Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

boom!

The clash of weapons shook the entire boss room. Through the gaps in their masks, the two men stared at each other in a confrontation of equal strength. She didn't know that Noah was behind Nightmare Khan, but she was still very grateful to him.

"Thank you..." she began. "Although I've recovered some painful memories, but...compared to that kind of thing, not knowing anything is what really hurts me."

"..." Noah looked at the screen without responding. She was waiting. She even stopped the operation.

"I'm very grateful to you. Through this battle, I've recovered a lot of things and remembered a lot. Although this may not be your intention, I must thank you."

Skadi's eyes were bright red, which was usually a sign of a deep-sea hunter losing control, but she had never been so calm, and she had never truly understood herself.

"I'm very grateful to you, so I will defeat you beautifully. This is my respect for you." Skadi's blade flashed with a cold light. In just a moment, Noya didn't even react. He stepped on the Nightmare Khan's blade, jumped up, twisted his body in mid-air, and concentrated all his strength into this one strike. Armor? Defense? Toughness? Such values ​​are meaningless in the face of absolute power.

Although it was just one sword, and although Noah gave up control at this time.

But Noah believes that even if he is still maintaining operations, nothing will change.

At this moment, Skadi will not lose to anyone.

Because, when a person truly knows herself, no one can stop her sword.

"Come on...Skati."

Chapter 86: Little Noah Doll

It is said that there was once a young girl who maintained her courage in the face of an absolutely invincible enemy. In order to preserve hope and to pass on the courage of mankind, she faced the enemy.

And now, Skadi was just like that. Sword in hand, she faced the towering Nightmare Khan. Even with her revived Sea Cells, the gap between her and the Nightmare Khan on paper remained enormous. But she finally had a chance to confront the former Earth King. As long as there was a chance, Skadi had a chance to defeat her enemy! This was what the Third Captain had told her! Ulpian had proven this creed time and again with his actions, and Skadi, now with her memories restored, was convinced of it.

Destiny can be reversed.

Victory or defeat always depends on the tip of your sword.

At this moment, Skadi was not afraid and did not retreat. She only had the sword in her hand and the will to fight.

Each collision pushed Skadi beyond her limits, but limits are meant to be broken. Skadi was becoming stronger with each battle—her battle with Nightmare Khan had already left no room for others to intervene.

Even if you just get close, you might be torn to pieces by the violent aftermath—

"Miss Skadi... is she so powerful?" Although this was not the first time they met, Margaret had never imagined that Skadi's body contained such terrifying power, and she could even fight the legendary Nightmare Khan on equal terms. The wounds on her body would heal quickly as soon as they appeared, and the materialized blood bar was jumping like a disco. Her self-recovery ability had reached an inhuman level because of the awakening of her sea cells.

At this time, even Miss Noah, who had decided to let it go at the beginning, began to sweat profusely. Unconsciously, she had begun to take it seriously and even began to perform beyond her level. However, every time she tried to crush her opponents with numbers, Skadi would fight back with even more exaggerated numbers. The battle between these numerical monsters completely refreshed the worldview of everyone present, including the administrator who made the game.

However, her health is already nearing a breaking point... At this rate, Skadi will probably still lose to Nightmare Khan...

At least that's what the administrator thought. After all, the increase in the low-health rage value was very sudden, and Skadi couldn't resist this level of value now.

In theory...it should be like this.

However, the current Skadi cannot be understood with simple theories. Rather than becoming stronger, it is better to say that Skadi is evolving. The power that once belonged to Ishamara has re-bloomed in her body with a new look. This is a brand new path that even the person in charge of the Deep Blue Tree project had not expected.

Before her blood line reached a state of chaos, Skadi suddenly jumped up, and the force of her jump left horrible cracks on the ground with her feet. The powerful force even tore her muscles and shattered her bones, but she seemed to feel nothing. Moreover, these injuries were healed in the next moment. Flesh, bones, and tendons were all repaired in the next moment, and even became stronger. At this time, the long sword in Skadi's hand could no longer withstand Skadi's strength. Just as she swung it, the steel began to break and twist. Skadi, who had lost her long sword, could only use her most primitive weapon that grew on her flesh.

--fist.

Perhaps it was just a simple intuition, or a coincidence, but at this moment, Skadi burst out with unprecedented strength, and the punch slammed into Nightmare Khan's chin. The mask shattered instantly, and Nightmare Khan's body could not remain stable under such a huge force. You know, Nightmare Khan is a boss with the [Dominant Body] setting. It is no exaggeration to say that this punch has exceeded the toughness limit set by the Dominant Body, and directly knocked Nightmare Khan backwards, and his whole body fell to the ground with a bang.

