章 79: Chapter 79: Ending: [The End of the Pious]
Walking silently in the base of the Fire Moths, Nozomi's slow progress seemed completely different from the people around him who were in a hurry, but no one questioned this. Even when people saw him, their expressions would become panicked, and there would be a hint of fear and disgust in their eyes when they looked at him. Then, everyone would look away and leave quickly.
Nozomi remained silent, taking it all in. Facing their fear and disgust towards him, he gladly accepted it without complaint.
You should also bear the consequences of the crimes you have committed.
He continued to move forward toward his destination. No one stopped him on the way. Although everyone was on guard, they did not take any action after they discovered it was Nozomi.
Because they knew they couldn't stop him.
So, Nozomi walked into the laboratory without any hindrance and met Mei who was discussing something with Vill-V and Mobius, and... Kevin who had always been following Mei.
Hearing the footsteps, several people looked over at the same time. When they saw him, Mobius' eyes were almost instantly filled with hatred. Even his wonderful "characteristics" could not attract her... Of course, because Nozomi killed Klein, the only person who could understand her.
Nozomi naturally took on this [blame].
On the other side, Kevin and Vill-V's eyes were also full of complicated expressions.
On the one hand, Kevin was grateful to Nozomi for allowing him to touch Mei again, and was even more grateful to Nozomi for making preparations in advance to allow Hen to survive the [Heavenly Fire Judgment]. But on the other hand... he also saw what Nozomi did afterwards, especially the incident with Rin. Although Nozomi did not really do anything, Nozomi's words were the actual "fuse", so he also had some complaints against Nozomi.
Vill-V looked the same. Although she could see from an objective point of view that everything Nozomi did was [good], and even most of what Nozomi did was objectively [positive], but... people are always subjective. Everything Nozomi did was difficult to understand, and even more difficult to accept... The most critical of these was the incident with Rin.
Although it was the "Twelfth Herrscher" who launched the nuclear bombs and destroyed the three remaining cities of humanity, and although Vill-V had complained about herself and blamed herself for making those nuclear bombs, and even had thoughts like "If she hadn't made that kind of weapon, would the result have been different?"... Although she took most of the blame on herself, believing that she was the one who indirectly killed the people in those three cities and indirectly destroyed the only remaining hope of humanity.
But... as expected, her thoughts couldn't help but deviate to Nozomi, and she couldn't help but blame everything on Nozomi, because his words... were the real "fuse".
'Ah... as I expected, everything was because of Rin's incident. Because of Rin's incident, everyone's opinion of me fell into the abyss and could no longer be saved.'
However, Nozomi gladly accepted it.
After all, he himself is... the same.
"What can I do for you, Father?"
At this time, Mei spoke first.
Shifting his gaze, he looked at her... As the only [ordinary person] here, she seemed so fragile, yet so strong. She devoted herself to the continuation of human civilization, and she would never stop even if her mind and body were on the verge of collapse.
What a beautiful and strong person, what a rational and resolute person... Even when facing a sinner like him, she can speak rationally and talk to him politely.
And this is what Nozomi needs.
"Good day, everyone."
Nozomi bowed slightly, showing normal courtesy, but... the emotions contained in his words stunned everyone present.
He... seemed to be different. He was no longer the cold and indifferent "puppet" who only knew how to carry out God's will.
"I want to know...how long does it take you to prepare for all the missions? I mean, how long does it take to prepare all the plans you have scheduled?"
"…It will take at least 72 hours."
Mei thought about it for a moment and gave an accurate number... She didn't know what Nozomi was going to do, but if she didn't tell Nozomi the message at this moment... huh?
Mei was suddenly stunned, and then she understood something... The "God" that Nozomi mentioned did not tell him all this, and his ability that was similar to "precognition" did not take effect. Does this mean that... something has changed in Nozomi himself?
"Three days?... What an auspicious number."
Nozomi nodded to show that he understood, then turned and left.
"I will buy you... at most seven days. I hope you can do everything to the best of your ability... No, you must do everything to the best of your ability, and then... defeat me."
