Chapter 130: The World Emerges, the Sun Falls
"How dare you attempt to constrain a deity like me! You shall pay dearly for this insolence!"
At that moment, Jeremy's mind clung to a singular, desperate thought: to shatter the seal before him using the [Pride of the Seven Sins] before his imminent demise.
After numerous attempts, Jeremy finally neared success.
The seal weakened progressively, and a portion of the [World's] power began to seep through from the other side.Witnessing this turn of events, the Sun descended into a state of sheer panic.
In a direct manifestation of its essence, the Sun materialized before Jeremy.
At this juncture, Jeremy had no recourse but to continue sacrificing his own life force to wield the Hourglass of Time, hoping to buy himself precious moments.
The Sun's immediate presence rendered all of Jeremy's weapons and skills laughably ineffective.
"Stop at once!"
The Sun's voice reverberated through the air, but Jeremy could no longer discern its precise meaning. Guided solely by his subconscious, Jeremy relentlessly alternated between wielding the Hourglass of Time and the Pride of the Seven Sins.
Despite the Sun's relentless onslaught, leveraging its immense power against Jeremy, the Hourglass of Time could no longer grant him the extra moments he desperately needed.
In the midst of its repeated use, the Hourglass of Time shattered.
At the very instant of its destruction, the Sun's overwhelming force loomed, poised to deliver a fatal blow to Jeremy.
However, just then, the Goddess of Class Change, Janna, materialized before Jeremy. In the brief interval, she had managed to restore a fraction of her own power.
Utilizing her abilities, Janna erected a barrier. Though this barrier could not hold back the Sun for long, it afforded Jeremy the crucial time required to complete his next move.
With Janna's intervention, Jeremy regained a sliver of consciousness.
Seeing that the seal before him had been significantly weakened, Jeremy, undeterred by the excruciating headache, resolutely reactivated the [Pride of the Seven Sins].
The barrier erected by the Goddess of Class Change, Janna, and the seal between the upper and lower layers of the prison were breached almost simultaneously.
The Sun's ferocious power surged before Jeremy and Janna, leaving them utterly incapable of any further action. Both had exhausted all their trump cards in the previous battle.
Yet, there was no need for further combat.
At the very moment Jeremy dismantled the seal between the prison's layers, the voice of the [World] resonated in the ears of both Jeremy and Janna.
"You have done exceedingly well. Leave the rest to me!"
Accompanied by the voice of the World, a complex energy swiftly coursed through Jeremy and Janna, forming a protective shield around their bodies.
The Sun's power was immediately repelled by this newly formed barrier.
Realizing that the World had successfully escaped from the prison, the Sun chose not to continue its frantic assault. Instead, it opted for a temporary retreat.
The dazzling sun that loomed overhead vanished in an instant, along with the Sun's formidable power, which dissipated swiftly.
Jeremy glanced at his attribute panel and found that nearly all his stats had plummeted to their lowest possible values.
His life force was barely sustained by the Bloodlock Potion and the remnants of the Hourglass of Time, while all other attributes had been significantly diminished by the Sun's onslaught.
The current state of Jeremy was so dire that he could not even stand a chance against an ordinary person. After all, no common individual would possess such abysmally low attributes as Jeremy now did.
With the departure of the Sun, both Jeremy and the Goddess of Class Change, Janna, felt a slight sense of relief.
A familiar figure materialized before them—it was the World, their erstwhile collaborator.
The expression on the World's face was remarkably relaxed.
"I must extend my deepest gratitude to both of you. Without your assistance, I would not have been able to escape the confines of the prison so effortlessly."
The World first expressed his thanks to Jeremy and Janna.
However, neither Jeremy nor Janna paid much heed to this, their minds were preoccupied with more pressing concerns.
"This is no time for gratitude! Although the Sun has temporarily retreated, it will undoubtedly not abandon its efforts to thwart our mission. Shouldn't you be pursuing it right now?"
Jeremy anxiously inquired of the World.
The World nodded in affirmation.
"Indeed, I should be hunting down the Sun at this very moment. In fact, that is precisely what I am doing. The entity standing before you is merely a projection of myself. My true form is currently in pursuit of the Sun!"
As the World spoke, he summoned an ethereal projection before Jeremy and Janna, depicting the ongoing battle between his true self and the Sun.
Although the Sun had meticulously prepared for this confrontation, it found itself in a state of utter disarray when facing the World.
The Sun's powers were almost entirely countered by the World, rendering the battle a foregone conclusion from the very start.
"It won't be long before I completely defeat the Sun! You will both witness its downfall."
the World declared confidently.
No sooner had he spoken these words than Jeremy and the Goddess of Class Change, Janna, sensed an extraordinary fluctuation in energy.
The familiar warmth and radiance they had known seemed to vanish in an instant, replaced by an absolute coldness and silence.
Janna quickly comprehended the shift: the change in energy signified that the Sun had been defeated in the battle.
The Sun's fall had caused a dramatic and immediate transformation in the energy dynamics.
"You must have felt it by now—the Sun has been utterly vanquished!" The World remarked, a smile playing on his lips as he addressed Jeremy and Janna.
"Isn't there something more pressing that you should be attending to? Don't linger here any longer, hurry and pass through the Portal."
The World advised, as he relocated the Portal that Janna had helped Jeremy open, placing it directly before him.
"If you don't leave now, you'll face even greater peril. The other game designers won't simply accept the Sun's demise. They will undoubtedly act soon." The World continued.
Though his tone remained calm, the gravity of his words instilled a deep sense of urgency in both Jeremy and Janna.
Jeremy, concerned, asked, "If we leave now, will you be able to handle such unexpected situations on your own?"
With a reassuring smile, the World replied, "Even if you stayed, you wouldn't be able to offer any substantial help. In fact, your presence would only hinder me.
Without the burden of protecting you, I can better manage the attacks from the game designers. At the very least, I can ensure my own safe retreat."
Reassured by the World's response, Jeremy made the decisive choice to step through the Portal and return to the real world without hesitation.
However, before returning to the real world, the World handed Jeremy a blue gemstone.
"You don't need to ask me what this gemstone is for. When the time comes for you to use it, its purpose will reveal itself naturally."
The World said, offering no further explanation.
It seemed that he believed Jeremy would be able to discover the gemstone's function on his own.
Jeremy glanced at the gemstone with a determined look in his eyes, then stepped through the Portal.
As soon as Jeremy crossed the Portal, both the World and the Goddess of Class Change, Janna, felt an overwhelming pressure.
The World turned to Janna and asked, "Why haven't you chosen to leave? Do you have more questions for me?"
The World felt it unnecessary to explain too much to Janna.
After all, she already possessed extensive knowledge about the apocalypse game and the other factions' deities.
Janna could sense that the game designers were rapidly approaching their location. She knew she couldn't linger any longer.
"I have just one question. How was Jeremy able to activate his skill? The Sun had significantly reinforced the seal, making it impossible for any seal-breaking skills to work under normal circumstances."
Janna inquired, finding it remarkable that Jeremy had managed to break the World's seal.
With a smile, the World responded, "Is that the reason you stayed behind? Since you've asked, I'll indulge you.
Every skill Jeremy possesses was granted by me. This means that when he uses his skills, he can tap into my level of power.
The fact that his own strength isn't sufficient to break the seal is irrelevant. All he needs to do is initiate the seal-breaking effort, and the rest falls to me."
Janna nodded, acknowledging the World's explanation.
"I see. I have no further questions. I'll leave this to you, then!" With that, Janna transformed into a mist of bubbles and quickly dissipated.