CHAPTER 1037: CHAPTER 1034: YOU WIN, HUMANITY LOSES

"You—" Mizushima Kawa Sora’s pupils constricted.

She clearly aimed this blade at Su Ming’an’s shoulder, but at the last moment—Bivis used a talisman, causing her blade to deviate a bit, stabbing into Su Ming’an’s heart.

Su Ming’an gripped the blade with both hands, the torrential rain washing over his trembling fingers, thin streams of blood flowing out from his fingertips.

"The heavy rain has already fallen, the resurrection of the Exotic Species King cannot be avoided. He should atone for his sins." Bivis’ face bore an almost indifferent expression: "Goddess. Since we know he can restart, the best solution is to let him die and restart over and over again. Only when he starts to fear death can we defeat him."

...The body cannot be obliterated, but what about the spirit? For someone who cannot die, the best solution is to destroy his will.

Mizushima Kawa Sora looked at the bloodstained blade in her hand, a few drops of blood splattered on the back of her hand. Even though it was at a normal temperature, it felt like she was burned by lava. She unexpectedly started to feel afraid. Although she had imagined Su Ming’an’s death in her heart, it was the first time actually witnessing it.

He is no longer invincible, his pupils can still lose focus... He indeed can die.

Su Ming’an’s grip on the blade slowly loosened.

In the rainstorm, everything seemed exceptionally bleak. His eyelids slowly closed into a line—within that narrow line of sight, the crystal crown on Mizushima Kawa Sora’s head was so dazzling, its many facets refracting light, like a bright star in a dim universe.

Behind her was a pair of snow-white wings. Even though the rain washed over, the wings would not be stained by the raindrops.

God granted her angelic power, so she truly became an "angel." By being obedient, she could become this strong without any sacrifice, able to almost rival him who struggle hard to reach this point. Even if he restarts, it’s tough to defeat her and Bivis and others joined forces. They have already blocked his restart point.

Once, he thought the "Dead Loop" forged by Mizushima Haru was already the extreme point of despair. Now he discovers that such a desperate situation of a blocked restart point cannot compare to now. The current "Dead Loop" he faces is practically one after another, breaking one leads to the next.

The blade carried a deep black energy, spreading over his body, he saw fine black tendrils start to grow from his chest—this is... Black Mist Disease.

The blade of Mizushima Kawa Sora carried Black Mist Disease.

Why her blade would have...

"This is the consequence of being caught in the rain." The voice of the deity echoed across the land: "Once history is awakened, Pandora’s box is opened, as with Black Mist Disease."

No.

Su Ming’an opened his mouth, black blood flowed from the corners.

...The special medicine is used to heal Black Mist Disease. Saying it this way is inverting causality. You want... to make people afraid of the rain.

The rain has already fallen, but as long as people don’t get caught in it, it won’t take effect.

Even, the Black Mist Disease is likely controlled by the deity. As long as the deity now intensifies all patients’ symptoms, they will truly believe it.

"It’s... her... blade... has Black Mist Disease..." Su Ming’an’s voice was too small, almost inaudible. Compared to the deity’s proclamation echoing throughout the world, his voice was so light only Mizushima Kawa Sora could hear it.

"—You are not the Old God, you are the Demon King from the millennia-old myth, you want to collude with the Exotic Species King, which is why you insist on awakening it. I can already feel the stirring from the depths of the Black Mist, the exotic species are awakening." The deity said.

...No.

Su Ming’an’s hand slowly raised, his palm already cut open, a deep wound that exposed bone stretched across his fingers.

...You are defaming me, deity. I am the Old God, not some Demon King. I insist on awakening history because... I have seen deeper and more terrifying despair. It is invisible, buried deep within time, concealed... into the bones of despair.

"I am not... the Demon King... I am... the Old..." Su Ming’an’s hand couldn’t cover the large hole in his chest, where the bone-chilling wind rushed in.

"—You are the Demon King, Su Ming’an. The will of the Exotic Species King is about to descend upon the earth. All because of your actions." The deity interrupted him, their voice as cold as judgment.

The reporters on the ground broadcasted this scene to the entire world. Yamada Machiichi and the others found it hard to get there, the Holy City was too far away.

Mizushima Kawa Sora watched silently.

