Devouring an entire Dimensional Demon Lord along with his domain of power was an unprecedented, monumental boost for a conceptual entity like a time monster!
The boundless and highly concentrated chaotic magic and dimensional origin exploded violently within its body, driving its life form to undergo a dramatic evolution toward a much higher plane!
Its previously shapeless body, which resembled a mass of chaotic shadow, began to churn, contract, and condense violently!
Patterns resembling stellar neural pathways gradually surfaced across its dark body, emitting a more restrained yet far more terrifying aura of devouring. The most conspicuous change occurred in its "lower body"—two slender, straight, human-like legs were growing out from the end of its originally worm-like body at a speed visible to the naked eye!
It was evolving from a chaotic cosmic tapeworm into a more humanoid and far more powerful Devourer Descendant! However, right at the critical moment before this evolution could be completed—Ian became unhappy.
"Wait! Leave some for me!"
Ian's startled cry rang out!
He wanted the cosmic tapeworm to help him *store* food, not to keep all the good stuff for itself! How could he let Alioth hog a premium "ingredient" like Trigon all to itself?
He needed to taste it and check the seasoning too, damn it!
With a quick stride forward, Ian discarded all sense of image, thrusting his hands straight into the depths of Alioth's freshly closed and still slightly twitching "mouthparts"!
The movement was so practiced it looked exactly like someone snatching a snack right out of their pet dog's mouth.
Maybe he really had done it before. Who knows.
"Wretch..."
Alioth's massive body, appearing like nothing more than a toy in front of Ian's even more colossal form, was clearly incapable of resisting. It let out a miserable gagging sound.
Ian didn't care about any of that.
He rummaged around for a moment and then yanked his hand back with a violent pull—a core of energy, condensed to the absolute limit, radiating an eerie dark-red glow and constantly twisting and struggling, was forcibly clawed out from the depth of Alioth's throat!
This was the very essence of Trigon's foundational power!
"Mine! This is all the fruit of my victory!"
Ian looked at the struggling cluster of energy in his hand with satisfaction. Without a second word, he shoved it straight into his mouth, swallowing it down with a "schloop" like he was eating jelly.
[You have devoured the highly pure origin of a Dimensional Demon Lord! The experience points for Entropic Overlord have increased significantly!]
[Entropic Overlord Experience +99451]
[Entropic Overlord Experience +95321]
[Entropic Overlord Experience +93421]
[Obtained Special Talent Fragment: 'Authority of Chaos' (Unlocked)]
[Physique has received a minor strengthening! Resistance to mental pollution has increased!]
Who cared if it counted as "second-hand imported food"? It wasn't like he was going to show it off to the audience. The energy origin melted the instant it entered Ian's mouth, thoroughly sterilized by the high temperature of his body.
A scorching, wild power dissolved inside him, bringing a comforting sense of fullness.
"So comfortable!"
Ian rejoiced at his own quick reflexes, rolling his eyes in sheer satisfaction. However, while things were great on his end, Alioth over there suffered terribly.
With the evolution process violently interrupted and a massive chunk of the crucial origin energy snatched away, Alioth's morphing came to a sudden halt! Consequently, an incredibly bizarre sight materialized within this Dark Dimension—a shadow body that retained most of its worm-like features, still looking like a magnified version of a "cosmic tapeworm."
Yet, its lower body abruptly possessed two exceptionally well-proportioned, shapely, and fleshy long legs worthy of a supermodel!
"Roar roar roar~"
The disadvantage of not knowing how to speak human language was fully exposed at this moment.
Alioth seemed to realize the utter lack of coordination in its body. It tried to stand up using its two new legs, but its worm-like upper body couldn't provide any effective balance.
it stumbled.
The two long legs crossed awkwardly, barely supporting the long worm body. The entire entity looked utterly bewildered, even shivering slightly from the failed evolution and the stolen energy.
It radiated waves of aggrieved mental fluctuations.
"Don't look at me with those eyes!" Ian began to shift the blame, bringing up the fact that Alioth had completely ignored his commands and swallowed Trigon whole, which had almost made him explode with anger right on the spot.
