Chapter 264: Black Night Approaches

The 119th year of the Yumia Elven Empire.

Arthur, a human, led all strata of humanity in surrender.

During the negotiations between humans and elves, the conflicting concepts of humanity and divinity fully erupted.

Emperor Yumia recognized the inherent incompleteness and violent flaws of the human species and was determined to annihilate them.

This ideological struggle between humans and elves, a clash of "humanity versus divinity," was destined to be etched into history.

Thousands of years later, when people consulted the historical "Annals of the Yumia Empire," they found a clear account of the Bilo Mountain Conference, stating:

Humans were a new, fallen race, born when two elves stole forbidden fruit. They were tyrannical, arrogant, and had lost their divinity. Emperor Yumia intended to destroy them with an iron fist.

Three days later, Arthur challenged Emperor Yumia, a final, desperate act of human resistance.

"Are we to be extinguished?"

In countless battles before the surrender, more than half of the strong had perished, leaving only the elderly and children. In human towns nestled deep within the mountains, countless women held their children close.

That night, countless towns lay shattered. Amidst the ruins of houses, cries and laments echoed in the flickering lamplight.

The apocalypse was imminent, and no one held out hope for Arthur, the human progenitor.

Yumia had still not reached the legendary seventh tier, the level of the Elven Life Tree; she remained at the sixth tier. Arthur was also at the sixth tier, but the disparity between them was immense.

Arthur, an ordinary human at the sixth tier with no special talent, simply could not be a match for Yumia, the elven hero!

The apocalypse had arrived, and all of humanity was gripped by dread.

They huddled in their homes. Some kind-hearted individuals embraced their daughters and wives, sharing a final meal. Others, extremists and villains, descended into utter madness, burning, killing, and looting, intent on committing every conceivable evil before their demise.

Countless pessimists, witnessing these atrocities committed by the thugs, burst into tears.

"My god! Have they lost their minds? In our final hour, they turn on our own people! They are nothing but intelligent, cruel beasts!"

"Perhaps Emperor Yumia was not wrong. We surrender weakly to the strong, yet cruelly draw our blades against the weak. Our race is like intelligent beasts—selfish, greedy. In just a hundred years, our tribes and towns have given rise to thieves, robbers, libertines, and various insidious frauds. Even we humans, living in our own towns, have suffered greatly from them."

"Yet in elven cities, there has never been a single wicked person. They are perfect, kind, free from sickness and pain. They can trust each other completely, communicate openly, and together live a beautiful, desirable life in the forests."

"Our ancestors stole the forbidden fruit of life from the 'Garden of Eden,' giving birth to our flawed race. We should never have come into this world. It is time for it to end."

"Wretches! Such wretches!"

An old man with white hair, watching the thugs commit their crimes, cried tears of despair. Furious, he yelled, "No wonder God will punish us, the sinful people who stole the forbidden fruit, breaking our very spirits!"

Pessimists spread their despair, and the pervasive dread intensified across the darkened land.

But even as disaster loomed, there were still those who stood firm!

Many human champions, clad in heavy armor and wielding greatswords, began to cut down the criminal thugs. Blood was spilled as they held up their severed heads, letting out defiant roars to the crowd:

"Humans have honor!"

"We humans possess an unyielding spirit!"

"If something exists, it has a reason to exist."

"We have fallen! We have lost our divinity! But human nature is complex; there are villains and there are good people. We ourselves will slay the evil ones! I refuse to believe that our human race has no value! Humanity still possesses a brilliant radiance that will write vast historical epics for us!"

"Human nature is complex, undeniably. Some have descended into bestiality, while others have ascended to divinity. But more often, it depends on ourselves; whether we become divine or beastly is merely a choice within human nature."

On this final night before the declaration of war, rampant chaos erupted: towering flames, frenzied roars, and all manner of terrifying dark turmoil.

Cowardice and courage divided people into two distinct groups here.

*Crackling.*

Flames flickered in the darkness.

Ilfan led Gilna through the flame-engulfed town, where burning, killing, and looting were rampant everywhere.

He witnessed the myriad aspects of human nature.

He saw devout, white-haired elders kneeling on the ground, resigned to their fate, praying for the demise of their race.

He saw a hulking man with a hideous face, holding a dripping butcher's knife. In a burning residence, his face crazed with tyranny, he swung his blade at a young mother cradling her infant.

