The sun was about to sink below the horizon, and the blood-red halo left scars that seemed to drip blood on the approaching night, and the battlefield was dead silent.

Human limbs, the remains of the "legion" covered the battlefield, black and brown blood overlapped with the core as bright red as a flower. The heavens and the earth were painted with the colors of red and black hell.

"Holy, holy, holy. Dust to dust, dust to dust. Give them eternal sighs and let the light of eternity shine on them (part of the lyrics in the "Three Sacred Verses" and "Ode to the Lamb"). ）”

The solemn prayer drifted away in the wind, the crystals that turned from pitch black to gray weathered and drifted away at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the dim red light of the head perceptron flickered and dimmed.

- I'm so sorry to bother you so much in the end.

The undead who stayed in the command plane let out a dying wry smile, even if they were down to such a field, they could be sent on their last journey by their most admired colleagues at the end, even if there was no anointing, no family company, and no confession of the miserable funeral. For the poor creature who has become a member of the army of the undead, destined to wander forever on the battlefield, this is the ultimate luxury.

The speed of weathering is accelerating, the flickering red light is slowly extinguished, and the brain hidden under the protective layer is about to be revealed, and the signal of serene happiness sings the man's last words before sinking into eternal sleep.

- By you...... to bury ...... We...... That's great......

“...... You're welcome, I'll be there soon. ”

Calmly saying goodbye, the tenderness on Father Andersen's face faded, and the disdainful side turned to the empty side.

"So, are you satisfied? Mr. a third-rate director who sat in the grand seat and watched the drama directed by you the whole time. ”

"Satisfied?"

Removing the optical camouflage, a hunter tilted his head and asked in a calm tone that did not look like a question:

"Your question is wide, how can it be satisfied?"

The so-called satisfaction is a temporary relationship in stages. After achieving a certain stage of the goal, the cranial nerves are stimulated by a sense of accomplishment to release various chemical components to form a sense of well-being in the brain. This physical and psychological reward mechanism is the truth of contentment. Soon happiness will retreat calmly, and people will pursue the next goal in order to thirst for more and more exciting happiness.

As a result, humanity progresses, and society moves forward.

This can also be said to be the truth of progress - under the never-ending ** push, constant quest and conquest.

What else is there to pursue and explore for beings who have climbed to the pinnacle of all living things, to the end of "perfection and eternity"?

"It's your words, you should understand. It is the result that matters more than satisfying such cheap emotions. ”

For Fr. Andersen, the outcome of the mission is the most important priority.

For Li Lin, who single-handedly directed this tragedy, on the premise of ensuring the smooth progress of the grand strategy, whether he can obtain important data by promoting Roland's growth, and promote the emergence of the final answer that can be verified and reproduced - this is the result he wants.

The strategic objectives have been fully achieved, and now it is only necessary to use the remnants of the "Legion" and the Charlemagne-Church coalition to conduct some experiments that are impossible to let go of under normal circumstances, fully demonstrate the ideas and theories of the past, and make corresponding adjustments and revisions to the future plan after reviewing the data fed back from actual combat.

the evolution of the "legion" and the verification of the large-scale tactical use;

grabbing the level of improvement in the combat effectiveness of the "legion" in the back of people's heads;

underutilization of the human brain and optimization solutions;

Feasibility plan for the development of artificial intelligence to replace the human brain;

the reaction of the nations in the face of the overwhelming power of the "legion";

Miracle users perceive the principles of the human brain's carry-on through the deep collective unconscious, as well as the corresponding strategies

......

These are things that cannot be let go of in peacetime, and only on this Rhine front can be experimented with, even if there are doubts about it afterwards, and what kind of unwanted guy is willing to jump out and pay for his life for a group of strange dead people who have nothing to do with him.

"'It's war, so there's no way,' 'Charlemagne and the church itself aren't good people,' 'That's the will of the gods,' people will always find reasons for their powerlessness and inaction. As long as the storm of destruction does not fall on one's head, everyone can see death without salvation with peace of mind. ”

"yes, humans are so incorrigible. ”

Andersen let out a sigh.

Incorrigible human beings - he has understood this deeply countless times.

No matter how sincere you persuade, how you pray, no matter how tireless you guide, you don't hesitate to lower the hammer of violence and wash your blood with blood. Human beings have never changed, everything is ugly, all the diseases are still there.

But even so—

"Aren't you even more incorrigible in using the evil of mankind to justify your own evil? You're not a messenger of the gods, you're just a violent machine that executes the will of the Mother Goddess, a pathetic monster. ”

That's right...... It's like taking pity on your fellow kind. ”

"Like?" is a word that is used in seconds. Oh, yes...... Even now, I think you are very dazzling, powerful, deadly, and most importantly, you have no doubts about your role, and you are single-mindedly carrying out the mission you have been given, and you regard it as the absolute and only meaning. I...... I used to envy you like that. ”

I want to be the blade of God, a blade that is only used to carry God's punishment.

