War is the ultimate means by which all things are calculated.
For the masses of the world, it is cruel.
In the brutal clash of blood and fire, where life is extinguished in an instant, all grievances and grudges, love and hate, or irreconcilable conflicts of interest and clashes of position, are but kindling for the fierce flames, just like the lives that carry them. After all is said and done, only a vast expanse of white ash remains.
And for the heroes and great figures throughout history, it is the most magnificent stage, celebrated by the world.
After one decisive battle after another where the balance of power was vastly unequal, how many imperial crowns have been cast to the ground, becoming jokes nailed to the pillar of shame for the world to ridicule?
And how many overconfident small figures have been eternally recorded in the annals of history, becoming heroic epics sung by the people: he contemptuously crushes the magnificent crown he personally struck down, and then with all the blood and fire of his journey, forges a new crown for himself.
Lin Wei, as one of the protagonists of today's battle, was not favored by anyone before it all began.
His origins were unknown, his forces were isolated, his power was weak, his foundation was shallow...
Facing Overseer Otto, who had ruled the world for five hundred years, no one believed he had any hope of turning the tables.
Even those who knew him best, those who trusted him most, all thought this would be his end—a minstrel, decrying the despicable tyrant on a grand stage before being tragically executed; or an assassin, attempting a sneak attack only to be cut down by a thousand blades...
And when, in the end, he broke through the thousands of miles of obstruction with an unstoppable posture, appearing before the throne as an absolute conqueror, about to strike down the crown that had been held high for five hundred years, what would everyone think then?
A despicable villain, a shameless sneak attack?
Or perhaps, the victor is king, the loser is a bandit?
No one knew, because at this final moment, a "small figure" previously overlooked by everyone, stood up with her frail, weak chest, and brought this "hero's tale" to a tragic but inglorious halt, ending it abruptly.
At the beginning of the story, Anna was in despair because her hero was about to be killed by her leader. And she was powerless to stop it, only able to resist fiercely and futilely, determined to die with him.
At the end of the story, Anna was in pain because her leader was about to be killed by her hero. And his crown was too heavy, carrying the future and fate of all humanity. She couldn't just watch as it was so easily shattered on the ground, leaving all of humanity without a guide and without hope of salvation...
And so, in that second, the Valkyrie "Schariac," for the sake of this overly heavy mission, had to shield her hero's blade with her own fragile chest.
And so, in that second, she betrayed her hero and personally killed the self named "Anna"...
"Captain, why... I don't know how to choose, everything is wrong!"
The moment she pulled the trigger, she clearly heard the echo of her own heart shattering, just like when she had broken off half of her precious "Heart of the Ocean" and handed it to Lin Wei—
"...Ugh."
And so, her sacrifice earned Lin Wei's pity, and even more unrestrained mockery for the man she protected.
"Hahahaha! Overseer Otto's methods are truly brilliant! I am thoroughly impressed!"
Yes, I am not so despicable as to use everything and everyone without a second thought. Even though I also claim to be "unscrupulous," I still hold a special regard for, and protect, the beautiful yet fragile parts of human nature.
I am unwilling to betray myself, to let the darkness in my heart completely devour my soul and become a deep, bottomless black hole. And so, I am somewhat restrained, unable to fully unleash myself. This has put me in a somewhat passive position in my confrontation with you.
But, so what?
I look down on you, and that's that!
You have such ability, such scheming, such methods. Why didn't I see you use them five hundred years ago?
When your beloved, the one you cherished, went astray, you were as pathetic and cowardly as a clown. And five hundred years after everything was lost, you use this unparalleled ability to persecute other innocent people?
Hahaha, Otto! Anyone in the world has the right to spit on the absurdity and injustice of this world, but you, you alone do not have that right!
Because your existence, your actions, are the absurdity and injustice of this world itself!
Do you see?
Anna, the one you hurt, the one you used, the one you looked down on, is now the greatest hero who saved your pathetic life!
Now, I'm giving her back to you. With Durandal, Fu Hua, and Rita as witnesses, do you still dare to treat her as you did before?
Your strength lies in their support, their willingness to fight for you. And your weakness lies in your dependence on that support.
