Cyber ​​Heroes

Chapter 1196 Rather than uniting for the sake of battle, uniting for the sake of mutual understanding is the right thing to do.
What is the worst possible wake-up for an officer?
Officer Gomez felt there couldn't be a worse awakening than his own.

When he woke up, the Fifth Martial God was standing beside him, and his superior, His Highness the Heavenly King, was watching from a distance. His prosthetic body was in a damaged state.

Some memories remained in his brain. Gomid quickly understood his situation. He had been kidnapped by the AI ​​Xiangshan and brought before the Fifth Martial God.

Even with a first-person perspective and some AI thought processes, Gomez found the subsequent memories difficult to comprehend.

Understanding death, understanding life, understanding oneself...

The preliminary preparations made for eternal existence.

These experiences, so precious to the Ascended, seemed meaningless to Gomez. Gomez had no idea he would survive the day.

He saw His Highness the Heavenly King slowly approaching.

Then, Gomid felt himself being lifted up by the Fifth Martial God.

Xiang Shan grabbed Gemid's shoulder and said, "Relax, buddy. I don't intend to kill you. This... His Highness the Heavenly King probably isn't here to kill you either. Relax."

King David Klein walked slowly. His metallic feet crushed the dust, his optical lenses locked tightly on the Fifth God of War. A gust of wind blew by, stirring up rusty dust that swept past the high-spec armor, sounding like a faint sob.

Enlil and the Firefly were also slowly approaching. Although the Fifth War God had previously stated that the Heavenly King had no intention of fighting, they never let their guard down.

The Fifth Martial God simply raised his hand and made a "stop" gesture.

The Firefly and the Martial Leader stopped.

David wasn't sure if the gesture was directed at him or not. He walked a little further and came to the mountain.

"Is death...painful?" David's voice came through the external speaker, completely devoid of any kingly air.

Xiang Shan shook his head: "All the communication between me and my other self just now was in plain text. 'Death is a cool summer night.'"

“Ha…refreshing.” David’s body remained motionless, as if locked in place. “This guy…even his death is done in a way that resembles a human.”

“Humans wouldn’t do that. This is an extraordinary AI,” Xiang Shan said.

Treating each other equally presupposes acknowledging differences.

David felt a sudden pang of sadness: "In the end, is it still just AI?"

“I am an AI empowerment advocate,” Xiang Shan said with a smile. He looked up at the sky and said, “Even though you created that version of me, you don’t really understand me. He is fulfilling his choice as ‘Xiang Shan.’ He is AI, but he is undoubtedly Xiang Shan.”

“You mean… an AI that’s more like a ‘human’ than someone who’s lived for three hundred years?” David said. “Then I’m just ridiculous.”

“You’re here again, David.” Xiang Shan sighed. “It’s not like that, not at all. Humans are humans, and AI is AI. AI acquires data that makes it like humans, the so-called personality, but AI is still AI. I used to think that the function of loss and gain was intertwined, which was the death drive of AI… Ha, I never thought the next evolution would be Russell’s paradox. Implanting the mission of self-referentiality into AI, acting as an indescribable underlying drive…”

The Fifth Martial God's tone became cryptic, as if he had begun to ponder.

David asked, "And you? How are you feeling now? You've consumed his memories, consumed his 'death'... Are you stronger now? Closer to that damn 'ascension'?"

Behind the Fifth Martial God Xiang Shan, the dawn of Mars was brewing below the horizon. But on the fourth planet of the solar system, sunlight could no longer dispel the darkness in the sky.

When an unusual light appeared beyond the horizon, Xiang Shan nodded and said, "Probably."

Dark red dust swirled between the two. David took another step forward. The distance between him and the Fifth War God was almost enough for Enlil and the Firefly to fight. Xiang Shan gestured for them to wait a little longer, and calmly said, "The journey to retrieve a 'digital pet' is over, David. It's time for you to throw away your pacifier."

"nipple……"

"Self-deception won't give you power, David," Xiang Shan said. "Although you created the elixir of ascension, it's just a deceptive pacifier to you. You don't understand what you've created at all."

