Compared to the black-haired man, the teenager looked too thin.

Volume, height, weight – these indicators are meaningless at the moment, even if they stand at the same height and look at each other, but in essence they are another form of looking up and looking down.

The difference between human beings and beings beyond common sense is so great that human beings cannot be compared to disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, and the giants of action do not glance at the ants at their feet. A slight step can be bypassed, and if the ant insists on blocking it, it will also be crushed by the giant without realizing it.

The confrontation between Roland and Li Lin is a real image that embodies the above concepts.

"What do you want to do?"

Gathering his smile, the black-haired boy asked in a flat tone.

"You're naïve if you think you can stop me, and besides, there's no point in stopping me, right?"

A conclusion that is impossible to refute.

Whatever the reason, Azdahaka's sins could not be justified, he had to pay for his actions, and no one present, nor the vast majority of the world, would have a problem with Li Lin's disposition. On the other hand, no one has the strength to stop Li Lin, and if he attacks without pain, let alone stumbling in his footsteps, he can't even protect himself.

In this life, he can be said to be synonymous with "natural disaster" and "fate", and he is an absolute that should be endured and destined to be inescapable.

Roland knew this very well, more than anyone else in the room.

However...... It should be explained that it is human nature to know what cannot be done.

"Can you hear me for a few words?"

Under the pressure of tightening his throat. His heart almost stopped, and Roland calmly asked.

"I don't think it's necessary. ”

The whip swept to the side of the carriage, and the whip that defied the common sense of physics swept through the jungle of black diamonds, and the guns could not hurt the slightest black diamond, shattering like glass, and the crystals that had lost their brilliance were scattered. In the crisp cracking sound, the deep tone of non-compromise returned.

"The result takes precedence over a qiē. If you want to explore the problem, leave it for later. ”

Humanity, free will, rules, organization—whatever Roland has to discuss, it can't get in the way of the immediate top priority—eliminating the betrayer Azdahaka, and nothing is more important than silencing the guy who knows too much forever.

Roland also knows this, and Li Lin's code of conduct is to prioritize efficiency. All other issues are secondary. I want to use emotions and morals as a starting point. It won't work for him.

"You'll listen. ”

Roland said confidently.

"You don't refuse to be given advice. ”

“......”

Li Lin blinked slowly, staring into Roland's eyes, and on the contrary, the purple pupils without any fear looked directly at Li Lin's red eyes.

Maybe it was a mask that he had managed to maintain with all his might. But can it be done? But there are differences beyond ordinary people's imagination. In terms of spirit. Roland was already better than most of the important officials in Charlemagne's court. What's more, the arguments he puts forward are indeed difficult to refute, at least logically sound.

Resistance is not allowed. However, it is allowed to put forward opinions -- this is Li Lin's consistent policy proposition. As a de facto authoritarian system, no matter how strong the authoritarian overtones of the consortium and Alfheim's operating model are, the organization itself as a collection of intelligent beings still has to be reasonable in a certain way. Punishing traitors and allowing subordinates to ask questions and opinions – these are concrete expressions of "reasonableness", and these methods can be used to set an example for members and thus strengthen organizational cohesion.

At this moment, Roland showed that he was putting forward an opinion, so Li Lin couldn't simply and rudely deny it, at least wait for him to finish speaking.

"Let's talk about it. ”

Li Lin's whip lowered slightly, and seeing this action, Roland breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

This is a gamble with a 50% win rate.

Li Lin is a difficult person to see, often doing something unexpected, and as long as it is something he decides, no one can change it. But on the other hand, he is not an unreasonable tyrant, he does not act recklessly based on self-interest and blind feelings, and all his actions are based on rational thinking.

Therefore, he is able to accommodate different opinions and respond beautifully to the content of the opinions themselves and the objective facts, rather than simply suppressing things with violence.

It is precisely with this in mind that Roland dares to bet on "giving opinions" as a starting point.

Having said that, he couldn't be sure if Li Lin would accept it, and if he judged that there was no need to accept it, the gamble would have failed. It's a blessing to get this result.

"You can't kill Azdahaka. ”

"Oh?"

