The Fire-Chasing Herrscher Who Destroyed the World

The pink petals were floating like snow, and the air was filled with a familiar yet unfamiliar fragrance, which made Mikael sniff it unconsciously.

He stood there without moving. He knew what was going to happen next. There were only two choices, wait, or leave before that happened.

As long as he leaves the data world of the past life, the Herrscher of Corrosion cannot exert his power.

Of course, there is no problem in continuing to wait. Even if Herrscher is infinitely close to the end in the data world, it cannot be compared with the real end. Even if he only needs to destroy the data hub, it will be enough to end it all.

So, he finally chose to wait.

Not only because he was confident that he was invincible, but also because it was really not good to say goodbye without saying goodbye.

There were more and more petals, and Mikael's vision became confused. He simply closed his eyes and sighed helplessly:

"Okay, okay, Alicia, how many petals do you need to prepare in advance for your appearance..."

"Hey, I am the Herrscher of Corrosion after all. Isn't it easy to use data to create some petals? It's like you always like to use the power of the First Herrscher to construct strange things."

The petals that almost covered the entire field of vision dispersed in faint ripples. In the white and empty square, Mikael was no longer alone.

"Long time no see, Mikael."

The pink girl was wearing a pure white wedding dress, smiling and extending her hand to the one she loved.

The corners of Mikael's lips curled up unconsciously, his raised hand paused in mid-air, and then he also took the hand that Ellie stretched out.

"Long time no see, Alicia."

In countless sweet dreams, he had fantasized about too many scenarios of meeting Alicia again, but this was not included.

Although...this is actually not a real reunion.

But he thought he would be happier and more excited.

But that lifeless heart didn't seem to have changed.

Is it because it is clear that the Alicia in front of me is not the real her?

Or is it because he knows very well that Alicia in front of him is technically his enemy?

After saying "Long time no see", Mikael pressed his lips hard and stopped saying anything.

Alicia soon pouted dissatisfiedly:

"As expected, you are not very happy to see me. How about I leave and call Mebius over for you?"

"That's not necessary."

Mikael finally spoke again, although it was only a few words.

"Oh, you are so greedy! Do you still want me to call Mebius and Hua over... Oh no, it seems that Hua can't get through, and she is still frozen by you."

Accidentally, his teeth bit his lip.

The faint scent of blood spread on the tip of his tongue. Mikael took a deep breath, and then opened a space rift like a star gate directly beside him.

"You are now the Herrscher of Corrosion. It is not impossible to use the code to eliminate the time power I exerted."

"Oh? Are you teaching me how to use the power of erosion, Mikael?"

"I--"

"I won't fight you, don't worry, Mikael."

Alicia held one of Mikael's hands tightly with both hands, as if she was afraid that he would leave in the next moment.

Mikael's brows twitched twice, "Why? In your plan, are the two people who became Herrschers of Corrosion just here to chat with me?"

"Of course it's not like that!"

Ellie took a step back, but failed to pull Mikael.

As a result, her smile was inevitably mixed with too much bitterness.

"It turns out that I don't even have this weight in your heart anymore? I thought... you would be very happy if I was as unwilling to fight with you as Mebius..."

Boom——

Her heart contracted suddenly, and then Mikael saw a tear slipping from the corner of Alicia's eye.

But this was not the right acting, because this was just the beginning. More and more tears came out of my eyes, and someone's heart softened a little.

His eyebrows were no longer furrowed, but his tone was still unfamiliar and even a little angry.

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to leave. To be honest, the choices of each of you make me happy. Whether it's those who fight me, those who don't want to swing a sword at me, or even those who are obviously A person who is an enemy, but hesitates when swinging a sword, or a person who always talks about fighting, but wants to die when he actually fights... It is precisely because we are human that we have so many choices. . Thinking about it, I originally expected everyone to unite to defeat my vision, which is too inconsistent with the nature of the [human] species."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!"

Ellie suddenly waved her hand in front of Mikael:

"I guess you're going to say [but] next, but...right? Right?"

Mikael smiled knowingly and closed his eyes unconsciously, as if he didn't want to see that unforgettable face again.

"No more buts, Ellie, this time, you guessed wrong."

"ah?"

"I have to go, Alicia. You are destined to be unable to defeat me here, and you are destined to be unable to stop me here. I think each of you knows this. And now I must Returning to the real world, my story is almost over, but not completely over yet. There are still a few final steps that I need to take.”

"..."

Mikael opened his eyes, deliberately not looking at Alicia's expression, and wanted to get into the rift in space and leave directly.

