"Thank you." An Changye nodded in thanks, then spoke again.
"Have you figured out how to restrict the Chang'an Melody? Want me to give you a suggestion?"
He chose to show goodwill, at least securing some value for himself.
"The Chang'an Melody doesn't need restrictions."
Ye Chang'an still stood by that belief.
"Indeed, humans are the ones who should be restricted."
An Changye nodded in agreement, only for Ye Chang'an to shake his head in rebuttal.
"No, there's something else that needs to be restricted even more."
"Huh, so you thought of it." An Changye looked at Ye Chang'an in surprise, only to receive a glare from him.
"If you hadn't been causing trouble back then, I would've thought of it sooner."
Restricting the Chang'an Melody so humanity could not abuse Destruction—rearrange that sentence, and it became humanity using the Chang'an Melody to achieve the abuse of Destruction.
Humanity was the subject, the Chang'an Melody was the verb, and Destruction was the object.
Chi Yuan's proposed restriction on the Chang'an Melody changed the verb, while An Changye's amplification of extreme emotions to restrict humanity changed the subject.
There was also the object, Destruction, which could be changed.
"Since you've thought of it, do you know what to do?" An Changye asked with a smile, then saw Ye Chang'an hold out his palm toward him.
"If you give me the Authority, I can do it."
The Arbiter of Void's Authority was in An Changye's hands, and Ye Chang'an could not use it yet.
This matter required the Void Archon Authority.
"I can give it to you, but you can't exclude me from the plan."
"I want to take part in this plan."
An Changye named his condition, leaving Ye Chang'an puzzled.
"What are you joining this for?"
"Because..." An Changye fell silent for a moment. He gazed toward the vast ocean of the Sea of Consciousness Space, his golden eyes seemingly trying to see through the water and make out the Path of the End that formed a massive hole.
"I want to completely break free from the Cocoon!"
He had been born because of the Cocoon, died because of the Cocoon, and been awakened by the Cocoon once more.
He did not like this life, controlled by the Cocoon.
So he would rebel against the Cocoon, assist Ye Chang'an's plan, and sever the Cocoon's source of energy.
PS: I want to say something, but I'm afraid of spoilers. I'll just ask for votes instead, hahaha~
Song of World Destruction: Displaced Time: S-Rank Valkyrie? Kidnap Her First
After giving it some thought, Ye Chang'an agreed to An Changye's participation.
But to prevent this guy from making trouble, he still locked An Changye in solitary confinement, making sure he could no longer affect his thoughts and judgment.
This was necessary, because An Changye had not completely broken free from the Cocoon's control.
"Whew~ So this is the Void Archon Authority? It doesn't feel very easy to use."
After teleporting out of the drained reactor, Ye Chang'an let out a relieved breath, his mind much clearer.
It seemed locking him in solitary confinement was quite effective.
Looking up at the Schicksal personnel hanging from chains, he considered it for a moment before deciding to leave them hanging.
Following the sound of a violin back to the prison, he immediately saw Sirin standing atop a box and happily playing. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
—Her life should have been this happy.
He conjured a violin as well and joined the performance at just the right moment, making the music even more beautiful.
The girls noticed the new member of their duet and turned to look at him. Then their faces filled with alarm, and they hurriedly turned away again.
If not for the music soothing them, someone would probably have screamed.
Ye Chang'an's earlier extreme actions had left a bad impression on them. He had been terrifying.
—Sigh, I knew this would happen.
Ye Chang'an sighed. Trying his best not to agitate them, he continued playing with Sirin.
When the piece ended, the girls applauded the performance, but all of it was for Sirin.
These girls no longer dared to look at Ye Chang'an.
Their first impression had branded him as dangerous.
But Sirin was an exception.
"Wow, Lord God, you're back!"
Sirin cried out in delight, tossed aside her violin, and rushed into Ye Chang'an's arms.
The violin vanished in midair as she raised her little face, waiting for praise.
"Hehe, Lord God, I took really good care of them."
"Mm, you did wonderfully."
Ye Chang'an smiled and praised her as he rubbed her purple hair. His gentle smile and the warm atmosphere made the girls curious.
They did not know whether Ye Chang'an was a good person or a bad one, but they knew Sirin was a good person.
Someone who was so close to Sirin should not be a bad person, right?
"S-Sirin, who... who is he?" One girl gathered her courage and asked.
"He's Lord God, the Lord God who treats Sirin very, very well." Sirin proudly introduced him, yet somehow did not mention Ye Chang'an's name.
Ye Chang'an smiled bitterly and spoke gently to the girls.
"Hello, I'm Chang'an. I'm sorry for frightening you with what happened earlier."
It really had not been right to rough people up in front of children, especially when he had beaten someone nearly to death.
To express his apology, he gave the girls brand-new clothes.
Illusory clothing appeared on their bodies, then completely transformed into real garments.
This was the combined application of two Authorities.
Imaginary Transformation projected objects from Imaginary Space into real space. The projected objects could change freely according to the Arbiter's will.
Sirin had once used this move to project Spears of Subspace and defeat Theresa, but that had only been its most rudimentary use.
By combining it with the Authority of Reason, Ye Chang'an could instantly transform any projected object.
Thus, all the girls received beautiful new clothes, leaving them astonished.
"W-Where did these clothes come from?"
"How amazing."
They each examined and kneaded the clothes, their faces full of surprise.
"Lord God, where are my clothes? I want some too." Sirin had not received any, and Sirin was unhappy.
"Don't rush. Your clothes will take a little time." Ye Chang'an smiled and soothed her before creating a fitted dress for Sirin.
It was a short white dress covered by a long purple skirt, with golden patterns decorating the inside of the hem.
This was Sirin's Arbiter armor appearance. It suited her very well.
"Wow, it's so pretty! Thank you, Lord God."
Sirin spun around happily, and the girls finally understood that this miraculous ability came from Ye Chang'an.
—Lord God... Could he really be a god?
—That's right. He must be a god, and Sirin is the angel he sent.
Having been deceived into this situation through ignorance, the girls easily accepted the relationship between god and angel.
Then they began crying happily.
"Uh..." Ye Chang'an did not understand why they were crying, so naturally he did not know how to stop them.
So he chose to play music, recreating numerous instruments and performing a symphony for the girls.
One by one, they wiped away their tears. Then he released the girls from previous batches of experiments who had been locked in the prison.
Several thousand girls gained their freedom today, but what would happen after today?
They were all orphans.
"...Sirin, go reunite with your mother." Ye Chang'an had long decided on this.
"Mm-hm." Sirin nodded repeatedly, filled with anticipation.
"Let's go. Bring them with us too."
Ye Chang'an nodded, then began preparing transportation.
But just as he began moving them, Schicksal's Valkyries arrived.
~
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"Bishop, there is an urgent message from Babylon Laboratory."
At Schicksal Headquarters, Otto Apocalypse, immersed in a data space, was interrupted by an external communication.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Babylon Laboratory has been occupied. This is footage from the time."
The video was transmitted. Otto opened it to watch, and his pupils immediately contracted.
The footage showed Ye Chang'an climbing the tower and capturing people. The chains that appeared out of thin air and moved under such precise control looked extremely familiar to Otto.
—The First Herrscher.
—No, impossible. The First Herrscher is already dead.
He doubted it. He refused to believe it. He continued watching.
Until, at the end, he saw Ye Chang'an leap into the reactor, drain all the Destruction energy, remain there for a while, then mysteriously vanish and reappear outside the reactor.
—This child... is the Second Arbiter?
—But how can he use the First Herrscher's power?
Otto could not understand it, and there was something even more incomprehensible.
The way Ye Chang'an used the First Herrscher's power seemed different from what Otto knew.
—No, that isn't important.
He shook his head, deciding what mattered most right now.
"Notify the S-Rank Valkyries. Have them proceed to Babylon Laboratory immediately."
"Objective: capture the Second Arbiter."
He had to capture Ye Chang'an as quickly as possible. He could not let Ye Chang'an cause a major disturbance.
Thus, Schicksal's two S-Rank Valkyries immediately boarded a plane and set out. They happened to run into Ye Chang'an as he was arranging for the girls to board vehicles.
"Um... Theresa, didn't the Bishop say the Second Arbiter was here?" Cecilia could not tell who the Arbiter was.
Theresa could not tell either.
But soon, they recognized the Second Arbiter.
Because Ye Chang'an had brought out the Schicksal personnel who were bound by chains as well.
Before you continue