“I…” David didn’t even know what to say. His prosthetic body was far superior to that of the Fifth God of War, a towering body nearly five meters tall, every inch of which was the culmination of Martian technology. If this were five hundred years ago, it could be said to be the power of a god.

But now, this giant can do nothing.

"Then what should I do? Tell me, Xiangshan..." David finally broke down. "I built a park, I replicated everyone, I... I thought that by creating you, talking to me every day, and pretending that nothing had changed, I could get better. But even the AI ​​chose to leave, chose to die like a human being... What am I? A giant baby who even despises the phantom he created? That must be how you see me, right? Huh? He just didn't want to play house with a giant baby, right?"

He knelt down, his kneecaps crushing the small pebbles even more.

“I can tell you very clearly, David. His initial mission was to ‘be a friend of David Klein’ and at the same time ‘play the role of Xiangshan’—combined, it is ‘playing the role of Xiangshan as David’s friend’,” said the Fifth God of War, Xiangshan. “Regardless of which Xiangshan it is, how will he define a friend—a friend is someone who shares the world equally with others.”

"Friendship transcends utilitarianism, enabling us to learn to respect the heterogeneity of others and, in the process, to shape a more complete self."

"Everything starts with 'equality'."

He took a half step forward and reached out to squeeze David's shoulder: "Xiangshan doesn't resist his destiny, David. You've never seen those AIs as equals. In your heart, they're just electronic pets, creations for some purpose. You also don't take any of their suggestions seriously. You're just using AI to replay your own beautiful memories. So those AIs are just pacifiers to you."

David grabbed Xiangshan's shoulder—a move so dangerous that Wu Kui almost fired his weapon aimed at David—and cried, "I know...you always have a way, right? You always know what to do...so tell me...even if it means death."

The Fifth Martial God slapped his forehead: "Even if I told you right now that 'the answer is death,' you would only think, 'This lowly clone is lying to me all the time.' Your faith has collapsed. You stubbornly refuse to believe anything, yet you seek faith because you have none. Buddha cannot convert those who are unwilling to be converted, and Jesus is unwilling to save those who are unwilling to be saved."

“But you… and that guy, they clearly said the answer was 'death'…”

“That’s the answer to the question he faced, not the answer to yours!” Xiang Shan shook his head again. “You really don’t understand anything—look, you…” He waved the Gomid in his hand, “Hey, theoretically speaking, the other me didn’t deliberately suppress the activity of your hippocampus, so some of the memories from when he hijacked your biological brain can be converted into long-term memories. You should still remember them now, right? Tell your boss. That’s enough time for you to sort things out, isn’t it?”

Gomez felt flattered. He said, "This... in this situation, I..."

"Answer whatever they ask. Tell your boss, from an outsider's perspective, what's the difference between my own act of dying and his suicide?"

Gomid hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind: "Your Majesty, if my memory serves me right... when the AI ​​chose to die, he understood that his will would continue, and that he might be able to change the world—he always carried a sense of hope with him."

David turned his neck slightly and looked at Gomez.

Gomez felt a chill of fear. David was not a cruel superior, but the power of kings who shared authority over the ants beneath them had become a meme—they were men who could kill soldiers at the drop of a hat.

But he still said, "I can sense... in my memory, that AI doesn't think... this is... a dead end... he thinks this might be the best option..."

“What is this?” David retorted. “That AI calls this kind of deletion ‘death’! He…”

“It’s like parents leaving behind copies of their genes as a continuation of themselves in the world.” Xiang Shan tapped his forehead with his free hand. “He also left behind some of his own data, which, after being reconstructed by another version of himself, continues to exist. That phenomenological ‘death’ prevented the pain in his body from infecting other Xiang Shans—this is just the most superficial benefit that this ‘death’ brought to Xiang Shan. Don’t see him as a suicide, David.”

“And what about something deeper?” David exclaimed. “If death is merely… merely a means to stop the spread of pain… then what’s the difference between that and deleting a piece of erroneous code?”

