The Script Already Written

Diavolo followed closely behind Li Qing into the warehouse.

The warehouse was filled with piles of goods, but they were all neatly arranged and orderly, and even though there were thousands of them, it did not look messy.

The fairly bright light streamed in through the glass windows, making the huge warehouse seem even more spacious and empty.

The tall, stacked rows of containers stretched from front to back through the warehouse, like parallel city walls.

At this moment, Li Qing was like a defeated soldier who had lost his armor and weapons, and he turned and hid in the cover of the city walls like the wind.

"He escaped into aisle number 2, between the second and third rows of shelves!"

Diavolo was in hot pursuit.

At the same time, he memorized the simple terrain inside the warehouse and Li Qing's current location in that instant.

Then, his figure vanished into nothingness under the influence of the Ouroboros.

Diavolo can move even in his ethereal state, which doesn't hinder his pursuit.

In that brief one-second blurring process, Diavolo followed Li Qing Sin to the No. 2 corridor.

Li Qing's figure reappeared in front of him, only now he was about ten meters ahead.

"Very well, he can't escape now."

Diavolo's figure completely disappeared under the influence of the spacetime force.

A trap needs to be carefully set up; it cannot be accomplished overnight.

Diavolo is now patching up his own trap.

He returned to the past once more and, based on the information he remembered, instructed the junior leader to arrange the delivery according to his requirements.

And so, in that next instant, almost without pause.

Diavolo returns from the past.

He stood in this warehouse he had never been to before, in front of those shelves he had never seen before.

Then, the King Crimson casually tore apart a nearby cargo box.

A large, dark, menacing-looking rifle and several fully loaded magazines rolled out of the cargo box.

"You've done a good job."

Diavolo chuckled and praised the dutiful little leader.

Then, he quickly forgot about this loyal subordinate whose end was not good, and turned his murderous gaze to Li Qing's back:

"That's enough, Li Qing!"

A gunshot suddenly rang out in the empty warehouse, shattering the tranquility in an instant.

A torrential downpour suddenly began, and the bullets became the raindrops.

Amidst the flames and thunder, a storm of metal roared and swept in.

"Gun?"

A thought struck Li Qing, and he surprisingly felt relieved and at ease:

"The weapons were indeed arranged by Diavolo himself!"

"The most crucial link has been filled."

"The past cannot be changed; everything is proceeding according to its predetermined fate!"

He felt no more apprehension:

This decisive battle initially seemed perilous, but in reality, it was just a predictable final performance.

In the endless cycle of time, the future is merely the past that has already occurred, and is destined to be unchangeable.

Li Qing had already found clues in his memories and had figured out most of the script for this final battle.

At this moment, a storm of bullets was already surging towards them from behind like a flood.

Li Qing didn't do anything special, just tried his best to dodge, avoid, and jump back and forth.

Everything was done instinctively, without any deliberate effort.

Many bullets missed their mark because Li Qing dodged them; some landed on the ground, while others pierced through the shelves.

Some of them flew out of the warehouse and shattered the glass, eventually landing somewhere unknown.

But the bullets were so dense that enough of them still managed to penetrate Li Qing's body.

"It's working!"

Diavolo was very satisfied:

Little by little, Li Qing wasn't truly indestructible; bullets could still inflict some damage on him.

With these firearms, even his "idle" body can help increase its output.

Moreover, the powerful kinetic energy carried by the dense barrage of bullets could slightly hinder Li Qing's movements, and the effect would be even more pronounced if they hit his joints precisely.

But as soon as Li Qing slows down...

Even if they were only a tiny bit slower, it would be enough for the King Crimson was incredibly fast, to catch up with them.

In a mere instant, Diavolo and King Crimson were once again in front of Li Qing Sin.

They were like two pieces of chewing gum, sticking to Li Qing like glue.

Everything seemed to have returned to the way it started, with both sides once again locked in that intense, deadly, yet tedious battle:

Bullets, flashes of light, and the force of punches—each unleashed its own roar.

Li Qing's health points slowly decreased during the intense collision.

Diavolo's figure blurred and disappeared after the brief collision, but returned fully refreshed and full of energy.

One is Li Qing, who only has one life but a high health bar; the other is Diavolo, who can "resurrect" infinitely.

