“Day... thirty-one, perhaps, since arriving in Hell. The weather... there is no weather here. Or rather, it is overcast with heavy mist. Perhaps there are too many fine residues of flesh?”
“The vitality of the tree heart has been almost entirely gnawed away. I can leave in a few days, but before that, I must slaughter every demon here. Otherwise, there is a risk they might assault the secular world. My body... it might have been close to collapse long ago.”
“Almost all preparations are complete. All the seeds will bloom into flowers. Now, I only need to wait... for the arrival of the finale.” Fresh red handwriting slowly appeared on the black notebook. It did not look as if it had been written by a person, but rather as if it had been carved into the paper.
Li Yue sat to the side, her body covered in numerous wounds. She leaned against a pile of ashes—remnants of the people she once loved who had just been calling out to her. Rather than calling them that, Li Yue preferred to think of them as puppets possessing fragments of their memories, even so.
In the center of this space—or rather, this small world—the bright red tree heart was no longer beating; it only vibrated slightly. Throughout the space, the number of abnormal creatures was dwindling. Perhaps the substances they relied on for survival had been nearly plundered by Li Yue. However, these frenzied creatures would certainly not sit idly by. They would surely find ways to survive through the most horrific means—whether by cannibalizing their own kind or charging at the borders. After all, survival was a biological instinct.
One of Li Yue’s hands was gone. At the wound on her arm, flesh was slowly regenerating, though the speed was very sluggish. The flesh growing here seemed to possess its own consciousness; Li Yue had to repair her body bit by bit. She did not want to grow an arm covered in eyes that would attack her.
Despite this, she persisted in writing her daily record. This world had no concept of day, night, or time; Li Yue relied on her intuition to deduce whether a day had passed.
Whether it was time or intuition, only with these mental anchors could a person avoid going mad in a claustrophobic and peril-filled region. Her diary had grown into a thick volume and was nearing its end. Every time she opened it, she would casually glance at the first few entries. Occasionally, she could glimpse her yearning for the happiest life she had back then.
Others were trivial daily matters, such as fragmented living expenses and her remaining savings. However, those records had ceased not long after they began.
The things she used to care about... many of the things she possessed now were things she once never wanted to have.
She could not remember which page it started on, but she had begun to calmly write on the paper: “This world is going to collapse. The final end for everything is destruction. Then, at some point in the future, a brand-new world will appear in this world, only to be destroyed again. And so it repeats.”
She also could not remember which day she had started preparing to save this world.
“I must possess enough power to break the shackles. I must first gather my authorities and prepare everything before my ascension. I will stifle the descent of Him, and of Them whom He controls.”
She had thought about it for a long time. She always told Clo to her face that she wanted to save the world, but in truth, she did not care much about this world. She was, by nature, one of the destroyers of the secular world.
Compared to being turned into a living hell by that ruler, it was easier and more merciful to simply return this world to the void herself.
“The vitality of the core area is almost entirely plundered. I still have to wait a little while for the wounds on my body to heal.” Li Yue calculated the remaining time. She felt the massive life force within the giant snake not far away. That life force was enough to make her body burst, and simultaneously, this life force, eroded by madness, was the most terrifying poison.
It was like a potion that could heal wounds in an instant, but the price was that one would still die after a period of time.
“I never thought I would return here again. I had originally planned... to just let everything return to the void.” Li Yue looked at a broken nail on her finger. Blood flowed from between her fingers; perhaps she herself had not expected to be in such a wretched state.
“Looking at Their faces, how could I still hesitate and be soft-hearted?” Li Yue laughed self-mockingly. She looked at her tattered clothes and the scratches all over her thighs. Blood had stained her fair calves a rose color, a hue that was fading in pulses. “Look at Them, how badly They wounded me.”
“Things are getting more and more complicated. I really didn't expect that while I originally planned to die peacefully, I now have to face that powerful existence directly. Although... He is my mortal enemy.” Li Yue’s arm had restored itself down to the forearm. “Revenge is a fool's game. It’s a pity we are all gods; all grievances can be settled at once.”
“The things outside should be ended before everything here is finished. Alright... I can’t delay any longer.” Li Yue stood up, picking up her blood sword with her one intact hand. It seemed the end of everything would once again be settled by slaughter. It was still so... pale.
“There is one thing... she must not know. Otherwise, with what kind of heart would she face this world?” Li Yue smiled faintly. “Everything I have done, where was it ever for some world, some sentient beings, some revenge, or some past loved ones...”
“Everything I have done is not for the masses, but only for you, my Clo.” Li Yue gave a shallow smile. At the thought, her mood inexplicably improved. The accompaniment of a song suddenly echoed in her heart, following the raspy sound of an accordion and the melodious rhythm of a piano and violin. It was a cheerful folk song, yet the lyrics spoke of two people saying goodbye.
It was a farewell without a “see you again.” Everything signified a “deathly farewell.”
The summer I spent with you,
Before all of this rots and peels away,
Goodbye, summer,
Let the memories of us end with a parting by death,
If you're reluctant, then all the more reason it must be so,
No matter how much I yearn for the end,
Summer remains as long as a shed husk,
So long that the end is nowhere in sight.
(Lyrics from 《Deathly Farewell》, singer: Shannon/GUMI)
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