Without their trust and support, you are... NOTHING... before me!
So, from today on, you'd better tuck your tail between your legs and behave!
Kicking Otto to the ground, Lin Wei had never felt so exhilarated. He ignored the timely arrival of Durandal and the Otto she rescued, not even glancing at Fu Hua and the Anna in her arms. He just laughed as he retreated, flying toward the top of the Second Divine Key.
"In that case, I'll be taking the spoils of war!"
"Stop him!" Otto ordered Durandal as he crawled out of the crater, unable to accept the loss of the Second Divine Key.
"He's at the end of his rope! Take him down!"
Similarly, he still hadn't given up on the Herrscher of Corrosion.
Though he thought he had given Lin Wei enough importance, deploying all his available forces except for awakening Li Sushang, the result was still a complete mess.
As for Theresa... what a joke!
His naive, ignorant granddaughter? If he had brought her here, Lin Wei could have turned her against him with just a few words!
In fact, even if Lin Wei had gotten close, he wasn't without a fighting chance. The highly purified Schariac holy blood flowed slowly beneath his Soulium muscles. Against Lin Wei, who dared to borrow the power of a Herrscher, the outcome was still uncertain.
But that result would likely be mutual destruction, which he also couldn't accept.
And that tragic result was something Lin Wei couldn't accept either, so the current outcome was just right.
He didn't know if the holy blood Otto had "previously" used to threaten the Herrscher of the Void was a threat to him, but he was also worried that Otto would pull out his trump card at a critical moment—the true "Key of Blankness" embedded with the Gem of Haste—and give him a surprise.
That thing was a real danger that could lead to mutual destruction!
So, with things at a boiling point, it was best to quit while he was ahead!
"Yes!"
Hearing Otto's command, Durandal turned and chased after Lin Wei.
At this moment, the little ELF Kevin she had shaken off had also caught up. But instead of blocking Durandal again, it stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Lin Wei on the massive top of the "locomotive," its small stature not even reaching his thigh.
Its small blue eyes glanced at her indifferently, then it inverted its flaming greatsword and plunged it into a crack below, as if to completely destroy this miraculous Divine Key!
"Stop!"
Durandal became anxious, wanting to prevent this from happening. The next second, Lin Wei, still crackling with lightning, blocked her path.
"Durandal, take another one of my moves!"
Lin Wei laughed, the corrosive virus fading from his blade as he swung the slash he hadn't had a chance to deliver before with all his might.
This was the power of a true Herrscher of Thunder's strike. Even Durandal couldn't ignore it.
The golden-armored, sun-bright, blonde girl projected her supreme star lance, its aura flaring, and clashed head-on with the lightning-wreathed slash!
BOOM!
Thunder and fire clashed, neither giving way, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing.
Durandal was violently knocked back, flipping in mid-air before charging forward again, seemingly unharmed.
In contrast, Lin Wei, who was also sent flying, was in a much more miserable state. His black armor shattered, and the Herrscher-like power vanished with it.
"This ends now!" Durandal shouted, reaching for him, ready to defeat the final puppet and put an end to this bizarre battle.
"Heh, I don't think so!"
Lin Wei, battered and bruised by Durandal's strike, chuckled. Though he had lost the ability to fight back, he had no intention of sitting idly by.
The next second, Yae Sakura appeared in front of him again, and Durandal prepared to face a powerful enemy once more.
But this time, Yae Sakura didn't even look at her. She just drew her blade and swung it in an unremarkable slash at the empty space before her.
A silent thunder, a formless universe!
With that slash, in the next instant, in Durandal's eyes, the two who were right in front of her seemed to vanish into thin air!
She spun around abruptly. Lin Wei was somehow standing on top of the "locomotive" again, looking at her from afar with a victor's smile.
"Farewell!"
With the moment bought by Lin Wei's full-power strike, the ELF Kevin finally channeled its power through the tip of its sword into the core of the Second Divine Key.
A thunderous roar erupted, and the whole world seemed to shatter, as if to sink itself and everything around it into a mysterious world.
The Second Divine Key pierced the world barrier, and the ripples it created engulfed everything and everyone within a hundred-meter radius.
