Come to See Your Masters (5,000 Words)

The Redeemer...

The three weighty words, once spoken, made everyone present feel as if they were being blamed.

When criticized, it's inevitable to experience some negative emotions.

A strange, manic-depressive unease arose in everyone present.

The answer Xiao Xiao gave and the truth he revealed to everyone made many people understand one thing: it turns out that the woman in hell really did nothing.

It's just that her existence has caused many people in this world to be afraid.

The people of the Lost Island are afraid, so they must shut her down, or to use a more direct word: destroy her.

They were using that woman for experiments, and now that she's gone into hiding, they still want to kill her. This is because Xiao Xiao angrily pointed at them and called them "persecutors"!

Dante and the Hell Organization, especially the two leaders, only wanted to stay away from her. They had sensed that if that woman appeared, they would be unable to refuse the Mother's command due to the connection between their mental structures. So, to avoid this command, which might or might not appear, they only wanted to build a Paradise and stay far away from her... And they, who had similar experiences to that woman, should have stood with her, but only wanted to escape. That's why Xiao Xiao called them "traitors"!

At that same moment, Xiao Xiao pointed to himself and said, "The Redeemer!"

Then we have to ask, when the whole world is either trying to escape or trying to get rid of her, what do you want to do?

That woman may have done nothing wrong, but she is the source, she is the nightmare, she is the source of this chaotic and bizarre world!

But you want to release her?

"What the Redeemer?"

The atmosphere was heavy with tension as Xiao Xiao spoke, until the voice of the Lost Island rang out coldly. "You're just a madman!"

"Everyone in the world doesn't want her to come out; they just want her to disappear. But you're different from everyone else?"

"You think you're so noble?"

"Your stubbornness will only drag the whole world down with you. If you don't listen to advice, you will only make the whole world your enemy!"

"..."

It must be said that there will always be absurd and distorted aspects to this world.

Originally, everyone felt depressed and worried, but no one had the right to criticize Xiao Xiao at this moment. They just felt conflicted and troubled. But when he shouted those words on Lost Island, it actually made everyone feel a little relieved.

Their words were truly offensive.

But one has to admit that what they said was actually quite true.

Moreover, no matter how stubborn Chairman Xiao of Black Gate City may be at this moment, the fact is that he is already at his limit.

Black Gate City should have been destroyed ten minutes ago, but the angered Hell Organization and the reluctant Dante Organization brought the situation to a halt.

That's what gave them the opportunity to communicate with each other.

This should have been Black Gate City's last chance, and also Chairman Xiao's last chance, but at such a moment, he actually made such accusations against the Dante Organization, the Hell Organization, and the Lost Island.

Are you kidding me...?

"Black Gate City must disappear today!"

The voice of Lost Island transformed into a surging stream of mental energy, impacting the minds of everyone present. "This madman who wants to destroy the world must be destroyed."

This expressed their attitude. As their will descended, the Mysterious Guidepost they activated had begun to exert their power, and at the same time, the numb and stagnant feeling in everyone's body was also rapidly disappearing.

Lost Island doesn't agree with anything Xiao Qi said; they just want to get rid of him.

So, what will the Dante Organization choose?

They could only look sadly at Xiao Xiao at this moment, feeling a heavy sense of oppression in their hearts. The power of the Slumber Pillow had begun to quietly withdraw from the battlefield.

It was the alliance Dante Organization and the Hell Organization that temporarily halted this tilted battlefield, and the withdrawal of the Dante Organization's Mysterious Guidepost signifies that the gears of fate have begun to turn again.

The Dante Organization did not refute Xiao Xiao's words, nor did they try to persuade him further; they were simply withdrawing.

Meanwhile, the power of the Midnight Veil used by the Hell Organization began to disappear as the power of the Slumber Pillow from the Dante Organization faded.

At this moment, the Hell Organization also didn't say anything to Black Gate City. Perhaps it was simply because they were surprised that Xiao Xiao couldn't be persuaded at this time, so they simply used silence instead of answering.

Of course, sometimes silence is the answer.

Black Gate City gained a brief respite in this stagnant battlefield, but this respite lasted only a few minutes before the gears of destruction began to turn once more. It was a vast and lonely sense of destiny, and the entire Black Gate City seemed to sense something at that moment, slowly ceasing its writhing motion. Above Black Gate City, the woman in the white dress stood there with a somewhat sorrowful expression, quietly and silently watching Xiao Xiao, her eyes seemingly moistening slightly.

"So this is what you were thinking."

At that moment, Yang Jia turned around. She no longer needed to face that world, because when the Hell Organization and the Dante Organization withdrew from the battlefield, there was only one fate before her.

She took this brief moment to look at Xiao Xiao seriously and whispered, "Is it worth it?"

"It's not a question of whether it's worth it or not."

