In normal times, Motarian would of course regard this "mercy" from the mouth of a mortal as an unequivocal insult. But what is very surprising is that at this moment, the Demon Primordial is not only not angry, but can even respond calmly:

"You're just stuck in the small world you know that you think so." He said this in the middle of the chaotic battlefield, making a gesture of wanting a long talk, but strangely, no one bothered them, "Like I said, you're too young. With Ling's age, he is not enough to recognize the vast majority of the splendor or horror in the vast galaxy. That's why you take the emperor's pretense as a guideline, and you are tricked by him into standing at the forefront of such danger. ”

- The surrounding environment is abnormal. Filth and brilliance clash quickly and rapidly in some invisible way, and the temporal dimension at the center of the battlefield is dislocated from the rest of the world. With the exception of Motarian and Rika Fujimaru, who were the center of the conversation, the rest of the people who were nearby were almost frozen in the flow of time, almost as if they were frozen on the negative.

"Don't listen to him." Killiman, the only one who could barely make a sound in this sticky gummy time, struggled, the flames of the Emperor's Sword blazing in his hands, "Ignore him, come behind me." ”

"Huh." Motarian laughed mockingly, "If you could realize what was going on around you, would you still have the courage to say that?" ”

Everyone knows what's going on around them. But what's going on? Kiliman is not clear. Sigismund or Arjuna may be able to explain this, but they are also clearly trying to confront the environment itself, leaving little room for a long explanation—for others, it has become almost entirely a quiet scene in a hologram.

In this period of time, which was distorted by the invisible battle between the two subspace powers, Rika Fujimaru, who was isolated and had to face a demon primordial body alone, relaxed in her demeanor: "If you only talk about the result, is it just the two of us now, and we can talk about it alone?" ”

"It can also be understood in this way, the only ones who can decide what will happen next are you and me." Motarian said. Whispers of corresponding omens floated from the subspace, and two magnificent gazes lingered over the center of Pamenio's battlefield, "No one will disturb us until we are finished." ”

Rika Fujimaru was silent for a few seconds, and first chose to lean the scepter into her arms, seemingly completely abandoning the possibility of defense or counterattack, as if preparing to talk to a non-threatening being. Then she spoke: "I feel that before I go any further, I must correct one of your cognitive mistakes: it is not because the emperor said to me that I am here. I am standing here of my own free will. ”

"Hmph. Does what you call 'free will' really exist? Motarian sneered, "There are so many ways for the Emperor to implant an idea into the minds of others without a trace, and to make them think that it is their own. How can you be sure that it is indeed 'your will' that has made you stand here, and not 'the will that the Emperor wishes you to have'? ”

"If 'free will' is measured in that way, it is safe to say that 'free will' does not exist, because man's will arises in interaction with reality, and no one can say that his will is not affected by any external object." Fujimaru Rika replied fluently, "If time permits, I'd rather like to talk to you about the difference between the definitions of 'absolute freedom' and 'relative freedom'...... But then the topic would be too off-topic. But on the question of whether I am standing here by the will of the Emperor, I can say with great certainty that it is not. ”

"How so?"

"Because when I decided to stand up, I didn't know the emperor at all. How can something that is completely absent from one's own cognition affect the will of the person concerned? ”

"Like I've been saying, you're too young. You have no idea what terrible path you're on. "You may know you're going to face thorns, pain, and death, but you can't imagine the depth of terror and despair you'll encounter across millions of planets across the galaxy. Besides, is death the most terrible thing in the universe? ”

Fujimaru Rika thought for a while, did not reply, but turned the topic back: "In this way, I haven't asked yet, why are you standing here?" ”

Motarian seemed a little surprised by this, but he quickly replied, "Because you're here." Nurgle, the loving Father, has told me everything, and you are just like me in the past, another victim of the 'grand plan' of the rotting corpse on the throne. The ruthless wizard will use all means to coax or force others to follow the path he has arranged, and often unconsciously, you have become his tool and puppet - look what you have become now! ”

The demon primordial body straightened up, Huo Ran spread his wings, and the shadow cast by the huge body easily engulfed Fujimaru Rika's entire person.

