Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

John Dee's pupils slowly reflected Novia's figure.

That was a trivial fact in the fifth century, one that no one would have likely noticed.

Humanity in that era had lost its smiles; what it possessed was the pleasure of humiliating and abusing others, the desire to satisfy its own selfishness by depriving others, and the establishment of its superiority by trampling on the weak. A few who fought for their beliefs and justice would be tainted by the great dye vat.

That's it.

This alone provides sufficient justification for Avia.

That was enough to make him abandon the maintenance of stability, choose turbulent war, and point his sword and horse at the empire.

Gazing at the boundless sky, I believe that beyond the desolate landscape, vibrant and beautiful flowers will once again bloom.

"You were all alone back then too."

John Dee spoke very softly, and Novia probably didn't hear him.

He continued, as if answering Novia's initial question—

"...I can only deceive. That's all I can do."

John Dee was breathing heavily in pain.

As part of the contract to maintain the Triple Great Hermes, Dee risked his life. As one of the highest alchemists, the Triple Great Hermes naturally had a way to steal his master's Command Seals. Moreover, this was a contract that both parties agreed to, meaning that whoever lost would completely give it to the stronger party.

"So I said, that's wrong. For us, for our wives, for our unborn children, and even for ourselves, you deceive yourself to please yourself. We are vulnerable as human beings. It is precisely because of this vulnerability that we look away from what is broken and desperately try to accumulate things."

Novia paused for a moment, "Actually, I'm quite familiar with the alchemists at the Atlas Institute, so sometimes I need to slow down the whirlpool of thoughts that keeps me busy every day, right?"

The alchemist's face gradually lost all color, yet a hint of happiness remained, followed by a heavy, painful, and clear sigh.

Through my blurry vision, the wind picked up, and black dust drifted by gently.

There were no road signs, but the rivers in Tokyo led somewhere.

How long will the footprints remain? By tomorrow, we might not even know who they belong to.

Even so, precisely because of this, we must cherish it to the fullest.

"Ah, so that's it..."

Humans are like ships drifting on a calm sea, and he is watching them go as if seeing the ship off.

It neither falls asleep nor stops. It simply gazes deeply, intensely, and slowly.

All I wanted was to at least illuminate the path forward for this ship, even if only by a tiny bit, as night fell and the sky gradually brightened.

"...Honestly...I really wanted to be like you, but now I can only atone with my death. I'm already full of flaws."

A soft snap rang out.

That was the sound of Novia taking the cross off Dee's chest and placing it on his forehead.

“I’ve said it before, I can’t necessarily blame you, I should even praise you. Although I don’t advocate these behaviors, this is John Dee, your own story that you wrote stroke by stroke. I think this is absolutely the most wonderful and meaningful story you’ve ever read in your life. The world may forget, but Novia will not.”

"You are so kind and compassionate. Someone like me, with so many flaws, is truly ashamed..."

John Dee seemed to find Novia's words beautiful, his head bowed and his back trembling slightly.

"I am not perfect either. I lie and kill. The strong are not always good people."

The wind blew Novia's silver hair.

"As for not having any merits? Does that mean we can't like someone? I think there's no such logic. If there were, I wouldn't admit it. After all, who wouldn't cherish the admirable thought of 'wanting to be like me'?"

"...So that's how it is..."

As if entering a dream, John Dee closed his eyes. The alchemist, who had lived for five hundred years, had come to an end. His actions were unremarkable, his achievements unremarkable, and he had not even expressed universal compassion.

But even in remote places, they would always offer devout prayers in the deserted wilderness.

Novia used this as her final conclusion regarding the alchemist who had turned into black dust and vanished.

Beautiful things are found all over the world.

Chapter 537 Eri Sei, it's understandable that she might act recklessly a little.

"This is all you can do now: stand in the wilderness, face the south wind as the sun sets, and bow down in reverence; for when the sun returns, you bow down to the east in the same way."

The Tokyo of the past is about to sink.

