Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"And... since your attempt to conceal your tracks failed, the recipient should have already arrived... You're dead, aren't you, Saito Hajime? Utterly dead, vanished without even a chance to be resurrected. Ah... what a pity. If you hadn't already reached the pseudo-fourth rank, possessing the power of a true superhuman, I would have personally sent you to hell. Living a life of deceit and intrigue is quite annoying, but thankfully, it's time for reckoning."

[People scheme against me, and I scheme against them in return. Don't think I'm blind to everything, Saito Hajime. My brain doesn't do extra work. Interfering with the God's deal—I can destroy memories once and still find it a second time; I can block it a second time and still stumble upon it a third time. If I couldn't even see that, I'd be incredibly stupid.]

[You went to great lengths to drag me and Patchi into this mess, and the only change you can make is that Zheng Zha becomes the captain. Because you're doomed, even if you act like you're paving the way for others, you're still doomed. And the only reason you're dragging us down with you is because it will bring you huge benefits. And of all those benefits, the most precious to you is resurrection.]

[You should know of some resurrection method that can bypass the main god. And such a method should be very difficult to achieve... Tsk, it seems that in your predicted future, Zheng Zha is quite a remarkable guy. You want to push him to the top and bestow favors upon him; given his personality, he will indeed resurrect you when he is fully powerful. And to achieve this goal, Patchi and I are the targets you must scheme against.]

[Tsk, I was stupid not to see your problem from the start. But now that I have, you're in my hands. Want to be resurrected? Dream on in the next era!]

She sighed softly, talking to herself to compose herself. Words she would never normally uttered were now freely poured out to this lifeless, desolate place. And if her prediction was correct, she would soon encounter a familiar face at her destination—a 'familiar face' whose appearance was as familiar as an old friend, but whose inner self was entirely different!

She blinked gently, quickening her pace. Before she knew it, the empty city street she was walking on suddenly transformed into a wide and simple corridor, and at the end of the corridor, a familiar figure was waiting for her in a reception room.

She could even clearly make out the figure's features.

Long white hair, crimson eyes. Details have changed, but the figure and face remain the same… It really is you. Even more so than Nagai Tenshi… If anyone in Gensokyo, besides me and Patchouli, could possibly enter the Main God Space, it would only be you. After all, you have a heart as vast as an abyss, willing to pay any price to gain a sense of real life!

A subtle, enigmatic smile played on her lips, but her steps didn't falter. Without hesitation, she stepped into the reception room, meeting that familiar yet unfamiliar face in her eyes!

Alice spoke first, saying, "I never imagined that the sky in Heaven had a sky that reaches the top."

Her words elicited a soft chuckle from the person opposite her, who covered their mouth.

“That’s not right, Alice.” The girl in front of me replied, “A genius who reaches the sky is the sky of heaven, I’m just a worker.”

She reached out and offered Alice a crimson fruit.

"Hey, would you like a peach?"

Alice smiled and took the fruit from the emperor's hand without any hesitation. She put it in her mouth and took a small bite, and the sweet and delicious juice filled her mouth.

"It tastes very good." She sat down on a stool in the reception room. "Is it just for me?"

"I also sent one to Norrell. Although it took her six days to find it from the cognitive interference, the taste is guaranteed. But peaches are peaches, and our conversation is limited to you and me. So she can skip it." The Empress sat down in her seat, admiring Alice's eating posture, her pure white hair swaying gently as if it had feelings.

Alice lowered her eyes.

Cognitive interference, a cognitive interference that lasted for six days… that cognitive interference that covered the entire Central State team, those unlucky newcomers whom Patchouli had to eliminate, and the resulting distrust that permeated the entire team. And all of this, just to deliver a peach!

The team was falling apart; everyone distrusted each other, and some even went so far as to cross the line—all because this guy wanted to deliver a peach to Patchouli at the right moment!

