I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"Why?"

"To atone for my mistakes, to redeem my sins, to save this world."

Even if it's too late?

"Yes."

"You beg me to redeem this world?"

"Yes."

"But... what if I refuse?"

He gently stroked your hand, his fingertips sliding back and forth over the cross you were clenching, and his tone became flippant.

"........."

"Ha ha……"

Seeing Xi Wang become embarrassed and speechless, [He] chuckled twice, seemingly much happier.

He gently pushed his hands, and Xi Wang felt the cross rest on his lips, and also felt He lean down and approach him.

"I am so glad that you can shed those non-existent shackles, become yourself again, and pray to me again as your 'self,' my devout yet foolish believer... no, young one who is about to come to us..."

"He" said in a soft voice.

I could feel the flames on my body subsiding.

You can feel the fragrance rapidly approaching.

I could feel the cool, soft touch against my lips through the metal cross print.

? !

Startled, Xi Wang subconsciously opened her eyes, only to see this pure white land, the empty throne not far away, and [He], shrouded in light and so close at hand, with the silver hair fluttering beside her, and... a blurry, similar to her own, yet rather feminine... [He]'s face.

Just like looking in a mirror.

No... it should be that I am similar to [He]...

"Take this power and use it to atone for our mistakes and redeem our sins."

His words echoed in my ears, carrying the comfort of a mother and the joy of a young girl.

Remember, follow your heart.

"Remember, always have a kind heart."

He stepped back gently, his fingertips flicking, and snatched the cross pendant tightly held in his palm.

Remember this: from this day forward, you are your own god.

Everything vanished with "Him". When he came to his senses, Xi Wang was back in the church, but the cross pendant in his hand had fallen to the ground not far in front of him.

Someone walks past you, picks up the pendant, and hands it to Xiwang.

"Father, your pendant has fallen off."

It was Aponia; she was worried about Xiwang's condition, so she came to find him.

“If you don’t hold onto your prayer token tightly, you will be punished by Him.”

As she said this, she slowly took Xi Wang's hand and placed the cross pendant in his palm.

However, at this moment, Xi Wang grasped her hands in return, overlapping them to hold the cross pendant together.

"Father?"

Aponia was somewhat at a loss. You should know that ever since he changed [Twilight Street], Xi Wang has rarely taken the initiative to contact her. The way he addresses her has also changed from her original name to a general term like [Nun]. Even when they meet, their interactions and contact are only superficial.

"fine."

Xi Wang responded softly, but the emotion in her words made Aponia slightly stunned.

"This is fine for now...this is fine...this is fine."

"...I see. I understand."

Aponia nodded, offering no objection.

Upon receiving a response, Xi Wang simply pulled her hands closer, and Aponia did not resist, even obediently stepping forward slightly.

Xi Wang held her hands in front of him, lowered his head, and touched her hands together.

"........."

Silence, just silence. Xi Wang didn't speak, and Aponia didn't ask any questions. The two, blessed by God, didn't need many words between them. Although they sometimes found each other's actions and behaviors strange, they understood each other—after all, they were both blessed and guided by God.

only……

"Father?"

Aponia felt a damp touch on her hands.

"I'm sorry...I...I'm so sorry..."

You could hear the guilt in his voice, and feel the apology emanating from him... All the emotions he had buried deep in his heart since he dedicated himself to "Him" erupted at this moment.

"...It's alright, Father."

Aponia spoke softly, stepped forward slightly, and reached out to embrace him.

“I am by your side… All that you have done is within the realm of fate, yet the final outcome is yet to come; this moment is merely a small milestone on the road.”

"You will surely overcome this challenge and continue to move forward with determination... I will be by your side and walk with you."

"I will watch your figure until the [endgame] arrives."

Aponia said gently.

"You are walking on a long road full of thorns and difficulties, but please keep going firmly... You will eventually reach the light."

"If you feel tired on your journey... do not worry, I will come to your side. With me, you can forget the many troubles of the world and the hardships of the journey. With me, you can rest for a while, and then set off again after you have prepared everything."

Aponia gently comforted him, calming his long-suppressed emotions until his slightly twitching shoulders were still and his breathing became steady again.

