The Fire-Chasing Herrscher Who Destroyed the World

"Mikael, did the soba noodles last night taste good?"

"……tasty."

"Mikael, are you taking the wrong road? I checked last night and found out if I should go to the detention site..."

"...There's a traffic jam over there, I'll take a detour."

"Uh... should I turn here? Why didn't I change lanes?"

"...Because you will be blocked after turning around, so continue to go forward and take a detour."

"Then, then, how did you make the buns this morning? I learned how to do it after reading a lot of guides..."

"well……"

Mikael sighed, and while turning the steering wheel gently, he glanced at Mei Yi through the rearview mirror, whose appearance had changed drastically, and she was completely unrecognizable from her original appearance.

"My eldest lady, don't be so nervous..."

"Huh? Am I nervous...is it so obvious?"

Mei untied her newly tied long black hair and tied it tightly again. Then he unbuttoned the button on the collar of the shirt and unbuttoned it.

"When people are nervous, they will unconsciously try to use other behaviors to divert their attention and relieve their nervousness. For example, they may think randomly or repeat meaningless actions."

Meiyi's hands that were adjusting the hem of her coat suddenly stopped. Not only did she not feel relieved that she no longer had to hide her feelings after being told so frankly, but she became even more nervous.

"Relax, Mei. To put it bluntly, as long as I'm here, this will definitely not be the last time you meet your father. Why should you be nervous?"

"No, I just... I can't explain why I'm nervous, it's just... my hands, my hands are shaking all the time. My mind is too messy, I don't know what I'm thinking, I don't know what I'm doing, just My hands were shaking all the time, and they were shaking for no reason.”

"Sigh... If I had known this, I would have asked the idiot Kiana to accompany me."

"puff--"

This sentence somehow touched Mei Yi's point of laughter, and she suddenly covered her chest and laughed foolishly. Although she looked like a fool when she smiled, in a sense, her attention was successfully diverted. Naturally Not so nervous anymore.

But in fact, she just thought: if Kiana is by her side, she will only become equally nervous under her infection at this moment, and with Kiana's "talent", her words and actions will only be worse than There are more buds, right?

In fact, she quite wanted to see this scene happen, not for any other reason. What evil intentions could she have? She just thought that Mikael had never been good at dealing with Kiana, and she just wanted to see Mikael being so troubled by Kiana.

"Okay, get ready, Mei. After two more traffic lights, you will arrive at the detention area. Remember, don't be nervous. You are not Raiden Mei now. You are just entrusted by Miss Raiden Mei and Mr. Mikael to serve Raiden Ryoma. Mr. Akagi, the lawyer who defends you, do you understand?”

"learn."

Mei wanted to speak out so simply, but it was better that Mikael didn't remind her. As soon as he was reminded, the tension that had been temporarily suppressed suddenly rekindled.

To describe it as pure nervousness seems a bit over-generalizing. It was a kind of tension whose origin was not pure. It was both excitement about meeting his father and fear of having his disguise discovered.

But no matter what the cause, the result of shaking hands will not change.

"It doesn't matter, Mei, I said it. This won't be the last time you see Mr. Ryoma, so don't get excited about it. And the disguise I made for you is perfect. As long as you don't reveal yourself, you can't be discovered. Of course, even if you are discovered, it is not something to be afraid of. At worst, I will take you out of the detention area, and take Mr. Ryoma away with me. Then we can find an isolated place to live in seclusion. Is it good too?”

"Um……"

Meiyi responded softly, and her mood calmed down.

Sure enough, Mikael still understood her as well as ever and could always relieve all her worries in the most straightforward way.

"Okay, the driver's mission is over. Now it's your turn, Miss...ah, no, it's Lawyer Akagi."

Mei Yi glanced around blankly, then the car slowly drove into the first gate of the detention lot, and randomly picked a parking space in the empty parking lot and stopped.

"Calm down! Didn't Mikael rehearse with me several times when he got up early in the morning? So far, everything he said has been fulfilled, and everything he has done has been successful. You must believe in him. Of course, you must also believe in yourself. I will never stop here for the sake of the name of the Leiden family!”

Her eyes gradually became firm, she took a deep breath, then put her palm on the car door handle and twisted it hard——

"Click-"

"Hmm? What's the sound?"

"Ah...haha...it's not a big problem..."

