One Piece: The Unrivaled Dragon Man: I am God's Agent!

Chapter 323: The Truth of Fate, The Reconstruction of the Universe

As darkness faded, the order of the universe slowly began to return, but the pace of this restoration was not as they had hoped. Ares, Selna, and Ulysses stood at the edge of the starry sky, speechless, in deep silence. Even though they had defeated the Watchers and broken the shackles of fate, their hearts were still filled with uncontrollable questions and unease.

"Did we really do the right thing?" Selna finally spoke, her voice tinged with confusion. "We've broken the shackles of fate, and the universe seems to have regained its order, but is this a rebirth, or just another cycle?"

Ares's gaze slowly swept across the recovering universe. Stars twinkled, and the timeline stabilized, but he knew that the foundation of the universe was not yet fully restored. Everything here had already been altered by their choices.

“We broke free from the shackles of fate and truly changed everything,” Ares said softly. “But the future of the universe is not determined by our choices; it is shaped by every decision we make.”

"So what will our choices be in the future?" Ulysses suddenly asked, his tone devoid of its previous frivolity, now filled with deep thought. "We have already defied fate, so what's next?"

Ares raised his head, a complex light flickering in his eyes: "We have chosen freedom, but freedom does not mean absolution. We are no longer slaves to fate, but that does not mean we can do nothing. We must be responsible for the future of the universe."

Selna nodded, her gaze hardening: "Since we've chosen to change our fate, then we won't look back."

However, just as the three were about to continue their discussion, a rift suddenly appeared in the air, and a dark aura once again permeated the air. Ares's eyes instantly sharpened: "This power... how could it appear at this time?"

The crack rapidly expanded, emanating an intense sense of oppression, as if the weight of the entire universe were concentrated within it. As the crack opened, a hazy figure slowly emerged, radiating an indescribable aura. Its form was indistinct, like a ghost from the abyss, illusory and unreal.

"Do you really think that by breaking the shackles of fate, the universe can return to normal?" The figure's voice echoed like a deathly silence in the ears of Ares, Selna, and Ulysses, carrying an inescapable sense of oppression.

Ares gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Who are you? Why have you appeared at this moment? Are you a being beyond destiny?"

The figure chuckled softly, its voice seemingly coming from all directions: "I am not an existence outside of fate, but a continuation of fate itself. I am the truth of fate, forever existing in a place unnoticed by all living beings."

"You are the truth of destiny?" Selna's expression changed. "Have you been hiding somewhere we can't see, controlling all of this?"

The figure did not answer immediately, but slowly revealed a clearer outline. Its face was as blurry as nothingness, yet it was filled with a kind of incomprehensible pressure: "Yes, fate has never disappeared; it is merely hidden among countless lines of destiny, quietly waiting for its opportunity."

Ares felt a slight tremor in his heart, and he couldn't help but ask, "What exactly do you want?"

"What do I want?" the figure chuckled softly. "I don't need anything. Everything I've done is simply the natural law of the universe. The laws of fate cannot be broken. What you've done is not just changing fate itself, but tearing apart the very foundation of the universe. What you've broken is not the shackles of fate, but the rules of the universe."

Ulysses's expression changed: "Are you saying that what we broke was not fate, but the laws of the entire universe?"

“That’s right.” The figure’s voice turned icy. “You think that by breaking fate, you can gain true freedom? No, the core of fate has never changed. You have violated the laws of the universe, and the universe has begun to collapse. Your freedom is the abyss of the universe.”

“If the rules of the universe cannot be changed, are we just supposed to watch it collapse?” Selna whispered, her face turning pale. “Although we destroyed fate, it seems we gained another, even more terrifying power in return.”

Ares's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "We chose to change our destiny, so we must bear all the consequences. Since we have broken the old rules, we must face new challenges."

"A test?" The figure's voice was deep. "Do you think you can face the judgment of the new rules? Your resistance is merely part of your fate, one you cannot escape in the end."

Ares swung his sword fiercely, unleashing a burst of energy that ripped through the air. "Fate has never controlled us, and we will not yield. Even the deepest truths of destiny cannot bind our choices."

"Very well." The figure suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Since you have chosen to resist, then let me judge you personally."

As the figure's voice faded, the space suddenly trembled violently. The surrounding void began to distort, cracks widened, and an indescribable power surged forth. The three felt the surrounding space becoming increasingly oppressive, as if countless threads of fate were intertwined within it, quickly trapping them.

Ares narrowed his eyes slightly. He clearly realized that the test before them was not just a battle with that figure, but a judgment of the laws of the entire universe.

"Are you ready to face the ultimate judgment of fate?" The figure's voice was full of threat. "Your resistance will only hasten the collapse of the universe."

"The judgment of fate?" Ares sneered. "Then we shall face it. The rules of the universe are our choice, not yours."

The instant Ares finished speaking, a deafening roar erupted in the void, the spatial rift widening as if the very rules of the universe were collapsing. The three of them shuddered, the intense pressure forcing them toward the figure.

However, Ares did not back down. His sword emitted a dazzling light, slicing through space and time as he charged towards the figure. Selna and Ulysses followed closely behind, their sword and spear energies intertwining as they launched a final attack on the figure.

As the sword and spear energies intertwined, the three unleashed their full power, instantly tearing through the void. The shadowy figure began to distort violently, its face contorted with pain and rage, as if it could not accept this reversal.

"How dare you resist!" The figure's voice grew even hoarseer. "The truth of fate can never be changed!"

"The truth of fate?" Ares gritted his teeth and said, "What you call the truth is nothing more than the universe's constraints on our choices. We will no longer let you continue to control us!"

As Ares finished speaking, his sword energy completely pierced through the shadow's barrier, heading straight for its core. The figure's power began to collapse rapidly, the laws of the universe began to twist violently at this moment, and the shadow's form could no longer be maintained, turning into nothingness and dissipating into the endless void.

However, Ares's gaze did not relax. He knew that the universe had not truly returned to balance, and the truth of fate remained unrevealed.

“This battle is not over,” Ares said in a low voice. “The real test has just begun.”

Selna and Ulysses nodded silently, the three of them gazing at the gradually recovering starry sky ahead. They understood that no matter how fate might turn, there was no turning back. The universe ahead awaited them to write a new chapter.