Memories of the villagers flashed in Ye Yang's mind.
Village Chief: "You three Stinky Brats, stealing my chickens again! I was counting on them to lay eggs!"
Auntie: "You three boys went to steal the Village Chief's chickens again?"
Uncle: "If you have no food, come to my house. I can feed all three of you."
When Ye Yang returned to the village after becoming successful: "Old man, here are your chickens back!"
(The Village Chief looked at a cart full of chicken coops, at least a hundred of them, and couldn't stop smiling.)
"I knew you'd amount to something, kid. Did you raid some bandit's den? Do their bandit leaders raise chickens?"
"I bought these, young master. What era are we in? Fighting and killing are outdated."
"Hahaha, but you mustn't commit crimes."
"Don't worry, these chickens are guaranteed to be legitimate."
"Uncle, you've been a blacksmith in the village your whole life. Do you want to come to the city with me? I've saved a house for all of you."
"No, no, I've lived in the village for so long, I can't bear to leave."
Auntie: "Exactly, exactly. We old folks live quite well here."
"Quite well..."
Ye Yang slowly stood up. In his perception, the Pope was still alive.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the cave...
"Fabu! Fabu! Quickly give me the injection!"
Fabu hastily said: "No, the potion isn't completely perfected yet!"
However, the Pope couldn't hear what he was saying, only seeing his mouth moving wildly.
"What are you saying?! I can't hear you!"
"Get out of the way! I'll do it myself!"
Saying that, he pushed Fabu aside, took the potion directly from the incubator, and injected it into his body.
In just a moment, there was a reaction, and an immense pain swept over him.
"Ah ah ah ah!!!"
"This... is... all... for... the evolution... of life!!!"
"Roar--!!"
"Pfft!"
The Pope's body simply couldn't withstand the powerful energy, and blood burst directly from his pores.
His entire body was covered in blood.
"Evo... lution..."
Fabu looked at the fallen Pope, his expression panicked as he cautiously approached him.
"Po... Pope? Pope?"
Fabu slowly approached the Pope, reaching out to check his nose, and found he wasn't breathing.
"De... dead?"
Saying that, Fabu seemed to remember something, directly pulled out a knife, and cut towards the Pope's heart. A bloody crystal appeared where the Pope's heart was.
"Suc... successful?!"
"Haha... Hahahaha..."
"Indeed, a Mage's body is much stronger than those useless ones!"
"The crystal of evolution~ Such a captivating appearance."
Saying that, he swallowed the blood-stained red crystal.
A powerful energy instantly swept through Fabu's entire body. Fabu's body also began to swell rapidly, and sharp claws grew from his limbs.
His skin gradually turned black, growing a layer of metallic-textured skin.
A humanoid monster thus appeared here.
(Referencing Garou's monsterization)
"This is the power of the new era!!"
"Boom!"
The laboratory door burst open, and Ye Yang slowly walked in.
"Where is your Pope?"
Fabu looked at Ye Yang with interest. Now that he had gained power, he was eager to know his own strength. Seeing Ye Yang's somewhat disheveled appearance, he subconsciously thought he was only slightly stronger than the Pope.
Then Fabu kicked the laboratory table, and the table swiftly flew towards Ye Yang.
Ye Yang quickly raised his foot and casually swung it, sending out a blade of air that cut the laboratory table in half, embedding it into the walls on either side of him.
Without the obstruction of the laboratory table, Ye Yang saw the Pope, who was already dead and desecrated.
Ye Yang looked at the unhuman, unghostly figure in front of him, thinking it was some experimental subject that had escaped for revenge and killed the Pope upon his arrival.
Then Ye Yang prepared to leave directly. Just as he was about to turn, Fabu called out to Ye Yang.
"Are you just leaving like that?"
"The enemy has been dealt with by me. You can go home in peace."
Fabu couldn't help but laugh when he heard Ye Yang's words: "Hahahahaha, aren't I still here, Mage of the Light Guild?"
After speaking, Fabu stomped his right foot forcefully, his figure breaking through the air and scattering surrounding objects. He swung a powerful punch at Ye Yang.
Ye Yang's expression didn't change at all. His arm covered in Armament Haki, he threw a punch.
"Bang!"
"Buzz~~"
"Boom--!!"
The powerful blast instantly destroyed the inside of the cave. Boulders fell from the cave ceiling, and the entire cave collapsed.
Outside the cave, a golden light appeared from the ruins. The golden light slowly converged into Ye Yang.
"What was that guy?"
"The power he unleashed was quite a bit stronger than Laxus."
"Boom!"
A black figure burst out from the ruins, landing several meters in front of Ye Yang.
Ye Yang asked calmly: "Who are you?!"
Fabu stroked his chin, pondering: "How should I introduce myself?"
"Oh, right, that synthetic monster was my masterpiece. How is it? Isn't it beautiful~"
"Bang!" Ye Yang flashed with golden light and directly kicked Fabu.
Fabu spat out a mouthful of green blood, his body directly crashing into the ruins.
In just a moment, Fabu rushed out of the ruins.
"Damn human! It was I who bestowed the power of godhood upon those guys!!"
Ye Yang looked at Fabu rushing towards him, not putting him in his eyes at all.
A golden flash, and he appeared beneath Fabu, kicking him forcefully. Fabu instantly flew into the sky.
Ye Yang gathered the golden light at his fingertips.
"A useless person with only power but no combat experience."
"Vanish, trash."
"Cero!"
"Whoosh Boom--!!!"
The clouds in the sky were directly scattered, and the evening glow shone through the hole onto the mountains, enveloping the entire mountain.
Meanwhile, Makarov and the others had just reached the foot of the mountain when they saw a golden light shoot straight into the sky.
"Quick, over there!"
By the time everyone arrived, they saw a series of cenotaphs standing in the valley, and Ye Yang was using his hand to carve names onto them one by one.
San Mao and Er Gou slowly walked to Ye Yang's side.
"Boss."
"Boss."
Ye Yang didn't answer. Instead, after carving the last word, he slowly stood up and placed the Uncle's tombstone next to the Auntie's.
Then he walked to the center and knelt down directly. San Mao and Er Gou also hurriedly knelt down.
When the two saw the names on the tombstones one by one, they finally couldn't hold back their tears, which fell directly.
Ye Yang quickly stopped them: "No crying. They want us to live well."
"Yes... Yes, Boss!"
The two tried to hold back their tears, but the tears ultimately couldn't be stopped.
Makarov walked to Ye Yang's front and bowed deeply towards the cenotaphs.
"This old man will take good care of them for you!"