"I don't see any flow of life in you! The perfect 'Cycle of Three' won't even run on you! Mortarian's voice was startling, even genuinely angry, "You are like an insect sewn into the amber, an inanimate object, because only then can the emperor allow his psionic energy to flow through your body into the real universe!" As a tool, you get a longer lifespan – but how long? Fifty years? Thirty years? How much time is left of your unfree life under the wrenches of that wizard? ”

After hearing this passage, Rika Fujimaru's first reaction was: Is the imitation of the third method that Alice Phil applied to herself like this in the eyes of outsiders?

"Of course I knew what you were talking about—that's not what I wanted to ask." She didn't get caught up in irrelevant thoughts for too long, and the young girl unconsciously stroked the subtle pattern on the scepter in her arms in her thoughts, "Let's put it this way, and I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me." The fundamental reason why I am standing here is because I want to live a regular life of five days off and two days off, and I can lie down and sleep at 11 or 2 o'clock every day. Students should concentrate on going to school, the content of adult work is not too dangerous, and the salary they get can at least have a little surplus after meeting the basic food, clothing, housing and transportation of their families.

"On top of that, I want to be able to chat with friends in the neighborhood during my breaks, go to coffee shops, shopping malls, movie theaters, and other places together, and be able to afford a long-distance trip every year and a half...... Probably something like that. I've thought about this kind of 'ordinary life' that is very unambitious, and I think it should be the average of ordinary people in the Empire. In order to achieve this 'average' on the vast majority of the Empire's planets, I stand here.

"Of course I know it sounds super fantastical. The Empire's cumbersome bureaucracy, inefficient planning, and slow development are something I can barely contend with. What even a primordial like Robert Killiman can't do, I certainly can't do. But all development must be based on a peaceful environment, isn't it? I'm pretty experienced when it comes to 'fighting Chaos', so if I can do it, I'll start with what I can do. That's what I thought when I decided to stand up. ”

This is really not like the words of a person who dares to stand on the front line of the battlefield, and even a primordial like Motarian pauses here before he can react:

“…… Stupidity. After a brief moment of astonishment, he commented, "Do you really think that such a great thing can be accomplished in your mayfly life?" I'm not denying your abilities, I'm questioning your longevity. Even from the perspective of the Galactic Hell created by the Emperor, it would take at least a thousand years to make such a change. The stingy carrion will never give you such a long time, but the Father is the complete opposite. He has always been a generous God, and if you grant this invitation, the pleasure of endless rebirth will continue your dying existence, and new life force will be injected into your withered body. Whatever you want to do, you'll have plenty of time to see it complete. ”

"Hmm...... I think there are some basic differences between us, but it's reasonable, after all, I'm a 'mortal' and you're the primordial. Rika Fujimaru politely refused, "I am used to and accept the objective law of 'human life is short', and I have never had unrealistic expectations for truly seeing the end of my dreams come true." As long as I did do something while I was alive, and knew that future generations would build on my achievements and continue to push it forward, it was enough for me. ”

She paused for a moment, then added:

"Besides, you haven't answered my previous question: why did you choose to take up arms and start fighting in the first place?"

"Because I realized that the Emperor was a liar." Motarian's reply was full of resentment, "The first time I met him, he didn't care about taking away what I was fighting for; All the rhetoric that followed was only to deceive us, to control us, and to use us to make him further on his own path to ascension! The poison he left behind 10,000 years ago is still destroying the universe today, and I am going to correct it with the gospel and joy from the Garden of the Father! ”

“…… And they say that 'I' don't have free will. Rika Fujimaru muttered quietly.

She knew Motarian could hear it, so she quickly picked up the next sentence before the other person had a seizure: "I understand why you're 'standing here' now, but what I mean by this question is, 'in the beginning', why did you choose to take up arms?"

"—Before the Emperor came to Barbarus, why did you lift the scythe and start the battle? What do you want to beat? What do you want to rebel against? What do you want to destroy or save? Do you remember your original wish? ”

"I-"

Mortarian was abruptly stuck here.

Six o'clock (Miwoo)

(End of chapter)