Chapter 398: Episode 55

What is the "power to save"?

Moreover, I cannot save anyone. It was only after he died that I wanted to save blade. It was too late. However, I craved it and obtained power.

I should have known. This kind of power can only destroy things. I used it to kill an enemy. I wielded a reason that belonged only to me, called revenge. Overwhelmed by anger, I only wanted to kill my enemy.

No, it wasn't even revenge. I ran.

I should have learned from blade. How much resolve does it take to kill a person? I abandoned that responsibility and surrendered my body. This is the result of his own desire to be ruled by power.

I accept the price. The passion that had been tormenting me did not experience an Emergence. My heart has forgotten the pain, as if I had been lying the whole time.

Does the grief of losing a friend reach this level? If you torture and kill your enemy, clearing away your sorrow, is that nothing more than a small feeling that will disappear? Was blade's life, the thoughts he entrusted to us, rewarded by such a foolish act?

No matter how hard I try to tell myself it couldn't be like this, there isn't even a sense of shame left in my heart. It is as if it is no longer about me.

I have lost another, me.

Get up and walk away. Wander aimlessly through the Pitch Darkness corridor. I have no fear. Only surrender. I followed the path others spoke of and finally reached the door.

Open the Heavy iron door. A warm Wind blows against my face. The moon floats in the sky. Silver light fills the colors, and the scene reflected in my eyes is divided into two parts: white and black.

After all, this place is on a ship. Walk onto the deck of a large ship like an oil tanker. The ship is moored at an anchorage. There is only the sea around.

"I have been waiting for you."

Then, "I" appeared before me. A silver-haired girl walked up to me and bowed respectfully.

"Well, where should I start? It's a pity I don't have much time. If you have any questions, I will try my best to answer them."

Where am I?

"This is your dream, the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness. Like an illusion you forget upon waking, what you see and hear here is not everything you should be aware of. If it were true, everything would be Hidden. I wanted to tell you first, but please allow me to speak, as this violates the Queen's law."

Who are you?

"I am a self that has attained the 'Knight' rank. My name is Luan Almeiza. Nominally, I am your direct Bodyguard."

Who sent you an email on your Smart Phone?

"Yes. I have been looking for it. You can think of it as a type of biological computer that you can use just in case. I also caused the error that appeared at the end of the Galaxy Battle. I was exhausted at the time and couldn't be of much help after that..."

Is something like the Red Plant also your creation?

"No, it is like the virus in our bodies. It was supposed to make the Queen stop all activities... but due to a certain problem, it is now only half-finished. It seems humanity has noticed and started doing some unnecessary things. Research, which led to the current commotion."

Who is the Queen?

"I am the leader of this group. And more than that."

My feet trembled violently. A low, roaring whistle shook the sea. The moored ship began to move slowly.

"I have one last thing to tell you."

The monochrome vision turned red. Red Plants grew everywhere on the ship, growing rapidly and becoming bloated.

"There are three 'Knight' rank selves in this group. One is me, and one is 'Katle Benson'. I don't think I will ever have the chance to talk to you like this again, but you are a good person."

The girl calling herself Luan did not tremble in the slightest on the rapidly changing large ship. We take this world for granted.

"The biggest problem is the three Knights. They are doing..."

What surfaced in my mind was the girl I met the first time I had this dream. A girl who looked exactly like me, but I could tell she was a different existence from Luan. He was more childish, more dreamy, and possessed a selfish sense of justice and a desire for power.

"His name is 'Monado'. He is a madman who believes from the bottom of his heart that this world is a story created by his own fantasies. You can effectively utilize the power of this group, but at a price. Your self will be absorbed. Monado's goal is to usurp the throne."

A large amount of Crystal grew on the ship. Luan's body was swallowed by the growth of the Red Plant.

"He doesn't care about the spread of this virus; he is encouraging it. Exercising his ability this time carries the risk of infecting hundreds of thousands of people via the internet. Fortunately, cyber warfare is my specialty, so I was able to minimize the damage, but..."

If you make a mistake, you might have realized that humanity has a great lesion that can destroy itself. With pain you cannot even look away from.

"Never use that power again."

Casting that aside, Luan was taken into the Crystal. Shortly after, I was also trapped in the red prison.

Three days have passed since the end of the Sky Island hijacking incident. The jurisdiction of the investigation was quickly transferred from local authorities to the World Security Organization, and because information control was in place, there is still much that is unknown. But it seems these things are common.

On the first day of the reports, the commotion reached its peak, and now it has become a topic that has blended in with other news. I had thought it would be treated on a large scale as an unprecedented major event, but in this world, it might not be as serious as I imagined.

