The collapse started when Kiana came to the door

The darkness is collapsing.

The magma and meteorites burst out with bright flames, turning into dazzling streaks of light that flashed everywhere.

The extremely chaotic data was burned piece by piece by the fierce flames, and countless meaningless [0]s and [1]s were scattered randomly in the void like discarded garbage.

Amid the crisp sound of shattering, cracks reflecting the various scenes in the paradise appeared, spreading like a spider web.

"Okay, that's fine." Just when Qianjie was frantically destroying everything around him because he couldn't lock onto the right target, the clear voice that belonged only to Alicia suddenly sounded beside his ears.

Accompanied by a beautiful beam of light that was completely different from the flames, a crystal clear pink crystal incarnation, leaping into the sky, the flawless dome blossomed like a blooming flower. In it, the rampantly burning flames, meteorites and magma that appeared out of thin air were frozen, divided, and finally shrunk into harmless rock fragments and fell.

"...Tsk." Feeling the already scarce energy in his body being further wasted, Qianjie could not help but let out an unhappy smacking sound while dodging the rapidly flashing ice crystals on the dome at high speed.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, there was no doubt that the difference in strength between him and this Herrscher with Alicia's face was quite obvious.

Qianjie possessed a destructive power that would burn even ordinary Herrscher to ashes the moment they encountered it, but for the [Alicia] in front of him, it was just a harmless spark that could be easily dodged... or even cooled and controlled by her magical ability.

Although such high-intensity bursts have always been Qianjie's method of combat, however... Qianjie, who has always served as a [Hunter] in the past, can only use this method to try his best to curb the opponent's attack when facing this opponent.

Yes, unlike before, this time, Qianjie’s endless offensive was only to block Alicia’s attack, not to knock down or kill the opponent.

Qianjie was very clear about Alicia's strength. In previous training, he could not touch the corner of Alicia's clothes no matter how hard he tried. And if the Herrscher of Corrosion had indeed taken away all of Alicia's abilities, then all he could do was to delay the opponent as much as possible.

Although Qianjie had never suffered any serious injuries during his sparring with Alicia, he was also very clear that it was only the result of Alicia showing mercy.

In other words, the moment [Alicia] switched from dodging and defensive tactics to offensive tactics, Qianjie was defeated.

"Ha! Come again!"

However, that was the result that Qianjie had already calculated.

After roughly testing the opponent's strength and finding that it was indeed no different from that of Alicia, Qianjie already knew that he was no match for this [Herrserker of Corrosion].

Therefore, if one wants to defeat her, defeat this Herrscher of Corrosion who has stolen the power of Alicia... then the only way is to rely on the power of other heroes.

Mebius? No, that snake couldn't even defeat the Herrscher of Thunder, so we couldn't count on her to defeat her opponent.

That blind man? No, that won't work either. Although the blind man's ability should be able to create a glimmer of hope for him, he is just like Eden, the woman who makes noise all day. He is still struggling because of Kevin and Alicia. It's a great luck that he doesn't make things worse.

Kosmo? That guy has to take care of the kids, so he probably won't be able to do anything.

The blacksmith? Or the new soldier?

Tsk, forget it.

"Tsk..." After thinking it over, Qianjie realized that the only person he could ask for help and who could influence the current battle situation was that damn woman. His dissatisfaction and disgust immediately reached a new level.

Although relying on Aponia's power would make Qianjie feel even more uncomfortable and disgusted than killing him, if this could prove that Sakura did not betray him -

At a certain moment, Qianjie's figure, which was dodging quickly among the flying crystals, suddenly stopped.

Having made up his mind, Qianjie stopped dodging and stared directly at the crystal that was rushing towards his chest. A fierce look flashed in his eyes. He did not dodge and took the attack from [Alicia] head-on for the first time.

Although for a data body like him, a head-on contact with the Ruler of Corrosion would be tantamount to suicide, when he noticed the scene of the "Deepest Place" revealed by the crack that flashed by nearby, Qianjie still grabbed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity without hesitation.

Then, not surprisingly, the ice crystal controlled by Alicia was easily knocked away.

"?" Although his body was indeed knocked flying, after feeling the power contained in the ice crystal, Qianjie suddenly became confused.

He had prepared to be hit halfway through by [Alicea]'s attack, and was also prepared to have his data infected after touching the Herrscher of Corrosion. But for some reason, although it seemed that he was hit hard, the power of the ice crystal... was only to [hit him away].

