Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1661: Final - · Crossing the Shore Arc [4] · "Can’t We Be ’Bad Kids’?
The "Divine Envoy" tilted his head, displaying his usual well-fitting smile, and waved his hand:
"You forgot, my name is Su Mingming. No normal person has a name that simple... Do you want me not to even own a name?"
The black-purple long hair on Su Ming’an’s forehead fluttered. Since the moment the "Divine Envoy" appeared, he remained expressionless, as if his lips were frozen.
He burned everything of the Rin Clan in exchange for great power. Under his oppression, others found it hard to breathe.
The Divine Gifted Clan, coveted by the Luowasha people, fought endlessly for this power, even committing sins for it. But in Su Ming’an’s eyes, it meant nothing.
He already owned too much.
So much so that when burning, it was like lighting a feather-light cigarette.
"Swoosh!"
The second arrow of the Divine Envoy followed closely.
Like a crescent moon, like a falling sun!
Su Ming’an picked up the "Moonlight Mayfly"!
He fiercely swept all the strings with his five fingers in the direction of the Divine Envoy!
"Zheng——!!!!!!!"
A torrent of sound blade whistled out, where it passed, countless fine black cracks appeared in the space!
The musical notes and the golden arrow brushed past each other like two parallel lines that never intersect, bringing a dense ripple.
Su Ming’an swiftly turned his body, exploding with a strong air wave, and dodged the second arrow again!
The golden arrow brushed past his cheek like a blazing sun, cutting off the fluttering long hair. A few strands turned to ash and burned away, leaving the hair beside his ear noticeably shorter, revealing the scorched ear lobe and cheek.
"Boom——!!!"
The "Divine Envoy" was pinned in place by the musical notes, covering his forehead. This strike dealt him considerable damage, given his extremely low Mentality Points, causing dizziness in the Music Domain. However, the golden armor on his body seemed to provide a substantial boost; in just a moment, he lifted his head again, his eyes blood-red, drawing the bow and nocking the arrow—
Just as the third golden gleam was about to reach lightning speed—
Su Ming’an suddenly extended his left hand and grabbed the wrist of Su Qi beside him with one hand, and accurately grasped Xi Li’s cold hand with the other.
He dragged the two towards the smooth trunk of the World Tree that resembled blue crystal glass, and rammed into it!
The golden arrow, like a death warrant, stabbed straight at them, closely following behind. However, his figure, like a droplet melting into the sea, disappeared with a fleeting ripple; the three vanished instantly.
"Boom——!!!"
The arrow smashed into the trunk, gradually turning into light dots and dispersing like it touched glue, leaving the onlookers in shock and relief.
Su Ming’an would not confront Kritchens’s Divine Envoy head-on, for even if he burned through the Rin Clan’s potential, his power could not reach the level of a deity.
With each decision he made, he clearly understood his stance, never engaging in petty disputes. He did not believe Ming would destroy one homeland for another, which was akin to Dieying’s actions, possibly hiding another truth.
Seeing Su Ming’an enter the tree, Ming slowly lowered the longbow. His face still held the familiar smile, though it never warmed, only showing ice-cold eyes. He did not trouble others, turning into light dust and leaving. Whether he gave up on chasing Su Ming’an or had another motive was unknown.
"Rustle——!"
On the other side, Phoenix’s flame broke through Qianqin’s obstruction, finally burning through Sique’s figure, only to find it was just a card.
The light card floated down in the air, turning into a streamer flying into the distance.
"This is..." Phoenix’s eyes widened in extreme anger.
He was tricked!
This was not Sique himself, but Qi Zhou, wearing golden cosmetic lenses and dressed up to look human-like!
A classic trick, scaring away a million enemy troops.
Phoenix fury flared, his fist clenched tightly.
...When did these people learn to use cosmetic lenses and disguise as others? Such a lowly trick, despicable! The one who thought of this must be a cunning rogue!
...
Inside the World Tree.
"Plop." Su Ming’an landed on the ground, supporting his body with his left hand, breathing out hot streams.
The inside of the tree was a material between crystal and amber, emitting a faint light, flickering. The tree hole was like a beehive embedded in the crystal wall, soft as if wrapped in a cell membrane.
Countless golden lines flowed across Su Ming’an’s skin, flesh breaking open, blood rolling.
This was not backlash, but Chen Yuhang’s ordinary human body could not withstand the explosion of Rin Clan strength, with soul incompatible with the flesh.
"Too severe..." Xi Li examined his injuries, murmuring.
She glanced with her peripheral vision at Su Qi standing not far away. Clearly, if a life-or-death battle broke out among the three now, Su Qi would most likely be the victor.
