Chapter 98 Ascending the Divine Stairs: The God of Life and Freedom...
Ancia recoiled as if she'd been electrocuted. "No."
The dean frowned, his voice still moving despite the urgency, "Why? This is the last chance!"
Ancia took a deep breath. "I refuse. You can change your request. Why must something be sacrificed to change our fate? Must the happiness of a group be built on the fall of one person?"
The dean smiled slightly. This was Ancia.
Thousands of times, countless times, her soul still shines brightly, captivating him.
The dean took her hand and said, "Why is it that when this sacrifice is made on my behalf, it puts you in a difficult position, but when it's your turn to make the sacrifice, you don't hesitate at all?"
Ancia: "I...I did it voluntarily."
The dean's smile held a hint of satisfaction. "Like you, I came voluntarily."
His tone was very calm. "After this failure, will you try to change everything again?"
Ancia was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."
Dean: "As long as you want to start the game again, I will restart the world and turn back time for you."
"Ancia, I'm only level 1 now."
Ancia turned her face away, not wanting to understand his hints.
The dean gently rested his head on Ancia's lap and said helplessly, "If there's a next time, I'll die too."
Ancia turned her head and lowered her eyes to look at that alluring face.
The dean continued, "The Abyss has gradually discovered the anomalies in the world. It is unwilling to accept a fate controlled by the game. This is the only time I have cooperated with the Abyss. It said that if the Demon King must fall, it will use its life to deliver the array that can change fate to you."
His fingertips slid across the game panel, showing her the background data. "The progress of the HE ending strategy for each male lead is 99%. Ancia, it's not that they don't love you wholeheartedly, it's that the realism of this world is only 99%. This is the level of realism we've achieved after so many attempts. This is the closest we've ever come to success. If we fail this time, we're not sure if the realism of the world will regress next time."
"Can you guarantee that next time you start the game, you'll still be willing to pursue five male leads at the same time, instead of spending your whole life researching magic?"
"The world has stopped, the Miracle Continent has stopped. Whether it's a bad ending or a happy ending, only the ending can make it continue to run."
“Ancia, we all hate being controlled by fate.”
He didn't force Ancia to make a choice, but instead presented her with all the data.
In this world, he was the second person who understood Ancia best; he knew what choices she would make.
Even if this choice would cause her immense pain, tears, and heartbreak, once she made up her mind, she was more resilient than anyone else.
A long silence fell over the room as the dean quietly leaned against Ancia, cherishing every second they spent together.
Ancia's throat bobbed, and she spoke with difficulty, "...Where's the comb? Let me comb your hair again."
"Okay." The dean turned around, his back to Ansia, and handed her the seashell comb.
Ancia stood up from the sofa and sat down with the dean on the floor where the starry river flowed. She held a seashell comb and gently inserted it into her deep blue curly hair, combing it from the middle to the ends.
The cool, smooth long hair slipped through the comb's teeth, so soft it was almost impossible to catch.
Ancia combed her hair again and again until her arms ached. She took out her favorite hairband, tied her dark blue hair into a bow, and then tied it up.
The dean smiled gently. He didn't tell Ancia that combing the siren's hair was a symbol of their betrothal.
He closed his eyes, opened his arms, and waited for the dagger to fall.
The expected pain did not come; instead, a scalding tear fell first.
The tear fell onto his slightly cold back, burning him and making him shiver, but also filling him with a sense of satisfaction.
A soft hug enveloped him from behind.
Ancia wept silently, but her hands moved with unwavering steadiness, circling around to his heart and stabbing into the gaping wound.
The dean grasped her hand and helped her insert the dagger deeper, twisting it inside her flesh. "It won't hurt... promise me you won't look at my wound, it's too ugly."
Ancia choked up as she said, "Okay."
The dean added, "Remember my face..."
Ancia: "Okay, you haven't told me your name yet. I want to remember you."
