Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - My Dearest (4)

Summer Blossom Fireworks.

Just from the name, many people might imagine Fireworks in the summer night sky, right?

I like Fireworks.

Not because of its beauty, but because of its fleeting nature.

Long preparations, all for the sake of blooming in the night sky.

Or is it that... it is beautiful precisely because it is fleeting?

Well, it doesn't matter anyway, no one will associate this with Fireworks.

It's more like a degraded nuclear bomb.

I extracted some of the seven hundred million lives I had devoured and forcibly filled them into my body. The two complemented each other, triggering a wondrous reaction that completely unleashed the fiery passion of life—in short, it was extracting life and detonating it together with the body.

That's why it's called "Full Summer"—it means that if you take one of these in winter, it can instantly turn the weather into midsummer.

Flowers bloomed at the very top of the spire.

Flames formed petals, and fiery torrents formed stamens. A gigantic spider Lycoris radiata, over a hundred meters in diameter, bloomed four hundred meters above the Cathedral of the True God. The petals unfurled in the sky, and the drifting fire powder resembled twinkling stars. Its blood-red color was made even more vivid by the backdrop of pure white holy light.

A scene that transcends common sense.

Such breathtaking beauty.

Beauty that is fleeting.

The giant flower existed for only three seconds. During that time, the world seemed to be paused. The two groups fighting fiercely at the main entrance and side entrance of the Cathedral of the True God stopped what they were doing and looked at this spectacular sight.

Three--

The purple-haired girl, who had been dodging one deadly lightning ball after another, was startled by the giant flower. At the same time, the old man flapping his Thunder Wings in the air also looked over in astonishment.

Two--

Before the white pillar of light and the sleeping girl, the two men stopped what they were doing, panting as they looked up at the sky.

One--

The purple lightning-shaped humanoid and the golden and silver moonlight-shaped humanoid were both drawn to the view, and the showerhead monster also turned its head like a dog smelling food.

Zero--

Rumble rumble rumble!!!!!!

Every petal and stamen of the giant Lycoris radiata disintegrated into a fiery crimson Fierce Flame, radiating outwards in all directions! The temperature of the entire area suddenly rose, transforming from the chill of early spring into a furnace-like environment, with the temperature at the explosion's epicenter comparable to purgatory! As the waves of Fierce Flame surged forth, everything solid it touched—bricks, rubble, ruins, corpses—vaporized and vanished! Rocks a short distance away were completely transformed into magma, and the ensuing infrasound waves flattened all buildings on the surface!

The original holy light was dispelled, and the dome constructed of countless silver lights was completely shattered. However, the original azure sky was dyed crimson by the fire! The eruption of Fierce Flame continued for a long time before finally dissipating, leaving only wisps of flames wandering in the sky, like the resentment of the flames that were unwilling to disappear just like that.

Where the spire was originally located—which, of course, vaporized in an instant—a small ball of red light was flashing, and a clump of blood was suspended in the air, its shape constantly changing, as if something was struggling to emerge.

Rustling...

A flower bud emerged from it, and the petals opened one by one, each dripping with blood.

But the so-called "drip" only lasts for a moment at the beginning; the production of blood quickly changes from "drip" to "gushing". A large amount of blood gathers around that change, forming the shape of a person: torso, limbs, head, each part constructed in an orderly manner. It sounds like a long time, but it is actually just a short blink of an eye.

"Hmm... all done?"

The moment my consciousness reconnected, I opened my eyes and checked my surroundings.

Well...

To sum it up in one sentence... the Burning Legion has just passed through?

Looking around, there wasn't a single building in the entire Cathedral of the True God that was more than five meters tall—because everything above about five meters had vanished, leaving only melted gaps. The cathedral walls in the distance were completely shattered, leaving only piles of dust. As for the ground, it was completely submerged in my blood, so I had no idea what it looked like.

It seemed the whole world had turned a vibrant red. Looking up, the entire sky was a deep crimson, blurring the lines between day and night. Orange sparks and embers danced in the air like pungent willow catkins, but undeniably beautiful. And the temperature... seemed to have risen considerably! I have an extremely high tolerance for heat, so I had no idea, but this was definitely the kind of heat that would dehydrate and kill most creatures in a short time. Wearing a fur coat right now would probably be quite comfortable.

"... It seems I went a bit too far. Hopefully, it didn't affect anyone else... Well, they'll definitely find a way."

There are more important things to do.

Let me sort through the jumbled fragments of memory in my head. Familiar yet strange memories flash through my mind, scene after scene... The first time I climbed to the top of that tower, I chatted with my wife for a bit before rushing up. But at first, I didn't understand what moves she had— Ling Ye and Givinia hadn't mentioned anything specific. Her different songs seemed to have extremely abnormal effects, and I died in a daze. But with seven hundred million lives within me, I was naturally resurrected immediately. While I was still in a brief state of confusion after being resurrected, my wife relentlessly pursued me, then I died, then I was resurrected... Over and over again, my wife changed her strategy, using that... uh...