It's like a boss encountering a player using cheats; no matter how strong the boss is, they'll still be defeated.

If this continues, Li Qing will eventually be worn down and die.

"But will I give you more time to live?"

Diavolo chuckled coldly to himself:

Slowly wear down Li Qing?

Although their positions are absolutely opposed, Diavolo also acknowledges Li Qing's abilities:

This bald guy always manages to come up with some unexpected new tricks, turning the tide in seemingly hopeless situations.

Li Qing was someone he hated, but also someone he feared.

The longer it drags on, the more unpredictable things become. Diavolo doesn't want to give this troublesome guy any more breathing time, not even a second.

"You probably think I'm still using the same old tricks to wear down your life force head-on, right?"

"But the Ouroboros just now wasn't simply to recover its strength—"

"I have traveled back in time and planted all the explosives in the area right here where we are standing!"

"The timed detonation device has already been set, and the explosives are powerful enough to destroy your defenses."

"The next second, the next second you will be reduced to ashes in the flames of the explosion!"

Diavolo's emotions were running high.

He was like an immortal who had been cast down to earth, and after going through countless trials and tribulations, he finally regained his former glory.

And now, that impending, terrifying explosion is his final step toward victory.

He would send his nemesis to his grave with a spectacular fireworks display, and then ascend the throne anew amidst the embers of the flames.

Diavolo was filled with excitement and anticipation.

However, at that very moment, just one second before the explosives were about to detonate.

Li Qing suddenly stopped fighting and abandoned his defense.

King Crimson was caught off guard and had no time to react. His heavy punch landed squarely on Li Qing's chest.

A vast, ocean-like power was poured entirely onto Li Qing.

Li Qing then stomped his feet heavily, using the powerful force of the King Crimson's punches to shoot backward like a cannonball.

He looked like he'd been punched and sent flying, as if he'd suffered a minor setback.

But Diavolo was horrified to realize at that moment:

Li Qing did this on purpose.

He was taking cover from the explosion that hadn't even happened yet!

He leaped backward dozens of meters, clearly escaping the center of the bomb's most powerful area!

Even if the bomb explodes precisely on time, the aftershocks alone probably won't kill the thick-skinned Li Qing.

"How so!"

"Does he have some kind of precognitive ability?"

A chill ran through Diavolo's body.

At this moment, he even wondered if Li Qing had awakened a Stand of the same type as himself.

But no matter how shocked or questioning he was.

Li Qing had already successfully escaped ahead of time.

With the bombs already planted about to explode, Diavolo had no choice but to find a way to protect himself first.

"The Ouroboros!"

He used Ouroboros again, allowing himself to enter that invincible, ethereal state.

This one-second ethereal state was enough for Diavolo to survive the explosion, and he wanted to go back in time to rest and recover, and carefully ponder the mystery of "Li Qing Sin's foresight".

And just after Ouroboros entered the ethereal state of the Diavolo.

The explosion occurred precisely one second later.

A terrifying shockwave roared from the shelves on both sides.

Orange flames shot into the sky, creating a powerful shockwave like a tsunami.

Firearms melted into molten iron, and goods turned into ashes.

The earth cracked inch by inch, and the tall and sturdy outer wall of the warehouse was smashed to pieces.

Countless bricks and rubble were ejected in the shockwave of the explosion, as fast as arrows shot in all directions.

But Li Qing did not die.

He was sent flying dozens of meters away a second before the expected time.

Although the aftershocks of the explosion were terrifying, the reduced impact was not enough to completely take his life.

Diavolo's plan has completely failed.

He stood unwillingly in the embers of the flames, his eyes, now somewhat transparent in the fading light, fixed intently on Li Qing:

"Why? Why!"

How did you know there was a bomb here?

"How could we have known the bomb would explode at that very second!"

Diavolo simply couldn't understand how Li Qing managed to escape this seemingly inescapable predicament.

Isn't all he knows how to do is boxing?

How could Li Qing, with only such basic martial arts skills, possibly break his invincible Ouroboros?

But the answer is actually quite simple:

"Because I remember."

Li Qing said calmly:

"I remember it very clearly:"

"In this warehouse, at this very moment, a violent explosion could occur."

"Diavolo, you should actually remember that too."

