Chapter 17: One rises and the other falls
"Before the fight begins—"
Standing on the vast land of Poison Moon with the silhouettes of low black buildings, Senagade covered his entire body with blue star power while speaking.
"Do you want to make a pact or something first? Beichen."
"sure."
Beichen on the opposite side also used the red cone to summon the knight's armor, wrapped his body with a red star spirit power protective film, and threw a carbon spirit crystal into his mouth.
"If I win, you'll have to give up on suicide—that makes me feel like a psychologist trying to persuade someone not to commit suicide."
"Perhaps that's true?" Senagade laughed self-deprecatingly. "Then, if I win... I'll make you into a doll."
The possessed Moon Envoy smiled a somewhat gloomy and terrifying smile as he spoke.
"Make it an obedient doll that won't run around, stay by my side, and watch the world fall apart with me—hmm, that seems pretty romantic."
...You pervert.
Beichen shuddered at the chill that surged up his spine and muttered something silently through his lips.
Then—in the next moment, the red Star Spirit Sword and the blue Star Spirit Sword appeared in the hands of both men at the same time, slowly pointing at each other.
──Immediately afterwards, two dazzling rays of light shot up into the sky and collided with each other in the black sky!
The crucial decisive battle involving three celestial bodies began in the empty universe.
There are no audiences, no companions, no stage, only the huge stakes placed by both sides.
On one side is your own life, and on the other side are the lives of thousands of people.
clang!!
The red and blue lights collided, igniting a dazzling fluorescent light. The two retreated a short distance under the force, spread their wings behind them, and hovered in the air.
──In the vast starry sky, there is no sky, no earth, no up and no down. The slight feeling of weightlessness made Beichen feel a little uncomfortable, but she still gently bit the carbon spirit crystal in her mouth and raised the sword high.
Opposite him is Senagard, and behind him is a large, beautiful star in bright white with a hint of light blue.
That is her "home" now.
Beichen took a breath, looked at the enemy and smiled.
With it, even if we're fighting humans in space, we don't have to worry about getting lost. So, no matter what the chances of winning are, even if it's only 1%... we must seize this only glimmer of hope, not only to defeat Senagard, but also to bring Atlas back intact!
The red Star Spirit Sword let out a silent long roar and rushed towards the possessed Moon Messenger like an eagle, and what came towards it was a rain of bright blue arrows!
Somewhere in the sky above the planet Senagard, the light was lit up.
Those are two completely different colors with huge and distinct visual differences - red and blue.
The blue one was like a ferocious beast, with millions of dense arrows turning into fangs and stabbing down all over the sky, while the red one was like a petrel running in a storm, moving nimbly and agilely through the death zone covered with rain of arrows!
She sprinted in a straight line through the blue light, calmly lowering the wings on her armor to adjust their angles, nimbly flipping her body to avoid the incoming attack. Then, she executed a beautiful mid-air spin, finding the opponent's blind spot in defense, raising the red giant sword in her hand and slashing down heavily. The force seemed to carry the determination to split mountains and break rocks. Visible energy fluctuations distorted the surrounding landscape, spreading out in circles from the point where the weapons met.
He laughed wildly and raised his hands amidst the heavy red pressure. His pair of blood-red mechanical eyes reflected unspeakable complex hatred. He was hit by the attack and flew back dozens of meters. Then he stopped, but he casually flapped his wings to create distance. Then he raised his hand and called out the floating artillery device floating beside him - and then fired more than a dozen Protoss cannons at the same time!
More than a dozen straight lines of light appeared in the starry sky, whizzing towards the red light spot, but were avoided by the light spot. However, the light of the Protoss Cannon did not give up the attack - they changed direction in the air, rushed after the red dot, and finally hit the target, exploding one after another.
As a price, just when he relaxed after the attack was successful, the red Protoss cannon attacked silently and penetrated the shoulder of the possessed Moon Messenger.
