Simulation of Destruction, Why Am I Always the Arbiter

The Arbiter didn't care, as it wasn't used much, and its replenishment speed was far slower than the Honkai energy of the container itself.

Thus, the song not only echoed in the Sea of Consciousness but also in the ears of every living creature around the world. Even the previous sentence was amplified and broadcast.

"This is... Chang'an's voice." Eden touched her ear, a look of pleasant surprise on her face.

"It seems he's fine. You can rest easy now," Mobius said, also touching her ear as she let out a sigh of relief.

Being able to transmit sound like this was enough proof that Ye Chang'an was in good condition and had not died due to the Arbiter's appearance.

Old K was a bit stunned by the sound. He looked at the Arbiter on the satellite feed, who wasn't moving its mouth, and found it inexplicable.

"Say my name when a tree susurrates~"

A soothing voice began to sing, and the whole world listened together.

Ye Chang'an, in the Sea of Consciousness, sang with great passion. With every line he sang, memories of Elysia would surface.

As he remembered, the vast ocean of the Sea of Consciousness beyond the land began to churn.

Pink flying flowers appeared in the sky, and blue waves crashed in the sea.

The world, filled by the Chang'an Melody, responded to the emotions Ye Chang'an poured into his song and manifested the image of the maiden from his song.

This was an effect inherent to the Chang'an Melody, but Ye Chang'an was always so engrossed in his music that he never noticed the changes in the Sea of Consciousness.

It was the same even now.

Ye Chang'an was immersed in the beauty of the music, completely oblivious to the maiden forged from waves and flying flowers outside the land.

The sea level began to drop, all the water transforming into nourishment for the maiden.

Finally, the Sea of Consciousness dried up, revealing countless springs and a bottomless, boundless abyss.

"New stories have yet to start~"

The song ceased, the Sea of Consciousness dried up, and the flying flowers settled.

Ye Chang'an closed his eyes, savoring the moment, a satisfied smile on his lips.

The maiden closed her eyes, suspended high in the sky like an exquisite doll crafted by a celestial artisan, bearing the likeness of Elysia.

But a doll was still a doll; she wasn't the real Elysia.

Until Ye Chang'an whispered contentedly, "Respond to me, Elysia~"

After performing this character song for Elysia by himself, Ye Chang'an couldn't help but utter this famous line.

Unlike Mei's shouts, it was a gentle call.

This sentence was conveyed to the audience in the Sea of Consciousness and to all the humans on the Arbiter's side.

Everyone, including the soldiers observing the internal conflict of the Honkai side's Arbiters, heard Ye Chang'an's song and was captivated.

How to describe the feeling? It was incredibly fresh.

This was because the style was completely different from Sleepless Chang'an's previous songs, mainly due to the difference in accompaniment.

Sleepless Chang'an had never held a concert with a band; they either used pre-made melodies as accompaniment or simply created accompaniment for each other.

The latter was out of the question, as one person couldn't play too many instruments, resulting in a rather limited accompaniment.

As for the former, while the accompaniment was rich, the listening experience was just average.

Digital media limited their accompaniment production, and the band's playing techniques couldn't keep up with their skills.

Therefore, Ye Chang'an and Eden's concerts were never perfect, at least not to the perfection they envisioned.

But now, the accompaniment created by one person was flawless, refreshing everyone and captivating them.

Listening to the melody accompanied by the song, the deeply emotional performance was incredibly infectious, involuntarily bringing the story and image of the pink-haired maiden to everyone's minds.

That longed-for maiden became beloved by all within the span of this one song.

"Respond to me, Elysia~"

Ye Chang'an's whisper reached them, letting them know the pink-haired maiden's name and igniting their own yearning.

"Respond to me, Elysia!" someone couldn't help but shout, but they were just the first.

Then came the second, third, fourth... everyone who could speak couldn't resist saying it, and those who couldn't speak were shouting it madly in their hearts.

At this moment, all of humanity was calling out Elysia's name.

Even the Pseudo-Arbiters fighting against the MANTISes and Honkai Beasts opened their mouths in unison.

"Respond to me, Elysia!!!"

They had also heard Ye Chang'an's voice, and their collective roar stunned even the Arbiters.

What kind of scene was it when all of humanity called out one person's name?

What kind of power was it when all of humanity yearned for one person's arrival?

The Arbiter didn't know, but the converged voices and will could be conveyed.

"Respond to me, Elysia!" The audience in the Sea of Consciousness shouted in unison. Their cries were guided by the song, just like those outside, but they weren't cries of submission.

Music never forces anyone. Music that forces others isn't music; it's a tool.

Ye Chang'an loved music deeply and would never use it as a tool.

Therefore, this cry was humanity's own will, born from the love generated by the song.

Love for Elysia.

"..." Formless wills converged into a river, flowing into the heart of the girl who was merely a puppet.

Her eyelids began to twitch, her body began to fall.

She ultimately fell into that vast, boundless abyss, merging with the cocoon-like object at its end.

