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After Saving The Universe A Thousand Times: Chapter 16
Chapter 16: All Gods’ Descent 16
Dong Jin observed the mark on Kale’s forehead with a blank expression.
It seemed to be a complex eight-petal sun pattern.
Though it was just starting to form and hadn’t yet taken its final shape, considering the speed at which the pattern was spreading, it would likely be fully manifested in about five minutes.
At that moment, Dong Jin’s hand that was holding the dagger tightened and loosened repeatedly.
Thinking about how he had already patiently waited this long, and now abandoning it would be too costly, his greed ultimately took over. Dong Jin let out a soft sigh and then issued his final ultimatum to Kale, who was already growing faint:
“You have three minutes left. It’s time to talk about the ‘Door.’”
Even though they had only known each other for less than seven days, Kale understood Dong Jin’s personality very well.
He knew that once he mentioned the “Door,” his death would follow immediately. So Kale chose to talk for one minute about the weaknesses of other supernatural beings. As soon as he finished, he couldn’t help but cough up blood.
Dong Jin watched as Kale nonchalantly wiped away the bloodstains with his finger, and barely suppressed the urge to press him further.
Fine, this information was better than nothing. As for the “Door”… if Kale didn’t want to talk, Dong Jin would just treat it as a favor for Kale not attacking him when he had been tying his hair up and for never calling on other supernatural beings to come to his aid until the very end.
With a calm heart, Dong Jin didn’t mind the dust and blood scattered across the rooftop. He simply sat down on the ground, preparing to quietly accompany this supernatural being on his final journey until the sun pattern fully formed.
He understood better than anyone how painful death could be, and he knew that death meant the end of everything. So, he couldn’t help but show a little more patience toward those about to die.
There was nothing to be done—perhaps this was just his deep-rooted flaw from living two lives.
However, once Dong Jin stopped mentioning the “Door,” Kale seemed to have sensed his intentions.
Kale half-leaned against the transparent wall, his expression obscure as he examined Dong Jin from top to bottom.
Starting from the long coat Dong Jin was wearing, to the deep red shirt beneath, then to the gemstone cufflinks on his shoulders and the black tie in his hair, Kale’s gaze lingered on Dong Jin’s overly beautiful face for a long time.
“You’re still missing an earring.” Clearly, this was Kale’s conclusion after observing for a while.
Dong Jin, who had been pulling out a firework detonator from his suit pocket, froze at the words and displayed an expression that was hard to describe.
In that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a thought rise in his mind: love brain is truly terrifying.
What Kale said next only made his expression more complicated:
“When I first walked out the door, I encountered a diamond-shaped gemstone in the vortex. But that gemstone repelled supernatural beings, and I couldn’t hold it— it burned my hand instead.”
“Although I couldn’t see it clearly at the time, that object was definitely not ordinary. It would make a perfect earring for you.”
“Supernatural beings who have left the door can no longer touch it, but you’re human. If you’re interested, try looking for it in the vortex; maybe you’ll find an unexpected surprise.”
So, this was the secret about the “door” that Kale had shared? That gemstone, which sounded like a hidden item in a dungeon, was now just something barely good enough to make an earring?
He really thought highly of him.
As for Kale’s many layers of filters when looking at him, Dong Jin had no response. He silently pressed the detonation button in his hand.
The city exploded into fireworks under the heavy rain.
Brilliant flames cut through the rain and shattered the darkness, and for a moment, even the violent thunder had to retreat.
“This fireworks display has your contribution, so I won’t charge you for the ticket,” Dong Jin said, reversing his grip on the dagger and plunging it into Kale’s spine. “Just your life will do. How’s that? A bargain, right?”
By the time the dagger struck, the red lines on Kale’s forehead had already spread halfway across.
The supernatural being didn’t seem angry at Dong Jin’s betrayal. Having prepared for this, Kale only smiled lightly as Dong Jin bent down to pull out the dagger, saying, “You make death sound so sweet, you’re making me want to kiss you.”
Hearing this, Dong Jin couldn’t take it anymore and, in a moment of exasperation, retorted flatly, “Stop talking nonsense, NPC.”
At that moment, outside the dungeon, Lei Ming, who had already paid half the cost of the price with his divine power, let out a cold laugh upon hearing those words.
The figure now lying on the ground, near death, was no mere dungeon NPC— it was clearly the half-manifested Kai, a god.
When the sun-like patterns on Kale’s forehead fully appeared, that marked the moment when Kai’s memories and true form would descend.
Fortunately, that little madman knew how to finish the job. Otherwise, if Kai had appeared and offered him an olive branch, and Dong Jin accepted it, Lei Ming would make him regret using his power only to mock him.
At this point, the fireworks in the dungeon had yet to cease.
Watching the growing sun-red patterns on Kale’s face beneath the fireworks, Lei Ming, who was waiting for his divine power to recover, only found it more and more irksome.
Speaking of which, this sun pattern was tied to an old grudge between him and Kai.