The girl covered in blood and the possessed Moon Messenger with a large hole in his shoulder looked at each other and laughed under the starry sky.
I won't lose—I won't allow myself to lose.
They both used the same look and said the same words at the same time.
The red and blue colors intertwined again, even converging into a purple light in the air.
He blew a silent horn in the boundless black wilderness, and she shone like a lone star on the battlefield without heaven or earth;
He gritted his teeth and roared unheard, waving his hand to bring forth the blue power of the dead, anticipating the end of the world. She pursed her lips and sang a long, clear cry that dissipated into the vacuum, then spread her wings to stir up a red storm that attempted to shatter fate.
He planted countless explosive bombs with whirlpools of wild energy wherever his sight could reach. Wherever the enemy passed, blue spherical light ignited the entire sky like a chain reaction. She wrapped her thick armor in red power, passed through the ocean of murderous intent, came in front of him, raised her hand with all her awareness, and chopped down the sharp blade in her hand!
──I pursue death. Even if my fate may be better this time, I am already tired of it.
──I am very selfish. Even though I know you are tired, I have to ask you to survive.
──I no longer want to taste the taste of trust and then disappointment again.
──I can't guarantee anything, but at least I can ask you to trust me.
──I just want peace and a return to the emptiness and purity of everything, even if my body is riddled with holes.
──I cannot be satisfied with peace and cleanliness, but I know that you can also gain something while losing and enduring.
Narayesa, Feinheim, Hulunbeya, Feinheim. Where is this "paradise" I long for? Where is the home I can return to?
──Paradise is not in the sky, nor in the red moon nor in the poisonous moon──For us, paradise is wherever our family is!
──Then where are my family!?
──Right in front of you!!
Destroy, destroy, purify, return to zero──
Reconstruction, protection, fun, regeneration──
The violent blue and scorching red drew brilliant colors across the sky, like the aurora.
Uncompromising fighting spirits intertwined, unflinching gazes collided, and figures that refused to show weakness confronted each other. Red light dyed the stars red, and blue light spread across the entire sky, filling this endless and vast battlefield with positive and negative colors that were more intense than anything else!
The battle lasted for an unknown amount of time.
The carbon spirit crystals in their mouths gradually melted and shrank like candy, almost disappearing completely. The high-intensity battle also made their bodies extremely tired and almost unable to support themselves - but even at this point, no one was willing to take a step back.
It’s almost time for the final conclusion.
With tacit understanding, the possessed Moon Messenger raised his hand, and the armored girl raised the giant sword in her hand.
At either end of the sky, two massive star cannons, one red and one blue, rapidly coalesced—then, with the power to crush everything, they collided like two ferocious beasts!
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
The collision of forces lasted for three minutes before it stopped.
Then, when the last ray of light dimmed, the outcome was decided.
Although the possessed Moon Envoy was covered in blood, he was still floating intact. However, the armor of the girl opposite him turned into dots of red light and slowly dissipated. Her exhausted body fell towards the huge star below her feet - Senagad.
“──”
Senagard narrowed his eyes, revealing a look of struggle in them. He smacked his lips in hatred, but still flapped his wings behind him, caught up with her falling figure, hugged her in his arms, and used his remaining star power to protect the two of them as they quickly descended to the ground beneath their feet.
"You lose."
After successfully landing in the atmosphere, the possessed Moon flapped its wings vigorously to slow down the speed of their descent, and then spoke softly amid the whistling wind.
"……Yeah."
Beichen smiled weakly but firmly in his arms.
"But I think I won. Although I have to thank you very much for saving me - Senagade."
"What's the meaning?"
As Beichen fell, he stretched out his hand and gently stroked the cheek of the possessed Moon Envoy in the strong wind.
"Don't forget your promise. No matter how deep your sleep, you must wake up when I call you. Atlas, it's time for you to come back."
“────Gu!!”
Senagard's body suddenly stopped - he flapped his wings vigorously a few times and closed his arms around Beichen.