But after moving, he realized that Alicia was still holding his hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Compared to our last separation, this time... is not so beautiful."

Seeing the smile gradually fading on Alicia's face, Mikael was slightly absent-minded and began to involuntarily think about the so-called "last separation".

The memory traced all the way back to the source. In fact, it was not an answer that was difficult to find. It was just that when he naturally thought of the last time he entered and left the paradise, Mikael denied the answer.

No, Alicia is not talking about that separation.

He actually didn't have much contact with Alicia, who was a memory, but when it came to "good separation", it didn't seem that he could completely hit the mark. Not to mention the growing sadness on her face.

Ah, got it.

Now that Alicia in front of us has become the Herrscher of Corrosion, maybe we can find some clues of the past deep in the core of the Herrscher...

It turns out that I was talking about that time...

However, after all, she was not the witness of that separation.

"Aren't there no differences between me and her? Fifty thousand years ago, we clearly agreed. Since we didn't say goodbye to each other, there is no difference between us."

"Yes, the real me would definitely say this...but, but..."

Alicia took a deep breath, and then held Mikael's hand in her arms.

"Mikael, I know your determination, and I know you won't stop for anyone or anything. But you don't lack such a little time, right? Promise me, just give me ten more minutes. ”

"what do you want to do?"

The smile returned to Alicia's face, not bitter or forced.

"The real story of me has pressed the pause button 50,000 years ago. And my story as a memory will also end here. Heroes, it's time to have a good rest. Only you, Mikay Well, although there is still that girl Hua, you have to walk this last stretch alone."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Yes, but the Mikael I know is most afraid of being alone. I believe that not everything in this world can be solved with [habits]. I can also see that, Mikael, you are still the one who is afraid of being alone. Boy. If this is the case, it must be quite uncomfortable for you on this last journey, right? I don’t want to see this happen. Even if I am not the real Alicia, I think I must be able to do it. The things you have achieved, the things you have done for you——

"Mikael, I'm different from her. My story is really going to end here. And you, I'm afraid you don't have a chance to talk to her who has gained a new life, right? So... why not... let's just leave it at this time Treat this as the farewell between the future you and the real her."

What is Mikael most afraid of?

He himself had thought about this problem countless times.

He is actually very afraid of pain, heights, and the dark.

But apart from extreme events such as the destruction of the world and Alicia's death, what he fears most is probably when Alicia stops being playful and funny.

Not daring to look at that sincere gaze, Mikael closed his eyes tightly, but quickly opened them again, but his eyelashes were inevitably stained with some frosting.

"How to do?"

His answers are still cold and hard, but sometimes, his tone and attitude can be disguised, even to the side he doesn't want. Only choices don’t lie, only [results] don’t lie.

A smile completely bloomed on Alicia's face. She loosened her grip on Mikael's hand and only used one hand to hold the part in front of the second knuckle of Mikael's four fingers.

"To start bidding farewell, how about a dance first?"

The muscles around Mikael's eye sockets twitched violently, but he didn't refuse.

"good."

This is his answer.

There was no music, and Ellie's figure was already moving gracefully. Because she didn't say what dance she was dancing, Mikael's movements were a little unfamiliar at first. He only took a few steps. After he figured out which dance it was, Mikael was very excited. He quickly caught up with her pace.

Alicia was not surprised.

"Speaking of which, this was the first time the two of us danced. Obviously there had been so many dance parties at that time, but it was only the first one, when you and Captain Himihu went on stage to dance. You were clumsy at that time. She's very cute. I didn't expect to be so skilled at dancing now - did she learn it from Mebius, or... uh, no, Hua definitely can't dance this kind of dance, after all, she is [ Old antique] Well.”

"sorry."

The dance was not affected, and Mikael suddenly apologized seriously.

"I obviously know that you like to dance, but at that time... I obviously had many opportunities at that time, but in the end I couldn't dance with you even once..."

"I don't blame you for this. Think about it, even the real Alicia wouldn't blame you. After all, that kind of dance is not so much about celebrating victory, but it is more about resolving the previous oppression of life and death. The catharsis of desire that bursts out from under the body. Good wine, good food, and the opposite sex can be brought back to the single dormitory after chatting. Although these are human nature, even for some of them, such things are the only way. Only by numbing yourself can you continue to fight..."

"You don't like it."

"No, I love it."

Mikael raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Not everyone is a warrior who is not afraid of life and death. Mikael, in the beginning, weren't we also afraid of pain, injuries, and even more afraid of death? And those ordinary warriors, they don't have the Herrscher's They have no strength and do not have the qualifications to become a fusion warrior. Isn't it human nature to be afraid? Moreover, what they fear is not only their own injury and death, but also the destruction of the entire world. Everything they do from beginning to end is meaningless? , so they need this kind of dance to vent their desires in order to gain courage. But in other words, even if they are so scared, even if they need to use this method to persevere, this is the kind of human beings I like. ah."

