Part Nine was finished.
The final chapter ran to over seven thousand words and could have been split into three chapters. But for the sake of narrative continuity and smooth emotions, it was better as one super-sized chapter.
Eighteen thousand words posted in one day, twenty-four thousand hammered out over two days—at last, without harming the quality of the writing, I fulfilled my promise to "finish this part within the week."
Don't forget, everyone—I'm still working, still on duty! I completely had to squeeze out time, pry loose opportunities, and force my way through every crack until I was foaming at the mouth to pull this off!
So don't hesitate. Send some votes and tips my way. This time, I could finally ask for votes and tips with my head held high.
Now then, a summary of this part.
I still carried some old sentiments, and the older I got, the deeper they became.
When I saw some popular star on the big screen saying, "Fire at me," I wouldn't say whether the acting was good or bad. Let's not talk about the actor or the director—let's talk about the movie itself. It didn't feel like a tribute. If I had to pick a word for it, it was probably... blasphemy.
That was what gave me the idea for this part.
Originally, Part Nine was titled "Burning the Core to Shatter Demons." But after thinking it over, there was still plenty more content to come, and if I wrote it this meticulously, it would turn into one of those "maybe in my lifetime" series. So I wanted to speed up the pace and compress the planned Parts Nine and Ten into one, adding the title of Part Ten: "Heavenly Bell Rings in the Nine Heavens."
While writing it, I felt