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Looking at the person in front of him, the old man of the mountain had a sense of déjà vu, and then he remembered that he had met [Reincarnation] once before.

However, the wings of [Reincarnation] were half black and half white, while the wings of the one in front of him were dazzlingly white, like a sun.

The old man of the mountain had a guess in his mind and was just waiting for the other party to arrive to verify it. At the same time, there were even more unanswered questions.

The white light receded, and finally the space became a hazy, mysterious transitional state between dawn and dusk, a blur of black and white.

As her wings of light folded, the woman landed gracefully in front of the Mountain Elder, a gentle smile on her face.

"You probably don't remember me anymore, but that's alright... we can just get to know each other again."

As He spoke, His words were filled with barely suppressed joy and anticipation, and He began to introduce Himself.

"I am the origin of Type-Moon, the creator goddess Alpha of the Little Garden, and also... [Life]."

"【life】……"

The old man of the mountain murmured softly. Although the first two identities were hard to ignore, he knew what was most important.

As the embodiment of death, the old man of the mountain may not know what authority life holds, but a little reverse reasoning is enough for him to make a judgment.

"So that's how it is. This is what they mean by returning to the very beginning... I never expected the answer to be right beside me."

The old man's heart was briefly rippled, but quickly returned to calm, unmoved by external influences.

"You must have many questions right now, but that's alright, I will answer them one by one." Alpha said, flapping its wings slightly. "We are the manifestation of the rules of all the heavens and myriad worlds, the maintainers of the rules and order of all the heavens and myriad worlds. My duty is to constantly guide the birth of new universes, and your duty is to ensure that universes whose time has come are successfully extinguished. But there will always be some chosen ones who want to defy fate."

"The myriad realms are vast, and there are countless people of extraordinary talent. In the end, a powerful figure emerged who could contend with the supreme rules. Your struggle with that person disturbed the Chaos Sea, but in the end, you sacrificed your existence to sever his destiny and maintain the fundamental order of life and death."

At this point, Alpha looked up at the Mountain Elder with unspeakable admiration in his eyes. Although he was of very high rank, he was not good at fighting.

“After that, I protected your consciousness, which was on the verge of dissipation, and slowly nurtured it with the laws of life until you were able to reincarnate.”

The old man of the mountain listened silently, though he genuinely couldn't recall these seemingly incongruous events and remained somewhat skeptical.

"So, you've been secretly guiding me throughout my journey? All for the sake of bringing back [death]?"

“No.” Alpha shook his head and explained, “I will only send you to the right world. As for what you experience and what you learn, that is up to you to decide and control. Although you have lost your memories, your essence has never changed. I will only believe and wait.”

As the old man listened, he carefully recalled the past. It seemed that apart from the inexplicable time travel, there had been no strange events that he couldn't understand at his current level. It seemed that Alpha hadn't lied about this, and that he had indeed embarked on the path of seeking death on his own.

"Then why did you create the Type-Moon world and the Little Garden world? My most important insights and transformations happened in these two worlds."

"Ah, you are still as perceptive as ever, always able to grasp the crux of things in one fell swoop." Alpha sighed softly and said frankly, "I created the Little Garden mainly to preserve the Wind of Decadence. After you left, that thing went into an uncontrollable rampage. As for Type-Moon, it evolved from the Vortex of Root after being affected by the Wind of Decadence. Ordinary worlds don't have so many parallel worldlines."

In the entire universe, the existence of Type-Moon and the Little Garden is a rare anomaly. If it weren't for an accident, such a world would never have been born.

"So..." The old man of the mountain was truly surprised by this outcome and couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are those two? Are they also rules?"

"The wind of decadence is the first breath of turbid air exhaled by the Lord of Life and Death after his birth, while the vortex of origin is the first tear that fell to the ground by the Lord of All Things after his birth... In your and my hands, they are rare tools in our daily work, the embodiment of cause and effect."

"Then, how should I deal with the rampant decadence that is spreading within the miniature garden?" The old man of the mountain immediately focused his attention on the important matter, and there would be plenty of time to explore his own situation later: "Now that I think about it, the emergence of the decadence may be due to my evening bell."

“Indeed.” Alpha nodded and said nostalgically, “Whenever the death knell tolls, the storm of destruction follows closely behind. The monarch of death appears in the howling wind, judging each being whose destiny has come equally with his blade, and when he leaves, only deathly silence remains.”

Although it is a gentle and loving being, Alpha does not reject death; it understands the importance of the cycle of life and death to the world.

"As for the decadent trend..." Alpha's face showed a rare hint of hesitation, and he replied apologetically, "I don't know how to tame it. After all, my compatibility with it is extremely incompatible. It took me a lot of energy just to control it back then."

"Then how do you use the Vortex of Origin?" the Mountain Elder pressed. "There must be some common experience between the two."

"Let it become a part of myself. The rules of the Vortex of Origin are inherently in harmony with me, so I can control it as easily as my own arm."

After hearing Alpha's answer, the old man of the mountain suddenly realized that his initial attempt was correct.

However, the old man of the mountain was ultimately wary of the decadent trend and dared not allow himself to completely merge with it.

"I understand, thank you for letting me know... I'll come back and have a good talk with you after I've dealt with this trouble."

After saying that, Ainz Ooal Gown's clone disappeared, and the power was taken back to his main body by the Old Man of the Mountain.

..........................................

The world of miniature gardens, the eye of the storm of decadence.

The old man of the mountain slowly opened his eyes and looked out at the boundless black wind.

