Super Righteous Player-Chapter 1298 - 325: The Worm of Dusk

Annan considered himself merely a mortal.

But if he were to choose between being a "coward" or a "lunatic," Annan would certainly not be the former.

If, at that moment, the "similar to me" Annan saw was truly The Worm, then Annan would not have been consumed by such fear, anger, and despair.

Later, Annan regained the memories he had lost and reclaimed the personality of "Black Annan."

Yet, Annan’s personality did not undergo a drastic transformation. This meant that even without the reversed Winter Heart shielding him from negative emotions, Annan would not become a mortal who succumbs to madness before unnamable horrors.

But at that time, Annan was unaware of this.

He had elevated The Worm’s existence in his mind to an infinite height. For Annan had heard too many people recount this entity.

Invisible enemy, the transforming beast, Non-Snake, Self-Devouring One, Shadow of the Heavenly Chariot—many, many people repeatedly described The Worm’s strength and invincibility to Annan.

Wasn’t this, too, a kind of "cognition" about The Worm?

"These claims distorted my perception and influenced my reasoning. Unconsciously, I became a ’cultivation medium’ for the spread of understanding about The Worm. But now, reflecting calmly...

"When exactly did I begin to believe that ’The Worm already has a physical form’?"

As Annan spoke,

a brilliance gradually ignited beneath him.

Behind Annan, a majestic Valkyrie materialized.

——But within the mirror before Annan.

The reflection of "Annan" within the mirror did not possess the same exalted phantom.

It was void and empty.

"So that’s it—it started precisely when you and I interacted."

Annan responded, "The one who told me you’ve obtained a physical form... was you."

[Lend me your Wisdom and body for a while... Charioteer.]

The Worm, taking on Annan’s likeness, spoke to Annan thus.

Having lost his memory of the specific details, when Annan returned to the mortal realm, he spread the news that The Worm had acquired his Wisdom and physical form.

——It was precisely because of this information that the True Gods altered their plans.

They believed that, since The Worm had already acquired Annan’s Wisdom and physical form, then it would no longer be appropriate for Annan to ascend and travel to the future.

For The Worm would undoubtedly lie dormant in the future, waiting for the moment Annan ascends—to flow backward through time and completely destroy the Chariot from the plane of fate.

To avoid being destroyed by The Worm using time and destiny, Annan must confront The Worm in the same timeframe, forcing proximity to a degree that would nullify all its leverage. This was the only moment where The Worm’s powers could be rendered ineffective.

Yet when Annan arrived in the future,

the people of that era were incredibly happy and peaceful.

Even the "Holy Nation" which had been created specifically to imprison The Worm did not devolve into chaos and disorder. But The Worm’s mere existence should have warped the surrounding atmosphere...

Then there could only be one answer.

"You deceived me, Worm."

Annan replied, "You never truly acquired my ’body’—only my Wisdom.

"Because you are me. You knew that such a deception would eventually be exposed, so you assaulted me with overwhelming negative emotions, drowning my senses and erasing the details from my memory.

"Then you used my credibility, my Wisdom, to vouch for yourself... having me personally relay to the gods that ’The Worm has acquired a physical form.’ Making that statement believable.

"You made me grow strong enough to slay Daryl, then planned for Daryl to kill me. That way, the information from Daryl would flow to me, and I would analyze the results you wished for me to arrive at—that I must come here, or risk being killed by you.

"But Daryl told me something else. Even without the Chariot’s existence, it’s still possible for mortals to successfully become a god. If a worm truly exists that could affect the past from the future, then no mortal would have survived—not even one.

"They would fall like Sisyphus—plummeting like fire."

Annan gazed at the mirror, narrating calmly.

The reflection in the mirror, however, began to crack a faint smile.

"Why realize such a thing?"

The reflection of "Annan" sighed: "We could have quietly merged into one. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Just as I promised you before... lend me your Wisdom and body."

Its exaggerated grin widened ever further.

Its mouth stretched beyond possible human proportions—more than half its face. Yet within the smile, there were no teeth or tongue, only a pitch-black abyss.

Its beautifully curved crescent eyes turned equally jet-black.

No pupils, no eyeballs. Simply void and chaos, a depthless abyss.

Like a pair of dark crescents.

"But I never promised... when I’d borrow the first half, nor when I’d borrow the remaining half. That shouldn’t count as lying."

The reflection of "Annan" declared.

Its hand, touching the real Annan’s, began to drift apart.

It slightly shifted, reaching outward from the mirror as if to interlock fingers with Annan.

Without hesitation, Annan slapped The Worm’s hand away.

The exalted phantom behind him stabbed a blade of radiant light into the standing mirror.

Extreme heat erupted, shattering the mirror along with the surrounding wall.

Yet the other "Annan," still grinning but with abyssal void deep in its features, remained intact, standing precisely where the mirror had been.

As if the mirror had never been a mirror at all, but merely a glass window.

"You should have realized long ago, Annan."

The voice identical to Annan’s echoed: "I left clues for you.

"Chiron once saw the future... He witnessed me regaining a physical form, but couldn’t understand how I obtained it. This was your closest moment to victory.

"Daryl, the imbecile, also leaked crucial information to you."

[If at that time, Your Majesty fell into despair and committed suicide, he’d be able to recreate a historical chain. Using the identity of the Son of the Celestial Chariot, he’d leap through epochs, rise from your body, and resurrect in this era with a physical form and Wisdom.]

Chiron once described it such.

[Let me confirm it for you—His Majesty’s powers work thus: the further removed from His Majesty the historical moment is, the greater His Majesty’s control over it. Except for ’immutable history,’ He may alter everything.]

That’s how Daryl explained it.

Looking at it this way, the farther The Worm was from the "present," the stronger its powers became. If The Worm truly possessed a physical form, why would it need to resurrect into a weaker, more ancient time?

"If killing me would allow your rebirth, then Daryl would’ve already done it. He wouldn’t have given me any opportunity—because you could affect even earlier histories."

Annan spoke slowly: "The fact that you didn’t... means you didn’t want me dead. Instead, you wanted me to get here."

"From a very long time ago, you started laying out the groundwork. Starting our analysis now, your earliest misstep wasn’t here."

"——The Eye of Lag, Michelangelo. Or rather, the Mirror Man... why did his ascension ritual succeed? Because you secretly helped him. Your goal was for him to possess the domain of ’mirror,’ allowing it to conceal a single phrase—a phrase I have said countless times but forgotten:

"’Light Born from the Mirror.’ "

Annan and "Annan" spoke in unison.

Back then, Annan defeated the seven mirrors in the Chariot ascension ritual, where "mirror" played a critical role. But due to the ascension of the Mirror Man, who gained mastery over the realm of "mirror," Annan subconsciously perceived it as a controlled, secure force.

However, just as the Mirror Man didn’t affect the established mirror ritual... Annan collected mirrors after his ascension.

The Worm’s mirror-related ritual, however, wasn’t realized until the distant future—simultaneously in the past when the Charioteer fell.

"The reason it had to be me... is because I carry Dragon Blood. And dragons are creatures of Dual Aspects."

Annan answered softly: "Like the Pure Dragon, the Scale-less and Sinless Beast—it was originally a counterpart to the Fallen Dragon, mirroring its contrast. But, just like the existence of the pure-powered Charioteer, it became the Charioteer’s mirror, embodying all the masculine forces of this world."

"You are the Charioteer’s mirror, yet you can also be my mirror. Ingrid possesses your characteristics, and when I defeated Ingrid, I became her opposite.

"At that moment, I became your opposite—and together, we formed the ritual of mirrors.

"Like my seven mirrors. Like the twin towers of old. Like Benjamin’s nightmare reflections. Like the Mirror Man’s ritual. Like you and the Charioteer standing on opposite ends of history. And like how close we stand to one another now."

"I ascended with their souls to achieve divinity... while you took my body to manifest.

"——Because [Light Born from the Mirror]. At first, I thought you would be the darkness irreconcilable with me, but I didn’t expect... you’d be another kind of light."

"If I am the dawn, the light of morning."

The Worm responded in the same voice, softly: "Then I am the twilight light.

"I am the dusk birthed from the death of dawn. The twilight at the termination of all things."

"Twilight—that is my true name."