This completely contradicted the "tragic double-destruction" script he had painstakingly designed!
How was he supposed to act out the rest of the scene?! How could he continue to fool... uh, comfort the "family members" across the globe?! He was losing massive amounts of faith by the minute, and this tiny bit of Trigon's energy wasn't nearly enough to make up for the loss!
The classic capitalist ideology of "if I didn't make a profit, I lost money" sounded entirely righteous coming from Ian's mouth.
After a round of gaslighting, the time monster—which was already suffering from malnutrition—actually felt like it was the one in the wrong.
"Fine, I'm not blaming you. Just pay more attention next time. Not everyone is as generous, merciful, and kind as I am. Fortunately for you, Lord Ian was prepared for a mishap like this!"
Ian did indeed have countermeasures for this. As someone who had been baptized by the information explosion era, he had already anticipated several emergencies while planning the livestream.
"Thank goodness I'm a scholar and well-aware of the eternal truth that a livestream must have a three-minute delay to leave time for damage control!" Ian wiped a handful of imaginary cold sweat from his brow.
He immediately activated the authority of the Black Box. He directly served up "pre-packaged video" to the global audience.
On all the livestream screens across Earth, the broadcast switched instantly! It was replaced by "combat footage" Ian had fabricated in advance using his mimicry abilities and Black Box technology.
In the footage:
The time monster, Alioth, was beaten so badly by Trigon that it wailed and cried, running back to Ian for help.
Ian, in his Light Form, appeared even more "weakened." He engaged Trigon in a "world-shaking" final duel, with both sides fighting a "deadlock," energy splashing everywhere in an incredibly "tragic" manner.
Ultimately, Ian "burned" the last of his own "Light Origin," transforming into a colossal, cool, and flashy light seal shimmering with runes, "painfully" sealing Trigon inside. Meanwhile, Ian's own golden light faded completely due to "excessive expenditure."
His massive body began to sway.
The emotional rendering was flawless, perfectly matching the audience's expectations of a "hero's pyrrhic victory." After finishing all of this, Ian waved his hand petulantly.
"Go back. Remember to reflect on yourself. Use those two legs of yours to properly learn how to write a self-criticism letter." Ian shoved a copy of *One Hundred Ways to Write a Self-Criticism Letter* to the time monster.
Alioth, who had just swallowed Trigon and was contentedly "digesting," let out an reluctant whimper. Still, it couldn't resist Ian's will.
Its massive body rapidly shrank and deformed, ultimately turning into a streak of shadow that was pulled back into Ian's palm, sealed away once more.
Meanwhile, Ian himself began to move.
He deactivated the simulation of [Light Form] and [Planet Eater], and his massive energy body shrank rapidly like a deflating balloon. At the same time, he pushed his mimicry ability to its limit, adding an incredibly realistic "post-war trauma" effect to his now normal human-sized body.
Behold.
Ian's face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.
Traces of golden "blood" lingered at the corner of his mouth, and the clothes on his chest were shredded, exposing a "shocking" and "horrific" wound underneath. His aura had withered to the absolute lowest point.
Coupled with his vacant eyes, he looked as though he might collapse at any moment... essentially, every special effect he could apply was turned up to maximum.
He controlled his body to fall "powerlessly" from mid-air like a kite with a broken string, finally "crashing down" onto the void-like "ground" of the Dark Dimension, kicking up a cloud of dust.
No one could explain why there was still stage lighting inside the Dark Dimension. No one would ask. Even if someone did, no one would answer.
Only after finishing all of this did Ian painfully lift his head toward the non-existent "camera." Using the last of his "strength," he began to deliver his "final speech" and "last words" in a voice as faint as a silken thread.
"Cough... cough cough..." He "painfully" coughed a few times first, as if his internal organs had suffered severe trauma.
"Fellow citizens of Earth, my family... the wicked demon... has been... sealed away by me... using the last of my... Mafuba..."
Ian still loved plagiarism as much as ever.
"But... this... this is only... temporary..."
His voice was filled with exhaustion and worry.
"The power of the seal... originates from... the light and faith... within everyone's hearts..."
He began the classic routine.
