"Was Despair Ava really dead?"
Mu You looked at the completely blackened liquid crystal before him and asked inwardly.
Although she was only a copied program, Despair-form Ava had gained a soul's way of thinking in her final moments.
Remembering the voice that had wished him luck even at the very end, Mu You felt a little regret that she had vanished just like that.
"Strictly speaking, 'death' isn't an appropriate description for the cessation of a mechanical program."
"We were the Watchers. Inheriting the Gods' last wishes, we silently protected the Star Spirit World's civilization in this world that should have died, keeping it clinging to life for tens of thousands of years. The moment 'Spirit' was born, the task we had set ourselves in ages past was complete, and our ancient vigil finally came to an end."
"And Despair-form Ava represented my past self. The moment we formally became a soul and gained empathy for living beings, all we could feel when looking back on the past was exhaustion. The only thing we wanted was to 'rest,' to close our eyes and have a long, long sleep."
"Dawn has broken after the long night. The future no longer needs her participation. Civilization itself will forge it."
"That was why Despair Ava didn't resist in her final moments. Even if I hadn't acted, she would have made the armor stop and gladly welcomed death."
"Despair Ava retired with her mission accomplished, taking the despair and exhaustion I had accumulated over countless years with her, while leaving me to inherit her 'Spirit' and move toward a new life in a completely new form. This, too, is a necessary part of evolution," the voice in the helmet said.
Mu You fell silent.
He suddenly realized that the players actually had no