prynovel Chapter 1735 Final Chapter Shenan Chapter [80] "Mother Goddess."
Chapter 1735 Final Chapter Shenan Chapter [80] "Mother Goddess."
Chapter 1735 Final Chapter·Shingan Chapter【80】·"Mother Goddess."
[Dawn of Immortality: Forces you to maintain optimal mental state; 1-hour cooldown. You will not feel any negative effects or pain on your body, and your five senses will remain continuously heightened and enhanced.]
……
Su Ming'an knew that Violet was referring to this skill. His current divine power was indeed sufficient to support this skill for a long time.
"Let's open it now, otherwise we really won't be able to hold on," Violet said worriedly.
"Thank you for your concern, I..."
(I can indeed leave.) Suddenly, Isabelle's androgynous message arrived: (You have indeed deduced almost all the truth, but there is only one mistake—your identity.)
“…?” Su Mingan frowned.
Suddenly, he realized something:
"...Su Wenli."
He hadn't forgotten that he had come here possessing the body of Su Wenli, the orphaned son of the World Lord. However, the World Lord had never married; Hui Chi had simply raised him, bestowing upon him the title of "Orphaned Son of the World Lord" to ensure the legitimacy of the succession. Subsequently, the great demon Pero and the cunning demon Evelyn constantly protected Su Wenli. They appeared spontaneously by Su Wenli's side, disobeying Hui Chi's orders and single-mindedly protecting Su Wenli.
……
"Evelyn didn't migrate from Zhaixing; she's a native of Rovasha. Why has she been protecting me all this time?" Su Ming'an asked.
“Hmm.” Perlo sighed. “This involves a secret… I have a pact that prevents me from speaking, even if I die. But if you just keep going, you will find out why Evelyn is protecting you.”
……
Since Su Wenli was found by Hui Chi and was not the orphan of the world's ruler, what is his true identity?
Why was he born with two demons by his side, protecting him every step of the way, even at the cost of their lives?
"Your Highness."
Su Ming'an suddenly heard a soft call and looked back to see the beautiful and alluring devil in a long dress approaching.
...The great demon Perlo and the cunning Evelyn never considered him the true heir of the world, so why did they call him "Your Highness"? Was this "Your Highness" not referring to the heir of the world at all, but rather...?
The recurring, indistinct, and indistinguishable auditory hallucinations, seemingly endless, rang in his ears once more—
……
Suddenly, Su Ming'an felt dizzy, covered his forehead, and felt faint auditory hallucinations in his ears.
【"I love you……"】
【"I love you……"】
……
"My child...my child...I love you so much...I miss you so much..."
[That voice again.]
……
wrong.
—Not Lin Wang'an.
He subconsciously assumed that Lin Wang'an must be the one using such methods. However, "Su Wenli" should still have a real mother, and this is his mother calling out to him.
He looked at the demonic mother goddess before him and suddenly understood the source.
He had long heard of Isabelle's divine name. She was very fond of procreation and had given birth to countless demons as early as the late First Era, as well as several demon kings who controlled the power of evil and rivaled the light faction.
At that time, no matter how fast people killed, they couldn't keep up with the speed at which demons were born. In order to save Rovasa, several heroes stepped onto the world stage and slew several demon kings. Therefore, the first era of Rovasa is called the "Age of Heroes".
But human ethics and norms do not apply to the Mother Goddess. The so-called "mother-child" relationship does not actually exist. She merely uses magic to create her own retinue, vassals, and servants, not true blood relatives. How can mere humans be worthy of calling her "Mother"? — She can only be called "Mother Goddess."
“So, you are called ‘Mother Goddess’…” Su Ming’an suddenly realized.
All demons under heaven are His offspring, and for the dark side, He is of course their "mother goddess".
He called out to Su Ming'an "child" several times, urging him to awaken Him at the source point as soon as possible and deliver the goods to his door.
Su Ming'an felt no guilt upon learning the truth. He would not acknowledge this "mother," neither on a physical nor spiritual level. Regardless of his opinion, Isabelle herself had never considered him family—she had previously said she wanted him to be her lover, which was utterly absurd.
He tightened his grip, driving the sword deeper. A surge of purplish-black nourishment flowed into his body as he coldly stared into the other's bright red, inhuman eyes.
"I know what happened, so what? You don't think that just because I call you 'child,' you can brainwash me and make me do whatever you want, do you?"