"Think carefully. Why didn't you remember?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Diavolo's face turned deathly pale:

"Do you remember, was this also part of my experience?"

"How could I not remember?"

"My memory... there's something wrong with my memory!"

At this moment, Diavolo belatedly realized:

My memory of a certain part of "today," that is, the afternoon of March 26, seems to be very vague.

But he completely overlooked this point—

Even without Li Qing's reminder, he wouldn't have realized that he seemed to have forgotten something.

"It's not just your memory that's having problems."

"Didn't you notice? Your decision-making also had problems."

Time seemed to stand still, and Li Qing stood amidst the lingering flames, speaking calmly to Diavolo:

"You could have let the bomb explode first, and then used Ouroboros to go back in time and plant the bomb—just like you did on that avenue before."

"But this time, you deliberately went back in time to plant the bomb, and then returned from the past to the present to wait for the bomb to explode."

"Why is that?"

Without deliberately keeping the audience in suspense, Li Qing directly answered his own question:

"Because it would be more advantageous for me to do that."

"Otherwise, if you saw me dodge in advance..."

"Then when you go back to the past later, the traps you set will be modified to target my actions."

"This"

Diavolo was so shocked he couldn't speak:

Yeah, if you set a trap first and then wait for it to explode, wouldn't that be giving up your advantage as a time traveler and wasting your initiative?

How could I not have noticed such an obvious mistake?

Why would I do something so stupid that only benefits Li Qing?!

Diavolo even wondered if there was something wrong with his intelligence.

But upon deeper reflection, after considering that terrible truth...

He actually wished that the problem was simply his own lack of intelligence:

"Could it be... that someone tampered with my brain?"

"Someone has been secretly influencing my memories and manipulating my actions."

"It made me make a decision that was harmful to myself without my realizing it!"

Diavolo stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He could not accept this cruel truth:

If he can't even trust his own brain, what else can he trust?

"Li Qing."

Diavolo, filled with terror, demanded:

"What exactly did you do to me?!"

"Nothing was done."

Li Qing shrugged and then said something surprising:

"At least, I haven't done anything yet."

Diavolo's expression froze instantly.

He could understand what Li Qing meant:

It hasn't been done yet, which means Li Qing will have to do it later.

For time travelers, the "beginning" of some things can be placed after the "end".

What's truly terrifying, what truly drives people to despair, is...

Li Qing hasn't even planted the "cause" of this matter yet, but the "effect" of it is already showing at this moment.

This means

Fate has already been decided.

This matter will surely be successfully completed in the future.

Li Qing will definitely survive this battle.

Otherwise, the "cause" that has not yet been planted will never be planted, and a paradox will arise.

And Li Qing was able to survive.

The true victor of this battle is self-evident.

Thinking of this, Diavolo was completely plunged into despair.

The face that became transparent in the "Ouroboros" ethereal state appeared even more sinister and terrifying, like a ghost.

"Diavolo".

"It's okay to tell you:"

"Wait until you die, wait until this battle is over."

Li Qing finally revealed the truth to Diavolo:

"I will call a friend and have a good talk with him about my story."

"He is a top-notch creator. I will ask him to help me come up with a perfect script based on my story to limit your memory and influence your actions."

"Of course, I don't know yet what exactly he'll write."

But one thing I can say for sure is:

His creative achievements—

"Imprint it in your brain right now!"

Like a thunderbolt striking from the blue, Diavolo's body trembled violently.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the bench in the square under the setting sun that day.

Yesterday, at Morioh train station, he accidentally looked at a stranger's painting and fell into the stranger's trap, collapsing without any resistance.

Immediately afterwards, the man who claimed to be a professional cartoonist took out his paintbrush and began to draw on Diavolo with great skill and precision.

Diavolo was terrified at the time. If Yoshikage Kira hadn't arrived in time, who knows what that bastard would have done to him.

This memory is clearly extremely important.

Such a bizarre and terrifying experience is sure to leave a lasting impression.

But Diavolo only now seems to recall it as if this memory were just some insignificant corner of the trash:

"It was him. I had completely forgotten."

"Rohan Kishibe!"

The ending is a bit difficult to write. If it's not written well, it's easy to make mistakes. I'm also having some writer's block, so I'll just post one chapter today. (/ω)