Colonial Suit

“Ah oh oh...oh oh...”

The ancient speakers vibrated, playing country music from who knows where. It echoed around the bar... settling in, like the distant past. To be honest, the music was awful, like an old woman moaning for no reason, but Muse and Heck didn't care; they just drank, glass after glass, bottle after bottle.

The bottles were already empty. Even the strongest spirits couldn't withstand the two of them. New drinks were brought over, then emptied again. Gradually, the area around their feet was densely packed with bottles, too many to count.

Muse was drunk, and Heck was drunk too.

Not because of the alcohol, but because of their reunion, in this bar called 'Memory'.

“You ran away when you were very young. It's a wonder you lived to see today,” Muse grinned, his left hand on the table, gleaming silver. “Before I saw you last time, I always thought you were dead.”

“Before you saw me this time, you also thought I was dead,” Heck said, his head lowered, his brilliant golden hair hanging over his forehead. He quietly looked at the glass in his hand. “But fortunately, I have a good Sect Master, and a good teacher.”

“Why don't you say she's also a good woman?” Muse smiled slightly, reaching out to rub Heck's golden hair. “At this time, you should be with your woman, not appearing in front of me. You should know that the warrant for your arrest is still hanging on the wall.”

“Yeah, she's a cunning old bastard, and most importantly, she has excellent judgment,” Muse said with deep agreement. “You, your brother, and that Blood瞳, even Robbie, who was with them, none of you escaped the old bastard's eyes.”

Speaking of Blood瞳, Heck also smiled, as if he saw that clumsy but stubborn guy from back then. Blood瞳 was very weak at that time. He could have crushed the fragile him with a finger. But now…

“That guy is said to have reached the Planetary level?”

“He's long past that. Now he might be Stellar, or even a Black Hole. Who knows… Those Clodier people are all monsters,” Muse rubbed his temples. His head was a little sore from drinking too much, especially when Blood瞳 was mentioned, which made his head hurt even more. That guy's evolution speed was too fast, so fast that Muse was a little afraid. He didn't know where Blood瞳's bottom line was, and he didn't know how much potential Blood瞳 had.

Maybe, as the Speaker said, he was a bastard who could create miracles. Thinking of this, Muse glanced at Heck. This was also a bastard who could create miracles. Oh right, and the one next to him.

“I don't drink,” Jay took the bottle and put it back on the table. “I'm here just to kill.”

“Kill many, many people.”

“I know, I know, you don't need to remind me,” Muse shook his head. “You're always so rigid, as if you're afraid others won't know you're the number one killer in the starry sky. But Jay, don't you find it boring to not understand life?”

“Fun, useless,” Jay replied. “Killing, mission.”

His voice was very calm, as if he was talking about something unimportant, but Muse and Heck knew he wasn't joking. This guy really thought that way, or rather, it was a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He didn't like killing, but the number of cosmic warriors who had fallen at his feet was more than Muse and Heck combined. This cold black-haired youth was covered in the blood of enemies. Each killing, each destruction, would make him more painful, more confused. In the entire universe, only Heck and that woman could bring his heart a brief moment of peace.

Jay, the number one killer in the starry sky. A man, or rather, a boy, who never craved killing but was driven by his subconscious towards it.

“Jay, I remember you haven't accepted a mission in a long time,” Muse thought for a while and said softly. “You shouldn't be here. Nya worked so hard to wash your hands clean. She and you have sacrificed so much. If you accept a mission again, your killing malice will break free and can never be resolved.”

“You don't want to become a machine that only knows how to kill, do you?”

Muse raised his head, his slightly drunk gaze meeting the black-haired youth's. He saw indifference, and...peace. He knew Jay's mind was made up, so he gave up trying to persuade him, shrugging his shoulders. “Okay, everyone has to be responsible for their own choices. I think I've said too much.”

“I…know,” Jay suddenly opened his mouth, answering Muse. “But I have a reason to come here. A reason to get my hands bloody again. I'm sorry, Muse.”

“There's no need to apologize. I just don't want that woman to cry,” Muse laughed and opened a bottle of wine with his teeth, taking a big gulp. “Besides…even if you guys come, it won't be of much help. You know this is our last war, and the enemies we face are far stronger than before. In fact, even I don't know if I can survive. Caring about your affairs is really superfluous.”

Muse's left hand flashed silver on the table, suddenly expanding and reorganizing into a half-human-sized mechanical body, emitting a thunderous roar.

“Muse! Get these two little guys out of here! I hate the smell of the weak.”

“The weak?” Heck smiled faintly.

“The weak…” Jay lowered his head, silent.

“Creatures who can't see tomorrow always think the world is so small,” Heck tapped the table lightly with his finger, speaking to the mechanical overlord. “Do you want to know what tomorrow will be like?”

“Of course, the likes of you weaklings can't expect to see what tomorrow will be like. Your only choice is to… Wait! What did you do to me!?” The mechanical overlord was about to get angry, but suddenly screamed in horror. It saw many black spots appearing on its body. Those were rust marks, a characteristic of mechanical life heading towards its end.

“What is this!? Damn it! Get it off! Get it off!!”

“A seven-hundred-fold jump in time is just a little joke. I hope you like it,” Heck smiled slightly. With a flick of his fingers, the mechanical overlord's body returned to normal. “Letting you see what tomorrow will be like will be good for broadening your horizons.”

“Alright, goodbye, big brother. I just came to say hello this time. I hope you take care of yourself.” With that, Heck stood up and walked out of the bar. Jay followed closely behind him, like a shadow.

Watching the two quickly disappear, Muse said nothing, but the mechanical overlord roared in a low voice. “Muse, did you see that? They're laughing at me! That was an illusion, it must be!!”

“Laughing? Illusion?” Muse rubbed his chin, revealing a faint smile. “If I were you, I wouldn't think so. You should take a look at your own condition.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a 'crack' sound. A crack appeared in the middle of the mechanical overlord, and a part of its body silently fell off…

“Absolute severance, Jay… So he has to get his hands bloody again.”

Looking at the mechanical overlord's fallen body, Muse sighed.