Xiao Xiao said silently, "It's because the world I see before me is too hopeless, so only I can stand at this angle that makes the world less hopeless."

"If someone is willing to stand here, perhaps I will also stand from the perspective of Dante's escapism, from the perspective of Hell's indulgence, or even become a madman with only a goal, like the people of the Lost Island."

"But there isn't one..."

"Since none of them are willing to stand at this angle, I'm the only one standing here."

"Otherwise, wouldn't this world be too cold?"

"..."

Yang Jia looked at Xiao Xiao's seemingly dejected expression, as if he had a lot to say, but after a long while, she silently stepped back, came to Xiao Xiao's side, and whispered, "I'll stay with you."

Xiao Xiao looked at her with some surprise.

Yang Jia sighed softly and said, "I definitely wanted to escape. The reason I wanted to escape was because I remembered our original world wasn't like this. I didn't identify with this world. But since the world I imagined doesn't exist, we can only try our best to make it the way we imagine it. No one wants to stand in this seemingly foolish position, but it's okay. We're standing here, and no matter the outcome, while we're alive, this world has that touch of warmth..."

"Have we gone a bit too far?"

Suddenly, someone from Dante Organization started shouting. Everyone looked over and saw a researcher Lin Bo, who was of very low status.

He shouted, "I protest!"

"No matter what Black Gate City does, it's just trying to help her out. We have our own plan, and it's certainly smarter than theirs, but why shouldn't we allow those fools' plans to exist?"

"..."

"Shut up!"

His mentor was furious and scolded him, "You don't understand anything at all."

"I really don't understand..."

Lin Bo murmured, "I'm not very capable, and my research results are poor, but I have dealt with Black Gate City before."

"They're actually all very smart, or rather... very cunning, but why do they seem so stupid right now?"

"Why are we so unconvinced when we face people who do stupid things?"

"..."

"..."

"Clap clap clap clap..."

On the other side, on the silent Hell Organization warship, a loud clapping sound suddenly rang out, attracting the attention of those around.

Turning around, I saw the White Devil clapping and wiping away tears.

"So touching."

"..."

He actually felt a little teary-eyed, and the expressions of those around him immediately became strange. "What kind of trouble are you causing now?"

"I think I understand him now."

With tears in his eyes, White Devil said, "He was truly a remarkable performance artist!"

"He is changing the underlying tone of our despairing world with his own methods and his own attitude..."

"..."

"Don't go crazy..."

When everyone was feeling depressed, someone couldn't help but shout at him, "He only got himself killed, and he dragged Black Gate City down with him, causing its destruction..."

"Yes, it definitely can..."

White Devil wiped away his tears and said, "But isn't sacrificing oneself for the pursuit of art worthy of respect?"

These words made everyone around feel awkward. Someone couldn't help but sneer, "Heh, even if he really is like that, he's moved by his own words, but what about everyone else?"

"What about those in Black Gate City who were implicated by him?"

"Did those people die in vain?"

"..."

"Huh?"

This sentence, filled with resentment and malicious mockery, suddenly made the White Devil pause for a moment. "Yes..."

He stared blankly up at the direction of Black Gate City, muttering, "He doesn't seem like that kind of person. This kind of art is imperfect..."

Everyone just thought he was crazy and had a fit of madness.

The leader of the Hell Organization suddenly had a thought and focused his gaze on Black Gate City. He sensed that Black Gate City was unusually silent, and the silence was somewhat abnormal.

"Broken..."

A sudden realization struck him. "It seems we've overlooked something..."

"What was overlooked?"

He was unaware that the others were also unaware of this at that moment.

But as the influence of Dante Organization's and Hell Organization on this battlefield gradually receded, and Black Gate City was exposed to the most dangerous pressure, Xiao Xiao let out a deep sigh. Looking at Yang Jia, whose expression was firm yet inevitably somewhat disappointed, he sighed softly, walked forward step by step, patted Yang Jia's shoulder, and whispered to her, "I will always remember your words. You proved to me that perhaps no matter when, from this perspective, it's not just one person..."

"So, hide behind me for now!"

"..."

"You?"

Yang Jia was somewhat puzzled, but Xiao Xiao didn't offer much explanation and simply headed towards the dark, imposing battlefield.

Thump, thump...

The heavy thumping of a heart slowly rose from the depths of a chaotic, smoke-filled ocean of consciousness, stirring the hearts of everyone present.

They didn't know why, but even Mingming this should have been the most oppressive and desperate moment in Black Gate City, they could hear a faint sense of fear in the sound of that heartbeat.

"Now that things have come to this, why bother with all this mystery?"

If we're talking about fear, it's the people of Lost Island who are most afraid. They are far more afraid than Dante Organization and Hell Organization, and therefore their attitude at this moment is much tougher than those two sides.

