Tenderness.

This time the experience of entering the Divine Domain was completely different from the last time. During the Demigod Promotion Ceremony, Ash’s soul was shattered by Hell into the most ethereal stream of information before entering the Divine Domain. However, because of the burden of Hell, his soul always had an ’anchor point’ in reality and would not completely merge with the Divine Domain.

But now, without Hell pressing down, Ash was like a child freed from his parents’ hand, lost in the colorful torrent. When he fully submerged into the Divine Domain, swimming in the ocean of infinite colors, he was not drawn to the reachable truths but discovered for the first time that the world is so gentle.

The ceaselessly flowing life has not truly vanished; the rise and fall of civilizations are in constant spiral ascension. The world indeed changes at every moment, but the lives of all living things are equally endless, the cycle of life and death is just natural reincarnation, we never truly lose, but are always gaining, the symphonic music of the mountains and rivers, the radiance of the sun and moon, hear it, and it’s our voice, observe it, and it’s our color, these inexhaustible treasures are the world’s greatest blessing to us.

Ash forgot himself, let go of everything, assimilating and unifying with the Divine Domain. The whole is one, and one is the whole, his mind transcended self, country, life and death, these negligible prisons, reigning at the pinnacle of the world, overlooking the fates of all beings. The previously indistinguishable murky colors now appeared clearly.

He saw five pillars piercing through time and space, four of which were thick and stable as rocks, while one seemed illusory, fragile, and small. He saw the Star River like a waterfall within the seven layers of the Void Realm, the stars shining together. He saw a giant serpent with eight wings on its back entwining the world, devouring the Level Six of Hell.

He was the existence that transcended all, the color that God painted onto everything.

The red pillar, blue pillar, green pillar, and pink pillar seemed to notice his presence, extending an invitation for him to join the feast. Ash felt no joy, no sorrow, no consciousness, no sensation, for in this beautiful world of circulating light, a seat had long been prepared for him.

A seat named "Final Observer".

Suddenly, the fifth illusory pillar lightly shook the Divine Domain, knocking Ash off his seat, but the other four pillars quickly stabilized the Divine Domain and extended several ribbons full of Life Force, inviting Ash to sit once again.

Yet with a proud cold hum resounding through the Divine Domain, a streak of starlight sliced down from the seventh layer of the Void Realm, severing the ribbons extended by the four pillars. The four pillars instantly withdrew all sound and light, obediently assuming their roles as mere pillars.

However, the absence of the pillars’ temptation did not improve Ash’s situation. He was still slowly drifting towards his seat, fulfilling the expectations of the Divine Domain and also his predestined coronation.

"Ash."

The slumbering self trembled slightly.

"Ash," the voice of the Sword Maiden sounded in his ear, "Don’t leave me."

Like a drowning man struggling in his last moments, Ash forcibly extricated himself from the gentle ocean of the Divine Domain, struggling to maintain his foolish, mundane self from being infiltrated by the noble and pure divinity, reconnecting with his scarred soul body. But as long as he opened his eyes to see those vibrant colors full of Life Force, his thoughts inevitably got tugged back in... How could an ant resist becoming a dragon? How could such a humble being reject such mighty authority?

He let out a cry, kneeling on the ground, his soul body fracturing with a hundred cracks, as if it might shatter completely at any moment. Even with his eyes tightly closed, he couldn’t stop the brilliant colors from invading his eyes, and his fingers couldn’t help but reach for his eyes, attempting to destroy his senses to sever the Divine Domain’s pull—

"Useless!" Death Mad caught his wrist, quickly saying, "Your sense of touch has already connected with the Divine Domain, even if you gouged out your eyes you’d still see! Perhaps it’s the influence of the Supreme Void Wings, your perception is so high it can perceive the truths of the Divine Domain, but truths have weight, and your soul is too weak, so rather than attracting truth, you are being drawn by it, causing you to fall into the Divine Domain!"

"The only way now is for you to actively lower your perception, use foolish fantasies to cover the real world, only then can you stop falling into the Divine Domain!"

"Gather your spirit, breathe steadily, listen carefully to my voice, and entrust your heart to me."

Ash felt himself being helped up by Death Mad, his hand tightly held. As the cold temperature spread from her hand, Death Mad’s voice quietly resonated in his heart:

"You walk with your sword through the snow... the snow is thick, one step down and it almost reaches your calves. The wind is cold, as it hits your face it feels like your lips are about to crack."

"The snow..."

"The morning mist is dense, and the distant mountains undulate continuously. Beside you is a river, most of it frozen and piled with snow, only a small part near the bank still flowing ceaselessly."

"The mountains and rivers..."

