Chapter: 98. The Cruel Reality
Kong wielded the dagger in his hand, entwined with black flames, skillfully weaving between countless shadow warriors.
Each swing was accompanied by a deep arc traced by the black flame’s afterimage. Wherever the blade passed, it was as if it sliced into a viscous substance; the bodies formed of shadows emitted an unsettling squirming sound, like piercing through mud, or breaking apart some kind of sticky biological tissue.
In the dim environment, his golden eyes sparkled like the only star in the night sky, dragging a trail of light across the battlefield.
The golden trajectory pierced through the enemy ranks like a ray of light shattering the dead silence—
The green health bars hovering above the shadow warriors’ heads were emptied one by one as the knife light met the flames.
If it were just one or two shadow warriors—
Whether in terms of magical fluctuations or reaction speed, their individual combat strength could not compete with Kong at all.
However, the issue was not with individuals.
This was “an army.”
The shadow warriors that Kong cleaved would consolidate and reform within seconds after collapsing; those blurred outlines would reassemble into complete human forms, and a new health bar would silently surface.
An endless cycle of rebirth.
For Kong, they were the most incompatible enemies.
These shadow warriors were not simply “summons”; each one was an “individual” with independent consciousness, possessing their own reserves of magical power and unique abilities, their combat styles varying greatly.
All sorts of abilities intertwined in the assault, as if strong opponents from different battlefields were launching simultaneous attacks against him.
Even though Kong had beast-like instincts and battle experience, facing this tidal wave of pressure, his movements began to slow.
Gaps were inevitable.
The originally golden trajectory that danced like a line was now gradually constricted by the tightening encirclement.
That dazzling golden light was ultimately enveloped by countless eyes burning with purplish-red starlight—completely surrounded.
Kong had to make a choice at this moment—
—Rewrite?
If he considered “Tian Yu” from the Heavenly Court as the target for rewriting, becoming her “absolute nemesis” might instantly turn the current predicament around.
However, Kong still had to face that question:
Did he really want to use rewriting on “Tian Yu”?
The “number of rewrites” he held was not unlimited—it was a precious resource that decreased with each use.
More crucially, Tian Yu was not Kong’s true “enemy.”
Moreover, her authority and abilities possessed a high level of “conceptuality” and “cooperativeness,” likely belonging to the type where even if the rewriting succeeded, it would merely become “restrained” against the opponent, without any substantial amplification in terms of power.
This was an experience Kong had summarized from past battles.
“Self-rewriting” can be roughly categorized into two types.
Using gaming terminology to illustrate—
The first type is “growth-type rewriting,” which means that while becoming the enemy’s “absolute nemesis,” one also gains “statistic enhancements.”
The most typical example was during his initial awakening when he rewrote to become the “absolute nemesis of the Chimera.”
That rewrite not only created a restrained relationship but also led to a significant enhancement in his physical attributes, a leap in terms of intensity.
The second type is “pure-type rewriting.”
That is—although he became the opponent’s “absolute nemesis,” there is no substantive improvement in oneself.
For example, the rewriting faced against the fantasy creature “Infinity” was like this.
On that occasion, Kong did gain power against “Infinity,” and all his attacks could inflict lethal damage.
But apart from that, his enhancements in other areas were minimal, even negligible.
Clearly, under the premise of having a limited number of rewrites, prioritizing the first type of “growth-type rewriting” is the most rational decision.
The second type could serve only as an emergency measure, an inferior option—merely using one rewrite to get rid of an enemy involves high costs with limited returns.
More importantly—
Tian Yu was not the enemy.
He did not want to, nor could he, kill her.
If he were to use rewriting at this moment, it would be equivalent to wasting a precious opportunity.
Kong’s thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
At the same time, he narrowly evaded the coordinated attacks of the three shadow warriors before him.
The three attacks contained controlling abilities, one of which heavily struck the ground where he had just been standing, causing a massive collapse—
Like a small meteorite had crashed down, the shattered concrete and steel splintered in all directions, with the stirred dust and rain mingling together, obstructing his vision.
In rapid dodging, Kong was ultimately forced into a corner.
His back jolted, the back of his head hitting the concrete wall behind him, producing a dull sound.
There was no way to retreat further.
Above Kong, the area was thoroughly sealed off.
Several shadow warriors used their abilities to set up barriers in the air, with intertwined magical powers creating invisible chains, turning the airspace into a “forbidden zone.”
Additionally, his body was affected by a “gravity”-based ability, making him heavier and making even jumping difficult; attacks that he could evade with speed were now nearly impossible to escape due to the movement constraints.
Everything—
Was just as Tian Yu had said from the beginning:
Game over.
Unbeknownst to him, Kong had also become a discarded piece forced into a corner in this “game of chess.”
Against Tian Yu, who could continuously deploy “pieces” onto the battlefield, he never had a chance of winning.
He felt the oppressive yet strong hatred emanating from Tian Yu,
But, uniquely—there was no intent to kill.
This meant she did not intend to kill him.
Perhaps, this battle was never meant to distinguish between life and death.
Instead…
It was a confrontation to make him “recognize reality.”
Yet even so, this outcome was far from “merciful.”
Because at this very moment—
The target character “Iron Knight” was gradually escaping the monitoring net of the allied team.
