I'm No MOTH Hero

The consciousness was falling.

Lin could no longer escape this void, the ineffable things tearing at his awareness.

Death was chasing this weary soul from behind, the flashing blade of its scythe already drawing a bloody line across his neck.

Lin had approached death many times, each time narrowly escaping, standing on the precipice of hell. Thus, he understood the feeling of being on the brink of death better than most.

But those experiences were merely the last half-second of jumping off a building and hitting the ground. This time, it was like the first second of falling from the rooftop, seeing the ground still far away amidst the chaotic wind.

Feeling life drain away drop by drop, one leg stepping into the underworld, and then watching helplessly as his other foot lifted, moving towards death against his will.

Lin's mind was clear, and thus the mental torment he endured at this moment was unimaginable.

At a time like this, anyone would simply pray for death to come quickly.

Is this enough?

Lin thought to himself.

As a human, had he done enough? He had completed his mission against the Herrschers, and he had saved his friends' lives.

Ever since Lin had gained self-awareness, he believed that human civilization existed in the form of inheritance. Parents passed on life and culture to their children, who then passed it on to the next generation.

And so, generation after generation progressed, generation after generation inherited, leading to the present state.

Falling leaves drift down, returning to the moist earth to nourish new life. This was the form of human existence, and the ultimate goal of a human life.

Lin had passed on his life to Mei, Kevin, and the other members of MOTH's squads, and then reached the end of his life. He seemed to have fulfilled his life's mission.

He couldn't live just for himself.

Let the truth he didn't yet know disappear into the night.

So, it's enough.

He closed his eyes, shutting off his consciousness.

"Live."

Suddenly, a light pierced the darkness.

"Your friends will definitely want you to live, and I want you to live too."

"If you must live for someone else, then live for me."

A familiar voice reached his ears.

Lin opened his eyes. The light was as dazzling as a distant sunrise.

He reached out his hand, murmuring, to touch the light.

"Elysi...sia?"

The light was like a pure white feather. Amidst the dappled sunlight, he caught a glimpse of the girl's pure smile.

A hand grasped Lin's soul.

"Hoo—"

"Gotcha!"

Lin emerged from the brief moment of phase transfer, a fair hand grabbing his arm and catching him in mid-air.

In the pouring rain, the pink-haired girl's playful smile appeared before the stunned Lin.

"Elysia..." he weakly uttered the girl's name, a name that usually gave him a massive headache.

Why was Elysia here?

Before Lin could even ask, Elysia pressed down on his head and hugged him tightly, shielding him from the impact as they landed. They rolled a few times to dissipate the force.

"Cough... cough..." Lin's body still couldn't withstand the jarring impact, and he coughed up two mouthfuls of green and red blood as a protest against his own body being treated so roughly.

"Oh my, are you okay? I didn't expect you, who's usually so lively, to be so weak." Elysia, who was still rubbing her backside, immediately jumped up upon hearing Lin's cough and helped up Lin, who looked like he might collapse at any second.

"I'm not... cough cough..." Lin was about to utter his signature phrase when the itchiness in his throat stopped him.

"Tough guys who pretend to be strong aren't very likable, you know~" Elysia gently patted Lin's back to help him breathe, her ever-smiling, pretty face lingering before Lin. "It's okay to lean on someone's shoulder sometimes~"

Lin didn't respond to her words. His eyes were hazy, and he let Elysia support his entire weight as he asked, "Why are you here?"

"Hmm... Lin, did you really think you were the only one fighting the Herrschers? Even if MOTH is going to squeeze its employees dry, they wouldn't make one overworked salaryman do all the work, would they?"

"...MOTH doesn't have social insurance or housing funds. With the current work requirements, it's definitely a sweatshop."

"Oh, right... Huh? Lin, are you joking?"

"No."

Lin's expression was calm, and it was indeed hard to tell if he was joking. He exuded a cool aura, but his face was a bloody mess, making it impossible to see his appearance or expression.

Elysia shook her head regretfully. "My squad was the first to encounter the Third Herrscher, so we followed her direction of movement. I just happened to catch you as soon as I arrived, wasn't that timely?"

"..." Lin remained silent, staring at the smiling Flower Girl.

The voice in the void, what was it...

At this moment, Lin finally remembered there was one more important thing. He abruptly lifted his head from his broken body, "Where is the Third Herrscher?"

Elysia supported the staggering Lin, her movements flustered. His body could no longer move carelessly.

"Oh, don't get so worked up. The Third Herrscher is right over there." Elysia looked at him, feeling a bit helpless. It was rare for this person to show emotional fluctuations, and to see it at a time like this only brought sadness.

He looked in the direction Elysia pointed, his gaze freezing on the purple-black haired girl kneeling on the ground, head bowed and motionless.

The deadly, flickering electrical arcs were gone from her body. She sat in the wastewater like a broken doll, letting the downpour wash over her.

Elysia's squad members surrounded her with their guns aimed at her head, awaiting their captain's orders.

Lin released the hand on Elysia's neck, panting, his gaze icy. "She's not dead?"

"Herrschers aren't that easy to kill. Although the shelling hit during the Third Herrscher's weak period, she still blocked the attack and didn't die." Elysia's eyes flickered with complex emotions as she looked at the Third Herrscher. "But in this state, it's not much different from being dead."

The Third Herrscher's Core was still within that body. She had now entered a dormant period, slowly recovering in this state. It wouldn't be long before she transformed back into that avatar of destruction standing atop the dome.

"Capture her? Impossible. With MOTH's current technology, capturing a Herrscher is out of the question. Once she recovers even half her strength, she'll unleash a devastating blow on the region restraining her."

"Click."

The sound of a gun being cocked echoed in the desolate rain.

