Volume 2, Chapter 11: The Feast, Destruction Karaoke, and A New Danger
The heavy metallic smell from Minghe's Blood Sea had finally faded from the room. In its place was the warm, comforting aroma of roasting pork and sweet jasmine tea. Lakan leaned against the doorframe of the big banquet hall, watching steam rise from a huge platter of pancit that looked big enough to feed a small army. His head throbbed a little. It wasn't some grand divine headache — just the normal kind you get after spending an hour arguing with an ancient god while trying to keep your wife's soul from falling apart.
"You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backward," a calm voice said behind him.
Lakan didn't even need to turn around. He knew that steady, gentle tone. It was Sheng Ming, the Goddess of Life. She was holding a wooden bowl filled with some fresh green fruit that smelled like summer. Beside her stood the God of Destruction, Hui Mei, who looked deeply uncomfortable in the silk shirt Lakan had made him wear.
"I feel like it too," Lakan said, rubbing his eyes. "But hey, the hard part is done. Bibi Dong is now the only person in the universe who can judge you and kill you at the same time without breaking a sweat."
Hui Mei grunted and crossed his massive arms. "I still don't understand the point of this party. We already set the new laws. Why are we eating pig skin and singing into a plastic stick?"
Lakan grinned, his usual playful smile returning. He hooked an arm around Hui Mei's broad shoulders. "Because even gods need to let loose sometimes, big guy. And it's not a plastic stick — it's a microphone. Just wait until the karaoke starts. I want to see if your Destruction voice can handle a power ballad."
The banquet hall was a huge open space with the 5D sky of the Phoenix God Star shining above it. It was a strange but wonderful mix of elegant divine architecture and a lively backyard barbecue. Long wooden tables were covered with banana leaves. Lakan had insisted on the traditional Kamayan style — no forks or spoons, just eating with your hands.
Gu Yuena sat at the head of the main table. Her nine-colored hair caught the light of the setting suns, making her look like a living rainbow. Across from her sat Bibi Dong. The two powerful women didn't speak much at first. They simply looked at each other — two apex predators sharing a meal after a long, difficult day.
Gu Yuena reached out and took a piece of the crispy lechon that Lakan had been fussing over for days. She bit into the crackling skin, and her eyes widened slightly.
"It's loud," she said, the crunch echoing clearly in the hall.
"That's the best part," Bibi Dong replied, her voice smooth and calm. She was peeling a shrimp with careful, precise fingers. "The crunch tells you it was cooked right. Lakan says it's a human thing. Satisfaction you can actually hear."
Gu Yuena nodded slowly. "I can feel the Slaughter Law inside you now, Dong'er. It's… quiet. Like a sleeping tiger."
"And I can feel the Dragon God's Heart in you," Bibi Dong said. "It feels like a mountain. We've come a long way from the old Spirit Hall days, haven't we?"
The two most powerful women in the new pantheon shared a small, knowing smile. It wasn't full friendship yet, but it was a beginning — a bridge slowly being built.
•••••••••
As the suns dipped lower, Lakan dragged a big black box into the center of the plaza. It had glowing lights and two microphones with cords.
"Alright, listen up!" Lakan shouted over the cheerful chatter. "New rule! If you want to keep your seat on the High Council, you have to sing at least one song. No divine powers. No changing your voice. Just you and the mic."
The silence that followed was loud. Hui Mei looked like he wanted to destroy the machine right there. But Sheng Ming laughed softly, her voice like gentle bells.
"I'll go first," she said, stepping up confidently.
She chose a slow, beautiful song Lakan had taught her. As she sang, she closed her eyes. For a moment, she wasn't a mighty Goddess of Life. She was just a woman singing about a lost garden and the hope of new beginnings.
Lakan watched from the side, sipping a cold drink. He noticed a small sauce stain on his sleeve and simply wiped it with a napkin. It felt good to handle small, ordinary things. It reminded him he was still human at heart.
Then came the biggest surprise of the night.
Hui Mei walked up to the microphone like he was heading to an execution. He picked a loud, angry song with a strong beat. When he hit the chorus, the ground actually shook — not from his divine power, but because his voice was naturally that deep and powerful.
