Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Slaughter everyone here? Destroy the planet's surface? Crush the entire star system into dust? Or go back to the end of the era and sever all the world lines in this star system that could have given rise to civilization from the very beginning?

There are many methods and approaches. However, Luo Ye felt that only one was truly suitable—she stretched out her finger and rewound time to the day Luo Ye came of age. Then, concealing her physical form, she watched as a still-attractive middle-aged woman pushed an IOU towards a silent girl who bore the same appearance as herself.

"You can leave, I know you've always wanted to leave. But before you leave, sign this. I'll pretend I never raised you as my daughter, and you don't have to worry about me ever showing up in front of you again."

"Can't do it? Ha, then go steal, rob, sell, find any way to make money. If you really can't bring yourself to do it, you can take out a loan. Can't you go abroad? Go ask a funding agency for money, and then go abroad to make a living, isn't that convenient?"

"You can't see me, I can't see you, and we'll be separated forever, isn't that wonderful?"

The girl remained silent, while the woman sneered repeatedly. Finally, the girl picked up a pen and signed the IOU, which, strictly speaking, did not have much legal effect.

Luo Ye pressed the pause button.

She tried to reach out and touch the 'self' at this point in time. However, her fingers paused before touching the gloomy girl. She considered whether there was a more suitable time—after all, she had plenty of time—so, the moment this thought surfaced in her mind, she pushed the timeline forward.

forward--

One year ago, it was an ordinary day at Luo Ye's home. The following year, this day would mark Luo Ye's coming of age, and today would be her seventeenth birthday.

"You good-for-nothing! You're just as an eyesore as your heartless father!"

"Get out of my way! And go cook, I'm hungry."

The girl silently walked to the kitchen and took a band-aid from a hanging bag on the wall to cover the bruise on her neck. Today was just another ordinary day; there was no need to remember it.

forward--

A little over a year ago, during the first month of high school, students at the new campus quickly became acquainted with each other. Popular students were surrounded by admirers, while those who were excluded weren't even noticed by others.

"That girl looks so gloomy... Is something wrong at home?"

"—It seems she has depression. Da Bai from the next class said it's best to stay away from her; apparently, there's no cure for it, and it might be contagious!"

"Then why does she still come to school? Isn't that just harming people?...Wait, how do you know so much? Do you have a crush on her?"

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about? You think I'd fall for someone this ugly? Come on, I've already told you. Whether you listen or not is up to you!"

In a corner of the classroom, a lonely girl adjusted her glasses. She pretended not to hear anything she was hearing. Then her gaze shifted downwards, and in the corner of the blackboard, she saw her name on the erased duty roster.

Oh no... it's my turn to do chores again today. If I don't finish quickly, I'll be late getting back to my room again...

A melancholy look appeared in the girl's eyes, and then time turned back again.

forward--

Six years ago, on the day of her third-grade graduation, a heavily made-up, beautiful woman stood anxiously on the side of the road, leading a blank-faced girl. A black luxury car slowly pulled up in front of them.

"You said you needed to talk to me, now you have five minutes."

"—This...this year's living expenses..."

"One million a year, that's what we agreed on before. This year's amount has already been given to you."

"But, but she... Xiao Ye still needs to grow. She's your daughter!"

"So what? She's my daughter, so what? If it were a son, I might consider it, but with her silly and dull appearance, allowing her to take the surname Luo is already my biggest concession."

—"But, but—"

"You're wasting my time."

The black car had its windows closed five minutes before it arrived. After the car had driven away, only a woman remained by the roadside, her face blank as she held the girl's hand—the girl's hand was red and then blue from being squeezed. Various bystanders pointed and whispered among themselves.

“You…” The woman’s face slowly turned toward the girl’s blank face.

"...Why does it have to be a money-losing thing?"

Time then paused and continued to rewind.

forward--

Three years earlier, the young girl was first scolded by her mother for trampling on the lawn in the residential area. And once the scars on her legs no longer hindered her walking, she began to mature... and become dull.

Four years earlier, at the age of two, the little girl had just learned to run on her own. She watched with bewilderment as her somber-faced mother led her and her luggage away from the ornately decorated courtyard. From that moment on, she knew what unease was.

Then, continue forward.

Forward, forward, until two years before it all began. When the newborn baby cried for the first time in the nurse's arms. With her eyesight just beginning to develop, she saw her mother's smile, and her father's smile, which concealed the expected disappointment.

And so, time stopped at the last moment. And Luo Ye's form then appeared from nothingness.

She gazed at the newborn infant, at the impending ordeal—she knew all too well that this was nothing extraordinary in this world. For every moment, someone faced a far more tragic and painful fate than little Luo Ye, who had just been born.

But so what?

Others are others, and Luo Ye is Luo Ye. All Luo Ye needs to do is sever the karmic ties between herself and 'Luo Ye'.

I cannot give you freedom, but I can change your destiny.

Since you were destined for misfortune from the moment of your birth, I will erase all the misfortune you will encounter from the moment of your birth until the day you die.

And all of this begins when you become the sole protagonist of this world.

Luo Ye's thoughts wove a script for an invincible protagonist, encompassing all parameters within the universe, and she immediately extended her fingertip towards the newborn infant frozen in time. With her current abilities, she could more than push this single universe to create an immortal individual capable of living from the beginning to the end of an era. A mere planet, a single generation's destined protagonist, was utterly insignificant to her!

And her fingertips were about to touch the baby's forehead!

Then, it came to an abrupt end.

In the stillness of time, the nurse who was assisting with the delivery next to Luo Ye's birth mother and holding the newborn Luo Ye suddenly raised her hand and pressed down on Luo Ye's outstretched fingertips.

"If you want to see me, just go straight to the end of the Abyss of Death. Why force me out by using this self-deleting source world line method?" A whisper came from behind the nurse's mask, and the voice was the most elegant and noble that any intelligent life form could imagine.

The next moment, the world turned pure white.

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

The universe was covered.

Diverse bloodlines overwhelmed a diverse organizational structure. And the Abyss of Death replaced everything here.

Luo Ye knew what was going on.

She knew perfectly well that all her previous actions were designed to ensure this natural action wouldn't trigger external interference—she wanted to transform 'Luo Ye'. She wanted to erase herself as the prerequisite for Luo Ye's birth before anything even began. And this method, tantamount to deleting the source world line, was undoubtedly a form of suicide beyond the realm of possibility. Even she would face eternal death.

She will die.

But she won't die.

Because she is unchanging, she is the decay and twilight of the multiverse itself. If she were to sink to the bottom of the Abyss of Death, it would be equivalent to adding the concept of death to Gaia, who is neither born nor dead—although this is actually of little use, it would undoubtedly be an event worth spending some resources to deal with for Gaia, who is at a critical moment.

She wanted to see Gaia.

So Caiah came.

When her thoughts settled, a living room filled with a homey feel appeared in the pure white world she saw. A woman whose face was not clearly visible, but whose every move exuded a maternal aura, giving Luo Ye the feeling that 'this is my mother,' sat at the table.

He extended his hand, inviting her to sit down.

then--

"You hate me." A voice echoed from a woman's face in this pure white world. "You're expressing your dissatisfaction with me, Luo Ye."

Luo Ye did not answer, but simply sat down and quietly looked at her.

“You express your dissatisfaction to me through the life of ‘Luoye’—no father, abandoned by her mother, receiving no love from her mother or the outside world, yet still having to pay a huge price and labor for her mother’s demands. The reason you became her is because she is so similar to you. And you are dissatisfied with this, so much so that you have to come to me with questions at this time.”

The woman's voice was both majestic and loving, and it accurately captured the essence of everything.

"You want to ask me [why]?"

She said.

So Luo Ye nodded and asked, "Why?"

"Because you must become a human being. And as long as you are a human being, the object you become will inevitably have this fate."

"Why do I have to become human?" Luo Ye continued, "and why does Alice also have to become human?"

“Because mortals are the protagonists of this era,” Gaia replied without hesitation. “Only another protagonist can decide the fate of the protagonist. Of course, you can also interpret this as me needing to respect the will of the other player. Even if it is my enemy, even if it brings my decline and destruction, I must still respect it.”

"Because you can't beat it?"

“No,” Gaia shook her head slightly. “Because it is inevitable, because it is both a help and a test.”

“I know what you really want to know, Luo Ye. You want to know if my attitude towards mortals has truly changed, and if Alice chooses to side with mortals, will I hold her accountable for everything she did after I awaken? You care about her so much, love her so much—this is proof that you were once a mortal, and it is only natural. And I can indeed tell you my conclusion and the evidence to verify it.”

"...You want to become them, you want to become a god-like being and you are about to succeed." Luo Ye said, emphasizing what was already common knowledge.

“Exactly.” But Gaia still gave the answer.

"You see the attacks from the original beings as tests... You mean, as long as you embark on the path of advancement, you will inevitably encounter all of this... No, your advancement is actually about coming into contact with their domain. In reality, you've touched upon their operating mechanisms, and the attacks are spontaneous counterattacks and tests for advancement!?"

“Exactly.” Gaia’s reply was light and certain.

Luo Ye opened her mouth, but almost couldn't speak.

"So, based on this, the one in the original human's position could also be Shinki, an Outer God, a witch... You actively chose humanity as your enemy to kill you. You actively chose to see the original humans as adversaries and made Shinki an ally. From the very beginning, before humanity was even born, you were the one preparing and orchestrating all of this!?"

“Indeed.” Gaia’s gaze was filled with loving kindness, a kindness brimming with admiration. “Among your brothers and sisters, you are the first to realize this. Although your position is special, you are indeed stronger than all of them.”

Luo Ye lowered her head, her shoulders slumping. Gaia's praise did not bring her any joy; instead, it chilled her to the bone.

She finally understood what it meant to be human, and what it meant to be innately divine.

"So... you don't actually hate humans at all, you don't reject humans at all. You don't care at all about human actions and their fate. Is that right?"

"Why should I struggle with a tool?" Gaia smiled and nodded. "Besides, it's a tool I chose myself to use to clear away obstacles to advancement and to rectify all errors."

"Everything is inevitable, my daughter."

"Do you understand now? I have never cared about what humans do."

☆ Preparations before the end of the war: Mercy

"..."

It turned out to be the case.

All causes are interconnected and lead to effects. Only now does Luo Ye finally understand what answer is needed to her biggest question after learning about her true self.

She finally understood why, while all races, mortals, innate demons, and even various unknown extraterrestrial forces were stirring, Gaia, at the very center of the vortex, remained completely still. It was as if all the changes in the outside world were irrelevant to her; she did nothing but wait quietly.

It turns out she didn't need to move at all in the first place.

It turns out that from the very beginning, all the variables were under her control.

original……