With His Back to All Living Beings!

"Keke, dinner's ready."

My mother's voice came from behind me.

Keke suddenly opened her eyes.

The swing continued to sway, the orange sunset casting a lingering warmth upon me. My sandals occasionally stomped on the ground, leaving scratches on the concrete, gradually slowing the swing's swaying motion.

The swing creaked and groaned, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Her mother's voice faded into the distance behind her, then she turned back and called out, "Keke!"

Keke then snapped out of her daze and stopped the swing. "Coming!"

As she stood up, the soccer ball rolled over her foot and came to a stop hitting her ankle.

"Oh, I'm sorry----"

The red-haired girl who ran over spoke timidly. Keke stared at her for a long time, feeling that she looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember who she was.

Keke gently kicked the ball back.

The red-haired girl crouched down, hugged the soccer ball, and then turned to look at her, asking, "Aren't you going back?"

Keke stretched and pointed, "Right away—"

She hadn't finished her homework yet, and she also had sprint training.

The sports meet is in two days.

We have to win.

Keke has forgotten why she participated in the sports meet, but she only remembers that she must win.

We absolutely cannot lose.

Have you seen my friend?

The other person asked again in a low voice, Keke only scratch her head, "Who is your friend?"

"Her name is Mujin, and she should still be inside an egg—"

Are you an oviparous person?

What a strange person.

It probably refers to the pets they keep.

After Keke shook her head, the red-haired girl didn't press the matter and left with the soccer ball.

After lingering in place for a while, Keke kicked at the pebbles around her until the swing slowly came to a stop. Only then did she reluctantly head home.

She hadn't finished her homework and still had sprint training, but she still wanted to read comics.

With so many things piling up, Keke felt a little heavy-hearted and depressed.

As I walked along the road, half the sky was ablaze with red light, and slowly, the sky turned into ashes after it had burned out.

It was pitch black.

After crossing the road and reaching the other side of the intersection, you can see a figure gradually running towards you from a distance.

It's very fast.

In fact, you can see groups of teenagers running around every day.

Keke stopped by the roadside, watching the speeding boy gradually pass her and run into the distance, before she remembered.

"Dude, I asked you to come with me for special training, not for you to run around by yourself!"

Jiang Si then stopped, turned around and glanced at her, "Why don't you just follow me?"

Keke quickly followed behind him, "But Mom said it's time to eat—"

Why should we care about her?

Keke immediately fell silent.

Anyway, my older brother did it first, so if my parents have anything to say when we get home, they'll say it's my older brother.

Besides, his parents wouldn't say anything to him.

It wasn't particularly fast at the start.

The sounds of car horns and the acrid smell of asphalt mixed with car exhaust fumes. There was a bit of fog on the road at night, and visibility was poor.

Jiang Si began to accelerate, getting further and further away.

Keke ran, she began to feel the strain.

However, Jiang Si showed no intention of stopping and continued to accelerate.

"Elder brother!"

Keke was panting heavily, trying to reach out and grab the figure in front of her, but was avoided.

Why are you running so fast? I can't catch up!

"You're too slow."

Jiang Si didn't look back and kept running, as if she would never stop.

"How can you possibly finish in the end like this?"

"Nobody would run that fast—"

Gritting her teeth, Keke still chased after that figure with all her might.

From the time she was old enough to understand, that figure seemed to always be in front of her.

Before she could walk and could only crawl around on the floor at home, Jiang Si would always run around in the yard to exercise.

Never tired.

At that time, she thought that if she grew up, she would be able to catch up with him.

Little Keke always dreams and looks forward to growing up.

She thought that when she grew up, she would naturally possess the same boundless strength and endless endurance as her brother.

But as you grow older, you only find that things are getting further and further away.

Only my brother is special; he's different from everyone else.

She could never catch up with him, he was always in her way, and she could only see his back.

I can't see anything----

The sound of something cutting through the air seemed to be screeching, Keke's eyes widened.

The sports cars on the road kept honking their horns sharply, but the boy slowly overtook the sports cars that were flooring the accelerator on the sidewalk.

The sports car Driver leaned out, seemingly to see what was overtaking him on the sidewalk, which caused the car to skid and veer off the road, heading straight for Jiang Si.

But they still couldn't catch up with that figure.

The boy ran tirelessly, the sports car behind him crashing into the wall. Dirt, glass, bumper fragments, screws, and wheels all fell behind him in the impact of the explosion.

That speeding figure looked like an airplane flying close to the ground.

Keke, who was stopped by the car accident, stood there, looking at her older brother who had already disappeared from sight.

As a child, all she could do was cry and plead, "Brother, my legs are weak, help me up—"

But now, she's not a child anymore.

She wouldn't cry on the street because she couldn't catch up with her brother, and her brother wouldn't turn around and wait for her just because she cried.

Although when she was little, whenever she cried, her older brother would stop and turn to look at her, waiting until she walked to his side.

But by the time she started school, her brother wouldn't stop crying just because she was crying.

