Great, we're doomed now!

He lowered his head: "She told me that this is the beginning of the Final Fantasy project—with 'Fluid Life' as its core, using another world as its vessel, gradually devouring the real network, and ultimately pulling all of humanity into a real dream, where they will spend a long and wonderful life in time acceleration of more than a hundred times..."

"good?"

Upon hearing this, the time travelers became excited: "What's so great about this hellish life?!"

"There may be pain and regret, but it's not boring, is it?"

Kayaba Akihiko raised his face and swept his gaze over them: "What you are experiencing is just a pre-programmed experiment."

She wanted to observe human reactions and analyze data fluctuations under extreme conditions to further refine the self-awareness of the 'Yaoguang Life' and allow them to completely break free from the constraints of the program.

In fact, you can turn on 'pain suppression' and change the worldview to a more peaceful type, whether it's fantasy adventure, cyberpunk, or even casual games... There's no shortage of material online.

In the future, all of humanity will live in the worldview they have always dreamed of, and will be able to customize their five senses according to their own ideas, satisfying both their liking and aversion to pain.

Love, family, appetite, struggle, tranquility… you can enjoy all the good things, and they will be provided indefinitely—isn't such a world perfect?

"this!"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. They harbored deep resentment towards Kayaba and Karen, but if the virtual world truly held such a prospect, they couldn't find any reason to object.

After all, even the current alternate world "Eingrand" has many wonderful aspects, and many transmigrators have given up the possibility of returning home and chosen to stay here to spend the rest of their lives.

If there were no background boss like the "Demon King," no mechanism that refreshes after clearing the game, and family members were around... I believe most people would be willing to accept it.

Ye Shou listened quietly, his expression turning serious: it wasn't what he had expected.

If it's another AI crisis caused by an out-of-control AI, like Elena in "Iron Blood," who wants to smash Sydney or destroy the world, then Ye Shou would handle it with ease.

This is how the original Kallen in Ultraman Tiga was!

But this Karen is different... She's not here to destroy humanity, but to "tame" it!

Think of something and act on it immediately.

Without warning, Ye Shou suddenly attacked, a blade of light extending from his palm and slicing across the chest of an angel warrior as his arm swung.

The man paused for a moment, then his upper body fell backward, leaving only his lower body standing upright.

Ye Shou didn't even glance at them, and strode forward. The angel warriors, who had reacted, had already drawn their divine-level spears, but instead of engaging in close combat, they held the spears up and shot white lightning like long snakes toward Ye Shou!

boom!

boom!

boom!

In less than a second, the lightning was scattered one after another, and Ye Shou's fists, wrapped in surging electric waves, rushed forward. His body was as graceful and agile as flowing water. With the sudden burst of speed, the angel warriors could not even lock onto him and were "brushed past".

After Ye Shou stood behind the angels, a series of firecracker-like sounds were heard, followed by bright "sparks" that bloomed on the angel warriors.

And just like that, the angel warriors fell one after another, and were wiped out almost in the blink of an eye!

"There's no time left."

Ye Shou raised his hand and released his Ultra Telekinesis, controlling Kayaba Akihiko. He forcibly invaded the mind of this fallen scientist with his mental power, and a series of recent memories flashed before his eyes... He quickly found the "location" of the temple and then explored a way to directly reach the interior.

"Ughhhh... Ye Shou!"

Kayaba Akihiko didn't resist at all. Instead, he gritted his teeth and asked him, "So what if you see Karen? She can already freely control the flow of time within the system... In just three days, ten or twenty years will pass in the game."

No matter how many monsters and aliens appear, even if Earth is destroyed next week... humanity can still enjoy hundreds of years of happiness in virtual space!

What do you think humanity will choose?

"They had no choice."

Ye Shou smiled gently: "Everything will end today. They will never know that they once faced a choice."

Interlude: Sword Art Online: Daughter of the Mirage: Chapter 417: That's just my algorithm daddy (4K)

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Although he felt no sympathy for Kayaba, Ye Shou still gave him the opportunity to leave his last words, since they had known each other for a time.

"I...I've probably done a lot of wrong things."

Kayaba lowered his head, his eyes dim: "Actually, I know very well that I am 'abnormal,' so I don't want to have any emotional ties with anyone. Family or partners are unnecessary things for me; they will only bring me trouble and make me waver when faced with choices—even now, I have no regrets."

Knowing the problem but unwilling to repent... No, it should be said that in Kayaba's view, the so-called wrong path is the right path.

From the very beginning, what he pursued was completely opposite to that of ordinary people.

"On the contrary, I feel a sense of relief because I did not fail. I just found that... the scenery I saw after my wish came true was not as beautiful as I had imagined."

Kayaba straightened his back and looked calmly at Ye Shou: "I can no longer find any meaning in continuing to exist. Thank you, Ye Shou... for your great mercy in granting me liberation."

"In any case, you have indeed achieved your ideal."

Ye Shou looked at him deeply, his feelings quite complicated, but his movements did not falter, and he placed his hand on his forehead.

"Die contentedly, Kayaba... Heathcliff."

hum!

Golden ripples flowed out like living water, somewhat roughly pouring into his body—

"Ugh... Ah!!!"

Kayaba Akihiko's red armor instantly lost its luster, turning into ashes that scattered across the sky. His paladin-like appearance in the game vanished, replaced by his original form—

The middle-aged scholar, wearing black-rimmed glasses and looking haggard, still had a hint of weariness and relief in his eyes.

His soul began to decompose at a visible speed, disintegrating into specks of light, and then suddenly exploding!