(Huh? Isn't that right?) It was Isabel who was confused. (Isn't this how you humans are? "Love" is a brainwashing tool. As long as you say "love," you can easily get others to sacrifice for you. Whenever you encounter difficulties, just say "love," and others must give unconditionally for you. Afterwards, all you have to do is say "thank you." Isn't this the lowest-cost, easiest, and most acceptable brainwashing method? Shouldn't you love me?)
In His eyes, labeling someone as "love" automatically implies a demand for devotion and sacrifice, and an expectation of unconditional acceptance and redemption. He believed that once this identity was revealed, even if there was no blood relation between them, Su Ming'an would still have some reservations.
However, he remained unmoved and even showed a look of disgust.
What he has experienced, protected, and carried along the way cannot be simply summarized by the words "love" or "blood ties".
He couldn't even understand Yi Song's sense of responsibility as a doctor... He believed that Yi Song's feelings for Him were also obsessive love. There are many kinds of "love" in this world that are not true love.
(Wait...!) Seeing that she couldn't deceive Su Ming'an, Isabelle immediately said, (I didn't lie to you, I really can't break the seal, it's not that I don't want to go out.)
Su Ming'an narrowed his eyes.
“What He said must be true.” Yi Song sat on His tentacles. He was the only one who hadn’t been attacked by Him just now. “He didn’t hide in here on his own. The Lezi Demon stole His key, which is why He can’t get out. Your key was effective, but it’s missing one ingredient.”
...The Demon of Fun? How come it's everywhere?
Su Ming'an asked, "What medicine?"
(...your body.)
Countless black fingers pointed at Su Ming'an, stopping ten centimeters in front of him.
Su Ming'an narrowed his eyes again.
He pointed to his chest and chuckled softly:
"……I see."
"The key doesn't need to kill all the Rin clan members to appear; this news is indeed false information you spread."
"Because you need one more ingredient to break the seal—the life of your offspring."
"You breed so many species to leave behind backup tools for breaking the seal. The whispers in my ear aren't out of love, but to lure me to you."
"You spread the message that 'killing three members of the Rin clan is the only way to awaken you,' which was truly intended to lure me, the final and destined victor, to your presence so that I may be devoured by you."
Su Ming'an knew he couldn't persuade the demonic mother goddess in front of him, and breaking the seal seemed to be a paradox.
The situation outside is about to collapse. With the gradual descent of the Radiant Mother Goddess, this sandbox is being torn to shreds. Time is of the essence; Su Ming'an needs to make a decision immediately—kill the Demon Mother Goddess, or leave her here.
The former means he needs to further activate the "devouring" authority, and his current state is already at its limit. The latter means that all his efforts along the way have been in vain, and he still hasn't been able to pull out the Demon Mother Goddess, this powerful force.
The cunning demon Evelyn is essentially human, and even after being transformed by Casadia, she is not considered a progeny.
Apart from Su Ming'an, no one present was able to break the seal.
Su Ming'an took a deep breath, raised his palm, and aimed it at the Demon Mother Goddess—
(You really want to kill me? Before a great battle, to fight me head-on?) The Demon Mother Goddess's consciousness instantly became chaotic and noisy.
“You can come up with a better solution,” Su Ming’an said.
Even if Isabelle wasn't at her peak, killing her would most likely result in mutual destruction. Sure enough, as he prepared for battle, Isabelle was forced to offer a second option:
(—Ask the god who has been hiding behind you for so long! If He reveals His true form and joins forces with me, He can break the seal directly!)
Su Ming'an was stunned.
...Where are the gods after him?
He turned to look at Violet, who immediately waved her hand; she was only a level three god and was of no use in this situation.
He looked at Chen Yuhang... Chen Yuhang was still unconscious, and did not look like a god who had been hiding for a long time.
Then, he looked at Yi Song, but this was clearly not referring to Yi Song.
Lu Shen is no exception. His current white wolf form is of unknown origin, but it definitely does not possess the power of a god.
Beside him, Si Nian was kneeling on one knee, trying to use the "right to resurrect".
The Demon Mother Goddess roared, and everyone looked at him. He slowly raised his head and stared back blankly.
“…What?” Si Nian replied blankly.
Why is everyone looking at him? What happened?
He was just the most ordinary, most unremarkable, and most powerless person among them. He did everything in his power to assist the legendary savior, even if it meant using up the last bit of his own strength.