The dean changed his mind, "Forget about me..."
Ancia didn't know how she had done it. The Siren's Heart was in her hands, separated from its owner. It was like a dazzling, transparent crystal. For the first time, she clicked on the item details with a broken heart.
[Item Description: The heart of the world's only Siren, possessing the power to reverse time.]
Siren leaned back on the sofa and slowly reached for the cloak on the floor.
Ancia picked up the cloak and fastened it again for the dean, covering the hole in his chest.
The Moon Tower was brimming with magical elements. Ancia raised her staff, gold and green shimmering, the twin gems radiating a bright, dazzling light. Light and wood magic mingled, becoming life magic, etching intricate magic circles. Six sacred relics were placed on the ground, forming the core nodes of the magic circle.
The magic circle gradually took shape, and a spatial door opened in front of Ancia, behind which was a long staircase that seemed to stretch endlessly.
Ancia stood at the doorway, turning back to look at the dying siren.
His life was slipping away, yet he still looked at her with a smile, watching her depart with his eyes.
As she stepped onto the first step of the long staircase, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind. It was no longer the mechanical voice of the system, but the beautiful voice of a siren.
[Congratulations to the player for completing the world quest [Discover the Truth].]
[Congratulations to the player for completing the world quest [Unlocking the Ascension Stairway].]
A series of warm currents swept through, and Anciya's level soared to 99.
She paused for a moment, then continued resolutely up the steps.
The higher you go, the greater the pressure and resistance from each step. At first, it's barely noticeable, but after level 30, the pressure becomes very noticeable, and you start to hallucinate.
She heard Verion calling her back to rule the Empire, heard Heligalo's hymns, heard Skark's affectionate pleading for her to stop, heard Elran's clear song atop the Tree of Life, heard Mortri's worries...
But Ancia's gaze remained fixed on the platform above, leaving all temptations behind.
An irresistible force was preventing her from continuing to climb. The Ascension Stairs compressed her magic to a minimum, leaving only her basic attributes.
After reaching level 70, Ancia had to use almost all her strength to move.
At level ninety, Ancia could no longer lift her hand, and she couldn't even drink the potion. She could only rely on her willpower to climb upwards.
The last ten steps were incredibly demanding, each one putting immense pressure on her. When she lifted her knees, her joints made a painful, grating sound that only she could hear. Sweat dripped from her wedding dress onto the steps, spreading out in a slowly expanding circle.
An unyielding light flickered in Ancia's dark eyes as she stared intently at the platform so close to her.
The final level.
Ancia stood on the ninety-ninth step; her level cap was limited to this point, and she could not go any further.
Her legs were so sore that she could hardly lift them. If she turned down, all the pressure would disappear, and the exhaustion was urging her to stop.
"Are you kidding me... We've come this far, you want me to give up... No way!"
If she feels her steps are heavy, it is because she carries the free will of the entire continent on her shoulders, not because she is oppressed by pressure!
Ancia struggled to lift her fingertips, and golden magic surged forth, etching the array she was now most proficient in beneath her feet.
A short-range teleportation array that teleports you to a location within sight.
The ascension to godhood compressed her magic, but she has full affinity with the light element, so she only needs a tiny bit of magic to create miracles.
Ancia flashed and appeared at the edge of the platform.
With insufficient magic power, the teleportation she managed to cast only allowed her to ascend one step.
That's enough, she finally climbed the long staircase!
The lost magic surged back into her body, the pressure vanished, and Ancia let out a long sigh of relief.
She strode quickly to the center of the platform, where a huge sphere of light radiating pure light was firmly bound by chains that stretched into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.
Ancia reached out and touched the cold chains. The instant her fingers touched the chains, she saw the connection between this world and the real world.
The existence of the Miracle Continent inspired a game designer in the real world to dream, and thus "Westworld" was born.
This world is perfected by games, and therefore forcibly bound to games, its course controlled by the game's plot.
