Strange Voyage: Summoning the Fourth Disaster.

Chapter 807 You've Found It
"what?"

Wei Yu, who was watching the boss's entrance CG, was suddenly called out and was immediately confused.

What the hell does this have to do with me? How did I suddenly become a heretic?
My buddy is using an energy-burning mechanical body, not a curse master!
Wei Yu quickly focused her attention on the other party's information panel, ignoring other information and mainly looking at the other party's description.

【Blood and Machine Prosperity - Bedavian】

【…】

[Note: In Bedavin's view, flesh and blood and spell machines each have their advantages and disadvantages, and only through complete fusion can glory be achieved... For this reason, he can understand the ideas from Gelgard and humbly seek advice from his teacher, Shuri, but there is one thing he cannot accept... that is, any alternative interpretation beyond the two.]

An alternative interpretation?!
So does this mean that Bedavin believes that their players, the Energy Mechs in the Candle Spirits, are an "alternative interpretation" of the Candle Spirits?
This is like a centrist watching radicals and conservatives argue; naturally, he can understand both sides.

But when he turned his head and looked... damn it! What the hell is an apple pie?! Isn't this pure heresy?!
No wonder he was so angry.

Wei Yu understood his thoughts somewhat, but she didn't like his tone of voice.

The mayfly's eyes flickered at that moment, pondering the meaning behind the other's words.

Bedavin's next words confirmed Weiyu's idea.

"Flesh and blood fuel primal desires, and incantations bring absolute rationality... But you are nothing but a parasite, and even the body you inhabit is a poor imitation! You have no ideals or dreams! You are the greatest insult to us!"

As he spoke, the crimson mist dissipated, revealing Bedavan's true form.

Surprisingly, his body was encased in steel and incantations, but the seat beneath him had a thick, fleshy texture, with scarlet filaments tightly connected to his back.

Bedavin's eyes, which had been modified countless times, stared at Wei Yu, and he pointed a finger at him, speaking coldly.

"I will completely eliminate you."

"Then, I will use this tiny mayfly to prove the correctness of my idea..."

Hear his words.

Wei Yu felt a surge of anger.

Damn, he thought this boss was communicable and there would be some extra plot developments.

Unexpectedly, he was immediately subjected to a barrage of insults.

As a player, how can I put up with your bullshit?!

"A counterfeit? What a joke!"

"Losing makes it a counterfeit, winning makes it the real deal!"

Wei Yu sneered and directly raised the Gray Soul in her hand.

Seeing his actions, the mayfly beside him silently prepared for battle. Without a doubt, even if the betaven in front of him had no ill intentions, he would still help Wei Yu.

"You are very confident, but you lack self-awareness."

Bedavin chuckled, then looked at the mayfly with some disappointment.

"Have I been fooled by this cunning parasite...? Then I'd better be careful..."

"I don't want my research evidence to be damaged!"

boom--

The next moment, the blood mist spread, and scarlet filaments spread from under his seat, quickly covering the entire area.

At the same time, Bedavin also raised his spell-inscribed mechanical arm and snapped his fingers lightly.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly, and Bedavan's figure began to blur, but many figures that looked exactly like Bedavan rose up throughout the entire venue.

A fierce battle erupted at this moment.

This Bedavan isn't that strong. Judging from his aura, he's at most around the level of Dust Flame, not much stronger than Wei Yu.

However, his abilities seem unusually strange and difficult to deal with.

It seemed that the blood vessel-like filaments on its seat were the culprit, casting a blood-red hue over the surrounding environment and obscuring the view.

And those numerous clones were not illusions.

Wei Yu thought that activating the energy radar would break through the influence of these illusions, but to her surprise, the feedback from the radar showed that these clones actually took on a physical form.

This situation, combined with the blood mist that obscured visibility, instantly made things tricky, and Wei Yu could only keep trying with the energy bullets from the Gray Soul Twin Pistols.

Every mistake he made would trigger a fierce attack from the real body of Bedavin, sometimes with energy bullets and shockwaves, sometimes with sneaky flying blades or grappling hooks.

There are even strange sound waves that can throw the micro-rain body into chaos, making it exhausting to deal with.

Fortunately, the mayfly beside him was helping to relieve his stress. It seemed that because of the crimson mechanical half that it had previously fused with, he was able to sense Bedavin's movements within a certain range.