"You fought me for so long just to tire me out and weaken my mental strength so Atlas could dominate my body again?!"
"Yes."
"You still have the nerve to say you value me—and after all this, you still want me to disappear into Atlas' body!?"
He laughed out of anger, and the expression of the Moon Envoy became ferocious, but if you look closely, you can find a bit of sadness in his anger in his eyes.
Beichen sighed helplessly.
"I just want to win. This is the best way to avoid hurting either of you."
"But you still want to expel my consciousness!"
"That's because you want to do the exact opposite of what I want!!—Ah."
As they were talking, their figures had already penetrated the clouds, and their vision suddenly became clear. Under their feet, the boundless land with curves appeared before their eyes.
“…Did you see that?”
In the wind, Beichen looked at the vast and beautiful earth with a warm expression.
"That's what I want to protect. ──With such a charming body, why did you give up so early?"
"You won't understand. . . . You won't understand!"
"I truly cannot understand your emotions. I cannot easily judge what you have endured over the past ten thousand years. I can only be certain of one thing—that is, at least right now, I love you even more than you love yourself."
Behind her, the possessed Moon Envoy who was hugging her let out an uncontrollable, trembling inhale.
"Thank you for your hard work over the past ten thousand years. As a humanoid consciousness, you've endured so much suffering without losing your mind. You're remarkable. So... if you're still willing to watch over us, please do so. If you're tired, please rest well. ... Let me, a pest, take care of the mess that's coming."
"Asshole."
Senagard gritted his teeth vaguely in the wind.
"Bastard, bastard, bastard, bastard bastard!"
"Hmm." Beichen twitched his lips. "Just call him a bastard. Humans are very thick-skinned."
The possessed Moon Envoy did not reply, for he was afraid that she would hear the fragility in his voice.
Ten thousand years, what a long time that is. Even he himself has been confused about the concept of time because of those long years.
During these ten thousand years, he had gone through countless long sorrows, short joys, endless loneliness, occasional fulfillment, deep anger, small happiness, long-lasting disappointment, and that tiny hope suppressed deep in his heart.
Finally, I received a “thank you for your hard work” and a “you are amazing”.
It was just the most common words of comfort in interpersonal communication, but for some reason, when he heard it at this moment, he felt a sense of lightness and relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"Thanks for your hard work".
He even had the illusion that it was just for waiting for such a sentence that he gritted his teeth and endured everything, stumbling to where he is now.
The possessed Moon Envoy closed his eyes, but some tiny crystal liquid still floated out from the corners of his eyes and quickly dissipated in the fierce wind.
"...I lost. Lost to your meanness."
Finally, the possessed Moon Messenger said this, and he spread his wings as wide as possible in the wind. He hugged the girl in his arms, turned her face towards him, stared at her for a few seconds, and then smiled bitterly.
"How despicable! How many times...do I have to lose to a human?"
Beichen lowered his eyes with a complicated expression and twisted his lips:
"Yes... even I myself feel... how cunning and disgusting humans are in your eyes."
"Yeah."
Senagard responded lightly, then suddenly revealed a somewhat relieved smile.
"But, among humans, there are occasionally interesting beings—so, I will give you one last chance."
Beichen immediately glared:
"Really?! Are you really willing to give us another chance?!"
"This is truly my last chance. If you betray my expectations again..."
Senagade increased the strength of his hands, twisted Beichen's chin and pulled her closer to him.
"...I will use the most brutal means to destroy you bit by bit, destroy everything you have!"
"I won't let that happen."
The possessed Moon Envoy closed his eyes in disbelief and nodded.
"I'm really tired. When I wake up again, I want to see a Sennagard who is no longer sick."
"I will."
The strength in the arms around Beichen relaxed for a second, then gradually tightened again.
Beichen looked up and saw Atlas's nostalgic, expressionless face.
She reached out to touch his face, but found that big tears were flowing from Atlas's emotionless eyes, flowing down, and then blown away in the air by the wind.