Not to mention infecting his data, there wasn't even enough power to hurt him.

Wait…After realizing this, Qianjie’s eyelids couldn’t help but twitch as he flew backwards.

Although he had been trying to block the opponent's offensive and had succeeded in doing so, the power belonging to [Ailishia] during the battle left him with enough wiggle room to hold back, so that only now did Qianjie suddenly notice something very strange.

He did feel the disgusting power from this [Alicia]. During the battle, that guy did use a power similar to erosion to delete the flames and meteorites he controlled, rendering them powerless... But until now, that guy has never tried to use the power of [Erosion] on himself.

Why? Is it because this bastard is holding back?

Or--

Just when Qianjie realized this, a violent shock and impact from behind interrupted his thoughts.

Under this not-fatal blow from Alicia, Qianjie's body passed through the gap between the data space and Yingjie's territory, and slammed heavily into the marble floor engraved with bright patterns in the deepest part. The smooth platform reflecting the clouds and the endless sky began to crack under the heavy weight, and gravel and sparks flew everywhere.

The flames enveloping the body were no longer as fierce and overbearing as before because they had been overused by their master. Instead, they became like a candle flame that was about to die out, as if it would disappear with a slight blow.

"Hmm..." Although he was not injured by Alicia's attack, being smashed to the ground so deeply in such a state of exhaustion still made Qianjie's thinking a little confused.

He shook his dizzy head and waved his hands irritably to disperse the smoke around him. Then he looked up and, as expected, saw Aponya's disgusting expression of concern and worry.

"Qianjie...are you okay?"

"Tsk, are your eyes also disabled like that blind man? Wouldn't you understand this kind of thing after seeing it?" Qianjie's face was gloomy, and the corners of his mouth twitched as he turned his gaze to Alicia, who was standing leisurely beside Abonya and looking at him with a smile. He took a deep breath and said, "So, you actually knew about this woman a long time ago?"

At this point, looking at the expressions of Abonia and Eden who showed no surprise at Alicia's arrival... no matter how unwilling he was to admit it, no matter how aggrieved and dying he felt, Qianjie finally understood it thoroughly.

I would think that this woman is Alicia, not because the Herrscher of Corrosion took over her identity and couldn't even touch the corner of her clothes during the battle, nor because the Herrscher of Corrosion took away Alicia's power.

Although she possesses the power of erosion for some reason, this guy who is not a memory is undoubtedly the real Alicia.

Which means...that woman Alicia is still alive.

"If you mean the news that Ellie is still alive..." Eden nodded and said apologetically: "Indeed, Aponiya and I...actually already knew it."

“So… that blind man would choose to provoke me and take the initiative to help me break through the space of Paradise…” Qianjie gritted his teeth when he realized that he had been completely fooled.

"Sorry...Su Hehua, you all know everything." Aponiya also nodded like Eden.

Qianjie was silent for a moment, his voice low and dead silent: "...Where are the others?"

“Hmm…” Alicia thought for a moment, “Except for Mobius and Mei… and those two kids, Cosmo and Grayshu, everyone else knows about it.”

So I'm not the last one to know? Qianjie had prepared himself mentally for the fact that everyone else knew and he was the only one kept in the dark, but after hearing this, he was stunned.

After being stunned for a long time, he suddenly asked the next very important question in a calm voice: "Why did you hide this from others?"

"Uh... Actually, we just wanted to keep it a secret from Mei..." Alicia said shyly, with a guilty tone, "Besides, I didn't intend to hide it from you. I was going to tell you when we met, but... you were just too enthusiastic."

So you blame me? Qianjie's mask had a few silent black lines hanging down, but thinking back carefully... Indeed, when she saw herself, Alicia had been insisting that she was Alicia herself, so... in a sense, it was indeed that I didn't believe her?

After being speechless for a moment, Qianjie, who would never admit that this was a character problem, decisively changed the subject: "Since all this was caused by you, then, Ying and Kevin..."

"They are all fine and are staying well in the real world now," said Alicia.

"..." Qianjie sighed long and weakly, as if he wanted to expel all the air from his lungs. "So, this matter was just a meaningless farce from beginning to end?"

