Chapter 475: The End of the Apocalypse (Final Chapter)
Facing the Magician's questioning, Fool responded with utter contempt.
"Indeed, you fought for me. But you failed to achieve anything. The weak must be eliminated. I will devour all of your power—then descend in my ultimate form!"
The moment Fool finished speaking, the comical smile on the Magician's face vanished in an instant.
A jester's mask detached from the Magician's body and floated into the air.
This mask was the very embodiment of the Magician's divinity.
Fool effortlessly consumed the divinities of the Magician, the Lovers, the Pope, and the Empress.
Now, the power Fool wielded was beyond anything seen before—an overwhelming force that eclipsed all else.
The sky was swallowed by darkness, thick with black mist.
Countless shadowy tendrils slithered through the air, their grotesque forms barely visible within the suffocating void.
Everyone, including Jeremy, felt an immense, soul-crushing threat.
"You two, get out of here! You are not qualified to participate in the battle that follows!"
The World's voice was cold and resolute as he addressed the Goddess of Life and the Class Change Goddess Janna.
Janna hesitated for a brief moment.
She felt that she should stay on the battlefield.
Even though her power was not overwhelming and she might not be able to contribute much, as an ally, she believed it was her duty to fight alongside her companions until the very end.
The Goddess of Life, however, had no hesitation.
Without a second thought, she retrieved the Moon's divinity and handed it directly to Jeremy.
As soon as she did this, her form dissolved into a streak of emerald light, vanishing entirely from the battlefield.
Her decision was the most rational one.
Hesitation in a battle of this magnitude could lead to complete disaster.
Recognizing this, the Class Change Goddess Janna swiftly made her move as well.
"Run! All of you can try to escape—but no matter where you flee, you will not outrun the inevitable destruction."
Fool's voice echoed across the battlefield, filled with an eerie certainty.
"The power I possess is already enough to annihilate all worlds.
Even if you destroy my passage to the real world, it won't matter.
I will kill every last one of you first, and then I will slowly construct a new path at my leisure."
As Fool's voice reverberated through the space, Jeremy and the World were hit by an intense mental assault.
Their very thoughts wavered, their consciousness shaken as if reality itself had become unstable.
The power Fool now wielded was vast enough to twist the very laws of existence.
By enforcing these chaotic rules, Fool was able to send his enemies spiraling into madness, warping their minds into a state of disarray.
[World] was completely taken over by [Fool].
He even directly launched an attack against Jeremy.
Facing such a situation, Jeremy understood very clearly that he had no choice but to go all in and fight to the death!
Jeremy brought out all the divine essences he possessed.
"You do indeed have immense power, and you've devoured the other four divine essences. But the number of divine essences I possess now surpasses yours, and I have also mastered very powerful abilities before this," Jeremy declared.
Upon hearing these words, [Fool] coldly responded,
"So what? If you devour all of these divine essences, your mind will inevitably collapse. Are you truly willing to defeat me by such a method? Mutual destruction doesn't count as a victory for you!"
[Fool] didn't believe Jeremy would choose the path of mutual destruction.
Hearing this, a cold smile appeared on Jeremy's face.
"You truly don't understand me. Do you think I'm fighting you just for the sake of gaining more power? If it were only about gaining more power, I certainly wouldn't choose mutual destruction.
But beyond power, there are other things I care about. I want to protect my comrades and my family, so I'm willing to go down with you!"
After saying this, Jeremy immediately devoured all the divine essences.
The divine essences of [Sun] and [the White Tower] had already been completely mastered by Jeremy. However, he didn't have even the slightest control over the other divine essences.
The divine essence of [Moon] caused Jeremy's mind to spiral into confusion. The divine essence of [Emperor] fueled his arrogance and pride. The divine essences of [Death] and [The Hanged Man] made Jeremy's emotions overwhelmingly negative; he even considered destroying everything he encountered.
The divine essence of [Star] caused Jeremy's body to be broken down into shining stardust.
Though these divine essences had a severe impact on Jeremy, for at least a short time, Jeremy now wielded power greater than [Fool].
He wrapped all his power together and charged toward the black mist in the sky.