The red eyes didn't change, and the whip was raised again.

The audience also shook their heads secretly, what kind of opinion is this? If even this kind of rotten good old man rhetoric can stop the monster equivalent to a natural disaster, then the world is about to end.

Seeing that the conversation was about to be forced to end, Roland said something that surprised everyone present.

"His life must be ended by me. ”

The surprised eyes instantly focused on Roland, the Holy Maiden of Ji El narrowed her eyes, Li Lin stared at him without saying a word, and saw Roland pleading in a natural tone.

"Before you intervened, I was in a duel with Azdahaka and had already hit him hard. Then, based on the rules of the duel, I have the right and duty to give him the final blow to relieve the pain. ”

- Perfect rhetoric.

Ji El nodded slightly, commenting.

If there are reasons such as humanity and righteousness, then the Divine Will Agent will not care to put Roland aside and continue the long and cruel execution. For the black-haired monster who doesn't care about human life, that kind of non-binding words are not a reason to stop.

But Roland's assertion that he has the power to deliver the final blow is different. Although the Divine Will Agent does not take human rules and ideas into account, what choice does he make if the end result is as expected?

This generation of divine will agents is unlike any previous generation. Cold, cruel, mean...... There are as many derogatory terms as many as they can be applied to him, but there is no blind abuse of violence in it, and there are also traces of strategy behind the seemingly wanton boasting of power. For such a person with great power and excellent mind, a result that meets expectations is the most important thing.

So—

This is not unreasonable. ”

Li Lin turned the whip, and the murder weapon that made people feel cold in the crotch turned back into a beautiful cane again, and said with an elegant smile again.

"It's a bit of a shame that I didn't do it myself, but after all, I got involved in this duel without permission, and I should make some form of compensation for this kind of behavior. ”

The words of apology were uttered in a calm tone, which was somewhat surprising. But there are lessons from the past. No one dared to relax their nerves.

In order to meet the audience's requirements, or to anticipate this trick for a long time, Li Lin reached into his jacket, took out something and threw it out. The silver metal reflection swirled in the air and fell into Roland's hands.

Imitation P38 automatic pistol. The delicate ivy pattern comes to life. The uneven feel of the ivory carved grip comes from the palm of your hand, and the silver plating reflects the dazzling sunlight.

A beautiful artifact, but also a real murder weapon. That beautiful appearance does not affect the original function. The special Tianjing bullet fully makes up for the shortcomings of the lack of power of the 9mm pistol bullet, even if it can't do the Cheng dù that even the gods will shoot you in the head, but there is no problem in making the dying obediently swallow.

"As a form of compensation, it's really bad. ”

"I think it's humane, and it's more efficient than the kindness of the guillotine, the Iron Maiden, and so on. Just pull the trigger and it's all over — something that even a kid can do. ”

Li Lin's face was leisurely, and his red eyes exuded an intellectual light.

"All it takes is a little bit of strength, plus enough killing intent or malice, and if malice and killing intent are not enough, kindness can also be done. ”

The hand holding the gun shook slightly, and Roland stared back in silence, but heard Li Lin continue.

"After all, this is your first time actively killing someone, and the weight of pulling the trigger needs to be heavier. ”

His tone was very gentle.

But it's not warm, there's no kindness in the voice, there's no malice, it's just a plain way of building.

- Whether it is good or bad, after all, it is only a definition of "process" and "concept" based on different criteria.

In the sea of consciousness and intelligence, the assertions of very different hearts flashed by.

Roland's idea, the feasible means, the odds of success, the alternatives...... After analyzing various parameters, it is speculated that the real purpose of "proposing a duel" is twofold.

Use logical contradictions to create buffer time and lay the groundwork for the next move;

Use the rule of "the winner of the duel decides life and death" to force this side to be unable to move;

It is reasonable and logically reasonable, but the only flaw is that it attaches too much importance to the so-called "morality", and the guidance is out of touch with reality, and to put it bluntly, it is too naïve.

