DKIE CH93: The Tide of Fate

Having taken their seats and composed themselves, Luka looked at the Saint and belatedly wished him a good day.

The Saint: “I’ve come to talk to you about the Demon King.”

Luka : “One moment.”

He fetched some melon seeds and fruit tea, then said, “Let’s eat and talk.”

Afternoon, sunlight, cracking melon seeds—they began to chat about the Demon King.

Luka first mentioned his brief dizzy spell. He cherished his life, and although he had been checked by a pharmacist, he didn’t forget to get a second opinion from the Saint, discussing whether it was a side effect from his sword strike on the Tree of Life.

“Luka .”

A passing cloud blocked the sunlight. The Saint said his name, abruptly switching to another topic: “Have you been to other planes?”

Luka’s hand, holding melon seeds, froze. Quill looked over without a change in expression. The ferret continued to cross its legs and munch on melon seeds.

The Saint had actually had his suspicions for a long time. In the past, Luka always mentioned that many of his strange ideas came from folk books, but the Saint, who had read widely, had never seen any of them. Journey to the West was the best example; its content, even during a publishing slump, would not have been so obscure.

After the initial surprise, Luka readily admitted it. It was only because he was confident in his strength that he had waited until now to start adapting the Four Great Classical Novels.

This matter wasn’t important enough for the Saint to make a special trip. Sure enough, the Saint said, “Come with me to a place.”

After several transfers through teleportation arrays, they left the demon realm and soon arrived at a place Luka found unexpected. Before them was a place both familiar and strange.

The Demon King’s pilgrimage, the Saintess’s duel—the former Place of Exile was the real victim. The landscape had been altered again and again, and now it was almost flat ground.

Before he could feel nostalgic for even a second, Luka suddenly closed his eyes and carefully examined his surroundings.

The Saint: “Do you feel it?”

Luka and Quill exchanged a glance. Besides the demonic energy, the space here was still turbulent, with many new rifts. Since the Saint had suddenly mentioned planes, both naturally thought of the Plane Gate in the Place of Exile. Once, the young Luka had been sent away by Quill through that very gate.

The Saint’s tone became solemn as he got down to business. “While confiscating the Holy Court’s treasury, I discovered some lost books. After reading them, I have a rather grim conjecture. The altar has extremely high defensive and carrying capacity. Upon the altar, it might be possible to ignite a world’s origin.”

Luka’s expression truly changed. Some broken details began to connect. The turbulent space nearby indicated that the Plane Gate might have been opened recently. The Demon King must have guessed that he had been to other planes long before the Saint did. The fact that he had brought the altar here and then disappeared strongly suggested he had crossed over to another plane.

“Ignite a world’s origin.” Luka mulled over these words, and a terrifying guess emerged in his mind. “He wouldn’t be thinking of sacrificing another plane, would he!”

Is the Demon King’s thinking that broad? For the first time, Luka was a little unsure of his judgment.

Traveling to other planes came at a great cost; the reverse journey would accelerate aging. The only reason he had been able to live peacefully for over a decade was due to his strong spatial resistance and, most importantly, his magically inept constitution. But the Demon King was different. Every extra day he spent there would be a huge drain on his magic.

Quill spoke then, a chill seeping into his eyes. “Protected by the altar, perhaps he can last a little longer. Don’t forget he has already sacrificed Princess Mary and the curse master descendants.”

No one but its holder knew the specific function of the altar. It was possible it could really help the Demon King find the location of a world’s origin. If the sacrifice succeeded, it would be anything but a good thing.

He looked at Luka. “Your sudden dizziness might have been the world’s consciousness calling for help.” The latter’s soul still had remnants of the lightning element from when he was struck, so it was apparently being used as a medium to send a signal.

Luka had obviously thought of this possibility as well, and the corner of his mouth twitched. So I didn’t get struck for nothing.

