Chapter 321 We Will Meet Again

The golden spear pierced the heart of the End quickly and silently. With the wound in the heart as the origin, more and more cracks spread to the torso and limbs of the giant stone statue of the End.

The gaps between the cracks became larger and larger, until a blue-purple light overflowed from the cracks. Time became very slow at this moment, but it seemed that it was only a blink of an eye. The entire giant stone statue had turned into gray-white rubble and collapsed.

They fell into the sea of ​​stars, but they could not stand on it like Mikael, nor did they raise huge waves like real stones hitting the water.

They disappeared cleanly, leaving only circles of silent ripples on the sea of ​​stars.

In contrast, the huge pink figure in the sky also turned into petals floating all over the sky, a small bunch of which fell in the direction of Mikael, and finally condensed back into the appearance of Alicia in a wedding dress in front of him.

"Stupid Mikael, it's all over now!"

"It's over... huh..."

Mikael moved his lips and looked at Ellie, who had her hands behind her back and was smiling like a flower. He didn't know what to do for a moment.

Or maybe, what they just solved together was not a "trouble". Regardless of other things, if the ceremony just now had not been interrupted, at least the authority of the end would have been completed, and both Ellie and this world... could survive.

But Mikael didn't think so much at the time. When he saw Ellie again, the sacrifice he had made up his mind to make was thrown away in an instant. He had only one thought left in his mind -

Survive, at least... say goodbye to Ellie. Once this thought appeared, it grew unreasonably and uncontrollably in his mind.

And the result was that it could no longer end well.

The power of consciousness has been used once. With vigilance, Ellie will probably not be fooled again. How can he convince Ellie, or how can he deceive Ellie and let the opportunity of sacrifice return to his hands again?

He had a blank expression on his face, but he began to think and deduce the solution in his heart. However, it seemed that no matter what he said or did, he could not bypass Ellie and perform the strange ritual again.

Ellie, on the other hand, naturally guessed what Mikael was thinking, but she just smiled and looked at him without saying a word.

This put more pressure on Mikael. For a while, he was at a loss and didn't know where to put his hands.

Seeing his embarrassed look, Ellie laughed, clenched her right fist, stretched it in front of him, and asked:

"Guess what I brought you?"

"I..."

Mikael blinked and suddenly found that there was no one in front of him.

"Ellie!"

He exclaimed and blinked again, only to find that Ellie was standing in front of him and hadn't gone anywhere.

"Eh? What's wrong with you?"

Ellie blinked innocently.

"No... nothing... Did anything happen just now?"

"No! Oh, let me ask you, guess what I brought you?"

Mikael blinked quickly. This time, Ellie did not disappear abruptly. Perhaps it was just an illusion that he had in a panic.

As for what Ellie was holding in her hand...

Mikael knew, of course, but he still followed Ellie's meaning and deliberately showed a confused look:

"Hmm? What good things did you bring?"

Ellie smiled and spread her palms. A ball of black and purple light floated in her palms——

"Clang clang! The power of the twelfth Herrscher is here! At this point, the authority of the end is complete..."

She pursed her lips tightly, looked at Mikael with a slightly apologetic smile, and said only halfway.

However, Mikael did not take over the power of the Herrscher immediately.

"What's going on on Earth?"

"Eh? I don't know about that!"

Ellie glanced to the side, then scratched her head exaggeratedly:

"Before, I was so busy catching up with you that I didn't have time to care about the situation on Earth. However, the power of the Origin itself is the power that connects all other Herrschers! Before coming here, I brought this power with me.

"Although the power is already here, the twelfth Herrscher on Earth may not lose its power instantly. Conservatively estimated, its power will gradually weaken in the next few months until it dissipates. As long as Mei and the others can survive this time, we will win!"

"Hmm..."

Mikael didn't notice her abnormal expression at that moment. He nodded first, and then suddenly widened his eyes:

"The power of the Origin...Ellie, you..."

He bit his lip in disbelief, and his vision gradually blurred:

"Ellie...did you hear my conversation with Him?"

"Oops! I accidentally let it slip! "

Aili narrowed her eyes, stuck out her tongue mischievously, and then stuffed the power into Mikael's hand without saying anything.

Mikael struggled not to take it, but the moment the power approached him, it flowed into his body like a stream into a river, and there was no possibility of separation.

"Mikael, after killing Him, the power of the end has automatically transferred to you. "

Mikael was about to say something, but found that there was an empty sea of ​​stars in front of him again, as if Alicia had never existed.

