Eight years ago, the guardian of the star capital met Roland and his party in his room, but this time the guests were obviously completely different, so the reception location was changed to the formal living room.
At this moment, in the spacious hall on the bottom floor of the Spirit Tree Pavilion, Flora was sitting face to face with Mobadi. Elaine and the dwarf Liston Querot were also present at the Star Capital, while the traitors were naturally accompanied by "Nightingale" and "The King".
"I'm sorry to bother you at this time of constant disputes in the spiritual world," Mobadi politely opened his remarks, "But the capital of the stars where many prayers gather is also a gathering of great power. So, I think this visit is necessary."
"I've already learned something about you from Brandrut." Flora nodded, "But before answering Mr. Mobadi's question, can I make a request first?"
"Speaking."
"Can you show me your weapon?" the guardian of the star capital asked calmly.
The blood race hesitated for a moment, then took out the cross sword in his arms, and handed it over expressionlessly. The other party took the sword carefully, and didn't pay attention to the weapon itself, but stroked the blue gemstone on the tsuba with his slender fingers.
"There is nothing wrong, you are indeed Kaelina's student. As a prayer, she is very good at making resonance gems. As the end of Shia, her amulet is this representative one." Karina's Sapphire." Flora raised her head and stared into the other's blood-red eyes, "Mobadi Singweis, are you planning to inherit her legacy?"
"No, I never think that everything I do is for someone." The blood race denied the other party's temptation without hesitation, "I am fulfilling my duty, for the existence of this world."
"Do you think that the combination of Ishutori and the end will destroy the whole world? Just like Kailina said? But..." Elena couldn't help breaking the silence.
"But in fact there is no precedent, so everything is just a hypothesis." Mobadi finished the following words for his compatriots, and then added, "I have heard such logical reasoning many times."
He shrugged nonchalantly: "But reasoning is more meaningless than hypothesis."
"Because this world does not belong to a certain person or god, so you must not gamble everything because of the wish of a certain person or god. Mr. Mobadi thinks so, right? I understand how you feel—" Guardian He nodded, and then changed the topic suddenly, "But from the standpoint of Star Capital, if mortals want to progress or change, risks and sacrifices are inevitable."
"Progress?" The blood race rarely showed a mocking smile, "Perhaps it is worth taking a gamble when the whole world is in dire straits, but as the influence of the gods decreases, it is no longer necessary."
"Now mortals can correct the world with their own hands, slowly but surely. Who would be willing to bet everything on a goddess they have never met in this situation? Not everyone has the obsession of a death knight." will and courage, so forcing them to accept everything from God is equally wrong."
"I understand." Flora sighed, "Then, before your Excellency confirms your position with Star Capital, would you like to listen to my last nagging?"
"All ears." The blood race nodded.
"That's a girl's story, a long-ago story." The other party's eyes were full of nostalgia.
The final destination of the Icecrown Knights is the distant Yahevi Mountains, where the World Tree is located. Starting from the ruined Misty Forest, there are no shortcuts - the death knight must go through Alazea, go down the Nilu River again, and pass through the three conquered kingdoms again. For the dead with cold eyes burning, everything seems to be back to the original point——
Decades ago, Ishutoli's path to becoming a god began here.
As Richard expected, the army escorting the end did not encounter any resistance—although seven years was short, it was enough for the believers who had lost their guidance to collapse.
A long time ago, the invincible Luvis Alliance completely fell apart, and allied countries stood on their own. Mitlan, where the holy capital is located, first deposed the Holy See, and then launched a long and cruel tug-of-war with Draenor, Terras, and Sokrat. Since it was once one of the main battlefields of the God War, Storgard's power has been greatly weakened, and it is planning to form an alliance with the neighboring Fahdod to avoid being annexed.
And Alazea, the country once guarded by the Knights of the Holy Sword, can only helplessly watch the cold wind brought by the death knights raging on the golden plain, and there is no way to stop it.
Besides, there is no need to stop it. The term god has nothing to do with Alazea at this moment, the only thing the new ruler needs to consider is how to protect himself.
"From the air, there is nothing abnormal." Faroshidai landed on the vast snow field with a griffin-this is one of the few landings of Kaiou, and it is also one of the few undeads that must be carried out. refurbishment.
