Chapter 562

She said softly

"Even now, the image of that day—the collapsed Ceiling, the shattered control room, the blood flowing everywhere, and the raging flames that devoured everything—has an impact so intense it surpasses even the pain itself. I can clearly feel death rapidly approaching every second. My parents, and my important friends... they too perished in that sea of fire that swept across the world."

In truth, the girl's deepest wish is very simple, and also very small.

All I want is to open a small Bakery in a quiet, peaceful town with the person I love, baking fragrant bread and enjoying sweet cakes, just to live out the rest of my life in that simple, ordinary way. That's all.

"Although Director Olga later lectured me with many grand principles, like saving the world, or humanity's last hope..." Ritsuka lowered her eyes slightly, her voice somewhat low, "But I myself, even now, still don't have that lofty awareness of 'saving the world.' I just... just simply want to live. I just... really, really hate those feelings. Wrath and hatred—yes, I truly do harbor such simple and direct emotions."

"But--"

At this point, Ritsuka Fujimaru suddenly raised her head, her face beaming with a smile as radiant as the sun after a rain.

That smile held no trace of gloom, but was filled with purity and determination.

"Why am I still moving forward?" she tilted her head, her tone light and cheerful. "It's because I've experienced Wrath, Sorrow, and countless tears; but at the same time, I've also felt joy, the warmth of being Protection, and the happiness of sharing victories with everyone—most importantly, I possess 'hope'!"

"It wasn't just because someone asked me to, nor was it just because someone requested it, and it certainly wasn't because of any high-sounding sense of responsibility."

"It is my will, the surging emotions within my heart, that are shouting and constantly telling me: 'Keep moving forward! Live on regardless! Keep going!'"

Her voice gradually rose in pitch.

"That's right, that's exactly it! Because so many people have said to me, 'I can teach you, Ritsuka'; some complain about how hard they work, but then say, 'I just took a short break, watched Livestream, and ate Strawberry Cake'; some confidently pat their full, enviable chests and say, 'I'm Perfection person, so you'll become Perfection too'; and some incredibly cute people keep calling out, 'Senior Sister, you said Teacher...' 'Master!' 'Fou! Fou!' 'So tired, I should watch the Anime I saved,' and so on and so forth..."

"It is precisely because of these things that I firmly believe I can keep moving forward, no matter how deep the despair I face! Therefore, I can keep moving forward because I 'want' to move forward from the bottom of my heart—I want to reach the destination that I can reach by exerting all my strength and risking everything."

Of course, there were some things she simply couldn't say to Kingu's face.

After all, the girlish thoughts and level of Shame contained in those words were just too high.

I can't possibly spill out all my innermost thoughts and girlish anxieties to the enemy, like, "Sorry, Xiao Xiang, senior, I really have to..." "It's unavoidable to steal someone else's husband," "I need to correct the Consultant's fetishes," or "Even wearing weird clothes that look like Yueyi's first release of erotic clothing is fine!" That would be too Shame! Absolutely not!

In short, the smile on Ritsuka Fujimaru's face at that moment was refreshing and confident.

"At the beginning, especially when my Consultant weren't around and I had to make decisions on my own, I often worried that my mistakes might lead to failure. After all, along the way, I always felt that I hadn't actually made many remarkable contributions and had relied more on everyone's strength."

"But only now have I finally realized—"

She took a deep breath, and then, in a tone that was both somewhat relieved and filled with boundless courage, loudly declared:

"What?! So it turns out that I, Ritsuka Fujimaru... am actually pretty good after all!"

"In that case, you can leave the rest of the way to me, the younger generation!"

"This is the sole reason why I, Ritsuka Fujimaru, have been able to continue moving forward to this point!"

The language is concise and straightforward, so plain that it is devoid of any flowery embellishments.

However, the person who uttered these words radiated an indescribable, dazzling brilliance.

That's just the way it is.

The more distant a goal a human being aspires to, the higher its inherent value. Compared to "dreams" that can eventually be achieved through effort, the "desire" that one pursues at all costs despite knowing the slim chance of success shines even brighter under the reflection of human initiative.

This is what is meant by doing something knowing it's impossible.

Therefore,

"... Did I... really lose?"

The resentment and confusion on Kingu's face gradually faded, replaced by a bitter smile tinged with self-mockery. He slowly lowered his head, his emerald green hair obscuring his expression.

"Really. I actually lost... I, the son of Tiamat, the pioneer of the New Humanity, actually lost to such Old Humanity... Where did things go wrong? Who knows... To be honest, even I'm not quite sure why, when you were already right in front of me, I didn't choose to ambush you, didn't just kill you, this self-righteous Old Humanity, but instead just obediently listened to all this nonsense you spouted..."