Mikael frowned and turned his head, only to see Mei smiling awkwardly, slowly raising her left hand, still holding half of the broken door handle in her palm.

"Pfft! Hahaha! Don't be nervous, my eldest lady...this is your family's car...hahahaha!"

While laughing non-stop, Mikael raised his arm, crossed over the driver's seat, and rubbed Mei's head with his palms that seemed to be always dry and warm.

"Go ahead, with me here, you will never lose!"

"Um!"

Mei Yi calmed down and got out of the car by changing the door. Mikael used the rearview mirror to watch her step by step towards the guard at the detention yard. Then, as he had rehearsed in the morning, he handed the guard the lawyer's practicing certificate and court power of attorney in his armpit bag.

Under the comfort of the power of consciousness, everything proceeds in an orderly manner.

In fact, even if something unexpected happens, there is no problem in letting the guards notice the abnormality. The lawyer's practicing certificate and court power of attorney were not forged, but were taken directly from a real lawyer by Mikael. Even the formal suit and briefcase on Mei's body were borrowed directly from the real "Akagi Lawyer" by Mikael.

It is impossible for the guard to see any flaws in the above things, because from beginning to end, only Mei is false. And Mei's current appearance was also transformed by Mikael based on the real "Akagi Lawyer". Mikael did not believe that a guard as an ordinary human could see through the power of reason and the power of death from the cellular level. Transformation.

But why is all this necessary?

Mikael smiled at himself. He didn't regret it, and he no longer had the right to regret it, but... he still had the right to laugh at himself, right?

"Sure enough, being unable to give up those weak emotions as a human being will only make me do some unnecessary actions, which will directly affect the efficiency of the plan. It's really funny."

He leaned back again and picked up the door handle that Mei had broken off in her excitement from the back seat.

The handle's fracture is not flat, and is made of pure copper. The entire handle is greatly deformed, and there are even obvious fingerprints left on the surface. Obviously, it was not the instantaneous explosive force that broke it, but the moment Mei Yi's hand grasped the handle, she unconsciously used too much force out of nervousness.

But a girl who is not yet seventeen years old, even if she practices swordsmanship all year round, even if she exerts too much force, she will never have such great strength.

"The time for playing house is finally coming to an end..."

I don’t know if there was something wrong with Mikael’s intervention, or if it was the “tidal phenomenon” caused by him and Seele, the two “original stigma holders,” or if it was Mei’s own emotional fluctuations that caused her original The power of the stigmata that was forcibly suppressed by the Conquering Stone was much more active than expected.

If this continues...

No, if you continue like this, things may really get out of your control...

If the authority of the end is still there, he does not mind using the power of time to predict the possibility of the future. However, now that the Herrscher has been born, what will be the consequences of using the authority of the end rashly? He couldn't take this kind of risk, and of course, there was no need to take it, because he just needed to get everything on track quickly according to the original plan.

He casually stuffed the broken handle into the groove beside the door, and tapped the steering wheel with his index finger.

"Kokolia... this woman is really... weird and unpredictable, but... she is a very useful tool and a better candidate to take the blame than Otto..."

Mikael closed his eyes and went over the plan in his mind that should have been implemented more than a month ago.

"Fortunately, most of the arrangements are fine. Even if they are postponed for a month and a half, the overall situation does not require too many adjustments. In other words, now we only need to determine the next time, and then everything will be fine..."

Thinking of this, a disgusting feeling of guilt surged into my heart.

"Mikael, what does Thunderbolt Mei Yi mean to you?"

He thought of another voice in his mind. This was an excellent way for him to pass the time during the long period of loneliness - to directly peel off the different voices in his mind and use the power of consciousness to shape them into relatively independent ones. The spiritual body talks to itself.

"Mikael, what does Thunderbolt Mei Yi mean to you?"

The voice repeated itself endlessly.

"Is she the 'hero' she has admired since she was born? Is she a legally adopted daughter? Is it the continuation of her life? Or must I personally force her step by step into darkness and then return her to the light, just to let her Will the sharp blade in her hand cut everything off again at the end of the story?

"I have no idea."

Mikael answered himself seriously.

He plunges his consciousness into the spiritual world, where everything spiritual can be transformed into the components of consciousness.

Then another "Mikael" also appeared in front of him, but without facial features, just a vague figure. Because it does not have a complete personality, it is just a self that Mikael forcibly created with a small part of his own emotions.