"Well, how can you say it's meaningless?" Although she felt a little guilty, Alicia still denied Qianjie's words, "After all, it's to allow the successors of this era to fight against the end more effectively. No matter how you look at it, it can't be considered meaningless, right? Don't you agree, Qianjie?"

"So you don't deny that this is just a farce that is no different from a joke." Qianjie said.

“Well… if you say that there was no so-called [enemy] or [betrayer] from the beginning to the end, then that’s indeed the case.” Alicia said weakly.

"Okay." At this moment, contrary to everyone's expectations, Qianjie suddenly sat up cross-legged on the spot and nodded without hesitation, "If that's the case, what are you going to do next?"

"Huh?" After hearing Qianjie's question, Alicia, Abonia and Eden could not help but look at each other in confusion.

After hesitating for a moment, Alysia asked tentatively: "What do you mean...what are we going to do next?"

“If I remember correctly, you did say just now that from the beginning to the end, you just wanted to hide this matter from the Herrscher.” Qianjie said coldly, “Since you have gone to so much trouble to hide the truth from the Herrscher, what you are going to do is far from over.”

"..." After a moment's silence, Alicia once again looked at Eden and Aponia in bewilderment, then nodded: "Indeed, you are right... So, Qianjie, are you going to hinder us?"

“Why should I hinder you?” Qianjie smiled grimly, as if to express that he was quite happy: “It’s just that I can cooperate with you better if I know what you are going to do next, right?”

"..."

"..."

"..."

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Looking at the ghostly expressions on Alicia, Eden, and Aponia’s faces, Qianjie made an extremely dissatisfied voice, “I am also a human being. I also need entertainment sometimes. Of course, I don’t mind playing some games with others that are good for mental health. Is there anything strange about this?”

"Well... that's true..." After hearing Qianjie's rather counterintuitive assertion, Alicia nodded with empathy, as if she had understood something.

Indeed… Although he looks like a battle maniac, Qianjie is surprisingly a good player who is willing to cooperate with others when having fun.

Earlier, during the waiting time, when she communicated with her own memory, she was told about a past event in paradise.

It was a summer comedy directed by her and performed by all the heroes.

In that movie, Qianjie, Kevin and Kosmo all perfectly demonstrated what comedic talent is.

——The name of that movie is [Summer Survival Rhapsody].

Well, if there is a chance, I will plan such an activity with other heroes later.

Chapter 4: Catching a Wild Fairy Ai Li (k)

Before describing Raiden Mei's current situation, let us emphasize a basic fact again.

The so-called Law of Erosion is actually an ultimate virus that does not need to rely on material form, can maintain its own consciousness, and wreak havoc in every corner of the world.

Machines, humans, animals, plants, and even simple inorganic matter... The Ruler of Corrosion can corrode them and use all their abilities instead.

In the last civilized era, if Dr. Mei had not successfully lured its consciousness into the main control system of the Fire Moth Base with the help of the remaining human will of Sakura and Ling, and immediately cut off the connection between the main control system and the outside world, and then locked it in a black box made of special materials, then the Herrscher of Corrosion would have successfully accomplished the ultimate mission of the Herrscher and put an end to the last civilized era 50,000 years ago.

The Ruler of Erosion in the current era of civilization is also like this...

For the memory of the paradise of the past, the Ruler of Erosion is an existence equivalent to the end.

But even in this case, the power of erosion is by no means omnipotent.

It cannot completely occupy the entire paradise in the first place, and must find a way to break the memories of the Thirteen Heroes one by one; it cannot interfere with the memories of these heroes directly, in order to erode them, it must find a way to achieve [touch] with the other party at the data level; even if it successfully erodes the memory, these memories can temporarily maintain their self-awareness inside the Ruler of Erosion using various methods.

Therefore, although due to the characteristics of its power, the Herrscher of Corrosion has an insurmountable and overwhelming advantage over their memories, in the Paradise of the Past, the Herrscher of Corrosion is still far from reaching the level where his dreams can come true.

——But if we assume this.

Suppose, the person who used the [Power of Corrosion] on the Paradise of the Past was not a Herrscher who was in a hostile position, but the memory of the Thirteen Heroes, or even... he was the creator of the hardware facilities of the Paradise of the Past, and a great engineer who left countless backdoors for it?

Although she didn't expect that after proposing such exaggerated conditions, the captain named Li Shubai would directly meet all her requirements, but in fact, the only divine key that Weiwei really wanted to borrow from beginning to end was the [Jizo Soul].

