"Torkifat."

In the bottom center of Happiness Island, where the "Dragon's Heart" is stored and the main device that controls the entire island is placed, a calm and confident young voice comes from the dark golden crystal throne.

It was a crystal throne more than five meters high, and the seat was more than a meter high from the ground. But the dark golden divine mecha was just right to sit on it. He even crossed one leg with one elbow on his cheek in a lazy state.

"I'm here, His Majesty the Pope."

Behind him, an elf with six arms without legs and a dark red halo on his head stood behind him, responding in a respectful tone.

"'Grey Dome, now are my eyes, I can see clearly.'" The mother tree, the base of the system, has been destroyed by the dragon's cannons."

The pope said blandly, "Your plan has failed."

The mother tree system infected by the virus will only make the name-raiding elves who enter the reincarnation sequence after death become one of them. Before that, the dragon made a decisive move and completely destroyed the polluted "mother tree".

"It's okay, it also means the end of the old era."

Tokifate was not disappointed.

He even looked quite happy, and his tone was brisk: "The original 'name, system, should be a kind of inheritance of power and duty. By constantly selecting the best of the new generation, he will continue to give him knowledge and power, the truth of history, and the future of the world, along with his own name and identity.

"This was supposed to be a very sacred act. It's like primitive humans walking in the dark wilderness, and we all hold sticks in our hands. The leader's sticks turned into torches, leading the crowd to the light, while others held sticks and guarded them. When he burned out, someone would come forward again and take the fire and burn it to death.

"They were primitive. But it shouldn't be final. They are alphas, but they should not be Euika. They were, they are, but they should not be there again.

"But they tampered with the mother tree system, ignored the last words of previous civilizations, and distorted the inheritance system. There is no hope for a civilization built on such betrayal and deception - even the leaders have given up their glory, and what is the pride of the successors?"

- What is the value of such a civilization? What is the significance of protecting human beings born in such a civilization? The initial path was already wrong, and it will only get more and more wrong in the future.

"It's better to tear it all down—it's like eating all the birds and throwing them into the forest, and the white earth is so clean."

Torkiphat scoffed.

"And the fact that the cannon was finally fired by the dragon was even more of a taunt. Originally, they had a chance to stop the elves, but in the end they chose to remain silent. Since silence was chosen then, it is time to pay the price."

"I see. That's what you think."

Andrew nodded calmly.

"Why," Torkiphat looked up, "My majesty. Haven't I already imported my mind into the canon server? We've come together... How could you not know me?

"—or did you choose to cut off from the group and separate from us?" "Yes."

Unexpectedly, Andrew calmly responded, "You're right." But I have to. My plan is foolproof – and in order to do so, I have to put myself on the chessboard."

「... What?"

"And you, it's almost time to go back now."

The Pope, or rather, the young Pope, spoke calmly in a voice that did not hesitate and was only self-serving.

The next moment, a brilliant light flashed, and Tokifat's body suddenly fell apart!

But the mecha sitting on the throne did not react in the slightest.

Because before Torkifate was cut by the light, the dark red light in his pupils was extinguished first. It's like a robot that has been cut off from power, and its body is cut and dismembered by the sword light at the moment it falls.

「... Tsk."

On a bad day, a somewhat regretful voice sounded: "What a quick reaction, Your Majesty the Pope." He and Russell appeared from the corner of the doorway, one left and one right.

"What do I see? A pet cat, a pet dog. Am I at the pet store?"

In the dark golden mecha, a powerful and calm young man's voice reminiscent of a crackling bonfire in the dark night: "It's a pity that the deer didn't come—is it for fear of damaging the core computer room of Happy Island behind me?" That's gentleness.

"One by one, in other words, looking ahead and looking backwards, it will not be a big deal. Kamalse's name is not wrong."

"Although Tokfate is not dead, he no longer occupies the name 'Tokoffat'. He'll leave it to you, Russell."

Bad Day finally patted Russell on the shoulder and prepared to leave.

Now the Pope in the form of a "dragon's heart", only Russell, who has obtained the power of "anti-electron", can follow the network cable and completely destroy this data. Even if Bad Day tries his best to tear it apart, he can only kill the dragon of Happiness Island and make Happiness Island fall.

It's just a pity that Tokifate couldn't be completely killed here.

But that is to let him escape a little longer.

- When they catch up with the "Temple", they will directly attack the central server.

"If my guess is correct," the Pope said suddenly, "your next stop is to go to Temple Island, where the Sacred Texts server is stored, and destroy the core server of the Church."

"What?"

Bad Sun glanced at him, his mind not being taken by the majestic appearance of the mecha: "Declare in advance, even if you beg me, I will not let them go." But if the Pope wants to say something nice and ask me sincerely, I am not afraid of losing time."

