first player

Chapter 1642 Final Chapter: Guarding the Coastline: "OE: Die from the Ocean (27)"

“Deputy Realm Lord Kelsar,” Lin Yin’s voice was calm, “According to Emergency Committee Order No. 1, you are requested to cooperate with us in a full investigation into the decisions made during the implementation of the ‘Creation Project’.”

Caesar raised his head, his deep blue eyes, similar to Vinio's, showing no panic, not even a hint of surprise. He calmly looked at Lin Yin, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"I see."

With the realm lord gone, it's time to purge his "left and right arms." He was mentally prepared.

He straightened his slightly wrinkled collar. Sunlight streamed through the huge French windows, illuminating his young and handsome face. Heavy iron rings fastened to his hands, pulling him into deep shadows.

……

If there were a red button in front of you, and if you pressed it, the world would be destroyed in 500 years, and you would receive more money than you could ever spend in a lifetime, would you press it?

If killing a god who once saved all of human civilization could save you and all your family and friends, but killing him would kill everyone else, would you press the red button to kill him?

As I walked along the long road at dusk, the sea surged in like a tide.

"despair."

8:12 AM, December 31, 2118, at the foot of Mount Taihua.

A helicopter flew down to the foot of the mountain. The cabin door opened, and a white-haired figure holding a black knife stepped out.

Lu Shu got off the helicopter and headed towards the mountain road. This was the first time Lu Shu's steps had been so unsteady since he lost his sight.

"Tap, tap."

He stumbled along, the mountain path rugged and difficult to traverse, further burdened by the ever-present pressure of the World Tree. Only he, a second-level god, could barely manage to climb the mountain and reach the World Tree.

It was as if a force was surging up behind him, with countless voices pushing him forward and countless eyes watching him move ahead.

People's voices, people's gaze.

—Move forward, move forward, to kill, to eradicate.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The wind howled in his ears, the sound of the world collapsing grew clearer, a violent and terrifying dissolution was taking place, countless chaos was unfolding, and to quell it all, he needed—

"That person has lost control; divinity has consumed him!" It was as if someone's voice rang in my ears.

"If it were him in the past, he would definitely have chosen the way to save the majority, rather than sacrificing seventy years for an ending in which the majority die. If the ending was destined to be so tragic, why didn't he choose to enter Yueyue's Chocolate Dream in the first place?"

“He has lost control; he has become the price of civilization. He has gone from savior to obstacle.”

Whose voice is this?
Lu Shu turned around, but there was no one behind him. Yet he seemed to see countless eyes and countless voices... sprouting and blossoming from somewhere, blooming into black and white flowers, staring straight at him.

For a moment, he wanted to raise his sword and swing it at those voices, to simply destroy the world and make everything easier.

However, a scene from his memory caught his attention: a pair of black almond-shaped eyes, from a night a few days earlier.

"Su Ming'an, you know perfectly well that the barrier is impenetrable, yet you still want people to enter the small world of Beiwang?"

"No, that's a lie too. The little world to the north isn't big enough for people to go in."

"One lie after another, what are you trying to do?"

“Lu Shu, I need you to help me complete the final step. I’ve said before that if the time comes, I hope you will be my second. Now, it’s time to carry it out.”

"But you haven't reached the point of losing control yet. You're still perfectly lucid. Why would I take action against you?"

"I can't tell you the truth, I'm afraid someone will overhear. Just do as I say, don't ask why, okay? At the right time, deliver the right blow."

“...You’re so cruel, Su Ming’an.”

"Feel sorry."

“…Okay, if this is your wish, I will make your dream come true.”

The white-haired youth walked forward.

—Taihua Mountain, where the roots of the world tree spread.

As far as the eye can see, the trees are lush and verdant, the grass sways and shines, and towering mountains rise abruptly from the ground. This place was once the lifeblood of civilization and a gathering place of faith. The massive canopies of trees block out the sunlight, and the air is filled with the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.

Lu Shu was blind, yet he could see the tree more clearly than anyone else. He sensed the soul at the core of the giant tree with all his senses.

"Let's begin," came Chief of Staff Sotuya's voice over the communications channel.

Almost the instant the voice fell, Lü Shu felt an immense and unparalleled will, like a torrent bursting its banks, surging in from all directions and pouring into his body and his soul.