If this were a real fight, if Nightmare Khan really took that punch... he probably wouldn't be able to stand up.

Noah touched his chin in fear. The last 20% of his health was completely wiped out by this punch.

There was not even a trigger to enter the violent blood line... Noah had never expected this to happen, but the result was already determined. The final boss of the game had been conquered by Skadi almost single-handedly.

Lost——

Noah was stunned for a moment, but it wasn't because she couldn't afford to lose, nor was she dissatisfied. She was simply surprised by the power that Skadi had unleashed. At least for that punch just now, Noah really had no confidence that she could take it. All her defensive measures couldn't possibly withstand that punch. It was terrifying... Skadi was worthy of her name, she could only think like this, but the game was over, and Noah also turned her attention to the administrator beside her.

"What to do next?"

“…” The administrator was also surprised by the previous attack. Although it was just a punch in the game, but… her game can simulate almost everything in reality.

In other words, Skadi might also be able to throw this punch in reality... This is beyond the power of a normal creature.

The evolution of the Deep Blue Tree might be even more powerful than she imagined.

However, these are issues that need to be considered later. What we really need now is rewards.

There should always be some rewards for completing the game.

Although Skadi has obtained what she wanted, what she obtained herself and the reward given by the administrator are two different things.

-

GAME CLEAR

Skadi and the others didn't know what this line of words meant, but the Doctor and Precious recognized it. It meant that the game had been completed, and next, they would probably be able to escape from this wonderful space.

Skadi looked at the fallen Nightmare Khan and raised her head to look at the slogan "Game Over". Although she didn't know what the words meant, she also vaguely felt that she and others should leave here. After leaving here, this power might also become nothingness. She felt a little lost, but compared to her previous appearance, Skadi was no longer afraid of losing power.

First of all, you must have a heart that is worthy of this power. Power is just an accessory of the heart.

Perhaps the battle just now made her understand this thought a little, or perhaps it was the [mindset of a strong person] that was most important.

The body of Nightmare Khan decomposed, leaving behind a huge treasure chest. Skadi was obviously the most worthy person to obtain the final treasure here. No one else came forward, but waited for Skadi to open the reward herself.

This is already the end-of-level reward. Once I open this box, I should be able to return to reality...

Skadi took a deep breath, walked up to the platform, stood in front of the treasure chest, turned around and confirmed with the doctor, then reached out and placed her hand on the treasure chest.

In fact, the doctor was also very curious about what gift the producer of this game left for them. However, now, the one who deserves to be the first to witness the treasure is only Skadi.

Everyone was waiting for Skadi to open the treasure chest and take out the treasure inside, but Skadi hesitated - this couldn't be another treasure chest monster, right?

They had actually fought against the treasure chest monster before, and the doctor was almost swallowed by it. Judging from the malice in the previous game experience, this was not impossible. So Skadi was very cautious and ready to evacuate at any time. She carefully placed her hand on the lid of the box and then exerted force suddenly.

The box opened very smoothly. There was no treasure chest monster and no traps. Skadi looked into the box and was stunned. The others were also a little curious. They didn't know what made Skadi so confused. But when Skadi bent down and took Noah out of the treasure chest monster, everyone was dumbfounded.

"..." Well, Noya was also dumbfounded. She hadn't expected the administrator to actually throw her into the treasure chest. Of course, the Noya in the treasure chest wasn't the real Noya. The real Noya was sitting next to the administrator. However, this fake Noya was a 1:1 replica of Noya's data, and... it was a young Noya. "Is this the reward you're planning to give?"

"What? Not satisfied?" The administrator's smile was almost overflowing. "My dearest daughter, isn't this reward generous enough? Isn't this what this level-clearer deserves?"

"...No, you didn't really clone me, did you?" Noah said anxiously, "How...how should I deal with a young me?"

"Of course it's not a clone. This is just a doll that looks exactly like you as a child. When you were injured as a child, your grandfather sent you here. I already had your complete data at the time, so I simply created an AI and placed it inside this doll. Don't worry, it's just a little AI doll." The administrator smiled. "How is it? I didn't expect the final reward to be something like this."

"I..." Noya hesitated. While this thing was essentially the same as Margaret's stuffed animal accessories, it utilized technology from a pre-civilization era and had comprehensive documentation, making it a near-perfect replica. Seeing her younger self sleeping with eyes closed in Skadi's arms, she didn't know what expression to use. "Why would there be such a reward..."

"That's because you didn't win?" The administrator had no psychological burden at all. After Skadi received the reward, everyone immediately left the game. Using the Originium access technology, the administrator [decompressed] all the players from the Originium, including the infant Noa puppet. However, it was obvious that even though they had left the game, they still hadn't recovered. The first one to open her eyes was Skadi herself...

