CHAPTER 1016: CHAPTER 1012: BECAUSE I HAVE [DEATH REBOUND].

Huo Muli’er Nation.

Su Ming’an met the King Hei Que.

This young man, appearing in his twenties, wore a mask and stepped down from the throne.

"I understand, Old God. You want me to help break the Prophecy Stone Wall." Hei Que’s voice bore some resemblance to Su Ming’an’s: "You have the Eye of the Old Days, I have the Sword of Destiny. Together, we indeed possess unlimited possibilities."

Su Ming’an said, "I also have the Immortal’s Talisman. Together, you and I have already gathered the three elements of becoming a god."

Energy - Sword of Destiny.

Faith - Eye of the Old Days.

Authority - Immortal’s Talisman.

Su Ming’an had long heard that Hei Que held the Sword of Destiny, but he worried that Hei Que belonged to the Deity’s side, so he had never made contact. Now it seemed Hei Que could collaborate.

Hei Que laughed heartily: "So you’re suggesting that I hand over the Sword of Destiny to you? Why can’t I become a god myself?"

Su Ming’an said, "I am the Old God; people trust me more."

Hei Que suddenly withheld his laughter, raising a finger before Su Ming’an’s eyes, the silvery mask faintly revealing a pair of pitch-black eyes: "Incorrect. Do you think people trust you because of the justice and benevolence you exhibited in your broadcast? Because of the title of Old God from a thousand years ago? Because you have been diligently pursuing the Ark Project to protect them — none of these!"

"People have faith in you — because you can feed them, clothe them, keep their theses from being burned, and provide special medicine for the sick. They are impressed by Strength, not Faith, by Bread, not a Lighthouse, by City Walls, not Statues. As long as you satisfy their desires, whatever title you use is no matter. Even if the Lighthouse were destroyed or collapsed, they wouldn’t care."

Su Ming’an: "...You think I don’t know these things?"

Their voices echoed through the empty Royal Court, no maid dared to lift their head.

Hei Que spread his hands, laughing grandly: "—Then, why can’t it be me who becomes a god? Why can’t I be the protagonist?"

Su Ming’an furrowed his brow, just as he was about to enter strategy mode, he suddenly saw someone walking towards the entrance of the Royal Court.

It was a black-haired, black-eyed girl. She wore a brown leather jacket and pants, with a silver handgun at her waist, her jet-black hair gracefully floating behind her. As she approached, a faint scent of jasmine seemed to waft along.

Su Ming’an recognized her in an instant.

—He thought she wasn’t in this world.

"You know each other?" Hei Que looked at the girl: "This is Lin Yue, a Freedom Mercenary active among nations. She recently arrived in the Huo Muli’er Nation, and is a friend of mine."

Su Ming’an’s gaze met hers.

"Why... haven’t you contacted me?" Su Ming’an asked softly.

"I’ve had difficulty reaching you, the internet is controlled. I’m worried that if I appear too close to you, the deities will capture me," Yuanyuan answered softly: "This time... how many years has it been, I seem to have forgotten to count."

—The lifespan of a soul is limited.

Su Ming’an had always firmly remembered this concept.

He was far away from her, across a wide colorful floor and ornate colonnades, separated by dozens of maidservants standing to the side. Yet he saw her at a glance, saw her gentle eyes, slightly drooping eyebrows, and bloodless lips. She never liked makeup, no matter how many years had passed without touching cosmetics. He could still see the faint scars on her skin.

A Freedom Mercenary, it sounds like a cool occupation and certainly dangerous.

"Give me one reason why, between us, you must be the one to become a god." Hei Que’s attitude wasn’t so dismissive, he seemed merely in search of a reason.

"Because... I have something you don’t." Su Ming’an said.

"Such an abstract concept won’t convince me. If you want me to take sides with you, you need to give me a reason why you can win in the end." Hei Que raised an eyebrow.

Yuanyuan came over, and the jasmine scent evolved from mild to rich.

"Su Ming’an is very determined, very strong. Hei Que, Your Highness, I heard you want to follow Li Mingyue, the Bishop of Dao Ya City, and establish a small ’Republic’ capable of isolating divine influence, essentially an isolation shield. But you lack an ample source of emotional energy to construct it. If Su Ming’an becomes a god, he could guide people’s emotions and collect energy for you..." Yuanyuan said.

