March Spring

"How can this be?" Smiling Jazz was stunned, and everyone present was equally shocked.

People stared with wide eyes in disbelief, repeatedly confirming the final result, their breathing becoming heavy unconsciously.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

A wordless silence flowed over the palace.

Smiling Jazz was in a daze, a thousand possibilities flashing through his mind. He didn't understand; his attack had clearly landed on the Incurable Crown, dealing massive damage. Even the system had prompted him that he had killed the Incurable Crown.

Why was it that in the final announcement, the one who killed the Incurable Crown was someone from Light-Chaser Garden?

He sensed gazes from the crowd and met the radiant eyes of the golden-haired girl, only to see the curve of her lips slowing down.

The light at her fingertips faded.

If time were slowed down countless times, one would discover that at a certain moment just now, the Incurable Crown's health surged from '-56423' back to '1000000', and in the next infinitesimal instant, it was cleared by some unknown power.

It was 【Moon-Trace Time-Hibiscus】! Xu Xiaoyou had just applied the 'Moon-Trace' effect of this art-grade skill card to the Incurable Crown, forcibly rolling back the Incurable Crown's status to twenty-four hours ago at the exact same moment the attack hit!

The bridge between reality and the virtual was constructed at this moment.

...................

In the distant beyond, the sleeping quarters were stained with blood.

Sevia Winter stood before the ornate curtains, blood flowing along the patterns of the string sword to her fingertips and dripping down. Before her, the king lay on a bed woven of blood, gold, and silk, his eyes filled with terror. The screams of the naked queen echoed through the palace.

Meanwhile, the 'Gnawing Parasite' that was merging with the king was completely unaware of the incoming danger, lost in its joy...

A cold flash passed, and blood splashed upward.

This scene was far more absurd than an opera, yet it happened in reality, unfolding right before the girl's eyes.

Sevia Winter slowly raised her head.

The blindly loyal watcher sat against the wall from her, her chest pierced by her own double-edged spear. She was pinned to the wall, blood flowing incessantly, seeping out from the gaps in her armor. In her final moments of life, the woman gasped for air but could not take off that heavy, oppressive armor no matter what.

"You killed my king, and you killed so many of my clansmen." Belisa struggled to lift her head, leaning against the wall to keep her posture from looking too wretched. "You killed the 'Gnawing Parasite'. You clearly know that without the protection of a miracle, the raging miracle rain will soon destroy this place."

The female general coughed up more blood; her lifeblood was nearly drained. Her hands gripped the spear's handle, trying hard to pull it out. That double-edged spear had pierced her heart. She wasn't doing this to survive, nor was she trying to fight the girl for another three hundred rounds; she simply wanted to spread her arms wide and free.

In her final moments, she wanted to embrace the wind from her homeland.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"Say what?" Sevia Winter's head also leaned back against the wall, her gaze somewhat weary.

The shadows gradually retreated from the floor, walls, and ceiling of the sleeping quarters back into her skirt. The sheet music of death stopped leaping forward. The soul notes were like echoes in the mist, and also like clusters of bright, pure fire.

"Heh." Belisa smiled and coughed up blood, which spilled from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes, flickering with black light, revealed a complex expression.

"It seems that to you, this matter doesn't even count as a sin."

"You look so frail and are kind toward life, yet in some ways, you are unexpectedly cruel..."

"I simply chose more people," Sevia Winter said. "Before I leave, I will apply the 'Starry Miracle' to this place. My power is limited; perhaps this miracle will only last until the end of spring."

"If the next ruler is wise enough, he will lead the remaining people away from here, migrating to a warmer and more distant place. Perhaps some elderly and children will still die in the process, but as long as the people remain, as long as the stories that can be told remain, the fireseed of civilization can endure."

"This raging disaster will eventually pass. They will build high walls in their new home, set up fences, cultivate farmland, and use lime as mortar to strengthen their houses. People will forget past hardships and accept a new life. Perhaps the children can receive an education, women will no longer need to wear headscarves, men can stand tall, productivity will develop faster than it does now, and the wheels of civilization will roll forward to even further places."

"But the spring of March is still filled with a biting chill," Belisa said softly, letting go of the hand holding the spear. Her blood had nearly run dry. In front of her was the majestic and dignified portrait of the king; she stared at his face, lost in thought for a moment.

She was thinking of the subjects of this kingdom, her clansmen. Perhaps they truly could be like what the girl described, crossing all the ice, snow, and long nights to reach a new dwelling and live a peaceful life.

This demigod remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"The words you said before... I'm a bit concerned about them."

"If a shadow cannot be torn away, it must be cut off..."

"What is the thing you regret most in your life?"

"I do not regret any of the decisions I've made," Sevia Winter said. "The me of the past... was like a sheep swept up in a flock. Wherever the flock went, I followed. I passively accepted this world, passively dissolved the value of loneliness, and was out of touch with society. I never thought of actively striving for anything and missed many opportunities."

"Suffering is the ladder of growth. A person will always fall and climb back up on this ladder throughout their life, then climb to a higher place."

"On this ladder, people cannot turn back. They cannot control whether they move forward or backward, nor can they fall on the same step twice. The step walked yesterday is gone; the one they fall on today might be similar, but it is ultimately different."

"People will gain new insights from these similar falls. Brief as the morning dew, or enduring as the surging waves."

"I don't regret my choices, because it was these hardships that allowed me to meet the right people, do the right things, and embark on my current life path."

"I don't regret putting in so much effort for a somewhat naive idea, only to end up rushing toward destruction."

"Similarly, I will not regret the decision I made today. If the late spring of March is still filled with unpredictable chill and people do not survive the wind and snow, becoming lost in the long night... all I will do is use a requiem to comfort the lives lost in that darkness."

"They think I am a demigod, an envoy sent by heaven to redeem them, placing all their hope on my shoulders," Belisa said.

"But I know I am not a god. I am flesh and blood, a Titan woman through and through. I am just a bit stronger than them. I still have many human weaknesses. My emotions often sway my judgment. I cannot abandon emotion and do something with complete rationality."

"In this regard, you possess more divinity than I do." Belisa laughed hoarsely, her breath growing increasingly faint. "At the very least, I cannot manage... to not regret my past..."