The defeated saint is also on the way to tame the evil god today

　"The arrival of the Hanging Gardens," Xingmo said coldly, "and... the fall of the Golden Sun."

　Without Merlin saying anything, Xingmo could recognize the similarities between the two events.

　It was the same scene of the sun and stars colliding with each other, also in the sky.

　There can't be just a "similar" relationship between the two.

　"You can see the future, or rather, predict the future to a certain extent, right?" Xing Mo whispered. "You guided me to the divine abode, to New Garo, allowing me to appear in a specific place at a specific time, thus achieving certain...replications."

　"And what I'm recreating is the divine war that took place a thousand years ago."

　"In that war between gods, Golden Sun Wheel was killed by the Star Sea Goddess. That was an established fact that had already happened. It was also fate."

　"You are trying to...manipulate fate." Xingmo said bluntly.

　Xing Mo thought about it for a long time before coming to these conclusions.

　She knew that these conclusions were not based on rigorous reasoning or very real logic.

　She just wanted to trick Principal Merlin and see his reaction.

　In fact, what made Xingmo think in this direction was mainly Principal Merlin's famous string magic.

　Eight-string magic, Lachesis Nocturne.

　Merlin said that it was a kind of string magic that directly targeted the target's "destiny". The golden lightning directly wiped out the fate of the person hit, thus killing them completely.

　This string magic targeting fate made Xingmo doubt Merlin's true identity.

　So far, in Xingmo's cognition, there is only one thing that can be related to fate.

　That is the golden full moon in her body.

　This mysterious quality allowed her to play the strings of fate under certain conditions, and even play ten-string magic with her demigod body.

　The golden full moon is undoubtedly the plan of the Star Sea Goddess.

　So what is the relationship between Merlin and the Star Sea Goddess?

　""

　Merlin lowered his head and was silent for a moment.

　Then he said:

　"I'm sorry, but I have to deny this because no one can control fate."

　He fetched three teacups from the side, picked up the blue and white porcelain teapot, and poured tea into each one:

　"You overestimate me, Miss Xingmo. I can only see some trends, but on the scale of fate, even if I can foresee it, what I can do is extremely limited."

　"Great leaders and kings, they cover the sky with one hand, measure the world with a scale as high as the sky, and guide the development of history with their own will."

　"But the best they can do is manipulate history."

　Merlin put the teapot aside and immediately pushed two cups of tea to Xingmo and Aurora, his silver eyes flashing:

　"Destiny is a more complex machine. It flows across the scale of all things. It is the essence of everything and the inevitability of everything."

　"It is a sophisticated machine, so sophisticated that even a tiny mistake can determine a completely different course, and in the most extreme cases, a different course can even lead to a completely opposite history."

　"Imagine that night of the Art Revolution in 3036. If the Messinian Saint hadn't succeeded in ringing the bell in the White Tower, would Ahmed Thoth have gone mad after glimpsing the mighty power from the heavens? Perhaps the Golden Fleet would have been commanded by a more rational person? In that case, what kind of fleet would we have faced?"

　"If the bells hadn't destroyed the soldiers approaching the White Tower, wouldn't Isabella have been heartbroken by their deaths? If the price of defending the Citadel had been acceptable to her, wouldn't she have harbored those tyrannical thoughts, allowing the descendants of House Frozen to exploit her weakness?"

　"If the Garo people who occupied the oasis were more kind, wouldn't they have left the Golden People, who had lost their civilization, with nowhere to go? Ugaan Tukakankion might not have lost his mother. He would have grown up in the oasis, away from the secrets hidden deep in the desert for his entire life."

　"You see, fate is so fickle.

　These phenomena and people are never the driving force of fate, but a phenomenon produced by the flow of fate."

　"Whether it's our history or everything we've experienced, they're all phenomena defined by that flow. We're ultimately swept up in it, like puppets on a stage, acting according to the designs of those behind the scenes."

　""

　While Merlin was speaking, Xingmo silently picked up the teacup and took a sip.

