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Chapter 691: Lanchi's Finale in the City of Flowers (Part 2)
Chapter 691: Lanchi's Finale in the City of Flowers (Part 2)
He seemed lost in thought, as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, a dazzling red light pierced through the layers of dark clouds, like a blazing comet, plummeting straight toward Lanchi's location.
The red light halted a few dozen meters away from Lanchi, and as the intense scarlet flames dissipated, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared.
It was Yinoan.
She was still wounded, and her once immaculate attire was now soaked in blood, resembling a tattered flag that had endured countless storms.
Yet, her eyes held a newfound calm and liberation, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
She gazed quietly at Lanchi, a barely perceptible smile tugging at the corners of her lips, as if greeting an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
Gradually, the rain lessened, the howling winds subsided, and the gentle raindrops fell softly, creating a soothing sound.
In the ruins of Bosen Demon Realm, though the darkness lingered, dawn was approaching.
"So you're here after all."
Yinoan spoke, looking at the brown-haired, green-eyed figure.
"I guessed you might come looking for me."
Lanchi sighed and shook his head.
If it were the Destruction Bishop Ivanoth, she should have fled by now.
After all, staying in Pariel, the City of Flowers, any longer would bring her nothing but trouble.
But if it were the current Ivanoth, there might be another choice she wouldn't have considered before.
"Because when you didn't directly abandon Christine and run away, but instead saved her and killed Beelzebub, it proved that you had changed."
Lanchi looked at Yinoan, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.
It could be said that coincidence and necessity went hand in hand.
If Beelzebub didn't have that kind of personality, he wouldn't have awakened the Destruction Bishop.
And for the Destruction Bishop, after living as Yinoan and getting used to that life, she might have preferred to remain ignorant of her true self.
It was like a gentle descent into a world of comfort for her.
But encountering Beelzebub, a mirror etched with sin, forced her to regain her memories, and that awakening was her punishment.
"This world is filled with the notion of an eye for an eye."
Yinoan muttered, echoing Lorren's angry words during their battle, which she had once scoffed at but now understood.
"Ivanoth, from now on, I will treat you as the Destruction Bishop."
Her best option was to flee the Bosen Kingdom, or perhaps find a way to stay with the Baptiste family. However, since she had come to find Lanchi, there was only one answer.
Seeing Yinoan's expression and sensing the surging magic power within her, Lanchi understood her intention.
There was one last battle to be fought today.
Neither of them was in peak condition, so the outcome was uncertain.
Ivanoth had not only used her lifesaving trump card, the 'Afterlife Embers,' to save Christine but had also killed Beelzebub, expending a significant portion of her magic power and life force.
"Even though you saved the Baptiste family and countless innocent civilians in Pariel... it doesn't make up for the sins of your past. And as I teach my students, you can't rely on the help of bad people..."
Lanchi's eyebrows furrowed, and for the first time, his eyes held a hint of profound sorrow.
"If possible, he truly hoped that it wasn't the Destruction Bishop who saved Christina and preserved Pariel, the City of Flowers, with her power."
"And he didn't want the one he had to kill as an enemy at this moment to be Yinoan."
"But sometimes, that's how it is; many things can no longer be discerned by simple rights and wrongs."
"The concept of humanity in my life is like dog poop, but talking to you is the only humane thing I've ever done."
Yinoan's hair fell over her right eye as she tilted her head slightly, "Rocky, I both hate and thank you. Thank you for letting me have a beautiful dream."
She replied with an air of resigned acceptance in her tone.
Today, either she would kill Rocky or he would kill her.
"Is this our final conversation?"
Lanchi spoke, his voice heavy with exhaustion, as if he were forcing himself to stay alert.
She neither chose to surrender nor sought help but instead decided to embrace her villainous path to the very end.
So fighting her was the only redemption Lanchi could offer.
"But further words are pointless, let's begin."
Yinoan said.
"..."
Talia was also ready.
Perhaps this was the most adverse final battle they would face in Pariel, the City of Flowers. Their fighting style had gradually matured; first, using Talia's spirit magic to disrupt and distract their opponent while attracting their attention, and then revealing herself at the critical moment to deliver the fatal blow.
At this moment, it was very similar to their first encounter in the Saint Silvervine Arena.
Talia felt that if she had won against her opponent once, she could do it again.
Amidst the ruins, an ominous cold wind picked up.
The chilly raindrops fell to the ground, forming ripples that began to spread, and the final battle for their lives commenced!
As the wind danced, Yinoan's figure transformed into a blurry shadow, gliding towards Lanchi like a vengeful ghost. Countless crimson divine lights began to gather around Yinoan.