"I'm just proving to you," replied the Pope, "that I can easily predict your actions after having the power of the Dragonheart. I'll be able to save Tokifate's data back before you even show you.

"—So, do you think I'll be unaware that you sent Russell to kill me?"

「... Hmm."

The meaning of the bad day snorted lightly.

He put his hand on Russell's shoulder, tapping the middle and ring fingers of his left hand twice.

This means asking if he needs to stay and help.

Russell shook his head and stepped forward.

"When you see the dragon's firepower, you should know... It's useless for you to stay here."

The dragon's energy comes from the Dragon's Heart, which delivers energy from a distance.

Being able to unleash such a devastating shot also shows how far the dragon's heart, as a perpetual motion machine, can go. As an energy transmission device, the Dragon's Heart is made into this form that is good at multi-terrain and multi-domain operations, obviously to be able to abandon the hull and run away directly at a critical moment, or to fight against the special forces that infiltrate the ship.

In other words, even if he added Russell, he might not be able to beat the dragon's heart. If you do destroy it physically, it will be even more problematic. It's better to go and support the inferior.

And Russell, on the other hand, has a way to get tricks.

— or rather, he may be the only one in the world who has a chance to defeat the Pope, who has gained infinite power.

At the same time, it has the psionic power of "Caged Bird" and the Holy Rank of "Anti-Electron" "Remember to close the door. I still have something to talk to His Holiness the Pope."

Russell whispered, and Bad Day nodded thoughtfully.

"Be careful, too."

Bad Day didn't say much, but chose to believe Russell.

And at the moment when the door closed and left on a bad day, a birdcage suddenly appeared in Russell's right hand behind his back.

The next moment the door was shut, the slender metal birdcage opened on its own.

With the choking sound of heavy handcuffs and shackles falling to the ground, bright ultramarine flowed out of the birdcage like an endless sea, turning into a monstrous sea water and rolling into a whirlpool, engulfing Russell standing and Andrew, who was seated.

Whoop -

Whoop -

With the sound of the tide ringing and fading.

When Russell and Andrew reappeared, they were right in the middle of the ocean. Beneath your feet is the rippling deep blue ocean, and overhead is a cloudless sky of azure sky. You can also hear the sound of seagulls coming from nowhere, and the sound of the rising and falling tides is everywhere.

And in the middle of the sky hangs a bright sun. In the light of the day, the ocean is as bright and beautiful as a shattering sapphire. It was pure blue on all sides—only the two of them had a small patch of land under their feet.

The place where the sea and the sky meet seems to be in the distance where there is no end in sight, and at a glance, it seems that the whole world is endless. And the range of activities that can be carried out is as narrow as a cone.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? This is the real sun, the real blue sky." Russell said softly.

He wasn't wearing his Happiness Island Special Operations uniform. Instead, he wore a slightly larger, hooded white woollen cloak. His undershirt was also a bit of shabby linen.

His clothes were shabby, but they were clean. It was a gift from the people on the ground, and it looked fluffy and smooth, as if it was emitting a white shimmer in the sunlight. Russell's silver-white prosthetic hand, poking out of the linen clothes, held a brilliant golden lightsaber.

He just stood flat like that, without any attack. The extremely thin body was in stark contrast to the steel mecha of Wang Miduo who was sitting on the five-meter-high crystal throne opposite him.

"This is the psionic energy you got from Little Ruri."

Looking at all this, Ascension was still sitting on his crystal throne, lazily propping up his chin. His body was covered with sunlight, shining with dazzling brilliance, and the dark gold crystal throne behind him was like another sun on the earth. The young pope spoke calmly, "Able to strip away 'foreign objects, the restraints on the body... You're trying to use it to strip me off the dragonheart, right?

"—So, why don't you try it out? See if it can bypass the power of my holy rank and strip my soul away."

Looking deeply at the dark golden divine mecha with crimson lights in his eyes, Russell narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his head.

A dim yellow glow overflowed. The sea beneath his feet centered around him, spreading outward with finer and finer ripples.

"I see, you can't resonate with Torkiphat because you've severed the link from the 'group gods.'"

Russell only whispered softly, but his voice echoed under the sky, "Let me guess why you're doing this.

"—Because the 'Dragon's Heart' is also within the scope of the negation of 'anti-superman'. As long as you want to hold a perpetual motion machine based on the heart of the dragon, you can't use the power of the superman, because it will negate you. You built Noah's Ark with your own hands, but you didn't get on it yourself."

"Wrong. It's that I couldn't get on the boat from the beginning. Someone must take possession of the dragon's body and take control of the Grey Dome. And that means that the person has to break away from the group – and with the power to do so."

The young pope replied calmly: "And I already knew the end. Only I can do it, and I will never be corrupted after mastering the power of the dragon. So I'm the only one who can do that."

"Won't be corrupted?"

Russell smiled, "Do you think so, 'His Majesty the Pope,'?"

