prynovel Chapter 1661 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [5] "What exactly does the 'home' you&
Chapter 1661 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [5] "What exactly does the 'home' you&
Chapter 1661 Final Chapter: The Shore-crossing Chapter [5]: "What exactly does the 'home' you're talking about look like?"
A warm current flowed over him, and his body gradually warmed up, but Su Ming'an's palms were pinched so hard by Su Qi that they left marks.
At this moment, Shili, who had been silent for a long time, said softly, "So, Su Qi, do you want to save this world?"
Su Qi suddenly stopped.
He turned his head, looked into the girl's empty eyes, and grinned a hideous smile filled with blood and foam:
"What does this have to do with me?!"
He practically yelled it out.
"I saved this guy... simply because I hate those bastards... touching my stuff! Simply because... I didn't want him to die such a horrible death! That's all!"
His golden eyes flared violently with anger, resentment, and pain. "This world... I don't care if you die or not! Whoever wants to save you can save you!"
"You 'heroes' are all stupid...!"
"I just... don't want to be that kind of good kid anymore..."
A muffled thud.
Su Ming'an sat up, the tearing pain in his body had stopped, and the throbbing of his flesh had ceased. Su Qi had pulled him back from the brink of death.
Su Qi sat down, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.
He leaned against the tree trunk, one hand on his forehead, gazing at the vast treetop, where it seemed as if a beautiful and boundless sky stretched out. He looked towards Su Ming'an:
"Do you believe... the Rin clan... must sacrifice themselves? For those beings who will never remember our names?"
Perhaps having overheard some gossip among the players and learned of Su Ming'an's true identity, the abused boy, unusually lucid, stared intently at Su Ming'an, desperately seeking an answer.
Su Ming'an recalled the heated debate between Qianqin and Phoenix about "freedom" and "cost".
“There is no obligation,” Su Ming’an said. “No life has an obligation to sacrifice itself for other lives. Missions and responsibilities are mostly imposed after birth, or the moral blackmail of tools by vested interests.”
"So what do you think of the debate between those two people?"
Su Ming'an closed his eyes.
Qianqin witnessed the fear of the weak, but she underestimated people's yearning for reality. She believed that maintaining the status quo was happiness, ignoring the fact that the status quo might be a slow death. Phoenix dared to tear open the wound, even if it bled profusely. He imposed his idea of freedom on everyone, yet some revolutions are the beginning of new tyranny.
"The key lies in..." Su Ming'an said, "Whose hands hold the choice? Is it the high and mighty god? The knight who claims to be a protector? Or the radical revolutionary? Or..."
Su Ming'an's gaze swept over Su Qi and hope Li, finally settling on his own hands.
His palms were covered in blood and could not be cleaned.
Throughout his journey, despite claiming to be a savior, he still killed far too many people.
"People themselves?"
Just like his endless debate with Noel about perfection and freedom.
But what do people really want?
Can majority voting represent everything?
Do all people think exactly the same way?
—Does having different answers equate to freedom?
—Does the “chosen one” have to make choices for the majority?
— Must the “chosen ones” always be sacrificed?
—Is a seemingly ideal choice necessarily the right one?
It's as if some people don't even have the right to choose "not to be a hero," but are placed on the altar the moment they open their eyes, becoming "the chosen ones."
From the very beginning of the World Game to the present, Su Ming'an has been pondering these questions. Ultimately, he arrived at a concise yet effective answer: to lead the way as a "lighthouse," making choices for people. This is undoubtedly an act of arrogance, but he does not regret it and will not question its correctness.
Because everyone has different ideas, and different answers are not freedom, survival should be the top priority, he believed. He made the choice for the majority, so he would sacrifice for the majority. In his eyes, rights and obligations were equal, so he never felt resentful.
