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Chapter 418 - 415·TE·Heavenly Dream (Part Two)

Chapter 418: Chapter 415·TE·Heavenly Dream (Part Two)

Existing only in legend, the city of treasures within the clouds collapsed.

The moment Su Rin became a Player, he lost control over Yun Shang City.

With the deities’ departure, the city that merged with the deities also lost its reason for existence.

In that instant, endless soldiers dissipated, the armored figures shattered into golden fragments, the grand, holy cathedral was abruptly crushed by the long river of time, its decayed bricks and tiles revealed.

Everything was vanishing.

On Su Rin’s chest, the red rose pulsed like flames; he was forcibly being pulled away from this world.

His gaze remained fixed on the land below.

His eyes reflected a sense of shock.

Scenes from days past— the princess’s tears, a colleague’s farewell, the girl who saw him off by the creek... these images flitted before his eyes like old photographs.

Snow climbed his brows as the unavoidable teleportation light cast long shadows across his face.

Suddenly, he closed his eyes.

"I love you all," he whispered softly.

Snow grazed his youthful features, the cold wind howled, and his long shirt fluttered up and down.

"More than anyone... ever could,"

he said.

Teleportation light enveloped him, like a dreamlike mist; this place seemed like an amber encased by the world.

He had suffered immensely, and he had known despair.

Those who had ascended the city with him, including his deputy, the always laughing bald Ge Li, were poisoned to death before his eyes.

Their agonized looks, their moans, their wails before death—he still remembered them all.

Yet he had to step over their bodies, carrying the malice they harbored in their final moments, becoming the immortal deity of Pulaya.

—He traded lies for the sincere faith of the people, to sustain the badly scarred tribe.

Actually, he also wished that Pulaya shouldn’t be like this.

Soul Hunts shouldn’t die meaninglessly in war; the Soul Clan shouldn’t have to live their lives in crevices; innocent citizens shouldn’t have to live in fear at night or suddenly freeze to death on some cold evening.

He truly hoped that this land would hold more than just pain.

He truly hoped that what he carried was more than just the scars brought by the deaths of his brethren.

He truly hoped that here, love and emotions wouldn’t be distorted, and that romance and tenderness could be embraced.

Yet it was he, who loved this land the most, who personally harmed it.

He could no longer escape the position he was in, enduring the self that was tainted with sin and blood, hating himself as if hating decay.

He could not forget everything about this land, even the rotting roots buried in the soil, the ugly branches flailing aimlessly...

He hoped that one day, perhaps even under the nurturing of blood and fire, they could bloom into beautiful flowers.

However, he wasn’t Vandilun singing in front of the cathedral; he was but a burning white dove, struggling valiantly despite being wrapped in fire, displaying humanity’s frail and pathetic side.

Vandilun’s body was confined to the earth, and his soul ascended to Heaven, dying disheartened.

But Su Rin felt Vandilun was fortunate,

because to him,

the true Heaven wasn’t this city enshrouded in cloud where no one dwelt, nor the splendid and lonely cathedral of the gods,

but clearly the earth that Vandilun despised so.

...It was that warm land he loved,

—A place with people, with love, that is the true "Heaven."

Yet he himself was trapped in a Hell in the sky, becoming the Demon King who sent others to their deaths.

Even one who fought for the many shouldn’t necessarily receive everyone’s approval.

He knew this.

This was the sin from which he could not escape, having watched so many people die.

So,

if the final outcome was still to depart, to fail, if the barrier was to break...

he deemed it a fitting end for someone who, as a mere human, dared to contend with natural disasters and destiny.

"Su Rin—"

With his eyes closed, Su Rin suddenly heard the voice of an Otherworld traveler.

He opened his eyes and saw Su Ming’an, who was falling alongside him, shouting at him.

In the icy, bone-chilling blizzard, the young man who looked just like him had an almost vivid color in his eyes.

Even as they were plummeting at high speed, that voice was incredibly piercing, cutting through the fine snow toward him and stabbing into his ear in an instant.

"Su Rin, I promise you—" the young man named Su Ming’an yelled:

"The barrier here won’t collapse. I won’t let this place be destroyed!"

"The wisdom of humanity is endless, I have never dared to underestimate it—we will eventually find a way, one that needs neither malice nor hatred—to establish a barrier strong enough to protect this place!"

Su Ming’an’s voice was loud.

He knew that before the disaster, the Brave had completed his mission, and the Knight had drawn away the eagerly watching sea monsters.

