Chapter 179: Weak
His surroundings changed again and again. Every consciousness was completely different from the last. Some were endless oceans, others were ruined cities, frozen wastelands, or worlds filled with unfamiliar stars. Yet every single one of them shared one thing in common.
Death.
The dragon barely had enough time to observe one world before the black fog swallowed it again and dragged him into another. It happened over and over, one consciousness after another, one forgotten life after another.
He was being dragged through countless consciousnesses, each one seemingly belonging to a different life, while the black fog continued erasing them one by one.
After being dragged through countless consciousnesses, the dragon gradually lost all sense of time. He no longer knew how many worlds he had seen or how many lives had been erased before his eyes.
Then, everything suddenly stopped.
The dragon found himself inside another consciousness.
But this one was different.
Unlike the countless others, it wasn’t immediately consumed by the black fog.
It remained stable, just like the very first consciousness he had entered.
The dragon slowly looked around.
Before him stretched a world overflowing with life. Vast forests covered the land, crystal-clear rivers flowed peacefully, and countless beasts roamed freely beneath a bright sky. Unlike every other consciousness he had visited, there wasn’t the slightest trace of death here.
It was peaceful.
Completely peaceful.
For a brief moment, the dragon thought he had finally escaped and returned to the real world. Everything felt so alive that it was difficult to believe this place wasn’t real. But after observing it for some time, he realized the truth.
It was still a consciousness.
Not the real world.
Letting out a quiet sigh, the dragon began wandering through the vast world once again. Since he couldn’t escape on his own, there was only one option left—to find the owner of this consciousness. Only then could he hope to leave this endless cycle of forgotten worlds.
After wandering through the world for several hours, the dragon finally reached its center.
A modest wooden house stood quietly amidst the vast landscape. Beside it lay a small crystal-clear lake whose calm surface reflected the bright sky above. A well-kept garden surrounded the house, filled with flowers, herbs, and countless plants growing in perfect harmony.
Standing in the middle of the garden was a lone figure.
The figure paid no attention to the dragon’s arrival. Instead, it quietly tended to the plants, carefully watering them as though nothing else in the world mattered.
The dragon looked at the figure tending the garden and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"At least... this one is somewhat normal."
His gaze swept across the peaceful house, the garden, and the clear lake before returning to the lone figure.
"And the owner doesn’t seem to be some butcher."
After everything he had witnessed in the previous consciousness, this place almost felt unreal.
He slowly exhaled.
"I just hope... this is the last one."
The dragon carefully descended and landed a short distance away, making sure not to damage a single flower or plant in the garden.
He wasn’t doing it out of courtesy alone.
He simply didn’t want to offend the owner of this consciousness.
After everything he had experienced, the dragon no longer judged someone by appearances. Although the figure before him looked completely harmless, he was certain that anyone whose consciousness had survived until now was, at the very least, as powerful as the God of Slaughter he had met earlier—if not even stronger, considering this consciousness had yet to be erased.
The figure finally looked up from the garden and smiled gently at the dragon.
"Welcome."
His voice was calm and warm, completely different from the cold silence of the previous consciousness.
"Though... you really shouldn’t go wandering into other people’s consciousness."
The dragon looked at the gentle figure before immediately lowering his head and bowing.
"Please..." he said with visible exhaustion in his voice. "I won’t do it again. Just let me out of here."
He let out a helpless sigh.
"I’m tired of all this."
The figure smiled gently before setting aside the watering can. "Don’t worry. I’ll send you back." After a brief pause, he looked at the dragon and added, "But before that... answer one question for me. Tell me about the current version of me."
The dragon nodded without hesitation and told the figure everything he knew. He spoke about Asher’s current life, his countless vessels, the black fog that constantly eroded his will, his inability to properly wield that will, and his desperate struggle to stay alive. He even recounted their conversations, Asher’s dream of obtaining nothing more than freedom and peace, and his refusal to give up despite knowing how impossible his path was.
By the time he finished, he had told the figure everything he knew about Asher.
The figure listened quietly until the dragon finished speaking. After remaining silent for a few moments, he smiled faintly and said in a calm voice, "I see... so I’m still too weak, unlike the others. And I’m still afraid of pain."
The dragon frowned after hearing those words. He couldn’t understand what the figure meant. In his eyes, there was nothing weak about Asher. Despite having his will constantly eroded by death, despite carrying a burden that would have broken almost anyone else, Asher still continued moving forward.
’What exactly does he mean by weak?’ the dragon wondered in confusion.
Before the dragon could ask anything else, the figure looked at him and spoke in the same calm, gentle tone. "You can go now. There is no longer any reason for you to stay here." He smiled faintly before continuing, "And don’t try to come back here again. Though... you won’t be able to anyway. This consciousness is about to be erased."
His gaze slowly drifted toward the sky. "I suppose it’s finally time for me to give up... and accept the truth." There wasn’t the slightest trace of regret in his voice, only quiet acceptance. "No matter how many worlds I live in... I can never live like everyone else."