For a moment, she thought his pupils were losing focus, even though Chao Yan’s shared life imprint had been trying to save his ebbing life, it was now gradually failing. Various tiny tendrils crawled out from his body, his chest, palms, and cheeks, all shrouded in a layer of swirling black mist.

—He really looked like the "Demon King" from the myth.

"Goddess, don’t let him die." The deity said.

Mizushima Kawa Sora took out a piece of wood plaque, which belonged to her Immortal’s Talisman—[Repair].

Making Su Ming’an die repeatedly to drive him insane might be a method. But Su Ming’an’s actions during the ten cycles had already proven his mental state was too resilient. Now that he is on the brink of death, he can be controlled directly, as long as he maintains a basic survival state.

Starry glimmers ignited on the wooden plaque, piercing his hollow chest, mending the broken large hole. Clearly, it was a warm healing glow, yet it made people feel cold all over.

Once the light of the Immortal’s Talisman faded, Mizushima Kawa Sora’s face was also pale. Using the Immortal’s Talisman plunged her into an instant state of overexertion.

The heavy rain poured around, under these circumstances it felt like everything had gone silent. As if the entire universe’s quietness gathered here. Su Ming’an lowered his eyelids, hearing a series of, a series of, a series of singing.

It was the singing that praised the Old God from all over the world. Since he bore the name of the Old God, he could always hear people’s prayers around the world.

"You will illuminate life with light, bring peace and harmony forever."

"For generations, for eternity. For generations, for eternity..."

However, these songs were too far from him. The sound of rain became a cold shell, heavy, suffocating. As if the world’s pain had descended upon his body. Those voices... became increasingly clear around his ears—

"So, getting caught in the rain would trigger the Black Mist Disease? The deity said so."

"But I recall memories from decades ago... I originally had a family..."

"Noel—Noel!!"

"The support from the Holy City has arrived, we need to retreat, otherwise, there will be heavy casualties!"

"That way, the rain will be stopped!"

"What Demon King—the Old God is our God! He is not a Demon King—not—"

"The deity is judging the Demon King! Kill the Demon King—kill the Demon King!!"

In the dim view, his gaze was limited to the deity in front. He couldn’t see those distant figures, and they couldn’t help him.

White hair drifted in the rain, like rustling willow catkins, the deity approached him.

"Regarding you, I feel fear." The deity said: "Therefore, there will likely be no next cycle."

The deity abandoned the mindset of a game player, no longer intending to start another cycle, and would no longer give Su Ming’an a chance to come back, putting an end to the world-wide restart.

Mizushima Kawa Sora’s "Repair" talisman would pull Su Ming’an back from the brink of death, stopping his personal restart. The timeline would not reverse again, nor would it cover anyone’s memory. The current outcome would become the eternal conclusion.

In this way—

[Checkmate].

"After washing away your memory, let us meet for the first time as ’God’ and ’Angel’." The deity said: "Goddess, proceed."

Mizushima Kawa Sora stepped forward silently. There was no smile on her face, as this war, the victory had nothing to do with her. She was merely a blade—a black blade manipulated by the deity’s words, indirectly killing for the deity.

Gloom sank into her brows and eyes, even the crystal crown could not illuminate the shadows in her eyes. She hesitated for a few seconds.

"So... it’s really the first time?" she whispered.

He couldn’t escape, nor could he start over, so this could only be the first time.

Su Ming’an did not answer her. His gaze was unfocused; perhaps he was subconsciously shielding himself from his pain. This pain was daunting even for those who merely observed.

"Hurry up, end all this sooner." Xue Qixia, covered in blood, crawled up.

"Isn’t it too cruel..." Qingniao slightly furrowed her brows, looking at the scene with a bit of unwillingness.

Bivis crossed both hands over his chest, fiddling with the new ruby adorning his chest.

The figure of Lv Shu had already frozen; he understood why the version of himself in the destiny cinema kept swinging his blade under the bridge, with no longer any light in his eyes. Because he couldn’t manage, he couldn’t do anything, even at this moment, he could only watch.

Su Ming’an’s enemies were becoming increasingly terrifying. Others could no longer keep up.

Mizushima Kawa Sora sighed slightly. In her hand, a white holy sword engraved with angelic patterns had replaced the previous one. This is the holy sword bestowed upon her by the deity, said to directly attack a person’s spirit, much like a SAN value attack. This is also, apart from Su Ming’an’s Judgment, the second prop in the World Game capable of directly reducing SAN value. She hadn’t used it before because it felt inappropriate, but now she had to.