At this point, Azdahaka's death was a secondary outcome, and the "process of death"—the long and horrific execution—was the main goal. By using terrorist means to deter the uneasy elements within the organization, we will reunite the Alfheim and the consortium that have already had various problems, and maintain efficient operation to avoid similar situations. Thinking that "as long as Azdahaka is dead and the result is still within the acceptable range, Li Lin will not mind" - what is this kind of thinking naïve?

The more effective way to kill Azdahaka than the "solitary warriors" is that they are chosen for the sake of completely abusing the target, both mentally and physically, so as to achieve a deterrent effect - if you think about this, you will not think about hindering the execution at all.

His thoughts were interrupted by Roland's steady breathing, and the hand holding the gun no longer seemed to tremble.

Did you understand the situation and were you going to give up on your fate? Or did you ......

"O messenger of the gods, as an apostle acting on behalf of the gods, can you answer me a question?"

The young man didn't wait for Li Lin to answer, and asked loudly:

"What is the personal will for you?"

The question was too general and caused Giel to frown, and Valrhona looked at Roland with interest.

The will of man. It is not a physical substance, full of possibilities and full of variety, and is a pure conceptual noun. It seems that there is not enough weight to use this abstract question to make things difficult and procrastinate.

But for Roland. This question has a special meaning.

"The so-called personal will is the expression of a series of behaviors that the intelligent life of an individual experiences different social environments and thinks for itself based on its own personality and thinking patterns, and makes its own judgments. ”

The exemplary answer is impeccable, but what Roland wants to hear is not this, Li Lin knows this, and he continues to speak without hurry.

"After all, the individual is just an individual, an integral part of the world. It is impossible to be independent of the whole system. Consider the will of the individual sacrosanct. Those who claim absolute freedom are either dreamers with undeveloped brains or political speculators with ulterior motives. ”

“......”

"There is a need for the will of the individual to be recognized, but that is not to threaten the majority. It is premised on not bringing ruin to the entire system and order. Relative. Most of the freedom and quality of life can be guaranteed as long as the rules are followed. Without this premise, the corresponding conditions naturally do not exist. The will of the individual is meaningless, and it must be monitored and dealt with before the situation becomes irreparable. ”

Silent.

The killers needless to say, they are part of the system, and Valrhona and Giel have nothing to say.

I'm afraid there couldn't be a more correct view. Compared to the exclusivity of religious rule, and the expansionism, racial supremacy, and pure-bloodedness that was gaining momentum among nations, the speech of the self-proclaimed messenger of the gods was slightly more conservative, but it was significantly higher in terms of moderation and inclusiveness.

Rather than blindly emphasizing the correctness of his own proposition, this speech emphasizes reality and rationality more. The vast majority of people are aware of the ugly side of human nature and do not want their safety and life to be destroyed by the unbridled freedom of others, so they have established laws and morals to build fences to protect themselves at the cost of a certain amount of freedom. Li Lin's statement undoubtedly echoes this: for the sake of the interests of the majority and for the entire social system not to collapse, it is necessary to monitor and even physically eliminate a small number of dangerous elements -- although it is tough, it is undoubtedly correct.

To deny this theory is to deny the history of civilization so far in intelligent life, and no one would be stupid enough to do such a stupid thing.

Li Lin was right and will always be right – this concept is confirmed once again.

However......

"In other words, is it the same as a parent managing a child?"

Asking an unexpected rhetorical question, Roland sighed as he witnessed the other party's affirmative nod.

Parents view their children in the same way, acknowledging that their children have their own will as individuals, and rejecting their children's opinions on the other. Regardless of whose opinion is more intelligent and correct, and does not discuss the issue of parent-child relationship and respect, this practice itself has a strong authoritarian color, which is a degraded love. Li Lin's strategy can be said to be an amplified and hidden version of paternalism, playing the role of an unsmiling elder, protecting the public while also stifling any thinking that is out of the framework.

It is true that the will of the individual is powerless in certain situations, and not all of them can act according to their own will and conscience, calmly and carefully examining their surroundings, but even the freedom of the mind is not allowed—this is tragic.

Li Lin would make that kind of statement, maybe it was his thoughtful opinion, but the way he looked at things......

(It's so sad.) ）

Unconsciously, the word crossed Roland's mind.