How nice it would be if you were born with a storm.

It would be nice to be born just a threat.

How easy it would be if it was just a bomb.

No longer as a human being, no longer with self, no longer with thinking, just a vessel for the power of God.

As a veritable "devout hound", this is probably the ultimate ideal that he has tirelessly pursued. Therefore, in their view, Li Linzheng can be described as the ultimate embodiment of the ideal, and it can be said that he will envy and even look forward to it, which can be said to be a matter of course.

When he saw his ideals appear in the world in concrete form, even if they met from a hostile position, Father Andersen couldn't help but feel moved.

"At that time, I really felt that you were the ideal I was pursuing, the end of my long-standing dream. But ah...... Look at your 'army of the dead'...... He didn't hesitate to pluck other people's brains and put them in his own body, just in pursuit of more efficient killing, I understand. After all, I can't become like the undead, I can't give up myself, I can't give up the original Alexander Andersen, and become a social creature who transcends humanity by faith or whatever. ”

Ego – once upon a time, this was Andersen's biggest headache.

I used to hate my own personality. Thanks to his overly strong physique and terrifying countenance, no one dared to approach him. Even if you want to get along with someone else, you will only make the other person afraid, like a poor person who has been forced into an alley by the underworld to blackmail, trembling and taking out the money, while begging him not to hurt himself in a tone that is about to cry. Even his parents are respectful to him, and the most basic relationship between parents and children is gone, let alone communication.

So, Andersen chose to join the church. If it is the Almighty Mother Goddess and the same faithful brothers and sisters, you should be able to accept him.

Later, he did feel a certain degree of acceptance in the church, although only some of them—Iscalho's companions, the orphanage children and grandmothers—were great comforts to Andersen. In order to protect his faith and his place, he is willing to become a weapon to carry divine punishment.

However, after seeing Li Lin and the "legion", this belief was violently shaken and even collapsed.

The so-called "weapon carrying divine punishment" is to become not even human, and further, to become an agent of God's will is only a weapon in the hands of God to take the appearance of a human.

"At the end of the day, I still couldn't give up my ego and my personality. Obviously disgusted with his own personality, he still can't give it up in the end. I am me, no one else, the only one in the world, Alexander Andersen. I decided so myself. ”

Father Andersen shrugged.

A somewhat surprising answer to this, the Hunter sent a wry smile.

"Do not hesitate to disobey the Pope's orders for this, even at the cost of your own life?"

"The moment I decided not to give up my ego anymore, I understood. Neither the church, nor Iscarho, nor even you, are not suited to play the role of a god. Because what you do is the same thing as we do, which is to normalize everybody. Unify all people geographically, politically, spiritually, and then fear, hate, despise, and exterminate all people or organizations that don't fit the norms. This kind of thing is the same everywhere. The difference is only in the fact that it is common sense, ideology, or belief in doctrine. In the end, it just becomes a fat, rigid organization that is only for self-preservation and maintaining order, constantly trampling on minorities and the weak. ”

"So you decided to bet on a child, on an illusory possibility?"

"Who knows. It may be looking forward to the struggle of young people, or it may be looking forward to the distant future where young people will create miracles. Above all, though, seeing dreams is a child's prerogative. And protect your dreams until the children wake up from their dreams and are crushed by the harsh reality...... That is the task and privilege of adult. ”

The crystallized little finger detached from the palm of the hand and fell to the ground to shatter, leaving only three fingers gripping the two key blades. A gust of evening wind blew, and obsidian-like crystals could be seen everywhere under the tattered coat and in the section of the severed arm.

However, dreams will eventually be ruthlessly shattered by reality. Instead of daydreaming unrealistically, it is better to acknowledge reality at the beginning and let go of ridiculous and illusory dreams. Those who can't understand this, whether it's you or him, are just a group of children who love to dream after all. ”

The hunting type left behind the firm assertions.

In the dark night, a little red light flickered, and the boundless "legion" surged towards Andersen.

Looking at the endless red stars in the dark, Andersen smiled unruly.

- What has driven me all along?

INTERVIEWER What is this emotion surging in my heart?

- If you believe from the bottom of your heart that there is no death or misery in this world, only endless happiness...... Then I would like to pray for it, and pray that this moment will last forever.

Fifteen minutes later, Father Alexander Andersen was killed.

Until the end, the man was not knocked to the ground by any enemy, and after using up his miracle, he stood and turned into a pillar of salt.