He quickly rubbed his eyes, but fortunately, when he opened them again, Ellie was standing in front of him, not moving at all. It seemed like it was just an illusion.

She smiled and took a step forward, gently holding Mikael's hands.

"Mikael, I'm afraid you will have to walk alone in the future."

"No! Ellie, this time it's me..."

"Okay, listen to me, Mikael!"

It was rare for Ellie to show such a serious expression. Although Michael wanted to say something else, he unconsciously tightened his lips.

"Shiyuan must return to the end. This is both the fate of the origin and the fate of the end."

"That fate is bullshit!"

Mikael couldn't help but interrupt and curse, but as soon as he cursed, the cold hand covered his face again, which seemed to be... even colder than before.

So Mikael put his hand on the back of Ellie's hand again, hoping that his cheek and palm could make her hand warmer.

"Ellie, since you heard the conversation between me and him, you should also know what I want to do - let me return to the Cocoon of the End in your place. You are... more qualified to live than me."

Ellie didn't seem to respond, just looked at him silently, looking at the pink reflection in his silver-gray eyes.

Until he couldn't help but want to speak again, Ellie said first:

"After His loss, are you really sure about the feasibility of this plan?"

"!"

"Mikael, your plan is nothing more than for you to complete the cocoon of the end on my behalf, allowing him to regain complete control of the end... However, that is based on the fact that he will bear the power of the end. But now If you do this, who will take over the power of the end? If no one can get the power of the end, it will be the same as losing control, and everything you think you can save will cease to exist."

"Then...can't you?"

"I?"

Ai Li pointed at herself and showed a bitter smile:

"Mikael, I am not omnipotent. Why do you think that I can definitely take over the authority of the end? If you replace me as part of the origin, can my power as the origin be retained? Of course, I don’t deny the success of this plan, but Mikael, do you dare to bet on your sacrifice and the future of me and the world?”

Mikael looked away from Ellie. Of course, he understood that there was only one truly foolproof way - to let the real Origin return, and then let him, who already had the power of the end, completely take over the power of the end. Then the world can be saved.

"Of course I understand all this, but..."

There is no doubt that he cannot accept such a result.

"Mikael, stop being so angry!"

Ellie poked his cheek with her other hand, and then cupped his face as before.

"If nothing else, didn't you admit it before? Alicia has always been a human being. Since I am a human being, don't you think that my choice to sacrifice myself is not selfish at all?"

Yes, selfish, aren't both people like that?

They both want to let each other live, but they don't care about the other's thoughts, but in the final analysis, "wanting to let the other live" is just because this is the most important meaning of their existence.

Of course, there is fear.

Ellie's arms crossed Mikael's cheeks, wrapped around his neck, and pressed her whole body into his arms.

"Mikael, I'm really scared. The thought of losing you and living alone in this world scares me so much."

"No, Ellie, you are not going to survive alone."

Mikael gently stroked her back, his fingers subconsciously curled up her fluffy hair and twirled it between his fingers.

"There are Yingjie, Mei, Kevin, Mebius and the others..."

"That's enough, Mikael!"

Ai Li buried her face in his arms, so he could feel even more that her chest had become wet just now.

Therefore, it is not surprising that her words are so unclear and choked:

"You told me a long time ago - for everyone, there are always some few, or in other words, there is always one person... In her heart, there is always such a person, who is more important than the whole world. And once she loses With this person, the whole world no longer makes sense. Isn’t this what you told me yourself?”

"But it's the same for me, Ellie. So..."

"But Mikael, I have never asked you for anything, only this time - I beg you, Mikael, let me go and fulfill my destiny."

"You also know it's fate!"

Mikael shouted these words loudly and held Ellie tightly in his arms, fearing that she would disappear in front of him if he was not careful.

As a result, the gorgeous sea of ​​stars blurred in an instant, and he could no longer see the trajectory of each star clearly, but he still resisted the tears from bursting out of his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of Ellie anymore.

"Ellie! Living is the resistance to fate. If you simply disappear, you are just surrendering to fate!"

"No!"

Ellie also hugged Mikael tighter, so tight that both of them could feel the other's violently shaking body.

"Death is surrender to fate, living is resistance - that's for you, Mikael. For me, the best resistance to fate is to use the power He has given me, follow the fate He has woven for me, and then, with my own consciousness, cut off the fate of the world's cycle.

"As for you, Mikael, your mission is to live strong, and with the authority of the end, help humans overcome the shackles of collapse, as a resistance to fate, okay?"

"No, I can't accept it!"