"It's not a question of emotionalism being allowed to intervene. When a child grows up, he or she may smile bitterly at the stupidity he once did, but when this kind of thing is reproduced on a world scale, it is not just a matter of laughing and laughing. Rather than waiting until you've made a mistake that is irreparable, it's better not to make a mistake in the first place. ”

After making the final judgment, Li Lin stopped speaking, and a blue-white light shone from behind him, and a light curtain like a thin veil quietly overflowed.

The light was like moonlight, intertwined with the light reflected by the three moons in the sky, giving people a hazy and trance beauty. The flickering light gradually dissipated, and a pair of crystal clear wings appeared behind the black-haired boy.

The young man bathed in the moonlight spread his wings, as if he was about to fly into the sky.

This is probably the most befitting scenery of the god's emissary, with an overwhelming beauty and at the same time transcendent world, as if it tells the story of a world on a different level between the winged and the sentient beings.

- Deathwing.

A terrifying weapon that can destroy a mountain or burn an entire city to ashes in an instant, the meaning of this is self-evident.

- Do it yourself, or do I do it?

The red pupils who came over silently interrogated, and looked at his adoptive father for a second, and the young man turned around.

Remove the safety, pull the bolt, load - the action is done in one go, the gun is well maintained, and there is no obstacle to the movement of the mechanism. Although the style is older than its own gun, it doesn't seem to be bad at performance.

Raising the gun, the crosshair and Azdahaka's smiling face overlapped, and the sweaty face was smiling like a tired traveler seeing the end.

"Yo, young master, it turns out that you are my 'death'...... Our 'death'. Anyway, a dignified death is better than anything else. ”

It was a smile of relief, an expression on the face of witnessing the ending in anticipation.

(Was the ending predicted a long time ago...... ）

Roland muttered in his heart, it was impossible for Azdahaka not to know the fate of the confrontation with Li Lin, but he still chose this path. Although we can't identify with his means, nor with his way of being, there is one thing that cannot be denied.

Experience it yourself, think for yourself, judge it yourself, and then bear it yourself.

Throughout this time, Azdahaka has carried this through, and it has been maintained by the "wall of will". Perhaps in the heart of this murderer and demon dragon, only "self" is the persistence and self-esteem that must not be deprived.

As if urging him, the blue-white light behind him became more dazzling, and the stench of high-energy particles burning the air wafted over.

The fingers holding the trigger trembled slightly, and cold sweat broke out on the corner of the boy's forehead.

I knew it would end up like this.

I knew that Azdahaka would have to die here no matter what.

Ming Ming decided to at least let him die with dignity.

But for some reason, it's just hard to pull the trigger, as if if if you lose something important when you pull it.

At that moment, Azdahaka also raised his hand in the shape of a gun, pointing his index finger at Roland.

"Ping-"

The contemptuous onomatopoeia and the real gunfire overlapped, a puff of green smoke rose from the muzzle of the gun, the man with a round hole in the center of his eyebrows fell down with a smile, the impact of the bullet caused his body to bounce off the ground again and slam into a pool of blood, his eyes gradually losing their brilliance looked at the other side of the sky, his face showed the expression of a child who had a sweet dream, and his mouth twitched and leaked intoxicated words.

"It's a ...... The Great War...... That's nice...... True...... Good...... Support...... Ah......h

The mechanical murmur slowed down, and finally fell silent in the sobbing of the evening breeze, unable to distinguish who had uttered the last words, nor could they discern their meaning. The only thing that is clear is one point.

Good war - how can there be such a thing in the world!

Repeatedly plundered, slaughtered, plundered, slaughtered, even if there is righteousness as a fig leaf, no matter how justified the reason, war is war!

Holding his anger that was about to explode, but he didn't know where to vent it, the boy turned angrily, and was about to take a step when surprise replaced anger, and his steps slowed down.

The vision fell behind Li Lin, Ji Er, and Valrhona, and in the gap between the carriages, the blank face of the girl leaning out of the roof of the car was facing Roland.

(Minerva ......!!)

The boy's heart groaned. (To be continued......)