Yet Su Ming’an seemed unconcerned, sitting down directly to rest with his eyes closed.
...
[Before leaving Experimental City.]
["Are you sure you don’t need my help for what’s coming?" Su Rin asked, sitting by the window.]
["Su Rin, can you head back to a normal timeline and help me investigate something?" Su Ming’an said, "During the investigation, you might encounter High Dimensional-level obstructions, so it must be you. I don’t trust anyone else."]
["Investigate what?" Su Rin raised an eyebrow.]
[Su Ming’an mentioned a place, a village of wheat and autumn.]
["Sique’s childhood hometown?" Su Rin rubbed her chin.]
["Your Soul Authority might be able to sense some departed souls, please investigate whether that place actually exists," Su Ming’an said.]
["You suspect Sique’s background? That he lied to you? But I observed his soul and found no strange signs."]
["Just as a precautionary check, please." ]
["Alright, I trust your acuity." Before leaving, Su Rin handed Su Ming’an a glove of golden thread, "I divided some Authority for your protection. It’s named ’Dream Weaving’. If used properly, weaving the most fragile dreams of the heart, even mortals can toy with deities. It’s fitting for you, as you’re the most adept at probing and understanding others’ hearts."]
[At this, Su Rin paused, staring intently at Su Ming’an.]
["Hmm?" Su Ming’an looked up.]
["The color of your soul... is showing a trace of gray," Su Rin frowned, "Gray often represents forgotten, tainted memories. Sometimes a soul will intentionally block certain memories for self-repair, which is a self-protection mechanism. Have you recalled something that shouldn’t be remembered? This will add to your soul’s burden."]
[A soul is like a hard drive with limited capacity, and if you stuff it endlessly, it will soon collapse.]
["Your soul should have reached its limit," Su Rin said, "You’ve been at your limit for some time now, and pressing further will cause more grayness to cover you."]
["Is it memories from previous cosmic reincarnations..." Su Ming’an shook his head, as if trying to shake something off, "I don’t know why, but Noel and the others can remember some images, while I find it hard to recall."]
["That’s a good thing, having cleared eleven instances at the highest difficulty means your soul has endured the most wear. If you remember those memories again, you’ll be overwhelmed almost instantly," Su Rin said, "Don’t remember more; you’ve already surpassed your limit."]
"...But I need to remember." Su Ming’an said.
"If your soul bursts, you’ll lose everything you’ve worked for this time. Does that not matter?" Su Rin said.
Su Ming’an pursed his lips.
"A chaotic mess of failed memories isn’t necessarily good; only the critical ones are worth recalling. Otherwise, it’s just a purely negative effect." Su Rin said.
"I believe my previous self must have attempted to preserve the key memories, sealed somewhere, and I just haven’t accessed them yet." After pondering for a moment, Su Ming’an said, "Do me a favor, Su Rin, use your soul authority to seal away the useless memories I’ve recalled so far."
"You choose to continue forgetting?"
No, it’s sealing. I want to recall these memories, but not now—ideally during the decisive battle—after I’ve found the key memories left by my previous selves countless times." Su Ming’an said, "At the necessary moment, help me unseal these memories together."
His eyes were resolute, seemingly unafraid of whether he could withstand the moment he recalls everything.
Su Rin lowered his head for a moment, then took a crystal-like stone from his pocket.
"This is a soul storage device. I haven’t carved it into the proper shape yet." Su Rin said, "I’ll store the gray parts of your soul in here, and return them to you when you need them."
Su Rin turned around, paused for a moment, then looked back and said:
"Try to protect your soul. If anything happens to you, then..."
"Then no one will take you home." Su Ming’an interrupted.
Su Rin: "..."
Su Rin turned around, leapt out of the window sill: "I’m off."
...
Inside the World Tree.
A young man with long black-purple hair leaned against the crystal wall, his trench coat soaked in blood, face pale as paper, flesh bursting open, blood covering the ground.
Su Qi stood slightly afar, staring complexly at Su Ming’an, hesitating about whether to take action.
Under other circumstances, he would undoubtedly act, but Su Ming’an had suffered severe injuries to bring them into the World Tree. To betray one’s lifesaver would be hard for even a youth raised cruelly and ruthlessly to endure.
He was like a blank sheet of paper, stained with dark and wicked hues by the black-robed man, yet his true origin remained pure white, unable to traverse certain lines.
"Da, da, da."
In the extremely silent crystal cavern, unexpected footsteps suddenly echoed.
Xi Li instantly clenched the scythe, seeing—a black-robed man walk in.
The robe flared, all skin hidden under the darkness, footsteps heavy and stable, a grim and fierce aura emanating, signaling ill intent.