When he looked up again at the fluctuating space, not a trace of carelessness remained on him. From the Demon King’s perspective, the aura of the Saint’s chess pieces was nearing its critical point, while his and the Wisdom Tree’s strength was soaring. To wait was to die. Sacrificing a plane, as exaggerated and suicidal as it sounded, was his only way out.

The wind blowing from the wasteland carried a certain heaviness. After an unknown amount of time, Luka made a decision. “I need to go back.”

In a family of three, only one could live. No matter for whose sake, the Demon King had to die.

A plane’s consciousness was not a fixed type of thought, but rather the unconscious gathering of powerful souls after their annihilation, which, under the operation of rules, could occasionally produce cognitive judgments. Now that it was actively asking for help, its rejection of him should be much less, but it would still exist. The rules were irreversible and could not be communicated with. To locate the Demon King, he would still have to rely on the mandarin duck jade pendant.

He immediately sent a message to the dwarven chieftain.

The Saint: “At the end of one’s rope, one tends to become crazy and radical. The Demon King is very dangerous now. This matter needs further discussion.”

“Alright.”

The matter was of great importance, and the discussion was quickly held in the form of a meeting at Klin Sentry Tower. When the sky is falling, the tall ones are always the first to see it. Everyone had clearly felt the recent abnormalities. In the joint office building, the chieftains of all races attended in person, rather than sending their usual representatives. The atmosphere was solemn.

The Saint shed his usual gentleness and immediately explained the stakes of the altar. “Most altars come with a curse effect. The Holy Court and the curse master descendants had connections in the past. The curse effect of this altar is likely far superior to others.”

The orc chieftain couldn’t help but interject, “Even if the Demon King wants to curse someone, he should be cursing his son.” What does that have to do with the world’s changes?

Luka : “…” Thanks a lot.

The Elven King shot a cold glance at the orc chieftain. “Use your brain.” If anything happened to Luka, it was impossible that the dragons, the Saint, and others, including the elves, would let the Demon King off. Moreover, there was a necromancer watching like a tiger. The Demon King would be making an enemy of the entire world.

“The Demon King wants to gain greater power through sacrifice. The altar will also affect the cultivation in this world.” The Saint spoke again, his gaze sweeping over the chieftains present, his smile profound. “Once the Demon King possesses the greatest power…” He left the rest unsaid, letting them fill in the blanks.

In the short term, the altar’s impact on the world was limited. Legendary Grand Magi would generally adopt a wait-and-see attitude; as long as it didn’t affect them, it was fine. So the latter point could be ignored. But the former point absolutely could not. Clearly, the Saint had accurately grasped these people’s pressure point. Once the Demon King became the strongest, he would inevitably block the path to heaven for other Legendary Grand Magi.

Luka would not. The concepts subtly conveyed in his movies, and his actions in practice, all proved that he was not one to eat alone. Reputation was sometimes very important.

While the other chieftains were persuaded but still hesitant, the simple-minded orc chieftain was the first to choose a side. “Speak. What do you need us to do?”

The centaur chieftain hesitated for a moment, then clattered his hooves in agreement.

The other chieftains discussed in low voices. The dragons’ aura was very strong. They let out a casual humph, and the chieftain who was about to sing a different tune hadn’t even finished his mumbling before he was suppressed. The meeting fell silent.

“I will send a part of my divine sense to the other plane.” The Saint made the final decision. “I’ll trouble you all to maintain the stability of the Plane Gate and guard the entrance. If the Demon King appears, attack him as a group.”

A fine ‘attack him as a group.’ Everyone’s expression was different. If the Demon King returned first, wouldn’t that mean his sacrifice had succeeded? How could they be his match? Isn’t this a suicide mission?

Under his gentle exterior, the Saint was in essence more domineering than the Demon King. He took out a contract scroll on the spot, making it clear that no one should have any crooked ideas.

Seeing this, Luka raised an eyebrow. He had to admit, the Saint was quite good at handling people. He hadn’t made himself the villain. Later, he would only need to raise his hand to answer the call.