Alice wouldn't consider whether Patchouli would still have the appetite to eat the peach after knowing all this, nor would she delve into the Emperor's reasons for doing so—the Emperor was strong, unimaginably strong, and she had the right to do whatever she wanted without being criticized by the weak. Because if the weak wanted to criticize, they had to be prepared to die—or even survive.

"Why me?" Alice tried to calm herself and asked quietly, "You shouldn't be the Bina Nakaju Emperor I know. And I shouldn't be the Alice Margot Lloyd you know either. You and I are just two people from two different parallel worlds who have no connection. Why do you want to see me?"

"Hmm... just wanted to see you. Because you're Alice." The Emperor waved his hand, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips. "It's been so many years since we last met, so long that I can barely remember your face or your voice. Since you've come to my world, how can I not give you a proper welcome?"

"I already told you I'm not the Alice you know—"

"Is there a difference?" The Emperor tilted his head slightly and asked in return, "What do you think is the difference between you and Alice from other parallel worlds? Different memories? Different experiences? Different powers? Different ages? Different lovers or friends? Different genetic and soul structures?"

"You think this is a difference?" The emperor smiled and continued, "All your spirit, memories, longings, emotions, obsessions, desires, bloodlines, genes... all of these can be manufactured, replicated, and imprinted without the slightest error. You call this a difference?"

"Perhaps it matters to you, but not to me." She looked at the astonished Alice and spoke the cruel truth with a sweet smile. "In my eyes, or rather, in the eyes of all higher beings, beings who haven't unlocked the fourth stage of their genetic lock, whose obsession hasn't made them demon kings, who haven't cultivated a primordial spirit, who haven't reached the Heavenly Rank in Qi Refining, who haven't forged a divine status in their faith... and who haven't reached the point of qualitative change in any other extraordinary path, those who can proclaim their uniqueness to countless parallel worlds, are all fakes."

"Whether you come from the original text, an external text, or a pseudo-text, whether you are a time traveler, a reincarnated person, or a substitute... whatever your identity, as long as you haven't crossed that boundary, you are just a fake that can be replicated countless times with a little effort and time. And there is no difference between fakes."

She reached out and gently stroked Alice's cheek.

“You are her, because you and she are both counterfeit goods without uniqueness. Both are mass-produced products that can be destroyed or created at will. Countless years ago she left my side, and this time... I want to take a good look at you.”

Alice stepped back slightly, avoiding the emperor's hand.

"Perhaps in your eyes, I am no different from Alices in other parallel worlds. But to me, you are not the same person I know, the one who is named Bina Juten!"

“Oh, that is indeed a problem. But it doesn’t matter, let’s skip it for now.” The Emperor returned to his seat, his hands resting lightly in front of him. “In short, you have come to my world and caused a great deal of trouble. Ah… although the cause of the incident is the influence of the Supreme God, that’s a matter between the high-ranking figures. I’m just a messenger, so I can’t and don’t want to get involved. So… let’s discuss how to clean up the mess you’ve made of my world.”

"...We will leave in six days and never come back."

“Oh, I know that, I know.” The Emperor clapped his hands lightly. “The deadline for the main god’s mission, I understand. After all, I used to work under it. But… things are not as simple as you think.”

She clapped her hands gently, and the walls and floor of the reception room were replaced by a vast starry sky. Above was the sky, and below were large, rotating stars. The outline of these stars was formed by alternating blue and white colors, while those were the rolling clouds and sea.

This is Earth, and the current viewpoint is about one-thirtieth of a light-second above the equator in the outer atmosphere.

"Do you know?" the emperor said calmly, "more than 600 million years have passed since the day I arrived in this world."

Section 80, Day 6

"Your brainwaves are fluctuating strangely. Do you think I'm trapped here? But you'd be wrong."

The emperor clapped his hands lightly, and their vantage point rose once more, from the apogee high in the sky, advancing approximately one light-minute along a direction perpendicular to the solar system's celestial disk. Until the Earth appeared as small as a pigeon's egg, and the Sun was only the size of a basketball.