"Atlas. ...Welcome back."
"Um."
Atlas nodded, but tears continued to flow.
"Atlas?"
"When I was sleeping, I had a dream. I dreamt about many things, very sad things. I was clearly very sad in the dream, but for some reason, I just didn't want to cry."
The possessed Moon Envoy spoke in a hoarse voice while obediently letting Beichen wipe away his tears.
"So... I'm here to cry. ... If I cry, I won't feel so bad holding it in. That person is so stupid, he doesn't even know he should cry when he's sad."
Beichen felt a lump in his throat when he heard that, but he forced himself to force out an ugly smile.
"Yeah. A lot of people are like that. They're sad, but they don't want to cry. ...Atlas is the smartest. So when he's sad, he leaves it to you."
"Yeah. I'm the smartest."
Atlas cried and nodded seriously, with a slightly sad, yet simple and clear light flashing in his red eyes.
──I don’t know who you are and why you appear in my dream, which is not a dream. But don’t be sad anymore. I will deal with all these bad emotions for you.
The possessed Moon Envoy said this secretly in his heart.
Seeing such a look, Beichen sniffed and let out a long breath.
Atlas, it is precisely because you are so clean and straightforward that you are the most precious and lovable existence in the world.
The speed of their descent gradually slowed down, and finally stopped a few thousand meters above the ground. Atlas looked at the figure in his arms, was silent for a few seconds, then stretched out his hand and lifted the hem of Beichen's dress!
"Atlas! What are you doing? How can you lift someone's skirt in mid-air?"
"It's okay, Beichen. From here, people on the ground can't see your underwear."
"It's not about the underwear! I'm wearing safety pants, after all. This is combat uniform, and the skirt is just for decoration! - That's still wrong. I'm saying, don't take advantage of others in the sky!"
"Then it's OK on the ground?"
A gleam of excitement flashed in the red eyes of the possessed Moon Envoy, and then he hugged Beichen and flew quickly in a certain direction!
"Wait, wait!" Beichen was choked by the sudden change of speed and swallowed a large mouthful of air, then patted Atlas's shoulder vigorously, "This is not allowed on all surfaces! If you drag me to a public place and lift my skirt, I will ignore you for a week──"
"Well, that is to say, Beichen wants to go to a place where no one is around and have his skirt lifted. I understand."
"...I don't think I ever said I wanted my skirt lifted."
"Then let's set our sights on a natural hot spring outdoors. Hot springs—searching, search completed. The overall rating for hot spring play seems quite good."
"What is Hot Spring Play? Hot Spring Play!?"
The possessed Moon Envoy tilted his head a bit innocently, and wrapped his tail around Beichen's waist a bit aggrievedly.
"Beichen still doesn't agree with me being in love with Beichen?"
Beichen was stunned, then touched Atlas' head with a smile.
Yes. At this point, it's too late to be afraid, Xiang Beichen.
Even though she knew Atlas was a stubborn and stubborn person, she still happily accepted the fact that he stayed by her side. Although she was afraid of sleeping with him because he was a foreigner, what else did she do?
When things are happy, he always stands by silently, recording some boring data, and occasionally saying something shocking that makes everyone's jaws drop.
When you are tired, he will express his concern in the simplest and warmest way. Just looking at his clear eyes will make you feel relaxed and motivated.
In times of crisis, he always rushed to the front line silently, and spared no effort to solve her problems, just for a word of praise or encouragement from her.
He never made any demands, and all he needed was her love and trust.
During her battle with Senagard, she had become even more aware of this. She simply couldn't bear to harm him physically. The combined power of the Red Box and the Red Cone could actually defeat Atlas, the possessed Moon Envoy, but her Star Spirit Cannons were repeatedly deflected by her anxiety.
Yes—this body belonged to a man who was completely unreserved towards her, who demanded far more from her than he gave, who was pure and straightforward, yet powerful because of it.
A man who had quietly entered the holy place in her heart earlier than she had imagined.