Leaving aside the fact that the Knights need to take care of the fatigued human members, the raging blizzard was also an important reason for stopping in the case of Melukidik's death. When the enemy has not yet appeared, the death knight must ensure that he can exert his full strength every minute to avoid sudden attacks. If you blindly seek speed, perhaps only destruction is waiting at the end. That's why the undead wait quietly for the night to come on the ruins of the base that was once established.
"Very good. It seems that the forces belonging to the traitors are very smart. They understand that there is no chance of winning if they snipe halfway to the end, so they adopt the method of standing still." Richard deduced this way, "Although Mobadi Will definitely be waiting near the World Tree, but at least we can reach the Glendale River soon."
"The decisive battle will take place at that time." The blond-haired blue-eyed female swordsman replied, although her expression was calm, no one could predict how cruel the so-called "decisive battle" would be.
"En. However, Faroshida," the Lich paused, his tone suddenly becoming very subtle, "Aren't you planning to go back and have a look?"
"Go back...?" Griffin Knight looked at him in confusion.
"Isn't this your birthplace?"
"Where do I want to go back? Ishutori retrieved the ancient blood, so I regained the appearance of a mortal, and I will no longer be spied on by demons." The girl lowered her head and asked softly, "But even so, so what? Except the ice Outside of the Knights of the Crown, there is no place for me in this world."
"Really?" Richard smiled slightly, "It seems that the problem is on my side. Well, I seem to have forgotten to tell you that the undead have been fighting with the great sage Kadar and the leader of the Holy Sword Knights, Dilly West Asia kept in touch."
"What~!?" Farlow rarely yelled.
"Accident? But now that the Luvis Alliance has been disbanded, the allies that have left have no reason for Ishutori to continue to hostile." Lich's expression seemed unpredictable, "Although the undead have no advantage in funds, but Our magic technology is of great help to the post-war reconstruction. Based on this, Kadar and Dilicia accepted my proposal—the magic circle technology optimized by the Mage Association secretly taught by the Lich, and the reward is the four countries intelligence information."
"Of course, in the private exchange of information, there was also mention of 'Catori Orlande'." These words made Farrow's whole body tremble.
"What did you say to them?" Fallow asked eagerly.
"Based on the current battle intensity, even with the help of Goddess's End, I'm afraid the death knight will still have a very high death rate." Richard didn't seem to intend to answer the other party's question, "You don't plan to see yourself parents?"
The girl shook her head: "I've already realized something."
"Every soldier of the Ice Crown Knights regards death as home," the expected answer made the commander of the undead army smile again, "but, since you gave up Roland Strife, at least you should give up in the end. Let's meet the only family member before the war."
Neither affirming nor denying, Falohide fell silent.
"This is for you." Richard took out two letters and a gemstone from his pocket, "There is a shrine of travel 40 kilometers north of the camp, you can use the magic power attached to the gemstone to move the circle, After the transfer, follow the instructions in the letter to get in touch with your father Kadar."
"What about the other one?" The female swordsman looked at the items that had been prepared, and couldn't help but look suspicious in her pupils.
"It's the route of action of the Ishutori Knights, designated as a first-class military secret. After remembering the contents, it must be destroyed immediately." The Lich paused, "Please be careful when you act alone, as for rendezvous with the main force When and where, you can decide for yourself."
"Is this an order?"
"Probably." The wise commander showed an inscrutable smile for the last time, "Please execute it with a happy mood."
When the griffin carried the blond swordsman up into the snowy sky, Arthas finally couldn't help but ask, "Richard, is the road map you gave her outdated?"
"Unfortunately, your reasoning is completely wrong. Although it is not the top level, Faroshidai is also a Yunyao user with superb sword skills. I will not let her leave in this critical period." Richard There was an almost ruthless rationality in his voice, "In order to allow Ishutori to successfully fulfill his wish to become a perfect body, even if it is a death-like order, I will execute it without hesitation."
"So, that's just a chance to say goodbye to her?" The red-eyed deceased looked at his colleagues curiously—although they had been together for hundreds of years, the liches who always appeared in an elegant posture rarely used this kind of fierceness. speak in a tone of voice.
"That's right." The other party's expression suddenly became turbulent, "On the other hand, it is also to contain Kadar. If the other party confirms that his beloved daughter is serving Ishutori now, the situation will definitely change subtly, right? At least The undead can get some advantages here."
