---o---
[After your initial negotiation with Elysia, you have essentially confirmed her objective.]
[If Fu Li's love is for the Thirteen Flame-Chasers and those close to him, then Elysia's love is for all of remaining humanity.]
[It is precisely because of this that your positions are in opposition.]
[However, you both have a tacit understanding not to tell anyone about the confrontation that night.]
[It should be… like that, right?]
---o---
"Aaargh, that woman Elysia, how could she be so ruthless?"
Staring at the damaged Second Divine Key, Fu Li ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
The moment Elysia's crystal dagger had pierced the Divine Key's interior, it had used a cascade of energy reflections to destroy nearly all the internal circuits.
Repairing it would be no less difficult than building a new one from scratch.
Even with the blueprints, it would take at least two months to fix.
Just then, a pair of hands reached out from behind Fu Li, and something heavy and soft pressed down on top of his head.
"Father? What's wrong? Is something troubling you?"
"Ni-Nia-jie?! What are you doing?!"
Realizing what was on his head, Fu Li's body went rigid, and he hastily broke free from the embrace from behind.
What just happened?
What was that? Why was it so big?
Fu Li's mind was thrown into temporary chaos, while Aponia's expression was somewhat hurt.
"Father, have even you begun to fear my touch?"
"That's not it." The blush fading from his face, Fu Li waved his hands in a fluster. "It's just… that gesture just now was a little too intimate."
That sensation was too heavy for him to handle.
"Mm… is that so?" Seeing Fu Li blush, Aponia chuckled inwardly and said:
"I just saw that you seemed overly exhausted, Father. You've been working for so long. Did something happen?"
"Sigh, don't mention it. The Divine Key is broken, and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it." The mere mention of the Divine Key gave Fu Li a headache.
He had previously thought he would only need to use it twice, so he hadn't prepared any spare precision components like chips. Now he was in an awkward position.
Fortunately, Elysia would never guess that he still had other means.
"Is that so?" Aponia's expression was one of realization. "Was it Elysia who broke it?"
"Hmm?" Fu Li looked up, a similar flash of understanding in his own eyes.
"Elysia, she… showed you her notice?"
"That's right. She said she will die in ten days. She will offer herself as a sacrifice in exchange for a new future."
Aponia shook her head. "I do not believe Elysia can achieve that, because the trajectory of her fate does not disappear ten days from now."
No, in fact, she succeeded, Fu Li thought to himself.
However, there were too many mysteries surrounding her. One could only guess. Even her abilities had never been fully analyzed.
But one thing was certain: Elysia stood above fate, or was an existence equal to it.
Fu Li didn't say these things out loud, but an undeniable trace of weariness and confusion appeared in his eyes.
"Father."
Suddenly, Aponia sat down on the sofa and patted her fair, supple thigh.
"May I [please] ask you to lie here and rest properly?"
No way, I still have work to do.
Fu Li was about to refuse, but in the next second, he realized something was wrong.
His body had begun to move against his will, drawing uncontrollably closer to Aponia.
Until his head came to rest on something soft.
"Nia-jie, what are you do—"
A pair of hands covered his eyes, shrouding his vision in darkness.
In the blackness, he could feel a warm breath caress his face.
For some reason, although it was somewhat forceful, he felt a sense of enjoyment and peace.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but you haven't slept in days. So, [please] get some proper sleep, Father."
But my work isn't finished!
Fu Li tried to mobilize the mental power of Mayuri to resist, but the accumulated exhaustion in his body suddenly surged up, swallowing him like a tidal wave.
"Good night, Li."
In the haze of his fading consciousness, Fu Li seemed to hear Aponia call out his name.
---o---
[You slept.]
[When you woke up the next day, you found that Aponia was gone, and you were lying in your own bed.]
[You feel refreshed and clear-headed. Your previously somewhat obsessive mind has cleared for a moment.]
[You realize that the encounter that night was likely a trap set by Elysia, with the aim of preventing you from using your final trump card.]
[Over the next few days, you return the Gem of the Void to Vill-V, allowing her to reinstall it into the Thousand-Worlds.]
[Meanwhile, you silently wait for Elysia's Herrscher transformation.]
[Eight days later, at the exact same point in time, ten minutes before Elysia is about to become a Herrscher, you use the Tarot Card—Wheel of Fortune.]
[This time, however, something unexpected occurs.]
---o---
White. It was an endless expanse of white.
The moment Fu Li opened his eyes, the confrontational atmosphere from just a moment ago vanished. Here, even time seemed to have lost all meaning.
Fu Li's heart suddenly began to pound violently. He remembered what this space was.
This was God's space.
When you toy with fate, fate is also watching you.
And fate, it seemed, was a domain that only God could control. In other words, fate was a part of God.
So that was what the warning meant.
The instant Fu Li understood this, the white mist before him quietly dissipated, revealing a pure white figure seated upon a throne.
The moment their eyes met, the pure white figure slowly transformed, taking on his exact appearance.
Behind Fu Li, the Ruoli Jian quietly formed.
Although an unspeakable fear still filled his heart, since he was meeting God for the first time, what was the harm in swinging his sword at it?
[You may, strike at me.] God permitted.
No words were spoken, yet Fu Li understood God's meaning.
"In that case, pardon the offense."
He had once brandished his sword against the Herrscher of the End; today, he would also brandish his sword against God.
However, when the tip of his blade was just one centimeter from God's head, Fu Li's figure froze in mid-air.
A pure white finger touched the space between his eyebrows.
A gem that was permanently lost for being [fooled] was recovered and fused into Fu Li's body.
The thoughts of 2997 people accumulated over three lifetimes, the pain of 2997 people, the despair of 2997 people, and the thoughts of God itself flooded his mind.
Just as Fu Li's consciousness was about to be devoured, memories of the past flashed through his mind.
The intimacy with Mobius, performing on stage with Eden, the mutual support with Aponia.
Recalling all these moments, Fu Li finally managed to reclaim a sliver of his sanity. Though his body remained immobile, he stared fixedly at God, projecting his consciousness.
"Tell me, does a god also bleed?"