Looking outwards from here, Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light-years away, can be discerned by sight alone. This star, the closest to our solar system, has a faint reddish glow, and a vast asteroid belt, similar to the Kuiper Belt, is faintly visible around it. It appears somewhat faint compared to the Sun's brilliance, but it is undoubtedly a real star.

"See that star? It's a red dwarf star with a relatively low surface temperature, but it's still around 4,000 degrees Celsius. There's a large ring around it that formed during the nebular era. There's water, matter, and energy, but unfortunately, there aren't any planets in a suitable location, so naturally, it can't support life."

“That’s a shame.” Alice lightly stepped on the ground that had turned into nothingness, but she didn’t feel any sense of gravity. The surrounding air density was normal, and sound could travel at 340 meters per second without any obstruction—but she couldn’t be sure it was just an illusion, because her skin could detect light radiation from the sun’s surface.

She didn't understand why the emperor had brought up this topic, but now wasn't the time to seize the initiative, so she let it go and casually echoed his words.

"You think it's a pity, don't you? That's exactly what I was thinking too." The emperor laughed cheerfully, but his next words almost made Alice choke—

"So, 596 million years ago, I spent some time finding a suitable asteroid in its surrounding rings, then pushed it into a suitable orbit, and transported some water, minerals, and organic matter there to create oceans and eutrophic zones. This also triggered core movement, causing tectonic plates and continents to form on the surface… After about four million years, that planet had a geological environment similar to Earth, so I created some life forms on it and introduced human genes into its surface. And now…"

She snapped her fingers, and the surface of the asteroid, less than one-twentieth the size of Earth, appeared in their field of vision. It was a vibrant, verdant planet, its surface bearing the marks of human intervention and civilization. Many people clad in linen and bronze armor were fighting each other at the foot of a massive city. The shouts of battle even reached Alice's ears through the light screen.

Alice was startled and horrified.

"Ah, if I remember correctly, it's the 1,600th Classical Period. Right now, it's the time when the 'Troy' scenario unfolds. Due to circumstances, this tiny planet can't replicate the entire Earth's civilization. But the Greek lineage alone is enough. Anyway, the reboot time I arranged for it isn't long, so it's sufficient as a record sample of a single civilization."

"I'm so sorry to have shown you a half-finished product. But this one will be better." The Empress waved her hand apologetically, and their viewpoint rose several light-minutes higher once more. This time, she was pointing to Sirius, which is 8.7 light-years away from the solar system. It is a binary star system, consisting of two main-sequence stars and a white dwarf orbiting each other.

"Sirius, this star's parameters are stronger than the Sun's, and its gravitational network is also very complex. So, it took me almost ten thousand years to insert a new planetary system into it. I finally calculated the equilibrium point with great difficulty and carefully pushed in a full six planets to build a complete balanced system. Now, four of those six planets are usable. One has entered the industrial age, one is still in the primitive nomadic stage, and the other two were only restarted a few thousand years ago and are now in the wild stage of ecological restoration... Hmm, would you like to come and visit?"

Alice struggled immensely to control her emotions; everything unfolding before her eyes was far beyond her comprehension. She was forced to try and convince herself that everything was an illusion, yet this very belief fueled her growing despair.

The emperor had no reason to lie to her, and even if he did, he wouldn't need to tell such an absurd lie.

"You..." Alice's voice was hoarse, though she quickly composed herself, the melancholy still overflowing within her. "...You've been doing this for over six hundred million years?"

"Hmm, more or less." The Emperor recalled with a touch of nostalgia, "Six hundred million... Hmm, that's too much trouble. About six hundred million years ago, I was invited into the God's Space, and then I fought in about thirty worlds. After experiencing the final battle of reincarnation, I escaped as the last victor. Then the God threw me into this world... Fortunately, the God's last teleportation was quite generous. The world that gave me to retire in is quite vast, at least it's not like many primitive mythological worlds, where there's only a solar system or even an Earth-Moon system, making it difficult to move around."