That night, when I regained consciousness using my ability, I had already escaped from the airship. I woke up in a neighboring country, at least thousands of kilometers away from where the ship should have been. I don't remember how I got there from a ship flying over the ocean.

It was only the morning after the incident that he regained consciousness. For the time being, I was able to confirm the safety of several i-tube Bars on the internet news, including Pomerni, so I didn't want to know the details of the incident any further.

I am no longer interested.

This is a meadow with beautiful scenery. It is a place designated as a vast nature reserve, with no one living nearby. Six walks in the serene sunlight, with the insect body tucked under his arm.

There are some changes compared to before. One of them is the size of the body. It is clearly larger. It used to be small enough to hide under clothes, but now it is about the size of a rugby ball.

When I woke up using my power, it was already this size. It grew quickly, as if it had molted. The stuffed animal I had been using until now was not big enough for it to fit inside. It is still small enough to hide and carry, but if it continues to grow in the future, we will have to think of other ways.

Brilliant purple flowers began to mix in, as if painting dots on the meadow. Beyond the field, looking past the mountains, a purple carpet covered everything. At first glance, it looks like a beautiful sight. However, my impression is that this flower is a bit unrefined.

It feels like I have seen this flower somewhere. If I remember correctly, I remember it being introduced in some kind of video, but I don't remember the specifics. I took out my Mobile Phone and opened it to try searching.

This Smart Phone is one of the major changes. It was originally a simple silver design, but since the incident, its appearance has turned red. The back cover has a circuit-like pattern that emits a blue-white light.

It is unclear why the design changed. However, I inexplicably suspect it is Luan's work. It is a bit creepy, but it still works as before. I don't know when the usage contract will be terminated, but I am considering using it for the time being.

While wondering why it hadn't been Recharge-ed once in the past three days, but the battery didn't seem low, I launched the i-tube home screen from Dennounet. When I checked my page, I had uploaded many videos so far. The feeling I had when looking at that screen might be the biggest change.

No matter what I look back on, it doesn't resonate. Why were you so obsessed with making videos and wanting to become an i-tuber?

I have the answer to this question, but I don't think it is a conclusion I reached. The impulse that drove me has disappeared, as if waking from a dream.

It is not that I have amnesia. I remember the days I filmed videos, and everything about becoming an i-tube Bar and the people involved in it. Even so.

It is similar to the feeling after reading. The story has already been read. Everything I did and everything that happened on that ship has ended in my heart. That is why I am not "moving past it" now. The only thing you can do is open the closed book and reread the words written down.

I opened my contact list. Only two names were recorded in the phone book. Pomerni and Luan Almeiza. All communications from outside the list were set to be blocked, and of the two, Pomerni had received many calls.

But I never responded.

For some reason, it feels so terrifying. What would he say to me on the phone? How would I feel about those words? What could you feel?

So I think this is fine.

I deleted the pomerni project from my list and put my Mobile Phone away. I continued walking through the grassland, where flowers were in full bloom under the hazy sunlight. The purple grass swayed in the Wind, outlining shadows like waves. Looking at the scene before me, I suddenly remembered.

The name of the flower is shishikisou. It has vigorous reproductive ability and Life Force, and it has been designated as an invasive alien species; once it spreads, it drives out native plants.

Although it is native to another continent, it is a plant whose seeds have drifted across the ocean due to human activity, expanding its habitat on a global scale. Besides this plant, there are countless examples of alien species causing major changes to ecosystems.

It was introduced in a video by Blademax. As a scenery Hunter, his description of the purple garden was neither beautiful nor ugly. He said it was a way of life, nothing more, nothing less.

In the process of evolution, living things have formed the current ecosystem over tens of thousands of years. Many species fight for survival; some flourish, some go extinct.

The changes brought about by alien species do not alter their essence. The only difference is whether it is slow and daunting, or if it can change in the blink of an eye. Native species, alien species, and the humans involved are all the result of everyone striving to live a better life.

What is important is to accept the facts and think about what to do. Whether the choices placed before one are good or bad, right or wrong, or whether there is an end, is also uncertain. Even so, Blade said that what is important is to keep thinking and not stop at one answer.

His words puzzled me, yet they remain vivid in my memory. Why were they so impressive? However, I feel that these are words that should not be forgotten.

To imagine "transcending" the book I finished reading.

The three knights directly controlled by the King...

Luan of "Intelligence,"

Katerai of "Skill,"

Mona-chan of "Strength."