"Hahaha," the bold death knight couldn't help laughing, "it's not like you at all to use this stupid strategy as an excuse~!" He said, and patted his colleague on the shoulder mockingly.
"Really?" the Lich murmured softly, then looked up at the snowy sky.
"Is it okay to leave like this? The next strategic arrangement..." Zefelice asked quietly when he boarded the canoe again.
The negotiations with Flora did not achieve the desired results. Not only did Star Capital not accept Mobadi's proposal to join forces against Ishutoli, but they also did not clearly express their position in the war. The atmosphere that followed naturally became very tense. Subtle, mixed with the coldness of metal and a touch of blood.
"I don't think there is a problem." The vampire with gemstone pupils replied calmly, "Although there is no guarantee, this is also a proof that the other party is willing to treat each other with sincerity, and this alone is enough to be worth any form of contract. Besides, excluding the factors of logical reasoning, what do you think of Ms. Flora?"
"Not bad." After a while, Nightingale answered with her head down.
Mobadi nodded, and then turned his attention to the prayer man on the pole: "Then, Brandrut, let's deploy the main force in the Yahevi Mountain area. Although the forces of the Star Capital still need to be on guard, but... "The blood race said, turning around and looking at the emerald lake shore that was gradually thrown away.
"I don't think they have the courage to step out of this overlapping field." The holder of the Holy Cross sword asserted.
This judgment made the corners of the 'King''s mouth slightly raised: "That's true, otherwise the fate between me and you would not exist."
"Just let Mobadi Singweis go like this?" Elena asked a little unwillingly as she watched the three god traitors disappear far away on the surface of the Lake of Mirrors. They are indeed very strong, but only three people cannot fight against the entire Star Capital."
"Elena, why did Brandrut follow Mobadi?" The guardian of the star capital asked a completely irrelevant question.
"I think... because Brandlut is an 'outsider'." The vampire thought for a while, and then replied, "Although he has already felt the huge fluctuations from the sea of thoughts, in any case, for that man Speaking, prayer is still just a means rather than an end.”
"I could feel it when I was studying with him before. At that time, teacher, you always taught us to understand the origin of the world and the fluctuation of the sea of thoughts, but," Elena sighed softly, "As a person from this world who has experienced Among the countless twists and turns of mortals, what Brandrut desires is not those static truths, but the desire to devote himself to changing the world and its destiny in reality."
"You're right." Flora nodded approvingly, "Since this is the case, Mobadi, which Brandrut agrees with, may also represent 'progress' in another sense. No, abandon The claim of the gods itself should be an unprecedented change."
"In this case, there is no reason for Star Capital to help any party. The reason why the holder of the Holy Cross Sword left so readily is probably because he realized this." The guardian stretched out his hand, Subconsciously pick up the falling snowflakes, "The result of being too eager for the truth is to make yourself the same as the truth, being too objective and ruthless."
"However, from my own point of view, I hope Roland can give him a good meal." The beautiful vampire pouted.
"Well, I think so too." Flora said, showing a rare relaxed smile.
red.
When Roland opened his eyes, he could only use this word to describe everything around him—there was no crisp sound of burning flames, nor the low sound of raging magma, nor the soft sound of blood dripping—reflected into those water-colored pupils Only big patches of red.
Countless bright red petals are descending from the dark night sky, like a bright waterfall or a prosperous rain.
In the red silence, the blond swordsman waited. After an unknown amount of time, familiar footsteps finally sounded from opposite him. Through the swirling red, Roland saw the Dark Eagle standing on the other side of the horizon, in front of him. The two people staring are like two sides of a mirror, one is colored and the other is black and white. Roland's hair was brilliant gold, and Dark Eagle's hair was like flying ashes; Roland's eyes were a beautiful water color, and Dark Eagle's pupils were burning with burning flames.
However, a small but unnegligible part caused the entire mirror image to completely collapse—
The words on the two swords are different.
The surface of metal is branded with guilt, the surface of crystal pursues desire.
"The original Roland was just a created empty shell. It's not so much that you abandoned your memory, it's better to say that your memory abandoned you. But it's different now." The death knight's voice was very calm, "Now you have a negation past qualifications."
"Negative... Dark Eagle?" The young man raised his head.
"When faced with irreversible death again, Roland Strife did not entrust his will to hatred, but was still determined to protect Shifan. That is a new path." The Dark Eagle first said Glancing at his Frost Grief, he then fixed his gaze on the azure blue crystal sword, "Facts have proved that this choice really resonated with Ishutori's wish, and the wish of protection was fulfilled."
