182 "You Will Die, Lioz."

Dia Lan's hair was so long that he would even choke when he breathed.

"Ugh... you really are something else."

Li Aoz scratched his head and had no choice but to cut off her hair with his sword. With her short hair reaching her ears, the young Dia Lan was very petite; he could easily pick her up with one hand.

"...Thanks."

Dia Lan's voice was soft and gentle, a far cry from her usual aloof and icy demeanor. She opened her large eyes wide and looked at Li Aoz, saying:

"I might turn into a baby. To make it easier for you to move around, just find a corner with water and throw me in."

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Li Aoz frowned. He immediately pulled down the curtain, made a swaddle, wrapped Dia Lan up, and carried her on his back. "If you turn into a baby, remember to cry and remind me that the baby can't be carried on my back, I have to hold her in my arms so she won't fall off easily."

Dia Lan's eyelids drooped, and he said with difficulty, exhaling hot breath, "But, Lioz, wouldn't that make it very inconvenient for you to move around...? And crying might attract the enemy."

"Don't worry. No matter how many of them come, it won't make a difference."

As long as the Higgs Field isn't triggered, and he's just Implant Equipment Vanguard, Li Aoz has no reason to expose his identity, and Crescent Moon won't even notice him.

Instinctively, he patted Dia Lan's head behind him, reassuring him, "No one can take anything from my arms anymore."

Dia Lan lowered her head in a daze, her hair on the top of her head was gently touched by Li Aoz's warm hand, which made her, who was in a coma due to a high fever, unable to distinguish between virtual and reality for a moment.

"Doctor..."

Dia Lan said softly:

"I want to hear a lullaby... just this once, okay?"

Her small hand gently tugged at Li Aoz's collar, Li Aoz shrugged helplessly. "I can't sing."

"I want to... hear." Dia Lan's voice was muffled, and his figure seemed to be shrinking.

"I, I really don't know how."

Faced with the child's request, Li Aoz was at a loss for words.

'Let me do it, you idiot Lioz, how can you be so insensitive?'

Just then, a ripple tore open in the void, and Jannia stood obediently beside him. She gestured for Li Aoz pick up his sword and set off with Dia Lan. At the same time, with her hands behind her back, she softly hummed in a language she had never heard before: ...

(Lyrics gist) The mountains and rivers are vast, and the moonlight is as bright as silk.

Listen to the wind singing at dusk, the stream swaying gently.

Falicia, a land of heroes.

Children in distress rebuild their homeland on an alien planet.

Haynes, we can only meet in dreams.

The mountains and rivers, once vast and majestic, are now stained with blood.

The evening breeze has ceased, and only mournful cries remain.

Falicia, the home of the soul.

A nascent civilization, before it could fully mature, was attacked by poisonous wolves.

I want to go home, my home, my Falicia.

It died a violent death on Gaia's teeth.

It drowned in the venomous blood of ether.

It died tragically under cover of secret trampling.

Falicia, my homeland, when will I be able to return home?

Jannia is rarely this well-behaved.

With her clear voice and mournful melody, for some reason, even though she didn't understand the lyrics, Li Aoz felt a strange, inexplicable stirring in her heart.

Dia Lan fell into a deep sleep, tears from the corners of his eyes wetting Li Aoz's shoulder.

After the song ended, Jannia looked at Li Aoz and calmly said, "In the ancient times, one of the Star Abyss Main God, the [Overlord Willpower] Morphedria, used the ' Dreamlike Planet ' Haynes as his base to launch a campaign against the invasion of the Destroyers and [Society]. This was the last battle of the Outer Abyss War."

"His agent is the source of your name— Lioz, the God of Reality."

Li Aoz surprised, wondering why Jannia brought this up.

She glanced at Dia Lan, her gaze gentle, as if looking at a fellow human being. That was enough to explain the reason.