"When people... lose their pursuit of light... when faith is clouded by darkness... when that moment comes again... perhaps... this demon... will... make a comeback..." Speaking to this point, he suddenly took a sharp, deep breath. As if experiencing a terminal lucidity, an unnatural flush surfaced on his face.
His eyes also became "bright and piercing," filled with "anticipation" and "conviction" for the future.
"However! Everyone... do not fear!"
"When that time comes... surely... surely a youth... who has inherited my will... will stand up!"
"He might be ordinary... but within his heart lives... an unyielding light!"
"He will hold high the torch of hope... and once again... protect our home!"
This "prophecy" and "entrustment," filled with the style of a RPG and a hot-blooded anime, combined with his "dying" yet barely enduring state, instantly dialed the gaslighting intensity to the absolute maximum!
As it turned out, perhaps everyone had a touch of chuunibyou living inside them; it was just a matter of whether it showed normally. Ian's maneuver ignited yet another explosive wave of faith among the global audience!
Countless people were moved to bitter tears by his "tragic" sacrifice and "great" prophecy. The faith in the "God of Light" within their hearts grew even more unshakable, and they were filled with anticipation for that elusive "successor"! A surge of faith energy, even purer than before, ignored the barriers of dimensions and flooded into Ian's body like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea!
[Absorbed a massive amount of devout faith! Divine power purity has increased!]
[Ashen Embers Experience +88888!]
[Essence of Light +66666! Embers of Darkness +66666! (Successfully completed 'Side-to-Side Jumping': Saving humanity (doing good) + large-scale gaslighting of the public (doing evil))]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
[You have leveled up]
...
[Lord of Ashen Embers LV14 (7608/81920)]
[Strength: 2008 ──> 2189]
[Physique: 2998 ──> 3569]
[Intelligence: 170 ──> 250]
[Spirit: 1140 ──> 1459]
A new wave of experience points—though perhaps because Ian was overly stuffed and his digestion wasn't that great—still pushed his new profession up to level fourteen.
After leveling up several times in a row, Ian's supposedly joyful mood was dampened a bit by the system, which was highly adept at sarcasm. He could bet that the note inside the parentheses carried a few hints of personal grievance.
"It must be because I love everyone equally, and System is jealous." Ian found an unassailable reason in his heart, but he didn't plan on comforting his system right now.
A mature system should know how to digest its own negative emotions. It shouldn't affect the even more mature Lord Ian.
Lord Ian still had proper business to attend to—feeling the power that had surged once more within his body and the experience points that had rolled in smoothly, Ian's face nonetheless maintained that look of "imminent eternal parting" tragic sadness and reluctance.
His shrunken body completely "lost" its support amidst the "withered state," and his eyes slowly closed, as if falling into an eternal slumber.
The livestream broadcast, amidst a piece of mournful music, slowly dimmed and eventually went black.
It left behind only the countless citizens across Earth who were grieving for the "fall" of the "God of Light," while simultaneously harboring hope due to the prophecy of the "successor."
However, just as the global atmosphere of mourning reached its absolute peak and the major gambling houses were preparing to settle their payouts—the livestream screen, which had already gone black, suddenly lit up again!
The signal had been forcibly restored!
On the screen, it was still that broken Dark Dimension, though the perspective seemed to have zoomed in slightly.
Behold, the "God of Light," Eni Kent, had not "died" immediately. His withered posture was struggling, using his arms to support himself against the ground. He seemed to want to sit up.
"About that..." Ian's face was terrifyingly pale and his breath was weak, but a flicker of an unyielding fire to survive burned within his eyes as he faced the empty space ahead.
"I think I can still be salvaged... I still have one breath left." Ian used his final ounce of strength to squeeze out a trace of a hopeful smile, his voice as faint as a thread.
This sudden "turn of events" sent the global audience's emotions on a literal roller coaster ride, plunging from the depths of despair to the heights of hope in an instant!
Countless people held their breath, clenched their hands tightly, and screamed frantically in their hearts: "Hold on! You must survive!"
But just as this spark of hope had ignited—
A sudden aberration occurred!
A hand.
A hand covered in a pitch-black tactical glove, hard-lined and brimming with a sense of power, lunged out from the shadow behind Ian without any warning, like a ghost!