Why did you run so fast, brother?

She had been thinking about this since she was a child.

When she saw her brother, he seemed to be always running.

It was as if something was chasing him from behind, as if something was attracting him from ahead.

But Keke n't see anything.

She looked up.

The starlight shone like dying fireflies in the thick fog.

Keke finally took a step and chased after him again.

She drove past the accident scene, heard the traffic police sirens behind her, closed her eyes, and accelerated recklessly.

I want to catch up with him, to know the scenery he saw, and to find out the reason he ran.

Faster, faster, faster catch up with him!

Then, the figure reappeared in sight.

Everything rushed past on both sides as she passed pedestrians, bicycles, and high-speed trains lined up side by side.

The concrete beneath my feet began to crack under the impact, and the air became the greatest resistance, like running through a swamp.

But when she exceeds a certain limit...

My steps suddenly became lighter, as if I had grown wings, so light it was unbelievable.

Her pupils widened amidst the splattering sweat, as if she had stepped into New World, gazing around at her.

Time stood still.

An unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

She spread her arms wide, letting the wind resistance increase, but her steps became faster and faster, stepping over the cracks in the sidewalk that spread onto the asphalt road next to it.

The screech of brakes caused a collision from behind.

She ran just like her brother, feeling the tension and excitement of various objects flying past behind her.

I couldn't help but laugh.

The potential hidden within one's own body.

The world changes as a result of these possibilities.

Thus, it arose naturally.

The urge to pursue the limits of that possibility.

This is what is reflected in his eyes----

"Elder brother!"

It wasn't because they caught up with that figure, nor because of anything he said.

Rather, it is everything seen and felt during the pursuit.

The answer was given in my heart.

Ah, I see.

This is a view that can only be seen by running forward continuously.

Leave everything behind.

A speed that seems to be outpaced even by the world.

The act of running itself became the reason.

Once you step inside, nothing else matters.

The only desire is to keep accelerating and overtake everything in the way.

Until only that figure remained.

From childhood to adulthood, I've always been running ahead of myself, shielding myself from all dangers.

However, it also obstructed the view.

Why do I have to work so hard? Why have I always been striving to be in the lead since I was a child?

Why is it unacceptable to be number one?

Because, if it's not number one...

You can only see other people's backs, and nothing else.

Without realizing it, her running movements gradually began to overlap with her brother's.

Because he had been watching that figure since childhood, his body acted before his consciousness could, mimicking it first.

The way they raised their hands, lowered their feet, breathed, and even gasped for breath was almost identical.

Two accelerating sonic booms sent surrounding obstacles flying.

The world has been left behind, but that figure remains ahead.

No matter how hard I try, it seems I can never reach him, I can never beat him.

I wanted to surpass that figure, to stand at the very front, to see the scenery beyond that figure's reach!

Be number one! Be the strongest!

The roaring voice in my mind, burning my blood, pushes my body to its limit!

Finally, we're a little closer!

"Watch carefully, remember it, and never forget it."

She seemed to faintly hear her brother speaking.

It could just be her imagination.

Because the next second, Jiang Si accelerated again.

It broke the sound barrier, emitting a loud, explosive sound, as sharp as a missile!

A suffocating feeling, accompanied by the dust and smoke from my brother's run, enveloped me.

An overwhelming gap.

No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I struggle, I can never surpass this opponent.

We need to be faster, we absolutely must be faster!

However, his feet could no longer move.

I lost control of my body; numbness spread from my cheeks to my limbs, fingertips, and toes, and I almost lost all feeling in them.

There's no way we can catch up; it's impossible.

Why does it have to be me chasing after my older brother?

Why do I have to chase after him?

As she questioned herself, she looked up again.

It's getting further and further away.

It's always like this.

He was spouting boastful words in his mind and heart, always thinking that he had to win.

But in the end, it always falls short.

All he could do was futilely show a look of resentment, and then cry in regret.

I don't want to give up anymore----

But muscles and bones groaned in pain as the world caught up from behind.

It was as if everything they had just surpassed was an illusion.

Why does my brother keep running?

Because if you slow down, you will be swallowed up by the world you once surpassed.

The increasingly slow speed made her feel like she was constantly falling, falling, her body being pulled so hard she could barely move.

Consciousness, along with the splattering sweat, was about to fall to the ground.

One second before it was about to stop.

Someone gave her a push from behind.

"Keke, run!"

That gentle voice must be her mother's.

My mind was in a frenzy; I could barely think straight—why was my mother here?

It was just in that gentle push.

His body leaned forward again.

Run, Keke, run!

Even if I can't catch up, even if I can't see it.

"Don't stop, Keke!"

Yiyi's voice then gave a push from behind.

"Faster, faster----"

Don't give up----

Look ahead!

Familiar and unfamiliar voices shouted behind her, and hands pushed her from behind.

"Run, Keke!"

Finally, it was Ms. Shion's stern rebuke.

Keke suddenly raised her head, and in the thin mist of the night, she flew out like a missile!