"Revenge can't create anything, but protection can." The silent voice continued, as if blaming himself, "Do you remember what I told you once—"Despite being abandoned by his own soul, the Dark Eagle still exists In other people's memory', but now it's different."
You have achieved what the dark eagle could not have achieved even if he burned his soul.
"So, you can use the choice at this moment to erase the Roland who only existed for revenge. In the future, people will remember the guardian of Shifan, not the deceased who abandoned everything for revenge."
"No, that's not the case." The blond swordsman shook his head and walked slowly towards the other party. The Dark Eagle suddenly found that his body broke free from the control of his will, like a true mirror image, and began to make exactly the same movements as himself as the guardian. The distance between the living and the dead is getting closer and closer, and finally they reach a place where there is only one step away.
"If Oluha confesses at the last moment, all I can do is refuse. Although it is selfish, I will not regret that choice." Roland looked at the other Roland intently, "And a long time ago Everything I did for revenge may be wrong, but I have no regrets."
"Because you are me, and I am you. Even if everyone denies you, I will not deny myself. Even if the world forgets you, I will never forget myself."
Whether it is revenge or protection, there is a meaning and reason for existence.
"...Really." The Dark Eagle's tone was mixed with surprise for a moment, but then he showed a resolute expression, "Then, this is also your choice?"
"Wrong again." Roland Strife laughed, "This is our choice~!"
he said, hugging the other Roland Strife tightly. The bodies of the two seem to have become liquid, and they can pass through each other without hindrance. And when Shifan's guardian merged with the long-lasting guardian, the words on the two swords shone with dazzling brilliance at the same time, and the transparent frost mourned and the pure black frost mourned trembled together, like a magical dance , a metal chorus.
And finally, the two voices finally became one.
The frozen time begins to flow again, the abandoned past returns to the soul again, and the sword in the hand will no longer have any confusion.
Roland subconsciously opened his eyes. The low ceiling and the magical ceiling lights were immediately reflected in the pupils. Judging from the swaying narrow bed and the enclosed space environment, the young man believed that he was lying in a high-speed carriage.
"Finally woke up." Familiar words came from his ears, and Roland also habitually said "Yes". But then, he immediately noticed something strange in the voice—at least, the speaker was not the one he imagined.
"Alsace? What are you doing here?" The young man sat up suddenly from the bed, and rubbed his eyes vigorously. But it's useless, this is obviously not a hallucination or auditory hallucination, the death knight with red eyes and long gray hair is indeed sitting firmly opposite him, holding an apple strangely in his hand.
"It seems that your condition has recovered very quickly. Unfortunately, the ability of logical thinking still has not entered the normal state." The other party showed a mocking smile, "What else can I do here? Of course it is to take care of you Do you want to eat an apple?" The death knight said carelessly, handing out the fruit that had been half-frozen by the breath of the undead.
"What happened? I feel like I've been asleep for a long time. What time is it?" Roland cautiously pushed the other's hand away, and then spit out a series of questions.
The death knight couldn't help smiling again: "Don't worry, this is the main formation of the Ice Crown Knights. We have passed through Alazea and are now marching at full speed on the territory of Storgard. As for this luxurious carriage , is specially prepared for you, a seriously injured patient, because you have been in a coma for a whole week."
Roland blinked, but didn't recover for a moment: "You mean seven days?"
Arthas nodded sympathetically.
"How is that possible? I didn't even get hurt against Melukidek..."
"It's because of Ishutoli." The deceased turned his gaze to Frost Lament on the shelf, the sheathless blue sword blade looked extraordinarily cold against the sandalwood, "According to Shifan, when When the power of Ishutori came to the world, she, Oluha, and you were the receiving terminals. This is actually a kind of prayer technique. Leaving aside the elf girl, as the end of the Goddess Shi Fan won't suffer backlash because of this, but you naturally can't be able to fully bear it."
"It didn't show up in the battle because your mental state reached its peak at that time, but in the burial... when you left the moon flower, the soldier's will has been completely relaxed." The undead shrugged, "Just as relaxing the body will lead to the defeat of the battle, relaxing the spirit will also lead to the loss of control of the power of prayer, and the result can be imagined."