Bedavin was somewhat troubled by the obstruction from the mayflies.

"I had high hopes for you, little mayfly, but I never expected you to use the things I gave you to deal with me..."

He seemed somewhat helpless, but Wei Yu noticed a hint of...excitement in his voice.
"Mayfly, be careful. The thing you've merged with comes from him, and you might be influenced by him!"

Wei Yu couldn't help but remind her.

Before the mayfly could respond, Bedavan, standing nearby, spoke up angrily.

"What a despicable parasite!"

"How could you possibly presume to know me with such disgusting thoughts?"

"Heh... Although your idea is advantageous to me, I wouldn't stoop to such petty tricks..."

"If I can see flesh and blood perfectly fused with the incantations and machinery, what does it matter if I die?!"

"How could a mindless, unthinking person like you possibly understand the greatness of our goals!"

Bedavin was furious. His words were entirely from a moral high ground, and it was clear from his reaction that he really hadn't used any tricks with the materials used in the mayfly fusion.

Of course, it's also possible that he couldn't do that, since the mayfly's ability came from his father, and his father didn't know much about the source of this ability.

If Bedavin could have deciphered this, he might not be here now.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yu was speechless for a moment.

If what the other party said is true, then he is truly judging others by his own petty standards.

...I was actually looked down upon on a moral level by a boss.

hateful!

Am I the villain?

But after hearing what he said...

The mayfly, however, reacted quite differently, its eyes filled with confusion.

"So... is this the meaning of your existence?"

"The mayfly asked."

Of course, his hands didn't stop moving; his mental force field instantly crushed the two clones of Bedavan.

"The meaning of existence?"

"...You could say that, little mayfly."

"Hmm... a philosophical question. What's your purpose in asking this?"

While summoning several machine-devouring aliens to chase after Wei Yu, Bedavon spoke to Mayfly with great interest.

"...following my father's instructions, I searched for the meaning of life."

Mayfly Path.

"Searching for the meaning of life?"

"interesting."

Bedavin seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly removed the blood-red filaments around him and raised his hand towards Weiyu, who was aiming Gray Soul at him.

"How about we... take a temporary truce?"

"I'd rather answer the little mayfly's question than kill you."

Nourishes...

Upon hearing this, Wei Yu, who was about to unleash the Gray Soul, was completely bewildered.

This made Gray Soul unable to hold back, and two energy bullets flew out one after another, landing directly on Bedavon's face. The annihilating energy instantly created two large holes and even melted away his spell armor.

However, even though his face was partially disfigured, Bedavin remained calm and did not get angry.

“Mistakes are normal; I won’t take them as your answer.” “Now, could you consider my earlier suggestion, Mr. Parasite?”

As he spoke, Bedavin summoned a flesh and blood chair to repair his body's injuries, appearing elegant and magnanimous.

However, the tone and word choice still carried a sense of yin and yang.

"..."

If the energy-powered mechanical body had an expression, then Wei Yu's face at this moment would be one of bewilderment and complexity.

What the hell is going on?
How can a boss call for a halt halfway through a battle?!
Is this right?
Fortunately, Wei Yu reacted quickly.

...Yes, yes!
New plot, new direction!

Isn't that the beauty of the game "Spirit Candle"?

Not surprisingly!
Thinking of this, Wei Yu also put away the Gray Soul. Although she was somewhat wary, she did not intend to launch another attack.

"Alright, I'll let you say a few last words before you die."

Of course, as a player, verbal retorts are essential; you can't lose face.

Bedavin ignored him and looked at the mayfly in front of him.

Upon hearing Wei Yu's reply, the mayfly temporarily put down its weapon and energy pulse.

After carefully examining every detail of the mayfly's body, Bedavon's eyes revealed a mixture of relief and regret.

"Tell me about your story, okay?"

Bedavin looked at him like a kind elder.

The mayfly looked at the light rain, and after seeing the latter nod, he recounted his experience again.

After listening, Bedavin remained silent for a long time.

"No wonder you hate me."

"...The fate of the world is sometimes like a pesky child...always managing to mess everything up precisely."

"Really... I wish you had shown up sooner. I wouldn't have needed this jungle to prove anything."

"but……"

Bedavin sighed, not finishing his sentence.

"You mean... me and my father?"