"Alas..."

Aili sighed lightly, somewhat helpless.

"You can't accept it, and I can't accept it either, what should I do? After all, I'm a girl, Mikael, just give way to the girl!"

"No! You are more qualified to live than me!"

Mikael no longer knew what to say to save everything, and could only repeat his previous words.

"What do you mean I am more qualified to live than you, Mikael? No one is more qualified than anyone else. Even if it is a good person and a bad person, the result of the two lives being placed on the two ends of the scale is still balanced. The reason why you think I am more qualified to live than you is because you love me. But I love you too, so I also think you are more qualified to live than me. "

"No, it's not like that..."

"Hey!"

Ellie surprisingly did not refute, but Mikael was not happy.

He instinctively felt something was wrong, wiped his tears, and looked down, only to see that Ellie's whole body was emitting a dazzling white light.

The light was illusory and ethereal, and even Ellie's body became blurred.

Of course, what he felt first was the change in body temperature, but he never took it to heart, but now...

"I'm so sorry, Mikael, I deceived you again... "

Mikael opened his mouth, breathing tremblingly and rapidly, a strong numbness spread from his heart to his whole body, he felt that his body temperature had dropped below zero, and because of this, he could still feel the residual warmth of Ellie's body gradually cooling down in his arms.

"From the moment I connected to the power of the origin and came to this sea of ​​​​origin stars, I was destined not to go back."

"What do you mean!"

Mikael squeezed out a few words from his teeth.

"Don't scare me, Ellie!"

"I'm really sorry, as long as I arrived here, the origin has irreversibly begun to return to the end."

"Ha...ha? "

Mikael couldn't even say a complete sentence, but he was determined not to cry in front of Ellie anymore, and even used the power of space to lock the tears in his eyes.

But what's the use?

Power can suppress tears, but it can't suppress sadness, nor can it save Ellie.

"I'm sorry... I'm still too selfish... I'm sorry, I'm really afraid to face the future alone... So, I can only let you go to the future alone."

Ellie kept apologizing with a crying voice.

But as she spoke, she burst into laughter again:

"Speaking of which, Mikael, do you still remember the stage play in Eden?"

"..."

"It's the one we listened to together in Canghai City before the third collapse. Do you remember the lyrics in it?"

Without waiting for Mikael to answer, she hummed to herself:

"Ah... I know, in fact, I have always known! Bird, do you see these gorgeous flowers on my head?

"Yes, this is my life. On the surface, it looks as gorgeous as flying flowers, but under the flowers are heavy thorns.

"Its weight forces me to bow my head and walk on this road called life. The deeper I walk, the more pain the thorns bring. Even if I get to the end by chance, I will only be covered with wounds...

"But you, you are different. You are a witness, witnessing my efforts and pursuits along the way...Flying bird! If you really pity my misfortune and feel sad about my end...please don't stop for me...please continue to fly high! Fly over the distant mountains, fly over the distant rivers, fly over the distant clouds and cities, and bring my voice, my smile, and everything I pursue to a place farther than the distance!

"Maybe you can't understand my pain now...ah! Did you shed tears? Then cry like a child... Cry until you are exhausted, which means that you have walked from the stage to the stage, from a spectator to a witness...

"Then, fly! Take my part with you! Use your eyes to take my soul to witness and experience it...

"Ah... You asked me if I can meet you again...

"Hehe... Bird... If you always believe that you can see me again in the future, you should fly without hesitation, fly to the future along the road we have opened up, fly to the real future where we can meet...

"Look, I remember every word of the lyrics clearly, word for word!"

But Mikael's sadness did not diminish because of this. Instead, he fell into a deeper sadness because of this prophetic lyrics.

"Mikael, don't you think what will happen next is romantic? As the origin, I will return to the end, and you will become the end, which means that I will always be a part of your body. From now on, nothing can separate you and me. "

Ellie reached out her hand and gently stroked Mikael's cheek for the last time, then broke free from his embrace and took two steps back.

"However, Mikael, you are not a flying bird... You are destined to walk alone in the future... Alas, dear tit, please bring my arrows, my flowers, and my love to What a lonely traveler!"

Ellie stroked her chest and hummed again imitating Eden.

"I'm sorry, Mikael. From now on, you will have to live alone, but don't be sad. I will always exist in your heart and never leave. Isn't this romantic?

"I'm really grateful to you, Mikael. It's not just because you taught me what love is, it's precisely because of you, a born herrist, that during this journey of more than twenty years, I I won't feel alone or lonely - don't look at me like that! After all, I am a fragile girl, so it is normal to feel sad and lonely, right?

