Chapter 110: War Mission Accomplished

In her sleep, she could vaguely feel a warm embrace and a scent she yearned for.

"Dear, do you want to be a hero?"
"No, I don't want to be a hero."
"Then why do you do so much? You are... no longer a peacekeeper."
"...Perhaps it's because there are some things that only I can do."

Xia Zili slowly woke from her dream.
Ever since that "suicide dream" a while back, she hadn't dreamt in a long time. Yet this time, even as she regained consciousness, she could clearly remember the dialogue from her sleep.

Xia Zili rose slowly, put on her slippers, and walked into the bathroom.
In the mirror on the wall was a beautiful half-elf girl. Her golden curly hair draped over her shoulders like waves, appearing languid, charming, and sexy; her pointed ears peeked playfully through her locks, revealing only a small tip, which added a touch of mischievous cuteness to her.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Xia Zili was suddenly struck by a whim. As if performing a play on stage, she spoke in a dramatic, melodic tone:
"I do not wish to be a hero."
"It is simply because, for some things, fate has already singled me out."

She widened her azure eyes, looked at herself in the mirror, and gave a faint smile:
"That actually feels quite cool."

However, a deep, intense sadness quickly welled up in her heart...
Xia Zili crouched down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and sat on the bathroom floor, struggling to hold back her tears.
*No matter what, crying for no reason is always strange. I’m not some crybaby.*
*Sigh.*
*I don't know why, but it all feels wrong.*
*Everything around me seems to be something it shouldn't be.*
*It was my sister who suggested I pursue a path in music, and I have indeed found my passion on this path, achieving the success and recognition she expected of me...*
*But sometimes, I can't help but wonder.*
*If I hadn't chosen to compose music, what would I be doing now?*
*I...*

Xia Zili sat blankly on the floor, her gaze hollow as she stared into the distance, as if gazing into her own soul.

That unprovoked answer surged to her throat, ready to spill out.
*I...*
*...want to be a hero.*
*Yes, not because being a hero is cool, but because...*
*Him.*
*I must save him.*

***

In the pitch-black, endless corridor, Chen Zi'ang, teeth clenched, continued to run with all his might.
His legs felt as if they were filled with lead; the air in his lungs felt as if it had been scorched, and every breath produced a sound like a broken bellows, strained to its limit.
His right arm had lost all sensation, the sharp pain spreading to his right shoulder, and the Mandala Dharma Sword in his left hand felt incredibly heavy.

His gaze was locked onto the divine fog ahead. Its grotesque churning and shifting forms were battering his crumbling sanity. Although the Shadow Cloak had locked down his Spirit Vision, the mental corruption was nearly crushing him.
Yet, Chen Zi'ang summoned the last of his strength, taking longer, faster, and heavier strides, like the ill-fated Kua Fu chasing the sun, biting relentlessly at the heels of the divine fog.

Shouts rang out from behind him—it sounded like Rinne, perhaps Qingyu, or maybe others—but they quickly morphed into a torrent of a chorus, a collection of countless miserable voices:
"Save... us..."

His foot suddenly stepped into empty space; the corridor had finally come to an end. The exit opened onto a smooth cliffside, and below lay a bottomless abyss.
The divine fog suddenly halted its forward momentum, turning to try and escape further downward. But the figure in hot pursuit had already rushed out of the corridor, throwing himself at the entity without hesitation amidst the pull of gravity and the fall, plunging himself and his sword into the thick mist.

Beyond the terrifying scream that seemed to tremble the very soul, in Chen Zi'ang's fading consciousness, nothing remained but emptiness, silence, and biting cold.

***

In interviews with those who have acted heroically, when asked, "Did you have any psychological struggle before rushing out?" many reply, "I didn't think about much at the time."
If one truly thought about it rationally, they likely wouldn't have rushed out.

Chen Zi'ang, naturally, hadn't thought about much either. In any case, as his consciousness slowly surfaced from a deep coma, he heard increasingly clear arguments near his ear:
"If something happens to the senior, it's all your fault!"
"I didn't tell him to act on his own."
"You acted as the brains of the operation, yet you didn't anticipate such an accident!"
"On the contrary, it was within my expectations. Divinity fears nothing but the Mandala Dharma Sword; even if we sacrificed one operative, it would continue to penetrate and prey. If I had ordered him to strike then, he would have had time to land two blows, and the divinity would have had no chance to escape."
"Ha! So you wanted to sacrifice his teammate's life to buy him a better opportunity to strike? Guess what he'd think if he knew about this!"
"Why would I care what a humanoid ape thinks?"
"You really are a heartless, cold-blooded monster!"
"Say what you will, the facts remain... the Kingdom of God anchor has been severed, and the threat of Nishikawa Mie no longer exists. As long as the goal is achieved, the means do not matter."
"Disgusting! It was clearly the senior's merit!"
"Your senior was also saved by me, you idiot."
"I didn't need your help; my shadows could have caught him in time!"
"If you could have, you wouldn't have rushed over and cried your eyes out after I saved him."

"So noisy..." a barely audible voice whispered.

Tsukimiya Rinne immediately stopped arguing with Xia Qingyu and instead rushed to the side of the hospital bed, taking his hand and crying out in surprise:
"Senior, you're awake? What did you say? Are you thirsty? Do you want water?"
"So noisy." Chen Zi'ang tried to raise his voice, but it seemed he couldn't get it out.
"He said, 'so noisy,'" Xia Qingyu gave a cold smile and said softly, "I'm leaving; I can't be bothered with you."

She walked away gracefully without looking back, while Tsukimiya Rinne bit her lower lip, gripping Chen Zi'ang's left hand tightly, watching him with lingering affection for a long time before finally letting go.
Then, she left the ward on tiptoe, pulling the door shut behind her.

Thus, only silence remained in the room.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly, the sound of wind chimes drifted in from outside the window—ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, crisp and light.
If one listened carefully, it actually wasn't coming from outside the window, but from the wardrobe in the ward.
Inside the wardrobe, his Mandala Dharma Sword and other clothes removed from him were stored. Among them, the Shadow Cloak badge tucked inside the collar of his inner garment was emitting a sound like the ringing of wind chimes.

If Chen Zi'ang were still conscious, he would surely see this notification:
【You have killed the witch of the Ghoul King and destroyed its anchor in this world.】
【The Lord of the Great Deep Sea favors you and grants you 1800 Merit Points.】