I, the final BOSS of the beta test server!

But she had no choice.

This is Grey's last journey, the last chance to realize her wish.

No matter how small or unrealistic it is, she will grab it.

Because apart from this, the girl has no other choice.

……

boom--

boom--

Far beyond any previous retrospective.

It is no longer a trickling stream, but a huge whirlpool in the ocean that swallows everything.

The distorted time swallows everything and moves upstream towards the infinitely distant river of time.

And Grey was at the center of the vortex, the origin of the storm.

I don’t know how long it took before the roaring time slowly dissipated, the distorted halo receded, and the scenery of the real world was revealed.

A small town shrouded in mist, pale silk threads scattered all over the ground...

The shattered bell tower, the pitch-black night sky, and above it, the object that replaced the moon—a twisted, wriggling ball of flesh and blood, the projection of the evil god named "Red Moon."

Everything went back to ten years ago.

We returned to the Frozen Water Town where the boy and girl first met and the story originated.

Even Gray herself did not expect that this time travel spanning ten years would actually be successful.

"Looking back to this point..."

"Even if Brother Rast has the protection of the Death Star Cup, he will definitely be affected."

"In this way, I can expose Brother Rast's lies."

Looking at the small town shrouded in mist before me, that scenery had appeared in my dreams countless times at midnight...

Gray only felt endless fatigue rising from the depths of her soul and spreading to her entire body and mind.

Just rewinding a few hours, repeated hundreds of times, would wear and tear enough for Grey to lose some of her memory.

What's more, it goes back a full ten years.

That was irreversible wear and tear—at this moment, it was a miracle that Gray could still maintain a trace of self-awareness.

Distorted time lingered around her... Such a long rewind was the result of her squeezing out the last bit of strength from the depths of her soul. Even Gray herself could not maintain it for long.

It won't be long before she will be washed back to the current time node by the corrective force of the long river of time.

However, Gray looked quite happy.

Since Brother Rast never showed up again.

Then at least, he had proved the loophole in Brother Rast's words.

That was just a lie that Brother Luster made up to deceive me...

The beliefs I have always held and the efforts I have made over a long period of time have not been in vain.

however.

Such a thought just arose.

The next moment, she saw the figure slowly walking out of the fog.

His figure was shrouded in black flames... That was the final counterattack launched by Zhu Yue Pollutant before being defeated in Frozen Water Town, a curse that directly acted on Last.

His flesh, blood, and tendons were almost completely burned away by the black flames, leaving only the bronze skeleton, and it was difficult to distinguish his original shape.

but--

Only the boy's eyes were still clear and bright, like a fallen morning star.

Gray will never forget these eyes until her death.

"It's time to wake up from your dream, little Grey."

The young man walked out of the fire step by step, dominating time.

The calm voice pierced through the black flames, through the air distorted by the high temperature of the fire, and rang directly beside Gray's ears.

It also shattered the last bit of self-deceiving wish in Gray's heart.

“Reality is not a fairy tale.”

"Not all kindhearted people who uphold justice will be able to turn defeat into victory, defeat evil, and reverse the destined outcome."

"Besides, the morality that defines the word 'justice' is written by the victors."

"The inheritance you received was never meant for glory... and there's no such thing as a happy ending if you work hard enough, are strong enough, and have tried every possible method."

"So-called fate is never something that can be overturned so easily."

"I've exhausted all avenues, explored every possibility across endless timelines... and yet, after doing all this, I find myself still powerless, unable to change anything. This is the norm."

"After giving it my all, I faced a tragic end..."

"The so-called 'leader of the shore guardians' is precisely such a heavy thing, something that can only be borne by those with the corresponding awareness."

As the boy spoke, Gray's vision gradually became darker.

The last bit of obsession was ruthlessly wiped out by the cold reality, leaving Grey completely without the strength to hold on.

The fatigue that permeated from the depths of her soul and was caused by wear and tear instantly occupied Gray's entire body and mind.

The gray-haired girl's consciousness fell into the boundless abyss, with no idea where to return.

Before Gray's consciousness completely dissipated.

