Does the Ashes Know You're Doing This

The sky darkened without warning.

Not the gloomy foreboding of an approaching storm,

But a pure, heart-palpitating ink-black hue.

As if someone had taken a giant brush and recklessly smeared it across the celestial canvas.

Unbroken stretches of black clouds spread rapidly, visible to the naked eye,

Enveloping the heavens, shrouding the entire sky of the Origin Realm in darkness.

Silence and desolation.

The oppressive weight seemed poised to crush the world, brimming with a suffocating pressure.

It robbed even the courage to look up at the sky.

More absolute, more despairing than when the Ashenfall had descended.

“What… what’s happening now?”

A young examinee’s voice trembled with tears.

Hadn’t he just come to take a simple martial exam? Why were disasters piling up one after another?

The barely repaired energy barrier, beneath this ink-black sky, flickered with a faint blue glow—dim and on the verge of extinguishing.

Chen Yuan, supported by two medics, had just received rudimentary treatment for his wounds.

He raised his head again to gaze at the sky, his already bloodless face now utterly pallid.

“Damn it…”

Even his muttered curse couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice.

An indescribable unease pulsed from the depths of his soul.

Something… of a higher existence.

“What’s… going on?”

Someone, noticing Chen Yuan’s reaction, asked blankly.

Then, more and more people instinctively looked up at the eerie heavens.

The answer didn’t seem far off.

In fact, for those who had glimpsed even a fraction of the world’s truth, it wasn’t hard to guess.

The Lord of Ashes…

The ever-present, scorching and destructive ash seemed to have found its origin, its worshipped sovereign.

This ink-black sky—was it the throne of that monarch?

“BOOM—!”

Before the thought could fully form, a crimson bolt of lightning, blood-red and vicious, tore through the thick clouds without warning!

Unlike the jagged forks of ordinary lightning, this was a straight, scarlet line, descending from the zenith with the intent to annihilate all.

No thunderclap accompanied it, yet it pierced directly into every mind, making souls shudder.

“AHHH—!”

Screams of agony erupted in waves.

The thousands of survivors in the headquarters, the moment that scarlet lightning flashed, felt their eyes sear with pain, tears streaming uncontrollably—as if they had glimpsed an unspeakable horror.

Su Qi was no exception.

To him, it wasn’t lightning he had seen, but a blazing sun.

A heat capable of erasing flesh and vaporizing souls.

Most covered their eyes, bowed their heads, not daring another glance upward.

Only Su Qi and Chen Yuan were exceptions.

Chen Yuan still stared upward.

Bloody tears trickled from the corners of his eyes.

To gaze at the sun is to burn.

“Kill those damn Descenders! Those bastards!!”

At his level, he was privy to certain truths.

And ‘Divine Descent’ was one of them.

Normally, no matter how desperately those lowly Descenders prayed, the ‘gods’ rarely cast their gaze downward.

After all, the Descenders were nothing but groveling lapdogs.

The odds of a sacrificial ritual receiving a response were infinitesimal—unless the offering could pique their interest.

But once successful…

Even a mere projection was beyond human resistance.

All humanity could do was wait for that sliver of divinity to take what it wanted and depart.

Arriving at whim, leaving unchallenged.

Only…

Who knew what those bastards had promised this time…

Above, the churning ink-black clouds grew more violent.

A faint will seemed to stir deep within the layers, cold and indifferent, surveying the ants below.

When it brushed past Su Qi’s location, it paused briefly.

An anomaly—among these pitiful creatures, one had not cowered under its majesty but dared to meet its gaze.

The sensation of being watched flickered and vanished, unworthy of further attention.

Perhaps, to it, a slightly stronger ant was still an ant.

On another day, it might have taken interest, crushed the audacious insect as an example.

But today, it had greater priorities.

At the center of the clouds, a massive vortex slowly formed.

As if the heavens had opened an eye.

Within the whirlpool, faint crimson light pulsed.

A colossal figure, bathed in scarlet lightning, gradually emerged—a monstrous head first.

A dragon, its body clad in dark red scales!

Its wings, when unfurled, could blot out half the sky, each beat stirring gales that sent the ash below rolling like tidal waves.

And upon the back of this apocalyptic red dragon stood a figure.

Not tall, even somewhat slender.

A grotesque mask covered the upper half of his face.

He descended from the zenith, halting midair above the shattered energy barrier.

He looked down upon the ravaged world beneath him, his eyes carrying a trace of pity—but far more indifference.

Then, he spoke.

Softly, yet it pierced through the fear gripping every heart.

“Such a crowd. Is this to welcome me?”

His tone was amiable, as if greeting an old friend.

“Hand it over. The offering for my Lord.”

Panic spread like plague.

The despair brought by that tenth-tier Origin Beast earlier paled in comparison.

Su Qi’s brow furrowed slightly.

This must be a servant of the Lord of Ashes…

He could sense the terrifying power radiating from the other.

Far beyond what he could oppose now.

Even at his peak, with every trump card played, it would likely be…

Liu Yuan’s small hand clenched tighter in fear, her knuckles whitening.

Su Qi gently patted the back of her hand, reassuring her.

The figure seemed in no hurry to act.

He raised a hand, clenched it in the air.

Across the ruins of the Origin Realm, scattered debris—collapsed walls, rubble buried in ash—began to tremble.

Then, boulders and broken pillars rose, as if lifted by invisible hands.

They swirled, assembled, and finally, before him, coalesced into the rudimentary form of an altar, glowing faintly.

“The rite remains unfinished,”

He murmured, as if explaining, as if proclaiming.

“A few more… fresh sacrifices are needed.”

His gaze swept slowly over the headquarters below.