Therefore, it was only natural for her to satisfy his only need.
So, she put her arm around Atlas's shoulders and stared at those red eyes seriously.
"I have one last question. Atlas, do you know the meaning of 'love'? Are you sure your feelings for me are 'love' and not a fledgling complex? There's still time, right now—if you want to leave me, I won't stop you, nor will I complain. Please... double-check this."
"It's love. I understand."
Atlas nodded expressionlessly, but Beichen read a hint of determination from his expressionless face.
"I don't want to be in heat with any female other than Beichen. When Beichen is sharpening his sword with others, I will complain and scratch the wall. When Beichen is happy, I will be happy too. When Beichen is sad, I will be sad too. If Beichen is angry, I will be angry too. When Beichen farts, I will fart too──"
"Wait!? I'd be happy to hear the first part, but what's that last part?!"
"I love you. Auntie washes the railway. Sister, I cherish you. Warrior, I am pregnant. Do you want to have sex? If the love between the two is long-lasting, I declare that the governor knows it. Dead, don't pity me just because I am a delicate flower~"
"STOP! STO────P!"
Beichen's face flushed red as she desperately gestured to stop. It was unclear whether she was embarrassed by Atlas's confession or because the confession was too ambiguous and put her under a lot of pressure - but it seemed to be a combination of the two, with the latter being more common.
"I know, I know. Me too! I love you, too, brave man! So stop talking!... Even though there aren't any outsiders here, I still feel so embarrassed—"
The possessed Moon Envoy blinked innocently, then nodded obediently.
Forty minutes later, the two finally found a wild hot spring and soaked in it, washing away the blood. Beichen took the potent recovery potion Atlas had given him, and his strength was rapidly recovering under the protection of the red star's spiritual power. Atlas, meanwhile, kept wagging his tail in the water, creating huge waves, his eyes shining as he looked at Beichen.
──Atlas, the resistance of the water flow can no longer stop you──Looking at the ripples on the water, Beichen twitched his lips in a thoughtful manner.
Then she looked carefully at the other person's face.
"Atlas, you seem badly injured too. Is this injury—all right?"
"So I need to sharpen my blade."
"Eh?! Are you possessing the Moon User? Sharpening a blade doesn't mean a weapon—ah."
Beichen understood it before he finished speaking - the principle is the same, using "that" to accelerate the flow of star power in the body, thereby stimulating the body's self-repair function.
Okay, okay, it looks like there's no escape.
Anyway, the final BOSS behind the scenes has been dealt with, and her physical strength has not recovered to the point where she can go back to the battlefield. In order to restore Atlas's combat power as soon as possible and to give herself a little rest, she will just stay here for a few hours to sharpen his sword.
Beichen nodded with a heroic expression and clenched his fist:
"Alright, let's sharpen our blades! I'm ready!"
"Really? Does Beichen agree?"
Atlas's tail excitedly rose from the water surface and began to swing with many water droplets. This scene immediately reminded Beichen of the movement of small animals shaking their fur when they fell into the water.
While looking at the tail with a smile, Atlas had already taken a few steps in the water and came to Beichen. He excitedly tore off her bath towel and put it back into the storage space.
The crystal clear and soft skin, exposed to the air filled with white water vapor, adds a touch of subtle charm.
The red mechanical eyes were stained with a dark look. Atlas tilted his head slightly, put his hand on Beichen's chest, and pinched it curiously.
"Soft."
"...It would be strange if it wasn't soft."
"It feels different from the first time I touched it."
"Of course I was a B back then, but now I'm a C! So what am I so proud of?"
Beichen held his forehead with his hand somewhat weakly, but Atlas was still curiously studying the feeling coming from his palm.
"Well, touching through clothes is different from touching directly. It's more comfortable this way."
“…Uh, big…that’s probably it. …Wow!”
Beichen blushed at the sudden increase in strength and turned her head away shyly - but soon she realized that Atlas seemed to be playing and was addicted to it.
