Alice in the Land of Steam

Will Chapter 1319 exist forever?

On the continent of East Empire, in the subcontinent of Andriel, on the Narrow Sea, where the sea and sky meet, leaden-gray clouds, like a giant curtain, pressed heavily against the surface. As if influenced by an extraterrestrial calamity, the calm ocean began to brew a storm. Wave after wave of roaring waves crashed against this behemoth, comparable to a moving piece of land, yet could not shake its trajectory in the slightest. The waves shattered against the cold metal hull, leaving only large, wet patches. Beneath the dark cloud curtain, a crimson star fell from the sky into the sea, instantly evaporating a massive amount of water molecules. Beneath the boiling seawater, it seemed as if a prehistoric beast, dormant for many years, had been awakened, and a low, angry roar could be faintly heard.

"Record from S701: An abnormal magical reaction has been detected. The impact on the current magical environment of the sea area urgently needs to be measured and is currently being analyzed. Subsequent records will be archived for future reference."

When the Empire's oldest astrologer solemnly declared to His Majesty the Emperor that "a red star falling from the sky is an ominous sign," the first mate of the turbine carrier Nidhogg wrote the following words in the ship's logbook. At the same time, the Witch of Strife, Fafrena, still stood at the highest point of the bridge, silently gazing up at the crimson harbinger of doom, watching it descend upon the world to deliver its judgment, only to be stopped outside the atmosphere by knights who defied the judgment. At this vast distance, the collision between the two seemed like a silent pantomime from an old era, evoking an indescribable sense of power and awe.

She stared for a long, long time, until the first mate, having finished writing in the logbook, walked onto the bridge, his boots echoing clearly on the metal floor, and asked her for directions. Only then did she slowly come to her senses. This saint, whom her friends and enemies, admired and feared, called "The Flame of the Red Dragon" due to her personality, preferences, conduct, and even fighting style, rarely showed a hint of melancholy. She sighed softly, a sigh so faint it was almost swallowed by the wind and waves outside the window, and spoke as if to herself: "It's time to fight to the death..."

"What did you say?" The first mate didn't hear clearly.

"nothing."

Fafrona's expression was calm, as if the fleeting sadness from moments before had never existed. She withdrew her gaze, her chin slightly raised, revealing her usual cold and aloof features, and turned her attention further ahead along the route, to the turbulent sea: "Maintain the original plan and continue sailing towards the Storm Ocean. Our objective is to eliminate all unstable elements along this route and open up a supply route for the Western Continent that can transport more troops and supplies. As for the battle on land—"

She paused, her gaze seemingly turning once more to the distant horizon, which was being tinged with an ominous crimson by the light of the red star, and said softly, "Leave it to her."

The first mate, oblivious to the subtle difference in tone, nodded in acceptance and hurried away, his footsteps quickly disappearing into the passageway leading to the lower level of the bridge. He had much work to do. For him and the 3,120 crew members operating on this turbine carrier, their mission was confined to this steel behemoth; everything concerning the Crimson Cataclysm and what was happening on land was none of their concern.

Fafrona once heard someone say something very interesting: A soldier's mission is to obey orders, not to win.

She had almost forgotten who had said those words, but now, recalling them, she suddenly had a different feeling, realizing that the words subtly fit the current situation, especially for that chief knight.

Although she intervened in the war, she was not essentially a soldier, not an insignificant symbol within the vast command structure of the army, but a "person" with self-awareness and independent thoughts. This was her strength, but also her weakness, because any "person," any unfettered and free "person," is inevitably analyzable. Their emotions, their ideals, their beliefs, even their growth experiences—those things that would have been silent if integrated into the collective—become incredibly vivid once they exist as "individuals," almost like a harbinger of doom in the sky, impossible to ignore.

The military transforms people into symbols, and these symbols into inviolable commands, not to erase their emotions, but to conceal the weaknesses of ordinary people as individuals. Therefore, to deal with an army, one must focus on the whole; targeting any single individual is insufficient, whether they are a high-ranking general or an unknown soldier. As for those who do not submit to the system, they may be powerful, but their very nature makes them too distinct, and their weaknesses can be found through analysis.

Long ago, the Witch Society's analysis of the "Master Knight" revealed her most fatal weakness: she was a person who cared a great deal about the big picture and would always prioritize the interests of the whole, even at the cost of her own.

Time passes, identities change, memories change, everything changes, but the soul remains unchanged.

……

From a personal perspective, for Hino, there is no more dangerous enemy on this battlefield than the Dark Witch Caraboss; however, from the perspective of the entire campaign, the alien philosopher Dyson Sphere is currently the greatest threat, because it not only possesses long-range firepower beyond visual range, but its position is also virtually invincible. Who can fight against an enemy in space? The Cloud Whale Sky Island might be able to, but it is too slow—relatively speaking. Compared to the frequency with which the Dyson Sphere fires its cation-destroying cannons, even if the Cloud Whale Sky Island tries its best, it will be difficult to break through the constraints of gravity and the atmosphere and enter space in a short time.

Alice's game console and cartridges just had to break down again; otherwise, both the Arus Twin Starship and the Armed Goddess would have been incredibly effective.

It can only be said that in the modern warfare system, the emergence of a cosmic-level war weapon like the Dyson Sphere is inherently unreasonable. Therefore, the only way to deal with an unreasonable enemy is to use unreasonable means as well.

In the blink of an eye, Xinuo made up her mind.

After figuring things out, she felt much lighter. The young female knight gently stroked her horse's neck, and Brandy rubbed against her palm obediently. The snow-white mane fluttered in the wind. Even in such an unfavorable situation, she still had the mood to tease, "Looks like you're going to be the first horse to enter space, Brandy."