Quill, a natural evil spirit, spoke in a light tone that just happened to be heard by everyone present. “If you can’t write, I can help him.”

Letting a necromancer control the contract signing, that would be truly fatal. Whether it was voluntary or forced, after a round of friendly discussion, all parties finally signed their names on the contract scroll.

The merman chieftain took a deep breath and said to Luka, “Quick, call the news reporters.” Since they were already doing it, they might as well leave their names in the annals of history. Group photos, records, appeasing the masses—not a single thing could be missed, to win fame both in life and after death.

Luka : “…”

After a day of being remembered by history, everyone made detailed team assignments. The major powers still had internal affairs to arrange. They all agreed to meet in the wasteland one day later.

That night, the night sky shone down on the ground, stretching the shadows below infinitely. The expressions of those present were very serious. The dark elf chieftain squinted at the sky. “I didn’t expect there to be another Plane Gate here.” Plane Gates were not common across the entire continent.

The dwarven chieftain had successfully repaired the jade pendant.

Luka, Quill, the dragons, the Elven King, and the Saint, as the main force, confirmed their intention to travel to the other plane to find the Demon King. Luka and the others’ expressions were much more indifferent than usual. They were not here in their original bodies. Grover, Danton, and the others were guarding their real bodies. Today, even Luka had to rely on a puppet to carry his consciousness to travel between planes, rather than crudely splitting his soul.

“As expected, being powerful is the original sin,” Luka sighed. He had lost the innate advantage of being a magically inferior child. Suppressed by the plane, they could only use weak magic in the other world, and there was a possibility of backlash. The Demon King was the same. Even with the altar’s protection, he couldn’t avoid suffering heavy losses. Well now, picking a general from among dwarves. In the end, it’ll be rookies pecking at each other.

“Where are the dragons and the Elven King?” The appointed time had arrived, but Luka still hadn’t seen the familiar figures.

The dark elf chieftain pointed wordlessly. Where he pointed, a group of hand-held figures was walking in a line from under a tree. Luka almost sang the children’s song, “Under the big tree in front of the gate, a group of ducks swims by.”

The elves and dragons were innately physically powerful, so the restrictions on them would be greater. What is concentrated is the essence. The vessels carrying their divine sense were made from the branches of the Wisdom Tree, making them more spiritual. If not for the fact that more members meant a greater backlash and weakening, Luka might have witnessed a small army of hand-held figures.

He counted them: “Two, four, six, seven, eight.” There were eight members in the hand-held figure army: the elven chieftain and one elder, the rest were dragons. It was a very comical and cute scene, but unfortunately, no one could laugh.

The leaders of the major powers guarding the Plane Gate were somewhat apprehensive. They hoped for Luka and the others’ success more than anyone, otherwise, when the Demon King returned, it would really be a fight to the death.

In the extremely tense atmosphere, only Quill was absent-minded. He stood in the moonlight, slightly lost in thought. This journey had an additional, secret meaning. At the crossroads where their fates had briefly intersected and then diverged, they finally had a chance to walk it together.

“Let’s go,” Quill was the first to break the silence. The mist extending vertically upwards from his hand bones turned into threads, tearing open the hidden shell of space. The air seemed to be covered with a thin layer of ice. The outline of a door was faintly visible. In the middle of the night, the space around the Plane Gate, which had just stabilized, once again fluctuated violently. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, several figures headed towards the Plane Gate one after another.

The moonlight was cut off. Amidst the confusing fluctuations of airflow, Luka gently squeezed Quill’s hand. A sense of homesickness and apprehension. That world was like his second home. He had left accomplished and famous, and now he was returning on the verge of godhood.

Luka couldn’t help but ask himself: he had given up a house in the city center, given up millions in savings, in exchange for an incredibly considerate partner, countless supporters, and a precious opportunity to become a god. Was it all really worth it? Heavens, please tell me the answer.

Boom!

A flash of blue appeared before his eyes. Luka’s expression changed. Fuck, why did it strike me again!