Before leaving, Nozomi left behind these words, which startled everyone present... It was as if his words already knew that he was the [Final Herrscher].
But soon, Mei reacted, looked deeply in the direction where Nozomi left, and then immediately discussed the next plan with the other two and sped up the process.
......
.........
Continuing to walk forward, following his own heart, Nozomi kept moving forward... He ignored the hostile and fearful eyes behind him because he knew that even if he stopped to listen, even if he turned around to explain, no one would believe him.
He had to move forward, only forward, to do the last thing he could do... well.
Tick-tock——
It's the sound of raindrops falling.
Before he knew it, he had walked outside. The sky was neither clear nor gloomy, only the raindrops falling silently, conveying his emotions to him.
The water cares about him and is looking forward to the return of this "wanderer" from abroad. Even though he is tainted with the breath of "fire" and even though the warmth in his body is not commensurate with the coldness of the water, the water does not care.
Water…is inclusive.
'It's raining... This timing is just too coincidental' - Nozomi thought so and subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to catch the rain falling from the sky.
However, at this moment, an umbrella appeared silently from the side and covered Nozomi's figure.
"Boss? Why are you here?"
Pardofelis's somewhat surprised voice sounded from the side.
When you turn your head, you can notice that she is shielding you from the rain... and at this moment, she is carrying a backpack, as if she is about to go out.
"Pardo? You are..."
"Ah, nothing much. I just want to put some of my collections back to our old home... After all, I don't have much time to fiddle with these collections now, so I thought I'd bury them and go back and dig them out when things are over, just like that... [time capsule] or something?"
Pardofelis scratched her head a little embarrassedly, and at the same time leaned towards Nozomi inconspicuously... On rainy days, Nozomi was always warm next to her, and she liked to stay close to him so much that it became a habit and she couldn't change it.
Immediately, Pardofelis took out a few simple treasure maps she had drawn, with some unique little puzzles written on the back, and traces of deletions and modifications were clearly visible... It can be imagined that Pardofelis showed a troubled and thoughtful expression as she thought about these puzzles.
"And I've prepared a few treasure maps. Hmm... I'll hide them in designated places. That way, even if I forget about them later, I can find them through the treasure maps. If even the treasure maps are lost... well... whoever finds them will own them! Just think of them as treasures left to them by me, the collector!"
She patted her chest, seeming to be satisfied with the title of "Collector".
"Really? If the people who came here for the treasure found it... I'm afraid they would be disappointed, right?"
"Ahahaha…"
Hearing this, Pardofelis scratched her face in embarrassment. After all, she knew that her collection as a [collector] was not valuable. If someone really came here for the [treasure] and dug up the [treasure] she left behind... they would probably be so angry that they would curse.
"But... maybe someone will like your [Collection]? After all, it's full of novelty gadgets... um... maybe you can call yourself a [Collector of Strange Items] in the future?"
"[Rare Item Collector]? That's a great name, boss! It sounds impressive! And this way, even if someone else finds it, they won't scold me!"
"Haha... then... I'll fill out another [Collection] for you... or rather, this should be a gift to you."
As he spoke, Nozomi placed the Bible in his hand into hers.
"Put it in your [Collection]... If someone finds it, they'll get a valuable item."
"...boss?"
Pardofelis suddenly reacted and found that there was something wrong with her communication with Nozomi today.
"Okay, it's okay."
However, Nozomi patted her head, rubbed it, and touched the cat-like ears on her head, causing Pardofelis's ears to tremble slightly. Even Pardofelis herself made a slight purring sound like a cat...
'No, no! I'm not a cat! And why is the boss's action so skillful? Could it be that the boss has touched someone else's ears before?!' Pardofelis shook her head quickly and threw away the messy thoughts in her mind.
However, when Pardofelis came to her senses, Nozomi's figure had disappeared. In the drizzle, only she was still standing there holding an umbrella.
"…Take it with you."
She looked at the Bible in her hand. Originally, it was a "gift" she bought specially for Nozomi, in return for Nozomi providing her with a safe home and a stable job and thanking Nozomi for giving her a stable life... But later, Twilight Street no longer existed, and all of this disappeared.