"……This is……"

She looked around in confusion, and soon she noticed Noah who seemed to be waiting for them to wake up. She immediately sat up with a somersault.

"Noah! Are you okay?"

"...I'm...fine." Noah didn't know what to say. Should he tell them that he'd been watching them from the beginning, and even personally controlled the final boss fight with Skadi? It felt strange. Even though it was just a game, Skadi and the others might not think so. "How are you? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No... but I do feel... better than before..." Skadi stretched herself, realizing that after leaving that dimension, while she could no longer see levels or anything like that, her strength... yes, the power of the Deep Sea Hunter, seemed to have truly returned to her. She trembled with excitement, clenching her fists. The weakness she had felt before had completely vanished, and her body felt like it had been reborn. "My strength? Back?"

Skadi's excitement made Noah temporarily put aside the matter of his own childhood doll. He walked forward and hugged Skadi generously, "Congratulations."

"Noah, I've really recovered, and my memories of you... I... remember them all." What made Skadi happiest was that she had recovered her memories of Noah. After losing those memories, she felt like she was no longer herself.

Fortunately, her memory has returned, and along with her strength, she can protect Noah again. This is the thing that makes her happiest.

"--congratulations!"

At this moment, just after Noah hugged Skadi, a small head squeezed out from between the two of them and said with a smile, "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"...Huh!?" Skadi was stunned for a moment before realizing that this child-like Noah was actually here. "This... there are two Miss Noahs!?"

"...No, that's just a doll based on me." Noah quickly explained, "There's only one of me. I'm the one and only Noah Kyrielight. What do you mean by two more Noahs?"

"But... is this really a doll?" Skadi picked up the small Noah doll and looked it up and down. Although it was not breathing, from the feel of the doll and its cute posture, it looked like a child!

"If I say yes, then it is." Noah looked a little embarrassed, and even wanted to snatch little Noah back, but Skadi was quick to hold little Noah in her arms, fearing that Noah would snatch him away.

"What are you doing? What if you scare her?"

"I..." Noah was speechless, "It's just a little doll, just a joke from the owner of this place!"

"The owner of this place?" Skadi reacted, "Where...is this place?"

"...Ah." Noah saw that it was impossible to snatch the doll back from Skadi, so he had to give up. "Welcome to the Zero Area Laboratory. This is also the last laboratory and shelter of ancient humans. The person in charge here is also the owner of this place--"

"You can call me—Administrator." At this moment, the small drone finally flew over, projecting the Administrator's appearance in front of Skadi. "In a sense, I'm also the mother of Noa and the little one in your arms."

Chapter 87: Miss Killer Whale, who is only sharp-tongued in special circumstances

"Mother mother mother mother mother--!!" Skadi was completely furious at this moment. Not only Skadi, but even Noah behind her was furious. Although from all aspects, it was true that Miss Administrator was half of her mother, she was a combination of the past Noah Kyrielight and Project Zero's creation. The mother of Project Zero was the Administrator. To make her own birth possible, the Administrator even used her own soul as material... This was truly the grace of giving birth.

But why say this in front of Skadi...

Noah quickly held Skadi's shoulders and explained, "Although it's true in a sense, the administrator was just joking!"

"Really? Actually, I'm not kidding. In my eyes, Noya, you are my daughter." At this time, the administrator restrained his smile and said seriously, "Noya, you are my best creation and my most beloved daughter. This will never change."

"...Ms. Administrator..." Noya paused, her face flushing slightly, and she felt a little embarrassed. For someone who had longed for family her whole life, Ms. Administrator's words hit her so hard, a critical hit, even. However, she was too shy to directly affirm her statement. Embarrassed, she could only look away in silence. "...Suddenly saying something like that, I also..."

"Just put it that way, she can't bear it." But the touching atmosphere didn't last long, and the administrator pretended to be telling someone something, but her voice was as if she wanted everyone to hear it.

"...Ms. Administrator..." Noah knew at this time that he had been fooled, and his face turned black. If the current administrator was not just an existence projected by AI using a drone hologram, Noah would have punched her.

"Ahem, Miss Noah... Let's put aside the matter about my aunt for now. You haven't told me what the situation is now." Skadi looked at everything around her. This scene made her think that she was back in Agor's city. Obviously, she didn't know what had happened, nor did she know that the situation just now was just a game based on the principle of Originium. From the very beginning, after they entered the mausoleum, the administrator had been paying attention to them. On the one hand, it was to relieve the boredom during this period, and on the other hand, she wanted to see what level these children were at, so she specially prepared a game space.