"...Don't treat my breasts as toys."
"Not as a toy." Atlas stared at the beautiful scenery in front of him while looking at Beichen seriously. "I just searched it and it said that women's breasts will grow bigger if you touch them more. Beichen hopes that his breasts will grow bigger. I will try my best."
"Well, thank you so much."
"Um!"
Then, the possessed Moon Envoy lowered his head with a serious expression, kissed and licked Beichen's neck and shoulders, and coordinated with the movements of his hands. In just a few minutes, he teased Beichen, who claimed to be quite experienced, into becoming soft as a puddle of mud.
"Wait, wait!? What's going on?" Beichen gasped with a red face. "You... do you have experience?! Why are your techniques so superb? Tell the truth, who did you learn this technique from!?"
"I didn't, Beichen slandered me."
Atlas stopped his movements with grievance.
"I just consulted the database for 'Encyclopedia of Flirting Techniques', 'Illustrated Guide to [Beep──] Techniques', 'How to Conquer Your Bed Partner', 'The Night King's Growth History', and 322 other videos."
“…”
"I didn't find anyone to practice with. Beichen, you have to believe me."
"...Should I praise you for being a genius in this area? ...You've achieved this with theoretical knowledge alone."
Beichen muttered with a frown on his face.
"Am I a genius? That's great."
Atlas, however, was very pleased with the compliment, and his tail lifted up again.
"Then, then, Beichen, can we mate now?"
"...Uh. Before that." Beichen glanced at Atlas's lower body with some curiosity.
"You...what are you going to do with the shell covering you?"
"this?"
Atlas tilted his head.
"It's okay. Look, the shell will soften, shrink, and lift up."
Beichen looked between his legs a few times with fear and trepidation - then he breathed a sigh of relief - it was okay, it was okay, just looking at that thing and the weapon was the same as that of humans, so great.
So she was relieved to be pressed to the edge of the hot spring by Atlas.
"Beichen, is it okay?"
"Oh no—no problem, come on!"
"Um!"
Then.
“&*&…%￥%#￥￥#…%!!! Why did I suddenly get hangnails? Hey────!!!”
"Hmm? I don't know, Beichen, does it hurt?"
“…Huh?… Well, it doesn’t seem to hurt that much.”
"Well, because Beichen is M."
"Be careful, I'm going to leave with a cigarette."
"Search complete. The barbs are because I'm a beast. The structure of my weapons and weapons is different from humans'. ...In other words, we're beasts. Beichen has a strong taste."
“You have no right to criticize me!!────Ugh!!”
"Beichen looks very happy. Shall we stop talking for now?"
“…”
Half an hour later.
"Beichen, Beichen, can you try [beep] next?"
"...You, you pervert! Don't learn everything!"
"So what about [beep] or [beep]?"
"...Who on earth put such outrageous stuff into your database?! Senagade?! Senagade, why don't you install Green Dam software while observing the human world?"
"Then [beep──] alright."
"...When I get back, I'm going to clean up Elysion's pornography industry!"
An hour later.
"Beichen, Beichen, do you want to try my tail?"
"...How did you come up with such a bizarre proposal?!"
"Because Beichen likes threesomes, I let Wei fill in the numbers."
"You don't have to be so considerate, really!! ...By the way, I never said I like threesomes!"
Two hours later.
"Beichen, Beichen──"
"I am dead. If you are in heat, please find toilet paper."
"Hmm. Beichen faked his death."
silence.
"Then I'll rape the corpse."
“Help, there’s a pervert here, ahhhhhhhhhhh────”
"Beichen has turned into a zombie. But it doesn't matter, as long as it's a Beichen zombie, I want one too."
“…Awoo—”
A flock of startled birds flew over the hot spring, and the heat, which was even hotter than the water temperature of the hot spring, seemed reluctant to subside.
The sky gradually darkened, and the starry sky appeared in the night sky. It looked like a very clear night.
It will definitely be nice weather tomorrow.
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