The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 2044: Start of the Purgation Duel

Rex was not totally ignorant about the Scions from the Sadness Stratum.

He had met with one, Kei Xun.

But he truly understood now that she was already defeated, a fallen Scion who no longer fought to reach the Highseat of Invincibility. Her drive remained sadness; it was shown through her attempt to dissuade Rex from continuing to walk the path of a Scion.

Unfortunately, her drive had already been weakened.

She no longer sought to get stronger.

No reasoning in her sadness that fixed her mind on getting stronger.

Diamantona, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

He embodies the Sadness Stratum like an old glove.

Similar to Kei Xun—he has a pessimistic view of the future. Being blessed with the capability to see the past made him see only darkness. The future is the natural consequence of the past, and all he saw was darkness.

But unlike Kei Xun, he channelled that pessimistic view into something else.

A sharpening tool for his mind to push him to grow stronger.

In Diamantona’s eyes, the future would bring nothing but darkness and suffering. And he, as someone who was blessed with power and the potential to be stronger than everyone—would give every single living being a painless and quick death.

Saving them from the horrors that would happen in the future.

For him, death was... mercy.

For him, killing every single living being was his own noble burden.

A noble burden only he could carry as the one who was capable.

Rex could see it clearly in his red, crystallized eyes that he really believed that killing everyone painlessly was the ultimate noble goal. Not something to be frowned upon, but something to be celebrated.

Like a knight saving a family from enemy soldiers—he saw himself as the saviour.

And that was way worse than Rex could ever imagine.

"You... You’re crazy."

"No, you don’t understand."

Diamantona wiped the tears running down his cheeks, and his gaze softened like he was now staring at a lost lamb that couldn’t see beyond the grass. Couldn’t see that the wolf had already prowled beyond the tree lines.

"Scions from the Anger Stratum fought to give a better future for those they cared about—or fulfilled a promise for a better future, but none of you could see beyond the death, anger, and bloodshed." He pointed at his own eyes—which had slowly glowed blue; his Absolute Sadness Effect was activating. "But I can. Don’t you get it? There’s no good ending for you. All the horrors you experienced changed you.

"Even once you achieved what you wanted, you would not be the same person anymore."

It took a moment for Rex to recover from what Diamantona said.

But once he did, he quickly composed himself.

"And what are you suggesting? That I ran away and wait to be killed by you at a later date?"

"Yes. It would be painless. You—and everyone you love would die painlessly. Isn’t that better than having them struggle with you to create a peaceful world with a bloated chance of failure and suffering?"

"Then why don’t you leave? You can come take me later."

"I can’t..." Diamantona shook his head. "I’ve had a deal with High Lord Ursa."

"Too bad, I also have a deal with High Lord Rashal." Rex shrugged and then let out a chuckle as he realized something. "All the things you said... about there being nothing in the future— but suffering. It sounded like you’ve already given up on the world, on the universe. I’m really thankful that you open up to me, because now, I know what I’m doing was right."

Diamantona’s face twisted in confusion at what Rex said.

After being told the truth, he expected Rex to understand that there was no reason to struggle.

But it seemed he was blind by choice.

"Your time has come, Diamantona." Rex rose from the chair and tidied up his battle uniform. "You already gave up on the world, and that’s your death sentence. Because the world wasn’t governed by the hopeless; it was governed by those stubborn enough to keep trying. You can see the past, so you must understand it better than it has always been that way.

"It was simply the nature of living things. And anyone who fought against it will lose."

He walked away.

Encountering someone like Diamantona was the first for him, but it didn’t matter.

Someone who viewed the world as unchanging would never be able to move the world.

Someone who lost all hope would never live long enough to see the light.

Rex entered the hall with worry that he might lose against Diamantona—but with this, every single ounce of doubt inside him was washed away. I am not invincible, but I would never lose to someone like him.

"Just think about your loved ones." Diamantona rose. "Would they want to keep suffering?"

"Hm..." Rex stopped abruptly and then contemplated. He then looked over his shoulder as a knowing smile slowly curled on his lips. "Everything you said taught me—that you are a man who has nobody. Had you had even one, you would realize how wrong you are."

Rex walked again.

But this time, he wasn’t going to stop at anything.

For Diamantona’s pessimistic worldview to fester this much meant there was nobody around who could challenge him even a little. It was how he ended up this way. And Rex would show him how stubborn a living being can be.

Rex returned to the table—his footsteps measured against the polished floor.

The children of High Lord Leenim, three of them, scurried away at the sight of him. All of them were at Rex’s chair, beside Davina, so they quickly went away before he could get close—and sat back down where their mother was.

He watched them, and then sat beside Davina again.

"What were they doing?" He asked as he sat down, confused as to why they ran away. "Since their father was siding with us, there’s no need for them to be scared of me. Did you tell them that?"

"Kids being kids." She shrugged; a faint smile played at her lips.

"Kids? How old are they?"

"Most were in their twenties."

"About my age then?" Rex looked back at them and gave them a faint smile when they glanced at him. And then he turned to Davina again. "Twenties are not kids. That’s my age minus the time dilation I’ve gone through."

