Perhaps attempting to ascend into a Pillar God through the Genealogical Codex, and thereby resist the Twilight of the Apocalypse, was never truly possible in the first place.
***
“Li Wen, the discussion is over. Everyone has agreed that you’ll be the one to safeguard Urd’s Thorn and wield it at the final moment.”
“The Fourth Unit has already compiled strategies for all possible outcomes following its use. All you need to do is follow the plan.”
“I still don’t understand. Why me?”
In the dimly lit room, only two figures sat at the massive round table.
Li Wen hung her head low, speaking listlessly.
Across the table, the silhouette of the Strategy Leader was completely swallowed by shadow.
Only his calm, steady voice could be heard.
“Because you’re the most suitable candidate.”
Li Wen looked up.
Even she didn’t believe those words.
“In terms of combat ability, I’m near the bottom of the logistics group. When it comes to strategic planning, everyone in Unit Four outclasses me. And understanding of the game? I’ve barely logged in a few times—what right do I have?”
“I just don’t get it. Everyone else is more qualified to bear this responsibility. If this were an ordinary mission, I’d have no complaints. But this concerns the Twilight of the Apocalypse. The fate of the world. Everyone’s life and death…”
“You said it yourself—this is a responsibility of great weight,” the Leader said with a quiet chuckle.
He pushed up his glasses, a sharp gleam in his eyes beneath the thick lenses.
“Perhaps if we gave Urd’s Thorn to someone more powerful, they could do more with it—bring greater hope. But… Li Wen, have you considered whether Urd’s Thorn truly holds that kind of power?”
“It’s a divine artifact tied to the past. It can change fate and rewrite history. That’s been confirmed through the Wish-Prophecy spell.”
“And what if the Wish-Prophecy was wrong?”
Li Wen blinked in disbelief.
“The Wish-Prophecy is the highest tier of divination magic—it’s nearly as accurate as the Three Fates themselves. How could it be wrong?”
The Leader looked at her with meaning.
He folded his hands beneath his chin and said in a low voice, “Even the Three Fates can err. So why should the prophecies of mortals be trusted without question?”
Silence fell over the empty meeting room. After a long pause, the Leader continued.
“Even if we assume Urd’s Thorn really holds such power—how can you be certain that merely obtaining the Codex will allow someone to become a Pillar God?”
“The Codex contains ancient knowledge about the ascent, but it’s all legend. No one has ever seen the Codex with their own eyes.”
“Besides, the ordinary path to power is already unimaginably difficult. How much more harrowing must the road of the Pillar Gods have been?”
“So let’s take this even further—say you do obtain the Genealogical Codex, and through it, you become a Pillar God. Then what? How will you stand against Twilight?”
True, Units Two and Three sacrificed everything to create a mathematical model.
From the data, it seems that Twilight isn’t completely unstoppable.
As long as one possesses a force immense enough—so vast it defies comprehension—there’s still a chance.
And in this world, only the Pillar Gods possess that kind of power.
But have you ever wondered—if the Twilight is here, why haven’t the existing Pillar Gods done anything?
Perhaps… it’s because they can’t.
“All of our preparation, our planning, may seem flawless on the surface, but it’s riddled with fatal flaws and uncertainties. That’s our limit. We can’t do any better.”
“And the plan surrounding Urd’s Thorn is the most chaotic of all—more like a desperate gamble than a strategy. That’s why it’s the last resort, and not something we used from the beginning—because no one can say for sure whether any of this will work.”
Li Wen fell into a long silence.
She wanted to argue, and eventually, she did.
“If no one can say for sure that it’s right, then it also can’t be proven wrong. As long as there’s hope, it’s worth trying.”
“That,” the Leader said, adjusting his glasses again, “is exactly why we chose you. Because you possess resolve.”
“You long to save this world—so much that even a faint flicker of hope is enough to make you give your all. That’s your strength.”
***
“Every ascension step requires another Codex…”
Li Wen murmured to herself, as if back at the roundtable where the strategy team once debated.
Her thoughts raced furiously.
“It might be extremely difficult, but it’s not impossible. Aside from the four deceased Pillar Gods, the remaining eight all established churches, temples, even nations in the mortal realm.”
“To spread their paths, they would’ve had to leave their Codices behind. Most likely, those sacred texts are still enshrined in temples or churches…”
If they exist in the mortal realm, then they can be found.
She only needed to visit each renowned temple tied to the transcendents—sooner or later, she would find the clues.
“The other three Codices can wait. If I can collect the eight remaining ones first, the rest will follow with time… I can do it.”
Yes. She could do it.
Li Wen clutched the Codex of the End, contemplating her next move.
She already had one Codex—enough to begin the first step of the End Path: Witch’s Acolyte.
The Path of the End, like the Path of Eternity, was a Witch’s Path—one only women could walk.
This wasn’t a secret.
Li Wen had known it even in her past life.
That’s why the strategy group had advised players to create female characters when starting the game.
The Codex of the End did include a ritual to change one’s gender, but clearly, Li Wen had no need for it.
Her in-game character was already female.
And in a year, when the Great Transmigration occurred, all players would be transported into the otherworld in the exact form of their in-game avatars—even those who had used someone else’s identity for account verification.
Li Wen would no longer be Li Wen.
Was it worth it?
She hadn’t thought about that yet.
“My next step is to change class to the End Path and use the Codex of the End to ascend as a Witch’s Acolyte.”
With her goal now set, Li Wen donned her Emerald Star Cloak and walked straight into the searing flames of the distant storm.
Her HP, already at 1%, didn’t even last half a second in the scorching storm.
She dropped to zero instantly.
***
Ark Town.
Holy Candle Day Church.
Nun’s Dormitory.
Li Wen woke up on her bed.
This was the resurrection point she had set last time.
She quickly checked her equipment and inventory.
Player deaths carried a chance of item loss.
In her past life, there had even been an unlucky player who had stuffed everything into a magic pouch—only to lose the pouch upon dying…
Fortunately, perhaps as a perk of her first death, Li Wen had lost nothing.
Every item remained exactly where it was.
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