Rowen realized that every major undertaking he tried to accomplish seemed to break down at the most critical moment…
It wasn't that accidents caused outright failure. Rather, the carefully prepared backup plans often never had the chance to be used, because the goal was achieved by some other means first.
The most vivid example was when he seized control of the World Government… the backup plans he had prepared were rendered completely useless by Orrick's sudden ambush. That feeling,
I haven't even exerted myself yet, and you've already fallen.
The same thing was happening now.
Wuu…!
Bang!
The lightning dragon crescent-sided halberd whistled through the air as it flew back, its mournful howl echoing as it returned to Rowen's side. He grabbed it firmly, looking at the utterly shocked Shi Ji ahead of him, and slightly curled the corner of his mouth.
"Next, round two!"
Boom!!
Thunder and light exploded, illuminating everything in all directions. Feeling the pressure, so different from before, Shi Ji suddenly understood.
"You actually… no, who are you?!"
He had indeed killed "Rowen," shattering his soul.
But this "Rowen" was not that "Rowen."
The previous Rowen was a great heretic, reeking of dense divine aura. The current Rowen felt more like a mortal, save for that dangerous lightning.
There were actually two souls within his body, both capable of controlling it! He had killed the heretical one, causing this soul to emerge and seize control of the body.
Rowen raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Speaking of which, I should thank you, Shi Ji… right?"
Under Shi Ji's darkened gaze, Rowen said calmly,
"I lost the struggle for control against him. Though I resisted, preventing him from devouring me outright, I couldn't hold on for long. Being slowly digested by him was my only possible ending… however, you killed him, saving me, and turned his power into something without an owner."
"So…"
Rowen split his lips into a cold grin.
"Before I kill you, do you have any last wishes? I'll fulfill them for you."
These were the exact same words Shi Ji had once said to "Rowen", now returned in full.
Shi Ji's face turned iron-blue as his teeth clenched tightly.
"Damn it!!!"
Even as they spoke, the divine aura on Rowen's body surged violently, black-red halos blooming within the sky-blue lightning.
But it no longer transformed into pure black lightning.
Instead, crystalline, gem-like sky-blue light took dominance, forming radiant flames that wrapped around his body.
He had killed the heretic "Rowen," inadvertently helping this Rowen absorb the other's power.
This was a monster, through and through!
He devoured Gods.
He even devoured himself!
If Shi Ji were asked what he regretted most in his life, summoning the starry-sky behemoths and losing control, forcing him into slumber after subduing them, was one.
The second was this.
Had he known this would happen, he would rather die than kill that heretic! After all, the two were incompatible. As long as both existed, neither could easily absorb the other's power, severely limiting their strength.
Unlike now…
At this moment, the heretic's power was like what Shi Ji had sensed during his slumber, power without a soul to command it, nothing more than nourishment.
And truly, supreme nourishment.
That heretic couldn't possibly have left contingencies behind in his body the way Shi Ji had.
"I imagine you're thinking, if only you hadn't killed him… right?"
Suddenly, Rowen's words caused Shi Ji's mind to jolt.
"What do you mean?!"
Shi Ji suddenly recalled that, aside from the unexpected existence of two Rowens, the heretic earlier did seem to have left behind some kind of contingency.
"There is a weakness that belongs to you and Imu, but has nothing to do with me."
Rowen looked at him calmly and continued,
"That is, neither of you will ever allow this world to be destroyed. Because your power is born from it. If the world were destroyed and the planet sank into ruin, you would lose your power, and with it, your very nature as Gods."
"That is a consequence you can never accept."
"So as long as one grasps this point… what do you think can be done with it?"
The unspoken implication was clear:
If the Mountain Ancestor destroys the world, what does that have to do with me?
But that alone wasn't enough!
Shi Ji turned to look at the massive figure in the distance. As expected, the enraged Mountain Ancestor did not charge over,
Because at this very moment, Rayleigh carried the same aura as Shi Ji himself.
For the time being, neither side could gain the upper hand, neither was able to do anything to the other. However, as time dragged on, the longer Rayleigh continued to wield divine power, the greater the burden placed upon the part of him that was still "human," causing him to grow steadily weaker.
Unless he could decisively kill Rowen and free up his hands to help elsewhere.
But that directly contradicted the premise of not killing "Rowen." From the perspective of that earlier "Rowen," survival was obviously his goal.
If he stayed alive and dragged things out, victory was guaranteed!
He was gambling!
Gambling that before Shi Ji could kill him, the Mountain Ancestor would deal with Rayleigh and then join forces with it to attack together.
So then,
"What could help the Mountain Ancestor deal with Rayleigh?"
As if reading his thoughts, Rowen's voice sounded beside Shi Ji's ear like a wicked demon's whisper, perfectly timed.
In an instant, Shi Ji's pupils contracted as he turned toward the shattered remains of the divine palace islet.
"Imu!!!"
Boom!!
The moment the name was spoken, a colossal vine surged up from the distant sea, growing directly out of the ocean itself. With a body hundreds of meters thick, it lashed out like lightning, smashing Rayleigh, who was dodging the Mountain Ancestor's attacks, straight into the air.
"Who told you he was really dead?"
Rowen laughed darkly.
Whoosh!
As his words fell, Shi Ji suddenly charged forward.
Over there, the Rayleigh who had fallen into the water was bound by a much thinner vine. Upon the gray-white, withered vine grew a human face,
It was unmistakably Imu!
Plant-type lifeforms were different from animals. They had no vital points, possessed astonishing vitality, and as long as even a single breath remained, rooting themselves into the earth was enough to cling to life.
And even if one took ten thousand steps back,
He still had Devil Fruits.
Those things were, in essence, seeds created from Imu's own origin power, each one equivalent to an embryo, a clone.
Asexual reproduction, terrifying or not?
As long as Devil Fruits were not completely eradicated, he would not truly die.
Naturally.
Once the original body perished and the primary consciousness dissipated, even if a new Imu were to reawaken with self-awareness, whether it would still be the same Imu would become a philosophical question.
This was an issue Rowen had discovered through the Castle-Castle Fruit ring on his hand.
Logically speaking, if Imu were dead and no longer able to uphold divine authority, the world's origin bound within those seeds should either return to the world, or at the very least lose control, rendering all Devil Fruits ineffective.
After all, not everyone could be like Rowen, swallowing that origin power whole and digesting it.
However,
That didn't happen.
Which was why the earlier "Rowen" had been absolutely certain,
Imu was still alive, surviving through some method unknown to him.
Lying low to cling to life, waiting for the right moment, preparing to strike.
And Rayleigh's appearance gave "Rowen" the perfect chance to lure him out.
The divine power awakened within the Silvers Family bloodline was immense in both quantity and quality. Even Shi Ji himself was unwilling to give it up, how could Imu resist?
This was "Rowen's" true plan!
To force the not-yet-dead Imu to come out and deal with Rayleigh.
Once that succeeded, the situation would become,
A half-dead, barely alive "Rayleigh-version" Imu;
a half-dead, rampaging Mountain Ancestor;
a newly revived but extremely weakened Shi Ji;
and himself, who, as time passed, could continuously devour and strengthen himself…
A four-way battlefield!
And the mutual hatred among the first three guaranteed they would never join forces.
Then,
Victory was assured!
But just as Rowen had said upon awakening, no matter how many plans one makes, no matter how perfect they seem, he had still been careless.
It was a risk,
Not a guaranteed death.
Big brother doesn't mock the second brother.
Everyone was guilty of the same mistake.
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395