Be Ashamed of What You've Done (Continued)

But the final result...

It ended before it even began.

He failed to fulfill his own dream, failed to deliver on his dream for those who placed their hopes on him, and failed to complete his mission to protect children.

He was truly... a complete failure.

Even so, he was still unwilling to give up.

He didn't want to give up; he wanted to keep going... even though he didn't even know if there was a path beneath his feet.

Maria fell silent as a result.

She gently uttered those warm words, as if from a saint, to the man before her.

"You've done enough. You've given everything for your dream... You don't need to embarrass yourself anymore. No one will criticize you; you've done enough."

Maria did not intervene; she simply gazed at the child in the other woman's arms.

Audena... the one Maria had only known for a short time, who was supposed to become a doctor who saved others... her story ended before the future even began...

Maria lowered her hand and gently stroked the other person.

Unlike the priest, this child... was completely dead.

Her heart was not beating, her blood was only circulating passively, and her muscles still had some instinctive awareness, but that was about to disappear.

It's over...

"... Not enough... not enough..."

The priest did not breathe his last, even though his heart was still trying to keep him alive, but the trickling blood flowing from his ruptured wound had already pushed him to his limit.

He stared wide-eyed at the gray-red smoke-filled sky, his face filled with resentment.

"I... I can't stop yet..."

"It is necessary..."

"It is necessary..."

Maria didn't hear what the other person said next... In fact, the priest's brain had also lost the ability to think rationally at this moment. He became dull and numb, with only one strong thought still supporting him to move forward.

Maria watched quietly as this idealist struggled in his final moments, and after a moment of silence, she sighed silently.

"If... this is your choice."

I'm willing to give you this one chance.

Maria gently reached out and cut her finger.

The blood, far more vibrant red than that of others, gathered gently, and Maria's eyes were stained crimson as a result.

Above the sky, something unusual seems to be fluctuating.

"You have your ideals... and these ideals fuel your strong desire to move forward."

"I don't think you can achieve your dream, but I'm willing to give you this opportunity."

"Keep moving forward, pioneers..."

Maria whispered, her voice calm, her gaze gradually becoming focused.

As the blood began to condense, the surrounding flames suddenly began to burn fiercely!

The thick black smoke began to billow and swirl, its terrifying form seemingly brewing the birth of something.

The flames are screaming silently!

Some kind of monster in the sky was also turning its gaze!

As her blood dripped down, the man's body began to throb violently!

An intense force, like a landslide or a tsunami, swept wildly over his body.

His previously numb senses were awakened once again, and his soul was forcibly sealed within his flesh and blood!

A burst of light caused his flesh and blood to ripple!

"Forehead..."

The intense pain caused the man to involuntarily open his mouth wide.

The sharp pain, as if his flesh were being scraped and his bones broken, made him scream uncontrollably.

But his suffocating body prevented him from doing anything.

All I could do was listen to those quiet words.

"Let's move forward..."

Go and put your vision into practice.

"Go and complete the mission I have entrusted to you."

"When the time comes, I will appear before you again..."

"Until then, do everything you can to try and move forward..."

Maria whispered, watching the man writhing before her.

He watched as the other person fell unconscious after being bleeding profusely before finally letting out a breath.

Her control over her abilities has become increasingly outstanding, and the fact that she didn't undergo Beastification transformation this time is the best proof of that.

Of course, it could also be that it wasn't because of her improved abilities, but because the other person was simply special...

Maria shook her head as she looked at the black halo above the other person's head.

After a man is transformed by her blood, his lifespan may become very long; this was actually a method Maria had considered during this time.

Since my goal is to find information about the Firmament Great Beast, why not make good use of the time-travel simulation ability that Little Regret gave me?

Create a group of followers who obey you in the distant past, let them live into the future, and when you meet them, you will be able to obtain information.

However, this idea is just that—an idea... After all, the only familiar that Maria has truly acknowledged and completed the conversion of is the Little White Rabbit she imprisoned in Yharnam.

She indeed had no intention of increasing the number of her family members.

This action now is more of a lament for the man's current predicament.

It was also a way of showing some pity to myself.

After all, it was a man who reminded Maria of a time when she was also an idealist.

It's both a blessing and a curse.

After all, looking at the future, men will only experience failure after failure in their lives.

Maria sighed and shook her head.

Only after confirming that the man was alright did she stand up and turn to look at the battlefield in the distance.

Looking at the still menacing steel Great Beast in the sky, she lowered her hat brim slightly.

A faint gaze swept across her body from the sky, but Maria, who had already stopped, did not let the other party notice her at all.

The gaze quickly dissipated, and Maria simply took a deep breath.

"It's time to end this..."

On the airship...

"General!"

The soldier strode to the top of the command platform, saluted the tall man, and then said excitedly.

"The situation in the Western District has been brought under control, and the resistance forces have been completely wiped out!"

"Good."

The elderly man still stood ramrod straight. He merely nodded slightly at his subordinates' response and said nothing more.

Their gaze remained fixed on the bombed battlefield underground.

The man fell silent at her calm demeanor.

"What's wrong?"

After waiting a while longer and finding that the soldiers hadn't left, the old general turned around in confusion and looked at them.

"Is there anything else?"

"That's all, General."

The young soldier shook his head.

"Then what are you doing staying here?"

"I just..." the young soldier gritted his teeth, "I just wanted to ask you for your instructions on the next step, how we should proceed."

"Next step?" Upon hearing the other party's words, the old general chuckled softly after a moment.

When did you join our team?

"The sixteenth of last month, General!"

Upon hearing these words, the young soldier immediately straightened his back and responded.

The response made everyone present burst into laughter.

"That's why you asked that question, newbie."

The old general didn't reprimand the other side... The successive victories on the battlefield had put him in a good mood, and his words were no longer so harsh.

With a wave of his hand, he issued another instruction.

"Continue the bombing!"

"Yes!"

"Use all the ammunition! Kill every Sarkaz you can see! Don't stop until you've run out of ammunition!"

"Yes!"

Inside the command center, the soldiers relayed messages to the artillerymen in the rear, their calm tones tinged with a hint of amusement.

It seems that in their eyes, this is just a game...

And they understood who the old general was speaking to.

Beside the old general, the young soldier stood frozen in place.

He hesitated for a moment, his mouth trembling as he stammered, unable to utter a word.

"What's wrong?"

The old general turned his head to look at the other person with a smile.

Is there anything you'd like to say?

"... No! No, General!"

"Speak up, young man. I know what you're thinking, but I think you need to speak up to truly understand."

The old general naturally knew what the young man's question was, but he refused to answer it proactively, demanding that the young man say it himself.

After hesitating for a moment, the soldier mustered his courage and asked the question.

"Why... why should we continue bombing this place?"

The soldier didn't understand.

In his eyes, the Banshee Capital no longer had much fighting power, and the remaining Banshees were too scattered. Simply bombing it with explosives was completely unnecessary... a pure waste.

The general's orders were not intended to destroy the enemy's forces at all.

More like...

It's aimed at ordinary people!

This completely violates the principles of war!

But he also knew that his words were somewhat problematic... As a soldier on the battlefield, he shouldn't be thinking about these things; all he could do was obey orders...

But his conscience compelled him to ask the question he should never have asked.