And after completing this most important task, the ELF Kevin gathered its remaining energy and rose to fight Durandal once more in this strange, shattering, and silent world.
"Not good!"
Fu Hua reacted quickly, taking the unconscious Anna and rapidly leaving the dangerous, collapsing area to avoid being caught in the aftermath.
Rita did the same, giving a deep look at Yuno, who was still clinging to her, before quickly retreating.
Yuno shot Rita a victorious glance, then looked toward the half-sunken locomotive. She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and dove back into the desert sands.
Behave, don't cause him any more trouble, Yuno told herself, trying to soothe her still-furious heart. She was still unwilling to accept this "near-miss" ending.
"After him!"
Otto, from a distance, naturally saw this and sneered, giving the order. He had always been one to hunt his enemies to the very end.
But at that moment, no one paid him any attention. The atmosphere became awkward.
Fu Hua still held Anna, her eyes fixed on Otto. Though she said nothing, the warning to "know when to stop" was clear.
Rita was now by her side, pulling a clean handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiping the mess from Anna's face, as if she hadn't heard Otto's command.
Only after she had completely cleaned Anna's face did she seem to belatedly react, responding seriously with a "Yes, sir." She then picked up her scythe and chased after the direction Yuno had disappeared in with a serious expression.
But as the only fourth-generation Godsbane battlesuit without flight capabilities, how could Argent Knight: Artemis possibly catch up on foot?
"..."
Otto was silent for a moment. He understood his capable assistant's silent protest. Though he seemed unharmed, today's battle had come at a very painful price.
In the distance, a dazzling bolt of lightning shot from Lin Wei's hand, flying toward the horizon. Further away, a vine burst from the ground, caught the bolt of lightning, and then disappeared again.
Otto watched this silently, then turned his gaze to where Lin Wei had vanished, remaining silent for a long time.
"You won..."
Though strictly speaking, he could say he had achieved victory—he had successfully banished Lin Wei into the Sea of Quanta, as he had originally planned.
But the final result was a mess, a mutual loss.
His original plan was to banish the Herrscher of Corrosion to the unfathomable depths of the Sea of Quanta, to let it be completely lost there. But now, Lin Wei had actively jumped into the Sea of Quanta.
Though it was still unfathomably deep and dangerous, it was only the shallow region adjacent to the Eigenworld, with the risk of returning at any time.
Knowing Lin Wei's methods, it was impossible that he was unprepared for this.
This meant that this time, he had truly hidden himself in the shadows, out of his sight. He was not in this world, yet he was like a poisonous snake lurking just outside it, watching him with predatory eyes. This also meant that from this day on, the roles of hunter and hunted between him and Lin Wei had been reversed...
The tangible battle was a mutual loss. But what about the intangible one?
Otto looked deeply at the sleeping Anna in Fu Hua's arms. He thought of the dissatisfaction he had caused in Fu Hua, Rita, and even Durandal by his single-mindedness, and couldn't help but let out a silent, helpless, bitter laugh.
He muttered to himself, "You won..."
.......
Original Author's Note:
This volume is pretty much at its end here.
In a way, it's an extension and conclusion of the second volume. The entire story of the second volume was meant to converge on this battle today...
You could even say that the entire "second chapter" of the story ends here.
Actually, to be serious,
When I was planning this part of the story, I thought about ending the book at the end of this volume.
And then treating the Sea of Quanta plot as a side story.
Even now, that thought still lingers in my mind...
I'll just keep writing and see.
Anyway, I have some interesting ideas for the Sea of Quanta arc, and it would be a shame not to continue writing them.
For example, "the inevitable confrontation with Kevin."
For example, the "hell-level idea" of "having Bronya personally stuff Seele back into the Sea of Quanta."
Or, the idea that suddenly popped into my head a few days ago, of having Vita make a chaotic entrance, but I haven't figured out how to handle that yet.
Or, ideas like "what would happen if Dark Seele and White Seele were placed in separate environments and interacted with Lin Wei independently"...
Anyway, I'll just write and see.
If I can really write until the return to the Eigenworld, then that will probably be when I truly "connect to the main storyline and officially bring Kiana and the others into the book's plot..."