"Of course, you’re not a kid." Davina patted his shoulder. "But they are still kids."

"I see... What did they say?"

"Just wanted to know whether we would win or not, and said that their father made a mistake for siding with us."

"And what did you tell them?"

"That they should trust in their father, and that we’d be the ones to win."

Rex nodded his head and crossed his arms, deciding to get some peace until later—when the Cluster Custodian finally arrived. He was also recalling their strategy—and what the enemy’s side would most likely do.

But Davina wasn’t about to let him ask her questions without also letting her do the same.

"You looked more relieved," Davina commented.

"I am relieved," Rex answered without opening his eyes. "Very relieved."

"What were you talking about with Diamantona?"

"Getting to know each other."

"Hm? That’s so cute of you," Davina tilted her head and raised a brow, studying him. "What’s that have to do with you being relieved? Did he decide not to fight back? Surrender, maybe? Doubt you could spare him with that entity looming over you."

Davina put two and two.

She remembered the blood-red phantom that appeared in the Great Pale Court.

It was the entity that caught Mayra, which then allowed Rex to sacrifice him for his growth.

Coupled with Rex’s fascination with Diamantona—it became clear that he somehow struck a deal with the blood-red entity. She did not know what Rex asked of her; perhaps keeping the Lunirich God of the Hunter Moon in place was what he wanted, but she could guess that the blood-red entity wanted Diamantona to die.

So, no matter what Diamantona said, it wouldn’t matter.

Rex couldn’t spare him.

He had to kill Diamantona or risk offending that blood-red entity.

"Because I now see him for what he was, and he’s nothing—but someone who wasn’t desired by the universe." Rex shrugged nonchalantly. "The universe has no place for anyone like him, so his death is imminent."

"I see..." Davina nodded and turned away.

She didn’t press further.

She had learned when to push and when to let silence do the work.

Instead, she turned her attention forward—her fingers finding his beneath the table.

Time passed, and it seemed the Cluster Custodian was running late.

It was now already thirty minutes past the designated time, and the people gathered in the hall began to feel restless. Being suspended in a tense situation like this is unpleasant for them, even though they weren’t the ones fighting.

Slowly, whispers about cancellation spread across the hall.

Just then, the pocket dimension crackled.

Crack—!

It was not the grand and deliberate entrance he made before.

Cluster Custodian Gamma simply appeared near the ceiling of the hall—his form hovered in the air like a being who looked down on everyone and everything. He looked down at all the gathered High Lords and families with the same unreadable expression.

And the room responded as one.

All of them stood up and bowed deeply—acknowledging him as the extension of a God.

An extension of the Overseer of Realms.

To stand before him was to stand before the highest authority—any of them would ever know within the Primordial Meadow. "All have gathered," He announced with a voice that carried dominance without much effort. "Then it is time."

Nobody answered, which meant nobody was missing.

Regardless of whether they answered or not, Cluster Custodian Gamma knew—if even one of them was missing. Then, he raised his hand in silence, not bothering to announce what he was doing, and then snapped his fingers.

Click—!

Almost instantly, the world dissolved.

Everything was cleaned away alongside it—the fancy tables, the blue marvels, the pompous house of High Lord Ursa, everything. All of it melted away like frost under the morning sun, and what greeted them next was the plummeting temperature.

Once Rex’s vision cleared, he stood on a shore of red sand.

It wasn’t only sand, but a mixture of crushed stone and gem swarf, the remnants of precious stones ground to dust after being mined out from the earth’s crust. To his left stretched a vast ocean—its surface churned under a sky of absolute darkness.

Cirrocumulus clouds sprawled overhead, and their gaps revealed multiple full moons beyond that hung in the void like pale, watching eyes. Distant stars glittered coldly around them. And the wind howled, carrying a hailstorm that pelted the shore with hollow ice that shattered on impact against their skins.

And the coldness it brought bit deep, gnawing through flesh and bone.

Even Rex’s breath plumed from his lips despite the fire in his blood.

Fair—this was the fair battlefield that was designed solely for High Lord Rashal’s team and High Lord Ursa’s team to duke it out—in an all-out battle. It was an advantageous terrain for both sides.

No unfairness. No tricks.

Just the indifferent and harsh elements and the warriors who would fight within them.

Like last time, the realm remained the same.

Cluster Custodian Gamma waved his hand, channelling his unnatural power to materialize a structure above the shore—an incomplete amphitheater that floated in the air. Its entirety of seating tiers was protected by a shimmering bubble.

One that would protect them from the battle.

And with another gesture, the amphitheater drifted upward, pushed away from the battlefield to hover in the sky, giving its occupants a perfect view. The witnesses would watch from the sky as the two sides battled to the death.

It was only then that Cluster Custodian Gamma’s eyes settled on the two groups below.

Both were already ready to battle.

Neither felt the need to exchange any more words.

The air thickened. The hailstorm howled. And the Purgation Duel, at long last, began.

"Fight until your last breath... Begin!"