"I never expected I could stand before the ’Wall of Sighs’ for the third ti..."
Vishi’s sigh was as ethereal as if it ca from a distant past, yet unfortunately it was marred by the self-pride of "I never thought I could co back again," disrupting the weight of history.
Mages followed the flow of Death Souls to the Gate of Hell, paying homage to this eternal curtain that separates life from death. The closer they got, the more unpredictable the Gate of Hell appeared to them, at tis like an ancient stone wall, at tis like an elaborate palace wall, sotis like primitive cave paintings, and sotis like a modern steel fortress. It was as heavy as a crushing burden, yet as gentle as a mother’s embrace.
Bone Dragons entwined with chains flew within, creating waves of dark green shimring ripples. The curtain rose with it, floating up to cover millions of hectares. Ash and the others brushed against the curtain, feeling no discomfort, but rather felt as cool as sumr nights.
"Corpse Inferno Dragon."
Vishi eagerly explained: "They are a species of dragon residing in the Gate of Hell, dabbling in the Law of Death, revered as the Gatekeepers of Hell. When Death Souls pass through the Gate of Hell, their fear of death becos the source of the Corpse Inferno Dragon’s ’Death Tremor’; their attachnt to life turns into the threads of the Corpse Inferno Dragon’s ’Tomb Gauze’."
"The entire Hell acts as an eternal factory that refines Death Souls into resources, with the Void Realm being the greatest beneficiary." Vishi snorted, "Everyone does it this way. When we live in Hell in the future, we should do the sa."
"Got it, got it." Ash naturally could sense Vishi’s complaint for himself, even though he doubted Vishi felt any grievance. Nonetheless, he said, "I’m not so pedantic to reject necessary consumption, it’s just your constant impression on was too... Sorry, Vishi."
Vishi looked at him sowhat surprised and snorted, "If apologies worked, half of those who died by my hand would be spared."
Despite her words, Vishi seed to be in better spirits, her tone turning cheerful, "Look, there’s my ssage from last ti!"
The group looked up and saw countless lines of text inscribed on the floating curtain. Following Vishi’s direction, they saw a line of text glowing with blue light:
"You’re rely not obtaining, don’t act like you’ve lost."
"During my last promotion to demigod, I almost summoned a Divine Being, but I couldn’t persist," Vishi said. "At that ti, I struggled with dissatisfaction for a long ti, pondering here at the Gate of Hell where I could improve or optimize, thinking I was just a tiny step away from a Divine Being... Until later I saw the ssage left by Dazzling Star Magic Master and finally woke up, abandoning perfection to leave this to remind myself."
"Dazzling Star Magic Master?"
"She’s now the Supre Star," Vishi replied, "that’s why her ssage is the brightest."
Ash looked towards the top where the brightest Star Blue text was, surprisingly reminiscent of the words Dazzling Star once said to him on a speeding train:
"Perfection only ever exists in fantasy; mages pursuing perfection are like crying children, knowing nothing is possible yet betting hope on tears."
"Is this a ssage wall for Demigod Mages?" Weiser pondered.
Vishi nodded, "Everyone entering Hell must pass through the Gate of Hell, even demigods. But our biggest difference from mortals is that we conquered death—don’t argue with about unnatural death—so we are eligible to leave ssages on the Gate of Hell."
"Those still shining signify the ssages from those still alive, regardless of their form. Those already darkened signify complete soul extinction with no possibility of revival."
Aside from Vishi, others eagerly read the Wall of Sighs. Vishi understood their feelings, as she had spent days reading the emotions of the ssage writers when she first stood before this wall, fantasizing about eting the luminous ssage leavers... because mages are too lonely.
Even with occasional encounters, in the journey from the Sea of Knowledge to Ruby Mountain, the vast majority of mages travel alone, challenge difficulties alone, face crises alone, and bear Hell alone.
Until they complete the Hell Trial and arrive before this wall, they can clearly recognize that so many mages throughout ti have walked the sa path, so many geniuses reached the Divine Domain, so many fellow travelers are waiting for them.
Even though they know those waiting behind the Gate of Hell are competitors in a zero-sum ga, where every encounter is a contest of swords and intrigue, they are unaffected by this mont’s emotions.