From now on, there would be no Cloud City or so-called deities.

The fate of the people could be in their own hands; they could fight and struggle with swords and shields, knives and guns to welcome the peace and victory they deserved and to protect the land and people they loved.

Bitter hatred ingrained into their bones, ideals passed down through generations, and the origins of history shouldn’t become shackles to their reason.

They needn’t live within the lies of those above them, nor in brainwashing stories, to become NPC-like standardized characters, to be commemorated with statues and names, to become sacrificial heroes—becoming a microcosm on this land.

They have the right to control their own destiny, to decide their own emotions through self-reflection—to achieve independent and free souls.

They can freely choose whether or not to become the "eternal testament" sacrificed for the greater good.

Even though, after Cloud City falls, the legend of Pulaya’s treasure will shatter, they, who have already developed maritime trade routes, no longer rely on this so-called legend.

Enough Resource Stones can help stabilize the barrier.

Su Ming’an would not intervene in the struggle between the two races; to him, they were indistinguishable.

Without the influence of a controlling hand, they could bring an end to this eternal and hopeless struggle.

...

Soon to become a player and leave this place entirely, Su Rin listened to Su Ming’an’s words and let out a faint smile.

It was a smile filled with a complex sense of approval and regret.

"If you can do it," he said, "then go. Traveler of the Otherworld."

He was falling through the firmament.

"Young Princess Sofia," he bowed his head, speaking to someone unknown, "good night."

...

[And no matter what—]

[I love you all.]

[I love this—gloriously radiant Heaven.]

...

Cloud City scattered into specks of stardust before Su Ming’an’s eyes.

The cathedral that bore history shattered into fragments that reflected images.

In those fragments, he saw many figures.

...A spirited young Captain against the backdrop of a blood-red airship at sunset.

...The young and vibrant Soul Hunters with shining medals.

...In the Eastern District, on Thirteenth Street, a black-haired girl carefully placing a newly blossomed white daisy into the bottle’s neck. A sewing machine covered in dust, with vibrant fabrics spread out.

...The city of the Soul Clan, a youth with a white mask, overlooking these lands indistinguishable from human cities.

...A young Soul Hunter about to head to the frontlines, smiling as he bids farewell to his mother.

...A youth wearing the Evil Ghost Mask, carrying an unconscious girl into the darkness, his shadow elongating.

...Below the city walls, a woman cradling flatbread, a corner of a redwood box peeking from her hand.

...In the Yate Empire, the undying gem, a gentle girl holding a Vandilun anthology, her sad smile revealed.

...The proud and dignified, gold-haired Princess who loved Pulaya more than herself, silently averting her gaze.

...An old lady with white hair, kissing old photographs, no longer waiting for the day, like a young girl newly fallen in love.

And then there was...

...The Knight of Light with eyes like firefly glimmers, rowing a night boat, holding a stick of marsh grass.

Among the flickering lights, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Captain."

He laughed, uttering this unique address that only he used.

...

At this moment,

Ming’an saw the brilliant lives of generations of people.

Joy and sorrows, separations and reunions, the rise and fall of fortunes, converged into scenes of human life that flitted across his field of vision.

He fell through the snowstorm.

White fragments of memory passed gradually before his eyes, then disappeared.

As the last fragment brushed past his cheek, Ming’an seemed to feel something.

He turned his head and saw, within a memory fragment, a fiery red figure.

—And then his gaze collided directly with the girl’s eyes.

Pure white light caressed the girl’s fiery red hair, turning into a radiant splendor amidst the icy winds filled with snow.

With shattered snowflakes all around, she opened her arms, her red hair floating like flames.

She seemed to be smiling in this direction, her eyes as clear and bright as the sea and sky.

"Please you..."

"... always, always remember me."

The fragment shattered.

"Shuala—"

The thick, cloud-like crows appeared in mid-air, catching the four people who were falling.

Ming’an, covered in blood, fell into the soft feathers, and Feya’s body emitted a furnace-like heat that began to thaw his frozen-stiff body.

"Be careful, don’t move, you’d die with just a touch because of the blood loss," Lin Yin grumbled as she clutched Feya’s feathers, struggling to climb over. She was disheveled, her body covered with fine cuts from the cold wind, but she seemed indifferent to these wounds, quickly pressing down on Ming’an’s backhand.

A pale halo of light emerged.

His nearly depleted health bar began to slowly rise.

Ming’an, having caught his breath, sat up and turned his head to see Yun Shang City falling like a shattered mirror below them.