　A hint of bitterness.

　After listening to Merlin, she raised her head and said:

　"Is this why you chose not to resist? Because fate had already determined everything?"

　Merlin chuckled:

　"You can understand it that way, but that's not the whole reason."

　"I want to know the whole reason." Xingmo said.

　Merlin leaned back in his chair, his pupils seeming to be a little unfocused for a moment.

　In his silver eyes, Xingmo saw the struggle.

　This was an expression Xing Mo had never seen on the principal's face before - he was always calm and confident, and never struggled for anything.

　This time, he struggled for a long time before he whispered:

　"Because the being that can control the flow of fate has awakened."

　"who is it?"

　"You," Merlin leaned forward, "and Cain."

　"I believe you've already met her. From what I know about her, she always longs to encounter the unknown, especially when that thing displays the same characteristics as herself."

　"I... have indeed seen her," Xingmo recalled the encounter in the Temple of Saint Nero. "You know her... you know her well?"

　"It's all old news." Merlin muttered, picking up the teacup and taking a sip.

　"Let me guess, you're her relative or something?" Xing Mo said calmly, "Brother or younger brother? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Anyway... you're also a descendant of the Star Sea Goddess."

　Merlin nearly spit out his tea after hearing this. He looked at Xingmo in astonishment, and it took him a long time to speak:

　"No, how did you know?"

　"Now I know." Xingmo smiled faintly.

　Previously, she had seen the conversation between Cain and the Golden King in the Golden Sun's temple, and thus learned that the angel Cain was actually a descendant of the Star Sea Goddess.

　The golden full moon comes from the goddess, Cain comes from the goddess, and Merlin possesses a certain power of "destiny".

　Add to that the fact that Merlin knew Cain and even understood her, and the answer naturally came to light.

　Merlin is also a descendant of the Star Sea Goddess.

　When Xing Mo thought of this conclusion, she found that there was not even any ripple in her heart. Perhaps it was because the image of the goddess was no longer a holy and flawless god in her eyes, or perhaps as she became a demigod, the extraordinary and secretive things gradually became commonplace in her eyes.

　"You've learned bad things from me. You even cheat people." Merlin took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth awkwardly.

　"You taught me well." Xing Mo nodded.

　"But I refuse to accept your inference. I have shed my feathers and walked the earth for more than a thousand years. I am no longer a crow," Merlin said calmly, "and she is no longer a pure and innocent little white dove."

　Hearing this, Xingmo leaned forward slightly:

　"Then can I understand that your refusal to defend the Citadel at this critical moment was not because you sided with the Court of Redemption, but because you realized your own powerlessness?"

　"You still doubt me." Merlin smiled helplessly.

　"After all, for someone in your position, once you make a mistake, it's a big mistake." Xing Mo looked straight at Merlin.

　"Well, there's really nothing wrong with what you said."

　Merlin exhaled and leaned back in his chair.

　"Ling told me that you struck the chord of fate in the eye of the storm, thereby manipulating a series of probabilistic events to obtain the storm beacon for us."

　"That's an amazing power, isn't it? Everything you think of is destiny, and it will come true."

　"Well, what I want to tell you now is that Cain has already mastered the power of the Strings of Fate, much earlier than you, and much more thoroughly than you."

　"Everything that is happening now, whether it's the smooth unfolding of the String of Truth or the fall of the Citadel, was already written into her script and manipulated by a sophisticated instrument of fate."

　"And she, on the other hand, was frozen in a garden at the end of the world, silently waiting for the stars to move to their correct trajectory."

　Before Merlin could finish, Aurora, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly cleared her throat.

　"Cough cough."

　After meeting Merlin's gaze, she spoke:

　"Is it true? Why wouldn't we believe it? If she really had such powerful strength...why is the red moon still hanging in the sky?"

　Merlin stared at Aurora quietly, looking into those blood-red eyes.