Mages are creatures of contradictions, respecting the pioneers ahead while aiming to crush the skull of the predecessors to go further.
Most ssages are encouraging:
"We are the champions!"
"Mom, I did it, I stand at the top of mages!"
"Don’t give up your kindness; kindness isn’t strength, but kindness needs strength."
"From now on, the Belladett family takes pride in ."
"May we reach the end of the road, with smiles still on our faces, sunshine always in our ears."
"Rather than lant the difficulty of the road, it is better to embark right away."
There are also many inspirational ones:
"Even a Goblin can beco a demigod!"
"Even a Beastman can beco a demigod!"
"Even a iwa can beco a demigod!"
"Even a Lala-fat can beco a demigod!"
"I must find the person who wrote this line; I haven’t tasted Demigod Layla Fat yet."
Even Demigods have unresolved regrets:
"Leifield, this is as far as you can accompany ."
"Brother, I will definitely find you in hell!"
"Why do we have to scatter after becoming Demigods..."
"After a hundred years, I finally climbed up to find you."
"Boqi, from now on, the days we don’t et will be counted by years."
Of course, there’s also the pride in magic:
"The future is the century of alchemical magic!"
"The heart severs the body, the knife severs the soul."
"Burn everything! I am the incarnation of fla!"
"I have foreseen the future, and you are not in it."
And the brutality:
"I will certainly fight my way back, without a doubt! When I kill my way out of hell, the skeletons will pile up into mountains, the bones will form dense forests, hair will lay like carpet, flesh will rot into dust, and wherever I go, there will be corpse mountains and blood seas!"
Ash asked, "Vishi, do you know the author of this line?"
Actually, he didn’t hold much hope, given the ssage was already gray, indicating the ssenger had long died.
Yet Vishi glanced at it and really answered, "It’s Blood Bird, considering the sentence structure, it seems he wrote it."
"You really know him?"
"Worked with him for a while; he’s quite good to use, though he seems forbearing but is aggressive and brutal inside, easy to figure out. Convenient for dirty jobs."
"How did he die?"
"He was once ambushed and severely injured, seeking my help, so I refined him into a vengeful spirit," Vishi yawned. "He never thought why he got ambushed soon after embezzling my share. He would fit well into hell’s environnt, but only the worst Devils survive to the end."
"If you get injured, don’t look for soone you trust; hide like a lost dog to lick your wounds. Only when you can fight back do you have the right to trust others."
Ash was speechless; he initially wanted to use this ssage to educate Vishi, didn’t expect to be taught by Vishi instead.
As Ash continued reading the ssage, Weiser glanced at Vishi, "You’re making this up, right?" Though phrasing it as a question, her tone was very certain.
"The matter certainly happened," Vishi casually replied, "as long as the aning is conveyed."
At this mont, Diya suddenly exclaid, "Dad... Ash, look over here!"
Everyone ca over, Sonia casually asked, "Witch, you nearly called him wrong."
"Mm, it just blurted out instinctively," Diya felt a bit embarrassed.
"But I rember, you never called his title wrong from Ash’s return until his promotion," Sonia looked at the Witch, "How co you suddenly called it wrong?"
"Even during the Hell Trial, you instinctively called his na," Vishi added, "Didn’t call it wrong even then."
Diya managed to maintain composure on the surface, but her calf was already trembling, even her hair color dirtied. She reached out to hold Sonia, eyes wide and innocent, "I just called it wrong... I’m sorry."
The Witch’s eyes were filled with pitiful pleading, Sonia gently bit her lip; after all, they had been friends through much, her heart softened forgiving her. Yet from the Witch’s nervous appearance, forced obedience, they could all guess there’s definitely sothing. Though guessing so much, they still underestimated the Witch’s capacity.
"Ash, what are you looking at?" Weiser curiously asked.
Ash was squatting in front of the Death Curtain, absorbed, without noticing what they were discussing. Sonia and others crowded over, seeing two faintly glowing lines carved on the curtain:
"Enlarge their desires, grant their needs"
"Though this body is ice cold flowing fire, it still awaits the ti to burn out"
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