"Perhaps they are all. Or maybe... they are nothing. Whether they are human beings or Herrschers, they are meaningless in front of the end, and they cannot mean anything. If you have to say it, even dust is counted among many Among all things, she is special. Special enough to stand in the way of my progress. Special enough that I can only see her again at the end of this road. "

"..."

Following Mikael's words, in the originally blank world, an ordinary road appeared at the feet of the two Mikaels. The other Mikael turned his head without saying a word, and the road lay beside it. It continues behind you until you reach a distance that is glowing with pink light.

"Yes, this is the only meaning of the rest of my life as a god in this world. As a member of me, you should understand me. So, dissipate quickly and don't waste any more time."

The other Mikael, who didn't even have any facial features, nodded, but didn't make any move, just quietly blocking Mikael's path.

"Um?"

Mikael looked at the body outline that was exactly the same as his own and shook his head in disappointment.

"We have the same memory. We all know what a perfect life she is, we all know the mistakes we have made, we all know her sacrifices, and we all know she is more qualified to live than us. Yes, alive , She must live! See the ending she wants to see! Didn’t we make an agreement with her before she disappeared?

"Are you really sure that's an agreement?"

The faceless Mikael sneered.

"She had already lost her mind due to fear at that time. Have you forgotten? She also asked you this question. If human beings themselves are imperfect existences, will she become one at the end of the story? Did you give her the question at the beginning? The answer is - yes. Then, you must also admit the possibility: when she said those words, she already regretted it because of the fear of death, and then said these words. If you do, she will only be disappointed... She won't like the ending you bring her. No matter how beautiful the ending is, it can't cover up the darkness she hates most along the way."

"Um."

Mikael took a deep breath and nodded heavily, looking extremely calm.

"You're right, I know. But... I know, I know, I know! But so what! So what, you tell me - how - how - like!!!"

Mikael grabbed the faceless version of himself with both hands, lifted it in front of him and roared angrily.

The blank face of his other self was like a mirror, reflecting his face that was distorted and turned blood red due to anger, the meridians that exploded on his forehead, and the white steam and spittle spewing from his mouth.

"Why are you blocking my way? I just want her to live, as long as she lives! The rest doesn't matter, nothing matters!!"

With a "click", he pinched the neck of the being that he had molded with his own hands.

He killed him, who had let him stand in his way.

"call……"

Mikael let out a long breath. This was not the first time he had killed himself, and the feeling was still as comfortable as ever.

He seemed to have spent a long time in the conscious space, and the color of the surrounding space had dimmed into a faint red, which was like the color of red wine that just makes people feel tipsy.

"Is it already evening? It's time for Mei to come out, right?"

It’s hard for family members to reunite, so it’s inevitable that they can’t help but talk more. The problem is not big. There are many and complicated issues that the defense lawyer needs to confirm. A longer communication will not arouse the guards' suspicion. Rather, it would be the other way around.

He stared blankly at the western sky. His view of the horizon in that direction was blocked by a dense forest and taller steel and concrete, but he could still see the sky that looked like it had been burned by fire.

"Boom!"

The car window was lightly knocked twice, and Mikael turned his head. Through the car window, Mei Yi showed a forced smile.

The color of the sunset covered the redness around his eyes, but could not hide the redness and swelling under his tears. Of course, Mikael was not surprised by this.

"Get in the car."

Through a car window, Mei heard Mikael's voice.

The black car slowly drove out of the detention yard, and it was Meiyi who spoke first:

"Thank you, Mikael."

"..."

Should I answer "It doesn't matter"? Or is it a "little effort"? Or "You're welcome"?

None of them seem appropriate. Only silence can express all the above meanings.

"My father asked me many things. How have I been in the past month or so? Have I been alienated by my classmates? How am I getting along with you... Hearing my current situation, my father was also very happy."

"Um."

"Mikael..."

"Um."

"Father said...he wanted to see you again."

"Uh-huh?"

"He said that if it were you, there would be a way to meet him."

"Ah……"

Mikael sneered and patted the steering wheel lightly.

After walking two more streets, guessing that the Thunderbolt Ryoma had returned to the cell, Mikael directly found a parking space on the street and stopped.

"Don't move around here. I'll come back as soon as I go."