“From the moment I opened my eyes and learned to see this world, it felt like I was trapped in a pitch-black bag.” Su Qi shook his head. “People cry, people laugh, fight, hug, kiss… all the changes flowed before my eyes. I was like a fool standing outside a shop window, knowing I should react with surprise, joy, or sadness, but inside… it was empty, there was nothing there.”
His gaze fell on the man in black.
"This guy... taught me to play the flute. I learned, put my fingers on the holes, controlled my breath, and produced a perfect pitch. But in the end, he asked me, 'Does it sound good?' 'Which piece do you like?'... I couldn't answer. I learned to play, but in the end... I still didn't understand what music was."
He paused for a long time, staring into Su Ming'an's eyes, as if trying to see something shining.
"Friendship, love, ideals, beliefs, hatred, obsessions... If you layer these things on a shell called 'I,' making it thick and heavy, Su Ming'an, can people like you and me become 'good kids'?"
"If we didn't have these things and just grew up wildly, would we be 'bad kids'?"
"What is the meaning of life for you and me? A 'key' destined to be devoured? A monster that can't even feel itself? A flawed product that can't even like a piece of music? A pioneer destined to die before dawn? A lighthouse that will be no longer needed after the sun comes out?"
"Why... are we destined to be the treasure chests that will be shattered before the Demon King's gates?"
"Is it responsibility that has trapped us, ideals that have trapped us, or fate that has trapped us?" His voice revealed genuine confusion, and even a hint of barely perceptible despair.
The white-haired, golden-eyed boy shared so many similar sorrows.
What is life?
What is there to seek even in death?
He wasn't afraid of death, he was only afraid of never having truly lived.
Su Ming'an understood this resentment. In his long adventure, he had seen too many souls who had been casually cast aside as "supporting characters" by fate.
"The self is built up little by little through confusion, pain, searching, and making mistakes," Su Ming'an said after a moment.
He leaned against the crystal wall, his internal energy gradually recovering:
"You haven't found your building blocks yet. Triangular, square, rectangular... There's nothing shameful about that. Many people spend their entire lives using other people's building blocks to build a castle that doesn't suit them."
"Once upon a time, I met a guy who was also learning the flute. He was also a bit slow, finding it difficult to learn anything. He struggled to feel human emotions and to learn human things with empathy. His heart was initially empty, filled only with unsuitable broken building blocks left to him by others, which piled up into a shape of confusion. But later, I pushed him off a tall building, and he descended to the human world. He traveled a long way, met an old woman selling grass, and got to know children learning to paint. The emptiness in his heart was gradually filled with colorful building blocks... Little by little, he finally built a unique castle of his own. After his heart was no longer empty, he was no longer a slow learner."
“I once felt that I was just a pawn, a program, a tool that existed for a grand goal. Fortunately, I found my meaning little by little from the blood and dust through hard work and struggle.”
"Later, I realized that I didn't need to become the name 'Su Ming'an,' nor did I need to become any legend or epic. The harsh words of others, their insults that belittled me as unworthy of my position, should not be a reason for me to suffer internally."
"I should be myself."
Ashley listened quietly to the conversation between his two brothers. They were bound by blood, yet they were about to draw their swords against each other. Their current exchange had become a rare moment of warmth.
She rested her head on her knees, her white hair flowing down her back.
Everyone sitting here is perplexed by their own meaning. Su Ming'an is perplexed by his stubborn ideals, Su Qi is perplexed by the mission of the Lin tribe, and hope Li is perplexed by the instinct of the seed.
Originally a savior race, whose ancestors rescued Rovasa through countless eras, they are now hunted by many of their protectors simply because they are the "keys"... forced to hide in the tree in a sorry state, as if returning to the womb of their infancy. How ironic and laughable this is.
People truly don't care about the hero's past sacrifices; they only care whether the hero has become an obstacle now. Su Ming'an has saved countless lives along the way, but because he stubbornly moves forward without looking back, some people have begun to curse him again. Some of the curses that only appeared in the early stages of the game are gradually reappearing, questioning why he doesn't go home.
