"Hiss... Ha."

"Ugh."

After finishing these tasks, Merka stood outside the wooden door of the observation room, feeling dizzy, and suddenly fell to his knees,

The huge darkness descended upon him like a sacred light falling through the window grilles when devout believers pray. They came abruptly, like a torrential downpour, soaking Merka through.

Terrifying, like a curtain painted with oil, came crashing down on him, covering him entirely and wrapping him up.

Merka struggled to breathe, as if his windpipe had been pierced by some sharp object, becoming narrow and constricted.

He clutched his throat in agony, his head hanging limp, like a broken sewage pipe in a drain.

Have I failed...?

Merka's chaotic mind was like a piece of mud-soaked rag being wrung out.

He desperately tried to remove the mask from his face, seeking some fresh air for himself.

But the mask seemed to be firmly attached to his face, and in his anxiety and restlessness, he ended up tearing his cheek to a bloody mess.

"You seem to be in a lot of pain."

"Dareling."

Lilith emerged slowly from the wooden door.

Her arms crossed, as if she already knew that the owl god was Merka.

"No wonder the lazy owl god would be willing to leave his realm and attach himself to you."

"The owl god prefers to inhabit intelligent humans the most."

"Hehe, no matter where, being too clever is original sin."

Lilith walked over to the kneeling Merka, looking down on him as if he were a stray cat.

"Sigh..."

"Help me, Lilith..."

Merka lay flat on the ground, his body curled up in pain.

His neck swollen like that of a pregnant woman in her tenth month. At first glance, it gave an ominous and sinister feeling, as if it were incubating the movements of a demon.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lilith's mouth.

The snake scales on her cheeks faintly reflected a gentle green light, while the pair of snake pupils embedded in them were wide open, quietly ruminating in a deep green hue.

She crouched down, resting her hands on her knees.

"My apologies."

"You are beyond saving, at death's door."

"The owl god is now one with you, even if I were to turn back your time, it would still stick to you."

She spoke absentmindedly, rolling her bright green hair with her index finger like a girl next door.

"But you see, the owl god is ultimately just a concept in your mind."

"Having endured the torture of renal failure and withstood the test of wisdom fully, you must have the qualities of a saint."

"Why not try to save yourself."

...

Is the owl god merely a concept stored in the mind?

A sudden realization struck Merka.

He straightened his unsteady body and asked Lilith with a puzzled expression.

"So, does that mean, as long as I forget about the owl god, it ceases to exist?"

"Huh? It seems... theoretically, that's correct."

Lilith paused for a moment, then replied.

"...aside."

Without hesitation, Merka raised his left hand, reaching for his own forehead to release aside.

But a dark claw rose from Merka's back, grabbing his arm, stopping his movement.

"Merka, till death do us part."

"You think you can win without giving anything in return?"

The terrifying eagle face of the owl god, nestled among the dark feathers, emerged from the giant claw and stared coldly at Merka.