[The ultimate virus that can corrode data] combined with [the designer and creator of the hardware facilities], when the two are added together, to put it bluntly... it is literally omnipotent.

And Weiwei's purpose is actually very simple.

Even though she was given such exaggerated authority, she only had one goal.

——That is, using such authority and ability, the end of [Alishia] in the eyes of Raiden Mei can be presented in the most perfect and gorgeous form.

Well, to put it in human terms, it’s about special effects.

Of course, before the advent of the [Story Because of You] starring [Hersher of Corrosion·Alishia], [Hersher of Man·Alishia] and all other heroes.

Weiwei doesn't mind using this power to make her magic shows and performances more gorgeous and impactful.

So, after Wei Wei made up her mind...

"Woo... huh... huh... huh..." Raiden Mei knelt on one knee on the cracked ground in her Heavenly Strike Realm, breathing heavily and raising her head. She asked Wei Wei, who was looking at her in surprise not far away, cautiously with a trembling voice despite suppressing her fear: "So, these things are... the [Anti-Kevin Weapons] that you developed?"

"Hey, you should understand from these failed products." Weiwei put away the surprised expression on her face and put on a cute and harmless smile. "Killing Kevin is a very difficult task. Even if I made a weapon with a model number of more than four digits, I can't make Kevin disappear from the paradise silently."

"...Why do you care about these things..." Raiden Mei looked around with twitching eyes, her hair soaked with sweat stuck to her forehead in a messy manner, "...You call it a failure?"

"But even so, for Ms. Mei, these things don't pose any threat to you, right?" Wilwei patted the magic hat on her head, followed Mei's gaze to look around at the tragic scene, feeling a little guilty, "... maybe?"

The originally colorful performance hall has completely changed, making people wonder if the passage of time has been accelerated.

The floor was crisscrossed with cracks, and most of the ceiling had disappeared, revealing the pure, cloudless sky of paradise. The edges of the walls had taken on irregular shapes, and the exposed steel bars were twisted into all sorts of strange shapes, like some kind of postmodern work of art.

No matter how you look at it, this area is nothing more than a ruin.

And the culprits who turned this performance hall into a complete ruin were the so-called... [Arming Kevin] mentioned by Weiwei.

After accepting Eden's instructions, Mei Raiden quickly found Velvet. Then, during the conversation, Mei Raiden learned that Sakura had visited Velvet before she disappeared and took back another weapon that belonged to her, the Seven Thunders of Purification.

Although Vilvi claimed that she didn't dare to ask Sakura to take the weapons back because she was weak in martial arts and was afraid that Sakura would chop her into two Vilvi with one sword, but... looking around again at the environment that looked like the surface had been washed by tens of thousands of tons of explosives, Raiden Mei couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Honestly speaking, if she hadn't seen with her own eyes what the Keys of God like the Holy Judge of Skyfire and Yu Duchen looked like, she would have known that Vilvi was unlikely to be a Herrscher like her... Raiden Mei would probably have suspected that Vilvi was also a Herrscher with multiple powers.

Among the three anti-Kevin weapons that Mei Raiden has [experienced] so far, whether it is the [Model 7] that is similar to the unsheathed skyfire and almost burned her to ashes, or the [Model 909] that manifested a pseudo-black hole and made Mei Raiden completely unable to move, or the last mysterious virtual space [Model 135] that almost made her lose consciousness completely... No matter which one it is, if you are not careful, if it is in the real world, even if it is to kill yourself... it is not impossible.

"Okay..." Although she always felt that something was wrong, Mei Raiden was not the kind of unreasonable person. After experiencing all of Weiwei's outrageous weapons against Kevin, Mei Raiden had to admit... these weapons made by Weiwei should not be the ones that caused Kevin to disappear for no reason. "Indeed, I agree with you. These things should not be the reason for Kevin's disappearance."

The reason is very simple... The martial virtue of these things is too abundant. If they really collide with Kevin, the whole paradise will probably shake like it did half a minute ago, right?

However, what was the situation with the vibration that was constantly transmitted from the outside to the inside? Thinking of this, Raiden Mei couldn't help but feel a little confused. Judging from the fire meteor that was faintly leaking through the crack in the space, it seemed that Qianjie was venting his power?

Unfortunately, without the guidance of others, it is impossible to move freely in the paradise on your own.