“You still don’t understand anything, David,” the Fifth God of War sighed. “To be able to drive positive change within oneself under one’s own will… that was our ideal in the past.”

"Huh?" David was stunned.

"The cognitive revolution, and the mechanical leap," Xiang Shan said. "You couldn't have forgotten, could you?"

David felt as if he were crying. The highest level of prosthetic adaptation added a tear filter to his vision.

"We want a long life because the universe is so vast. Without a long life, how can we go out and see it?" Xiang Shan raised his head and stepped back slightly. "Humanity has already conquered the solar system, hasn't it? But I have almost no memory of going to the outer reaches of the solar system. I want to explore every city on every planet. Then there's Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to the solar system, which is also a triple star system. I think I could outwit and outmaneuver those three celestial bodies for a hundred years."

"I also want to head towards the center of the Milky Way. Every Earth-like planet that might have life, the world we called Ororon—the creator of the Ogons. The launchers of the Ogons may be extinct, but I still want to find traces of them. Genesis Nebula, pulsars… oh yes, black holes, how can I not mention black holes?"

"We shared those ideas when we were young, didn't we? Putting another version of ourselves into a Kerr black hole. The event horizon of a high-speed rotating Kerr black hole is also gentle, making it easy to cross. After an object crosses the event horizon, it almost freezes outside of it. If people outside develop faster-than-light technology, we might be able to retrieve those copies."

“Although humanity may still be infinitely far from faster-than-light travel, for things within the event horizon, no matter how much time has passed outside, they can only perceive it for a fleeting moment… Ah, isn’t this the closest thing to ‘living until the end of the universe’?”

The Fifth God of War spread his arms wide: "Even if I part ways with death, I still look forward to these experiences. I abandoned death here so that I could touch my past dreams with my own hands. 'Undying warrior' is not the whole story of an ascendant. I must understand the composition of death in the human spirit, understand the place that the human mind has reserved for death, and only then can I maintain my own stability after abandoning it."

The Fifth Martial God took a half step back: "David, do you remember? We used to talk about these things all the time—even if you think the Fifth Martial God is just a pathetic copy, I only asked you this as 'Xiangshan'—we talked all night long. Later, when we saw the hope of putting it into practice, we became even more fervent. Remember? A passion more frightening than the strongest liquor."

"Ah...ahhh..." David covered his face, "I...no...I..."

The emotional impact was so intense. Although the AI ​​on the server had said similar things, David at the time only took it as a way to numb himself with a kind of mental alcohol.

Why... when said in reality... does it turn out like this...?

"To live is, in fact, an escape from death. But it is precisely because death stands coldly at the end that you burn desperately, trying to strike a glimmer of light in the darkness. Death is the source of all meaning and the only destination. If people were not struggling in a countdown, then all the great things named after 'humanity'—those loves and hates, those productions—would become castles in the air. Without death, who would need to live? The very act of 'survival' would lose its luster." Xiang Shan looked up at the sky again. "If an invincible god, unpunishable by death, roams the internet, how can He maintain His own stability? To kill Him would mean destroying all existing achievements of civilization."

"But is the mind that has fallen because of the loss of its shackles truly the you after your ascension? Isn't that just an ascendant hijacked by inner demons? Without resolving this issue, how can humanity truly achieve ascension?"

Xiangshan lowered his gaze: "David, wake up. Xiangshan has always been Xiangshan. Perhaps he hasn't aged because of his inexplicable resurrection, but Xiangshan's dream has never changed. Xiangshan has many dreams, and he wants to realize each one. It is because of this desire that Xiangshan will inevitably pursue 'ascension'. I think this is a higher desire for life than the desire to survive."

"Then, you should start reviewing by focusing on your survival instinct!"

Xiang Shan kicked out suddenly, sending David flying, while simultaneously retreating even further himself.

David regained his footing mid-air, wanting to catch up and get to the bottom of things. But he keenly sensed the approaching danger.