At the time, Lei Ming had stolen the Drama godhood that Kai had set his sights on. So, while Lei Ming was absorbing the Drama godhood, Kai had seized the opportunity to take the Daytime godhood— which had originally been Lei Ming’s next goal to balance the Night godhood in the daytime.
However, after Kai obtained the Daytime godhood, he never used it because its compatibility was too low; he just kept it as an accessory.
Now, the full array of red patterns on Kale was a manifestation of the Daytime godhood’s power.
Kai, that madman… After recalling the past, Lei Ming, whose killing intent had been stirred by the sudden appearance of the sun pattern, turned away from the scene, returning to the observation booth, no longer paying attention to the figure on the ground who would be dead in less than a minute.
So, he didn’t witness the final scene that sent the live stream audience into a frenzy.
“Dong Jin.” The knife that had pierced through Kale’s spine not only scattered his consciousness but also blurred his vision.
Yet, despite this, Kale stubbornly used the last of his strength to grasp Dong Jin’s wrist again, pulling him closer once more, saying, “Let me see your eyes beneath the bandages.”
The casual tone of the request made Dong Jin’s brow twitch. But the next second, Kale continued, “Every weekend evening, the owner of this hotel comes to stay for a couple of days. And today happens to be Saturday.”
The reason Kale was mentioning this was obvious—he was making an exchange.
He wanted this piece of information in exchange for Dong Jin’s unguarded gaze.
Under normal circumstances, Dong Jin would never have agreed to this request.
But what made Kale smart was that he didn’t only make the request when his life was about to expire in less than a minute; he had already revealed the information before the deal was actually struck.
This forced Dong Jin, who believed in the principle of equivalent exchange, into silence for a few seconds.
When he thought back to the series of favors Kale had provided him earlier, he had to admit that sometimes, the free things were the most expensive.
Now, it was time to pay the price.
Dong Jin gazed at the fireworks, which were now nearing their end in the night sky. Under the flickering lights, he finally untied his tie and slowly bent down towards Kale, who had become motionless after the forceful exertion earlier.
The sudden cascade of black hair blocked any outside gaze from reaching them.
As the raindrops continued to fall from his hair, Dong Jin’s left hand hooked his index finger under the bandage, gently pulling it down, then he lifted his eyelids to look at the dying Kale.
“Are you satisfied now? For the price of a life, you enjoyed a fireworks show and got to see the most expensive eyes in the universe. Tonight, you made a fortune,” Dong Jin said, seemingly teasing, but his expression was calm to the extreme.
Kale had made a fortune, but Dong Jin had lost miserably.
A deal like tonight’s, where he suffered a loss, would only happen once. He’d learn from it.
At this point, Kale had essentially lost his sight.
Amidst the chaotic blend of colors, he could still sense Dong Jin’s proximity and, with sharp perception, caught a glimpse of his eyes.
— Those eyes were made of ice, a soul condensed from mist and starlight.
Dong Jin wasn’t exaggerating.
They were indeed the rarest and most expensive eyes in the universe.
Kale had truly made a fortune.
Thinking that he would die under such a gaze filled him with an inexplicable pleasure. And this pleasure made the sun pattern on his forehead, which was more than halfway completed, suddenly shine brilliantly.
Coincidentally, the fireworks show reached its final peak at that exact moment.
In the abruptly brightened light, Dong Jin clearly saw Kale smile.
At that moment, it was as if Kale was a faded oil painting being touched up.
The dazzling golden light climbed along the blood-red patterns on his forehead, chest, and arms, quickly spreading over his entire body, making Kale’s once-forgotten features radiate a charm far beyond what they had before.
In the final moment, as Kale’s breath completely left him, Dong Jin uncontrollably locked eyes with him.
In that instant, it was as if, through Kale, he saw another presence.
A being with the same red hair and golden eyes, but one that, without revealing a single bit of its face, still made people dizzy and intoxicated with euphoria.
…Something didn’t quite feel right.
Whether it was the red and gold patterns on Kale’s body or the final, mesmerizing glance that had shaken his reason, something was off.
This didn’t look like the appearance of a supernatural being. This didn’t seem like the abilities a supernatural being should possess.
With that overwhelming presence and dramatic entrance, it looked more like the descent of a god from legend.
By this time, the fireworks had already ended, and Kale lost his breath after that one final glance. Yet, an indescribable, unsettling intuition still clung to Dong Jin’s heart.
He vaguely sensed that something outside his understanding had quietly occurred this night.
If he could see the bullet comments at this very moment, perhaps all his doubts would be immediately cleared.
The pinned comment in his live stream read in bold, capital letters:
【It’s Kai! That’s really Kai! Just one more minute, only one more minute, and the God of Revelry is about to fully recover his memory and descend! Dong Jin, do you even realize what you’ve missed!!!】
There was no doubt. What he saw through Kale wasn’t some illusion.
He had seen none other than the God of Revelry, Kai.
The god of euphoria who owned seven-tenths of the world’s romance.
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