That represents the hope, fear, and rawest desire for survival of all human civilization.

From the extreme hope of imminent rescue to the utter despair of suddenly learning it was a lie, the sense of loss—the entire civilization's seventy-year wait reduced to nothing—was amplified to its extreme. The emotions of billions of people became invisible threads, binding and pulling at him. There were mothers sobbing as they prayed for their children's survival, lovers trembling as they clasped hands, soldiers resolutely obeying orders, and rioters hysterically cursing… a jumbled mess, chaotic and painful.

"……cough."

Lu Shu let out a suppressed groan of pain. The weight of billions of lives almost burst his sensitive mind, and every emotion felt like a long needle piercing his nerves.

pain.

Unparalleled pain.

He was born with an extraordinary tolerance for pain. At this moment, it was as if something dormant within him had awakened.

A wisp of crimson aura emanated from his body, coiling around his limbs and bones. This was the power of "pain," the ladder to the first-level divine realm, the sublimation of the cunning demon godhood. With each step he took forward, the pressure from the world intensified, and the crimson divine light blazed ever brighter.

Fine cracks began to appear on the skin, and the bones groaned as they could no longer bear the weight.

His aura grew stronger and stronger, and his divine power expanded more and more.

At the Fusang Tower, a black-haired woman holds daisies and stands on the edge of an abandoned high-rise building, her long hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"...Is this what you wanted, Su Ming'an?" she murmured, her voice fading in the wind. "Lies...from the lies you told me at the beginning, to the lies you told Mizushima Kawai Haru, to the lies you told Gaowei...to the lies you told all of humanity in the end, your whole life was a series of lies..."

Inside the World Hub room, Gesang Gyatso sat slumped, clutching a warm, smooth stone tightly in his hand. He stared at the screen, muttering to himself, "World Lord, if you were only protecting a select few, why did you wear that satisfied smile when you spoke to me? I know you're not that kind of person; you must be planning something..."

At the far end of a planet, a figure that was not human-like stood, holding a slender, columnar object in its hand, like a cane. It gazed at this scene from afar, adjusted its hat brim, and turned around.

"...See you next time, my dear friend."

In the streets and alleys, people held their breath. The riots had miraculously stopped, and they were captivated by this dramatic turn of events. Some covered their faces, unable to watch any longer; some knelt in prayer; some tightly embraced their loved ones. An almost suffocating silence enveloped the entire world.

"Could you please not kill..." someone whispered.

"Do you want to die?" another person said.

“I’m an orphan, I have no friends, and I don’t care if I die. I just feel like I shouldn’t be like this…”

"I also feel that this change is too fast, as if something is pushing it from behind... Is it a plan by the top players and the higher-ups?"

"despair."

Lu Shu climbed Mount Taihua step by step, the breeze and fragrance brushing past him.

They had made countless promises to travel to Taihua Mountain, but Lu Shu never imagined that this would be the last time they would keep their promise.

As he ascended the mountain, his consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion. His divine essence grew increasingly clear, and his aura drew ever closer to the summit.

"Once everything's over, let's call everyone and go see Mount Taihua together." One midnight, after finishing a mountain of reports, Su Ming'an rubbed his temples, his voice weary. "I've heard the sunrise there is spectacular. Although I might be tired of seeing it... I think you'll like it."

Pebbles rolled down, and boot heels stepped over the fallen grass.

Looking up, Lu Shu saw that the sunrise over Mount Taihua was like a blazing fire, and it was indeed a beautiful sight.

"despair."

[“Su Ming’an! Happy 21st Birthday!”] Confetti flew, and the lights were warm. A cream cake landed precisely on Lü Shu’s face. Lin Yin was laughing, and Su Ming’an was laughing too. It was one of the few times he had truly let go of his burdens and been genuinely happy. Lü Shu kept a straight face, but the corners of his mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

he was thinking.

Can you please not take them away?

As the mountain road bends, my fingertips touch the cold rocks.

The pain throughout his body grew heavier and heavier. Lu Shu gasped for breath, his divine power as heavy as a mountain, as he took steps upward.

"despair."

"If only we could watch fireworks quietly in a place filled with flowering trees." Su Ming'an leaned against the window, gazing at the simulated starry sky outside, and said softly. "It doesn't need to be big, just the few of us, so we don't have to worry about all that trouble..."