Pierce him, obliterate his spiritual defenses, allowing the deity to erase his memories. This is what she must do now.

—Because she is the "Goddess," and he is the "Old God"... No, he is the "Demon King" that the deity predicts will bring calamity.

As she gradually raised the sword tip, pointing towards his shoulder. His voice came:

"Mizushima Kawa Sora."

Don’t point the tip of the sword at the wrong target.

She stepped forward, the sword tip aimed ahead.

"Stand down." He said.

Don’t aim the spearhead at the wrong person.

Her blade lifted upwards.

"Your sister... wouldn’t want... you to do this." He dared not speak the unspoken words—Mizushima Haru was already dead, her ideals perished in a place unseen by anyone, only his memory serves as a simple gravestone. Yet he cannot speak of it, neither his aspirations nor Mizushima Haru’s aspirations can be spoken... because these are buried in a past known only to him.

So even if he mentioned his sister, Mizushima Kawa Sora could not understand.

If Mizushima Kawa Sora pierced him, and his spiritual defenses were shattered, the deity would instantly erase his memories. Everything would be over.

So, don’t do this.

Don’t do this.

We were never enemies. And there’s a possibility... perhaps travelers gazing at each other across the sea.

Don’t point fingers at the wrong enemy.

"I also... don’t want to say that sentence again." He said.

The blade still moved forward.

"Mizushima Kawa Sora." He called out once more.

The woman did not stop.

"Stop."

The sword tip raised upwards.

Her pupils also reflected the sword’s light.

His pupils also reflected the sword’s light.

The same black hair, the same black eyes, bathed in the same swordlight.

This so easily reminded one of that downpour, the same torrential rain. The youth in desperation lay in the rain, as blood and water slowly converged, and the figure of Boss Rabbit stood tall in the distance.

Back then the girl’s ruby pendant emitted light, now the woman’s crystal crown radiated a similar glow. The distant light and the light close by converged into the gaze within the eyes of the youth.

The youth gazed at this holy, pure white, beautiful holy sword—thus said—

"...You won."

Humanity lost.

So those were also the same words.

As if recalling the same history.

As if reenacting the same conclusion.

"Screech—"

The sound of the blade piercing flesh resonated.

As if some solid iron curtain shattered, as if a soul got pierced by the sound.

Transparent water mixed with red rain, inch by inch sinking.

That was an exceedingly brilliant crimson, refracting a magnificent sword light, refracted between their similarly dark eyes.

Su Ming’an’s form fell backward, Mizushima Kawa Sora’s form leaned forward. Her blade pierced through the flesh.

Raindrops fell between them.

Yet Su Ming’an’s eyes widened, Mizushima Kawa Sora’s holy sword did not pierce his body, but another person.

A figure, suddenly appeared between them. She seemed to want to pull Su Ming’an away from Mizushima Kawa Sora, yet could no longer extend her hand at all, the holy sword pierced through her right chest, nearly nailing her to the sky.

"Plop."

The rabbit bracelet rolled to the ground, gradually collecting dust.

Mizushima Kawa Sora had anticipated, that someone might come to rescue Su Ming’an.

Su Ming’an also thought, maybe Chao Yan would come to rescue him. After all, there was a life-sharing mark between them. Ten loops... each time he faced the brink, it was always Chao Yan who came to save him.

If Chao Yan couldn’t make it, perhaps it would be Xiao Jingsan who would come to save him. Although Xiao Jingsan often looked disdainful, each time Su Ming’an was controlled by the deity, Xiao Jingsan would fall into hell with him.

Or perhaps Li Mingyue. Maybe Li Mingyue could break free from control and save Su Ming’an.

A smaller possibility, maybe Noel, Su Rin, Yamada Machiichi, or Lu... perhaps a miracle really occurred, and they traversed a vast distance, instantly arriving by his side. They had traveled together for so long, such a moving redemption was not impossible.

However, he never thought that.

... Standing before him now was someone he barely had any impression of.

Her horned braids drooped in the heavy rain, like flowers about to wilt. She stood blocking in front of Su Ming’an with open arms, the tip of the holy sword peeked out at her chest.