…

Having been struck for the second time, Luka had some experience. After confirming his divine sense was unharmed, he offered no resistance. His body was numb. He wasn’t sure if he was still holding Quill’s hand. The process of passing through the Plane Gate was countless times more uncomfortable than a teleportation array. There were vortices and cosmic dust everywhere. Forget opening his mouth, his body felt like it was floating on a stormy sea. Luka tried his best to stay conscious.

Only when a small point of light finally appeared in the distance did he breathe a sigh of relief. In an instant, his consciousness faded, and he passed out completely.

The spatial storm was over.

On a summer day just after dusk, several figures suddenly appeared on an abandoned construction site. The advantage of having wings was demonstrated. The moment the plane crossing ended, the hurricane dragon, without stumbling, landed smoothly in mid-air. The others first took a moment to recover from the spatial impact of the plane crossing before quietly observing their surroundings. The strange, square architectural style; piles of cement and sand not far away.

Their first reaction was that the city was dangerous. Otherwise, why would there be a half-built, abandoned building?

“Where’s Luka?” Rio asked.

The next second, he saw Quill’s dark gaze. On the ground, there was a pile of shattered gears. Luka … was shattered.

Quill confirmed that there were no soul fragments in the debris. Luka should be fine at the moment. Why, out of the blue, did something only happen to Luka? What did he do wrong to be targeted repeatedly?

A coldness seemed to spread from the bottom of his eyes to his soul. Quill half-knelt and examined the pile of gears. The puppet Luka had possessed was personally crafted by him. The specially inserted bone fragment and the mandarin duck jade pendant were both gone, presumably having disappeared along with Luka’s divine sense.

“Let’s find him first.” The bone fragment had his aura on it; it wouldn’t be hard to track.

The demon-slaying squad quickly left the construction site. The city was not dangerous. A child on a two-wheeled object passed by nearby. Suddenly seeing strangely dressed people appear, the child braked sharply and was caught in time by a pair of large hands, avoiding a fall.

The Saint’s heart moved slightly upon seeing this. The true love that the Saintess refused to believe in until her death had changed a cruel necromancer’s attitude towards living beings.

Quill said warmly, “Like Luka, he has black hair.” The people of this world had their good points.

The Saint gave him a deep look. So that was the reason for his helpfulness.

In fact, Quill’s real purpose was the object on the child’s wrist, a miniature version of a mechanical clock. He immediately took out a handful of gold coins. “I’ll trade you this for that.”

The child burst into tears.

Quill said coldly, “You’ll trade whether you want to or not.”

The Saint sighed, walked forward, and said to the child in a soothing tone, “Please be so kind as to make the exchange.” His tone contained a slight suggestive power, instructing the child to go home immediately and to pay attention to safety. Under the gaze of a group of strange people, the child nodded and immediately pedaled away like the wind, vowing never to secretly venture to the construction site again.

Quill looked at the watch face. “7:14 PM.”

Grover flicked his little dragon tail and made a rigorous calculation. “We must leave before this time in four days.” They didn’t even have a week. The strong sense of planar suppression was very uncomfortable. The backlash from a plane further ahead on the timeline was far beyond their imagination. Once they broke the critical point, this part of their divine sense would be annihilated, causing irreversible damage to their original bodies.

After dusk, night did not fall. There was a faint blood color in the clouds, and although it was summer, a suspicious frost covered the vegetation. As they hurried on, everyone’s expression gradually became solemn. The plane’s consciousness was weakening. The Demon King was probably already trying to ignite the world’s origin. In every aspect, they were running out of time.

After crossing a block, the entire world presented a basic microcosm. Skyscrapers, busy roads with cars. It was past the rush hour, so there were no office workers hurrying by. The bars and night markets were just starting to get lively. Everything was strange and new.

In such a tense schedule, there was still room for heartache.

Quill: “The environmental difference is so great. Luka must have gone through a difficult time.”