"The forest beside you is laden with frost, today’s sunlight is bright and soft, shining on the frost making it look like blossoming cherry blossoms. A deer passes through the forest, only leaving traces of wind, not its form. You walk through this world with your sword, suddenly feeling a bit tired, collapsing down, your legs sinking into the snow, kneeling... you touch the ground, isn’t the snow cold and soft?"

Ash, with his eyes closed, touched the ground, his left hand immediately sinking into the deep snow, the cold chill making him shiver slightly.

"Now I’ll help you up," Death Mad let go of his hand, "You can open your eyes."

Slowly opening his eyes, Ash was instantly revitalized by the cold wind blowing against him. In front of him was no longer the fiery Tree of Light in Dayless Heaven or the dazzling Divine Domain, but the sunny northern scenery, snowy lands, icy rivers, snow-capped mountains, and fog-laden forests.

He let out a long sigh of relief and said with a bitter smile, "I thought I wouldn’t make it back."

Death Mad shook off his hand, took out a cigarette from the pack, and Ash lit it for her with a spark from his fingertip. She took a puff and said, "It should be fine now. As long as you remember that your Fantasy Hell is the Snow Country, you won’t see the Divine Domain again."

"Originally, only mages who can discern the reality of the Void Realm can directly see the Divine Domain, but you’re such a fool that your intuition went overboard and you could see it... It’s hard to make you smarter, but making you a bit dumber should be doable, right? If this happens again, just imagine yourself as a stray Lalafel in the Snow Country. Don’t make me save you every time, it’s annoying."

"Alright." Ash replied gently. He turned his head to look at the magnificent Snow Country scenery in front of him and asked, "But why the snow scene? Is there something special about it?"

Death Mad turned her head, holding the cigarette between her fingers, and said calmly, "Nothing special, just to solve the trouble quickly. I used a Mind Induction of a fixed world to overlap my fantasy world with yours."

Ash was taken aback and re-examined the scenery before him, "Your fantasy world is the Snow Country? Why? I thought you’d be similar to Sonia and probably imagine a place as bustling as Jiale City."

Death Mad glanced at him, bowed her head in silence for a moment, and said, "Before the Holy Domain, I stayed in the north of the Dazzling Star for a long time."

"So you fell in love with the scenery there?"

"Maybe." Death Mad said calmly, "Back then, I killed someone and barely escaped from Jiale City, penniless, wanted nationwide, and all I had left was a sword, trekking long distances in the snow... but back then, I felt an unprecedented sense of relief and didn’t regret my impulsiveness at all. Society, morality, class—I was always shackled by these invisible chains. But when I broke free from them, I found there were no chains at all. I thought I would be scared or terrified, but there was nothing. I only experienced unrestrained freedom... so I remembered this snow scene."

"Eh? Such a heartwarming backstory?" Ash blinked, "I thought it was just because the snow scene was so beautiful. I didn’t expect you to have such a convoluted emotional journey."

Death Mad squinted at him and suddenly stomped on his foot, whispering, "You’ll be gone in 2 minutes, if you love the snow so much, find a place to roll around. Don’t bother me."

"You’ve enchanted me." Ash laughed, "I’ll visit the north of the Dazzling Star when I have time."

"With Sonia?"

"Of course." Ash said, "You can come along too. Can’t you observe my actions in reality? When I go to experience the Snow Country’s scenery, you can revisit the place."

"Don’t make it sound like I’m a pervert spying on you." Death Mad glared at him viciously, "I just occasionally check if you guys are in danger, and during the two months of attention—yes, every time—you were insatiable like Meiwa. I couldn’t even avoid knowing if I wanted to!"

Ash smiled sheepishly, "That’s just bad timing on your part, always catching our reward time..."

Death Mad raised her hand, and Ash immediately reacted and dodged. She was both angry and amused, exhaling a ring of smoke and looking at the drifting snow scene in the distance, saying, "Remember not to upset Sonia."

"Hmm."

"Train with her in Divine Might."

"Hmm."

"Kill Vishi."

"Hey, hey, hey..."

Ash saw the time was almost up and said, "Let me have a puff."

Death Mad gave him a look and handed the cigarette over. But instead of taking the cigarette, Ash grabbed her hand and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"This counts as a puff too, you know." Ash stepped back with a smile and raised his hands, "Thank you for saving me."

Death Mad’s lips moved slightly, wanting to lose her temper and beat him up, but she didn’t want to seem too concerned, so she wore a conflicted expression, "So, is this you biting the hand that feeds you?"

"I just thought you seemed a bit lonely," Ash waved his hand and said with a smile, "See you next time, Death Mad."

As soon as the words fell, Ash’s figure disappeared from Hell, leaving only two lines of footprints in the snowfield. Death Mad found a tree to lean against, with a cigarette in her mouth, but she didn’t take a puff for a long time.

"...Meiwa."