Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 920 - 853 Grand Finale_3

The gatekeeping Arcanist blocked the visitor, sparking the visitor’s dissatisfaction.

He pointed with his left hand to the laughing Demon Race assembling the Spine Wheel nearby.

"That’s Evil God’s Kin..."

He pointed with his right hand to the Merfolk leisurely swimming into the City of Wandering, encased in a water orb.

"That’s also Evil God’s Kin..."

He pointed to his own head with his left forearm.

"I am also Evil God’s Kin..."

The arm growing out of the middle of his chest pointed at the bitterly smiling Arcanist.

"They all get to go in, so why can’t I?"

The Arcanist cursed internally, lamenting his bad luck for encountering such foolishness right after his shift change. With a strained smile plastered onto a face resembling the result of an experimental accident, he wracked his brain for a solution.

"Uh, sir? Or madam? This is the humanoid creature entrance. It’s not that you’re forbidden from entering, it’s just that your size... haha, well, I’m afraid you won’t fit through our small door here."

"What do you mean by that?! Who says I’m not humanoid! I have arms, legs, a head, and I walk upright! Are you discriminating against my race?!"

The Arcanist thought, when the definition of "humanoid" was established, who would have imagined the world would produce such a flagrantly rule-breaking species, as if the biology handbook were turned upside down?

"Ahahaha, well actually, there’s a dedicated entrance for individuals like yourself in Dark Zone Seven. That was our oversight. Please, proceed to the entrance over there. Rest assured, we will inform the staff on that side, ensuring you can enter our city smoothly without delay."

...

Bloody Rose Bar.

A corner of the bar counter.

Two people sat at an angle, facing each other across an empty seat, shaking their glasses, hands pressing on the countertop, listening to the restless rock music and the clamor of others.

"Lyle said, [the World] records the information of every living being, but it didn’t have anything on that guy..."

"No remains were found. The swarm of rats dug deep, but not a single scrap of metal was uncovered."

"That guy, just gone like that? The only one sacrificed? Impossible. Even I, an oath-breaking Covenant Keeper, could stay. So why couldn’t it preserve him?"

They lapsed into a heavy silence, with even the third seat growing quiet.

"Do you think the stuff he wrote about could be real?"

"Could it not be? His robot girlfriend even showed up once. Remember her fiery temper? I really pity him."

"If it was all true, then maybe this world was never his real home, never the place he was meant to stay. Maybe we’re just being too pessimistic. That wandering soul from our memories... maybe he’s simply returned to his true homeland."

"Look on the bright side. At least the friend we remember might still be alive."

"You’re right. The Andrei Sword never breaks."

They raised their glasses, clinking them with such force that it seemed they wanted to shatter them. They shouted in unison, then drained their drinks in one go. The liquid flowed through their mouths, ran down their spines, crashed onto their pelvises, soaking the seats and spilling everywhere.

"To delusions!"

The furious barmaid stormed over, grabbed both of the Liches by their spinal columns, and hoisted them up.

"You two! Did you come here to cause trouble?!"

"We’re deeply sorry!"

... 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

White Bone Wasteland of the Andrei Academy.

A little girl dressed in Gothic doll attire squatted beside a Hangman’s Tree, her hands busily working away as she puffed out her cheeks and muttered irritably.

"I won’t mess up! Nia is super, super, super good at fixing things! Right, Grape?!"

The tiny Light Bat clung to the twisted tree trunk, shining a dim light in the darkness.

"Absolutely right, Nia. The Plague Doctor is just way too strict!"

Encouraged, Nia gave an elated smile. Before long, she had finished her work and proudly displayed her creation to her friend.

"All done! Look, Grape!"

A crooked crown crafted from glowing shards and tentacles. The Mana Tentacles quivered nervously, fluttering lightly before sticking to Nia’s cheek with a plop.

"Now, Nia is the King!"

The dark creatures drifting in the void witnessed it all.

Tendrils of light enveloped one of the Gemini Stars, but the insatiable tentacles reached greedily toward the other.