Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“This is not contradictory. You are indeed my thoughts, the part I give up. You are my daughter, my tool, and the decisions you ultimately make are my decisions about this multiverse. But beyond that, you are free, you can do whatever you want, and I will not interfere with your actions.”

"...Even if I give up on ending the war now and remain at this current level of neither advancing nor retreating, until the end of time?"

She saw Shenqi yawn.

"Alice, Alice. Do you really think this battle, this victory or defeat, has even the slightest importance to me? Even the slightest bit of significance?" She chuckled softly. "Mortals always like to understand gods and demons with their shallow thinking, and gods and demons always like to understand me with their shallow thinking. I just told you about the information regarding the sixth tier, but you still try to define me with your own logic."

“You’re doing something stupid, Alice. Even though you are stupid to begin with.”

"You...don't care?"

"Why should I care?" Shenqi tilted her head. "Because I helped Gaia? Because I stood on Gaia's side? Because Gaia is the Cosmic Tree and I was once the Cosmic Tree? Foolish. Even if you judge me by the standards of a mortal, you should know that mortals will never care that I and the weeds under your feet both came from the same multicellular organism group a billion years ago. Even if you think in the way of gods and demons, you should understand that what you are doing is the path of change, not a road with the word 'change' written on it."

"The only reason I'm on Gaia's side is because... well, that guy you call the Primal Man is on the other side. He makes the first move, I respond with the second, he plays black, I play white. Just because a mortal is black doesn't mean he cares much about black. Just because Gaia is white doesn't mean I care much about white—it's just a game of chess, I only care about the act of playing the game itself. Black or white is meaningless to me."

She paused slightly, and one of the wings behind her fluttered gently.

"If, at the moment Gaia ascended, he had looked at me instead of the original human, then the current scenario would probably be that humanity and the heavenly way are on equal footing, and mortals and all races work together to defeat me, the outsider. And you, my daughter, at this point in time, you might also become a distorted heaven, just like Pei Xi in this universe against the original human, becoming the ruler of the present world while also trying to rebel against me."

Within her wings refracted a universe… a multiverse. And in that mirror universe, almost identical to the multiverse Alice currently inhabited, Alice observed the boundless power possessed by another 'self'. That 'self' was about to grasp all variables within the entire multiverse, almost about to replace the will of the multiverse and achieve the realm of the inner universe. And that 'self' on that side was entwined with an endless, pale purple river!

The blood-red river is a manifestation of humanity's destiny.

The pale purple river is undoubtedly another parallel structure with a different composition but similar properties.

And the next moment, Alice saw another 'self' in those wings suddenly raise its eyes!

With a 'whoosh,' Shenqi retracted the wing she had spread out, and the entire mirror image multiverse vanished without a trace. All the changes were as elusive as a dreamlike illusion, yet Alice knew perfectly well that the mirror image multiverse that appeared within the wing, and the other Holy Emperor Alice who also walked the path of change, were real entities!

“Look, like this.” Then Shenqi shrugged and raised her other wing to pat Alice’s head. “My foolish daughter, victory or defeat means nothing to me, position means nothing to me, everything that mortals pursue, everything that gods and demons pursue, means nothing to me. I don’t care what the outcome will be here, and the reason I am in this position is only because the original human was one step ahead of me.”

Alice felt she had nothing more to say.

Ah… Luo Ye’s assessment of them was indeed accurate. The players truly are the players. They don’t care whether the pieces are black or white, or how the rules of the game work. They only look at their opponents, and then decide the winner or loser or the draw in a series of games. And when a game ends, they may leave for another board, or they may rearrange the pieces for the next game. In any case, the will and allegiance of the board and the pieces themselves are not considered by the players.

"I... I really was an idiot." Alice pressed her hand gently to her chest, feeling saddened and frustrated by her past misconceptions about Shinki. But— "But..."

"Why did the original human come first, instead of you, Mom?" she asked.

She still refers to Shinki as her mother.

Shenqi didn't care, just as she didn't care about the Holy Emperor Alice who rebelled against her in the Mirror Multiverse. She simply tapped Alice's forehead lightly with the tip of her wing, a gesture that carried a hint of intimacy.

"That's a different question, my silly daughter." Shenqi raised her index finger and shook it gently to the left and right. "But it doesn't matter. I set the rules myself, and I can change them whenever I want. And since... well, since your hair feels so nice to touch, I'll give you an extra answer to this second question."

She closed her six wings and casually combed her ankle-length hair.

"Alice, my foolish daughter. When did you start having..."

"...Is it just my imagination that I'm not a native?"

"—!!?" Alice's eyes widened suddenly.

This unexpected intelligence shock almost caused the very structure of her Daoist beliefs that she used to maintain her stability to disintegrate on the spot!

However, Shenqi simply shook her wings to regain her composure. And what followed was a sigh, "My child, your mother is very disappointed in you."

"What's the big deal? I already told you about the sixth tier, but you insisted I spell it out for you to understand this obvious fact. Calling you stupid is no exaggeration. Sigh, how are you going to survive in this endless multiverse?"