"Is that so?" The young man whispered, "Where are the others?"
What about Shifan? Roland originally wanted to ask this question, but finally dismissed the idea.
"What have you been looking around for since just now? If you were looking for someone, then I'm really sorry, I accidentally blocked you." Alsace sneered and stepped aside.
She's at.
Shifan curled up in her sleeping bag, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
"Speaking of which, I didn't expect that the goddess who is as calm as Richard will end up with a wavering appearance, but I'll talk about that later." The death knight looked at the black-haired girl with some emotion, "She is here this week. Taking care of you, barely slept. Didn't allow myself to rest until a few hours ago, saying your condition had stabilized."
Roland didn't answer, but just stared at the girl he cared about.
"Since the former leader of the Knights is awake," the death knight stood up knowingly, and casually found a reason to escape: "I'd better go and inform Richard." door of the carriage. Before the icy snowflakes invaded the carriage, Alsace's vigorous figure jumped out and disappeared into the vast whiteness.
Without the cynicism of the undead, the ear was quiet again.
Originally, the current thinking should be in chaos—the memory belonging to the Dark Eagle was churning up and down in his mind, and Oluha's last smile was still branded in his eyes. But Roland couldn't pay attention to those emotions. Shifan's sleepy face that seemed to be dreaming not only made his sight still, but also made his heartbeat still.
That's so cute.
If it is paired with a loose black long hair, it can be described as perfect.
The next moment, as if dissatisfied with the regret in Roland's heart, that pretty short hair began to shake—Shifan woke up. The girl who opened her eyes in a daze jumped up from the bed as soon as she realized who was staring at her.
"Roland~!" An undetectable light flashed in the emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry for making you worry." The young man put away his daydreams and carefully apologized, "I have already learned about the general situation from Alsace, but it seems that there is no problem now, and the body's response rate is also very high. "
"Of course there's nothing wrong with your body, and you haven't been attacked physically." The girl stared at Roland with a layman's gaze. "The key is the mental aspect, such as memory, consciousness, thinking and logical reasoning. For example, Do you remember what you did with me in Manulin Town?"
"Remember." The other party nodded honestly.
"Don't be so sure~! Check carefully." The girl gave Roland another look.
"I remember every detail." After a long silence, the young man replied obediently.
"That's no problem. I thought that there would be no lack of personality. Roland is Olin of Ishtoli anyway. How could he collapse just because he connected with the goddess." Shifan's voice vaguely revealed I was excited, but I didn't look at Roland, "But I didn't expect to be in a coma for a whole week. Your consciousness is too weak, even if..."
Halfway through Shi Fan's words, she suddenly stopped abruptly as if she had awakened.
"Even if you fail to protect the important person, you shouldn't close your feelings and immerse yourself in sadness alone." The Dark Eagle who recovered his memory finished the sentence for the black-haired girl, "Because I'm not alone, outside world, and people waiting for me.”
"It is precisely because of this awareness that the sword in my hand can be awakened." Roland quietly looked at the ice-like blade of the sword, "The body Ishutori prepared for me is blank, but Roland Strife Everything in the past has not been lost, and it is still completely preserved in Frost Lamentation. Therefore, when the sword is turned on again... "
"I can remember all of that. Whether it's sad or happy, everything has been recalled."
"En." Shifan's expression did not show any surprise or surprise, but was mixed with a subtle sense of distance.
"You know?" Roland asked.
"I noticed it when Frost Lament was released, because it wasn't just Ishutori's power that gushed out. What's more, after waking up, your way of speaking is also a little different." The girl replied in a low voice, with a hint of hesitation in her expression.
Finally, as if making up his mind, Shifan finally asked: "Then, is the current Roland still the Roland I know?"
After merging with the past self, is the present self still the self? People are not static, but change must require a reason. Roland's reincarnation was different. It was a sudden change without any reason and without any transition. Therefore, no matter how similar the old self and the new self were, there were still gaps and conflicts. No matter which side of the contradiction is abandoned, it is tantamount to denying oneself, and what kind of existence is Roland Strife at this moment born in this kind of negation
This is really a rather philosophical question, and I'm afraid even Richard can't answer it.
But the young man nodded without doubt, showing a gentle smile: "Of course~! No matter what, I am the Roland Strife you know."
Because no matter how everything changes, the feeling that I like you has not changed.
Isn't that reason enough