“…Little brother,” Su Qi said.
"..."
“You want to kill me and get the key,” Su Qi said.
“Yes.” Su Ming’an did not deny it.
"You must kill me too, so that I can become the final victor of the Lin Clan and move towards the future," Su Qi said.
"Mm." Su Ming'an nodded.
Both men wanted to kill each other, but they looked like a younger brother comforting his older brother.
Su Qi forced a broken smile, squeezing out words from the bottom of his heart: "You preached so much to comfort me, but deep down you also want to kill me. You want the key just like them. For your 'more important goal,' you'd also raise a knife against me, wouldn't you?"
Su Ming'an did not avoid the sharp gaze. A few seconds of silence filled the crystal room, then he nodded, his voice calm and even:
"Ah."
A simple syllable, acknowledged with composure.
“You have indeed killed too many people, Su Qi.” Su Ming’an spoke clearly, as if his thoughts were always calm, clear-headed, and lucid, no matter what. “Those who died on your whim, those innocent soldiers wiped out from the military camp, their lives were lives too. Even if someone else held this knife, even if it was fate or nature, it was you who wielded it. That cannot be erased. Therefore, I will kill you, and I will not forgive you for them.”
There was no harsh rebuke, just a calm statement of facts, which made Su Qi feel more at ease than an angry accusation. At least, this person didn't treat him with hypocritical sympathy or excuses.
Su Qi chuckled softly, the sound aggravating his wounds, causing blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand to wipe it away, and with all his strength, he used the crystal wall for support, slowly standing up.
His tattered robes were stained with golden-red blood, but he stood up, his spine straight, the pride of the Lin tribe supporting his shaky body.
“I’ve heard a… story.” Su Qi’s voice was hoarse, as if reciting an ancient chapter, “In the oldest kingdom of mankind, two knights… when they had an irreconcilable disagreement… would not send their men to attack, nor would they use insidious traps.”
His golden eyes locked onto Su Ming'an.
"They would remove their armor and lay down their flags, carrying only their swords, and in the presence of dawn or dusk, they would engage in a fair duel, one-on-one."
He slowly raised one hand, pointing at Su Ming'an, then at himself.
"The loser submits wholeheartedly and surrenders everything. The winner wins glory and spoils, but also carries the legacy of the loser."
"Now……"
“I have already healed you. With this weakened body of mine and your empty shell… it’s not a matter of who bullied whom. It’s fair.”
“Brother. I don’t need your pity, nor do I need your promises about the future, about ‘meaning’ and ‘value’.”
"But at least for now—"
"Right now—"
"Let us be like the knights in the story."
"Let's duel."
"Let's decide in the most direct way—whether you take the [key] and complete your salvation, or I... win this battle and continue living in the distant future in my flawed way, to prove that heroes don't need to be heroes."
He knew Su Ming'an wanted to kill him.
He also wants to kill Su Ming'an.
Even if the man in black robes makes a move, Su Qi is not entirely confident that he can defeat Su Ming'an's possible backup plans. So it would be better for both sides to have a fair duel and neither of them would need to use any backup plans.
Su Ming'an took two steps forward and came to the relatively open center of the crystal room, where he stood facing Su Qi, a few meters away.
"Okay," Su Ming'an said.
There were no unnecessary movements or external forces.
Su Qi smiled, a smile that was surprisingly pure.
Ashley stepped back; she wouldn't interfere in the duel, and she would accept the outcome regardless of who won. The man in black frowned, displeased that the child he had personally raised was doing something so thankless, but he glanced at Su Ming'an and still stepped back.
Beneath the crystal chamber, the two looked at each other.
In the blink of an eye.
"Shh!"
Su Qi's figure transformed into a blood-stained golden streak, moving at an astonishing speed, his fingertips brought together, thrusting straight forward.
There were no fancy energy surges, only the purest form of combat.