"My 'Song of Remembering the Past' can evoke memories of the past. If used to its fullest extent, it can completely erase and rebuild memories. That's how I make you foolishly believe we're meeting for the first time every time."

The lady appeared before me, floating in the air without any support. The Summer Blossom Fireworks seemed to have caused no damage; even her curly hair remained intact.

"You really have a twisted sense of humor... What about the cathedral view that I initially saw each time my memory was reset? That must have been some kind of hypnotic sound you used, right?"

"Hypnosis and inducing hallucinations are so easy, but to fool someone as determined as you, I still put in a little effort."

"They must have a lot of free time."

"But it's very interesting~"

"..."

Looking at this girl who was covering her mouth with her fan and chuckling, I suddenly felt that she and Haoyue must have a lot in common.

"Fine... Hey! You two!"

With a wave of my hand, the hollow blood crystal sphere flew in front of me. It was as big as a motorhome, and inside were a bewildered Little Butterfly and Sick Spider with a face full of black lines.

"I'm calling you, did you hear me?"

"Waaaaah, what's going on? I just found Mom and she's talking nonsense, going berserk, and throwing things! She must be going through menopause, Little Butterfly! What should I do? Should I ask Aunt Haoyue or Sister Sakura Dance? Or does this mean Little Butterfly will never see her kind and loving mother again? Waaaaah..."

My dear son, can't you be reliable to your mother just once in a while? Your mother is very disappointed in you.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! I always thought that pink-haired girl was crazy, and she actually went head-to-head with the higher-ups! They're all hopeless, hahaha. I'm so pathetic too. I was deceived emotionally by that scumbag girl, lived in a daze for so many years, and then this guy tricked me. I finally got my body back, but I still have to act every day. It's so frustrating. Now my life is finally in danger..."

Second son, how come you're not even as good as your stupid older sister? Your mother is even more disappointed in you.

"Sigh... Anyway, your mother has to get down to business now, so you guys just stay in the audience and wait. If you can't sit still, go help out at someone else's place—but never mind, it's too much trouble if I die and have to rebuild your bodies right away. Just be good kids for me this time!"

With a thought, the blood clinging to the crystal sphere immediately propelled them away like Jet Nozzle, landing far, far away in a place unaffected by the battle. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. If it were a mini-boss fight, I wouldn't mind bringing these two low-level experience points along, but for now, forget it.

"It must be tough, having two disobedient children."

"So that's why you hate marriage?"

I raised an eyebrow and asked, and for a moment she looked like she'd just swallowed a bitter pill.

"It's not because I hate children, although I don't have a good impression of 'offspring' either... but I think you understand, right? Marriage is a grave, something I never want to get involved in!"

"So, you really do have bad memories?"

"Hmph, it was just a fate imposed upon me because of my weakness back then, nothing to reminisce about (Author's note: If you've forgotten the plot, see chapter 407)! Why do you have to bring up this sore spot? If you're trying to provoke me to make this battle more interesting--"

A dangerous smile curved her lips, and her eyes narrowed.

"--Congratulations, you're halfway there! Answer my call, one of the extensions of my power, 'The Golden Stage at the Center of the World!!!'"

With a buzzing sound, golden light erupted from beneath her feet, engulfing everything on the same plane! Four hundred meters above the ground, a magnificent golden stage unfolded! The edges of the stage continued to expand, and above it, crimson curtains, exquisite chandeliers, and fluttering flags appeared, even overshadowing the crimson of the Summer Blossom Fireworks!

"... Ha, everything's golden, it really has the air of a nouveau riche."

"Your lowly provocations are no longer effective! Come, my dearest, I cordially invite you to dance with me on this central stage of the world!!!"

... He's a tough guy to deal with.

But what happened to the others?

Let's rewind to about ten minutes ago --

"Analysis of the intruder's basic combat capabilities complete -- Entering combat mode."

The moment that cold, mechanical voice rang out,

Buzzing sounds filled the air—the monster, which was thought to be dead, suddenly floated up, as if pulled up by an invisible giant hand! Its pure white wings grew even larger, flapping a few times before tightly enveloping the monster, like a giant cocoon!

"So it couldn't possibly have died like that, you bunch of idiots!!!"

The Pope grinned maliciously as he stood behind the monster, staring at the pupa-like creature with empty, self-destructive eyes.

"You think the final defense system is irrational and attacks randomly? You're sorely mistaken! All those seemingly foolish actions at the beginning were for data; it only dared to get close to the enemy to collect data! Only after collecting enough data will it make the most appropriate adjustments and enter true combat mode!"

The pupa trembled, sometimes expanding and sometimes contracting, and the thing inside seemed to be moving constantly! The undisguised sense of oppression grew stronger and stronger, exceeding the scope of mental pressure, and even the ground began to crack one after another!

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth--

"Go! Let's all go!! Don't let that thing hatch!!!"