Ancia pulled out the blood-stained Shadow Embrace and stabbed it fiercely into the hard chains.
clang--
The thick chain shattered instantly.
The first one, the second one... the tenth one...
After severing countless chains, the sphere of light finally broke free from all its restraints and regained its freedom.
A warm light enveloped Ancia, and she heard a mechanical voice say, "Thank you."
The world's will poured all its goodwill and affection onto Ancia, causing her magic power to surge wildly and break through the critical point.
A soft cracking sound rang out within Ancia's body as golden and green magic intertwined and fused together to form a new divine core.
Having crossed the long staircase to godhood and gained the approval of the world's will, a new god is born from this day forward.
Time, which had stood still in the world, began to flow again. All living beings were freed from the shackles of fate, and they all looked up at the sky, gazing at the divine throne in the clouds.
Ancia, the goddess of life and freedom, whose name resounds throughout the continent!
Anciya's appearance remained unchanged, but her temperament gained an ethereal divinity. From this day forward, the only connection between the Miracle Continent and the real world was her.
A spatial rift appeared in front of him, and the mechanical voice sounded again.
[Congratulations on completing the game! Thank you for your efforts in breaking the shackles on the creatures of the Miracle Continent. You are about to exit the game; please prepare yourself.]
[Three, two, one, successfully exited the game.]
[Congratulations on returning to your original world! You can travel between the two worlds using the Divine Throne Anchor Point. Completion rewards have been issued, and the mystery reward has been sent to your inventory.]
In the last moment before her consciousness faded, Ancia felt a warm force gently embrace her, as if the entire Miracle Continent were silently thanking her.
Goodbye, dear players.
Goodbye, dear Ancia.
Goodbye, the bravest, most perceptive, and most intelligent warrior in the world.
...
Ancia opened her eyes. She was covered with a thin blanket, the air conditioner was making a soft hum, and the game screen in front of her was flashing with flower-sprinkling effects.
It all felt like a dream to her.
Ancia stood up. The weakness she felt after recovering from her illness had disappeared. Her eyes were sore and swollen, and she felt much better after taking off her glasses.
Her vision became clear and bright, and her healthy body told her that everything on the Miracle Continent was not just her imagination.
Ancia opened her hand, revealing a pattern about half the size of her palm. The golden and green runes were mysterious and beautiful, the divine markings of the god of life and freedom.
She rubbed her eyes, and a tear rolled down her cheek uncontrollably.
Hearing the noise, Mom pushed open the door and entered. "Honey, you're awake. Do you want some fruit... Hmm? Why are you crying? Did you have a nightmare?"
Ancia shook her head, wiped away her tears, and said with a smile, "It wasn't a nightmare, it was a beautiful dream."
It's a dream come true.
It was a very happy dream.
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Author's Note: It's finished! Anxi will return in the side stories to handle the aftermath, traveling between two worlds and continuing her romance with the male leads. All the side stories will be bonus content, accessible with a 50% purchase of the main text, no Jinjiang coins required. However, the update frequency will be irregular and may be a few days late. But I promise to finish it this year~ Please don't unsubscribe and save it for me [crying emoji]. I kept my promise of daily updates during the serialization, so I'll take a break with the side stories [let me see emoji].
This is my second novel, and it was only with this one that I learned how to create characters and foreshadow events by working backward from the ending. I hope everyone likes the ending. Thank you all for reading this far! I will continue to improve! [cat emoji]
Ancia cried quite a bit in these two chapters, but tears are just emotions, not a sign of weakness. I wish everyone the courage to never back down and the freedom to express their emotions!
My column has a pre-order for "The Whole Server Eats the Melon, While I Become a God [Holographic]", a fast-paced, action-packed holographic game where the female protagonist will have everything and play the game she loves. If you're interested, feel free to add it to your favorites. It'll probably be released around January next year, or at the latest, February. See you next time!
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