The look of a butcher selecting lambs for slaughter.

“Those who cling to hope, poised to rise from despair,”

“Step forward willingly.”

“Should you please my Lord, this wretched world may yet be spared.”

Within the headquarters, silence reigned—deafening.

Only ragged breaths and stifled sobs remained.

This… was absolute might.

The mere presence of the figure standing there exuded an oppressive aura, rendering most people immobile.

Facing a tenth-tier Origin Beast, they could still muster the will to fight.

But against this unknown entity—what could they possibly fight with?

Yun Huang’s sword trembled slightly in her grip.

She took a deep breath and glanced at Su Qi.

This man had always been one to work miracles.

But this time…

It seemed no miracle would come.

This was an utterly hopeless situation.

The figure seemed to relish this cat-and-mouse game.

Instead of striking immediately, he watched with amusement as the ants below writhed in despair.

"How pitiful…"

He let out a soft sigh, though his tone dripped with mockery.

"You had the chance to flee, yet you chose to gather here, waiting for death to claim you."

"But this works in my favor. Saves me the trouble."

He raised a single finger and lightly tapped the energy barrier below.

Pop—

A faint, almost imperceptible sound of shattering.

The pale blue energy shield, once hailed as impervious to even the fiercest assaults of tenth-tier Origin Beasts,

under that casual touch, burst like a bubble pricked by a needle.

From the point of contact, fine cracks spiderwebbed outward in an instant,

spreading across the entire dome!

Crack… crack-crack…

The crisp sound of fracturing echoed endlessly.

Under the horrified gazes of all,

the last bastion of their hope—

shattered.

Dissolving into scattered blue motes, vanishing into the thick haze of ash.

The headquarters now lay completely exposed under the figure’s crushing presence.

What kind of power was this?

Eleventh-tier?

Twelfth-tier?

Or something beyond?

In his eyes, how were they any different from the rubble buried beneath the ash?

Insignificant ants.

None dared to voice defiance.

"Well?"

"Or would you prefer I do it myself?"

"In that case, the process won’t be quite so… pleasant."

A few younger team members gritted their teeth, fists clenched.

They wanted to charge, to resist.

But their legs felt weighed down as if filled with lead, barely able to lift.

The oppressive force wasn’t just physical—it crushed their very will.

Chen Yuan, supported by others, tried to speak but found his throat too parched to make a sound.

His injuries were secondary; the overwhelming helplessness in his heart was a thousand times more agonizing.

The air in Yun Huang’s lungs felt icy with despair.

She understood now.

She was the one the figure had spoken of—the "one who clings to hope, soon to be reborn from despair."

The perfect sacrificial offering.

What good would hiding among the crowd do?

Wait for him to grow impatient and pick at random… or simply erase them all?

She glanced at Su Qi once more.

Perhaps even he was powerless now.

Perhaps this was her fate.

A bitter smile touched her lips as her grip on the sword loosened.

Clang.

The blade hit the ground with a sharp, resonant ring.

In the deathly silence, the sound was jarring.

Every eye turned to her.

Shock, confusion, pity… and the faintest hint of relief.

Yun Huang ignored them.

She straightened her disheveled combat suit, squared her shoulders,

and took a step forward.

One step.

Then another.

Each footfall echoed like a hammer against the hearts of those watching.

She didn’t stop.

If she paused now, the fragile courage she’d mustered would crumble.

Not long ago, she’d emerged from despair, filled with dreams for the future.

Now, all of it would vanish like smoke.

The path wasn’t long.

Yet it felt like the summation of her life—from a hopeful beginning to an inevitable end.

The masked figure’s hidden gaze followed her approach with interest.

"Oh?"

"Not entirely foolish."

He chuckled, his tone laced with condescending approval.

"A pitiful worm who’s accepted reality."

Yun Huang halted.

She stood at the foot of the half-formed altar of broken stone and pillars, lifting her eyes to meet his.

Fear still lingered, but her expression was eerily calm.

"If my death will satisfy you…" she murmured.

A low laugh cut her off.

"Satisfy?"

"No, no. You misunderstand."

"This isn’t a transaction."

"This… is a ritual."

He pointed at her. "And you? Merely a suitable ingredient—fresh, carrying the embers of unextinguished hope. Perfect to please our Lord."

"The despair that follows extinguished hope…"

"Is truly delectable."

Energy coiled around his fingertip.

"Don’t resist. It’ll only prolong your suffering."

"Quietly now… become our Lord’s delight."

The stench of death washed over her.

Yun Huang closed her eyes.

She could feel it—her life force slowly draining, siphoned by that eerie energy.

Her body grew cold. Her consciousness dimmed.

So this… was death?

It wasn’t painful after all.

Just… regretful.

Regret for the vast world she’d never see.

Regret for the dreams unfulfilled, the farewells left unsaid…

Just as darkness threatened to consume her—

HUM—!

A strange, resonant pulse tore through the air!

Not from the masked figure. Not from the sky.

But from below!

The figure’s smirk faltered as he glanced down in surprise.

A black spear’s shadow filled his vision, expanding rapidly—

Yet even this lethal strike, the Spear of Path’s End, seemed to meet its limit.

With a mere flick of his finger against the tip,

the spear disintegrated into metallic shards, scattering like dust.

The cards in Su Qi’s slots shattered alongside it.

"Daring to attack me?"

"Should I praise your courage… or mock your ignorance?"

"Even at your peak, this trifling skill couldn’t harm me."

"Let alone in your current state."

Su Qi had done it for one reason—to seize the figure’s attention, if only for a moment.

Never place hope in an enemy’s mercy.

Su Qi met his gaze. "Does the Ash know you’re doing this?"