She heard the boy's last words, which came along with the whistling wind:

"So, even so."

"After knowing everything and losing everything..."

"Do you still dream of becoming a shore guard?"

Chapter 150: Playing the Final Chapter for a Broken World (Two-in-One)

"So, even so..."

"Do you still dream of becoming a shore guard?"

The last words, along with the girl's unfinished consciousness, fell into the abyss of nothingness.

Gray's limp body fell in mid-air.

Then, it was caught by Rast with gentle movements.

He looked at the gray-haired girl in his arms, who had fallen into a deep coma due to the suppression of her soul potential, with her eyes tightly closed... and two wet tear marks on her white cheeks.

The indifferent expression he had always maintained in front of Gray now melted away like ice and snow.

"A little... a bit too much?"

"Although most of it is true, sometimes, compared to lies... the truth is more hurtful."

Luster murmured silently to himself.

This is completely different from the cold and mysterious image he had when he was awake, wrapping his body in a cloak and hiding his face with a hood.

Gray, who was in deep sleep at the moment, looked exceptionally peaceful as she slept.

There is still some childishness in her delicate face, and the lines between her eyebrows and eyes are a bit immature.

"I almost forgot... Even today, you are still less than twenty years old."

"In some modern countries with well-developed youth protection systems—"

"My behavior would be considered abuse of a minor... I might even end up in jail."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of Rast's mouth.

He gently stretched out his hand, stroked the girl's round forehead, and straightened her hair that was a little messy due to the hot wind from the fire.

Then, he wiped away the two undried tear marks on the girl's fair and delicate face.

"'Shore Keeper', an entire era of civilization, and the fate of mankind..."

"Such a weight is too much for a girl under 20 to bear."

"Whether it's me or Chief Cessel... choosing to use this method to force such a heavy mission onto your delicate shoulders—"

"Such behavior can only be described as irresponsible."

Luster looked at the girl in his arms.

His mumbling was mixed in with the fire and wind, and no one could hear it.

"only--"

"We have no choice."

"There's no other choice."

This was a plan jointly agreed upon by Last and Cecil.

In the past three years, in order to prevent the legendary gravekeeper Noah from noticing anything unusual, there has never been any verbal or information exchange between Last and the Shore Keeper headquarters.

However, with some inexplicable tacit understanding.

The moment he noticed Gray coming to Paradise City again, Last understood what Cecil meant.

Whether it was the betrayal on the cliff top three years ago, or what Luster did to Grey just now, they were all part of this plan.

A plan to cultivate a qualified successor for Cecil and the Shore Watchers...

In the past three years, Grey has indeed transformed and grown because of the betrayal on that rainy night.

In just a few years, he grew from an unknown newcomer in the organization to one of the strongest fighters under the legend.

However, compared to a truly qualified leader.

After just three years of experience, there is still something to be desired.

Strong combat power, excellent talent, and the potential to become a legend... these are certainly the necessary conditions to become the new leader of the Guardians.

But this is far from all.

More important than talent, potential, sequence length, and superpowers... is the heart of a "shore keeper."

You know, compared with the lifespan of previous shore guards, or their terms of office, three years is just a blink of an eye.

A long time is enough to change many things——

Weathering rocks into dust...

Let the upright young people smooth out their edges, become mercenary, smooth, and flattering...

They have forgotten their sincere and ardent ideals of the past, and twisted their former righteous partners into ugly, despicable people who pursue immortality.

And when the momentary impulse subsides, the youthful passion is worn away by time...

After enduring hundreds of years of loneliness, seeing the bleak future ahead, knowing the dire and irreversible end, and realizing that everything he did was likely in vain, he realized...

Those who can still stick to their original intentions and have never forgotten their creeds——

He is the "shore guard" just now.

"so--"

"If, after you wake up again... you can still give a firm and unwavering answer to that question."

"So, little Gray..."

"You, as someone like you, should be able to shoulder the mission of inheriting the Spark and the weight of civilization's destiny."

"It's a pity—"

Rast paused for a moment:

"Whether it's me or Leader Sissel..."