That palm contained a level of resolve and power that was cold to the absolute limit. In Ian's "completely unguarded" state, it pierced through his chest with the speed of a lightning bolt!
"Pfft—!"
A sickening, muffled sound of tearing flesh and blood echoed clearly across the world through the livestream equipment!
"Ugh, ah—!"
Ian's body froze completely. The hope of survival that had just surfaced on his face instantly solidified, turning into ultimate agony and unbelievable shock! With great difficulty, he lowered his head inch by inch, looking at his chest with horror—that pitch-black hand was protruding through his front chest, and between the five fingers, it was clutching a heart that seemed to be slightly twitching.
Yes.
Ian had actually mimicked a heart for himself. To symbolize his equal love and greatness.
Blood—or rather, "divine blood" resembling molten gold—gushed out furiously from the two massive wounds in the front and back like free tap water. It was just like a fountain.
Because the blood-spurt effect was a bit too ridiculous, it was hard not to suspect that Ian suffered from high blood pressure.
"I..."
Ian opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but blood spilled from the corner of his mouth first.
He used his last shred of strength to lift his head. His gaze seemed to pierce through dimensions to see the owner of that hand, his eyes filled with endless confusion, sadness, and questioning.
Ultimately, in a voice that was barely audible yet clear enough for all viewers to hear, he gasped out his final "last words."
"How could it be... Batman... you..."
Before the words could fully leave his mouth, the light within his eyes faded entirely. His head slumped powerlessly, his tongue lolled out, and his body slumped limply onto the ground, completely devoid of all life.
At least, that's how it looked. Ian performed a standard, textbook death on the spot.
The livestream broadcast very "thoughtfully" gave a close-up of Ian's face, showing his eyes wide open in death, vividly capturing the shock and resentment prior to his demise.
Following that, the camera slowly panned upward.
A pitch-black, tall figure radiating an unparalleled sense of oppression stepped out slowly from the shadow behind Ian like something out of the deepest nightmare, revealing his full appearance.
The black cape, the iconic bat cowl, the armor covering his entire body, and that highly conspicuous bat emblem across his chest...
It was precisely Batman!
He stood there. Like the everlasting darkness itself, looking down coldly at the corpse of the "God of Light" beneath his feet.
The hand that had pierced through Ian's chest was slowly withdrawn, the pitch-black tactical glove stained with golden "blood." He lifted his head, as if looking through the screen to stare directly into the soul of every viewer on Earth.
Using his low, raspy, and completely emotionless voice processed through a voice changer, he declared slowly and clearly:
"Earth."
"Does not allow an existence that is so badass."
As the words fell, the livestream signal was completely severed. The screen plunged once more into a dead, silent darkness.
...
Earth, inside a hidden "safe house" brimming with various financial data streams.
The real Bruce Wayne had just completed a thrilling financial maneuver. Utilizing the chaos and global attention manufactured by Ian, paired with Batman's precise intelligence, he had successfully harvested astronomical profits from a group of international capital tycoons and speculators—a sum that made Ian's little "gambling pool" look like pocket change.
He was just preparing to unwind, check the final results, and incidentally "appreciate" how that kid Ian planned to wind up the show. And then—naturally, there was no "and then."
He witnessed that final scene on the screen.
"??????"
The expression on his face at that moment underwent a transition from confusion to bewilderment, then to shock, and finally to a complete, utter blankness that defied any linguistic description.
Bruce Wayne's mental processing capacity was sufficient to handle all of Gotham's crime data in an instant and simulate hundreds of crisis response scenarios.
But at this moment, it thoroughly crashed.
Bruce Wayne felt his hardened, highly disciplined nerves let out a groan under the unbearable weight. He could even hear the sound of his sanity value plummeting.
Just as his brain, working a step ahead of his consciousness, began to control his body to break into a cold sweat—
"Motherf*er! Capital set up a trap for me! Bruce! Refund my money!!!"
A deafening roar filled with grief, anger, and despair rang out directly beside his ear through the encrypted communication channel like a clap of thunder!
It was Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, who knew exactly who Batman was.