Elysia turned her head and saw Lin, limping, drawing his pistol and walking towards the Third Herrscher on the ground.

As if sensing him, the Third Herrscher slowly lifted her head. Her hollow eyes met Lin's as he approached.

Everyone else tensed, raising their guns to fire, but Lin and Elysia simultaneously raised their hands, signaling them to stop.

It was a long process. Lin walked in front of her, dragging a long trail of blood behind him, which quickly disappeared in the rain.

"Cough... cough..." Lin covered his mouth, preventing his blood from splattering on her face, and then...

He raised his gun and aimed it at her forehead.

"..."

The Third Herrscher said nothing. Her vacant pupils reflected the muzzle of the gun. Then, her hands slowly rose, forming a posture of embrace.

Her lips curled, and she tilted her head, smiling.

"Bang!"

"Great! The Third Herrscher is dead! Humanity has won!"

"Humanity has won!"

"Humanity has won!"

As the gunshot rang out, cheers erupted, carried far by the sunlight breaking through the clouds, echoing through the empty city, and lingering endlessly over the ruins.

Elysia walked forward, supporting Lin's arm once more, and smiled softly. "Lin, you'll be a hero when you return."

But Lin pushed her away, just as he always did.

"I am not a hero. I just killed another enemy."

Amidst everyone's cheers and joyous celebrations, Lin lowered his head, gazing at the desolate land where a city once stood.

Laughter and joy had once filled this place, but now, nothing remained.

"Humanity has won... has it?"

Lin stared at the smiling face of the girl in the blood.

Chapter 16: Soldier's Recollection: The Final Color

Returning to this place with its diverse regional styles, Mei clutched the item in her hand. Her brightly colored eyes swept around, spotting the person she was looking for.

"So that's how it is. No wonder you joined my squad..."

"It was likely considered more convenient to hand it over to the relevant party, taking into account the psychological state of the survivors."

Mei paused after seeing the back of a sharp-looking woman with gray hair, clad in combat gear.

Hua, ranked twelfth among the Thirteen Heroes, was a survivor from the previous era. In Mei's time, she was known as Fu Hua and was also the class monitor of Mei's grade at St. Freya Academy.

Mei had complex feelings about her. Fu Hua had been by Mei and the others' side to monitor Kiana, the host of the Second Herrscher, and had betrayed them at a critical moment. Yet, Fu Hua had also sacrificed her life to protect them.

Responsibility, strength, kindness – these were qualities Mei saw in Fu Hua. However, in Hua, the memory fragment from Fu Hua's previous civilization, these traits were still too nascent. Thus, Mei considered them the same person, yet would unconsciously differentiate between them, a contradiction.

The man in the helmet, who was conversing with Hua, had his arms crossed and mostly listened to Hua speak. Their conversation style was Hua speaking and Lin listening. This was Mei's first time seeing them converse, as Lin rarely appeared in this place.

However, Hua occasionally mentioned Lin. In her fragmented, incomplete memories, Lin occupied an unusually large portion. Therefore, it wasn't entirely surprising that they would converse.

What surprised Mei was that Hua, who was usually taciturn and often only spoke to the point, was discussing trivial everyday matters with Lin. Lin, too, listened patiently as she chatted, a rare occurrence for both of them.

"Raiden Mei, is there something you need?" Lin, who was positioned to see Mei observing them, asked in his characteristically flat tone.

That sharp gaze emanated from the blue part of the helmet that was presumably a visor, making Mei feel uncomfortable.

"Mei, we meet again." Hua also turned around and nodded at Mei.

"Hua, I found this in the Imaginary Tree. It should be yours."

Mei handed the item in her hand to Hua.

She often found dropped items in the Imaginary Tree. Since it was a space made of memories, most of the things inside were constructs of the memories of Heroes or visitors. The fact that they could materialize meant these items held significant importance to their original owners.

"This is..." Hua's gaze sharpened, and she visibly paused after seeing what Mei was holding.

In Mei's hand was a photograph of four people. Mei didn't recognize anyone else in the Imaginary Tree except for Hua, who was standing at the very edge. This led her to deduce that the item likely belonged to Hua.

However, to Mei's surprise, Hua shook her head and said, "No, this belongs to Lin."

"Lin's?" Mei looked at the people in the photo again, surprised. She didn't see Lin's signature helmet anywhere. But after carefully examining the positions of the people, she found a clue.

"Could it be that the person completely wrapped in bandages and sitting in a wheelchair is you?"

Mei pointed to the conspicuous bandaged figure in the center of the photo. He only revealed a pair of black eyes that could freeze water with a single glance. Mei then asked the silent man in the helmet, "Is that you?"

But no matter how cold his eyes were, they were still no match for the man in front of him, who was practically a sculpture. The only thing that connected the two of them was that neither of them showed their faces.

Lin nodded silently.

"...I'm curious, do you and Chrono have some kind of rule where you'll die or go berserk if your face is seen?"

Why did they both cover their faces when taking pictures?

Lin's attitude towards this was indifferent: "I had just suffered a serious injury at the time and had just come out of the repair pod."

This implied that he didn't have such a rule, and it was just a coincidence.

"Lin, Mei, I'm leaving now," Hua said, noticing they seemed to have more to discuss, and then departed.

"..."

Lin watched her leave, then shifted his gaze back to Mei, who was only slightly shorter than him. The pressure emanating from him made Mei subtly rest her hand on her sword's sheath.

This man in the helmet wasn't a fusion warrior, but the oppressive aura he exuded was no less than that of other Heroes.

It wasn't the brutality and bloodlust of Chrono, nor the chilling aura that Kevin exuded just by standing there. The reason Lin made her so wary wasn't his strength or his words and actions, but simply him as a person.