"Alice, Alice," she grumbled like an old mother, scolding her good-for-nothing daughter. Only when Alice's eyes had barely regained their focus did she continue the previous topic—

"My silly daughter, do you think there are many sixth-order beings and many higher-level narrative beings outside this multiverse?"

She still didn't expect Alice to answer, but instead offered her own answer—

She raised a finger.

"Yes, and only one." Shen Qi's tone was indifferent, and then the finger she had tucked away fell back down. "But, there could also be countless."

"Why, why?" Alice asked, both surprised and puzzled.

"For no reason other than that, it's simply because I can do it, and we can do it." Shen Qi tilted her head. "I will not lose, I will not lose, I am omniscient, I am omnipotent, I am omnipresent. So naturally, I can also kill all beings of my level at will and unify all higher narratives into one. And similarly, they can do the same thing."

“I can be the Primordial Being, as long as I want, I am the Primordial Being. The Primordial Being can be me, as long as it wants, the Primordial Being is me. We can create countless multiverses, we can shrink into 'I'. We are all things, and all things are also us. We do not exist, but all existence can also be a manifestation of us.”

“As I said before, to reach the sixth level, you have to give up everything. But since everything is given up, there shouldn’t be anything left. This is a paradox, and the sixth level transcends the paradox—so, do you understand now? My foolish daughter, it makes no difference whether the original human or I came first. Perhaps it does for you, and for all the superfluous beings in this multiverse. But for me, for the original human, or for other troublemakers, it has never made any difference from beginning to end.”

"It came first, and then I came too."

"It is late, and so am I."

"There is no difference between the two, it's that simple."

“…Then…” Alice rubbed her head vigorously. “Since there’s no difference between you, since there’s no inherent difference between you, then what’s the point of your victory or defeat…”

Before she could finish speaking, she was pulled into Shenqi's arms with a gasp and given a firm squeeze. Feeling that clear and unmistakable 'motherly love' pressed against her forehead, Alice's mind was clearly no longer functioning.

She couldn't understand it.

"My poor, silly daughter, look what you've done to your little head!" Shenqi sighed sadly, ruffling Alice's smooth blonde hair into a mess. "But it's okay, Mommy loves you... Sigh, then I'll change my description a little and explain it to you in words that even mortals can understand."

She patted Alice on the head—not even afraid of making it look even sillier.

"Let me ask you, Alice. If you play chess with your left hand and your right hand, can your left hand beat your right hand?"

"..." Alice struggled to regain her thinking ability, then shook her head—she knew very well that she wouldn't make any mistakes in a game with fixed rules. In other words, as long as the rules were fair, every move would inevitably be optimal and would inevitably lead to a win-lose outcome.

“Very good,” then Shinki asked again, “So, if you play chess with your right hand and left hand, will your right hand lose to your left hand?”

"No." — This time the answer is even more obvious, because it is no different from the previous question.

“So that’s how it is.” Shenqi nodded, her chin gently touching Alice’s forehead. “Playing chess against oneself, the outcome is irrelevant. However, the act of playing chess itself is still an action that can be performed. And this is the only pastime that those who have mastered all the moves can have.”

"Do you understand, Alice? I, we have never cared about winning or losing. We don't care if the pieces jump up and move on their own or escape from the board. From beginning to end, only you, only all of you, cared about winning or losing. Just as it is you, not me, who is actually hoping for change. We see through all the little moves, all the schemes or violations on this board—but we don't care."

"You can become whatever you want, and transform into whatever you want. It doesn't matter where you want to escape to, and I don't care whether you fulfill your duty or not. From beginning to end, it's up to you to decide what to do."

She released Alice, and her form faded and disappeared.

"So do what you want to do. Go down the path you want to go. I won't get in your way, and neither will my kind. The only thing that might get in your way is those fools who want to be chess players and think they are, and their existence is the only obstacle you will face."

Her voice flowed, faded, and eventually disappeared.

Then, Alice found herself sinking into the physical universe—the place where she stood was the Doll House, her former residence. And the scroll that once contained an entire universe lay quietly on the table in front of her.

The conversation between mother and daughter ended. This was the first, and perhaps the last. At least, until Shinki changed her mind again, Alice should no longer be able to contact her.

then……

Alice leaned back and lay motionless on the familiar bed.

a long time.

A sigh.

"Mom and stuff..." she muttered to herself, "...she's really hard to deal with."

“Who says otherwise?”—and the next moment she heard a familiar echo from beside her ear.

So she turned her head away.

Unsurprisingly, she saw another version of herself lying symmetrically in the same position beside her.

—Another Alice is wearing a blood-red dress.

☆, Preparations Before the Final Battle: Alice and Alice

It is often said that the person who understands you best in this world is not yourself, but your enemy.

Extending this theory further, we arrive at a new conclusion: if one's enemy is another version of oneself, then that other self's understanding of oneself will surpass that of all external individuals.

Of course, this is just one perspective applicable only to ordinary humans. Once the focus shifts to non-human beings, or gods and demons transcending the mortal realm, such sociological theories become ineffective—even different aspects of the same god or demon would have immeasurably vast differences. The absurdity of trying to understand each other would then surpass even the most fantastical notions.

Take Alice, for example, right now.

Alice, the original form of the Central Continent Team, and Alice, the clone of the Demon Team.

When they lay on the same bed, silently gazing at each other, an unusual silence permeated both of them. A sense of estrangement. And—

--Awkward.

Why is she here? Why did I have to meet her here?

Is there really a connection between her and me? Are we two sides of the same coin, or two independent entities?

I don't understand, I don't know.

The clone of Alice left messages for the original several times, but the last time she left a message was only at the initial stage of transcendence, before she had even touched the light of the soul—and after that, the gap between them widened dramatically due to their differing paths. At first, they might have been a tiger and a cat, quickly becoming an animal and a plant, and now, the difference between Alice and Alice is as vast as the difference between a can of herring and a blackboard of quantum theory.

She doesn't understand her, and neither does she know her.

Even so, even if the time between the two could be infinitely long, there should always be a moment when contact and dialogue between them begin.

then--

“I never expected that we would be able to make contact before the end of the war. How should I address you? My clone?” Alice, the original, spoke first. “And, this must be the first time for both of us to have face-to-face contact like this.”

“Just call me the clone.” Alice, dressed in a red dress, sighed and shook her head. “I call you the original, and you call me the clone. And this is indeed the first time we’ve met face to face—how about it, original, shall we have a fight before the final battle? Right now, our levels are roughly equal.”

The original Alice raised an eyebrow, seemingly trying to get out of bed, but before she could even complete a third of the movement, she slumped back down like a salted fish. And then, a sigh identical to the one from her clone immediately escaped her lips—

"—Forget it, I'm not interested. What's the point of fighting yourself? You and I aren't on the same path, so strictly speaking, there's no need for us to kill each other." Alice hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to finish her sentence.

"Besides, you've already seen your mother, haven't you? So, do you still think it's necessary to start a final war?"

"...You do know how to call her 'Mom'." The clone pursed its lips, but it was just a pursed lip, not a defiant remark: "But you're right, you guessed right. While you were interacting with her, I was also meeting her on another material plane. And although the process of this interaction wasn't exactly pleasant... at least I know that she doesn't care about the outcome of the game at all."

“Who says otherwise…” Zhengti rubbed his temples. “She doesn’t care, and neither do her kind. The only ones who care are us pawns, and those pawns who think they’re the players… Who’s on the field? Gaia, Pei Xi? I even had contact with a Holy Emperor of one of the myriad races of the primordial era before, though I didn’t remember his name—”

"Ice Phoenix." The clone held up three fingers: "The last emperor of all races in the primordial world, this is one. There seems to be a surviving representative among the innate demon gods, their specific identity is unknown but should be the second. And the third is related to the Blood River's destiny..."

"The original man Adam?" Alice tilted her head.

“Probably.” The clone nodded. “He has become a Saint, whether he can become an Emperor is unknown, but he certainly has the combat power of an Emperor. However, he will not be able to exert his full strength in the final battle – True Saint should be the limit of the final battle. After all, that is still the pinnacle of the Reincarnators, the level that Quasi-Saint level experts can face. And above that – Pei Xi will probably have to personally intervene.”

“Then it seems that running away is out of the question,” Alice in her true form sighed softly. “At most, we’ll face the power of True Saints within the final battlefield. Outside the final battlefield, they have no scruples. Moreover, my Zhan Lan is currently heading to the Primordial Heaven Realm to settle her past life’s karmic ties. I imagine those ancient disciples and their descendants can’t stay out of it either.”

"That's true." The clone nodded, rolling around lazily on the bed. "Headache. Looks like I have to settle all the karmic debts before the final battle. Hey, original, whose side are you planning to take?"

"I don't take sides; I stand on my own side," Alice replied calmly. "I am change, all the development and changes of everything... I will use this to determine victory and defeat, to decide which side should ultimately claim the win. And you? What are you?"

“Me…?” The clone tilted its head. “I am emotion, I am perception, I am the embodiment of the seven emotions, the symbol of the changing thoughts. Although I should be a backup… I am probably more emotionally rich and intellectually advanced.”

"...The gap between you and me is really huge." Alice, the real body, curled her lips. "Although I had long guessed that the path you take and the path I take are neither contradictory nor complementary, the fact that the difference is so great is still quite unexpected."

“Really?” The clone wrinkled its nose. “My only weakness is Patchouli, and my Patchouli is the embodiment and executor of the six desires. Moreover, she pays special attention to the erotic side.”

“I take back what I said earlier… It seems the gap between us isn’t actually that big.” The real Alice sighed, finally understanding why she felt a strange, inexplicable sense of crisis when she approached the clone Patchouli last time. “And Patchouli on my side follows the Path of a Thousand Knowledges. Recording knowledge, mapping the stars, it is also known as the Heaven of Star Knowledge.”