But she was still very grateful to Nozomi because she had a really happy time in Twilight Street. At that time, she was really just an ordinary girl with a slight "collecting addiction", not a "thief" who needed to worry about tomorrow.
Only now...all of that is gone.
Pardofelis was speechless, then quickly shook her head, with her usual smile on her face. She took her [collection] and set out on the journey "home".
......
.........
Continuing forward, Nozomi had unknowingly reached the seaside. The white waves hit the shore again and again, making sounds unique to the ocean, which, together with the sound of falling rain, composed a song that belonged to the ocean.
Nozomi stopped, and the seawater swept over his feet again and again, wetting his shoes, socks, and the corners of his clothes... The seawater was not strong but gently expressed its concern for Nozomi and expressed its care.
Along with the waves, there are countless fragments recorded by the water, which are what happened in the past.
The awkward love with Sakura, the strange feelings with Elysia, and... the rejection and hatred of humans.
The "ocean" is telling the story of the past, his story.
"I see."
Nozomi understood it and immediately... accepted it.
The surrounding water began to rejoice, even the "ocean" exuded a clear emotion of joy, and the scent of lilies lingered at the tip of his nose.
But... all of this was quickly dispelled by the warm flames.
"Ocean" expresses doubt and confusion.
"I want to go see her..."
Nozomi just spoke softly, and "Ocean" also agreed and was willing to help him.
After all, he is a child of the "ocean".
Soon, Nozomi stepped onto the sea surface, but strangely, he stood on the sea surface without sinking. The seawater even carried him forward quickly into the distance.
During the journey, his body became increasingly damp and cold, and the warmth surrounding him was gradually retreating... but it did not go out, just like his strange three-color pupils, although most of them were occupied by gold, the dark color and scarlet were still there.
Soon, Nozomi arrived at the Far East, which is Sakura's hometown, and the tombstones of Sakura and Rin are also here... But there are no cherry trees here as Sakura expected because the environment of the Far East no longer supports the growth of cherry blossoms. Even if it can, the cherry trees will be destroyed by the Honkai beast.
Moreover, the bodies of Sakura and Rin were both burned by Nozomi and disappeared in the flames. All that remained here were really only two tombstones.
"......"
Nozomi remained silent, just kneeling in front of the two tombstones in the rain, placing the sword on his legs.
In fact, he should have realized it earlier... His strange ability could not be described as [abnormality of human beings]... How could anyone have such power? To punish people with fire, this could not be described as [abnormality] at all, this was completely [inhuman], just like Kalpas's situation, completely [inhuman].
Even the power bestowed by the Divine Key could not turn out like this... Take Aponia, she was also noticed by 'Him', but when she was still human, she could only easily convince others. It was only after Aponia underwent the "surgery" to become a non-human that she truly showed the appearance of being favored by the 'Him'.
However, he himself... while still "in human form", clearly demonstrated "inhuman" powers... I guess at that time, he was no longer a "human".
No... maybe he was a "non-human" from the beginning?
After all... in the [story] that Ocean showed him, he showed "abnormality" very early on...
But none of that matters now.
Nozomi has understood some things and figured out some things... the [story] presented to him through water.
That is not a story at all, but something that happened in the past. It is recorded by water and is something that happened in the "past".
Although he didn't understand why everything happened "all over again", Nozomi knew that the problem must be with himself because he was the most obvious variable.
Maybe... he has some more unknown ability that can make everything start over again.
If that were the case, that would be really great.
But... we can't take it lightly.
This time, he failed to do anything, failed to change anything, and most importantly... he failed to change the thing he wanted to change the most - to let Sakura and Rin survive.
"…So, we must move forward and work hard once again to change all this."
Nozomi reached out, gently stroked Sakura's tombstone, and spoke softly.
"Don't dwell on the past...just remember it."
"We should focus on the present, think about the future, and then... act to change everything."
Nozomi slowly pulled out the strange sword.
"If it were [me]... I would definitely be able to do it. This is something only [me] can do."
The [sheath] was peeled off and inserted into the ground, and then... flames emerged, spreading and burning the water-covered ground, and finally outlining the shape of a cherry tree on the ground.