The mayfly seemed to understand why he sighed.

Bedavin was eager to prove his ideas, so he created the "Dead Machine Jungle," but because of this, the mayfly's father died there, and the mayfly appeared as well.

The mayfly's current state can, to some extent, prove Bedavin's idea. Although it may not be correct, it can at least be said to be feasible.

Then neither the Machine Hive nor the entire Dead Machine Jungle would mean anything to Bedavon.

After all, all he wanted to do was prove that.

As for the method of proof, that is not important.

...But that's precisely the crux of the problem.

If Bedavin hadn't pulled this dead machine jungle thing...

The mayfly is most likely still with its father, and its condition remains the same as before, so it cannot help Bedavan prove anything.

Fate seemed to have played a cruel yet darkly humorous joke on them, successfully causing everyone to feel pain.

The mayfly suffers from the death of its father and the confusion about the meaning of its own existence.

Bedavin, on the other hand, suffers because he cannot prove his ideas, and is just one step away from achieving them but can never reach them.

As for Wei Yu... he was genuinely a little angry when he heard this.

"Let's skip this; there's no point in saying more," said Wei Yu.

Bedavin understood this principle, of course. Then, he looked at the mayfly and got to the point.

"The meaning of life..."

He looked up at the sky above the Dead Machine Jungle, where the rain was still falling.

"Some people believe that the burning of life is the meaning of life. We come into this world to burn, and the world has filled us with the core of life from the very beginning."

"Some people believe that the burning of life is meaningless, merely burning for the sake of burning, or perhaps it is a tool created by the gods to prove their greatness and benevolence, or some other more base reason..."

"But it seems to me."

"Life itself has no meaning, yet one could also say that every moment of life has meaning."

"Because every life is born as a blank sheet of paper. You can burn, you can drift in the wind, and you can write or draw on it..."

"But whatever you do, as long as it's something you wanted to do and did it... that's meaningful, even if there are all sorts of driving reasons behind it."

Bedavin lowered his head and looked straight at the mayfly.

"So for me, proving the fusion and coexistence of flesh and blood with spell machines is the meaning of my life... even if it doesn't write the ending I want."

"And you..."

At this point, Bedavon smiled.

“I suggest that whatever you want to do, you should do one thing first—ignore your father’s final instructions and put them aside for now.”

Hear this.

The mayfly was stunned.

The mayfly froze because it instantly recalled its father's last instructions... to abandon the past, abandon expectations, pursue itself, and find the meaning of life and existence.

If he were to heed Bedavan's advice and ignore the instruction... wouldn't he be doing exactly what was ordered in the final instruction?

So, does this count as following the instructions or not?
This seems to be a contradiction in itself.

When Wei Yu heard this, she cursed inwardly... How did this Bedavan create a paradox?

"I mean, you don't mean to crash it, do you?" Wei Yu asked.

"If he can figure that out, that would be true evolution and sublimation."

Bedavin glanced at him: "That's why I call you a parasite... You don't have these kinds of troubles, so you don't have the opportunity for this kind of transformation."

Wei Yu's face immediately fell. This guy really can't stop talking about parasites, his mouth is so foul... I have to kill him no matter what!

And at this time.

The mayfly, which had been hesitant and conflicted for a long time, suddenly reacted.

His eyes flickered, but ultimately became resolute.

"I don't quite understand what you just said."

"But I will not accept your suggestion."

"I will continue to follow my father's last instructions... to pursue the meaning of life."

"It said earnestly."

"And what about me? Do you intend to continue helping him deal with me? That wasn't one of your father's orders."

"But I must warn you, without your help, he probably wouldn't be a match for me, and in the end he'd probably die like a stray dog ​​on the street."

"Bedavin said with great interest."

"Bullshit!" Wei Yu couldn't help but curse, then said to Fu You, "Fu You, don't worry about me. Do whatever you want. I can kill this bastard without a second thought."

"At worst, I'll just die a few more times..." Wei Yu thought to herself.

But the mayfly quickly gave its answer: "I will kill you to avenge my father and to repay Weiyu."

Hear the words.

Bedavin's lips curled up, then he burst into laughter. After a while, he stopped under the mayfly's puzzled gaze and gave his answer.

"Then what are you still looking for?"

"You've found it... haven't you?"

(End of this chapter)