The surging storms are constantly eroding the small garden, keeping the Grand Alliance of the Hierarchical Dominators busy.

"It is time to end this calamity that I unknowingly caused. The destiny of this world has not yet ended."

As he spoke, the high-pitched and majestic sound of evening bells rang in his ears, indiscriminately enveloping the entire miniature garden.

The final bells stirred up the winds of despair, but the sword of death remained firmly planted in the eye of the storm, as if it had struck at the very heart of the storm.

The old man of the mountain lowered his eyes and entered the realm of emptiness where he had first heard the mandate of heaven, which was to tell all sentient beings to be weary of the suffering of birth and death and to sever all afflictions.

This time, he didn't try to fight against or comprehend the profound meaning of death within the decadent wind, but instead immersed himself in it wholeheartedly, as if he had become the wind himself.

As Alpha stated, the rules held by both were merged very smoothly, allowing the Mountain Elder to completely transcend single digits.

In an instant, the old man of the mountain could almost simultaneously perceive what was happening in every part of the entire garden; the black wind became an extension of his existence.

At this moment, most of the people in the miniature garden were anxiously looking up at the sky, fearing that the dark vortex of wind would cause some disaster again.

White Night King stared intently at the turbulent clouds. After a long while, his brow relaxed, and he sighed, "I never thought he would actually go that far."

Immediately, King White Night raised his wine cup to celebrate his friend's further progress, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha... Great! This way, the ultimate final trial can be successfully stopped!"

Ying Zheng and Gilgamesh stared at the unusually decadent atmosphere with a sense of impending doom, while calculating how much manpower they still had to mobilize.

Although they haven't had much rest during this period, it's just the most basic normal for the two of them.

After a strong overhaul, the All-Level Dominator Alliance has become their unbreakable disaster relief machine.

However, as the evening bells rang ever higher, the decadent atmosphere gradually subsided, and an unusual calm descended.

The First Emperor and the Hero King keenly sensed the change and realized that the Old Man of the Mountain might have found a way to deal with the decadent trend.

The two exchanged a glance, and simultaneously smiled with relief, seamlessly switching gears to consider the post-disaster reconstruction work.

After sweeping away all the gods and Buddhas, the miniature garden will surely develop even more prosperously and become a true third observation universe.

From now on, this place will no longer be a paradise for gods and Buddhas, but will become something similar to the Valhalla of the Type-Moon Heroes, but more open and free.

The devastating winds that blotted out the sky were gradually taken away by the old man of the mountain, and the once clear, jewel-like sky reappeared before the eyes of the world.

People gazed incredulously at the strange yet familiar blue sky until the first person cheered, at which point the crowd joined in.

Today, all the communities in the entire Sandbox are holding banquets and feasts, singing and dancing to celebrate the passing of the crisis.

Although the spirits were full of energy, they couldn't withstand the relentless 24/7 work schedule. After hastily drinking two cups, they fell asleep immediately.

Only a group of regulars who died from overwork remained calm and composed, glancing disdainfully at the weaklings scattered on the ground, and leisurely enjoying their leisure.

The spirits all knew that their days of leisure would not last long, and that the two diligent kings would sooner or later treat them like beasts of burden again.

..........................................

A month later.

The people in the miniature garden have long since recovered from the pain of the disaster and have begun to move towards a new life full of hope.

However, there is a secret that only circulates among those with a three-digit or higher number of followers: the outer gate for those with a one-digit number of followers has been sealed off.

Although no one knew the details, they all had their own guesses and knew who was qualified to do such a thing.

..........................................

Outside the gate, a secluded valley.

A burly figure draped in a tattered black cloak stood atop the highest mountain peak.

They remained motionless, as if they had existed there since the beginning of time.

He is Hassan al-Sabah, the being who has mastered the power of death throughout all the heavens and myriad realms!

The past is not important. Even after learning about what happened, he still chose to move forward. In this life, he will only be an old man of the mountains.

The old man of the mountain was clad in heavy, jet-black armor, his hands resting on a greatsword of icy blue that emanated a chilling aura, surrounded by a black storm.

The pale skull mask had billowing ghostly fire burning in its eye sockets, making it seem like a traveler walking in the abyss, or like the Grim Reaper bringing the end of fate.

Behind the old man of the mountain, a towering cherry blossom tree stands, its pink petals bringing a different kind of color to the monotonous and desolate valley.

Beneath the cherry blossom tree lay a sleeping, ferocious dragon—Nezarian, the Deathwing, who could unleash cataclysms at will.

The effect of the decadent wind was too domineering. Even with the control of the Old Man of the Mountain, not every being could withstand it.

However, the old man of the mountain was quite content, since the Valley of Darkness was now much better than it had been before, when it was empty and desolate.

"Boom—!"

"Boom—!"

"Boom—!"

A melodious bell rang out throughout the valley, echoing among the overlapping mountains and peaks, waking the dragon that was sleeping soundly under the tree.

Beneath the cherry blossom tree, Saigyouji Yuzare revealed herself, holding the Sword of Death, and slowly walked to stand behind the Old Man of the Mountain.

"Hearing the bell tolls, it seems today will bring particularly heavy heads..."

The old man of the mountain sighed as he looked at the several invitations to the Little Garden he had obtained from the White Night King; the names on them had just been filled in.

"Perfect timing, I can also take the opportunity to go back to Type-Moon and Gensokyo to see Sakura and Kaguya..."

(Finish)