Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1359 - 10: The World Burns in My Colors (Part 1)
[From my window I’ve already seen]
[The sunset ritual on the distant mountain top.]
[Sometimes a piece of sun]
[Burns between my palms like a coin.]
[In the sorrow you know of mine.]
[I recall you, spirit solemn.]
[Where were you then?]
[Who else was there?]
[Saying what?]
[— Pablo Neruda "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair"]
...
Su Rin’s state was not usual.
His entire body seemed to be enveloped in a layer of cloud-white brilliance; his eyes like clouds churning, and the flames swirling around him no longer held a half-golden, half-red hue but skewed towards pure gold.
Transparent, clear, holy, solemn... completely sharp golden color.
As sharp as he is.
Behind him appeared a hazy sea-blue silhouette - wavy long hair, vertical pupils, a seductive face, and shimmering scales. It was unmistakably a Sea Siren.
As Su Rin raised his right hand, a slender golden sword blade formed in his hand. Simultaneously, as if synchronously mirrored, the Sea Siren’s phantom behind him also held an identical golden long blade.
In an instant, two sharp cold stars aimed at the Emperor of Light.
"Swish swish swish—"
Ten thousand rays of gold gathered swiftly with Su Rin aiming, and the fragmented fire colors refracted into his solemn pupils, as if all brilliance attracted to his sword tip.
Whistling winds, like golden dawn breaking, tearing the long night!
Chang Feng lifts the black hair tail, a white robe billows and flies.
The youth’s indifferent face, illuminated by firelight, appears sharp and distinct, like a deity descending to deliver judgment.
...
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
The sound of wind echoes, the tip of the nose filled with hot breath.
Even though the High Tower Invitation Shield gradually dissipated, the World Tree’s branches and leaves still could not harm Su Ming’an, with golden flames surrounding him like a bronze and iron-forged flame shield.
Su Ming’an lifted his head, gazing at the golden deity in the sky.
Recalling earlier when Su Rin drew the Cloud City God as a card, it seemed like the Cloud City God temporarily fused with Su Rin, thus having such strong combat power. But Su Rin dominated the consciousness leadership.
Su Rin’s stance... made Su Ming’an feel like he had returned to that island, witnessing the still undescended Cloud City God.
"Su Ming’an, head in that direction, someone will meet you." Su Rin pointed to the seat behind the Emperor of Light. That direction was close to the tree bark, and a few steps would take him out.
"What about you?" Su Ming’an turned back to ask.
Between them, the fire flickered, strands of golden blaze like worm silk hanging from the sky to the front.
"I’ll... meet this short-sighted tree."
Su Rin let out a cold snort, and flames surged!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
The flames suddenly roiled, the swirling heat waves like giant hands sweeping away everything, causing abundant, restless branches and leaves to begin shattering, withering, falling.
Su Rin raised his long sword, ready, leaned back, flipped his wrist, and the long sword was launched with full force like an arrow suspended on a long bow, aimed at the Emperor of Light!
Simultaneously, the Sea Siren’s phantom behind him also let out a sharp cry, synchronously launching an identical golden long sword, aimed at another direction of the World Tree’s root system.
With dazzling golden glow and flames, where the two blades passed, they left two striking golden rivers of fire, like two air-tearing scratches, intertwining, extending two thin and sharp aerial golden lines!
The Emperor of Light’s expression didn’t change, extending the right hand, cross light halo flickering, like tiny silver-white stars, the air’s resonance echoed towards the direction aimed by His palm.
"Boom—!"
"Boom—!!!"
The golden blades and spatial airwaves, upon first clash, immediately surged intense aftermath, the nearby tea table and chairs flipped instantly. Wind sound, branch sound, vibration sound rang cracklingly like countless firework explosions next to the ear!
Afterwards, the light saber penetrated the Emperor of Light’s right shoulder, piercing through, golden flames like bone-piercing maggots swept across His body, revealing charred skeleton in an instant.
Golden light brazenly flickered, another light saber also reached the densest part of the World Tree’s branches and leaves, like a long needle puncturing an animal’s cavity, accompanied by nerve-wrenching piercing sound, hundreds of fire tongues danced grandly, blade penetrating the heavily layered branches!
