“Perhaps… I was mistaken…?”
Azure Dragon remained silent for a long time before speaking, “Maybe they just used a minor illusion, but it threw me into complete disarray… Thankfully, no major disaster occurred.”
“It’s time to work on your impatient nature,” Celestial Dragon remarked, eyeing Azure Dragon up and down before asking, “What happened to these wounds?”
He noticed unhealed injuries on Azure Dragon’s forehead, chest, legs, and even arms—evidence of an extraordinarily brutal battle.
“It’s a long story…” Azure Dragon wiped the blood from his forehead. “This rebellion seems different from the past ones. They shook my convictions to the core—even ‘Tian Xing Jian’ couldn’t heal these wounds.”
“You need rest,” Celestial Dragon said.
“Yes.”
“But not now.” Celestial Dragon turned toward the door shattered by *Thunderclap*. “You know my time is limited. First, come with me to clean up the mess. On the way, tell me what exactly happened. After that, you’ll have ten days to recover.”
“Alright…” Azure Dragon, still shaken, reluctantly agreed.
“A short delay won’t kill you, will it?”
“I… won’t die,” Azure Dragon replied evasively. “But many of the ‘Celestials’ have fallen, and our next steps will be much harder…”
Celestial Dragon paused before replying, “We both know the so-called ‘Celestials’ were never more than a rabble. Their deaths mean nothing—we can always select new ones.”
As he spoke, he walked to the door and stretched out his hand. The cracks in the wood rapidly sealed themselves as if healing autonomously.
*Creak—*
With a soft sound, Celestial Dragon opened the door, now fully restored. Inside, a round table held the severed head of Celestial Boar.
The room was otherwise empty.
Azure Dragon froze momentarily but quickly recovered. “Ah… Celestial Boar, he was—”
“Doesn’t matter.” Celestial Dragon chuckled lightly. “Azure Dragon, there’s no need for explanations. We both know what happened.”
Azure Dragon instantly fell silent, swallowing all the excuses he had prepared.
Years of surface-level harmony between them had long masked their deep discord. Now, with such a catastrophe unfolding, pretense seemed pointless.
Yet, neither could kill the other. Their only option was to steer *Taoyuan* back on track.
Seeing no other Celestials in the room, Celestial Dragon strode forward and opened another door at the far end.
A chaotic corridor came into view.
Strewn across it were *Zodiacs*, *Participants*, *Vermin*, and even tattered-looking *Natives*. Every nearby figure froze, turning to stare at Celestial Dragon in shock.
“Quite the lively scene,” Celestial Dragon remarked. “When did all these monsters crawl out of the woodwork?”
“Tonight…” Azure Dragon gritted his teeth. “These insects grew restless.”
Celestial Dragon ignored the spectacle, turning instead toward the Celestials’ corridor.
A few oblivious *Vermin* lunged at them, mistaking them for fresh targets. Without even glancing back, Celestial Dragon reduced them to dust mid-air.
He stopped at Celestial Dog’s door and pushed it open. The room was vacant. He then looked deeper down the hall.
“All dead?” he asked.
“If the *Vermin* have risen… then none of the Celestials likely survived.”
“If Celestial Serpent is gone, then recruit a new *Graft* quickly,” Celestial Dragon ordered. “The next cycle will be another burden for you.”
“Understood.” Azure Dragon nodded.
Celestial Dragon abandoned his inspection of the Celestials’ quarters and returned to the corridor. The gathered *Participants* stood paralyzed, terror-stricken by the horrifying display.
These two near-identical figures, their overwhelming presence—even if never seen before, their identities were unmistakable.
If they ran now… was survival even possible?
Observing their stunned, panic-stricken faces, Celestial Dragon halted at the corridor’s end and murmured:
“All *Participants* aboard the *Train*—the *End* is here.”
The instant the words left his mouth, the nearest *Participants* near the cargo hold disintegrated into dust. In the next moment, *Dissolution* surged forward like a ravenous tide.
Many, already exhausted from the bizarre *Celestial Hour*, still mustered the strength to flee, screaming and wailing. Under Celestial Dragon’s power, they crumbled like sandcastles in a storm.
Whether freshly unmasked *Humans*, *Natives* regaining their senses, or those already near death—all shattered indiscriminately. The *Train* was painted crimson with blood and pulverized flesh.
Those hiding in rooms, those near exits, the one crowned with newspaper, the girl in a white dress, the man in black leather—those already dead or barely clinging to life.
None had realized Celestial Dragon had awoken before the *End* swept through the carriages like a tidal wave.
By the time their bodies began dissolving, it was far too late for any countermeasure.
They had believed their plan was progressing, however painfully. Yet, at the final moment, something had gone catastrophically wrong.
Under Celestial Dragon’s merciless purge, every soul bearing the title *Participant* was eradicated. Not a single one escaped.
The *End* arrived as it always did, cycle after cycle.
This ruthless display sent chills through the *Zodiacs* still aboard the *Train*.
When the dust settled, no trace of wood remained—only the *End*’s signature crimson hue.
Every *Zodiac* was spattered with the red mist, their masks and bodies sticky with it.
“Celestial Dragon… are you alright?” Azure Dragon asked cautiously.
“A mere thousand lives—this is just the beginning,” Celestial Dragon replied after a pause. “We must hurry to prepare the grounds. The *Newcomers* will arrive soon.”
Azure Dragon dared not delay. He knew that no matter what had happened in *Taoyuan*, *Dissolution* took absolute priority.
If the old weren’t cleared, the new would bring unprecedented chaos.
Just as Celestial Dragon turned toward the *Sun*, two *Zodiacs* whispered among themselves.
“Is this… how things are supposed to be?”
“Not sure… but should we even be speaking now?”
Celestial Dragon paused and glanced over.
The speakers were a vividly plumed *Earth Rooster* and a portly, middle-aged *Earth Monkey*.
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