The black-robed man glanced around briefly, looked at Su Qi, and said calmly: "Su Qi, no more hesitation, kill them, and you’ll gain the strength to confront Big Brother Su Wenli head-on, becoming the final winner of the Rin Clan. Your compassionate heart only leads to destruction."
Su Qi was stunned for half a second, his inner hesitations suddenly faded, and he raised his eyebrows: "I refuse."
He shook his head: "The pride of the Rin Clan always lies in fair duels, never exploiting weakness. In short, if I don’t want to, I won’t, because I choose so! I am free! Speak again when he recovers!"
Su Ming’an, eyes closed, slightly relaxed his lifted palm.
...Su Qi’s words were unexpected, unable to prove Su Qi’s nobility, as Su Qi had already killed countless innocents. It merely proved Su Qi’s arrogance.
But in any case, Su Qi indeed did not exploit weakness.
Suddenly, Su Ming’an felt heat on his palm, as Su Qi held his hand.
Su Ming’an’s entire body tensed instantly, ready to burst into counterattack, yet Su Qi simply held his hand without further move. A stream of Rin Clan’s strength flowed in, alleviating the pain of Su Ming’an’s body bursting.
Su Qi was healing him.
Su Ming’an, eyes closed, felt surprised.
...This youth, twisted beyond recognition, slaughtering innocents, ruthlessly savage, yet upholds boundaries at such moments. Ultimately, if not raised by the black-robed man but a normal mentor, Su Qi wouldn’t become like this, he wasn’t a born villain.
However, it’s too late. When Su Ming’an met Su Qi, he was already beyond redemption, unable to return.
"...Hey, my foolish brother." Su Qi said while healing, "If we hadn’t met under such circumstances, would it be different?"
Su Ming’an remained silent.
"I know you’re not sleeping; your eyelashes are moving." Su Qi said.
His lashes trembled slightly, and Su Ming’an slowly opened his eyes.
The youth before him still had an irritatingly defiant face, eyebrows raised high, eyelids drooping, mouth pouting, without a trace of obedience, golden pupils sharply reflecting the blood-soaked Su Ming’an. His eyes bore no ridicule nor disdain, only mist-like confusion.
This guy, could he be feeling bewildered?
"Perhaps." Su Ming’an rubbed his temples, "Imagine waking up in the serene, prosperous Red Tower Kingdom’s royal family, finding yourself just a carefree little prince..."
Rather than now, criticized by thousands, deeply mired in darkness.
"But I’d fear becoming like her, so soft and weak." Su Qi pointed at Xi Li beside him, "How did this guy’s pig brain grow? Does she really match as my sister? She knows what the World Lord’s Palace is... yet throws herself into the net, awaiting slaughter by that pack of wolves, drinking blood? Dumb as hell!"
He sneered, feigning a mentor’s attitude: "My foolish sister and brother, the Rin Clan is only the real Rin Clan when it’s strong... Otherwise, it’d just be sacrifices on the chopping board, awaiting division!"
Su Ming’an looked at Su Qi.
The youth’s golden eyes stared back unwaveringly, like points meeting needle tips, voice still arrogant, but mind clear, as if imparting true life philosophy to his younger siblings:
"Those hungry wolves... Phoenix, Hui Chi, and those trash outside... they won’t debate ancient lineage, salvation legends with you... they won’t even remember... our ancestors successfully saved the world countless times with our lineage!"
"They only desire to kill, strengthen themselves, caring not for the world’s fate. Salvation? Glory? They’re just embellishing greedy humanity with fancy words..."
"That black-robed servant, he always taught me these. He told me, he never raised me crooked. He merely revealed the world’s truth to me... The truly crooked ones are those who always try to place others on the altar, adorned with flowers and hymns."
"Sacrificing everything to save the world for those who won’t care about your survival, that’s the mistake. Selfishness isn’t necessarily bad. Because it’s my life... my life that I only have once."
Su Qi’s fingers curled slightly, touching the cold, sticky blood on Su Ming’an.
As if scorched by blood, Su Qi’s voice suddenly sharpened:
"Is the Rin Clan destined to die for the world? By what right?"
"By what right... does the creator arbitrarily assign our fate, causing us to be born under the spotlight, and die under the spotlight?"
"Must the chosen ones bear suffering?"
"Having the golden finger... must one be benevolent to all living?"
"As the lighthouse and stars of the world... must one illuminate the continent until burning themselves out to fulfill their mission?"
"Can’t we be ’bad children’?"
"Must good people be pure and flawless?"
"If a hero makes a mistake, must they be pointed at by thousands?"
Su Ming’an’s eyes slightly widened.
