The Past of &*#&, the Being That Makes Gods Tremble

For as long as Yi Bai could remember, there had always been one question that haunted him.

How had the City of Memories fallen into the Horrific World?

It was undeniable that the human world and the Horrific World had begun to intertwine. The real mystery, however, lay in the vast city itself—and perhaps the countless humans who had been consumed. This was no simple matter of a group of players being dragged into a game.

The Blood-Hand of Agony clung to the god statue, its blood slowly being drained. The endless suffering that had once consumed everything began to diminish almost instantly.

"#&%... (Vampires, what are you trying to accomplish?)"

The voice from the statue was weak, its tone frail. Though the statue's form remained unscathed, the anguish in its will brought it to the brink of collapse.

"I ask, you answer," Yi Bai said coldly. "Answer my questions honestly, and I'll grant you relief. Isn't that a fair trade?"

"..."

The statue fell silent, its numerous vicious jaws snapping shut. It seemed to be deep in thought before it spoke again, its voice weary but resigned. "#&%&*... What do you wish to know? I am but a fragment of His will; I have not inherited His memories completely."

The god statue, once seemingly foolish, now showed a surprising awareness. It understood that in this world, it was no match for Yi Bai. If it continued to resist, its will would eventually crumble. It seemed wiser to attempt communication in the hopes of a slim chance for reprieve.

"You only need to answer," Yi Bai pressed, his voice chilling. "First question: How did the City of Memories fall into the Horrific World?"

After a brief pause, the statue began to speak. "&@#%*..."

As the statue recounted its tale, Yi Bai appeared to listen, though his Eye of Insight was quietly observing the statue's current state. There were no lies to be found here.

Fortunately, the statue seemed to understand that deception was futile. Perhaps it had realized that whatever it said wouldn't change the inevitable. So, it spoke plainly.

The City of Memories hadn't fallen to the Horrific World by chance—it had been drawn there for a reason. Deep within, a being of unimaginable potential resided. #&, the one who wielded the city's power, had a gift like no other.

The endless cycle of suffering and painful memories had been carefully chosen from the start. When the Horrific Game began, humans entering the game had a chance to awaken certain abilities. #& was a prodigy.

Even before entering the game, #&'s terrifying potential had caught the attention of the god statue.

And so, what had already been an unfortunate life for #& grew even more bizarre, twisting into an endless cycle of agony. His fate was sealed in that labyrinthine city.

But the god statue's gaze had not been wrong. Despite the twisted reality of the city, #&, the master of the City of Memories, had never fallen into the hands of the statue. Instead, within that nightmarish city, #& awakened powers beyond even the god statue's comprehension.

Even the statue had been taken aback. #& had begun to actively devour the city itself.

The inhabitants of the City of Memories, who appeared to be mere projections of memories, were, in fact, very real.

As time passed, the statue realized it had gone too far. Attempting to eliminate #& had been a futile gesture, too late to undo what had already transpired.

No one knew at the time that the most powerful existence in the human world was not a player or a high-level god statue (which was suppressed)—it was a human who had never even encountered the Horrific Game!

In that moment, #& had reached the limits of what the human world could contain, achieving a power capable of contending with the statue itself. Unfortunately, his growth had been a terrifying horror story, one steeped in bloodshed.

When it all began, #& had still been a child, barely in elementary school.

The life that followed, one of such monstrous growth, had created a subconscious desire to escape, even as his own power became something he loathed. But escape was impossible.

He had grown, relentlessly, and even turned that growth back upon the statue itself, claiming a portion of its power.

The statues within the City of Memories were not just manifestations—they were gods in their own right.

The statue now spoke with a trembling tone, struggling to comprehend the human's audacity.

In the end, #&'s power had overwhelmed the City of Memories, devouring it entirely.

The problem, however, was this: While the human world did not actively suppress #&, his power had manifested at a time when the fragile human world could no longer contain it.

The Red-robed and Blood-soaked figures, and the unspeakable horrors that followed, marked the beginning of #&'s rapid ascension.

Yet even as #& grew stronger, the city itself began to feel the rejection of this power.

The world could not accept a force beyond its limits.

It was inevitable that #& would be drawn into the Horrific World.

The fall of the City of Memories was a consequence of this.

But what had happened after its descent into the Horrific World... that, the statue did not know.

"Truly, never underestimate any existence," Yi Bai thought, the weight of the revelation sinking in. "Who could have imagined that there would be someone like #& in the human world?"

Had #& been given the chance to succeed in entering the Horrific Game, rather than being discovered by the statue first...

It was hard to imagine the terrifying potential he would have unleashed, or how far his power might have gone.

"Second question," Yi Bai continued, his gaze narrowing. "How did the God of Greed send you into the human world?"

With the first mystery set aside, Yi Bai now turned to the second question, his curiosity piqued.

"%#@%..."

The god statue did not hesitate to answer, and what it revealed sent a chill through Yi Bai's heart.

The God of Greed had formed an alliance with the other Horrific Gods, ultimately killing one of them in the process. The God of Greed had consumed the complete "Space" rule before sending the high-level god statue into the human world.

Yi Bai was not disturbed by the death of a Horrific God. What shocked him was this: A god capable of manipulating space had been killed by the Star God.

And the tremendous cost it had taken to send the high-level statue to the human world... What could be so important to the Star God that it was worth such an effort?

Yi Bai composed himself and asked, "Third question: What is your ultimate purpose in the human world?"

"#@&#... (To devour life... true life... to replenish...)"

At the end, the statue's voice faltered, as though it had forgotten something. What had once been clear in its memory suddenly slipped away, leaving only confusion.