The dragons and the nightingale nodded simultaneously. They had already suspected that Luka was from another plane, but they hadn’t pointed it out like the Saint. It wasn’t until before this departure that he had specially compiled this world’s language and literature and sent it to the others. With thorough preparation, they were able to communicate with the child without any barriers. Now, they began to feel sorry for Luka’s hardships.

The Saint: “…” Why are you all being sentimental at a time like this?

“Such beautiful cosplayers!”

A low scream was heard, and then more gazes were cast their way. The Saint was about to casually cast a shielding spell when he suddenly remembered that every time magic was used in a low-magic world, it would be met with a severe backlash. They could only quicken their pace to get out of the circle of attention.

Quill had no time to pay attention to the general environment. He could feel that Luka was nearby.

The nightingale possessed by the Elven King had a nimble voice. “Many people are gathered in the northwest direction. Someone seems to have mentioned Luka’s name.”

A group of hand-held figures flying in the sky was too conspicuous. They could only land on the shoulders of the Saint and Quill respectively, which was also a rather comical scene. Fortunately, there were many people looking down at their phones, so under the cover of night, it wasn’t too noticeable.

The northwest direction led to a huge fountain square, with the school district to the north and the people’s hospital to the south. At this moment, many people were gathered in the square, their heads slightly bowed, their expressions solemn. Flowers and small gifts were piled up on the curb stones at the edge.

The baby-faced person at the front had a sorrowful expression. “Today marks the first anniversary of Luka’s accident.”

A small group passing by stopped in their tracks.

“…Due to the very large area of brain damage, he unfortunately became a vegetable, but I believe that Luka will definitely wake up! Let’s pray for him together, hoping he can survive this ordeal.”

The time flow between the two worlds was slightly different. Here, it had been a year since Luka was struck by lightning. Not long after his accident, the boss of the company he had reported for misconduct happened to receive his final verdict. This boss had committed numerous evil deeds, and Luka, who had been shelved for exposing him, once again entered the public eye.

No parents, doing charity work even at his lowest point, with a handsome face yet forced to become a paparazzi, and then struck by lightning just as his luck was turning. His absurd yet hardworking life drew sympathy from many. After he became a vegetable, everyone started to love him.

“Brother—”

A sudden shout made Quill and the others nearby freeze.

“Brother, you must get well.”

Beside them was a small banner that read, “Go, Brother, go!”

“Thank you, brother, for protecting my little sister.”

“He protected my older brother too!”

What’s with all the brothers and sisters?

While Quill was considering the possibility of a namesake, the hurricane dragon lightly shook its wings and pointed to a nearby newsstand. The design of the newsstand was quite similar to those in the Saint-Demon Continent. The dim light did not affect their vision, and they immediately saw Luka’s photo on it.

Not only that, the music playing from a nearby street stall was very familiar. Although the voice was a bit more mature, the Elven King would recognize Luka’s voice even if it were reduced to ashes. Due to short video edits, these songs had recently become popular again, and many small vendors were playing them.

Some of the things Luka wrote when he was a paparazzi were also compiled into an autobiography by his former agent. He had left a will after he turned eighteen. If any accident occurred one day, his former agent could help handle his assets, as a way of repaying his kindness. Currently, the book was on sale, and the funds were used to establish a Luka Foundation to help children in need.

On site, the media and marketing accounts were all recording videos.

The baby-faced person at the front continued, “On this first anniversary, kind-hearted people from all over the world have specially recorded blessing videos for Luka. We believe this sentiment will definitely be conveyed to him.”

Someone started it, and everyone held hands and began to sing a song of blessing.

The Saint was lost in thought. “No wonder the Demon King was so eager to sacrifice this world.” He probably felt like he was running into a ghost wall, encountering Luka’s fans wherever he went.

“…”

__

Excerpt from Luka’s Diary:

Next life, I’m never pretending again!
Wait, haven’t I said that before?
Alex: It’s not you who’s wrong, it’s the world.

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