She made a cryptic gesture, then turned to Alice and asked with certainty, "You must have known me in the world you were born in. You must have read the records of the original world, and the setting book labeled 'Touhou Project.' Since you have, you should know my inner desires."

"...You hate being alone."

“You’re partially right.” The Emperor clapped his hands lightly. “To be precise, I hate a world that never changes. And as a reincarnator, I want to change it, just like I escaped it in other external and pseudo-canonical worlds. Oh, you don’t know what external and pseudo-canonical worlds are, do you? This is the view of the reincarnators of my time on the story world. It’s alright to tell you.”

Without waiting for Alice to respond, she began to speak directly. The light screen surrounding the empty conference hall disappeared with her movement, and Alice's viewpoint returned to the level where she could barely see the small point of light represented by Proxima Centauri.

"If the rules, plot, and characters are exactly the same as the original records, then it is the original world. If one is wrong, it is an external world. If two are wrong, it is a pseudo-world. The world I originated from is a pseudo-world. There is no Gensokyo in that world, so I was summoned by the main god after enduring a long period of loneliness in the Eccentric Heaven."

"You traveled with Patchouli and used a power that was more of a humanitarian magic than an informational one. So you must come from an alternate world with Gensokyo. Ah... I digress. Let's get back to the topic we started with."

Alice remained silent, simply listening attentively… In truth, she had nothing to say. The Emperor's words and actions were extremely self-centered; even when he feigned politeness, he was utterly indifferent to the needs and thoughts of the person he was speaking to.

Because she is the strong one, and Alice is the weak one. When the strong one speaks, the weak one should keep their lips tightly shut.

only……

I have this feeling... that all she said before was actually contained in those three sentences just now... Am I being too nervous?

The thought flashed through Alice's mind. But immediately afterward, the Emperor's words filled her entire thought process.

"As a reincarnator, I wanted to seek a world that was not static... or rather, a world with infinite possibilities. However, the interdimensional wars provided by the Supreme God failed to fulfill my wish. This caused my life level to be stuck at a crucial juncture, unable to advance any further. And this stagnation has lasted for over 600 million years."

She sighed softly. "Unresolved obsession, sainthood leads to death... To suppress my ever-growing power, which could force me to sainthood at any moment, I have to endlessly create these angelic weapons, imbued with a trace of my power, to restrain it... And this is the method you came up with. Yes, of course, I know you're not even seven hundred years old yet, and I'm referring to Alice from over six hundred million years ago. And it's precisely because of this that there's room for dialogue between us now, unlike with Noreiki, where a single peach was enough to settle the matter. Because, apart from you, the other members of Gensokyo are just data records to me."

Alice cried out, "Ah—!" She suddenly remembered the strange sense of familiarity she had felt when facing those angels—divinely created weapons, intelligent AIs that acted autonomously according to certain rules. Apart from the difference in materials and structure, they were exactly the same as the puppet weapons she was good at!

"I never thought I would..." She shook her head with a wry smile.

She didn't ask where the Alice from 600 million years ago was, because she knew very well that if that other Alice had lived for 600 million years, she wouldn't have this opportunity to talk to her now. Even if she had, the person she was talking to wouldn't be the one in front of her... or rather, the goddess/emperor.

"I've always had a lot of confidence in your abilities, but that's not the point. The point is, what can these angels do for me?" The Emperor flicked his fingernails, and their perspective shifted once again, this time to a more distant point in the void—the entire solar system appeared as delicate as a fruit platter... and incredibly small.

“At first, I only used them as vessels for my power, and giving them intelligence was just so that they could at least serve as servants. It wouldn’t be good to just keep them taking up space. Those days lasted for quite a long time, until one day, I found a new master, and from then on, I finally understood how I attained enlightenment.”

"There is no world with infinite possibilities in this endless void of the universe, but I can piece together an infinite possibility myself. So for the past 600 million years, I have been traveling among the stars, spreading life when I encounter suitable planets, and leaving behind an angelic legion as a monitoring tool to record information about civilizations. Some are humans, and sometimes I create strange civilizations such as elves, orcs, undead, demons, insect swarms, and machines. Then I mark them and make them my important assets."

