In an instant, Zhu Fan's will broke. His eyes stared blankly at the sky. The raindrops fell like heavy weights, crushing him. Time passed slowly and he felt everything clearly. The world had turned gray, as if the flames of death had consumed everything. His amber eyes, which had shone like a lighthouse moments before, lost their light.
When he realized he had lost the gamble, the color drained from his face. The ground beneath him turned red as blood gushed from his wound. He looked at his wound in shock, his mouth agape. He didn't know what to say. Aimlessly, like a dancer performing for the last time at the gates of hell, he wandered around.
Ammonia laughed.
"You made a foolish choice, Cyrus! Living among mortals has made you stupid!!!"
But Cyrus was looking at the black clouds rapidly crossing the sky and disappearing into its dark expanse.
"Why didn't you save us… why… you had the power…"
His ears were filled with cries of pain. The sound of complaints came from the underworld.
The ghosts of the dead were dragging themselves up from the depths of hell, whipping him with the tendrils of hellish trees. Since they were like crosshatches, they couldn't be distinguished from the surrounding world; they were there and not there at the same time.
"Look, Cyrus… look at the consequences of your decision!!!"
Buildings collapsed one after another.
A waterfall of blood flowed over the mountain stones, staining the ground beneath Cyrus.
"You're a murderer, Cyrus!!! You chose to sacrifice them for your own delusion!!!"
A lightning bolt struck the city, setting it ablaze. The rain didn't extinguish the fire; it made it burn even more fiercely. The clouds caught fire and even more spirits cursed him.
Suddenly, a rift tore through the world before Cyrus, and Ammonia emerged from it.
But Ammonia was in worse shape than Cyrus. He had used up every last drop of her power and was now on the brink of death. She clearly needed Cyrus's power to survive.
She reached out and touched Cyrus's pale cheek with her withered fingers. Her large, elongated eyes saw the hidden sorrow within him.
"This is the end, Cyrus… one small mistake…"
"Will banish you to the depths… of darkness."
Cyrus interrupted and said weakly, smirked and stepped back.
Ammonia was taken aback. Cyrus, who had been melting away like a burning candle moments before, now acted as if he had the upper hand.
Ammonia quickly scanned her surroundings, gritted her teeth, and let out a loud scream. She immediately tried to turn back, but a blinding flash stopped her.
"You…!!! You tricked me!!! You were never trying to save anyone; you just wanted to kill me!"
"Do you hate the monster you created that much??! You can't escape by destroying the past, Cyrus!!"
"You've never seen others as anything but pawns to serve your purpose!! You've always been like this!! An outcast condemned to watch the bitter memories of people forever!!!"
Cyrus said nothing. He just listened to Ammonia's harsh words. Suddenly, Cyrus's blood glowed on the ground. Using the techniques of the cultivation world, he had drawn an eternal array. Normally, it was impossible to trap Ammonia's essence, but now that she had lost her power, it was different.
Ammonia screamed, "Who are you!!!"
"I am Cyrus, the god of memories. I am Zhu Fan, the greatest immortal in history!" Cyrus broke his silence.
Ammonia's pupils trembled, as screamed madly.
Suddenly, like a person who has just come to their senses she shouted, "Yes… Cyrus!! That's right!! It's me…"
"Forget everything I've told you!!! I gave you refuge!!"
"Don't you remember me?? I…"
Ammonia's essence tried to use its last trump card.
"Lucian… I know."
Lucian said softly in surprise, "So all this time…"
Cyrus nodded in confirmation; he knew her identity.
"Then why… why did you do this?"
"I've been looking for you all this time!!! You asked me to bear this heavy burden! Don't you remember?? You promised to save me, you made me a slave to the goddess of time, you promised to save me, you promised we would change the world, I was imprisoned in her domain for years because of your dream!!! You made me become Ammonia!!! You turned me into the monster I am…"
Lucian shouted this while crying.
A shadow fell over Cyrus's face. Perhaps he had regained some of his memories, but he still didn't know many things.
He walked towards Lucian with an expressionless face.
Seeing Cyrus's face calmed her a bit. Suddenly, she took a deep breath and looked at Cyrus's hand, which had pierced her chest.
Tears streamed from her eyes as Cyrus had torn out Lucian's heart.
Lucian, trying to call out to Cyrus one last time, withered like a flower and vanished like dust.
Cyrus stood there for a while until a tear fell on Lucian's still-beating heart. He touched his cheek. Until that moment, he hadn't realized it, but in the midst of that wild storm, he was crying too.