"He's actually good," Zhu Zhuqing whispered, appearing beside Lakan in a blur of shadow.
"He's got the soul of a rockstar," Lakan joked. "He just needs more leather jackets and less 'I will end the world' energy."
Lakan sat down on a stone bench, watching his wives laugh and talk together. Shui Bing'er was trying to explain what ice cream was to Qian Renxue, who looked genuinely confused why anyone would want to eat something so cold on purpose.
He thought about his old life for a moment. He remembered a noisy birthday party in a small apartment back in Quezon City. The electric fan was whirring, someone was singing off-key next door, and the air was thick with the smell of soy sauce and good food.
He had managed to rebuild something like that here. The scale was much bigger, the people were gods, and the stakes were enormous, but the heart of it felt the same — people eating, laughing, and for a few hours, forgetting about cosmic threats and ancient wills.
"You're doing that thing again," Bibi Dong said, sitting down beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"What thing?"
"That far-away look. Like you're remembering a dream from another life."
Lakan put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "Just thinking about how lucky I am. Look at this. We fought the Lord of the Blood Sea earlier, and now Destruction is trying to hit high notes. It's ridiculous… but it's good."
"It's life," Bibi Dong said softly. "Your version of it."
••••••••
While the laughter and music filled the Phoenix God Star, something cold stirred far away.
The Universe's Will wasn't a person with feelings, but it had one clear purpose: maintaining balance. Right now, the scales were tipped so far in Lakan's favor that everything was breaking. It had tried using the Dragon God. It had tried Minghe. It had even tried Tang San.
None of them had worked. Lakan didn't follow the script. He brought strange things like karaoke and Hollow Genesis into a world that was supposed to run on spirit rings and strict ranks.
So the Will looked deeper into the sea of souls. It needed someone who understood Lakan's way of thinking. Someone from the same world.
It found one.
In a faraway world of concrete buildings, neon lights, and crowded streets, a young man named Chen Feng was crossing the road after a long day. He was exhausted. He had just finished a fourteen-hour shift at a tech company. He was smart, cynical, and tired of playing by rules that never seemed to work in his favor.
He was also an otaku who had read many stories, including tales from the Douluo world.
He stepped off the curb. He didn't see the truck coming.
There was a loud crash. Chen Feng didn't feel much pain. He just felt a sudden cold lightness. He saw his own body lying broken on the road.
What a waste, he thought. I didn't even finish my coffee.
But instead of darkness, a cold, buzzing voice echoed in his mind.
[Match found. Source: Earth. Compatibility: High.]
[Transmigration initiating…]
[Goal: Restore Universal Order. Target: The Sovereign Phoenix.]
Chen Feng's soul was pulled away and plunged into a vortex of nine-colored light. He wasn't heading to the divine realm. He was going to the bottom — to the dirt of the Douluo Continent.
He was going to become the protagonist the world thought it needed.
••••••
Back on the Phoenix God Star, the party continued for days before slowly winding down. As it grew quieter, Lakan felt a small shiver run down his spine. It wasn't the same cold feeling he got from Minghe. This was different — sharper, like a needle pricking at the edge of a map.
"Lakan?" Gu Yuena asked, walking over to him. She looked refreshed, the Dragon God energy finally settling comfortably inside her. "Is something wrong?"
Lakan looked out toward the distant stars. He couldn't see anything clearly, but his 6D senses picked up a faint ripple in the lower dimensions. It was small, like a pebble dropped into a very deep pond.
"I don't know yet," Lakan said, his usual playful tone dropping for a moment. "But I think the Universe just found a new way to try and annoy me."
He looked down at his hand. For a split second, a tiny translucent box flickered in the air in front of him. It wasn't his power. It felt like something foreign. Something like a window.
It vanished before he could read it.
"Whatever it is," Lakan said, turning back to his friends with a wide, defiant grin, "it can wait until after the lechon is finished. Who's next on the mic?"
••••••••
But deep in a quiet village on the Douluo Continent, a young boy opened his eyes. He stared at his small, dirty hands and felt a strange humming presence in his mind.
[Welcome, Host. System 001 is now online.]
The real game was about to begin.
End of Volume 2. Chapter 11