Then she said seriously, "Lioz, the chief god who shares your name, did not run away, but confronted the invaders with fearlessness and ruthlessness."

"After Haynes comes the Abyss."

"The Pharassia Civilization I inhabit is composed of refugees. Its predecessor was actually a country on the planet Haynes — the Pharassia Republic. When Lioz died in battle, we clearly remembered the face of the invaders."

"I can never forget it, and every refugee from Haynes can never forget it, that terrible monster, that [society] that killed Lioz, devoured our civilization, and has been hunting us down to this day."

She looked at Lioz, and with all her might and hatred, uttered that name:

"[The Hidden Society]—Gaia".

"It and its three councilors stormed the Pantheon and trampled our homeland."

"Be careful, Lioz. I sensed the aura on that child. It's familiar. It's the aura of the Falicia ... The Hidden Ones haven't gone far. They still want to kill us all and devour us completely."

Li Aoz was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Why bring this up now? Ya Wen was also Hidden Councilor, but you didn't react at the time."

"I don't know, Lioz." Jannia shook her head and said worriedly, "I suddenly felt a strong premonition... Sharp Tooth Peak, my master, I had the same feeling before he left me."

"What does that mean, Jannia?"

Li Aoz became serious.

Divine artifacts possess a far more powerful way of sensing than mortals; they can sense certain imperceptible signals through the divine power within their bodies.

You will die.

Jannia said woodenly, "This planet will be swallowed up by [society]."

Knock! "Lucite, do you believe me?"

Hobbes finished his water, slammed the glass down on the table, his eyes vacant, his voice heavy. "This planet will be swallowed up by [society]."

"... Hobbes."

Lucite was incredulous at everything he heard. He stood up, then sat down again, and after thinking for a long time, he still felt like his brain couldn't process it.

In the end, all he could say was, "When Lioz comes, I'll talk to Lioz about this. As for the others, you must keep it a secret, absolutely a secret! Hobbes, you're my good brother, this will ruin you."

Hobbes shook his head and said nothing.

They sat facing each other, with a body-worn, organ- Implant Equipment Vanguard lying on the table, and Dimensional Bomb placed beside Lucite.

Lucite looked at his good friend, his good brother.

Now, if he were to smash that heart with all his might, Hobbes would be buried in two-dimensional space, and no one could bring him back.

"Reason and law tell me I should kill you right now."

Lucite said:

"But I can't do it, Hobbes ... You haven't hurt anyone, and you still have a chance."

"Lucite, thank you," Hobbes said gratefully. "I will kill Crescent Moon, and after that, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Sigh..." Lucite put away the Dimensional Bomb, his expression complicated. "I feel like I've been tricked. Should I tell Lioz or not?"

Which thing are you referring to telling him?

"We're friends, we should be able to talk about anything," Lucite said. "Even in the 'society'... Lioz will understand and forgive you."

"I don't know," Hobbes sighed, but his gaze was unwavering. "But I have to do it. I have no other choice. Wait... Lucite, I will tell Lioz everything."

"Then let's just try to survive—"

Bang! Before Lucite could say anything, the library door was suddenly kicked open. The two quickly ducked into cover, and then they heard a mature and reliable male voice:

"Are there any survivors inside? We are the Student Union Enforcement Team from the Magical Application Academy!"

The two exchanged a glance, peeked out from their bunker, walked to the railing, and looked down: a group of senior students dressed in heavy armor and carrying riot rifles, covered in blood. The leader was tall and strong, his body covered with the blood, flesh, and organ fragments of Implant Equipment Vanguard.

He looked up at the second floor, then took off his helmet, revealing a gentle smile, "So it's you— 'Know-it-all ' Hobbes, and you, the newcomer of the Alchemy Workshops, Lucite."

The two looked at each other, and the man introduced himself, "I am Mordot, a third-year student and the captain of the Enforcement Team. The Implant Equipment Vanguard are approaching and attacking. It is no longer safe here. Come with me."