"...That's true."

Mikael laughed happily, and as the dance moved, the two bodies came together. Ellie stood on her tiptoes and whispered in Mikael's ear:

"But I know you don't like this, and you don't want our relationship to be misunderstood by them, so I have never asked you to dance at that kind of dance."

"……Thanks."

"Thank you for nothing! Didn't you also practice dancing so skillfully behind my back?"

The dance steps are now complete.

The two faced each other, each took a step back, and both let go of the other's hand.

He knew that she was not the real her, but she finally chose to stay and let this "false Alicia" say goodbye to him.

He couldn't tell what his intentions were, but the Alicia in front of him was right. In his plan, he and her would not have a real reunion at all.

Even if he could do it, he wouldn't dare to do it.

He was afraid that Alicia would be disappointed in him when she knew what he had done. He was also afraid that Alicia would know the weight behind her rebirth and final outcome, and would be burdened with heavy shackles for the rest of her life - oh, this There's no need to worry, because Alicia won't remember him. But even if there is only a slight possibility, he will still escape.

Escape...

There is a kind of person who always says "can't escape, can't escape", but the reason why he keeps reminding himself is because he is thinking about escaping from things that are not good for him every moment.

But what’s wrong with that in the end?

It is a biological instinct to avoid things you don't like or fear. Only in a [civilized] society will there be "people" to emphasize that there are things that cannot be avoided.

"Alicia, then I..."

"Don't worry!"

Ellie stepped forward again and gently covered Mikael's lips with her fingers.

She blinked slyly, and through the reflection of her pupils, Mikael noticed the changes in the light and shadow around him. He raised his head and looked around, only to find that he was already under a gorgeous starry sky.

"Why bring me here?"

Mikael smiled bitterly.

"No, it's just a poor imitation. After all, I have given Siyuan's power to her! This is what you want to see, right?"

"I...that's true, but with your temperament, you should have told her everything that happened in the end, right?"

"Don't you want her to know?"

"I want to...but I don't want to..."

"Oh - it's really cruel, Mikael. You chose a child who is most like you, gave her all the love that you didn't have time to give to Eve, and then asked her to kill you in the end... in order to let her She can do it, and you don't even hesitate to be her father-killing enemy..."

"I know you don't like this, Ellie...but, I..."

Mikael wanted to say that he had no other choice.

But then I thought about it, is there really no other way? Many times, if he calmed down, he could obviously make better choices about many things, but he didn't.

Maybe, no... definitely.

He must have been holding a breath of anger in his heart.

Why were the last chosen ones from their generation?

Why is it not the era 50,000 years ago that can transcend the end?

Even if the current era could achieve that, it was largely due to the efforts of the forerunners, but this only made him jealous even more.

It is this extreme emotion that leads to many unnecessary tragedies.

When he came to his senses, he was hugged tightly by Alicia.

"It's okay, Mikael. Are you a little too unsure of Alicia?"

Ellie's eyes contained bright stars, and her voice sounded very clearly in Mikael's ears:

"Alicia has great confidence in you! Because I know you, because we know you, so when the real me made the decision to sacrifice myself 50,000 years ago, I should have roughly guessed What are you doing now? But you also have to believe in Alicia. Alicia will not blame you, because he knows that you made such a decision out of wanting to save the world and save her.

"You want to save the world, you want to save a person, you want both, what's wrong with that? As for the mistakes you made, Alicia won't blame you, because Alicia believes in you You also bear that pain, and because of the existence of that pain, you will eventually give the world a satisfactory answer as atonement.

"Taking a step back, anyone is qualified to blame you, but Alicia, as the person you saved, will never blame you, let alone regret that you brought her a second life. Alas. ...The real me would be really sad if I knew that you didn't even have this little trust in her, right?"

Mikael couldn't hold himself any longer for a moment.

It turns out that the reason why Alicia wanted to say goodbye to him was just because she knew that she would not have the chance to hear the real Alicia speak, so she said these words in advance, what the real Alicia would definitely say to her.

With a chill on his face, Ellie covered his eyes with her hands, but quickly let go.

"But, Mikael, if I was the only one saying goodbye to you, you would be a little regretful, right?"

Looking back, Mikael saw familiar people.

Familiar... Ying Jie, no, heroes.

They are also the family members who have agreed to walk into the future together.