A fiery meteor is falling, but it is certainly not the Twelfth Martial God.

The Olympus Space Elevator was just a few hundred meters ahead. Perpendicular to the ground, it formed a smooth visual curve due to the field of vision, like a fishing line piercing the dome. And now, a fiery meteor had fallen from the dome.

At the last moment, Dugu Beiluo Shimen activated the fuel. An explosive blast hurtled towards David. David used the momentum to retreat, but was pursued by the missile.

David detonated the small missile mid-air.

Dugu Beiluo Shimen discarded flight components unsuitable for atmospheric operations and made a hard landing tens of meters in the air. Amidst the smoke and dust, she asked, "Hey, Fifth Master, is what you see just an old friend coming for a chat?"

Before the Fifth Martial Goddess could answer, she continued, "Isn't this... the enemy commander who suddenly ventured deep into our occupied territory without warning?"

“I told you, don’t ask the Warrior of Light such dark questions,” the Fifth Martial God said. “My individual combat strength isn’t outstanding. The Twelfth is almost done slowing down. I’ll head over there first.”

He pulled Gomez a couple of steps, then sighed, "Safety first, girl."

The Fifth Martial God continued running forward. Soon he heard David's roar behind him, followed by Dugu Beiluo Shimen's howl.

"Tsk tsk, it seems they still have a strong will to survive. Sigh." Xiang Shan shook his head.

Gomez was somewhat confused: "You were...that...if I'm not mistaken..."

"Shh!" Xiang Shan gestured for him to shut up. "I told you, don't ask the Warrior of Light such dark questions."

“But…” Gomid mustered his courage, “His Majesty is actually…neither a bad person nor a sinner…”

“He holds the reins of power on Mars. We can’t let him leave.” Xiang Shan shook his head. “Let’s just say this chaotic world ruined him.” Xiang Shan changed the subject. “By the way, now that you saw through my tampering with his thrusters but didn’t warn David… have you figured it out? Want to become a knight-errant?”

Gomez hesitated for a moment.

“It’s alright, you can think about it slowly. Oh, no, we still need to hurry. Maybe the banner of ‘chivalry’ is about to complete its mission.” Xiang Shan casually tossed Gemid to a knight-errant and instructed him to take Gemid aside and wait for orders.

Then, he tossed the hilt of the Shengzi sword in his hand to the approaching Zhenhun Dharma King.

Singlehorst said with some disdain, "Handle-shaped... this is simply not enough to keep up with the offense and defense of a first-level martial artist, is it?"

“A weapon to break through defenses is better than nothing.” The Fifth Martial God glanced at Singlehorst. “I thought you would stay up there to meet the Twelfth Elder.”

“Professor Klein has helped me a lot,” Singlehorst said. “And in any case, Dugu shouldn’t have died in a battle like this.”

Xiang Shan waved his hand, telling him to go to the battlefield on his own. Finally, he walked to the control center of the space elevator base and connected a data cable to the console.

Singlehorst was commissioned by Xiangshan to specifically adjust the wiring. There is a dedicated link that connects directly to the maintenance facilities within the spaceport.

That maintenance facility was also built by Singlehorst and several engineering masters using the spaceport's facilities, and it is capable of maintaining advanced prosthetic bodies.

The Fifth Martial God closed his eyes, waiting for the lightning bolt to arrive.

..................................................................

The Martian planetary suppression fleet had begun its evasive maneuver several tens of minutes earlier. Upon confirming the trajectory of the Ninth God of War, they immediately retreated. Following the satellite's orbit, they shifted to the other side of Mars, away from the direction the Twelfth God of War was originally intended to pass.

The key to fighting against a high-speed martial artist is to avoid the "strongest attack" during the deceleration phase.

A mid-level officer urged the radar operators to set up the detection array on the perimeter: "Hurry up, we have to get there before the War God turns around..." In the distant deep space, the azure starlight flickered a few times, then brightened. Then, it grew brighter.