"I don't admit it, it's Torkifate's wishful thinking."

The young man shook his head, "Despite his hatred and jealousy of the elves from thousands of years ago. But he himself is still living more than 100 years ago, in that era of kings and nobles. He is also something behind the times, no different from those whom he despises."

"Isn't that clear to you?"

Russell's tone softened a little, "What's the difference between your behavior and that of a dragon or a monkey-faced eagle?"

"The difference is that I have the determination and the perseverance to get out of that eternity."

The young man's voice resounded through the heavens and the earth like a god: "I must thank you, Russell. In that chat, you let me know my shortcomings. I realized that my plans were still lost and that history would eventually return to the loop. It's your external force that kicks me out of the loop."

"Me too."

Russell whispered, "You reminded me of something very important, like, don't be you."

A god-like haughty voice rang out from the mecha, calm, objective, compassionate, and high: "I know. That's why I'm going to execute the plan ahead of time, interrupting your 100% chance of devouring the dream. That's why I'm going to stay here until you pull me into this little world of caged birds. The only thing that went beyond my plan was that the sheath went to you on its own initiative and gave you the power of the 'anti-electron, holy order.

"You father and son both have the same willfulness. Even if I am contrary to the whole world, I will never waver in the slightest impulse for this, and I will never be able to calculate all the possibilities perfectly."

At this point, the Pope suddenly changed his words: "You should know the 'black dome' that covers the world, right? I call it 'Black Heaven,—— son of Bhasudeva and Devaji, the incarnation of Vishnu.'"

"The incarnation of Vishnu, the god of maintenance, Krishna

Russell chewed on the name: "What a surprise. I thought it was going to be 'Big Black Sky,'"

The difference between the black sky and the great black sky is the embodiment of Vishnu and Shiva respectively.

The former is the "Defender", while the latter is the "Destroyer".

- Ascension thinks that this black dome cut off from light is the "defender" of the world and not the "destroyer"?

"I see, you knew from the beginning that 'there is a loophole in the dark sky. By returning the supernatural power, the Black Dome can be shattered...... No, you set it up."

Russell muttered under his breath, gradually coming to his senses, "That's why you're turning a blind eye to going to Temple Island and destroying the Sacred Texts server. You have already transferred the gods you created into the Black Dome!"

That's why "someone has to control the dragon and the gray dome"!

If the world were to be plunged into complete darkness and freezing, the servers on Temple Island would probably not survive the low temperatures. So, how can they save themselves when they become digital beings?

They have stored themselves in the "black sky"!

"Are you sacrificing yourself for the betterment of others?"

As soon as Russell's words came out, he suddenly understood what the Pope meant: "No, no.

You're — you're gambling."

"It's not a gamble, it's a test!"

The young man's young, confident, and energetic voice rang out from the mecha: "Now, the only people who can decide the winner on this planet are you, me, and Dream. Admittedly, I have absolute confidence in myself – but objectively speaking, I also have to consider the possibility that you are right.

"There will be no omissions in my plan. I don't think you'll be able to succeed, but you might as well show me.

"—then let me see. Let me see if those transcendents can choose to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world, even if it is a 'sacrifice' that has nothing to do with life."

This is the Pope's second plan.

If he fails, it must be because of the unity of the human race, not from the erosion of the illusion - under his layout, if the human race can break through the "black sky" he created, it means that they have completely resisted the illusion, and it also means that the illusion is completely sealed.

And if he succeeds, then humanity will be extinct under the ice, and the illusion will be sealed again. The "group gods" are controlling the "black sky", and when all humans are extinct, they can open the black dome, thaw the glaciers, and recreate civilization.

"Because what is stored in that dark sky is not the power of the discrete Holy Rank, but the conscious 'group gods,'. This means that no matter how much the transcendents give, they can't completely eliminate it—only you, Russell.

"No one can accurately observe the darkness of the sky

How much of the power of the Holy Rank has been dissolved. But in the end, the impact can only be you, it must be you.

"If there aren't enough people willing to sacrifice for civilization, then your psionic energy will dissolve in the event of a collision. The illusion that you have sealed will escape the seal, and everyone will die together. Even we can't escape. If you don't believe in anyone else, you'd better be aware of yourself and become the new 'Unoverturned Tower'. Let the world cycle again.

"There is only one circumstance in which humanity can win, and that is to truly transcend the illusion, to overcome the inferior nature within oneself, and to allow enough people to return their 'transcendence' to heaven. Then when you collide with the black sky, you can dissolve all the gods, and we will have no value in existence.

"Praise me for my genius, Russell. If you win, you prove that humanity has triumphed over Twilight, and I'm glad too; And if you lose, then I win, then of course I'm happy; If we all lose, then at least you didn't win, and I'm still happy.

"HE, Cycle; BE, Fantasy Dream; TE, Sky. I've already designed all three endings for you. It's up to you to decide which step you can take.