"despair."

My body aches.

"Lu Shu, if I ever become unlike myself again... I hope you will be my second." Su Ming'an pointed to Lu Shu's sword. Later, Lu Shu kept this sword until it was reduced to dust in a fierce battle. He searched for a long time before finding an identical sword.

"despair."

Forward, forward.

Go to Him, go kill Him.

"Have some drinks, they say they'll warm you up." On a cold New Year's Eve, Lin Yin pulled them out of the banquet hall, her nose slightly red from the cold. They drank their warm beverages, watching virtual fireworks explode in the night sky. Yamada-cho took a big gulp and let out a long sigh: "Delicious! Sometimes, I really wish time could just stop here... It's so nice, like stolen time."

"I wish we could stay together forever."

With his palms rubbed raw by the rough bark, Lü Shu gritted his teeth and climbed the mountain step by step, getting closer and closer to the World Tree at the summit, his palms bleeding.

The cold wind ruffled his white hair, and the past seemed to vanish like smoke.

Those familiar figures have gradually vanished into smoke after a century, leaving only lingering echoes.

"despair."

"Tatsumi and his companions lived happily ever after, building a tall tower of love that no one could ever defeat again..."

Is that really the story?

"Yes, this is our story."

"despair."

"I think I should go back to being the number one player. If it's only for a hundred years... then it'll be a hundred years."

"You should have lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years..."

"Being like you is quite nice. Maybe I really would choose to live for thousands or tens of thousands of years, or even eat you all... But right now, I want to stay by your side, I want to protect those smiles, I want to save this world from sorrow."

……

"despair."

"If you ever disappear, I will search the world, I will travel to the universe... I will find you."

……

"Please don't take him away. Please don't take him away."

……

"Please give me a wild daisy..."

……

【"Thank you."】

"Thank you for fighting alongside me, thank you for studying official documents, thank you for laying down your sword, thank you for the flowers you gave me, thank you... for everything."

……

With each step, he shattered a memory.

With each step, he gets one step closer to the "ending" that awaits him.

Countless voices still buzzed in my ears, urging and seducing me.

“I didn’t do it for you…” Lu Shu said softly.

"I'm not doing this for your voices."

He did it for a promise, for a pair of unique black eyes.

"despair."

He finally reached the top of the mountain.

At the summit of Taihua Mountain, the radiance is otherworldly. The root system resembles the veins of the earth, and the main trunk of the World Tree stands majestically, reflecting boundless brilliance. Hundreds of millions of crystal branches and leaves hang down, making it as beautiful as a crystal palace.

A deity bowed his head, and three thousand silver threads fell with the wind.

As the light streamed into his eyes, for a moment, Lu Shu was in a daze and thought that history was a cycle, and that he had returned to Rovasa once again, to the World Tree under Rovasa, eager to kill the World Tree.

Last time, he risked his life for Su Ming'an, slashing at the World Tree to save Su Ming'an from being devoured by it...

This time.

Whose target did he now point his blade at?

The patterns on the bark resembled ancient writing, radiating a soft glow. Before the trunk, a figure stood silently, dressed in pristine white, his back to the tree, seemingly one with it.

The clothes fluttered gently in the invisible energy flow, and the strands of hair and the swaying wisps of light almost merged into one, exuding a heart-stirring tranquility and divinity.

He closed his eyes, as if he were asleep.

Countless brilliant white tentacles scattered naturally, like His flowing hair, making it impossible to distinguish where they were branches, leaves, hair, or light.

Another figure was also waiting there, with bright golden eyes; it was Su Lin.

Lu Shu stared at the giant tree with his empty eye sockets. Dark red divine power flowed wildly around his body, and every inch of his body was burning with excruciating pain. His arms trembled violently from the exertion as he gripped the black knife tightly.

The final image that remained in his mind was not of swords drawn, nor of the pleas and prayers of millions, but of a sunny afternoon, with Su Ming'an and his companions sleeping peacefully amidst piles of documents.

It is something that was the first thing we wanted to protect, and the thing we wanted to protect the most.

“…Ming An.”

"Everyone."

……

"I've decided to follow you. I admire people who always have a future in mind. I like you, and I believe you deserve to be my light."

……

Perhaps, he had already begun to mourn this young man before becoming his close friend.

……