Edge of the World, near the Abyss of the Abaddon Secret Sect.
The standoff that Byron left behind still persists here.
One side is a bottomless pit that resembles a black eyeball.
In the middle lies the orange-red Soup of Life, merging into a large lake, where the Touch of the Kraken still roams, occasionally engaging in fierce battles with monsters born from the Soup of Life.
The old, worn-out and cracked Noah’s Ark within the lake has been completely repaired with the Mother of Monsters taking residence.
The overall structure remains the same, but the wooden hull has almost grown into a unified whole, transforming entirely into part of the Incarnation of the Tree of Life belonging to the Mother of Monsters.
Yet inside the divine kingdom within the hull, continuous fierce combat sounds resonate, causing the entire Soup of Life to tremble with a hum.
On the other side of the Soup of Life, there’s a fairy tale park with dark hues.
No matter if there are spectators nearby to admire, various performances like the circus, parade floats, fireworks display, aerial acts, and castle exploration persist day and night.
An endless laughter fills the park, contrasting starkly with the gloomy atmosphere at the Edge of the World.
However, if someone passes by and listens closely, they would find this laughter conceals the epitome of madness, even more eerie than the undead of the entire Edge of the World.
Blood plasma, rotting corpses, ghosts—what are they? Each character in the park precisely stands on humanity’s Uncanny Valley; they are the embodiment of terror!
This is the balanced triad Byron unintentionally created, serving as a cage for three Demigods.
"Give it to me, give it to me, give me my treasure! The treasure belongs to the clown, hahahaha..."
Inside the Ark, former Puppet King Louis has completely lost his original form, becoming just like a clown.
With a ghastly white mask, exaggerated lips, nose colored like dried bloodstains, and dirty, colorful curly hair, any mortal who glances at him would feel chills, and an endless terror would rise from their bones.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...
With a swing, he scatters a wave of self-destructing puppets, blasting huge holes in the ocean of tentacles and roots, and with a military knife in hand, plows a long trench straight towards the increasingly abstract body of the Mother of Monsters.
More precisely, it’s the Zero-Level Sacred Relic, the Magic Ring, Ring of the Nibelung, still worn on Echidna’s hand (Chapter 562).
This is also the key to keeping the three Old Gods tethered here.
The ring is crafted from Magic Gold from the bottom of the Rhine River, and its bearer shall rule the entire East Coast where the Rhine flows.
But before reaping rewards, its curse activates first.
Everyone will fervently pursue this ring, and whoever possesses it will invariably face betrayal, national collapse, and die an untimely death.
In the Late Mythological Era, from the Dragon Slayer Hero Siegfried, this ring led countless heroes to their demise, eventually drawing the Pantheon into battle.
It served as the direct catalyst for the Twilight of the Gods ending the era.
Essentially symbolizing "turmoil" and "chaos."
If the universe’s ultimate end is chaos, then it is the catalyst and accelerator!
The Old Gods who personally participated in the Twilight of the Gods war know that the true Ring of the Nibelung has already been shattered to pieces during the battle; this one is obviously fake.
Yet, its strong appeal remains irresistible even to Demigods, leading to a deadly rivalry between the Mother of Monsters and the Capricious Joker.
"Clown, step back! Offending my master is a capital offense, punishment!"
With an authoritative female voice rebuking, invisible forces descend trying to bind the clown’s limbs.
Simultaneously, behind her, two blazing white Holy Light transformed into unrivaled Knight’s Spears, landed on either side of the clown’s incarnation.
The corrosive strong light exploded upon the Curse Spirit.
Three Fifth Order Legends joined forces to force the incarnation of the Capricious Joker back a step.
Afterward, three figures blocked the path ahead.
They were none other than the two Holy Knights from the Orthodox Church who died here seeking Noah’s Ark: Holy Spear Vallet and Sacred Fist Grover.
And the Fifth Order Legend, Punitive Knight Evernight Queen Margaret I.
The latter seems to have aged at least 30 years younger, barely looking older than her daughter Vanessa.
Evidently, after the dissolution of her body at that time, she was rejuvenated by the Mother of Monsters as Kin.
However, despite addressing Echidna as "my master" formally, the spiritual radiance deep within their eyes continues to struggle and resist.
Apparently, the Old God hasn’t completely corrupted these three devout Zealots.
They still retain the most basic autonomy and human nature, only losing control of their bodies and Extraordinary Power.
No wonder Byron always intended to rescue Margaret I and the two Holy Knights, placing them in his Divine Kingdom for assistance in ascension.
Because the more devout the believer, the better the results.
A Legendary Order Zealot is worth hundreds of low sequence ordinary devout believers.
Flapping...
With the appearance of the three figures, a large flock of half-human half-bird creatures rose from the Tree of Life at the core region of the divine kingdom.
They possess human bodies, bird heads, bird claws, alongside two pairs of multicolored bird wings, each claw holding several bloodthirsty spears made of thorn.
Divided into two teams, they lineup in battle formation behind the two Holy Knights, Holy Spear and Sacred Fist, collectively empowering them with spirituality.