A fierce wind howled, sparks danced wildly, and a sea of ​​fire seemed to form before Lushena, who had rushed to the 'past' because of the voice that echoed in his mind. Then, seeing Eri and the Triple Great Hermes facing off, she rushed in like a gust of wind, standing between the two and staring directly at the alchemist.

"...Such a high temperature!? What's going on?"

The triple Hermes wore an expression of astonishment, but still stared intently at the uninvited guest before him.

When Rousseau saw the eyes of the Triple Great Hermes, he felt as if he were falling.

Just looking into her eyes gives me the illusion that I am no longer myself...

then.

Seeing this, the Triple Great Hermes seemed somewhat saddened and whispered:

"It is good that you have come in such a hurry, child, for you have been purified. Go and hear what I think, go and see everything, and join me in slaying Phoemendeges, who has entrusted everything to me for a good purpose."

The words of the Triple Great Hermes filled Luchena with a deep sense of guilt, making him feel as if he were being suffocated by it.

This is nature, the innate timidity of the created, wanting to submit to the Creator; yet, at this very moment—

"I am Vairocana, the embodiment of great wisdom and the source of all light."

"what?!"

The radiant light, like that of the sun, gradually dispelled the pressure from the three great Hermes and spread outwards from the center of Luchena.

Moreover, a wondrous recitation reached the ears of the triple Hermes.

"In the ten directions, all the Buddhas of the world ocean freely manifest the Dharma Wheel through their vows; in all the Buddha lands, countless multitudes speak different names, yet they all turn the pure Dharma Wheel."

That wasn't some mantra needed for chanting, but rather a passage from the Avatamsaka Sutra.

“By the divine power of Vairocana Buddha, the Dharma wheel turns in all realms, and the Dharma form neither arises nor perishes, illuminating all worlds.”

“The wondrous voice of Vairocana Buddha fully expounds his original deeds; in each ray of light are Buddhas who transform sentient beings with the supreme path.”

At the center of the resounding prayers, thousands of lotuses descended from the sky centered on Vairocana, causing the great Hermes to jump backward, wondering if Vairocana had truly summoned the Buddha Vairocana.

There are examples of summoning a great being from another side of the world, beyond Earth, to this world, and then granting it a physical body to unleash powerful energy. However, these are extremely rare cases, and it seems that very few people throughout history have succeeded.

That's not something you can just shout out based on belief alone.

According to the judgment of the Triple Great Hermes, if it really is Buddha who has come, then he can only place his hopes on his next generation. After all, although it is unbelievable, that thing is indeed an indescribable existence.

however.

"So that's how it is. I was actually fooled by you."

As if he had made an unexpected discovery, the Triple Great Hermes suddenly leaped high into the air and then crushed the magic that summoned the lotus flower with only light footsteps.

Vairocana realized something was wrong; sure enough, this little trick could only last a few seconds.

That's understandable; without a reliable method, you can't scare someone with that kind of power.

"What? I thought you came here to turn the tide of the battle, but it turns out you're just here to be delivered to our deaths. Run! Don't blame me if you die."

With his back to Eri, Roshana clenched his fist and spoke passionately:

"I volunteered!"

"...Never mind, let me handle this. I should be able to defeat this guy before the poison takes effect again."

Eri shrugged dramatically and continued, "If you accidentally die, I'll be in big trouble."

In the next instant, Lushena witnessed the scene of the two fighting. Their magic power seemed to be expanding endlessly, and their own existence was constantly being sublimated. As the two supreme beings in the theology of alchemy, their 'alchemy' was very similar, but completely different.

On one side is 'alchemy', which has been present everywhere since birth, knows everything, and understands all things.

On one hand, it's unclear whether the source is God or a human; on the other hand, it's the 'alchemy' of learning knowledge and creating a path.

The end and exploration are conceptually completely contradictory, that is to say—a dualism to some extent.

Just as Ahura Mazda's good and Angra Mainyu's evil are locked in a struggle.

"End" and "exploration" are diametrically opposed.