Noah actually wanted to explain everything clearly, but that would have to be after everyone woke up - it would be too inefficient if he had to explain everything to everyone who woke up.

However, it is actually quite troublesome to explain these things in a short period of time, and it also involves Noah's biggest secret. Noah is actually quite worried about what Jian and Margaret will think after this secret is revealed.

After all, the one they liked from the beginning to the end was [Noah Kyrielight], but Noah was a combination of Subject Zero and Noah. They were indeed inseparable, but they were definitely not the original Noah.

Noah didn't know whether they minded or not, nor did he know what the final outcome would be.

But she still decided to make it clear. It should have been made clear a long time ago, and this time was the best time.

To be honest, if he missed this opportunity, Noah wouldn't know when to confess.

Maybe it was because of this worry, but Noah was actually very nervous while waiting for others to wake up. She was so nervous that she had trouble breathing. She was thinking about the possible outcomes and even prepared for the possibility that Mace and Margaret would turn against her. She had thought about it all, but if it really happened... she didn't know how to deal with it. She could only calm herself down as much as possible while being mentally prepared.

Her nervousness also attracted the attention of Skadi, but she was not good at comforting others, so she could only sit beside her and speak in a low voice.

"Miss Noah, you have many, many secrets. I actually know them all."

"...Huh?" Noah was stunned. "You know? My secret?"

"Don't get me wrong. It's not that I know the details, but I know you've been hiding something. That's just my intuition, but I trust it very much. And I trust you, Miss Noya, even more. You're hiding this not out of malice, but because speaking out will do no good and might even lead to worse consequences. Miss Noya is a sincere person, but also someone who pushes herself to the limit... You don't have to worry at all. I've already seen it. Miss Jian, who has always been following you, and Miss Margaret, your childhood sweetheart, must have seen it a long time ago, too."

"But... hiding it is hiding it. You say I'm a sincere person, but I don't think so. I think I'm very cunning and selfish. A lot of the time, what I do isn't for others, but just to make myself feel at ease. The reasons I take the initiative to help others, and the reasons I get involved in certain things... are actually very simple and stupid. They just make myself feel at ease. This sense of peace of mind is the biggest reason I have come this far..."

Peace of mind...How many people in the world can truly feel at peace?

Isn't it this anxiety that has driven Noah to where he is today?

Secrets, the former civilization, the lumberjacks, all these things actually weighed on her, to the point of suffocation. Her identity destined her to accept these responsibilities. The people of the former civilization who died in the fight against the lumberjacks should also be borne by her. Even when facing Priss and the Doctor, she would think about it. Although she said that she was the intersection between the former civilization and the present civilization, she also understood... She was inclined towards the present civilization.

She cannot be fair and objective. She is a selfish person and will subjectively do what she thinks is good.

Many people misjudged her, and even though she knew this, she still tried to deceive Precious into helping her. Her guilt never diminished.

Is she doing the right thing?

Does everything she does make sense?

In other words, if I really say these things, what will others think?

How could Noah, who carries these responsibilities and these lives, not have thought about it?

However, she had to keep moving forward, as if she was running a marathon while spitting blood.

"Is it some unforgivable crime to put yourself at ease?" Skadi asked back. "As for me, if I had to choose between saving the world and protecting... I mean, protecting the Deep Sea Hunters, I would choose to protect the Deep Sea Hunters. So, am I a selfish person to you?"

"...You can't say that... It's human nature." Noah thought for a moment and came up with an answer, "To you, the Deep Sea Hunters are your family, the people you love most. It's normal for you to favor them. Besides, you don't have the responsibility or identity to save the world. You are just you..."

"That's right, you're just you, Noah. No matter who you are or what your identity is, aren't you just a human?" Skadi caught Noah's question. "If you think of yourself as a god from the start, you'll be exhausted. Didn't you say before that you'll only do what you can? But if your power grows and you have to shoulder more responsibilities... that would be too pitiful."

"...wrong logic." Noah rolled his eyes at Skadi. "Then, if I'm the only one standing in my position, who can do these things on my behalf? This is shirking responsibility."

"It's common for humans to shirk responsibility!" Skadi reached out and grabbed Noah's shoulder. "Instead, sadness and pain are unique to humans. Noah, your ability is to feel other people's emotions, so why don't you feel your own? You're not a saint, you should have your own emotions. Aren't you the one who refuses to listen to your own thoughts?"

"...Don't always be so sharp-tongued at times like this..." Noah knew that Skadi was right, but she couldn't... No, she didn't dare.

She was afraid to hear her true inner voice, afraid to beg to escape from this situation.

Can she really be selfish?