Su Ming'an's eyes were calm as his left hand shot out like lightning, precisely gripping Su Qi's wrist joint.
After that embarrassing sword fight with Shen Ming'an, Su Ming'an still didn't have time to improve his swordsmanship and combat skills. However, even though he hadn't eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He learned some techniques from watching Lu Shu and others fight in close combat.
"Snapped!"
Su Qi's wrist trembled, and his elbow, like a spear, decisively struck Su Ming'an's chest.
Su Ming'an pulled down smoothly, narrowly avoiding the elbow strike, and then slammed his right shoulder into the gap under Su Qi's ribs exposed by the attack.
"boom"!
……
[HP -291! (Severely injured! Weak to electric critical hit!)]
……
A muffled thud. Su Ming'an's shoulder struck his target. Su Qi groaned, the wound on his ribs reopening, releasing a deathly aura. The broken blade flashed in an arc, and he slashed back at Su Ming'an's neck!
Su Ming'an's pupils contracted slightly. At the critical moment, he made an unexpected move—he did not try to dodge, but instead suddenly raised his left arm to protect his face and tried his best to turn his body to the side!
"laugh!"
……
[HP-657! (Bleeding! Penetrating wound!)]
……
The broken blade pierced deeply into Su Ming'an's left arm, and a searing pain instantly spread through him. But because of this, the blade tip missed a vital spot.
Su Ming'an's body only had 1000 points of health, and this one hit took away more than half of his health.
While the blade was stuck in the bone, Su Ming'an reached out with his right hand like an iron clamp.
"boom!"
The two collided heavily and tumbled to the ground. Blood splattered from the pressure of their wounds, like crushed fruit, leaving gruesome patterns on the crystal floor.
"—!!"
Su Qi clenched his other fist and slammed it hard into Su Ming'an's temple. Su Ming'an tilted his head, his fist grazing his ear as it hit the ground, sending shards of crystal flying. He then slammed his elbow into Su Qi's face!
"Boom!"
it is ridiculous.
Even Su Ming'an found this scene utterly absurd.
A god-given child of an entire civilization, the number one player among the humans of Zhaixing, actually rolled around on the ground in the most primitive and barbaric way.
He had almost never fought so violently before. He had always been a good student and a model student before the World Game began. He was also not used to fighting like this. In his opinion, this kind of attack had too little room for error, and it was easy to get injured if you were not careful. It was better to avoid such collisions.
However, at this moment, under the current circumstances, only such a contest is permitted.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Su Qi's nose was sunken, his face was covered in blood, and his vision was blurred. But his hand was still stuck in Su Ming'an's arm bone.
Rolling, wrestling, colliding. No skill, no strategy, only the most primal instinct for survival and the will to kill each other. Like two dying beasts, they tore, scratched, and rammed with their teeth, nails, and bones. Heavy breathing, suppressed groans, and muffled thuds echoed through the crystal chamber.
Su Qi's knee struck Su Ming'an in the abdomen, while Su Ming'an slammed into Su Qi's chest. Blood blurred his vision, so he shook his head away.
Like two beasts at the top of the food chain, yearning to tear the last piece of flesh from each other.
Excessive blood loss made his body cold, and all he could see in his vision was a shimmering pool of blood.
Su Ming'an used his still-functioning right hand to grope around on the ground.
"Clap."
My fingertip touched a sharp crystal fragment, sharp enough to easily pierce flesh.
Su Qi realized his intention and struggled frantically, trying to pull his hand out of the bone stuck in his arm. But Su Ming'an used all his strength to press him down with his body, raising the sharp crystal and pointing it at Su Qi's neck!
Then—both of them simultaneously revealed similar despicable expressions, as if something noble had shattered.
"Oh!"
"Shh!"
At the critical moment of life and death, Su Qi instantly broke the agreement of "not using his abilities," his whole body erupted with intense light and fire, and his fingers burst forth with crimson-gold flames, burning through Su Ming'an's arm bones and stabbing towards Su Ming'an's chest.
Simultaneously, Su Ming'an's pupils instantly turned violet, and he used the racial ability of Hui Zi to pierce through Su Qi's shoulder and aim for Su Qi's neck.
Upon seeing each other's "breach of contract," both were momentarily stunned, but instantly understood each other's resolve.
Like the most despicable criminals, this tacit understanding and the "base heart" that is determined not to lose...
He is going to break the agreement.
--Me too.
There was no surprise, no anger, no bewilderment at being betrayed. In that fleeting moment of eye contact, Su Ming'an saw in Su Qi's burning golden eyes something exactly like what he saw in himself, something that transcended chivalry and noble character…
We must survive and move towards the future, no matter what.
Even if he is scorned as a "despicable person," even if he betrays all promises and dignity...
"boom--!"
Golden-red flames burst forth from under every inch of Su Qi's skin, instantly turning him into a burning human torch. He reached towards Su Ming'an's chest, intending to burn through Su Ming'an's chest!
This attack was delivered without reservation.
—If he were to follow the agreement, he should stop.
—If he wants to remain noble, he should admit defeat.
If he still possessed even a shred of a "good kid's" conscience, he shouldn't have launched a sneak attack in such a suicidal manner immediately after treating the other person. His contradictory actions make his conscience appear hypocritical.
"I haven't found my building blocks yet... I haven't built my castle yet..."
"I can't die here... I still have unanswered questions..."
"At least... I need to show that guy in the sky... that I'm not a pawn he can just play around with..."
These thoughts flashed through Su Qi's mind like lightning.
Almost simultaneously—
Su Ming'an bent his right hand into a claw, his fingertips swirling with deep purple ash, and stabbed towards Su Qi's neck.
—If he were to follow the agreement, he should not use Hui Zi's power.
—If he wants to maintain his dignity, he should accept a fair outcome.
But Su Ming'an only showed calmness.
Responsibility bound him like chains, and on the scales of survival and mission, any noble weight was as light as a feather.
So what if it's "despicable"?
So what if they break their promise?
If someone has to bear the stigma in order to open the door to the future—
"Shh!"
Su Qi's raging fire scorched half an inch of Su Ming'an's chest skin, but was blocked by a thin purple membrane that shimmered with starlight.
"Shh!"
Su Ming'an's purple claws pressed against Su Qi's neck, but were blocked by a layer of emerging golden light.
Golden red and deep purple clashed and annihilated each other. The light cast flickering shadows on their faces. Less than a foot apart, they could both see their reflections in each other's eyes.
They were the same kind who broke their promises, chose the same "despicable" path, and were willing to dirty their hands for something.
Su Qi grinned, his teeth stained red with blood: "Ha...you really are...as expected..."
There was no condemnation, no sarcasm. Only absurd understanding.
—So you're the same way.
—So it turns out you also have something you absolutely can't let go of, even if it means abandoning all dignity. It turns out that deep down, we're all bastards who'll do anything to survive.
The veneer of a knightly duel is completely stripped away, revealing its most naked essence... two desperate outlaws fighting for their own obsessions.
“But… little brother…” Su Qi’s voice began to tremble, “What I loathe… is the predetermined fate of a savior. Yet you are heading towards… the fate of a savior?”
There was no wavering in Su Ming'an's eyes:
"Only an undefined future."
"BOOM—!!!!"
Gold and purple exploded at the same time!
A violent surge of energy erupted from the two of them, tearing all the light within the crystal chamber to shreds. The crystal walls trembled violently, countless cracks spreading like a spiderweb, and crystal fragments flew like a blizzard.
Gold and purple scattered in all directions, transforming into colored shockwaves that swept outwards in both directions, causing the ground to shake violently.
Ashley was violently thrown back by the shockwave, her back slamming against the crystal wall, coughing up blood. She trembled as she gripped her scythe, trying to steady her swaying body.