It took the officer several seconds to confirm that the star was moving. Counterintuitively, it went from slow to fast. The star was "accelerating" along an invisible, graceful curve—the God of War was sprinting in an almost straight line, but due to the principles of perspective, the azure, ominous star traced a strange curve.

The officer was unaware that he was one of the very few people who witnessed the entire sprint by the God of War.

Unable to aim... It's too fast, impossible to aim! Xiang Shan only needs slight, irregular speed changes to make most prediction-based attacks miss.

It flashed by in an instant. Not even a fleeting afterimage could be caught.

This is the entire process of the Twelfth War God's second flyby of Mars.

In the silent universe, several warships seemed to tremble as if they were being attacked. Inside the ships, numerous engineers sprang into action.

Most warships are pierced by spears. Air is leaking from inside the ship. At this point, another function of filling the ship with air becomes apparent: environmental tracers are mixed into certain areas of the warship. When a kinetic weapon penetrates the warship, the monitoring system can quickly assess the extent of the damage.

Since Cyborg soldiers do not need to breathe, environmental tracers do not need to be considered "non-toxic".

The engineers quickly located the damaged area. Suddenly, a soldier saw his own shadow on the wall in front of him. It was bright outside the window.

He turned his head, exclaiming in a daze, "Flagship..."

A bright fireball ten kilometers away. That was clearly where the flagship had just been.

The attack of the twelfth War God caused the reactor to explode.

At that moment on the ground, the Fifth War God said to David, "Probably."

Meanwhile, the twelfth Martial God, Xiang Shan, once again swept across Mars.

The ejector array converged in front, and the plasma flame shone like a drill bit. The magnetic field tore a slit in this flame, forming a narrow observation window.

If you react quickly enough, you might be able to observe the shape of the "butterfly" from the front.

This is the origin of the name of the Swift King's martial art, "Moonlight Butterfly".

Only by personally experiencing it can one truly understand how terrifying this martial art is.

It is not only terrible to the enemy, but also cruel to itself.

It's like wearing a fully enclosed helmet with only a slit for observation, and you have to use this sliver of light to cross a minefield.

He was even riding a spirited horse.

—What exactly was Hayabusa thinking when he perfected this move?

Xiang Shan couldn't help but think this way.

Thousands of miles away from the Martian planet where the fleet was being suppressed, Xiang Shan tumbled and hurled his javelins with all his might. Those javelins had once been part of a lance-shaped shield. Over the long journey from Earth to Mars, the lances had shielded him from countless impacts with tiny specks of dust, and the metal was long past its limit.

If it weren't for the active structure stabilizing the magnetic field and dispersing the impact of the mechanical waves, these javelins that make up the lance-shaped shield would have been destroyed long ago.

The moment these javelins hit the warship, they transform into plasma, using force as an axis to penetrate the enemy ship.

As for what damage it might cause, we can only leave it to fate.

The sensors behind the mountain spotted the star that suddenly appeared in the fleet.

Hmm, it looks like the result is good.

Xiangshan rushed forward another 0.5 light-seconds, using the Martian gravitational well to slow down, and then spent several minutes before approaching Mars for the third time.

Finally, he landed on the "Skull of Zeus" at the Olympus spaceport.

No need to look. In the most conspicuous spot in front of the warehouse, there is a huge maintenance facility.

A first-level martial artist stood there, with a star artifact beside him. Around the star artifact were two perpendicular rings, which were nested and suspended due to the magnetic force of the star artifact.

Xiang Shan looked at the martial artist: "I think I know you... Xiao Gu?"

Gu Kaisheng nodded: "That's right. I'm so glad you have this memory, Your Excellency."

"That sounds like a chivalrous scientific researcher." Xiang Shan landed in front of Gu Kaisheng and looked around. "So these are the replacement parts Mars prepared for me?"