"Screech—!!!" A sound akin to a baby’s hoarse scream rang!
In a flash, air waves rolled.
Wind and clouds agitated, heaven and earth resonated.
"Tap tap tap..."
Su Ming’an ran forward. The pouch on his chest swayed and swayed.
Behind him constantly came burning sounds, collision sounds, but no attack landed on him. Even if he did not look back, he could see the firelight shadows reflected ahead, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.
"Whoosh—" suddenly, he heard the wind sound. Several branches of the World Tree suddenly grew from the ground, intending to ambush him.
Palms cannot flex, cannot use gestures to summon skills. Su Ming’an directly opened his mouth, uttering the skill name: "Space Shock..."
Before finishing, he suddenly saw a red shoe magnify before him.
"Bang!"
The shoe kicked at those branches, surging a scarlet halo, and the next moment, the branches seemed to reverse time, transforming into a few delicate seedlings landing on the ground.
White hair fluttered, the red-robed girl like a beast wrapped in bright red fur crashed into the tree, pulling Su Ming’an.
Those bright blue eyes, glowing with clock patterns.
"Su Ming’an, come with me."
Behind her grew several dozen black tentacles, like whips towards the World Tree’s branches and leaves, with several "crackling" sounds, the branches entwining Su Ming’an were broken. Replaced by Xiber’s black tentacles, like soft black bands firmly binding to him, fearing he might be lost.
... as it turned out, the person responsible for meeting was Xiber.
Xiber originally fought with Xiao Bai in the Disciple Game, now rushed over, unsure if she won or escaped.
She extended her right hand, encircled Su Ming’an’s back and held him. Footsteps flashing, nearing the outermost tree bark, charging out!
"Buzz—buzz—buzz—!"
The World Tree seeing this, ignored Su Rin, fully pounced towards Su Ming’an. Layers of interwoven branches resembling flood water approaching. One by one the branches, like waves crashing upon the shore.
Xiber’s footsteps didn’t halt, seemingly ignoring the oncoming innumerable branches, charging straight ahead.
And behind, Su Rin’s quiet voice sounded.
"—[Divine Punishment]."
If usual, Su Ming’an would surely laugh at Su Rin’s extremely fantastical words. But now, behind this faint utterance wasn’t merely words.
Su Rin raised one hand, a long blade appearing in his palm, sword tip raised high.
"Swish——!"
Muttering something under his breath, seemingly a Pulaya prayer.
Accompanied by Su Rin’s chanting, in the sky,
——Suddenly, a golden snow began to fall.
No, it wasn’t snow, but rather dreamlike, golden feathers.
Thousands upon thousands of feathers danced majestically in the air, everything they touched ignited instantly.
The feathers gracefully descended, cluster by cluster, resembling falling Morning Stars, the stars spreading into lines, painting a burning galaxy, as if a deity had delivered divine punishment.
Many branches and leaves rolled and twisted, gradually burning to ashes.
A pair of golden wings unfolded behind Su Rin. Ten thousand majestic rays flowed around him.
The light illuminated his expression, holy like a deity overlooking the earth. He raised his sword high, looking calmly at the falling fiery snow, his eyes without a ripple, the humanity he had nurtured gradually dissipating.
At this moment, his demeanor was no different from the former Cloud City God.
This grand snow seemed to once again bring him from the world back to the high, far clouds.
Under the cover of feathers, the tree bark burst open from the flames, Xiber lightly tapped her toes, carrying Su Ming’an as they dashed out!
"——Swish!"
In an instant, as if the clouds parted to reveal the moon, the outer air rushed in.
Su Ming’an glanced back, through the holes in the tree bark, he could see Su Rin still hovering mid-air, the endless snowfall continuing around him.
That figure, like a small, eternal, bright golden flame.
Seeing Su Ming’an leave, Su Rin nodded slightly, saying nothing. His intention was obvious——
Go.
Go wherever you want.
...
"Where are we going?" Su Ming’an coughed, looking forward.
At this moment, he seemed to have an illusion of himself in Qiongdi. It was also like this, supporting each other with Xiber, rushing towards the unknown ahead.
Unknowingly, she had succeeded, and what about him?
What will the future hold for him?