Kingu paused, then unconsciously placed a hand on his chest.

"But—my heart, which shouldn't hold so many emotions, is... it's pounding and screaming uncontrollably because of your words."

To put it bluntly, these words are what we call ideals, but no matter how you look at it, the way of existence of the Old Humanity is wrong, and to this day, Kingu still finds it incredibly ugly.

However, it is also strangely understandable.

Perhaps this is what is known as the Old Humanity.

"I never want to see... never want to see such foolish, Old Humanity like you disappear. It's unforgivable that my heart would betray itself. But right now, I feel incredibly happy, incredibly strange. Human, you, the Child of Man of Ritsuka Fujimaru, how Pride you are! But it's unavoidable, after all, humans are born with this original sin."

At this point, Kingu slowly raised his head and looked at the sky, which was shrouded in a gray haze of gunpowder smoke, yet still showed a hint of blue.

Slowly, she stretched out her arms, as if to embrace something, or as if to say goodbye to something.

"... Goodbye, Mother. You chose the wrong machine. I am not worthy of it."

With that soft sigh, Kingu's body began to transform into specks of emerald green light, gradually dissipating into the air.

Thus, the Seventh Singularity: Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia has been conquered.

Naturally, by this point, Ritsuka's memories and emotions had been transformed into a book that Metatron and Novia had been reading.

This is also the main reason for Metatron's surprise.

She had to admit from the bottom of her heart that the human being named Ritsuka Fujimaru, with the quality of her soul, the tenacity of her will, and the radiance she exuded, would certainly have been accepted by Lord Novia and even looked upon with special regard if she had been placed in that distant past.

As for whether one will be fortunate enough to see the Lord's "face," that's hard to say. After all, only Lilith and Shekinah were qualified in the past. But at least one's "back view" will definitely be seen.

However, the problem now is --

Wait, wait, wait! When... when did this person suddenly appear who seems to be a "wife" and a "daughter"?!

How could she not know such a thing? And judging from Lilith's expression, even she didn't know?! What a useless person she is...

Based on Ritsuka's memories, Metatron learned some things about the Consultant Novia's family situation.

So Metatron hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. She too longed for that kind of "intimate" relationship with the Lord! She also wanted to be treated so gently by the Lord, and to have more "daily" interactions with Him!

But,

Metatron looked down at his Perfection body, which was not made of flesh and blood.

I need to improve my physical condition, since getting pregnant with Probability Dress is practically impossible.

Furthermore, even if the body modification is successful, the Lord's approval must be sought first...

"Um... Lord... please, please let me conceive your child?"

Strange, why does that sound so familiar? Doesn't it sound like something that shameless Lilith once said to the Lord? She's in such a state now; if I said that, wouldn't things get even worse...? Ugh...

"So, isn't Ritsuka amazing?"

Novia spoke in a steady voice, yet Metatron could sense the barely concealed relief and joy in his tone.

It's like seeing an elderly father whose child can stand on his own two feet.

This is normal, after all, Novia doesn't believe that a Perfection world can be achieved through drastic changes.

"If you want to label it as evil, then so be it, you bastards. Humanity should move forward step by step, even if we make mistakes, until one day we truly no longer need the domination of Outsider. Only then will no matter how far we go, it won't be in vain. In this process, the courage and will that humanity cultivates will truly embody a brilliant light."

Because the journey to the destination is fraught with pain too quickly and filled with unnecessary suffering, simply omitting it is not a good approach.

Everything has two sides.

What can shelter it from the wind and rain can also prevent it from ever seeing the light of day again.

"Yes, yes, Lord! I completely obey your will! And I will follow you forever, faithfully and unwaveringly, and will never be swayed by anything external..."

Metatron, still clinging to Novia, immediately straightened his back and responded loudly in an almost oath-like tone.

However, her voice sounded somewhat lacking in confidence.

That's natural. If she hadn't met Novia first, but instead encountered Chaldea, she probably would have vented her existing resentment towards humanity and declared them extinct.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Novia slowly turned her head and met Metatron's shimmering Golden Eyes.

On his face, a look of keen interest, as if he could see through everything, was revealed as he quietly stared at Metatron, who was trembling slightly with guilt and whose forehead was even beaded with cold sweat.

That look in his eyes made Metatron's heart flutter.

I'll just assume that's how it is.

"Waaah... Master... What I said is true... I really think so now..."

Metatron let out a pitiful whimper like a small animal, burying her face deeper into Novia's neck, trying to escape the gaze that left her nowhere to hide, but she also deliberately bit her a few times.

Immediately afterwards, a voice that sounded extremely disheveled came from the Great Gate.

"Waaaaah! Novia, come save me! Come save me! I really don't want to become Mara! It will really attract Kali! I'll really die then!"