Even before these two sides had completely withdrawn from the battlefield, they had already unleashed a tremendous spiritual wave, sweeping towards Black Gate City. Their attitude directly revealed that Black Gate City had been abandoned by the world because of Xiao Xiao's willful actions, and was even at odds with the entire world. So where did Black Gate City get such stubbornness and pride to insist on fighting to the bitter end in this confrontation?

"You always talk about how the whole world is like this and that..."

Just as they were thinking about these things, Xiao Xiao's voice rang out, as if he could hear them.

With a cold smile, he asked them, "But where do you get the confidence to represent the world so readily?"

"Sizzle!"

Just as the Dante Organization and the Hell Organization had almost completely withdrawn their influence on this battlefield, Xiao Xiao suddenly stepped out of the Black Gate City.

The moment he appeared, the spiritual power around him suddenly surged and spread. Originally, Black Gate City had formed an unprecedentedly powerful spiritual body due to the accumulation of countless Mysterious Source corpses. Now, with Xiao Xiao's appearance, this huge spiritual field suddenly resonated. And because Xiao Xiao had always maintained a state of spiritual resonance with this world, this resonance, like a boundless wave, swept and spread outwards to the entire world.

"He actually has such an ability?"

Many people were taken aback. "This madman, even at a time like this, still wants to put pressure on the world?"

How much does he hate this world?

"..."

"I don't hate this world."

The two sides were in a state of resonance, and Xiao Xiao actually caught their thoughts, simply smiling, "On the contrary, I like him more than you do."

"So I know that you don't represent the world at all."

"The only thing that can represent this world is this world itself, and all the people in this world..."

"..."

"..."

"Broken..."

While everyone was still in a state of astonishment, not yet understanding what Xiao Xiao was about to do—whether it was a heroic sacrifice or a desperate gamble—the leader of the Hell Organization, perhaps whose thought process could barely keep up with him, suddenly had a vague guess. For a moment, his scalp tingled, and he cried out, "Oh no!" Immediately afterward, the leader of the Dante Organization also suddenly guessed from the fluctuations of spiritual power around Xiao Xiao that he had a familiar aura. His face turned pale, and he exclaimed inwardly, "No way!"

But time was of the essence, and Lost Island was already preparing, its spiritual power instantly overwhelming Black Gate City.

At this moment, the power of the Mysterious Guidepost surged forth, possessing unique characteristics, rejecting all barriers, and unleashing unimaginable destructive force.

"Not enough!"

But at that very moment, Xiao Xiao suddenly looked up at the boundless ocean of consciousness and shouted in a deep voice, "Since I am already here, why don't you all come out and pay your respects to the master?"

"Buzz!"

With that shout, a long-dormant energy within him exploded instantly.

That was a true spiritual imprint that belonged only to him.

This spiritual imprint comes from Patient Zero, and is 100% identical, thus possessing the deepest power within this ocean of essence.

Originally, this power belonged only to a certain trait and had no inherent opposing force.

So neither Dante Organization, Hell, nor the Lost Island included this plan, but they overlooked one issue: the connection between this mark and the Twelve Guideposts.

Lady Fate calls Xiao Xiao "Little Master" because he possesses this mark.

Xiao Xiao was certainly powerless to use this mark to control the Twelve Guideposts. Even if Patient Zero were to come now, he might not be able to do it, since the Twelve Guideposts would each have their own will after they were formed.

However, Xiao Xiao can activate the Twelve Guideposts.

Especially when all Twelve Guideposts had approached him, and half of them were already activated, while the other half were also in an active state.

"Buzz" "Buzz" "Buzz" "Buzz" "Buzz" "Buzz"

So, just as Black Gate City was about to be destroyed, six more mysterious auras, all at the same level, suddenly appeared out of control from the forces of Hell, Dante, and Lost Island. The battlefield, which was just one shot away from ending, suddenly returned to its previous chaotic state due to the sudden activation of several nuclear missiles. In fact, it could be said that the chaos was many times stronger than before, and the sharp mental waves sliced through everyone's fragile nerves.

Sequence 2 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: Cradle of Birth

Sequence 3 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: The Blade-less Sword

Sequence 6 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: The Bewildering Mirror

The Twelve Mysterious Guidepost Sequence 8: Coveted Black Box

Twelve Mysterious Guidepost Sequence 9: Blue Princess Dress

Sequence 12 of the Twelve Mysterious Guidepost: The Singing Key

In theory, Xiao Xiao's mark does indeed have the potential to activate the Twelve Guideposts.

But the chance was so slim that it was hard to find. However, he still managed to do it when six Mysterious Guidepost had already appeared on the battlefield and when everyone else was most relaxed, thanks to his keen senses.

But no one understood why he did it.

Did he feel that six nuclear bombs were not enough to send him to his death, and that he had to collect twelve?

Your OCD is pretty severe...