If the two conflict—which is good for humanity? If the universe is explored to its end, is it a good thing or a bad thing?

However, Eri, who is the fourth generation of God-King who walks with humanity in the universe, is neutralized by Poimanderges, who has the bloodline of "knowing everything". The same is true for Hermes, the Triple Great. She is the most important person who created alchemy from scratch, but she plotted to prevent humanity from leaving the planet. So, the two can be said to have neutralized each other's mutually exclusive concepts to a certain extent.

Therefore, at this moment it is simply a contest of who is stronger; the strength of an individual directly determines the outcome.

The final victor will be either Erise or the Triple Great Hermes—currently, the Triple Great Hermes holds the upper hand. Although Erise's Eastern Lord is undeniably physically violent, the Triple Great Hermes' alchemical body can withstand it. However, Erise has no ability to counter her methods.

"Anyway, when it comes to competing with you, the strength of an individual is meaningless. After all, we alchemists don't need to be the strongest, we only need to create the strongest."

The Three Great Ones spoke to Erise with a peaceful expression, as if sincerely wishing her well wishes.

"How much longer can you hold on? The power of the Eastern Lord is ultimately insufficient."

She spread her arms, scattering simulated particles into the surrounding space, causing the toxic dust to accumulate.

"And I will fight with all my might, risking everything, to destroy you. At this moment, I will create the strongest!"

"Without further ado."

After saying that, Eri Sei, with an extremely natural and practiced movement, swung her fist at the Triple Great One.

The light and impact once again shook Tokyo and the entire continent.

Seeing this scene, Lushena was also in a panic, clutching his head in his hands: "This won't do, Eri can't get inside that guy anymore, if this continues, we'll just be dragged to our deaths..."

But it's pointless to talk about this now.

Because Lushena had no other choice, in this critical moment, only Eri was fighting alone, which made her feel extremely unwilling and guilty.

But then, she suddenly remembered the sentence she had heard when she arrived in Tokyo in a daze.

"Because when the sun returns, it also bows to the east."

The sun... Vairocana Buddha, is the same person as Vairocana. If I were the sun, then the east... Didn't Hermes just call Eri the Great Lord of the East?!

Therefore, without hesitation, Lushena stood tall and bowed deeply to Eri, whose figure was completely obscured. It's unknown what expression Eri had on her face when she noticed Lushena's gesture.

But Lushana knew the feelings he held for that departing figure—pure gratitude.

Thank you for her hard work.

Then, in that instant, the voice rang in her mind again, and only then did Lushena realize that it sounded like some kind of primordial voice.

"Lushena".

"what's up?"

"You already know that you are not the real Vairocana, don't you?"

The voice continued, "In that case, don't you want to become 'yourself'?"

That sentence was spoken with great seriousness.

For example, it's like asking, 'Is it really bad to gain someone else's memories and become someone else, or is it better to be yourself?'

"...Now my thoughts are perhaps the exact opposite of what they were before."

With a cheerful expression, Vairocana said, "If I were really Vairocana, things wouldn't have turned out this way. In that case, perhaps I am the result I hoped for now. It's not that I covet Vairocana's reputation, but that I am now his disciple."

"..."

"Although this is all I've achieved so far, I believe I can definitely do it—just like how I initially wanted to find something that had been abandoned and become something like Buddha."

"Something like Buddha?"

"Someone once told me that the biting cold wind can't blow people off their coats, but when the warm sunlight shines on people, it can gradually make them warm up and automatically take off their coats. As long as you're alive, everyone is looking forward to the light shining on them."

As the counterfeiter spoke, he placed his hand on his chest.

Her expression was like something warm had been lit up there; when people are lost on a dark road, they would take that light as a signpost.

"...These words sound familiar, but they are indeed a kind remark."

"Yes."

Lushana smiled happily, because she sensed that the owner of the voice seemed to be smiling as well.

Immediately afterwards, the blue-haired girl naturally extended a hand towards Eri, who was engaged in battle: