"But even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory."
"From you, I feel no divine aura. It seems there are no gods left in the outside world now!"
"Mhm!" Kong Tai nodded. "Indeed, there are no true gods. At least, the strongest I've ever encountered is that creator god you mentioned, and then there's you."
After a slight pause, Kong Tai continued, "However, I have seen the door you spoke of and sensed the demon beyond it."
"You've seen it?"
"Mhm!"
Hearing Kong Tai's words, Bian Hua couldn't help but sigh.
"Even if the gods won a costly victory and then vanished completely over the ages, they couldn't eliminate the demon beyond the door?"
He then looked up at Kong Tai. "I originally thought you had only encountered the residual power of the demon in this world. Now it seems I was mistaken. You've actually met the true demon!"
"What about the door?"
Even though Bian Hua was a so-called god, far beyond this world, the anxiety in his tone still touched Kong Tai deeply.
"Gods... they are merely beings of greater power."
Shaking his head, he put aside his contemplation and said calmly, "I discovered that door deep within this world's space. I only glanced at it then, but it noticed me and wanted to descend into this world through me. However, I didn't give it the chance, returning to this world without hesitation, preventing their successful descent."
"Mhm!" Bian Hua breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that it didn't come."
"With my current strength, if it were to come, no one would be able to stop it."
"After all, the gods have disappeared, and you have only just been born."
"Uh..."
Bian Hua's words made Kong Tai feel a bit awkward, though what he said was not without merit.
To a being like Bian Hua, his few decades of existence were indeed like just being born.
Yes... according to Bian Hua, he should still be in the womb, not yet born.
Beside Kong Tai, Kuina, upon hearing Bian Hua's words, covered her mouth, almost bursting into laughter.
Kong Tai gave Kuina a helpless look, tapped her head, eliciting a deliberately teary-eyed gaze from Kuina.
This made his lips twitch. He then reached out and gently stroked her head.
Kong Tai's gentleness instantly dispelled the moisture in Kuina's eyes, and a look of enjoyment appeared on her face.
She didn't care about gods or not. She only cared if Kong Tai was by her side.
After all, gods were legends to her, too distant. Kong Tai was right beside her. Her simple aspirations were: "To be with Kong Tai forever, and then to pursue my swordsmanship."
Looking up at Bian Hua, Kong Tai asked, "Is your condition caused by the demon's power?"
"Mhm!" Bian Hua nodded. Then, before them, the floor of the temple rippled like the surface of water, and a downward passage gradually opened.
"You'll know when you go in. Initially, I only had a sliver of hope for you. But after seeing you in person, especially since you've mastered the spatial power that only reborn gods can wield, my hope has grown immensely."
Even gods, upon seeing hope, would show joy.
Influenced by Bian Hua, everyone present, except Kong Tai, showed signs of happiness.
"Alright, my request is for you to help me break free from the demon's entanglement. While this power was not a major issue for me in my prime, for me now, it is an incurable chronic illness that has forced me to hide here."
"Help me?"
"What's in it for me?"
Kong Tai did not enter. The moment the passage opened, he felt a demonic power far stronger than the one Queen had used to ambush him.
Even he was startled by this power.
Although Bian Hua had never shown any malice, and had been very friendly, answering all their questions without reservation and with great patience.
But no one knew if this was just an act of desperation from this being.
After all, compared to Bian Hua in his prime, even now, while his defense was still invincible, his offense was vastly inferior.
If he helped this being break free from the demon's entanglement, and then Bian Hua turned on him, he would be helpless.
Once freed from the demon's power, even if Bian Hua couldn't fully recover his prime strength, he would still be beyond their current ability to resist.
At that time, he might be fine, but Kuina and the others might not be.
"Benefits?"
Bian Hua pondered.
Everyone watched Bian Hua, awaiting his answer. Kong Tai could imagine that Kuina and the others could too.
After all, this was all just Bian Hua's side of the story. Who knew if a god might later turn into a man-eating demon?
Even with Kong Tai present, the difference in strength between them was too great.
Relying on the Door-Door Fruit necklace was wishful thinking.
After all, the space formed by the Door-Door Fruit necklace would be as fragile as a piece of paper in front of beings like Bian Hua.
The Door-Door Fruit was merely a vessel for the desires of all beings, not desire itself, not the demon itself.
Bian Hua, on the other hand, was a living deity, capable of freely utilizing the faith of all beings.
Although, in essence, the nature of their powers was the same, the Devil Fruits were influenced by the world and could never surpass it. Therefore, they could never surpass a god who commanded the faith of all beings.
Thus, he did not believe that the alternate dimension created by the Door-Door Fruit necklace could protect Kuina and the others.
And why hadn't he left with the Door-Door Fruit necklace the moment he detected something amiss?
That was because the Door-Door Fruit also had its limitations.
That was, the space it created was not independent but attached to reality.
In this independent space where Bian Hua resided, the space created by the Door-Door Fruit could only attach itself to this space. Even if Kong Tai wanted to let Ah Hua and the others hide in the space and then leave with the Door-Door Fruit necklace, he couldn't.
The Door-Door Fruit necklace could leave, but once it did, Ah Hua and the others would be expelled from the alternate dimension due to the spatial discrepancy between the two worlds.
However, although the situation was delicate, judging by Bian Hua's reaction, this being likely held no ill will towards them.
But as he said, he might not intend harm, but he still had to guard against it.
After all, they had only met for less than an hour.
In such a short time, it was impossible for him to fully trust Bian Hua.
Unless Bian Hua presented a convincing plan, he would not help him.
Even if he were to help Bian Hua, he would have to wait until he had fully grown and was no longer afraid of the current Bian Hua, otherwise, the risk would be too high.
He would not gamble with the lives of Kuina, Ah Hua, and the others.