"Such reasoning won’t persuade me," Hei Que said.

Yuanyuan slightly wrinkled her brow, failing to comprehend what Hei Que was so insistent on.

"Tell me why I should support you," Hei Que looked at Su Ming’an.

Su Ming’an gazed into Hei Que’s eyes.

"—Because I have [Death Rebound]." Su Ming’an said.

In an instant, Yuanyuan looked at him in astonishment, and shock was revealed in the eyes beneath Hei Que’s mask. Hei Que suddenly waved a hand, and the maidservants on both sides instantly fell into a slumber.

"What did you just say?" Hei Que inquired.

"—Because I have [Death Rebound]." Su Ming’an repeated.

He knew it would be difficult to convince Hei Que. Only with this ’unique’ ability could he persuade the other party. So for the first time, he repeated this concept so calmly, without fear, without needing to conceal it.

"I can’t show it to you, because once I trigger this [Death Rebound], my save point might be trapped by the deities, and they would subdue me immediately, leaving me no chance to reach you again." Su Ming’an said, "But I have no reason to deceive you."

"I have Death Rebound... which means I need to die countless times, countless times, countless times to form a miracle. Every time I die, I can start over. This might be... the original authority of an Old God."

He finally said it out loud.

He could finally say it.

Although it was still not his own Death Rebound, this feeling... at last, he could say it a bit.

Yuanyuan’s expression grew somewhat sorrowful as she realized just how deeply painful this authority truly was. If death could change everything, then death would turn into a prop, otherwise, the sense of guilt and sin would be enough to crush a person.

"...The Tenth World is truly cruel to you, if the instance granted you such an ability, it indicates you’re bound to break through the situation by dying..." Yuanyuan whispered, "Does it mean you’ve experienced the sensation of death?"

The feeling of death, she had once experienced on the world board of the First World. That — burning oneself, sorrowful, painful, scorching, void, silent — is an experience one would never want to recall for a second time. She had thought Su Ming’an wouldn’t have to experience it, but in the Tenth World, he actually had to try.

"So... have you experienced death?" Hei Que asked.

"Yes." Su Ming’an nodded.

"How many times have you experienced it?" Hei Que asked.

"...Once." Su Ming’an said.

In reality... how many times had it been? Even he couldn’t remember clearly. Just in the Ninth World, there seemed to have been more than forty times.

"Is there a limit to the number of times you can rebound? Will your save file get corrupted? Will everyone forget that you ever rebounded?" Hei Que inquired, digging deeper.

"Until now, I’ve only rebounded once, so I’m not sure if the file will get corrupted. Certain key figures might remember that I rebounded, like the deities, like Xiao Jingsan, but their memories don’t seem very clear." Su Ming’an said.

Yuanyuan widened her eyes:

"Wouldn’t it be too lonely like this?"

Su Ming’an said he had already gone back once, but she didn’t have any impression, which meant that her memory would also be overwritten by the rollback. In this way, no one can really remember his efforts and sacrifices. No one knows how many times of rollbacks it took to accumulate a happy ending for everyone.

Su Ming’an shook his head: "It’s not lonely, it’s just one time."

At this moment, Yuanyuan reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder:

"Promise me one thing."

"Hmm?"

"Promise me one thing," Yuanyuan said.

Su Ming’an looked into her eyes so close to him, but he did not want to agree—he knew what she wanted to say.

"...You say it," Su Ming’an said.

"If you ever really find yourself stuck in a dead end... in an unsalvageable situation," Yuanyuan said, "If [Death Rebound] is a power granted to you by destiny, you should learn to give up on those who are destined not to be saved. Its purpose is for you to save the world, not to exhaust yourself in trying to save one person after another who are not meant to exist in destiny. You should choose to live luckily, rather than choosing an unfortunate path... including me."

Su Ming’an’s eyes widened slightly.

It seemed he was crossing the long river of time, listening to Yuanyuan’s words from a distant shore.

The girl lowered her voice, whispering in his ear:

"If one day I am in a desperate situation, where saving me means not saving the world and saving the world means not saving me—give up on me, don’t repeatedly go back dozens of times trying to save me, you know, I don’t want you to do that either... If one day I die, don’t keep going back to save me, that would also mean I have reached the end of my journey, and every journey eventually comes to an end."

Su Ming’an’s heart seemed to shatter, spilling out a bitter liquid.