"...You've witnessed an embarrassing scene, nun."

After a long while, Xi Wang moved slightly, broke free from Aponia's embrace, and her expression returned to its usual calm.

No, it's slightly different from before.

His lips were slightly upturned, as if he were maintaining a polite smile, and his eyes were much more lively, with a clear sense of self... All of this familiarity reminded Aponia of Dawn from back then, the one who was helpful and would smile at the smiles of others.

"It's alright, Father."

Aponia laughed, a very happy laugh.

"We are partners walking together on the road, and we should help each other, support each other, and depend on each other."

She was very happy that she had helped Xiwang this time, even if it was just a small help, she was happy enough.

This time... the temperature of her palm... was slightly comparable to his?

"However, I still need to deal with this situation... The guilt that arose from me should also be resolved by me."

As Xi Wang spoke, he immediately stood up with the scriptures in his arms.

“Sister, please... witness everything and judge me.”

"Yes, my gaze will remain fixed on you forever."

Aponia nodded in agreement, and Xiwang, understanding, turned and left.

“…Ah, Father, you should wear your pendant.”

Seeing that Xi Wang was about to push open the door and leave, Aponia suddenly remembered something and quickly pointed to the cross pendant in her palm as a reminder.

"The token given by Him should be carried with you at all times..."

"no need."

Xi looked back, smiled, and said softly.

“I no longer need His tokens.”

Having said that, he left, carrying with him determination and conviction.

"........."

Aponia remained silent, her gaze lingering between the direction he had left and the object in his hand. Finally, she put on the cross pendant, letting it hang down in front of her chest.

Raise your hand and hold the cross pendant in your palm; you can feel the warmth emanating from it.

Like the warm sun in spring, like a bonfire on a snowy night.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Ending of the Pious (6068)

Walking silently through the Moth of Fire's base, Xi Wang's slow pace stood out starkly from the hurried crowd around him. Yet, no one questioned this; in fact, when people saw him, their expressions would turn panicked, their eyes filled with fear and disgust before quickly averting their gaze and leaving.

Xi Wang remained silent, taking everything in. He accepted their fear and disgust towards him without complaint.

One should bear the consequences of one's own sins.

Continuing forward towards his destination, no one blocked his way. Although everyone was on guard, they did nothing after realizing it was Xi Wang.

Because they knew they couldn't stop him.

And so, Xi Wang walked into the laboratory without any hindrance and met Mei, who was discussing things with Vervie and Mebius, and... Kevin, who had been following Mei.

Hearing footsteps, the group looked over at the same time. Upon seeing him, Mebius's eyes were instantly filled with hatred, and even his strange "qualities" could not attract her... naturally, because Xiwang had killed Klein, the only person who could understand her.

Xi Wang naturally accepted the blame this time.

On the other side, Kevin and Velvet's gazes were also filled with complex emotions.

On one hand, Kevin was grateful to Xi Wang for allowing him to touch Mei again, and even more grateful to Xi Wang for making preparations in advance to allow Hen to survive the [Heavenly Judgment]. On the other hand, he also saw what Xi Wang did afterwards, especially the Ling incident. Although Xi Wang did not actually do anything, Xi Wang's words were the actual "trigger". Therefore, he also had some resentment towards Xi Wang.

Vilvi's gaze reflected this as well. Although she could objectively see that everything Xiwang did was "good," and even that most of Xiwang's actions were objectively "positive," people are always subjective, and Xiwang's actions were difficult to understand and even more difficult to accept... The most crucial of these was the Ling incident.

Although it was ultimately the "Twelfth Herrscher" who launched the nuclear missiles, completely destroying the three remaining human cities, and although Velve had complained and blamed herself for creating those nuclear missiles, even having thoughts like, "If she hadn't created those weapons, would things have turned out differently?"... although she took most of the blame upon herself, believing that she indirectly killed the people of those three cities and indirectly destroyed humanity's last remaining hope.

But... sure enough, her thoughts inevitably drifted back to Xi Wang, and she couldn't help but blame everything on him, because his words... were the real "trigger".

Ah... just as I expected. It's all because of Rin's incident. Because of Rin, everyone's opinion of him has completely fallen into an abyss, beyond saving.