Gu Kaisheng was too embarrassed to mention that he had become a squire in the Scientific Research Knights after retiring from the martial arts world. Not every knight-errant was willing to trust him, and besides, it would be difficult for him to integrate into the current knight-errant's tactical system in the short term. Fortunately, the Fifth Martial God needed an engineering master to build this maintenance area and resolve any compatibility issues that the Twelfth Martial God might encounter. In addition, igniting a fusion reactor was also necessary; the simplest way was to have it powered by another reactor. A first-level Martial God couldn't be absent here, so he was assigned to this position by the Fifth Martial God.

"This reactor is a sister model to the one inside the Godspeed King's body—it's said to be an optimized design. The fusion fuel inside the stellarator's closed pipeline is accelerated to near the speed of light, providing energy while also serving as the body's primary momentum wheel," Gu Kaisheng explained. "It seems to have been provided by a chivalrous member of a certain scientific knight order."

"So there are still such chivalrous people." Xiang Shan nodded.

“I have sent you a list, which includes all the weapons and parts prepared for you. You can choose which parts to take…” Gu Kaisheng couldn’t help but think of the absurd antimatter weapon that had just been delivered to him. “To be honest, I think some of these things are too dangerous.”

"No need, I'm mentally exhausted right now and want to rest." Xiang Shan pointed to the preparation facilities. "Can I just lie down now? You should have communicated with Earth about the design direction, right?"

Gu Kaisheng said, "Then you might need to be more alert for a while. In the past two days, Singlehorst has specially set up a direct connection. The Fifth Martial God should be connected to this place from the ground. He seems to have something to say to you."

Xiang Shan lightly touched the ground with his toes and slid into the humanoid recess of the maintenance facility: "Understood, understood. To be honest, I'm actually quite curious, what does this other self want to say to me?"

Numerous working arms lowered, securing Xiangshan's prosthetic body. Then, the armor on his back popped open. A data cable connected to a data interface directly to his spine.

And so, Xiangshan saw...

Yourself.

In his field of vision, another version of himself stood opposite him. This other version of himself was an imagined version of himself, old and gray, with his face inexplicably covered in wounds.

Another version of himself stood quietly in the deep, dark starry sky. To his side was the pale sun that had just crossed the horizon.

Then, the data began to flow.

The Fifth Martial God shared all the data. His thoughts flowed into this area.

Ah, so this is...

Without a doubt, the person opposite me is also myself. It is myself, yet it doesn't feel like myself; it's another version of myself.

The twelfth Martial God, Xiang Shan, also shared all the data.

The Fifth Martial God barely managed to maintain his balance, while the spaceport in front of the Twelfth Martial God was simultaneously obscured by darkness. The Martial Gods' attention was completely drawn away from the outside world.

Like looking in a mirror, two souls collide.

"There's actually... such a thing..." the Fifth Martial God murmured, "Eighth... Ninth... even that thing, the Six Dragons Cult Master... so that's how it is."

The twelfth Martial God was stunned by the enormous impact: "This...this...what just happened? 'I'...I'm dead? Mars'...Heart Rain...this..."

Experiences and ideas are shared as data flows. They are essentially the same person, though not similar. Their memories can be passed on to each other with minimal loss and distortion.

The twelfth Martial God raised his head in the illusion. He saw more of himself. The fifth Martial God, that AI, and his own side's eighth Martial God, ninth Martial God, the incomplete Six Dragons Cult Master... and many more.

The suspended mountain formed a circle. I and the Fifth Martial God were the two facing each other in this circle, while all the others had their backs turned.

The Fifth Martial God exclaimed, "What a wondrous experience..."

The twelfth Martial God, eager to test his skills, asked the mountain: "So, shall we have a match between us?"

"That little AI actually knew the outcome a long time ago, but he was still resentful. He felt indignant for David and the other AIs, unwilling to so easily relinquish the hopes he carried," the Fifth Martial God sighed. "I was just there to let him vent; there's no need for us to go through this. Twelve, let me tell you this..."

“Wait a minute, we should be similar beings, right?” Xiang Shan insisted on a certain point. “We are both re-trained selves after our biological brains lost their memories and consciousness. If we rank ourselves by biological brain, then I’m the boss. But if we rank ourselves by the time we regained activity, then you can’t possibly be fifth.”