Xiber’s white hair fluttered at his neck, her blue eyes gazing into the distance:
"——To the faraway!"
To the faraway, to where the World Tree cannot reach.
To the end of the world, to the end of doomsday.
She ran forward, as if everything was behind them, so fast that Su Ming’an couldn’t even see the passing scenery. The burnt short hair no longer blocked his view, he could clearly see Xiber’s serious eyes ahead, like a wolf giving its all.
"Xiber..." he said softly.
"Hmm?" the girl gently responded.
"You’re pressing on my right hand, it hurts a bit."
Xiber snorted: "It’s good it hurts, so you don’t fall asleep. I don’t have healing methods, so don’t bleed to death halfway."
"My... life force, is more resilient than you think..."
"I know, you are the most resilient one. Sometimes, I even hated your resilience... You can be really annoying sometimes, you know?"
"Hate me, yet you came to save me?"
"I have no choice, considering you once risked everything to save me. Besides, the part that doesn’t hate you outweighs it."
The red sun blazed, half of it sunk into the horizon, the ground cracked, the riverbeds dried up, surrounding skyscrapers like orange-red glass, fragile and ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
A layer of blue light emanated from Xiber’s body, enveloping the two of them, shielding them from the intense heat.
Su Ming’an looked ahead, seeing desolation. The vast horizon showed no sign of life running. It wasn’t his first time seeing a doomsday scene, but today’s was the most desolate. Everything seemed asleep, very quiet.
"...What are you thinking?" Xiber’s voice came during their run. She feared Su Ming’an might fall asleep, lowering her gaze, she looked at him.
Between heaven and earth, only her voice remained.
Black tendrils anxiously tapped Su Ming’an’s back, like a cat’s tail, drawing him tighter.
"I’m thinking..." Su Ming’an looked towards the direction of the World Tree. They had run far, but the World Tree was enormous, he could still clearly see the vast canopy overhead like an umbrella: "I’m thinking... I should have brought Lü Shu along."
His vision blurred and darkened, his eyelids almost closing.
As they ran, the bag on his chest kept flapping, Su Ming’an shielded it with one hand to prevent its contents from spilling. Blood and blond hair mixed in his palm, as if blood began to flow again.
"No need to bring him." Xiber commented adeptly: "In the past, when I obtained my brother’s and other clansmen’s bodies in reincarnation, I found the intact ones were more pleasing than those without heads. Especially when you caress them, their eyes almost seem ready to open."
"...Hmm?"
"Especially those who died peacefully, compared to those drowned, burned, or electrocuted, appear more serene."
"Is that so?"
"And the head is usually softer, better than the quickly stiffening body. But if you remove the head, the face becomes somewhat shriveled."
"I see."
They seemed to be discussing mundane matters. In this situation, they were remarkably "like-minded," like a body experience sharing session. Both had seen too many corpses, too many ways to die, even witnessing dozens of deaths of the same person.
The most compatible thing was, their spirits weren’t quite normal.
Even if reincarnation succeeded, Xiber’s mentality could never become healthy and positive, past traumas had long left marks in her heart, impossible to heal, she could never return to being a simple little girl. Her madness, like Su Ming’an’s, had unconsciously seeped into her bones.
"Tap."
At this moment, a figure stood before them, it was a young man.
The young man wore a wizard hat, clad in a blue-black magic robe, holding a Phoenix Tree Green Gemstone Magic Wand. Short black hair peeked out from under the hat, with slightly long sideburns falling to his ears, adorned with a blue-red earring.
In such a doomsday, there was actually a living person here.
Xiber didn’t stop, continuing to run. The young man followed, running after them.
"Who are you? Why are you following us?" Su Ming’an spoke.
The young man waved at Su Ming’an, his voice friendly:
"——Hello, I’m here to ’pass the baton’."
Passing the baton, likely meant coming to save Su Ming’an.
Su Ming’an asked: "Then you are?"
The young man slightly lifted his wizard hat, revealing a face that was a mix of youthful and mature. His dark eyes slightly bright, the corners of his lips curl, spirited.
He smiled at Su Ming’an, the earring gently swaying, his gaze clear and bright:
...
"——I am Su Wensheng, a summoning sorcerer from the East."
...