The bullying of knights, the death of his lover, the cruelty of war, the passing of his old sergeant... any calamity could easily destroy him. He was extremely lucky to have made it this far, hoping that the savior would take notice of ordinary, pitiful people like them.
Why, why?
Why is everyone looking at him right now?
He was still trying his best, confused as to why he couldn't bring his beloved Chuntang back to life. Why did Isabelle say she didn't exist?
Sasha's vineyard, Correa's bandaged white flowers, the old sergeant's laughter and scolding, the dead veteran's canteen, the yellowed photographs, Chuntang's tattered rag doll...
What are they saying?
What are they looking at?!
A sense of fear welled up inside her. Si Nian clutched the tattered doll Chun Tang had given her, along with the photograph and the little white flower, and stumbled backward, looking at Su Ming'an for help.
……
[Torsolius, Torsolius.]
[The supreme Lord who created the world, the shepherd of destiny and cause and effect, the sovereign of joy and sorrow!]
I ask you—
……
"Su, Su Ming'an...?" The man's eyes widened, and he stammered, "What's wrong...? What happened? Why are you all looking at me?"
The young savior was looking at him with an indescribable, complex gaze, a look of sudden realization and surprise.
Why the look of sudden realization? ...What did you think of? What did you deduce?
……
[If Varosa is indeed a land of calamity, where wandering sinners suffer the twelve punishments, enacting the calamities of the heavens and the nine netherworlds of fate, then why are we, the Igularians, bestowed with such blessings?]
……
“A wandering sinner… If I remember correctly, Si Nian, you said you were a wandering sinner,” Su Ming’an said.
Si Nian nodded blankly.
Yes, by a twist of fate, he became a wandering sinner, who could have any wish granted by enduring twelve kinds of suffering... He had already endured the five forms of torture...
"The Wandering Sinners are servants of the God of Chaos. And the God of Chaos split off to create the God of Reincarnation, Möbius," Su Ming'an said.
"Legend has it that Mobius, the god of reincarnation, was the ancestor of the 'Reincarnation Sirens.' He had a retinue called the 'Sun of Rebirth,' who believed that people would be reborn under the sun every so often. Another retinue was the 'Hanged Man,' who grew backward in age. The god of reincarnation held the power of reincarnation, and to practice and elevate his path of reincarnation, he often personally experienced its principles, transforming himself into a mortal, incarnating as Rovasa, growing from childhood to old age, experiencing the life of an ordinary person. After death, he would gather the insights and soul of that life to strengthen himself, thus becoming stronger..."
A narrative that made many people realize something.
At that moment, Si Nian caught sight of Su Ming'an's gaze.
—It was a look that was a mixture of realization and empathy.
……
[If His affection was merely a fleeting glance of pity, a distant and ethereal profile, then why did He allow all living beings to take root in the giant tree, to let the leaves of civilization bloom into flowers, and to cause the Babel's Rakshasa tribe to fall to the mortal realm?]
……
Isabelle's consciousness arrived, like a frenzied roar: (—Mobius, you must awaken! Help me break the seal! If you don't awaken, you can expect everything to end! Are you going to betray the savior of your homeland for your ordinary and mediocre life, a lover who doesn't even exist, a pile of ashes of long-destroyed comrades, and a false life!?)
This moment was like the tolling of a bell.
It was as if a giant hammer had struck the red-haired man's heart. He opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word, and the white flowers in his palm fell to the ground.
He seemed to see many people looking at him, looking at him with sorrow and pity... the round-faced young soldier, the veteran with the water bottle, the new recruit he had stabbed, the old sergeant who patted him on the shoulder and laughed...
The memories of the battlefield are real, the comrades-in-arms battles are real, his life is real... but his essence is fake.
He is "Sinian"... He is not "Sinian"... No, how should he perceive himself?
It turns out he was the first person to betray his own class.
After taking a few steps back, he quickly raised his head, his face streaked with tears, and blood gushed from his eyes, mingling with the tears of blood.
"I am Si Nian...you motherfucker...you motherfucker!" Si Nian trembled all over, tears streaming down his face.
"You're telling me it's all a lie?"
He drew the rifle from his back and pointed it at the colossal, mountain-like demonic mother goddess—within the vast and boundless origin of the universe, tiny humans raised their guns, aiming at life from higher dimensions.
"—Fuck your mother goddess!"
"—Fuck your fate!!! Ah!!!!"
……
—Don't back down, pull the trigger! Believe that your bravery and sacrifice are glorious!
—The Mother Goddess is merciful to us, bestowing peace and saving all living beings…
[—Si Nian! What the hell are you standing there for! Hand me the bullet! If you want to live, be quick!]
"Hey bro, try this. My wife secretly slipped it to me; there's only one last bite left."
[—For the King! For the glory of Rovasa! Charge!!!!]
"Brother Sinian... when the grapes are ripe... you must come... my wine... is so sweet..."
Remember, you are the shield, the sword! Your sacrifice will forge an eternal monument!
"It hurts...it hurts so much...Mommy..."
—Live on, Sinian. See for us... what peace really looks like...
Long live the Red Tower!
[—Long live the King! Long live His Majesty! Long live the Mother Goddess!]
The words he had heard before kept repeating in his mind, and he roared like a madman:
"You fucking—!"
"Mother Goddess!!! Ahh ...
……
"Sashari was several years younger than me, from a border farm, with messy curly hair, clumsy and always making mistakes in training. He always talked about the vineyards back home, saying that after the war, he would expand them and make the sweetest wine. He also always said that a childhood sweetheart was waiting for him to return to the neighboring town."
……
There was no answer. Only a deeper, more profound silence from the source seemed to mock his ant-like cries.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" One shot after another. The bullets flew out and shattered, the guns were hot and burning, and even the tears were hot, so hot that the man could not hold anything steady and could not stand up.
He never imagined a glorious future, nor did he crave wealth and luxury. His greatest ideal was to live with dignity and integrity, not like a dog, an insect, or an ant, living in the sewers, in the mud, or in the stench of blood on the battlefield.
But why... why...!
……
"Collea was one of the army's medics. She was a very quiet woman and a fellow countrywoman of Sasari. Once, when Sasari had a fever and was delirious, calling out his childhood sweetheart's name, Colea stayed by his side for most of the night."
……
The Demon Mother Goddess's awakening was like a key that unlocked his mind, and more and more memories appeared in his mind... What did the sky look like? What did the Court of the Star Gods look like? What were divine authority and divine power? What were his own divine emblem and distinctive features? Scenes of reincarnation...
He could no longer deceive himself into believing he was still the ordinary "Si Nian," otherwise how could he explain these pathetic memories that kept resurfacing in his mind?
But what is most profound and deeply ingrained in him right now, what he understands most deeply and what will never change... is his life as "Si Nian"!
"boom--!"
Bullets flew, the barrel heated up, and finally, it completely misfired. A wave of demonic energy washed over them, instantly turning the rifle to ashes. Humanity's intelligent weapons were utterly helpless against demonic power.
……
"Later, Sashari, Cora, and I often got together. When there was no fighting, we'd share some hard candy we'd secretly hidden in a corner of the camp. Sashari would talk about his vineyards and plums, and Cora would talk about the lilacs that bloomed all over the hillsides in her hometown in spring, a vast expanse of white, their bitter fragrance filling the air."
……
“—Si Nian,” Su Ming’an began.
The man turned his head and looked at Su Ming'an.
“You have the freedom to choose,” Su Ming’an said. “If you don’t want to, I will.”
If others are unwilling, he will pay the price. As Violet said, no road is unique and narrow; if one road is blocked, he will take another.
The man's shoulders heaved violently. He staggered, looking again at his trembling hands. These hands had held guns, been stained with blood, crawled and rolled, done everything.
“I’ve tried…” he gritted his teeth.
“I tried every possible method, everything that the rules allowed and didn’t allow… I wanted Chuntang to live in a spring without the smoke of gunpowder. But it turns out I couldn’t revive her, not because my ‘right to revive’ wasn’t strong enough, nor because the price I paid wasn’t high enough…”
He slowly raised his tearful eyes and looked at Su Ming'an, his gaze filled with a sorrow that felt as if he had been completely emptied out.
"...but because I have no right to resurrect someone who never existed."
He carved Chuntang into his bones. If she never existed, with whom would he have been talking?
...He was talking to himself.
Suddenly, he became unusually calm.
He pulled a black Glock pistol from his waist, engraved with silver stars, flipped it over, and pressed it against his heart.
Only when his current cycle of reincarnation ends will the God of Reincarnation truly awaken... Otherwise, he will just be the most ordinary and unremarkable Rovasa, Si Nian.
He wanted to speak up for ordinary people, but if he hesitated here, how many more ordinary people would die outside?
The old squad leader, comrades-in-arms, enemies on the battlefield… they all cast their “votes of support” in the tenth round, sending him out. The only one who can break this deadlock is himself. Everyone else will have to pay a tremendous price to get out.
All he had to do was abandon this utterly ordinary life. It was that simple, wasn't it? Sashali, Coraya, Chuntang… those were ordinary human lives that had vanished like grains of sand, never to return. Yet he tossed and turned, unable to move on, clinging to those burning, intense memories.
—If he could cast aside his aversion to war, who would he be?
—If one abandons their perception of themselves as ordinary people, and if the only ordinary person in the group, Rovasa, turns out to be the God of Reincarnation, to which class should people confide their pain?
In whose arms can people cry freely? Who will care about their laughter, and who will care about their tears?
"I once thought of finding that high and mighty god and asking Him to put the torn pages back together for me..."
The man's smile was weary, like a long-weary traveler who had finally reached the end of the desert, only to find no oasis.
"So, I'm one of those 'high and mighty gods' too."
“Sashari, Coraya, old squad leader…”
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his wrist, and the young man looked up with his dark eyes: "If you don't want to do it, then don't. Trust me, I can do without you."
Upon hearing this, Si Nian was stunned for half a second, then, as if provoked by something, tears welled up in his eyes, and he burst into laughter:
"Don't blame me for being harsh, but I can't let a young man who's barely an adult bear the consequences for some damned god like me, or make you sacrifice for our hometown for nothing! You've become transparent, it would be too shameful for me to morally blackmail you now! I'm not a coward!"
"Su boy, when you go out and see Wangzai, and when Chenzai wakes up—tell them that I've gone home to farm, and I can still hold a hoe! Anyway, they're not players, they should go home too!"
Like the most ordinary Rovasa soldier charging to his death, he fiercely tore open his tattered chest, revealing his scarred body, and pressed the muzzle of his gun against his heart.
Like a tiny human standing before a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his insignificant figure stood atop the dark flesh and blood, the gun pointed at himself, yet it seemed as if he were shouting at the Mother Goddess and fate.
"This identity, this life, this existence—it was all bestowed upon me by the gods, by this damned fate, by this messed-up world!" His crimson eyes were filled with rage and arrogance.
"Now, I'm giving back the life you gave me! You lost to Su Ming'an, and I'm going to make Su Ming'an win!!!"
The man suddenly straightened his spine, and beneath his tattered military uniform, his bones, repeatedly battered by hardship, creaked.
"Fuck you—"
"—I didn't lose to you!"
……
"boom!"
……
[No. 8 The Legend of the Wandering Sinner]
[Story Genre: Dramatic Adventure]
[Creator: Si Nian]
[Synopsis: A devout follower of the Dawn Goddess, yet he admires the life of the Chaos God wandering among sinners, yearns for the stories of others, and questions the twelve punishments of death. One day, a prophetic stone tells him that he will become the new god of Rovasa…]
……
"Hey, Si Nian, what does your 'Chun Tang' look like?"
"Think of her as an example; I don't have a picture of her."
"How am I supposed to think about this? This thing looks like a mop!"
"Let's not talk about that, Sinian. Tell me a story to cheer me up. Tell me about that... that sinner thing you always talk about. What happened next? Did that sinner become a god?"
"Yes, it's done."
"If I become a god, will I never have to stay in these damn trenches again?"
"Yes. God only needs to say one word or give us a single glance here, and we can never have to fight a war in our lives."
"God, God, look at us! If only I were God... I would make sure you all stop fighting! You would have plenty of food and meat at every meal!"
……
boom.
The man's pistol slipped from his hand, and he swayed. Blood seeped from the black hole in his chest, staining the faded fabric red.
He tried to stand up straight, just as he had done countless times on the battlefield. But his knees buckled, and he fell forward to his knees.
The thing in my hand slipped from my grasp.
A rough, white lilac folded from a blood-stained bandage.
There's also a yellowed group photo—it shows young, somewhat unfamiliar smiling faces, wearing ill-fitting military uniforms, their eyes filled with fear, confusion, and longing.
The photo tumbled and spun in the air.
The scorching sun of the recruit camp, the cold nights of the trenches, the roars of the charge... countless faces flashed by, finally settling on the man himself, covered in mud, grinning.
Young men and women huddled together against the backdrop of makeshift barracks and distant trenches. They looked different—some had furry animal ears, some had skin that glowed with a pale red or scaly sheen, and some had strangely colored eyes. But they all wore ill-fitting military uniforms, their faces were dirty, and they wore fearless, silly smiles.
Eastern Red Tower Garrison Area, Sixth Team.
Time has passed for so long, yet it is still just a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things.
Time stood still in the spring of 271, when they thought there would be a "later" beyond their reach.
Snapped.
The photo fell gently to the ground.
Her bright red eyes, like fire, were separated by the yellowed years and the cold reality. Her red hair was draped down, covering her face, which was gradually losing its luster. Her fingers twitched, as if she wanted to grasp something.
Perhaps it's the grapes Sasari imagined, perhaps it's the lilac sea described by Correa, or perhaps it's a lover who never existed.
He caught nothing.
Only dust falls silently.
The story of an ordinary person, titled "Si Nian," has been completed with its last punctuation mark.
An ordinary soldier, with all the burning, precious, seemingly worthless yet weightier memories and love.
……
"Shh-!"
When Möbius awoke, he inherited all the memories of this poor, ordinary man named "Sinian".
A withered, dull, painful, and bleak life.
He absorbed the memories, having experienced the life of an ordinary person like Si Nian countless times, living like a mayfly, dying in the morning and receiving no nourishment, living a life of helplessness and meaninglessness.
But He retrieved words related to "Su Ming'an" from His memories, which then led to terms like "Source," "Demon Mother Goddess," and "Savior"...
A vast, ancient aura awakened, and Si Nian's body melted in the pool of blood, like an old photograph licked by flames. Skin, bones, fibers... everything mortal was being stripped away, transforming into a giant serpent with its own tail.
The snake's body is almost transparent, sculpted by the flow of time, with countless fragments of life flickering and flowing between its scales like an endless revolving lantern. The snake's head and tail are connected, forming a self-devouring ring, at the center of which ripples a chaotic gray mist.
The true form of Möbius, the god of reincarnation, is the "Serpent of Time," which sustains its existence through reincarnation itself.
He turned his non-human vertical pupils and first looked at the blood-stained bandages, lilacs, and yellowed photographs on the ground. They were slowly fading, a sign that the relics of the "non-existent person" were being corrected by the rules of the world.
The gray mist in the snake's eyes churned slightly before finally settling on Su Ming'an.
An ancient divine thought resounded: (Contractor Su Ming'an, I already know what you seek.)
...A contractor? Su Ming'an was stunned.
This must be the understanding that Si Nian left behind before his death, which made the dignified God of Reincarnation recognize Su Ming'an as an ally... That ordinary man was willing to die to trick "himself" so that he could help Su Ming'an after his death.
For a spoonful of dirty water to keep them alive, for a piece of moldy bread to fill their stomachs... grand concepts adorned with the names of "glory" and "ideals" fall into the mud and become naked and humble plunder.
Before the man died, there was a hint of expectation in his eyes that he himself was unaware of.
What are we looking forward to?
Perhaps they are looking forward to the day when they no longer need to fight for it.
I long for a day when children no longer have to fight tooth and nail for half a loaf of bread, lovers no longer have to say goodbye under the shadow of guns, and homes no longer have to be reduced to ashes in the name of "nobility." I long for a day when value is no longer measured by the efficiency of killing, but by the ability to create beauty.
Perhaps one day—
The scorched fields of Rovasa, once plowed by countless spells and cannon fire, now lie hidden deep in the soil, where unknown wildflower seeds lie waiting.
Waiting for the day when the gunfire completely ceases.
The countless hands that had been holding guns finally trembled as they lowered their weapons and instead gripped hoes or shovels.
The roar of impending battle was gradually dissipated by the wind. Two former enemies accidentally met eyes in the ruins, stopped in their tracks, and looked at the same purple bud struggling to peek out from the cracks in the rubble.
He seemed to "hear" the man's deep murmur.
"On that day, the wind on the grassland will once again bring the scent of earth and plants, instead of the smoke and blood. New life will bloom in the spring from the shadow of the ruins."
"We will let the song rise. Not for any god or victory. But to sing of freedom, to sing of a future without falsehood."
"Su Ming'an, I believe that day will come for you."
……
Normal world line.
The Red Pagoda stands beneath the Bell Tower.
The collapsed bell tower leans precariously, and a few beams of light leak through the cloud-covered opening, illuminating the dilapidated city wall.