That is the new possibility born from the ashes after the fire has burned out.

Fatigue disappeared, resistance disappeared, and all sound and imagery vanished.

The world has fallen behind us once again.

She transcended sound, and then she transcended light.

It surpasses countless versions of itself, and transcends the limits of possibility.

Amidst the calls and calls.

Stepping beyond the limits!

In his pupils, the figure that had always been in front of him, seemingly never to disappear, gradually magnified.

She seemed to have truly become the adult she had admired as a child.

I looked at him and caught up with him.

Then----

"I want to surpass you, brother!"

With my eyes closed, I had no more scruples, no more way out, and I accelerated with all my might!

The hysterical shouts seemed to finally cause a slight change in the unwavering figure ahead.

It was just a brief pause.

Like a ray of light, Keke rushed past that figure and ran further ahead!

A flicker of disbelief crossed my mind, and I instinctively wanted to turn around.

But then someone held him down.

Don't look back.

Look ahead, Keke.

That familiar voice of her brother had a gentleness she had never heard before.

It seems like an illusion.

Keke never looked back.

She looked ahead at the scenery beyond her brother's figure.

The sun was rising above the horizon with a splendor she had never seen before.

The magnificent sunlight spread out from the dark horizon, painting everything in sight with brilliance and splendor.

A magnificent sight that you will never forget once you've seen it, and one that you can never abandon.

This is the view at the end of everything.

Keke opened her arms again, basking in the bright sunlight.

Her steps will never stop.

Just like an older brother.

The stars dimmed, and the night was finally dispelled.

Keke ran towards the sunlight, her body bursting with energy.

Starting from her hair, it spread little by little to her whole body, accompanying her as she rushed towards the sun, burning brighter and brighter in the raging wind!

Until it shines brighter and more brilliantly than the sun!

The world melted like cream, Liuli became as sharp as a knife. Then, the sound of shattering ice instantly drowned out Keke!

Beyond the world.

In complete darkness, the entire universe had been transformed into frozen ground.

The World Tree was even frozen in the instant it was split open.

At the point of fracture, the silver threads that flowed amidst the destruction of countless universes transformed into an icefall.

Everything was deathly silent.

There was not a single living creature left.

Shion stood alone in front of the World Tree, with the Golden Calamity Dragon King, now an ice sculpture, behind her. The New World, which she held in her claws, was filled with countless figures frozen in ice, gazing at her from afar.

Shion reached out and stroked the World Tree.

After killing all living things, the first problem that arises is that the world cannot be fixed.

The world itself dares not defy the World Tree.

As the World Tree was destroyed, all the worlds in this void collapsed on their own.

In order to avoid self-destruction, they even actively seek to be frozen and swallowed up.

The will of the world is weaker than imagined.

As Shion reached out, intending to forcibly solidify the next new world, a few drops of water landed on the tip of her nose.

She looked up and saw that the frost above the World Tree was gradually melting.

Then, an even more intense heat erupted from behind!

Turning slightly to the side, Shion glanced at the scene. The ice in the New World was collapsing, and the fiery red magical girl was reaching out to grab the edge of the ice prison. However, the ice in her hand emitted white smoke and melted wildly into water.

Amidst the shattered ice and water, the fiery red magical girl finally crawled out little by little.

The injuries hadn't healed; the wound from the sword strike was still there, and the magic power, the aura, and even half of the magical girl's Personal Reality had been severed.

"He's not dead yet."

I clearly witnessed her falling into the Mental Image space of the Other Shore Plateau.

But compared to this...

Shion gazed at the world around her, which was beginning to recover.

And the World Tree is beginning to frantically break free from its icy grip.

When the magical girl, burning like the sun, appears, the cowardly will of the world is shattered.

It started struggling again.

"Yes, I'm back, Ms. Shion, I'm back, I've saved you."

A radiant smile, with an extraordinary intensity!

The Infinity universe within the World Tree began to stir.

Shion turned around and faced Keke.

The Last Magical Girl.

A person who gives courage to the world.

Simply by standing there, one can make the world's will no longer be weak.

Shion brought her two fingers together and pointed at Keke.

It remains a slash devoid of self No Sword.

This time, however, Keke pressed her hand to her chest and finally cried out.

"Reality Marble Deployment."

The flames instantly spread to the endless distances of the universe.

However, within the Endless Fire Domain, Keke's body was once again split in two!

That slash, devoid of self and No Sword, not only cleaved Keke but also struck the Mental Image.

The Mental Image, though half of it was cut off, did not melt away.

A hint of surprise flashed in Dragon Lord Shion's golden pupils before she looked up.

Above the Mental Image of the Endless Fire Domain are endless stars.

The Mental Image has indeed been split in two.

However, on top of one half of the Mental Image Mental Image the other half pieced together.

Eternal Samsara.

And so, time began to turn back.

Keke reappeared perfectly intact in Shion's golden eyes.

"Let's start the retest, teacher."