"Well, isn't it a fair bet?"

The giant, more than three meters tall, let out a hehe laugh. There was no hesitation in his words.

「…… I see."

Russell just lowered his gaze, "You want to win so much."

"I'm a digital being now, Russell. Digital life only has 0s and 1s, so it's either one or the other."

"So the future you design must only be 'yes or no'. It's like a door to judge the right and wrong of logic." Juvenile Road.

"This is the 'plan, the most perfect form one—either/or, victory." Youth Road.

"But humanity just needs to exist, not necessarily always win. Humanity seems to be in great danger right now, but in reality it only needs to take one step forward. It doesn't have to be now, it's not necessarily the future, it could be the next ......," the teenager said.

"Or maybe not, Russell. I only believe in the answers in the calculations. The odds are absolute, and the overall success rate of my project is over 99.99%." The youth said.

"—The probabilities are false. For a reality where there is only one chance, even a random 0.01% probability. That's the unmistakable reality." The hero's tone was calm.

"There's no need to talk any further, Russell. The next will just be an infinite loop. What we want is the process, and what we want is the result. There is no right or wrong, but there is no coexistence."

The Pope's tone was flat and rational: "Kill me.

"'I can't go back to heaven anymore. But I will be your last sustenance." In an instant, the sun turned upside down and turned into the moon. The deep blue sea boiled and turned into a sea of blood.

Pillars of metal rose from the ground, converging at the center of the full moon, blocking the light in the sky. It turned into a giant birdcage. The sea of blood beneath their feet churned, and the dry and cracked ground rose from below the surface.

Between heaven and earth, there are cages. You and I are all caged birds.

This is different from the blood and tears that Xiao Liuli cried and condensed at the beginning, but another interpretation.

The dark gold mech becomes transparent and is then stripped back to the real world. But what is revealed from this is not such a rebellious and confident, god-like youth.

He was a thin old man with brown hair and blue eyes, drooping old age!

The spirited Pope looked down at his withered hands. That's when all the techniques and all the external influences on him are stripped away, revealing his true appearance.

Suddenly, he realized that he was so old. It didn't even look like he was fifty or sixty years old when he became a promoter, but like a hundred years old. It was thin like a skeleton, light and fluttering, as if it could be lifted with one hand.

When he looked down and saw that his hands were so old, there was obvious surprise and abruptness in his eyes. His expression froze completely. That's something he didn't even think about.

Even though he uploaded his thoughts, the hundred years still existed. His soul has not become young because it has been detached from his body - although the AI has calculated his youthful voice and simulated his youthful state of mind, those are still "external things".

For a moment, there were many thoughts. The old man's back was slumped, and the sea of blood was reflected in his pupils. There was no confidence in his pupils, for he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake—a lowly mistake, a fact that he had known since he was a teenager, but had forgotten or deliberately ignored at some point.

What determines the essence of a person is the memory and will condensed by everything he has experienced, not his material age. From the very beginning, the "Divine Descent Device" was a technology destined to get out of control - it allowed a person to have the fruits of life that did not belong to him out of thin air.

Ironically, the angels all remember that these memories do not belong to them. But he forgot about it himself.

'Sure enough,' the old man muttered in a low voice, "time will never go back—"

He looked up, and the moment he met Russell's gaze, there was a kind of insight in his pupils.

The moment he realized that he was getting old, he seemed to understand what was wrong with him.

However, it was too late. It's too late for him.

But fortunately, the world is still in time.

Russell stood motionless, but the golden lightsaber in his hand suddenly extended infinitely—with his swing of the sword, it slashed across the entire world, along with the old man's rotten spirit.

A brilliant golden crack appeared and shone like the sun on his dark green spirit.

"I am...... sinners."

The wizened old man muttered under his breath and slowly knelt down. But before he could kneel on the ground, light suddenly came out of his spirit—his body shattered in the birdcage of heaven and earth.

Countless fragments of memory scattered everywhere, embedded in the whole world. Attached to each cage, it is a fragment of his memory from youth to youth, from youth to middle age, from middle age to old age.

"I hope my sword will be sharp enough, that your death will not hurt, and that sinners will be promoted. Hopefully, we can defeat you, the god deceiter who steals the sky

Russell whispered, only feeling that the decapitation of the saint in his hand was extremely heavy.

It is not the "weight of life" or the "weight of life" – it is the weight of the future.

It is a key to the planet's future with no way back.

The boy stretched out his hand to the distant sky. Under the gentle blood moon, in the eternal sound of the tides, he pointed to those fragments of life as bright as stars, and whispered, "I was only one step away from becoming you. But now, I reject that future – that mask can only be a mask, and I am mortal after all. The shell of the other is not me.

"Rest in peace, Andrew. Let me see your heart... Then, come to me."