[Ding! Congratulations on successfully completing the eighth reincarnation.]
[Please choose three skills to inherit: Eternal Inferno, Myriad Fire, Mask of Good and Evil.]
"I don't need to look. You already know which one suits me best."
Exhausted, Elliot Yuan no longer wanted to read through skill descriptions. He knew it was pointless—better to just let the system choose for him.
All he wanted now was to finish this final reincarnation as quickly as possible, and return to them.
[Optimal allocation: Mask of Good and Evil. Confirm selection?]
As Elliot Yuan examined the description of the Mask of Good and Evil, a faint, bitter smile crossed his face.
"So it really is this one…"
Mask of Good and Evil: Upon equipping, the user can freely control the evil power within their body (currently possessed: Karma, Abyssal Corrosion). Each use of these powers strengthens them, the degree of growth proportional to both duration and intensity of use.
The Abyss corrodes not only the body but also the mind—and its torment is no less than that of Karma.
The Hilichurls and members of the Abyss Order, for instance—their consciousness has long since been worn away.
At first, they wore masks because they couldn't bear to face their disfigured selves. But over time, the Abyss consumed them, leaving them as puppets—walking corpses with only the faintest traces of instinct.
The thought deepened Elliot Yuan's bitter smile.
This… was rather like him.
They were controlled by their subconscious. He was controlled by the system.
All puppets. Marionettes on strings.
They wore masks—and now, he too would wear one.
Elliot Yuan stared blankly at the hollow mask in his hand, lost in thought.
Half of it was smiling, half was crying—good and evil in one face.
With this mask, good and evil would be his to decide.
After a long silence, he finally raised it to his face and whispered, "Yes."
[You have chosen: Mask of Good and Evil. The next reincarnation will now begin.]
[Activation successful!]
[Mission: Participate in the Archon War (Restricted Region: Liyue).]
[Note: You may only leave Liyue briefly. If you fail to return after three warnings, the mission will be deemed a failure.]
[Transmitting…]
A surge of white light swallowed him. When Elliot Yuan opened his eyes again, an unfamiliar force suddenly poured into his body.
Glasya Labolas.
This complicated, tongue-twisting name was now his title.
More precisely, it was his name in this life.
It was the name of a Demon—25th among the 72 Demons of Solomon. Known as the "King of Murder," a bloodthirsty artist.
One who grasped science, understood both ancient and modern, and could discern friend from foe.
But behind this elaborate name was a simpler one:
The Dark God.
A name that embodied night, darkness, fear, and the unknown.
The birth of Gods, after all, was rooted in humanity's perception of the world.
People knew stone was indestructible, and so Morax, the Geo God, was born.
When humans learned to cook food with fire, the Stove God Marchosius, came to be.
When they discovered salt could be used to season meals, the Salt God, Havria, was born.
The Whirlpool God Osial, and countless others—all of them arose from human understanding.
But from the very dawn of mankind, there had always been a primal emotion.
Fear.
The deepest, oldest fear—fear of the unknown.
The darkness of night terrifies because it blinds; because one feels there must be something unseen lurking in it, eroding any sense of safety.
And Elliot Yuan's new identity was precisely that fear incarnate: the God of Darkness, Glasya Labolas.
This form was no accident. It was born from the immense evil power within him.
The millennia of Karma, the corruption of the Abyss—these were the key factors that shaped him into this Dark God.
"Electro… Geo… Pyro…?"
Elliot Yuan accepted this new identity calmly and began to probe his own powers.
To his surprise, he now wielded three elements at once.
Electro, which he had relied on heavily in his last two lives.
Pyro, which had been his earliest element.
And Geo—a power completely unfamiliar to him.
"The time… this should be before the Archon War…"
Elliot Yuan surveyed the world before him. The once-familiar continent of Teyvat was now utterly alien.
The landmarks and terrain he remembered were gone, leaving him struggling even to identify his location.
His mission was to join the Archon War. His battlefield was Liyue. Which meant he would inevitably face Morax.
For that, his strength would have to surpass Morax's—only then would he have the right to accomplish what he intended.
Three elements, plus the vast, sinister power within him. With this, suppressing Morax should not be beyond his reach.
"Who are you?"
A voice called out from behind him.