Every word pierced her heart. Only now did Zoe feel as though she had truly reached Chen Si's inner world.
"So everything you've done was really just to let them live freely?"
"Yes."
How absurd. They shared the same goal, yet had no choice but to do everything they could to destroy each other.
"So you'll still keep ruling Marley and keep eliminating the Marleyans who resist you?" Zoe asked.
Chen Si hesitated before saying, "Zoe, start over. As long as I'm on this planet, no one can disturb your life with Philia. You can do anything you want. There's no need to keep going. You've already given enough. This was never your fault. Marley's fate is no longer something you can change alone."
"But even so, I still..." Zoe's eyes were full of conflict.
"Zoe, have you heard of the Rumbling? There are tens of millions of Colossal Titans beneath the walls of Paradis Island. Now that Suder has gone to war, they've suffered enormous losses. They can't stand against tens of millions of Colossal Titans. Even at their peak, could they wipe out a hundred thousand of them? A million?
Eren is my brother. I watched him grow up, and I promised his mother I would take care of him. That's why I can't let go.
Once the Rumbling begins, there's no way to stop it without killing Eren. But I could never raise a hand against him, no matter what. That means no one on this planet can stop him. If anyone tries, I'll intervene, because I can't stand by and watch anyone I care about get hurt again."
"And there's another secret I've never told anyone. I've kept it buried in my heart all this time. It really... hurts." It was as though Chen Si's emotions