And he, once again—was trapped in this insurmountable situation.
If he failed this time,
Then he might forever lose the chance to resurrect Nagi.
“…I see.”
He murmured quietly, as if he had finally pieced together the answer.
In the next second, Kong lifted his head, his gaze cutting through the layers of shadow warriors surrounding him, firmly landing on Tian Yu.
At that moment, his pupils ignited like flames, radiant and brilliant.
“…Is this your plan, Tian Yu?”
Tian Yu did not deny it, coldly locking her gaze with Kong.
“Senior Tsukimi, give up on that unrealistic—”
“—Shut up!!”
Before Tian Yu could finish, Kong’s furious roar abruptly interrupted her words.
His reaction was violently close to losing control, as if he had been sharply poked at the most vulnerable part of his heart.
As if in fear of the words she was about to say.
“…Even now, you are still unwilling to accept that Sister Nagi has left?”
Tian Yu’s voice was calm, yet immensely heavy.
“…No.”
Kong gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse but as firm as iron:
“Little Nagi has only temporarily left.”
“I will bring her back.”
“I swear, I will definitely bring her back!”
His words felt like an explanation to Tian Yu,
But even more so, like a forced rationale to convince himself.
As if to cover that already shaken, riddled obsession—
“How much longer will you continue to escape, Senior Tsukimi?”
Tian Yu’s cold voice pierced through Kong’s crumbling facade without a hint of hesitation, like a sharp blade.
“For the past three years, everyone has accepted Sister Nagi’s departure; even amidst pain, they still grit their teeth and move forward, striving to live in reality.”
“But only you—Senior Tsukimi, you are the only one still trapped in the past.”
“And furthermore… you even want to taint all her efforts, to defile the meaning of her existence.”
“—!”
That sentence hit the softest and most painful corner of Kong’s heart like a hammer.
Nagi’s “meaning of existence”—
The girl named “Hoshigami Nagi” exhausted her life just to change her own meaning of existence in this world; she wished to be nothing more than an ordinary girl with a warm family and a boy who loved her, able to live a simple and happy life.
—Just as she wrote in her diary.
Yet Kong’s insistence on the “resurrection” plan was undoubtedly a blasphemy against her dream.
“Do you really think Sister Nagi wishes to be resurrected in that way?!”
Tian Yu’s voice contained anger, pounding against Kong’s heart like thunder.
“We have both witnessed far too many ‘resurrections’—”
“The distorted vessels of the Star Council, the expendables of Moon Academy, the replicas of Star Academy—”
“Do you truly… want Sister Nagi to become such a monster?!”
“No, I’m different from them!” Kong interrupted. “As long as I have enough resources, I can… I can resurrect Little Nagi in a more perfect way—”
“What if you fail?”
“—It won’t fail!”
“Even if I fail a hundred times, a thousand times, I will continue to try until I succeed!”
“…Can you really do it, Tsukimi Kon?”
Tian Yu gazed at him, her tone extraordinarily calm.
“Do you truly have that resolution?”
“—To personally kill the ‘failed version of Nagi’ that you resurrected?”
At that moment, it felt like something within him collapsed from the very bottom.
“Can you confirm… that the ‘her’ born from your hands time and again is not the real Nagi?”
“Can you bear to watch as one ‘her’ after another is tortured and destroyed?”
“And then… personally end her life time and again?”
“Your so-called ‘for the sake of Nagi’—whose wish is it really?”
“Have you not always… been doing this for yourself?”
“Tsukimi Kon, if you truly had even a tiny bit of love for Sister Nagi—”
“Then you should let her rest in peace and believe she will live happily in another world…”
“…No… it’s not like that… no, no, no!!”
Kong’s voice began to tremble, his eyes losing focus, as if struggling to keep the accusations and questions of the whole world at bay.
“After so many years… have you really not changed at all?!”
Tian Yu’s question struck fiercely, mercilessly beating against his dignity.
“Are you really that cowardly, Tsukimi Kon!!”
“—What do you even understand about me!!!”
The roar exploded in the air, his golden pupils suddenly shining in the night,
As if to tear apart all darkness, the blazing light pierced the suffocating atmosphere.
—Shut up!
—Shut up, shut up, shut up!!
I am not… I am definitely not!!
“Why…”
“Why, sister… even sacrificing her life…”
“Still couldn’t make you… grow even a little, Tsukimi Kon…”
Tian Yu’s voice trembled, the last sentence almost choked out.
It was not a reproach.
But an uncontainable sorrow.
Seeing the boy who once walked through the apocalypse with her, now still trapped in place was painful.
She struggled to maintain a calm demeanor, yet ultimately could not suppress the surging emotions in her chest.
The black flames boiled and churned deep within Kong’s consciousness, as if preparing to break all shackles.
It locked onto the figure ahead.
As long as he rewrote, as long as he became Tian Yu’s nemesis—
A piercing spear shot out from the shadows, driving straight through Kong’s abdomen, nailing him to the wall, interrupting his impending ability activation.
“I’m sorry, Tsukimi Kon, I won’t let you escape any longer.” Tian Yu, as if accepting the reality before her, wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye.
“I will not allow you—to taint my family.”
