The world behind the Door of Truth was a realm entirely of memory and knowledge.

Here, reality faded away. All that remained were book knowledge, historical records, and memories of the dead.

He seemed to swim through an ocean of historical memories, watching scenes from the past flash before his eyes like a kaleidoscope.

At the far end of the sea, a solitary island appeared.

It looked somewhat like the Island of Mist, but there were no other buildings on the island, only a workshop standing atop a cliff.

It glowed with light, like a lighthouse.

Asai knew some stories about Anhofus, who had once studied on the Island of Mist. The person who influenced him the most was his teacher, the fire demon Haru.

As he looked at that workshop, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.

It felt like coming home.

That place must have been where Anhofus spent the most time on the Island of Mist, and it was the lonely island and lighthouse in young Anhofus’s heart.

The mist swept past, and Asai found himself standing on the solitary island.

At the edge of the island, someone was waiting for him.

“You’ve finally come,” the figure said to him.

That voice, cold and calm.

Carrying a sense of world-weariness.

Without seeing his face, one could sense this was a person at odds with the world, driven to seek what didn’t belong.

Asai walked over, and the figure spoke again.

“Asai.”

“Have you come to reclaim your past?”

Asai responded: “Indeed!”

“I’ve come to see an old friend.”

The figure still had his back turned: “After obtaining the power of the past, what do you intend to do?”

“You’ve already obtained the method of immortality, you’ve already found the answer.”

“Why are you still obsessed with reclaiming everything from the past?”

Asai came to the figure’s side. He only needed to touch this shadow, open his mind to welcome the past, and he could reclaim everything he once had.

But at the same time, this “Anhofus” revealed a strange smile.

However, Asai showed no intention of touching him, just standing by his side.

“Why?”

“Because I want to defeat you.”

Asai quietly looked at the person beside him: “Stop pretending.”

“You’re not Anhofus, you’re the Little Person in the Bottle.”

The expression on “Anhofus’s” face gradually changed. It didn’t understand; it had been perfectly imitating Anhofus’s manner of speaking.

“How did you figure it out?”

This was a trap set by the Little Person in the Bottle for Asai. Had Asai fallen for it, the Little Person in the Bottle would have seized everything Asai now possessed.

The Door of Truth would have completely belonged to the Little Person in the Bottle.

According to its plan, Asai had just defeated the Truth High Priest and was at the height of his pride.

With the Door of Truth right before his eyes, just within reach, it thought no one could possibly maintain their rationality at this moment.

If his desire to obtain the Door of Truth was just a bit stronger, if he wanted to reclaim his past memories, there was a high probability he would take the bait.

But Asai was clearly no ordinary person. His current rationality was terrifyingly clear.

Though his past memories weren’t fully restored, Anhofus’s essence seemed to have fully awakened within him.

“Because a person might mistake others, but they will never mistake themselves.”

“Little Person in the Bottle.”

“You don’t understand me, nor do you understand Anhofus, nor do you understand anyone in this world.”

“You are a being trapped in a bottle, without a human heart, without ideals, without goals.”

“You are neither human nor myth.”

“You’re just… a capricious monster, nothing more.”

Asai looked at the illusory form of the Little Person in the Bottle. He thought of his mother.

He thought of the people from his hometown, the chaos in Anho City, Colin and the doctor.

He also remembered the story the doctor had told him about Lester of the Holy Hands, the legendary Sacred Mountain that had become a domain of death, and Cross City.

“Wait for me on the Sacred Mountain!”

“We will meet soon.”

“If my pain and despair are the fruits of the evil I created, then let me swallow all of these bitter fruits!”

“Anhofus created you, so I will end you with my own hands.”

After saying these words, Asai walked past the illusory form of the Little Person in the Bottle, heading towards the workshop on the heights.

The Little Person in the Bottle was enraged: “Anhofus.”

“What gives you the right?”

“What gives you the right?”

It screamed hoarsely, feeling utterly humiliated.

“What makes you so confident?”

“I am stronger than you, I am not just some little person in a bottle, I am the mythical Anhofus.”

“I am a god, the God of Knowledge.”

“I wasn’t created by you, my appearance was arranged by fate, I will end this era.”

“After all these years, I’ve become even more powerful. You can’t defeat me… you can’t…”

However, Asai paid it no attention. The figure of the Little Person in the Bottle gradually blurred behind Asai, its voice slowly fading away.

A powerful force could be seen on the cliff responding to Asai, completely dispelling the power of the Little Person in the Bottle.

Asai pushed through the mist, advancing step by step towards the heights.

The moment Asai set foot on the cliff path, the entire world changed.

The original stone steps transformed into a celestial road.

The workshop at the top instantly disassembled, turning into various buildings and wonders.

These things appeared suspended and inverted, floating as if in zero gravity.

Among them was a glorious palace, bearing the mark of the Samo family.

There was a massive stone tablet, carved with the legendary Moon Magic Fern.

There was a brightly burning flask, but trapped inside was not the Little Person in the Bottle, but a terrifying fire demon.

In the center of it all, a lamp was lit, and a person sat at a desk writing something.

Around this figure swirled shadowy forms like spirits, these shadows wore crowns, as if they were kings of the Samo family from the past.

They surrounded the person at the desk, constantly howling in his ears, resentfully speaking.

“The Immortality Project.”

“Our Secret Art of Immortality is the most powerful, we must be able to find the power to reach immortality.”

“Undying, consciousness, eternity…”

Then, those figures transformed into a tall, strong man, like a father.

He stood behind Anhofus, watching him.

“The path to immortality must exist.”

“Although we failed in our pursuit of immortality, Anhofus, I believe you will certainly inherit my will, you will certainly find the true path to immortality.”

Next, it changed into another figure, which seemed to be a woman.

“Anhofus, your name means ‘Son of the Dark River,’ you are the heir of the Samo family, the blood in your veins destines you to become the most powerful person.”

“Anhofus… Anhofus… Anhofus…” countless voices called Anhofus’s name.

Those calls were terrifying, maddening, despairing.

That was Anhofus’s obsession, the Samo family’s Immortality Project, the truth that the fire demon Haru sought.

Gradually, Asai climbed the stairs and reached the top.

The lamplight on the desk pierced through the void and mist, falling upon him.

The light was golden-red, somewhat dazzling.

The person at the desk finally put down his pen and closed the scroll.

It read: “Immortal Form and Artificial Humans.”

That person turned around, looking at Asai who had climbed up from below.

This person was precisely Asai’s goal for this journey, the old friend he had mentioned.

Not those people at the execution grounds, nor the Little Person in the Bottle.

But Anhofus.

They had never met, yet they were so familiar.

The two looked at each other, silent.

Asai originally had many questions he wanted to ask him: why did he create the bone demons, why did he create the Little Person in the Bottle, why did he sacrifice everyone on the Sacred Mountain.

Did he know how much disaster that mythical monster he created had brought?

Immortality.

Was it really that important?

Now, face to face with Anhofus, he understood everything.

Anhofus pursued immortality – the answer the Samo family had sought for generations, the truth Haru the fire demon craved.

This was the meaning of his life, the goal that carried the beliefs of generations of his family.

It was what he willingly gave up his life for, sacrificing the entire Sacred Mountain and everyone to pursue at all costs.

Anhofus was an evil sorcerer, his dark past undeniable, no amount of excuses could erase it.

Because of this, there was no need for words.

Because what made him become an evil sorcerer, what made him become the evil of this world, was his eternal belief and the meaning of his existence.

No one could persuade him, and he didn’t care about others’ opinions.

Just like Asai, who would stop at nothing to drag that Little Person in the Bottle, who had destroyed his happiness and shattered his dreams, down from its false godly throne on the Sacred Mountain.

Anhofus looked at him: “Do you see?”

“That’s an incredibly dark memory. Compared to the despair you face, what I carry is much heavier.”

“At least you once had happiness, but I never possessed joy.”

“Such a past, do you still want to reclaim it?”

Asai resolutely walked up. “Without reclaiming everything from the past, I cannot defeat the Little Person in the Bottle,” he declared.

Anhofus spoke coldly: “Do you want to be a hero that badly?”

“Wasn’t Lester of the Holy Hands enough to make you feel despair?”