"But...Mikael...but! 'Tragedy is not the end, but the beginning of hope.' If you really can't accept all this, if you really believe that we can meet again in that distant future, then be bold Just do what you want to do! Alicia will always support you, because Alicia believes in you - you see, I know you will think so, so I will also clear some obstacles for you. !

"If you really make that decision, I really won't blame you, but...if there will be Herrschers in the future, if they can be as free as you and I, please let me know, Okay? I'll be happy!

"Because I will know that they do not have to bear the difficult choices of our time. Because I will know that the footprints we leave in the world will eventually become a light for another person to move forward one day in the future...

"Ah! By the way, I mentioned before that to establish Ying Jie, everyone must choose an 'engraving' for themselves. How about I call mine 'True Me' - my true Ying Jie, a flawless person, Elici Ya... Oops! Doesn't this make me look too narcissistic? Oops! I always feel like I have too many things to do but haven't done yet when it's time to say goodbye..."

But Mikael's eyes were so blurred that he could only see simple blocks of color, and all sounds became distant and unreal.

Seeing this, Ai Li could only helplessly shake her head to shake away the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Okay, Mikael, don't look like that, we still won't say goodbye, because I believe in you... I believe we will meet again eventually.

"However, I know that you are also afraid of being alone... You are also afraid of being lonely... So, during the period when I can't respond to you, let it be by your side instead of me!"

Ai Li stretched out her increasingly stiff arm, gently twisted her fingers, and a bright pink crystal flower bloomed in her hand.

"Mikael, do you still remember that song that has been circulated among human civilizations for countless years? I have never heard you sing it before. I really want to hear you sing it to me once, okay?"

Mikael pursed his lips and nodded. He quickly wiped away his tears, tried his best to suppress his crying and sang:

"That's a story that happened a long time ago:

“One day, He fell from the sky. People looked up and saw the stars.

“The stars and the moon sent the daughter of God, who wanted to be man’s companion.

"The long wind turns into her chariot, and the sea becomes her garden. Birds carry the seeds of kindness, and hundreds of flowers weave songs of love.

“This is how she was born into the world, walked on the earth, grew up with humans, and sprouted with the world.

"Now, the end is coming."

"Now, the time has come to return."

Ellie tilted her head and smiled, and then Mikael continued singing:

"Farewell, beautiful world.

“After this, stars will shine because I am here now.

“After this, flowers will bloom because I never left.

"Please weave my arrows, my flowers, and my love into new seeds and bring them to the withered earth.

"Then, let it blossom into the eternal and flawless flower of...humanity."

Ai Li put her hands behind her back again, and the bright crystal flowers floated in front of her. She squinted her eyes and smiled, and murmured for the last time:

"I really wish... time could flow more slowly... and flowers could bloom more..."

She opened her eyes, looked at Mikael for the last time, and apologized for the last time:

"I'm sorry, this is not the happiness you want..."

"Ellie!"

Mikael pounced forward.

The distance between two steps is so short that Mikael can walk it faster with his physical speed than with the power of the sky.

But when he tries to hold Ellie in his arms one last time...

But he hugged nothing.

The girl he wanted to save from the beginning has now turned into colorful points of light floating away. If she could see this scene, she would definitely be very satisfied.

"Oh! Alicia dissipates so beautifully even if she dissipates!"

But this sound is destined to never sound again.

The speckled brilliance is like a lost soul, floating hesitantly in the gorgeous galaxy. Mikael reached out frantically, trying to catch every gleam of light that made up Ellie, but wherever he waved his hand, the light spots always kept an imperceptible and out of reach distance from him.

"Ho ho..."

Tears instantly broke through the embankment built by the power of the sky and covered his face in an instant.

And above his head, the stars in the sky began to rotate slowly and firmly from an origin. Correspondingly, the tiny threads in the night sky that no one except Abonya could see gradually disappeared, as if a pair of hands arranging the stars wiped out the originally predetermined future one by one.

Mikael wiped away his tears, and only the crystal flower left by Ellie was left in front of him.

Suddenly, he felt a scorching temperature emanating from his heart. Although it was only for a moment, something really melted into his body and stayed with him.

Then, he held up the crystal flower and looked at his changes through the crystal.

Then he found that in his silver-gray eyes, the originally round and featureless pupil gradually stretched and turned into a long pink oval with a little diamond-shaped edges.

"Ellie..."

The vision was only clear for a moment, and then it became blurred again in the blink of an eye.