"From the Milky Way to the Andromeda Galaxy, from the Andromeda to the Tucana Galaxy... Unbeknownst to me, over the past hundreds of millions of years, I have set foot on and terraformed more than a million planets with the potential for life. My legions have spread throughout the Milky Way and dozens of surrounding galaxies. Countless civilizations have sprouted, grown, developed, and matured according to the script I prepared, and then, just before they were about to escape my control... I harvested them all, turning them into resources for my sanctification."

She raised her hand and then slowly clenched it.

"I am the heavens, I am the great filter. My Dao is the Dao of Heaven, and now... the Dao fruit of these six hundred million years is finally nearing maturity. However..." She tilted her head, her eyes holding a chilling smile like an icy river as she looked at Alice. "At this final moment, your reincarnation team has come to Earth, the place where I first set sail, and messed up the script I prepared."

"This is an act of obstruction, what should I do?"

Alice lowered her eyes.

"I think the most important thing right now is to cut your losses. One cycle of a planet's existence... shouldn't be that important to you, right? And the countless planets and civilizations you control might not all develop the way you planned... wouldn't it be advantageous for you if there were unexpected changes?"

“That’s something you would actually think, but that won’t do.” The Emperor sighed softly. “This world is a giant universe with multiple galaxies and star clusters, and I am not without enemies in the void. Earth is the first star I set sail from, and it represents my power and prestige. If I ignore the turmoil on this planet, my enemies may think I am weak and easily bullied before my Dao fruit matures… This is a tribulation for humanity, so I must take action.”

"So, you must die here. Even the Supreme God has no reason to stop me for blocking my path. Of course, I'm not denying you a chance... My true form is currently in the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy, 1.44 million light-years from the Solar System. To make an intergalactic jump, it would take at least six days to get here... That protective Supreme God has ultimately delayed me quite a bit. Perhaps I won't reach the border of the Earth-Moon system until the very last second."

She looked at Alice and said earnestly.

"I will only strike once, and that strike will pulverize the entire surface layer of the Earth, a thousand kilometers deep, into atoms. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance. As long as you don't escape from Earth, this strike will settle the matter. If you can withstand it, you will live; if you can't, you will die. Don't even think about escaping through the captain's trial. The letter from the Supreme God is still in my hands. This cycle of reincarnation cannot end prematurely before I have fulfilled my duty."

"Ah, the time is almost up. The reckoning of the [world] is about to begin, before the final deadline. I hope you can bring me some surprises."

"Now, leave."

Author's Note:

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

With the first volume of Death Apocalypse now complete, the second volume will consist of intense battles without any mystery or complex plot twists.

Rumor has it that the Sesshouin banner will be released at midnight... If it is, I'll wait until I pull all the cards before writing this summary. Damn, my Lilith banner failed... If Sesshouin fails too... QAQ

Miss Qihuang, how about we make a deal? If you come over later, I'll add more scenes for you QAQ

Summary at the end of the volume (Volume 1)

To be precise, this is a case of dividing the story into two volumes. The real summary will be saved for the end of the second volume, because the Death Apocalypse volume has been longer than expected, making it necessary to divide it into volumes. In short, the first volume mainly explains the causes and consequences, lays the groundwork, and sets up a complex plot, while the second volume is a more compact phase that breaks through the current impasse.

The goal is to finish the second volume in chapters 40-50. Because I took three days off this month, I'll have no choice but to update more next week. Anyway, I won't be offering a reward; I'll just write as much as I can.

By the way, I failed to get any of my two CCC banners. Two quick pulls gave me two Emiya characters, one bald-haired Black and one white-haired Black. I'm absolutely furious, so angry, so incredibly angry… Even worse, they only gave me four copies of the gacha CE! Is this crappy game deliberately making things difficult for me?!