The Girl Is Facing Off... (Continued)

—I have deeply connected with her and understood her essence... She, they have truly been waiting for me for fourteen thousand years. And no matter how many generations have passed, they have steadfastly held onto this original intention, unwavering in their commitment.

—If I abandon her, then...she might not survive. Even if I commanded her to live when I left, she probably would...

I can't let her down. I... have to solve this problem.

The girl raised her hand, gazing at the Profaned Flame dancing at her fingertips—she had originally intended to use these Profaned Flame as a navigational aid when she left last time, hoping to gain the ability to travel between the two worlds. However, the final result was not as she had hoped.

No, it can't be said that things were unsatisfactory. After all, she did arrive here again after only two worlds. However, she knew that her dream journeys tended to revisit worlds where karmic ties remained unresolved. And she currently had no evidence to prove that the beacon she left behind had had any effect whatsoever.

It cannot be proven, nor can it be proven—that cross-world remote observation has already proven to be a feasible measure under Persephone's guidance. However, the enormous cost of this measure also deeply worries her.

Just looking at it will cause you to lose consciousness, and your physical body in Terra may also lose control.

So, how much compensation would be required for direct intervention across worlds—retrieving coordinates and pinpointing locations, even creating fixed portals between the two worlds?

It's obvious from a logical perspective that it's a price I can afford to pay. But if I insist on stopping, the outcome will either be an even more complete loss of control, or someone close to me will become the price to pay.

She never dared to imagine the extent of destruction and death she would cause on the land of Chernobog when she first lost control.

My thoughts were interrupted there.

—I can't abandon her, I can't leave her unattended.

—So...ah...just like when I brought back the Queen of the Queen of the Underworld from the world of the God Slayer on my last return. When I return to Terra this time, will I be able to take her with me?

Surtr silently recited these thoughts to herself—she didn't voice them aloud. But in her heart, she had already made her decision.

This was an agreement, a unilateral agreement she made with the Fire Keeper. And now, all she had to do was wait for the Fire Keeper to return.

Then--

The light from the teleportation faded, and the area they landed on was not the ruins of Sunken Church —but rather a vast and desolate ancient site. Huge boulders, broken statues, and a gloomy, almost Twilight sky—everything was quiet, so quiet that it was almost impossible to find a third living being.

"This will suffice," the Fire Keeper said softly, turning her head slightly to look at Kal'tsit, who instinctively adopted a wary stance—not out of doubt, but out of vigilance. This action was quite in line with Kal'tsit's principles. And this posture was indeed appropriate for the current situation.

"Where is this... What are you going to do?" Miss Lynx's ears perked up suddenly, and she uttered the question she would normally ask at this moment.

"This is the old fortress outside the Sunken Church. It's close to Farran, and Farran's swamps and mortuaries are areas that Miss is very likely to visit on her next stop. Of course, Miss won't pass through here. She will come with us deeper into Farran and retrieve the share of firewood carried by the Undead Legion."

The Fire Keeper smiled, but there was no warmth in her smile.

"It's a place you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you, Ms. Kal'tsit. I brought you here to resolve some issues with you."

"... What's the problem?" Kal'tsit gently pursed her lips.

"You are not worthy to remain by Miss Ms. Kal'tsit's side now," she said simply and directly.

"..." Miss Lynx's fingers trembled slightly.

Then, with his neck stiffened, he raised his head.

"You have no right to judge my character. Miss Fire Keeper, I know very well what kind of person I am. I also know very well what I think of Surtr. I will not give up, nor will I consider whether I am worthy or not, unless she clearly expresses that she wants to leave me."

"It seems you have the self-awareness, Ms. Kal'tsit." The Fire Keeper's words shifted from normal to distant.

"But that's not enough, madam. Your shamelessness disgusts me. You should perhaps stay in your grave rather than beside Miss. That way, at least Miss would mourn you without having to waste too much time or energy on you or your presence."

"... I didn't hold her back." The green-haired lynx gritted her teeth. She seemed to want to say something, but all the words got stuck in her throat. She seemed to want to do something, but all her movements ended in silence from the very beginning.

She saw the Fire Keeper tilt her head.

"Oh, what gives you such confidence? So much so that your arrogance could burn your brain?"

"Do you really think that's your achievement? Do you really think that Miss and Aldrich fought so closely, yet couldn't find or catch up with a mere lost core? Do you really think that plan that could satisfy your sense of 'sacrifice' is highly feasible? Do you really think Miss didn't waste time and energy accommodating you?"

"Give me a break, Ms. Kal'tsit. I don't know what kind of relationship you had with the young lady on that land called Terra. But I do know that your rudeness and unreasonableness towards the young lady is not something that happened overnight—perhaps in Terra you have many friends who help you, who push you, allowing you to still think you're good even after making so many mistakes. You think that as long as you're willing to lower yourself and half-heartedly accept her, the young lady will accept you. As for your kind of thinking, I have, and only, one sentence to give you."

The Fire Keeper watched as the lynx before her gradually changed from a pale, forced blush to a furious, livid hue.

He parted his lips and whispered.

"What do you think you are?"

The iron-blue color turned pale, and the green-haired lynx instinctively took a half-step back.

Her back trembled slightly, as if something was about to burst out of her body at any moment, but she firmly suppressed it with her own will.

She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, as if trying to expel her heart and soul from her body.

"I am a human being, not an object," Kal'tsit said, clenching her teeth as she spoke—it took her several minutes to regain her composure.

"If you had shown the same patience when you were talking to the lady, I wouldn't be here rambling on to you right now." However, the Fire Keeper had no intention of giving up.

"..." The lynx remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't think you specifically brought me here to criticize me, Miss Fire Keeper." She tried her best to change the subject.

But all this earned him was a cold shoulder.

"I really didn't mean to criticize you. I just wanted you to get out of Miss's sight."

"And my answer is that I will not give up—I will not give up until Surtr tells me to get out."

"So what have you been doing all this time? I bet you've tried to drive Miss away from you more than once with your actions—ha, I have to admit, you know Miss's temperament inside and out. You know very well that Miss would never speak ill of someone like you. Even if she proves it with her actions, you could jump off the cliff again and force Miss to come back and save you, to keep you by her side, wouldn't you?"

"No—that's not what I meant..."

"But you've already done it." The Fire Keeper looked at her quietly. "You're like a piece of chewing gum, once you're stuck on, you can't get rid of it, you only bring disgust—ah, I really want to banish you from my mistress's sight in her place. Even with all the favor, I should teach you a lesson. Unfortunately, my mistress won't hurt you, nor will she abandon you, so all I can do is talk to you here, trying to evoke your shame so you'll let her go—"

"—Don't you really understand what shame and respect are?"

"..." Kaimiaomiao was speechless.

"It seems you really don't understand." The Fire Keeper then turned away, as if she no longer wanted to look at her directly. "Compared to you, the previous Ms. Yelena and Miss were a perfect match—at least she wouldn't hold Miss back, and at least Miss didn't have to be on edge or cautious when she was with her, and could maintain a good mood more often."

She raised her hand, and the teleportation miracle activated. And just as when she arrived, the same teleportation array also enveloped Kal'tsit.

"You can cry to the young lady, you can tell her every word of my accusations against you, or embellish them. The young lady is biased towards you, so she will blame me. She may even punish me. But I am willing to accept this fate, and I am happy with this outcome."

Her form gradually blurred and disintegrated in the glow.

"That's your prerogative. You might even use this trick to get closer to the lady."

However, her voice remained clear in Kal'tsit's ears.

"However, if your feelings for Miss are truly genuine, and not some ridiculous possessiveness or desire to control, then I hope you..."