Her fighting style remained unchanged, aiming to decide the victor in an instant and utterly destroy her opponent.
"..."
Lanchi remained unfazed by this sudden attack, his expression unchanged, just as he had previously suppressed Ivanoth with Talia's spirit magic.
For Talia, spirit magic was her primary system, but for Ivanoth, who specialized in fire with spirit magic as her secondary system, spirit magic was not her forte.
When Talia's spirit magic field collided with Ivanoth's, the two forces once again neutralized each other.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
It was identical to their previous battle.
In the blink of an eye, the two locked eyes, but there was no longer any surprise.
Ivanoth and Talia's spiritual powers intertwined, clashed, and canceled each other out.
In that moment, time seemed to slow down for them, creating an invisible contest.
Lanchi's arm shot up like an arrow, his fingertip pointing directly at Yinoan's heart, his gaze as sharp as a blade, ready to sever all evil and darkness.
Having fought each other before in the Saint Silvervine Arena, they knew that the next step was to unleash their most powerful moves at close range.
But at this critical juncture, Yinoan suddenly extinguished all her flames, and the magic power that had been gathering around her also dissipated.
She stood quietly in place, a tranquil arc at the corners of her lips, her eyes calm and serene, as if welcoming an inevitable conclusion.
The gray fissure pierced straight through her heart.
Until the gray crack exploded, Yinoan spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes slowly closing, her body powerless as she fell, like a blood-red leaf gently drifting down among the ruins.
"..."
Lanchi stared, not understanding why Yinoan had allowed herself to be defeated so easily.
"Ivanoth, why? Why did you do it?"
Lanchi was suddenly at a loss, questioning her.
Talia also appeared, blocking Lanchi from approaching Yinoan without caution.
However, Talia knew that Ivanoth was probably not feigning.
When she saw Lanchi about to kill her.
She gave up resisting.
Ivanoth had a faint smile on her lips as she lay on the ground, gazing up at the cloudy sky that hid the sunrise.
"..."
Blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, and her eyes gradually dimmed.
She neither cried nor laughed, nor did she answer Lanchi's question.
She passed away peacefully.
Just like the end of her life.
Leaving behind only the [Original Stone Slab - Fire].
"Why did it end like this..."
Lanchi seemed to gradually understand something, or perhaps he was overly fatigued. The sudden brightness was a bit dazzling, and he rubbed his forehead in distress.
The ground began to shake again, possibly due to the aftershocks of their brief Eighth-Tier battle.
Talia quickly took the stone slab and grabbed Lanchi, leading him away from the ruins to the roof of a nearby small church, which was relatively stable.
Compared to the night-long battles, their brief clash was like a light drizzle compared to a torrential downpour.
For the demons of Pariel, it was, at most, an alarm clock that made a bit too much noise in the early morning.
The ambitious Perilman and the curse-spreader Beelzebub were both dead.
The legendary magical artifact [Pelloni's Grievance Record] had also been destroyed.
The demons in Pariel had returned to normal.
The city began to revive.
The refugees and demons gradually emerged from their shelters, stepping back onto the devastated land.
The sounds of rain, water, lights, and the laughter of those who had survived the disaster blended into a nocturnal fantasy that echoed through the skies of Pariel.
"Lanchi, are you alright?"
Talia looked at Lanchi and realized that he was indeed quite overwhelmed, even more exhausted than she had imagined, and he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Do you know how to define despair?"
Lanchi sat down on the roof, his voice heavy with fatigue, gazing at the sky as the clouds occasionally drifted by, gradually brightening.
Even though it was still drizzling in Pariel, the sunrise would surely bring clear skies.
"I don't know."
Talia shook her head.
Lanchi often had a better understanding of such things, but he rarely discussed them with her.
It seemed that if Ivanoth had fought them to the bitter end, Lanchi would have been in a better state of mind.
But it was this peaceful death that made Lanchi feel terrible.
"There was once an experiment... First, they let some mice live a happy life, implanting electrodes in their brains to record the excited cells during their happy times. Then, they took away the mice's friends and locked them in a narrow, enclosed, damp, and cold space, continuously electrocuting them. Every now and then, they would dunk the mice's heads in a mixture of ice water, from which there was no escape, no matter how they struggled. After a while, the mice fell into despair.
Lanchi spoke to himself, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"How do you measure if it's truly in despair? What if it's an indestructible cockroach, and the more you torture it, the stronger its spirit of resistance becomes?"
Talia listened intently beside him, her curiosity piqued. She felt that Lanchi was even more weary than she had imagined, his voice softer than usual.
"There are two indicators," Lanchi continued.