Of course, Brandy was only excited and eager to try it out, without the slightest hesitation. With her best friend by her side, she was fearless and invincible. However, she still called out with some concern, as if asking: What about the enemies on the ground?

That black-haired, black-eyed girl looked like someone you didn't want to mess with. Besides her master, who else could possibly deal with her?

Hino fell silent, then sighed softly, "We have no choice but to trust them."

As soon as the words were spoken, a celestial calamity flashed, and another crimson streak tore through the already gloomy sky, piercing the atmosphere and shooting straight towards the battlefield on the ground. In the rolling darkness, corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like rivers. Even facing a threat from the distant universe, the soldiers continued to kill and slaughter each other, for they no longer knew whether the celestial calamity had struck first, or whether the enemy's bullets had arrived faster.

Unable to bear witnessing this sorrowful scene, the young knight slowly raised her head, casting her gaze upon the boundless deep space, where the Holy Lance White Thorn burned fiercely in the flames of anger and determination: "Brandy."

With a long neigh, the divine horse vanished into the high heavens in the blink of an eye, galloping towards the distant universe. The battle between the Red Star and the Silver Star continued.

……

"Gudu!"

Ieta swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly as if she could feel her own heartbeat: "Xi-Xino is gone, Sister Xia, what should we do? Am I...am I supposed to fight the Dark Witch myself...?"

As she spoke, the angel's voice gradually lowered, her head drooped slightly, and her white wings unconsciously folded together, as she suddenly realized that this shouldn't be a question, but a statement. Besides her, who else on the battlefield could stop Caraboss? Countess Neville was only a demigod, and the Eagle of Gray Hill wasn't even a demigod; even if the two joined forces, they might not be able to stop the witch, and might even pay the price with their lives.

Only the power of a young girl can stand against the power of a young girl.

Although the victorious monarchy, best suited to confront the Dark Lords, chose another enemy.

But Ieta didn't blame Hino, because she knew his choice was correct. Anyone who had witnessed that cosmic war would find it hard to forget the terror of the Dyson Sphere. If it were allowed to continuously unleash its cation-destroying cannons, not only would the war be hopeless, but even the duel with the Dark Witch Caraboss would be disrupted. Fighting a single witch or a single construct mech alone was far less dangerous than the combined power of both.

“Ietta,” Saint Charlotte looked at her sister with concern, wanting to comfort her but unsure where to begin, “if you’re afraid…”

"Do not."

Ieta suddenly interrupted her sister, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, as if releasing her inner fear and unease. Her eyes regained their resolve. Although still somewhat nervous, she was much better than before: "I'm not afraid anymore, Sister Xia, because I've already made up my mind that I won't back down no matter what battle I face. So how can I speak arrogantly in the face of a weak enemy, and then cower before even fighting a truly powerful one? Wouldn't that make me like Alice?"

"Pfft!" Despite the extremely urgent situation, Ieta's words still made Saint Charlotte burst out laughing. The tense atmosphere seemed to be slightly eased by this little teasing. She knew that the genius player was certainly not a bully who would back down from the weak, but that only applied to real life. As for his performance in the game... Thinking of Alice being chased all over the map by a powerful enemy in the game and screaming, it was exactly the same as what Ieta had said.

"Besides, I don't necessarily have to fight that guy to the death." Ietta straightened her back, her wings unfurled again, and after calming down, the angel's intelligence regained its dominance: "As long as we stall her until Hino takes down the Dyson Sphere, as long as we hold out until that moment... then the two of us, the two young queens, can gang up on her, and victory should be a simple matter—yes, a piece of cake!"

She tried to calm her nerves by speaking in a deliberately relaxed tone, perhaps also to show Sainte-Charlie her confidence. Although this method was clumsy and the more she tried to show it, the more it highlighted her insecurity, Sainte-Charlie felt gratified by her growth and maturity.

"That's good, Ieta."

Saint Charlotte gazed tenderly at her sister, her eyes glistening with a crystalline light. She reached out and gently stroked her long, feather-white hair, her touch as delicate as if caressing a fragile jewel. She whispered, "Do as you wish. Don't be afraid, and don't back down, because I... and we will always be by your side..."

Encouraged by her sister, Miss Angel finally cheered up. She slapped her cheeks hard, like patting a rosy apple, making a crisp sound. Then, the girl took two steps forward, bent down, and gently placed her hands on the ground of the primrose field, conveying her determination and resolve to the Cloud Whale Sky Island.

Sensing the will of its master, the distant clouds churned violently. A whale roared to the heavens, its ethereal cry piercing the battlefield's clamor and echoing between heaven and earth. Its massive body tumbled and danced in the clouds, stirring up the thick sea of ​​clouds, its wings whipping up visible storms as it surged towards the approaching darkness like a tidal wave. The two forces collided, locked in a fierce struggle, neither willing to yield. The giant whale had already soared through the sky, swimming towards the very center of the dark ocean. There, the master of all darkness awaited, awaiting a destined opponent, a fateful duel, and the destiny she had long anticipated—the destined ending.

However, Ieta, who had finally mustered the courage to face the witch, did not notice that behind her, her sister, who had just encouraged her, was now looking at her with worried and helpless eyes. Ieta's heart was churning with thoughts, and she had many things to say, but she did not know how to express them.

Ieta, are you forcing yourself too?
Battle, victory or defeat, life or death—all of these things leave one feeling utterly empty, don't they?
But, it doesn't matter.

Even if you are weak, even if you fail, even if you can't become the person you want to be... it doesn't matter.

Because I am still here.

I... have always been here, always will be here, or rather...

It will exist eventually.

Give me some cats