This was the only "apology" he could offer...although it was already too late.
But...it's still possible, there's still a chance if it's [myself].
"If [water] can retain memories... then [I] will engrave this emotion and determination in my heart and make it last forever."
Nozomi slowly picked up the sword. The flames flowed, outlining a sharp blade for the unsharpened ritual sword that did not even have any killing ability. Even the broken part was filled with flames, forming a complete sword.
"Like a fire, it ignites again and again, never extinguished."
His hands did not touch the hilt of the sword, but directly grasped the blade outlined by the flames. He completely ignored the wounds on his hands caused by cuts and burns, picked it up directly, and then pointed the tip of the sword outlined by the flames at himself.
Then, he closed his eyes and sent blessings to his future self.
"Remember and act according to your heart."
"Remember, always be kind."
"Remember, rewrite this [ending] until it is satisfactory."
His eyelids slightly raised, the gold in his pupils could no longer be suppressed, and they burst into star-like light.
In a trance, I could recall how Elysia looked before we parted, and what she said.
Therefore, Nozomi whispered.
"This is... my duty. It is something only I can do."
Immediately... he used force with both hands, thrust the sword blade into his body, and pierced himself.
————————
[Entry: Final Herrscher (Gold), special conditions met, now in effect!]
[You have become the "Final Herrscher"!]
[Entry: The Flower of Humanity (Purple), the triggering conditions have been met, and it has taken effect!]
[You retain a degree of self-awareness!]
————————
Tick-tock——
The rain was still falling, but the sea water began to surge and rise.
A damp smell began to spread and the scent of lilies began to permeate.
Tick-tock——
The rain fell and the sea flowed, but the flames on the ground did not go out, even if they were weak.
That ball of warm fire was still burning, even though it was as weak as a candle flame, it still persisted and radiated light.
"Oh my God…"
Nozomi whispered softly using his remaining consciousness.
"I am guilty."
Then, the flames surged and boiled, and the bright flames wrapped around him and covered his body, burning the seawater, rainwater, and even the pervasive scent of lilies around him.
The flames flowed, outlining a [sword] above him, or rather... [fire with a sword], the shape was exactly the same as the original [Michael].
Then... it fell towards him, like Judgment descending from the sky.
In a trance, it seemed as if holy light was falling.
In the dim light, one could see a woman in a golden skirt and armor. Her long golden hair falls behind her, reflecting a brilliant golden light. She has a crossword at her waist and a bracelet shaped like a scale wrapped around her wrist. Her six light golden wings tremble gently behind her, bringing out little golden-red sparks. She has two [rings] on her head, golden-red inside and white outside, expanding and retracting regularly like breathing.
She seemed to lower her gaze and looked at him, with a hint of praise and recognition in her golden-red pupils.
Immediately, she drew the sword from her waist, and its fiery red blade could be seen.
And then… she raised it high and swung it down towards him.
The flames then descended, and the [Judgment] came as expected.
Nozomi... closed his eyes as he wished.
......
.........
The sword that pierced Nozomi's body lasted for seven days, and the flame that burned Nozomi's body also lasted for seven days. he... fulfilled his promise.
After Mei and the others had arranged everything, they all surrounded Nozomi in full readiness, waiting for the Herrscher to wake up.
And then, as agreed... after seven days, the flame was extinguished, the sword was pulled out, and all the gold and red on the sword were washed away, revealing a deep blue like the deep sea.
The azure water began to flow, the pure lilies began to bloom, the horn sounded again and again in the world, and in a flash, it happened seven times, and the surface of the planet was covered with azure [lines].
The end time has come, the end time has come, everything will be destroyed, and the raging flood will submerge everything.
Only this time... the azure [lines] covering the planet were tinged with a hint of golden-red that could not be erased or dissipated.
Like the faint light of a candle in the darkness, like the twinkling stars in the night, like... that fragile yet firm hope in despair.
——————————
[Ending achieved: The End of the Faithful]
クリエイターの想い 
Elysia_Husband
Elysia_Husband hope you enjoy~
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット