Chapter 347 -: 346 The attempt was good.

Chapter 347: Chapter: 346 The attempt was good.

In the end, the man agreed.

Destiny did not seem particularly surprised by his answer. She merely smiled, as though she had already expected it, and stretched out her hand toward him.

A gentle golden light descended upon his battered body, wrapping around his wounds and slowly repairing the damage that had accumulated throughout the countless years of battle.

Torn flesh closed, broken bones returned to their proper places, and the blood that covered his body gradually vanished beneath the warm radiance.

His injuries were healed, though the exhaustion that had settled deep within him remained, refusing to disappear so easily.

His robe, however, was beyond saving.

What remained of it barely covered his body, reduced to little more than a collection of bloodied and torn pieces of fabric after the countless battles he had endured. Destiny glanced at him for a moment before waving her hand, and a new robe appeared before him.

It was beautiful.

The fabric was completely black, yet it possessed a strange depth to it, as though darkness itself had been woven into every thread.

When it moved, faint ripples of light passed across its surface, giving it an almost ethereal quality. The man stared at it for a moment before taking it without comment.

After washing himself in the nearby stream, he changed into the robe and tied his long hair behind his head. When he finally returned, Destiny was waiting for him, standing casually amidst the ruins as though the countless corpses scattered around them were nothing more than scenery.

The man looked down at himself, then toward her.

The robe she wore was pink, delicate and strangely beautiful. Now that he had his own, he noticed something he had overlooked before.

They seemed to be made from the same material.

He narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.

Instead, his gaze moved toward Destiny.

"Can’t you heal my soul?"

Destiny shook her head.

"No."

There was no hesitation in her answer.

"Destruction’s flames are too overbearing. They’re deeply embedded in your soul, and I can’t simply remove them right now."

She raised one hand and lightly tapped her chin.

"I can gradually heal you, though. It will take some time, but eventually your soul should recover enough that you won’t have to constantly endure the pain. For now, you’ll just have to bear with it."

The man frowned.

The answer clearly displeased him, but he didn’t argue. He merely stared at her for several seconds before turning his gaze toward the horizon.

"Where do you want to go?"

Destiny stroked her chin, her mismatched eyes wandering across the ruined continent as she pondered his question. She remained silent for a while, occasionally glancing toward one direction and then another, until her golden eye suddenly brightened.

"Ah!"

She pointed toward the east.

"This continent is almost completely destroyed. Let’s go to the eastern continent. It’s relatively safer, so there should still be plenty of mortals there."

The man followed the direction of her finger.

The eastern continent.

He looked at it for a moment, though there was no anticipation in his eyes, nor any excitement at the thought of finally leaving this place.

The destruction surrounding him did not seem to bother him either. He had spent so long surrounded by death that the sight of another ruined continent meant almost nothing to him anymore.

He simply sighed.

"Fine."

Destiny smiled.

"Then let’s go."

She stepped closer to him before suddenly stopping.

"Oh, right."

She looked up at him.

"What’s your name?"

The man stared into her mismatched eyes.

For several seconds, he remained silent.

Then he answered in a voice so calm that it was almost unsettling.

"I don’t remember."

Destiny blinked.

The man lowered his gaze slightly.

There wasn’t a tremble in his voice, nor did he appear particularly distressed by the realization. He truly didn’t remember. After spending so many years alone, fighting battles without anyone beside him, even something as simple as his own name had gradually disappeared from his memories.

There had been no one around to call him by it, no family waiting for him, no companions who might remind him of who he had once been.

There was only his goal.

That was the one thing he had never forgotten.

When he had finally emerged from his solitude, the people who encountered him had given him countless names instead. Demon. Murderer. Destroyer. Calamity. Monster.

None of them had ever been his. The man pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"You can call me Ian."

His voice became slightly uncertain for the first time.

"I think... that’s what my name was."

Destiny stared at him for a moment before a small chuckle escaped her lips.

"All right, Ian."

She smiled.

"Let’s go."

Ian nodded and stepped closer to her.

Destiny gave him a brief glance before turning toward the eastern sky. She was about to leave when suddenly—

"Die!

His eyes instantly became colder than they had ever been, and an ivory dagger appeared within his hand. The weapon was made from the teeth of a dragon he had personally slain and refined specifically for one purpose.

Killing gods.

Ian lunged forward without the slightest hesitation.

The blade pierced directly through Destiny’s neck.

Her body was caught completely off guard. The ivory dagger sank through her flesh with almost no resistance, and before she could make a sound, Ian had already seized her and driven her into the ground.

The earth beneath them cracked.

Ian pressed her down with one hand while the dagger remained buried through her neck, his face devoid of the calmness he had shown moments earlier. The coldness in his eyes had transformed into something far more vicious.

"You thought I would actually make a deal with you?"

"Do you think you’re worthy of my trust?"

Destiny’s mismatched eyes stared up at him.

Ian’s smile slowly widened.

"No matter what happens, I’m your doom."

His grip tightened around the dagger.

"Even if my soul gets destroyed, I’d rather be destroyed completely than spend the rest of my life roaming around with you."

He stared directly into her eyes as her life slowly seemed to slip away.

"Now die." His expression twisted into contempt.

"And suffer in hell, if there is one."

With one smooth motion, Ian severed her neck.

Ichor spilled across the ruined earth, staining the ground beneath her as Destiny’s body went limp. Ian slowly stood, wiping the blood from his hands before withdrawing the ivory dagger. For a moment, he simply stared down at the corpse.

Then a vicious grin appeared on his face.

"Foolish woman."

He let out a contemptuous laugh.

"How dare you trust your enemy?"

His laughter grew louder.

After everything he had experienced, after everything he had sacrificed, how could he possibly trust a goddess who had appeared before him claiming that she wanted to travel the world with him?

Destiny had given him exactly what he needed. An opportunity. A moment of carelessness. A chance to get close enough to kill her.

He had taken it.

"Four gods."

Ian looked down at the corpse beneath him.

"I’ve killed four gods now."

"Only one remains."

His eyes turned toward the distant horizon.

"Just you wait."

His voice carried across the ruined battlefield.

"Seventy years is enough. I’ll save my soul before then. And after I reincarnate, I’ll find him and kill him too."

He raised his head.

"Without anyone’s help."

"Ahahahahaha!"

His laughter echoed through the devastated land, his voice carrying over the corpses and broken remains of the battlefield, but just then...

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Ian’s laughter stopped abruptly as his expression froze.

Slowly, he turned his head.

Julius stood not far away, his expression was one of utter disbelief as he looked at Ian, and after a moment, he slowly brought his palm against his forehead and sighed as the voice of the goddess echoed.

"I knew you would do that."

Ian’s pupils contracted.

"And when I say I knew, I mean I’ve already seen it."

Ian stared at the source of the voice, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Although...I’ll admit, the attempt was pretty good."