Only God
Chapter 522 - 449: Farewell to the Netherworld, The Final Journey (Two-in-One Additional - )

Chapter 522: Chapter 449: Farewell to the Netherworld, The Final Journey (Two-in-One Additional Chapter)

On the day of departure, the heroes of the Great Plain all saw Baird off.

They had either participated in or heard of the nine trials, their cheers for Baird’s experiences echoed far and wide, singing the praises of his great adventure. Their own experiences undeniably demonstrated to all that a hero, even in death, is still a hero.

Baird knelt on one knee amidst the cheers of the great souls. He offered a solemn sacrifice to the Death God Nakbet and the Queen of the Netherworld, Esroa, to thank and praise the two Divine beings for their support. After the sacrifice, people danced and sang around Baird, drinking and making merry.

Everyone knew that this hero among heroes,

had braved all the ordeals of the Netherworld to return to his beloved. Today, he was about to return to the Mortal World, to the sunlight above.

The afterlife might indeed be lovely, the grass and flowers of the Great Plain vibrant underfoot, but for Baird, it was this life, this very second, the moments he had once lived that mattered more. His beloved was not just the embodiment of love but a remembrance of the past.

As they approached the river that ran between the Great Plain and the Palace, the heroes who had accompanied him on his journey stopped, and Baird paused to look back.

Kars stepped forward and said,

"Baird,

our journey together ends here.

But your life is about to begin anew."

Those few words brought tears to the hero’s eyes. The many hardships of the Netherworld, the treacherous path—none had made him shed tears as he did now. The nine trials seemed to evaporate like mist, for it’s the trial of farewell that most sharply pierces the heart.

"Let’s put an end to this mournful farewell; it always shatters our souls."

A hero said to Kars, laughing heartily.

With that hearty laughter, the heroes were no longer sorrowful. They cried out Baird’s name once more, giving him their final send-off.

It was like a funeral unique to the Netherworld, where the living bid farewell to the dead, and now these deceased heroes were seeing Baird off as he walked toward the world of the living.

And so, the heroes began to sing, blessing Baird’s forthcoming life.

"In the land where life surges like storm-tossed clouds,

Day and night cycle, battles erupt anew,

We struggle, achieve glory, rise up, savoring life’s savagery.

We recount fate and legend in our songs,

Bathing in blood, we praise the heavens, sacrificing to the Divine!"

The heroes’ majestic singing reverberated across the Great Plain below, frightening even the rivers with their fearless voices. Only at this moment did the stern boatman Somi recall, the wide land before him was home to a host of great souls.

Baird listened as the heroes sang their farewells. He said nothing, only the moving tears rolling into the river, as he boarded the boat of the ferryman Somi, headed back to the Palace of the Netherworld. The figures of his fellow heroes became hazy in the distance, and as he turned away, their exuberant singing still echoed in his ears.

On this day,

these heroes were saying goodbye to the deceased Baird,

and the world was about to welcome a man of flesh and blood.

Somi brought the hero before the Palace of the Netherworld, where the Death God Nakbet stood outside to receive him and showed him that body.

"Remember, once you set out on the way home, do not open your eyes until you return to the Mortal World. If the winds of the Netherworld touch your soul again, you will remain here forever."

Nakbet advised once more.

Baird nodded. He took these words to heart, and then the King of the Netherworld proceeded to cleanse his soul, removing the essence of the Netherworld from him.

Before long, Baird felt a strange yet familiar sensation—he had entered the body, experiencing once again the feeling of having a physical form, which made the hero reflect with emotion.

He closed his eyes tightly, seeing nothing but darkness. He felt someone guiding him onto a path leading back to the Mortal World.

The Death God Nakbet personally equipped him with a pack containing water and food, and a sharp sword to be used upon his return to the Mortal World.

"Go straight ahead from here, all the way back to the world of the living, where sunlight shines, and do not open your eyes."

Nakbet’s voice sounded in Baird’s ears, and the hero nodded gravely.

The Divine being in charge of death watched Baird lift his legs and step onto the path back to the Mortal World. He had not deceived Baird; this was the path connecting the Netherworld to the Mortal World. Just keep walking, and at the end, he would return to the Mortal World.

He watched Baird’s figure gradually fade away, vanishing from view, then lowered his head, as if deep in thought.

.........

Baird had been walking for some time; the path was longer than he had anticipated. Because his eyes were tightly shut, he didn’t know how far he had actually walked and could only roughly guess.

The only thing he knew was that he hadn’t yet reached the end, the exit.

Because even with eyes closed, one can still faintly perceive the world outside the eyelids. If the surroundings were bright, you would feel a white expanse even with your eyes shut, and vice versa.

At this moment, Baird felt only unrelenting darkness before him, no light at all, silence all around, the winds of the Netherworld passing by with a whooshing sound. The path beneath his feet was like a narrow tunnel, occasionally he stepped on fallen rocks from the walls.