The transparent vines danced wildly, sending fragments flying, and the man in black robes retreated repeatedly, covering his face with his robe sleeves.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Gradually, everything quieted down.
The wind was still, and the light was still.
The light gradually faded.
The smoke and dust slowly settled.
In the center of the crystal chamber, the two figures remained motionless, maintaining their confrontational stance.
Su Qi's flames remained on Su Ming'an's chest, the blood evaporated with the flames, the flesh charred and rolled up, but the flames failed to burn away the heart—Su Qi's body was too weak to continue moving forward.
Su Ming'an's purple claws pressed against Su Qi's neck, the five fingers digging deep into the flesh, but the claw tips couldn't penetrate any further—Su Ming'an's arm had already lost its strength.
Then--
"Pfft."
Su Qi collapsed first.
He lay supine in a pool of blood, his chest rising and falling slightly, the golden flames extinguished completely. His golden eyes stared unfocused at the faint light swirling above the crystal chamber.
"Da, da."
Su Ming'an staggered back two steps, then knelt on one knee, blood flowing everywhere.
Su Qi was at a disadvantage. He was essentially fighting against both Su Ming'an and Hui Zi simultaneously, not to mention that Su Ming'an still had his own abilities unused... From the very beginning, Su Qi had no chance of winning. The despicable Su Ming'an would never fight an unprepared battle.
“You…” Su Qi struggled to turn her eyes to look at Su Ming’an, “What is your obsession…?”
Su Qi couldn't understand what kind of obsession could lead such a noble young man to choose such a despicable act of breaking the contract. Her obsession was "the future," but what was Su Ming'an's obsession?
Su Ming was silent for a few seconds, then said in a hoarse, almost inaudible voice:
"……'go home'."
Just two simple words.
Su Qi's body stiffened abruptly, all struggle ceasing. The light in his golden eyes dimmed rapidly, like a candle flame going out. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only blood and foam came out.
Su Ming'an remained bent over, panting, as drops of blood fell onto Su Qi's gradually cooling face.
A few seconds of deathly silence.
Then, with her last bit of strength, Su Qi raised her still-movable left hand and gently touched Su Ming'an's eyes. The movement was very light, like a feather.
“…Little brother…” he said silently, as if he wanted to force a smile, but he couldn’t.
But, little brother, what exactly does "going home" mean to you?
It seems like I never had a home in the first place.
Hands hanging down.
……
[You killed "Lin Clan Su Qi".]
[Key collection progress: 1/3.]
[You have acquired Su Qi's Lin Clan ability - "Delete"]
[Delete (Extra-level): You can delete a specified target or region.]
……
Your "Ring of Time" name has been updated.
……
A system notification sounded.
The crystal chamber returned to deathly silence.
All that could be heard was the sound of blood dripping and dust swirling around.
I don't know how much time passed, maybe it was just a moment.
"Tap, tap, tap."
Light, slow footsteps sounded.
A figure in black robes walked to Su Qi's corpse, sighed, slowly squatted down, and reached out to close the boy's eyes.
The boy's body was completely cold, pale all over, like a piece of melted ice.
Blood flowed through his body, gradually drying, revealing a hint of fragility and pitifulness to his arrogant and unrestrained face. The remaining embers still danced around him, slowly extinguishing.
The man in black robes paused for a moment, his head bowed as if mourning the child he had raised with his own hands. He took out a pure white ice flower, pinned it to the boy's chest, and smoothed the boy's disheveled hair.
But when Su Ming'an raised his head, he saw the hole revealed beneath the black robe—a pair of icy eyes, devoid of any pity or sorrow.
"...What an idiot."
Su Ming'an heard the man in black say this.
"He went to great lengths to heal you, fought you fairly, and then despicably tore up the rules of the duel... This only makes his nobility seem hypocritical; he's neither noble nor despicable. Like a hamster going around in circles in a cage, he can't reach any destination."