Perhaps she would grow within it, or perhaps she would be rejected as an anomaly.

Ye Chang'an didn't know. He only snapped back to reality from the lingering resonance, opened his eyes, and was then given a response by 001 that left him dumbfounded.

"Host, Elysia does not exist in this simulated parallel world. She cannot respond to you."

The customer service AI truly lived up to its name, answering questions within its scope of duty.

Even though Ye Chang'an hadn't asked anything.

But this sudden statement... it almost made him stupid.

PS: A quick explanation, the core of the Sword Heart Art is [Divine Sound], which is from the [Divine Sound Experiment].

The Sword Heart Art was modified by Fu Hua in the Current Civilization through discussions with friends, adapting it to the martial arts style of Shenzhou.

Fu Hua didn't understand the essence of Divine Sound, so she could only add some elements to it. This means the [Sword Heart Art] contains things unique to Fu Hua, such as Feather Dust.

This is why those who cultivate the Sword Heart Art possess the peculiar [Sword Heart], which is a part of the Herrscher of Knowledge's authority.

Since the Herrscher of Knowledge's authority is at play, having a [Sea of Consciousness Space] seems quite normal.

PS2: Also, regarding Elysia, her birth is quite perplexing. As an Arbiter of the Previous Civilization, why would the Cocoon of the End create an anomaly like her? Was there a bug in the program? And how did that bug occur?

So I came up with this plot point: [Born from the love of all humanity, she fell into the Cocoon of the End and was then expelled as an anomaly by the cocoon, descending into the world as an Arbiter].

Therefore, Elysia's activities are absent from this simulated world. In the list of people watching the live broadcast earlier, I did not include [Elysia], [Kalpas], or [Griseo], which serves as a foreshadowing I planted earlier.

Spoiler: The protagonist also needs to go to the Cocoon of the End to regain control of his body. As for what kind of existence he will become in the end... please ponder the protagonist's surname.

Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 37. I Shall Approach the End and Return to Elysia's Side

"No Elysia? What does that mean?"

The satisfied individual turned bewildered. This was the second time he had been bewildered in his simulated life.

The first time was when Eden confessed to him.

"It means exactly what it says. Elysia does not exist in the prototype world for this simulation. Kalpas does not exist either."

001 explained calmly, and Ye Chang'an became even more confused.

"It's over, Brother Jie is gone!"

No Elysia and no Kalpas. Can this world even be played? Both of the main damage dealers are gone.

"Why doesn't she exist? And what do you mean by 'prototype world'?"

He had too many questions, and his brain couldn't keep up.

He wanted to borrow some brainpower.

"Prototype world: a world that once existed and served as a reference for this simulation."

001 patiently answered, and Ye Chang'an was completely dumbfounded.

"A world that once existed..." he murmured, the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong, because it differed from his initial understanding.

Then he fell silent.

He looked at the microphone in his hand, the floating musical instruments around him, and then at the millions of excited audience members below the stage, who were still moved by the song. The corners of his mouth gradually curved into a smile.

"So what if it's a fake world?"

He chuckled softly, unfazed by this reality-shattering revelation.

Because in this fake world, he had found something real: the heart that had been awakened by Elysia and the audience.

He loved music.

He loved it before, and he loved it even more now.

Therefore, he was unaffected by the distinction between fake and real. He walked to the front of the stage, looked at the audience, spread his arms, and said loudly:

"Everyone, I need your help."

"Lend me your strength, and let me return to the world that belongs to us."

To live wholeheartedly in this false world, he needed the power of these millions to reclaim his own body.

"Alright!"

Millions cheered in unison, agreeing to his request without hesitation, then transforming into wisps of light that surged into his body.

These people were already dead. They had all died the moment they were submerged and corrupted by Destruction energy, becoming Death Corpses.

But their residual soul fragments didn't need Ye Chang'an to collect them. This was because his relationship with them was different from Welt's relationship with those thirty thousand people.

Welt and those thirty thousand people were strangers, merely victims of the same disaster, bound together by a shared hope.

These people, however, knew Ye Chang'an. They were his fans, and they were also people who loved music.

At this moment, Ye Chang'an's love for music did not solely originate from himself, but also from millions of fans.

With every wisp of light that entered, Ye Chang'an could feel the surprise of a fan encountering music for the first time, the excitement of discovering a beloved song.

Humans always pursued beauty, and they would etch moments of beauty into the depths of their souls.

Ye Chang'an accepted, felt, and a smile was always etched on his lips.

His mind became clearer, as if he had borrowed some brains.

He had borrowed millions of brains.

However, he still didn't sense the presence of the projection. It seemed the Herrscher persona was not within his Sea of Consciousness.

—The Herrschers of the Previous Civilization had no persona!

Ye Chang'an instantly arrived at the answer, bowed deeply as he gazed at the empty seats.

Then he rose and flew away, determined to find a way to reclaim his body.

He saw the dried-up Sea of Consciousness and paused for a moment, then focused on the immense abyss in the center.