast and tender as the young woman she was over a century ago, seemingly unchanged.
"We vowed... never to fall, never to despair, never to forget.
"This is our Heaven Seizing Expedition—"
An epic battle of salvation, reclaiming the celestial chariot from the distant past for the future!
In the next moment.
Annan’s Hand of Hope, which wasn’t holding the gun, radiated dazzling light.
He instantly returned to peak form and extended his hope to the others.
Countless chains of light surged forth, encircling and firmly restraining Dusk!
The chains of light held by the six hundred stars varied in length.
Yet each person grasped their chain with all their strength—each scattered around Dusk’s perimeter, securing it tightly.
These six hundred stars, who rose alongside the celestial chariot, wielded power equal to the chariot’s—equipped to challenge the chariot itself. Thus, they were capable of resisting the Worm, the present foe of this world!
This wasn’t to defeat Dusk.
But to restrain it, to confine it to the present realm and prevent it from harming any innocent life!
For as long as this remained so...
"I leave this to you all."
Annan took a deep breath. "I’ll be back soon."
With these words, the gun in Annan’s right hand began to change.
It transformed into a flame, which Annan swallowed, turning it back into his heart.
Annan looked up at the sky.
"With the arrival of the first dawn, eternal night ends, separating day and night; with the arrival of the second dawn, words condense and transform into text; with the arrival of the third dawn..."
"—the celestial chariot ascends, and the stars fall."
Instantly, the midnight sky tore open.
"I am the celestial chariot."
Annan’s voice boomed: "I have ascended—"
His figure blurred as he swiftly shot upward through the rift in the sky.
Rather than flying upward, it was more like "falling upward."
As though gravity had inverted, an inexplicable force drew him into the heavens.
[—Creator, open The Gate of Gaze and Shaping!]
Annan’s voice rang in Salvatore’s mind.
Salvatore, who was restraining the Worm, closed his eyes slightly and channeled all his remaining strength to Annan, branding it onto the invisible gate as collateral.
"—Approved."
Salvatore’s voice echoed in Annan’s consciousness.
In an instant, Annan felt as though he were falling into a dream, plummeting off a cliff and waking.
Once again, he "opened his eyes"—but this time, his "eyes" saw the entire world shedding its form, leaving only pure information.
The archetypes of all creation, before form took hold.
[—Eternal One, open The Gate of Benevolence and Eternity!]
Annan’s voice echoed in Maria’s mind as she transformed into a god using Annan’s heart.
Silently, Maria opened her eyes, her very existence vouching for Annan.
"Approved."
Her voice resonated within Annan’s mind.
In that moment, Annan felt his body become lighter.
Even the "models and codes" vanished into nothingness... the endless stream of information purified into rays of light.
Countless strands of "light" intertwined, revealing the essence of the information—a glimpse into its ultimate purpose, the reason it existed.
But Annan did not stop.
[—The Fallen One, open The Gate of Worms and Cicadas!]
Annan’s voice sounded in Dusk’s ears.
As expected, there was no reply.
But that mattered not.
Annan drifted to the highest point, or perhaps sank to the deepest ocean floor.
He reached forward instinctively, his hand meeting the luminous gate of moonlight.
This gate was like a mirror.
Within the mirror lay emptiness.
And at this moment, Kafney’s soft voice echoed:
"I—approve."
She closed her eyes, surrendering her soul to Annan and placing it as collateral upon the gate.
The final gate roared open.
The stars trembled.
In that instant, every individual across the world distinctly heard the sound of something heavy settling into its track.
The celestial chariot returned to its place.
Grasping the Heart of Justice and wielding the Hand of Hope, the ascended celestial chariot—
descended upon this world.