“Your dream should have ended long ago. Face reality!”

Asai held his head high, his steps becoming faster, almost running.

He was constantly approaching Anhofus at the top, wanting to touch him.

“Not to be a hero, just to not let this mistake continue.”

Anhofus: “Boring.”

Asai shouted at Anhofus: “Anyway, you don’t have any attachment to this world, so give me everything you have!”

Anhofus laughed, his laughter filled with contempt for this world and everything in it.

“A boring world, boring people.”

Finally, he looked at Asai and said.

“And!”

“A boring me.”

At this moment, Asai had already run to within a few meters of the desk.

Anhofus stood tall before him, and Asai leaped up, grabbing the hem of Anhofus’s clothes.

Anhofus’s entire being shattered like a mirror in the blink of an eye, finally exploding into countless tiny mirror fragments, each of the smallest pieces reflecting the shadow of the former Anhofus.

The fragments whirled through the air, glinting and spinning. Suddenly, their other sides flashed with Asai’s reflection.

Asai finally reclaimed his past.

The shadows of the two people overlapped, and Asai finally became the true master of the Door of Truth.

Outside in Anho City.

The Door of Truth opened completely, the burst of light engulfing Anho City.

But when the light disappeared, the Door of Truth vanished with it—

A hundred miles from Anho City, near Asai’s hometown of Rolling Stone Town, the skeletal puppet placed one person after another on the ground.

These were the people Asai had rescued from the execution grounds, most of them residents of Asai’s hometown, Rolling Stone Town. There were even those annoying village children from Asai’s childhood, now all grown up.

But now when Asai thought back to those past events, he felt as if he no longer cared.

These people had suffered an undeserved disaster because of Asai, and had witnessed the terrifyingly extreme battle between two God’s Grace Priests. Now they were still anxious and uneasy.

A young man stood up, looking at Asai in disbelief: “Asai, what exactly did you do?”

Asai’s words were somewhat incomprehensible to them: “I didn’t do anything, it’s just because I didn’t follow the rules of their game.”

The young man was frightened, he feared Asai, and equally feared those who had issued warrants and arrested them.

“Although you’ve rescued us, what about the arrest warrants?”

“What should we do in the future?”

Asai: “The arrest warrants were issued by the heretics of the Ghost Cult. Soon, the Temple of Truth will arrive, those heretics will all be cleared out, and your arrest warrants will all be invalidated.”

The young man couldn’t believe it: “Is it over just like that?”

Asai nodded: “Yes!”

“Everything you faced has ended.”

“You can pretend you never knew a person called Asai, you can go back to living peaceful and stable lives.”

“Don’t worry, don’t be anxious.”

“Everything will be as it was before.”

The skeletal puppet stood up, preparing to carry Asai to a distant place.

At this moment, the captain of the Saint An District security team, who had worked with Asai for a long time, chased after him.

The captain had had many conflicts and arguments with Asai.

But they had also worked together to catch many criminals, sharing many happy and proud experiences.

“Asai!”

“You…”

He had many questions he wanted to ask, but out of countless questions, he finally only asked one: “What kind of person are you, really?”

Asai turned his head to look at him.

He revealed a somewhat gloomy smile: “I’m just a rather lonely person!”

He ran towards the distance alone, at the end of the road his only companion, Polik, was waiting for him.

Polik knelt on one knee: “Master, what should we do next?”

Asai looked towards the direction of the Sacred Mountain: “Let’s prepare for the final battle!”—

On the Sacred Mountain.

The Little Person in the Bottle was furious that Asai had seen through its trap in the Door of Truth.

Especially what Asai had said to it afterwards, which made it feel utterly humiliated.

In front of the Sky Temple square, the Little Person in the Bottle raged within its flask, its furious roars echoing outward.

“I am a god.”

“Gods cannot be defeated.”

“No one can defeat me, no one, not even Anhofus.”

The Little Person in the Bottle kept banging on the bottle, as if wanting to come out, but it couldn’t shake it at all.

“I will come out, I will tell all of you.”

“I am the strongest.”

“I will toll the death knell for all of you, the death knell of this era!”

“I will enter the next era.”

“And you insects will be forever left in this age, left in the dust of history.”