　Then, he smiled lightly and said:

　"If you don't believe it, look at this."

　The next second, Xingmo felt Aurora beside him trembling like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

　At the same time, in the depths of Merlin's silver eyes, a faint white light outlined the outline of a flower.

　"That's... the little flower that the badass goddess stole from the sea of ​​flowers!"

　Aurora stood up, and emerald green light burst out behind her, and her six wings burned like flames.

　She looked at Merlin fiercely, at the flowers in the depths of his eyes, and murmured in a low voice:

　"How dare you..."

　Xingmo certainly understood why Aurora was so excited—she

　The reason she escaped from the sea of ​​flowers and came to this world was because the Star Sea Goddess stole the "little flowers" she cherished from the sea of ​​flowers where she was.

　And now, the flower flickered realistically and absurdly in the depths of Merlin's pupils.

　"This is the blessing, or curse, bestowed upon me by the Star Sea Goddess," Merlin whispered. "The thirteen flowers symbolize the supreme power that holds the godhead, allowing the angels to bear their six wings."

　"Do you have any last words?" Aurora smiled brightly.

　"Killing me is useless and will only make the situation worse." Merlin shook his head gently. "I'm showing you the truth deep within my pupils to tell you a simple truth—I'm not the only one who has flowers. Cain and the holy angels also have them."

　"Those who hold flowers have infinite possibilities. The power of the strings of fate is indeed strong, but if it is just to endure... she can do it easily."

　Merlin looked directly at Aurora, his eyes filled with calmness.

　He didn't seem afraid, or perhaps... he firmly believed that Aurora would not kill him.

　"If you want to break the deadlock, we can continue to talk. My soul is full of holes, and you won't get much information even if you kill me." Merlin said again.

　Aurora stared at Merlin coldly. After a long moment, the light and shadow behind her dissipated.

　Then she sat back in her chair:

　"Did the Star Sea Goddess kill those angels in order to reclaim these flowers?"

　"After all, the more flowers there are, the more divine power they can carry," Merlin chuckled. "In short, after you uncovered the true nature of the Holy Angel, you should now understand the seriousness of the current situation, right?"

　The Holy Angels, angels under the command of the Goddess, are essentially creatures endowed with flowers stolen by the Star Sea Goddess from the flower sea of ​​Havrgard.

　Xingmo looked at Aurora beside her - she might have guessed this fact a long time ago, so when she saw the corpses of the angels, there was no sympathy in her eyes.

　In Aurora's eyes, the so-called angels were nothing more than thieves who stole power.

　Who would sympathize with a thief?

　"Okay, let's get back to the point."

　Merlin picked up the teapot and poured tea for Xingmo and Aurora, but Aurora covered the rim of the cup and refused.

　"Fate has been manipulated, and the Citadel is doomed to fall. Constrained by the flow of fate, I can only choose to protect as many people as possible. This also helps me preserve more anchors and the power of faith."

　"To fight Cain, one must possess power on the same level as her... the power to control destiny."

　"After witnessing your battle with the Supreme Praiser, I am convinced that that person has appeared."

　"That's you," Merlin nodded at Xingmo. "This is like being the protagonist of a kingly and passionate life, the chosen one, the destined one. How does it feel?"

　"You know all this..." Xingmo muttered.

　"But you're only a demigod. It's impossible for you to play the inverse chord of Cain," Merlin shook his head. "Unfortunately, you're not the protagonist, Miss Xingmo. Judging from the current situation, you're just a little starlight in the darkness, and it could go out at any time."

　"The truth of Canglan Xingchen is like a knife, cutting away those superfluous factors in the flow prescribed by Cain. The two complement each other and form a mountain that stands before you."

　"That fellow named Yuechen is unkillable," Aurora said coldly. "The angel bullet hit his heart and brain, so it's useless."

　"With the String of Truth unfurled, he's immortal," Merlin said. "If I were to advise you on what to do next, I'd suggest starting with Moondust. Compared to Cain, he's a real soft target."