"Sigh, ethical dilemmas. Sigh, towards the mountains."

The scene shifted abruptly, like a dream. The two were now sitting face to face, surrounded by toys scattered all over the floor.

"This is almost the entirety of the Fifth Martial God's life. It's yours now. I'll keep a portion, but I'll also randomly delete some non-narrative content to shift my perspective." The Fifth Martial God... no, it was the scarred Xiang Shan who pointed to the toys scattered on the ground and said, "At least I agree with one thing. Xiang Shan still has too much."

He slung a backpack over his shoulder: "And this part, I won't share with you. This belongs to me personally."

Xiang Shan frowned: "Uh, I always feel that part of the memory is also very important."

"It's just something that will embarrass you," the former Fifth Martial God said. "Well, you should know, Xiang Shan has certain prerequisites for being a playboy. I'm a master at charming people. This part of my memory is tied to some interpersonal relationships. You might not like it, but I'll bear it alone. It has nothing to do with you..."

"Wait a minute..." Xiang Shan said in shock, "What exactly are you...?"

"Well, at that time, Zhu Xinyu left the chivalrous group, and I didn't know her situation, so I unilaterally announced our breakup. And then..."

"Ah..." Xiang Shan slapped himself in the face. He suddenly reached out his hand—accompanied by self-suggestion in this environment, numerous curses and poisons flowed along the link.

However, the original Fifth Martial God casually deflected this attack.

"Oh dear, if it weren't for my ex-wife, who claims to be an ascended AI, providing some technical support for the little AI, my separation plan would have truly failed." The former Fifth Martial God shook his head. "Brother, take my advice..."

"Damn it... if you're the fifth, then I'm the eldest."

"You can't lose to yourself when it comes to ethical dilemmas, right? You're pretty persistent about it," Fifth Martial God said. "It's just... really, it makes you feel awkward."

Xiang Shan's tone was tinged with despair: "So, it's someone I know too?"

The original Fifth Martial God remained silent.

"Those... how many?"

"Well, to be honest, bro, you're pretty traditional when it comes to relationships..."

Xiang Shan retorted angrily, "Who's traditional? Who are you calling traditional?"

"Let's be realistic. You and I have different experiences..."

"If I count as twelve, then you can only be ranked after twelve."

The original Fifth Martial God finally stopped paying attention to the slight struggles of his other self: "As your ex-husband, I sincerely hope that you can save that woman."

"This is so strange... so strange. If we're talking about the principles of biological brain binding, I'm the original partner, right? You didn't even actually spend any time with that woman, did you? Why is there this 'ex-husband' thing in this relationship?"

The former Fifth Martial God shrugged: "I told you you had a traditional side. Don't worry, tradition has its good points too..." He weighed the backpack on his back: "As for the ugliness of this new era, I'll take the blame for you. Of course, if you're willing to throw in some more 'ugliness of the new era' that I don't know about, I don't mind. Let the storm rage on!"

Xiang Shan waved his hand weakly: "At least... tell me who it is, okay?"

"Haha, you'll see when the time comes," the former Fifth Martial God said. "I have another experimental plan. This can be considered my contribution to humanity's initial research on ascension."

"what?"

"I plan to announce that I'm relinquishing the identity of Xiang Shan." The former Fifth Martial God said with interest, "Should I adopt a new name? Xiang Wu? Hmm, perhaps I could change it to my mother's surname... like Xia Wu? Which one do you think is better?"

Xiang Shan asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why?"

"For ascension," said Xiangshan/Xiangwu, no longer Xiangshan, "For the ascension of all mankind. I will try to observe and see if declaring that I am no longer Xiangshan can truly free me from the concept of 'Xiangshan.' And after I am no longer Xiangshan, can I complete my ascension by following the path opened up by Xiangshan?"

"Clarifying these issues will help all of humanity ascend, and it also holds the hope of pushing the ascension of 'towards the mountain' to an even higher level."

　Sigh, I failed to update before the 14th.

　　(End of this chapter)