The floating white Holy City slowly descended, its fragments carried away with the wind, colliding and merging and splintering against the vast skyline—as if a fantastical dream was unfolding before their eyes.

"It’s over," said Noel, who had lost one of his right hands as he sat beside him.

The cold wind lifted his golden hair, and in his eyes was the explorer’s desire to delve into stories.

The sea monster’s contamination had completely faded from his face.

He had successfully witnessed the end of this instance.

"Yes, it’s over," Lv Shu said as he wiped the blood from his face, a deep sword wound visible on the back of his hand.

"After it ends, let’s go celebrate your birthday together," Noel turned around and said to Ming’an, "Hot springs, comic exhibitions, Wishing Pond, theme parks, natural scenery... anything is fine. You’ve been too tired these twelve days. Take a break before embracing the peak challenge of the Eighth World."

"Yeah, I can go too," Lv Shu added.

"We do need a rest," Lin Yin said. "Lv Shu and I have been watching these days; you’ve practically led the whole instance. You’ve been too exhausted. And you’re even more than two years younger than me, yet you know how to have fun like this... It’s time we took responsibility to entertain you; no refusing allowed."

Ming’an was slightly stunned.

His vision was a bit blurry, a side effect of low health, making it impossible to see the faces of the people around him clearly.

But he thought they probably weren’t smiling, and there likely wasn’t any excessive emotion either.

They were different from other people,

different from those with ulterior motives who wanted to celebrate his birthday,

these few people beside him seemed to genuinely want to make him happy and were willing to waste time with him, going somewhere to play.

"Then let’s," he said, "play for a day."

He still couldn’t see their faces clearly.

But he thought that this group was probably smiling.

Because he could already hear the happy laughter of this group resonating in his ears.

He raised his head.

A gold meteor streaked across the vast azure sky.

Under the glow of the blood-red sunset, those fragments of memory shimmered on the surface of the sea like glints of light, exuding a serene beauty of a different kind.

Below, the inhabitants of the island looked up, crying out in astonishment at the fall of Yun Shang City.

"Look, Nana... what is that?"

"Lele, the ship is about to set sail, stop staring at the sky, watch your step..."

"Duoya, Duoya, look at the sky..."

"So beautiful..."

The sunlight slowly spilled down.

It fell upon Pulaya’s cobblestone paths and the newly thawed rivers.

It shone with a simple, selfless, fair, and gleaming light upon this world.

A silent omen seemed to spread across the land, like the start of an unpredictable future.

The scent of meals wafted from the lights of thousands of homes, and people stepped out of their warm houses, looking up into the distance.

They did not yet understand what had been sacrificed for the lives of their ancestors.

But they faintly sensed that,

a firmament that both sheltered and oppressed them was collapsing upside down in a waterfall of time.

...This was not the most perfect ending,

but it was the most "free," the most "independent," the most unrestrained outcome.

Su Ming’an returned the freedom to struggle against destiny to them; they no longer need to be blinded by emotions that were manipulated.

At this moment—

Every person living on this land could become "Sherrod" or "Nailuo".

...

...

"Dingdong!"

The crisp sound of the system notification rang out.

[Congratulations on a Perfect Pass!]

[Achieved Perfect Pass Route・Unique Line・(TE) Heavenly Dream]

[Route Evaluation: SSS（Perfect!）]

[(TE·Heavenly Dream):

"Turning away from the ethereal homeland, imprisoned I, have dreamed many a barren dream."

"I dreamt... that you are not merely characters in a story, nor a microcosm that belongs to a particular impression of the earth."

"Nor are you—fated sacrifices without autonomous souls."

"All the swirling flames of war will be unnecessary, a world without war could also be here."

"The unending journey, the unseen world, there are countless people just like you."

"... If one day, people could shed the shackles and bonds of hatred."

"Pain and suffering would dissipate into the wind, considerations and sacrifices would no longer be necessary."

"On this scar-covered land, no more battles between black and white shall exist."

"I hope, I can witness with my own eyes, the unbridled smiles of you whom I love."

"..."

"The true Heaven is not the dwelling of Gods or cities."

"A world with people, with love... that is why I stand guard here."

"As my dreams have been bound by myriad wonders."

"—Then may your free and independent lives be as resplendent as a song."

"Heaven gleams brilliantly."

"... And the Mortal World, fervently impassioned."]

...

[The ending has been recorded and will be factored into the final evaluation]

...

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