He also witnessed champions, clad in armor, spontaneously forming guards, rising in fury to slaughter those thugs.

Suddenly, amidst the towering flames, a white-haired old man approached. "Are you... are you Ilfan, the human progenitor?"

"I—" He paused, momentarily losing his composure as he looked at the old man amidst the disaster. "No, you're mistaken. I'm just an ordinary traveler fleeing with his wife."

"Oh." A flicker of disappointment crossed the old man's face before he trembled, turned, and left.

"I—" Ilfan placed a hand on his chest, taking a long moment to catch his breath. "I'm too cowardly. I actually..."

He gazed upon the suffering across the land.

All of this had arisen because of him, yet he didn't want to bear or face it. He was afraid, consumed by panic.

He had been calculating from the beginning, believing he would win, but he made a mistake and was outmaneuvered by the Ancient Life Tree. If he had won, that would have been fine, but having failed, he should have taken responsibility for his errors and paid the price. Yet, he was unwilling to do so.

He had created the entire species, yet failed to establish a suitable environment for them or overthrow the Ancient Tree's rule, leaving them on the brink of extinction.

He understood that he had always been weak, constantly struggling internally, and had never truly succeeded—he was a complete failure.

In his real life, he was an office worker, constantly bullied by his superiors and oppressed by his colleagues. In reality, he swallowed his anger and dared not insult others. But after work, online, he chose to lash out, insulting netizens, feeling triumphant as he vented all his accumulated resentment.

Yet, he possessed considerable talent, which found an outlet in the game "Spore Evolution," where he successfully evolved species.

He gave a bitter smile. "I used to think that fate was unfair, that my talents went unrecognized. But now I must admit, not everyone with talent can become a hero and shoulder everything. I lack the necessary courage. In reality, I'm incredibly weak, even called a 'keyboard warrior' online. But what lies before me is my mistake. I must bear the fate of humanity, its rise and fall, and stand up once and for all!"

The terrifying Yumia had grown too powerful over the years. If he appeared before her now, he would surely die.

"But even so, even knowing I'll die, I must—" He trembled all over.

He told himself: This was the sin he had committed, and he needed to atone for it!

Yet, after a night of contemplation, as dawn broke, his fearless passion gradually cooled. He couldn't help but think: "I can't be foolish. Going there would only be suicide. It would be better to take the remaining humans and continue to hide. That way, I can also travel and enjoy life with Gilna again, living a happy life..."

He still succumbed to power.

He suddenly told himself: He had endured so many times before, why not just one more time now? That way, he could continue to be with Gilna...

"My world is too lowly; no one respected me. I could only vent online. But now it doesn't matter. I have someone I love. As long as I have Gilna, I'm willing to pay any price, endure any scorn, to be with her..."

He turned, intending to pull Gilna away, but she shook his hand off.

"You!?"

Ilfan stared blankly at her, his face filled with disbelief. Gentle and kind Gilna had actually chosen to defy him.

"I always thought that Emperor Yumia, the one I once admired, who led the elves to rise, was brave, fearless, kind, and responsible. But perhaps I was wrong, I misjudged." Gilna looked at him, wailing with tears in her eyes. "That's our child!"

Reality is cruel; not everyone can shoulder such a heavy burden. Mumu, remaining silent, was just an ordinary person in reality, not one of those one-in-ten-thousand heroes.

Throughout the long tide of history, to step forward knowing death awaits requires a one-in-ten-thousand courage that few possess.

And such individuals can only face two outcomes.

The first is to become a hero.

The second is to become a martyr.

"He's gone."

Arthur, clad in heavy armor and gripping his great metal sword, spoke with a touch of forlornness.

A voice emerged from the shadows. "Our father... his ability to steal the forbidden fruit means he was the world's first greedy, sinful intelligent being. His fear of death is the most normal thing; that's what a normal human is. It is precisely because of our father that we exist, and within us, we also hesitate when faced with challenges, carrying fear, dread, and cowardice..."

"Are you truly going to help me?" Arthur asked.

The voice from the shadows replied, "If you die, given Emperor Yumia's ruthlessness, the next targets will be us, the races hiding underground. Let us, brothers, unite and fight Emperor Yumia to the death for the sake of both humanity and the demon races!"

Here, too, cowardice and courage continued to divide people into two distinct groups.