Time flowed quietly like this.

After a long time, Mikael finally stopped crying.

He is different from his other self. For his other self, saving Alicia is the only wish that is close to the truth that he can have in the falsehood.

But Mikael is different. In the twelve years of his existence as a human, in addition to Alicia, he also carried other weights, other responsibilities, and made other promises.

He still has things to do, and he still has things to do-since he failed to save Ali in the end, he must save the world.

Fortunately... the power of the twelfth herrscher is already here, and he doesn't even need to do anything, and humans will win.

He put away the crystal flower and tried to summon a door to the real world in front of him.

The door appeared soon, and he stepped out without any hindrance.

The light around him was a little dim, and he was keenly aware of the time turbulence everywhere around him.

"Is this... under the end crater?"

He jumped up and returned to the base built by humans, called "New Atla". There was no one here, only the oxygen-generating equipment was constantly spewing out oxygen.

And at his feet, there was a bow called Feihua.

Mikael's breath was a little heavy, and tears burst out again, but he did not let the sadness stay for too long, but looked up at the earth with hope.

Then he was stunned-

"If you really make such a decision, I really won't blame you, but... if there will be more Herrs in the future, if they can be as free as you and me, please let me know, okay? I will be very happy!"

"Please weave my arrows, my flowers, and my love into new seeds and bring them to the withered earth."

He finally knew why Ellie said these incoherently in the end.

It turned out that she had known it for a long time...

Because Mikael was standing in the same position as her at this time, all he could see was a withered planet.

The burnt yellow clouds enveloped the entire planet, and the small area that occasionally appeared was thick with black, without even a trace of green or blue, and it was impossible to tell the difference between the ocean and the land.

He tried to use his power to feel the earth, but no human existence was found on the entire surface.

"Heh... heh heh heh... couldn't... catch up?"

He smiled bitterly twice and bent his knees, almost being overwhelmed by this reality.

Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore:

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

He wailed miserably, but the sound was cut off by the endless vacuum as soon as it spread out of New Atlas. No one could hear it, and no one could respond to him.

A few seconds later, the air in New Atlas suddenly began to roll around Mikael, and the wind howled, as if accompanying his wailing. Everything within sight was quickly obscured by the storm, but he didn't seem to notice it at all. There was only one thought left in his mind -

He couldn't save Alicia... He couldn't save the world either.

Everything he hoped for didn't exist, everything he pursued left him, and his existence became meaningless, just like the other him who had just reached the end not long ago.

"But... okay... then let's do as you said, Alysia. Let's meet again in the future, no, we will meet again in the end!"

A small black and red dot appeared on his head, and then circles of white halos spread from his head.

His pupils began to change, pink was instantly replaced by blood red, the four corners of the ellipse became sharp, and then stretched horizontally and vertically respectively until they were pulled into the shape of a cross star.

At the same time, a violent vibration came from the bottom of the End Crater, and the golden branches actually crossed the distance between real numbers and imaginary numbers, broke out of the End Crater, and then grew all the way up, forming a huge golden cross 12,000 meters above the End Crater.

Mikael's body floated up again, but it was pulled by his own power and out of his own will.

Two golden light spikes flew through the air and pierced his wrists, nailing him to the center of the cross like a criminal being crucified. Another golden light that was stretched to the extreme broke through the boundary between imaginary numbers and real numbers and flew over. It was the spear made of imaginary branches.

The sharp end of the spear stopped in front of Mikael's neck. He raised his head involuntarily and looked at the devastated black earth. His Adam's apple rolled vigorously.

"I am the first Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason, Mikael, and I will also be the thirteenth Herrscher, the Herrscher of the End... This is also... the beginning and the end."

He no longer hesitated, and the sharp end of the spear pierced his neck cleanly and neatly, and the gushing blood dyed the spear and the cross behind him red.

The spear continued to pierce, and correspondingly, blood-red fibers grew out from under Mikael's skin, began to spread around his body, and then entangled until he was wrapped into a huge cocoon.

Between the orbits of the earth and the moon, a huge figure became solid from illusion. It was a pure white naked figure. The most striking thing was the white halo above the head and the pair of blood-red cross pupils. This is the most real appearance of Mikael at this moment, the appearance of his soul.

He stretched out his hand, and the dark earth in his hand was not as big as half a basketball.

He looked at the planet he once tried to save, and there was no compassion or unwillingness in his blood-red eyes...all emotions were indifferent to nothingness.

Then, he held the earth with one hand... and held it slowly.