"The first is called the Sweet Water Experiment. After torturing it, put it back in the cage, with two types of water inside: sweet water and plain water."
"Mentally healthy mice will drink sweet water 80% of the time and plain water 20% of the time. If they show no preference and drink both types of water equally, we can conclude that there is a problem."
"Why?" Talia asked.
"No preference. Everything it eats and drinks tastes the same."
Lanchi turned to her, offering an explanation.
"..."
Talia seemed to understand. If she ever lost all hope, she might end up in a similar state.
If she hadn't met Lanchi, and if she had found Hyberrian dead upon arriving in Ecclesiastic, only to later fail to find her sister in the Kresix Empire, she might have truly given up, consumed by revenge.
"Of course, one indicator is not enough."
Lanchi took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.
"The second is called the Suspended Tail Experiment. Lift the mouse by its tail so that its head is facing downward. A mentally healthy mouse will curl its head upward and struggle. If it gives up completely, showing no desire to survive, then it has truly fallen into despair."
"Indeed, if it meets both of these indicators, it is truly in despair."
Talia agreed.
At this moment, their conversation was unusually calm and peaceful.
It was rare for them to have the opportunity to chat like this, free from distractions.
"Do you think there's a way to save it after it has fallen into such despair?"
Lanchi asked her.
"Is there a way to rescue it?"
Talia asked curiously.
"There is," Lanchi nodded, but he didn't elaborate further.
Talia thought for a moment.
"Take it out of that miserable environment and place it in a spacious, warm place. Give it all kinds of delicious food and fun toys. Let it eat whatever it wants and play with whatever it desires. Ensure its absolute safety and surround it with friends."
She offered her uncertain guess.
Lanchi merely looked at her without saying a word.
Even without him explaining the answer, she understood in an instant.
"It can't be saved," Lanchi said.
Talia's hesitant response already indicated that she knew all of the above would be futile.
"Then how can it be saved?"
Talia furrowed her brow.
"Remember how electrodes were implanted in the mouse's brain when it was experiencing happiness? As long as those marked neural cells are stimulated, its happy memories will be reactivated. Within a few days and nights, it can be completely cured."
Even without him finishing his sentence, he believed Talia understood.
What saves the soul is not the immediate sensory pleasure but the beautiful memories of the past.
Thus, a happy childhood is of utmost importance.
"From the first moment I saw Yinoan, I realized that she had never experienced happiness in her life, from childhood to adulthood. She didn't understand what happiness was, and she didn't have a childhood that could bring her lifelong healing."
This was Lanchi's belief.
In the case of Sigil, regardless of her childhood experiences, he firmly believed that as long as he brought her some beautiful memories, even if she faced tribulations or lost her way one day, as long as she recalled those memories, they might spark hope within her, giving her the strength to persevere.
The same was true for Yinoan.
Before her memory was awakened, she was like a pure white infant.
Lanchi intended to stick to his principles to the very end.
However, he never expected that this fleeting light in the eternal darkness would mean so much to Yinoan.
Recalling the initial Yinoan, she pursued her desires and vented her emotions. She also knew how to struggle, no matter how dire the circumstances, always fighting to survive.
But after Lanchi's intervention, when everything she desired was within reach, she chose death.
"It turns out that what I gave Yinoan was not salvation but true despair... Her death told me that sometimes, there really are people I can't save."
Lanchi spoke to himself, his eyes clear as a deep pool, reflecting the boundless sky.
"Talia, you were right."
He admitted.
Regarding their previous bet, Talia's prediction had come true, and he had been wrong.
Yinoan had died in a way he found unacceptable.
He had been too confident, thinking he had gambled for a perfect ending, only to end up failing miserably.
"..."
However, contrary to Lanchi's expectations, Talia's triumphant mockery never came.
Instead, she hugged his head and let him rest it on her chest, telling him to put all thoughts aside.
"That's not true."
She whispered softly, like a mother, gentle with Hyberrian.
"It was you who taught me firmness."
She spoke into Lanchi's ear,
"Any miracle has conditions for its occurrence. If you don't persist, even the Goddess of Fate won't favor you. So, please continue to be firm. When you hesitate, I will guide you."
"..."
Lanchi widened his eyes but remained still for a while before his expression gradually relaxed.
On the roof, neither of them spoke further.
They quietly listened to each other's heartbeats.
Finally, Lanchi, too, succumbed to his exhaustion and slowly closed his eyes.
The dawn illuminated their silhouettes from the clouds.
The rose window of the church glowed with a soft blue light, and the rain flowed along the contours of the building, like an ancient chant.
Until the rain stopped and the mist cleared, the eastern sky brightened.
...
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