【Ding! 】

[Destiny Coins +11 (Kayaba Akihiko)]

'Although the death is the same as in the original story, this time even the network consciousness has been completely destroyed; could it be considered a complete annihilation of the soul?'

Ye Shou was surprised that the latrine, which he had already drained dry, could still give out so many Destiny Coins, and his heart was stirred for a moment:

It seems that surplus value is like water in a sponge; you can always squeeze some out. My own efforts still haven't been enough.

In that instant, the surrounding space froze—

Yosuke felt that he couldn't move his face or eyes, but his consciousness was very clear, and he witnessed the incredible scene that followed.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, Ye Shou emitted a reassuring blue light around him. As energy surged, he steadily controlled the particles with invisible mental power, continuously infusing them with his own light power.

The faint light quickly converged under the pull, gradually condensing into a bright halo. Although no trace of Kayaba Akihiko could be seen, the energy scale was even stronger!

boom!

After the halo spun rapidly, a blinding glint suddenly burst forth, and a towering white pillar of light shot straight into the sky with unstoppable force!

"Phew~" Ye Shou nodded, and only breathed a sigh of relief after the beam of light stabilized.

As expected, Kayaba Akihiko, as Kallen's direct "Apostle," is a top-tier account with all aspects maxed out, but according to the system's basic logic, he also has a rebirth mechanism that allows him to "die" and be resurrected.

However, unlike other transmigrators, his soul is not reassembled in places like mortal classrooms or cemeteries, but is instead transported back to the place where he was recorded, along with the data recorded there.

That is, where the administrator Karen is!

"If we go, the entire virtual world may collapse."

After dealing with Kayaba Akihiko, Ye Shou turned around, a flash of light in his palm, and his Stand [Prosperous Country] reappeared.

The gilded statue emitted a gentle glow. Ye Shou said in a deep voice to the surviving transmigrators around him, "Don't resist. I'll take you away from here."

The transmigrators looked at each other, and although they were puzzled, no one disobeyed Ye Shou's order. At the same time, the Holy Grail mark on each of them lit up.

Behind the [Prosperous Kingdom], a huge golden portal slowly unfolded before everyone, radiating a warm light that seemed to embrace everything. There was neither pain nor loneliness, only a tranquility like returning to the womb.

Guided by the substitutes, beams of golden light shot out, echoing the marks. One by one, the transmigrators shed their game character appearances, returned to their original forms, and were sucked into the door, where they fell into a deep sleep.

Yang Jie was the last one. When he entered the Gates of Heaven, he emitted an extremely intense crimson light, causing Ye Shou to turn around and glance back.

A soul of utmost nobility!

Although his domain can accommodate souls, there are several different situations. Some are permanently recorded, becoming beings like Ye Shou's familiars. The [Prosperous Country] is like their "Hall of Heroes," where even if an avatar is destroyed outside, it can be reborn inside.

Therefore, no matter how intense the battle was, the number of followers never decreased when Ye Shou entered the "resonance" state several times.

Another type is like the one we have now, where the transmigrators are of varying character, merits and demerits, and abilities. Some of them have no connection with Ye Shou at all and cannot be considered his kin. The reason they are marked with the Holy Grail is simply because it is an urgent matter and they want to take their souls out of the other world.

Once we return to reality, we'll have to see if we can get their bodies back, which will be a lot of trouble...

However, Yosuke Shimazaki was different. Judging from the reaction of the Gates of Heaven when he entered, the Prosperous Country unusually acknowledged the purity and power of this soul, picking him out from among the transmigrators and giving him special care.

This situation is rare, and it is more common in the first generation of the Demon God Legion, as well as in the successive generations of Ripple inheritors. They are all humans who possess the Golden Spirit in the literal sense. Although they live in different worlds, they all protect the world in their own way.

Yosuke... was able to persevere alone for twenty years, persisting in a seemingly endless campaign to prevent tragedy from unfolding, much like Sisyphus in Greek mythology—his mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he was also inherently very kind.

If I were born in "Iron-Blooded Orphans" or "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," I'd probably make the same choices as these people.

"...I'll just give him the Sega." Ye Shou chuckled, deciding on a whim to give this gamer a small gift.

After everyone had entered the Gates of Heaven, Ye Shou stepped into the white pillar of light—

call!

The beam of light suddenly contracted, emitting a deafening roar like rolling thunder, before carrying Ye Shou's figure straight into the sky, passing through the thick clouds, and disappearing at the edge of the horizon.

The halo behind the clouds quickly faded, and the sky gradually returned to its original clarity, as if the strange phenomenon had never happened...

-

Inside the [Heavenly Temple of the Central God], Kallen gazed at the otherworld model floating in the air. Massive amounts of data flowed around her, far exceeding the limits of any computing center, even surpassing the capabilities of TPC's supercomputer.

Despite possessing such powerful performance, it lacks a core computing device; its computing power originates from the entire network world, or rather, "the imagination of all humankind."

This can no longer be explained by science; in fact, she does possess a powerful force capable of overturning the laws of the world.

"Ok?"

Karen's eyes suddenly flashed; she keenly sensed something amiss and looked down in surprise at the entrance of the main hall.

--boom!

A dazzling white beam of light pierced through the temple's firewall and landed heavily on the central platform, its brilliance illuminating the entire platform as if it were daytime.

At the same time, a piercing sound rang out, and countless red warning signs rapidly appeared in the void, densely packed like a honeycomb. The alarm sounded throughout the hall in an instant, and the automatic defense system was activated.

"Resurrection protocol executed, refactoring object [Heathcliff]... Error, error, data volume exceeded... Unable to calculate, unable to balance!"

"Alert! Unidentified intruder has broken in! Activate highest level of defense!"