566: fw Kama (5k)

Earlier, the battle had entered a realm beyond 'scorching'.

On one side is Kama, who proclaims herself the Mistress of the Himalayas; on the other side is Melusine, the Strongest Dragon has lived for 4.6 billion years.

It's crystal clear who holds absolute power; it's self-evident.

"... Eh?"

Kama's red eyes, which always held a hint of allure and languor, had transformed from their previous aloofness into unbelievable astonishment.

Feinting? Some kind of advanced spatial jumping ability? No, there's no trace of spatial fluctuations.

That was pure... simple to the extreme, yet so fast that it broke through the limits of visual and neural reaction.

In an instant, Kama felt as if several Melusine had appeared in front of him at the same time.

Damn it! This guy... he's gone way too fast!

Kama felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that he was in a precarious situation.

It's not that she can't win, but rather that she can't win because she can't use her full strength right now. If she doesn't use Mara's abilities, then she can only fight with the blessing of a Goddess. As for her prized Bow and Arrow, Kama believes that it's highly unlikely that she can keep up with Moro's speed. Even if she anticipates it, it will be dodged, and her strength is also irresistible.

After all, Melusine's attack was a direct assault, which was enough to prove her confidence in her own strength.

Why did Kama refuse to use Mara's power?

The Answer is simple, so simple that even Kama herself feels somewhat humiliated—because once she fully transforms or uses even a little of Mara's power, there is a very high chance that Kali will appear on Durga's body, thus dragging her all the way back to the Himalayas Mountains to continue living that miserable life without any personal freedom.

Kama was genuinely afraid of Kali.

The mere thought of Kali's blue face with fangs, three wide-open eyes, a long, bright red tongue hanging down to her chest, and eight arms wielding various blood-stained weapons... made Kama feel her soul tremble uncontrollably. Even though she knew that becoming Mara didn't necessarily mean she couldn't defeat Kali, she was still terrified.

Durga is alright; he can still be fooled by Mohini. Kali is truly hopeless. Even if she specifically asks Ganesha, the Ganesha, to joke around and act cute to fool her, it's still not easy to win her over.

"What's wrong? Is this all you've got?"

Melusine's voice interrupted Kama's reverie.

She had initially thought that this God of Erotic Love had uttered so many strange words, was something to be proud of, but now it seemed... he was just an ordinary god. Did he even reach the level of a lower-ranking deity?

I thought their boasting was a bit too much; maybe I could look forward to something more. It's been a while since I've stretched my muscles!

That's how it ended.

"So what! Don't look down on me! I'll smash that ice-cold face of yours in a minute!"

Despite her inner turmoil and knowing full well that she was at a complete disadvantage, Kama's pride as the goddess of Love God and her confidence as Novia's best lover prevented Kama from verbally admitting defeat. She forced a fierce "Is that all?" expression, trying to overwhelm her opponent with her imposing presence.

And so, what greeted Kama's blustering but ultimately cowardly boast was Melusine's unerring precision as she aimed at her face, approaching with the speed to break the air—

Fist.

"Whoa--!?"

Then came a muffled "thump!"

A sharp pain shot through her cheek, like an electric shock, instantly engulfing her entire body and causing Kama's mind to go blank for a moment. At the same time, the terrifying shockwave from her fist, like a battering ram, sent her flying backward.

Like a kite with a broken string, Love God traced a tragic parabola in the air, flying dozens of meters away before finally crashing headfirst into the mud in an extremely undignified manner. Her legs were now bent at a comical angle, exposed to the air, trembling slightly and pitifully.

"The battle is over. What a utterly boring battle." Melusine gently flapped her dragon wings and slowly landed on the ground.

She gazed at Kama's pitiful state in the distance, calmly shaking her head, her tone utterly unwavering, as if she had merely accomplished a trivial task. "However, as the strongest, this is the only natural end for me."

Damn it! How utterly humiliating! This is truly shameful! Vritra! How dare you, a bastard of your kind, do such a thing to me! When I go back next time, I'll cut your food rations to the bare minimum! I'll make you live like Shesha, one of Vishnu, living a life of abject poverty, eating dirt every day! Ugh, I'm so angry!

Kama buried her entire head deep into the cold, damp earth, trying to hide the twisted expression on her face—a mixture of extreme Wrath, endless Shame, and intense resentment. The pungent smell of the earth and the astringent taste of the grass filled her nostrils, driving her even more mad.

If it weren't for that damned Kali... if I hadn't been so restrained... how could I have been beaten so badly by a mere Dragon Kind?

While Kama was blaming Vritra, who was far away, and was also taking his anger out on Kali, he was caught in a cycle of self-comfort, trying to transfer this sense of shame.

Just then, a shadow fell over her.

"... ah!"