The man in black robes gently stroked Su Qi's pale cheek, wiping away the blood, like a gentle teacher, yet his words were utterly icy cold.
Upon hearing this, Su Ming'an exhaled hot breath, clutched his chest, and slowly sat up:
"That's what a human being is like."
It is precisely this repetitive and seemingly futile behavior that is what humans do.
Countless repetitions, endless erasures and rewritings, repeated resets and restarts. Humans always seem to enjoy doing seemingly useless and pointless work.
"Tap." The man in black robes moved his feet lightly, straightened up, and looked at Su Ming'an.
"Whether his actions were foolish or not is no longer my concern." The man in black tilted his head and asked, "Are you prepared to lose your life, Su Ming'an?"
Shili immediately stepped in front of Su Ming'an, extending his arms and saying warily, "Black-robed man, if you want to cultivate a new Lin Clan member, you can kill me and spare Su Ming'an."
Su Qi is dead, so the man in black robes probably wants to select another member of the Lin Clan to train.
The man in black laughed, but shook his head: "No need, I will leave none of you alive."
Ashley's eyes widened; he hadn't expected such an answer.
The man in the black robe raised his hand and removed the hood and black veil that were covering his face.
—That was a face Su Ming'an had never imagined.
"Shh."
The cave wind blew through her long, pure hair, like the first snowflakes, a few strands brushing against her beautifully shaped jawline. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her eyes were a deep blue, colder than glaciers, imbued with an ancient, unyielding chill.
A breathtaking beauty that transcends gender boundaries.
She wore a long, snow-white veil that covered her slender, long body. Her body lines were flat, yet she possessed a feminine proportion.
On her feet were a pair of beautiful, ice-blue crystal high heels with encased toes. The white veil swayed, revealing the dazzling tips of the shoes.
Su Ming'an's heart tightened; he had never imagined that such a face lay beneath the black robe.
This person is clearly...
"That story of the knight's duel was a bedtime story I told Su Qi. However, he didn't know the ending of the story." The white-haired man, having removed his black robe, calmly gazed at Su Qi's corpse.
In the end, neither knight won, whether noble or base.
"The wolf that was passing by won."
"The wolf ate the knight, and the wolf... can then turn into a human."
The white-haired man tilted his head slightly, a gesture that sent chills down one's spine.
Tiny frost flowers condensed in the air. A beautiful woman with white hair and blue eyes, whose gender was ambiguous, emanated an aura shared with the World Tree.
"Click-click-click—"
A series of sharp, teeth-grinding cracking sounds came from all directions. The ground, walls, dome... everything in sight, all the crystalline cave walls, was instantly covered with a thick layer of solid ice. The frost continued to grow, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a chilling, translucent ice palace.
With him as the origin, visible circles of pale blue cold currents spread outwards in all directions like ripples.
"Useless. I raised him for so long hoping he would be the last surviving member of the Rin clan, and then I would kill him." The tattered black cloth fluttered to the ground and was trampled hard by the sharp crystal shoe. "It's a pity that he lost to you. It was too fast."
The father's teachings, gentle care... From the very beginning, the man in black robes was there to fatten up Su Qi, this "key," so that he could harvest her at the most opportune moment.
From the very beginning, Su Qi's idea of a "sense of mission" was wrong. He had no mission, so there was no question of him escaping responsibility.
What he "rebelled against" was always nothingness.
A beautiful woman with white hair and blue eyes, her azure pupils fixed on Su Ming'an.
The only source of light in the entire space was the suspended Frost Witch. The witch slowly raised a hand covered by an ice crystal glove, her fingertips swirling with pale, cold air, and a smile appeared on her lips.
—All things here, whether cold or warm, still or frozen, are within his control.
Su Ming'an calmly raised his head and called out the witch's name:
……
"—Tianyu".
……
……