When [Fool] saw this, their thoughts shifted drastically.
[Fool] felt an overwhelming sense of threat.
However, no matter what actions [Fool] took, they ultimately couldn't avoid Jeremy's attack.
Jeremy's power slammed into the black mist, and in that instant, the immense force annihilated both [Fool] and Jeremy at the same time.
At the moment [Fool] and Jeremy perished together, [World] finally broke free from [Fool]'s control.
Although [World] still hadn't fully grasped what had just happened, they instinctively chose to flee.
The divine essences that [Fool] and Jeremy controlled were nearly torn apart.
Twelve different divine essences flew off in different directions. These divine essences would eventually be found by certain lifeforms in different worlds, but what would happen next was anyone's guess.
One of these divine essences, glowing with a golden yellow light, disappeared after flying for some distance.
The mutual destruction of [Fool] and Jeremy directly caused the collapse of the Apocalypse Game.
In the real world, the monstrous creatures and various instances that had been rampaging suddenly vanished without a trace.
The players of the Apocalypse Game found that their powers and strange abilities were rapidly disappearing.
Bonnie, Emma, and Claire were all shocked. They didn't know what had happened. Nearby, Ritchie seemed to know something. He sighed deeply.
The high-ranking figures from the capital and the military headquarters also received some information and finally understood that the apocalypse was coming to an end.
[World] eventually found Goddess of Life and class change Goddess Janna in Moonlight City in the real world.
The three of them were all slightly disheartened. They knew that the only way to defeat [Fool] had been through Jeremy's sacrifice.
[World] slowly said,
"I never expected that we would only win this way in the end. However, I don't think Jeremy is completely dead. We can search for the twelve divine essences.
Jeremy had completely mastered the divine essences of [Sun] and [the White Tower]. If we can find these two essences, perhaps we can use them to bring Jeremy back."
Class change Goddess Janna and Goddess of Life nodded slightly.
Though [World]'s suggestion made some sense, both of them knew how difficult it would be to resurrect Jeremy in this way.
"Since we already have a plan of action, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's hurry and resurrect Jeremy," Goddess of Life said helplessly.
"Why do you want to resurrect me? Do you think [Fool] could have easily killed me?" Jeremy's voice suddenly came from not far away from the three of them.
The three of them turned in surprise to look at Jeremy.
"I did choose to perish with [Fool]. But at the very moment of our mutual destruction, I suddenly realized that [Fool]'s power wasn't as strong as I thought.
So I decided to abandon all other divine essences and keep only the [Sun]'s essence. Now, I only have the power of the [Sun]. Of course, you can just call me [Sun] from now on!"
As Jeremy spoke, a comforting and warm light surrounded his body.
Although the Apocalypse Game had disappeared, Jeremy still held the divine essence of [Sun], which meant that only he retained the power corresponding to [Sun].
[World], Goddess of Life, and class change Goddess Janna were all very happy.
"You now have an incredibly powerful strength. With this, we can work together to save more lives," [World] said directly to Jeremy.
Jeremy shook his head.
"You're being a bit too hasty. I at least need to meet my companions first. They must be very worried about me. After I've seen them, I'll spend some time with them. As for saving other lives, we can talk about that later."
After saying this, Jeremy quickly transformed into a burst of sunlight and disappeared.
If Jeremy hadn't been under immense threat, he would never have become a workaholic like [World].
So, Jeremy quickly found an excuse and slipped away.
"You see, you scared him! Can't you take a break for once?" Goddess of Life couldn't help but tease [World].
Unexpectedly, [World] agreed with Goddess of Life's point.
"You're right. Maybe I should rest for a while. After all, the Apocalypse Game planners, led by [Fool], have been completely eliminated. The remaining 11 unknown divine essences won't be usable in the short term."
"At least for the next thousand years, I won't face any major threats. So, I should definitely take a good rest now."
After saying these words, [World] also disappeared.
Goddess of Life and class change Goddess Janna exchanged a glance but said nothing more. They each went off to attend to their own tasks.
The apocalypse had finally come to an end, and humanity could finally return to peace.
As for Jeremy, he would continue to guard humanity's peace and tranquility, much like the [Sun] itself.