—But I’ve already done it.

—At the far end of the time that you cannot see.

The girl’s eyes were bright, and she kept persuading him, telling him to use this instance’s Death Rebound wisely, ensuring his mental state as the top priority.

However, in the unseen past, it was he who had led her to where they were now. If he had never looked back in the wind and snow, if he had never turned around on the rooftop—there should be nothing before him now.

Nor would her advice ring out at this moment.

But she could not know the covered past, could not know why the miracle came upon him. She could only use what had already happened to persuade a person who would not change his resolve.

Su Ming’an’s mouth opened slightly, but he only said,

"I promise you," Su Ming’an said.

"Promise?" Yuanyuan raised a pinky.

So he raised a pinky and made a promise with her.

"Promise me, no matter what happens, you will always be the most important,"

"—Do not save people who cannot be saved."

"—Do not change things that cannot be changed."

...

Hei Que agreed to collaborate.

Despite always looking at Su Ming’an with a gaze full of envy, jealousy, and complexity, he still stood by Su Ming’an’s side.

Hei Que proposed that since the Holy Church is guarded by believers and can’t be stormed into, they should directly blow up the square where the Prophecy Stone Wall is located, and the Prophecy Stone Wall will also break apart.

Su Ming’an was startled by this bold idea, but he thought the plan was feasible. He had the Immortal’s Talisman "Expand," and just by throwing explosives into the square, and using the Immortal’s Talisman "Expand," the generated massive explosion might really destroy the Prophecy Stone Wall.

After coming into contact with the Sword of Destiny, the second seal on Su Ming’an’s body automatically opened, and he felt that the white tendrils seemed to grow stronger.

At 4 p.m., Su Ming’an and Hei Que went to the Holy Church.

Before leaving, Su Ming’an entrusted the unconscious Alice to Yuanyuan.

"How should I remember you?" Yuanyuan looked at Su Ming’an.

—Your rollback can overwrite my memory, if this time you fail to destroy the Prophecy Stone Wall and trigger the Death Rebound, the deities block your previous time node, and I will forget everything. How should I remember these words that you said to me?

—How should I cross time to save you?

Su Ming’an had already asked several players, and found that even players from the Tenth World would be fuzzy about the rollback situation, similar to a debuff that only clears once out of the instance. So, except for deities and Xiao Jingsan and others, no one would remember if Su Ming’an had ever rolled back.

"There’s no need to try to remember me." Su Ming’an responded to her gaze: "Even if I’m blocked at a previous time node, I would still pass the ordeal."

He left the royal court with Hei Que.

The fragrance of jasmine filled the air, and Su Ming’an suddenly realized that the early spring of February had passed, and now it should be considered spring.

—He would ignite that Holy City like a flame.

Su Ming’an clenched the "Fireseed" in his hand.

This was concentrated explosives forged by Hei Que with the national power, as long as it was magnified by the Immortal’s Talisman, it could instantly destroy half the city.

Su Ming’an had already gathered people—letting the Human Self-Rescue Alliance attack the Holy City to draw away attention. Li Yuxuan and others would seize the chance to sneak into the Holy City, seeking the things hidden by the deities. Meanwhile, he let Ming go to find Su Luoluo as there was no guarantee that the deities wouldn’t target key figures like Su Luoluo.

As the sunset gradually fell, Su Ming’an and Hei Que sat together on the crow, flying towards the Holy City.

"Are you scared?" Among the winds, Hei Que’s voice showed a hint of excitement. His bright silver mask was still fitting on his face, gleaming with the sunset’s light.

"Not afraid." Su Ming’an tightened his grip.

"Don’t you find it cruel? Though the Holy City has a Defense Barrier, if the explosives are dropped, the believers in the square would definitely be affected." Hei Que intentionally provoked his guilt.

"...I’m sorry," Su Ming’an said.

Although those fanatical believers didn’t do many good deeds themselves, burning theses, massacring innocents, indulging in executions. If the Prophecy Stone Wall isn’t broken, the world won’t have a next step.

Despite being forced by circumstance, he never thought he would go to Paradise after death.

Su Ming’an used the Ruler’s Skill to raise Hei Que’s Favorability to the max.

Hei Que’s initial Favorability was 50 points, and there was no change after maxing it out; his attitude remained as nonchalant as ever.