The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan had obviously heard of the creature before. It was infamous even back on earth let alone the Greater World.

He watched on with bated breath as the three colossal heads continued to rise into the air. They were obstructed by the plumes of black smoke so their appearance could not be observed, not that Hao Xuan had the opportunity to do so.

Light snapped his fingers and the scene returned to its previous setting, that of a barren wasteland now that all the roses were destroyed.

Hao Xuan looked to Light for answers.

"What has that got to do with the Emperor?"

"Cerebrus has served as Hell's loyal watchdog for an eternity, hunting any who dare try to leave and devouring the flesh of those foolish enough to break in. He has also served many greater deities as I'm sure you have heard."

"When Maymun deserted his post many chose to follow him to the abyss while some others were forced to. Maymun knew how useful Cerebrus would be so he befouled his mind to bring him along. Unfortunately for him, soon after they ended up crossing paths with a human called the Emperor."

"Greatly weakened from his recent voyage to the Abyss, Maymun was defeated by this human and Cerebrus was captured. That was in fact how they met for the first time."

Hao Xuan's heart skipped a beat, "Are you saying that the Emperor has the flesh-devouring Watchdog of hell locked up somewhere??"

And seeing Light nod with such confidence Hao Xuan could not contain his delight.

"You have already come across it once. All you need to do is find it again and come up with a way to contain the flame. Once you have that, the rest of the journey will be easy. You only need to grow the seed of the world tree and the old witch can guide you with the rest."

Hao Xuan felt like the weight of the world had been partially lifted off his shoulders.

"Thank you...for this. I won't forget it," he expressed his gratitude.

And Light seemed genuinely surprised by it too, so much so that for a moment he didn't know what to say. But finally, he smiled courteously and raised his hand towards the sky. He made a grabbing motion and in the palm of his hand appeared a pure white feather.

"Here, this is what you need. Now you just need the last one. That is one journey that cannot be avoided."

Hao Xuan gladly accepted the feather. It looked like it had been plucked from a normal bird, measuring just over half a meter in length without any unique characteristics.

But the moment it came into contact with his body all the pain immediately disappeared. Even the pain that he had grown so accustomed to that it wouldn't even normally register with him was now gone.

His body and mind relaxed as the feather's radiant light began to grow brighter. Then with a flash, it disappeared from his hand but Hao Xuan could still feel its presence somewhere inside of him.

There were tears forming around his eyes as he looked up to meet Light's gaze, "Where-"

"It will reveal itself to you when it's time. Until then all your physical pain and exhaustion will be pushed away. The true power of the feather can only be used once after which it will be destroyed. But as a result it will bring about a miracle, healing all injuries and even bringing you back to life."

He chuckled and patted Hao Xuan on the shoulder, "Try not to die before then. It was a gift and you would be hard-pressed to find another like it."

Hao Xuan didn't know what to say. He knew that this person standing before him was an overlord of hell and could not be trusted in the slightest but his heart couldn't help be moved.

"Yeah, I'll try my best," he replied jokingly.

Light stepped back and gave a royal bow from the waist, "Then I bid you farewell, young mortal. May your journey be short and uneventful."

Hao Xuan felt the air move around him and the next moment he disappeared entirely.

Only Light was left standing in the gazebo alone, at least for a moment.

Followed by a buzzing sound the ground cracked and a swarm of filthy house flies flew out. They congregated around one another to create a humanoid face.

"Should I put a stop to the plans for his world?" a multitude of voices inquired, "The God-Corpse is almost ready but the vessel still needs more time. It would not be too late if you wish to let him remain a mortal."

But Light shook his head without any hesitation, "Continue. The sooner the world falls the better it is for all of us."