The paradise of the past… or rather, the so-called "Golden Garden."
It originally belonged to Eden, the most famous artist in the world and the richest person at the end of the previous era of civilization.
In the end, she remained in her own time.
What a pity.
However, before that, she left the "Golden Garden" to her friends, allowing them to plant a seed called "Hope" in it.
And in doing so, send a blessing to the future.
But today...
Step~
Step~
Step~
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" had arrived here.
At this moment, he gazed at the bar not far away, the archive room across the hall, the workshop behind him, and… the "door" straight ahead.
Everything felt as familiar as it was foreign.
He walked slowly to the center of the corridor.
—"As expected, none of the Yingjie want to see me!"
Looking around the silent surroundings, Ling Ke, hidden behind the scenes, wasn't the least bit surprised.
He knew very well that his current self was corrupted.
Because in this era...
Those who are "real" are not qualified to pursue what is called beauty.
Of course, he no longer felt affection for that beauty.
So...
Villains, and the path of villains.
He had come here for one reason only: to see one person.
Or rather… strictly speaking, someone who wasn't even a person of "remembrance."
—"Aponia, take the first step."
—"I don't want to waste any more time."
—"Kevin has already decided to side with me."
—"Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
—"As for you…"
—"Do you want to buy a 'second chance' for your time? Or do you want to witness Earth turning into cosmic dust with your own eyes?"
—"The choice is yours."
His words were cold as ice.
And then—
唪~
A change swept through the Elysian Realm.
It was a breath of scorching heat.
In less than a second…
BOOM!
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" was blasted away, landing face-first on the ground.
In that instant, the right side of his face had already been charred.
And in the spot he had just occupied, a masked male figure had appeared.
—"Weak. Too weak."
This person was… the sixth of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, a fusion warrior bearing the Sigil of "Fierce Destruction": Qianjie, who spoke with disdain:
—"You're not even as good as the last Herrscher who came here."
—"At least he managed to endure a few more seconds of my attacks."
Silence~
Not only "Dominator Doll · Ling Ke."
Even within the vast Theater of Domination, across the Earth, and among all the Domain Entities on the Moon — everything froze for a moment.
—"Ehhh~"
In the Theater of Domination, Ling Ke, seated alone on his throne, scoffed at himself.
—"Honestly, the issue is that I'm not as good as Raiden Mei."
At that moment, if the sages of this era were present, they would all be stunned.
The legislator who harassed Otto, persuaded Kevin, and cornered Walter...
Had been shattered into pieces by a blunt and coarse old man, with just a few words.
And the most ironic part: it wasn't even intentional. Entirely unintentional…
—"Anger? No… that doesn't quite fit."
—"Grief and rage? Well, close enough."
—"An incompetent, angry clown? Maybe!"
—"But… so what if I'm a clown? As long as I get my revenge…"
—"No matter how ridiculous a powerful clown may be, how many dare to laugh at him?"
—"The world is just that cruel."
Ling Ke laughed bitterly:
—"I just didn't expect to still cling to this 'human nature' kind of weakness."
But he was no longer who he used to be.
—"Before, I thought maybe I wouldn't fall into predictable traps because of that."
—"Then, like a giant spoiled baby, I'd try everything to prove I'm better than Raiden Mei."
But now Ling Ke knew that was the stupidest thing he could do.
—"What's the point of proving anything?"
—"What's the point of seeking recognition?"
—"Annoyed by a comment?"
—"No problem! I'll just make everyone else more miserable."
So...
—"Looks like you really liked her a lot…"
—"Even that Herrscher you mentioned won your approval, huh?"
In the Elysian Realm, "Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" slowly got back on his feet.
At that moment, the right side of his face was cracked.
But it didn't bleed like an ordinary human.
Instead...
With that half-broken, grotesque, and lifelike "doll" face, he gracefully dusted himself off, as if nothing had happened.
You could see an artificial eye protruding — even a row of teeth.
This was the real monster.
And this monster...
—"Yes, Raiden Mei is special."
—"How to describe her?"
—"Captivating? Pure beauty? Graceful face? Peerless? Thoughtful? Resolute?"
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" placed one hand to his forehead, as if performing on stage:
—"How shameful… 'I,' with such immense learning capacity, forgot to delve deeper into poetic expression."
—"In the end, I can't find words that do her justice."
—"But even so…"
He looked at Qianjie, smiled, and a few more pieces of his face fell off.
—"Just imagine: that beautiful face, her soul, her strength, her faith…"
—"Desecrated! Corrupted! Violated...!"
—"And then, break her! Make her fall so far she never rises again!"
He spread his arms wide.
—"There could be nothing more beautiful in this world."
—"Tsk~"
Qianjie couldn't help but frown.
This guy was even crazier than him.
His reason for appearing in the Hall of Paradise, and being the first of the Flame-Chasers to meet "Dominator Doll · Ling Ke," was simply because his experience was somewhat similar to Sakura's sister.
But now…
—"You've turned into a true Herrscher (monster) as well."
No sooner had he spoken than he prepared to strike again.
But just then...
—"Not so fast!"
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" pulled a pocket watch from nowhere. He slapped it with his right hand, opened it, pointed at it with his left, and said calmly:
—"By my time as a legislator, I'm still just a curious child (a giant baby)!"
—"Doing a few experiments on the Moon is totally reasonable, right?"
—"For example: using the Law of Reason to place a few planets… I mean, satellite engines?"
—"A question!"
His voice rose several pitches. He raised his right hand and, in response, the watch flew and spun with a whistle as his finger followed it:
—"When the moon falls, to avoid affecting civilization, what's the best impact site if it breaks apart at the edge?"
—"Indian Ocean? Edge of the eastern tectonic plate? Yellowstone?"
Qianjie didn't understand that.
But Ling Ke's intent (threat) had been clearly received by all those in the Garden who could read between the lines.
Taking advantage of the moment...
—"In the next thirteen hours, either my revenge plan succeeds... or the planet is reduced to rubble."
—"Choose between survival... or annihilation."
—"After all, I'm not the one who should be nervous."
Saying that, he kept his arms outstretched, showing no intention to defend himself.
Finally...
—"That's enough, please… Qianjie."
—"You…"
A gentle, sacred voice echoed through the Hall of Paradise.
Her eyes were empty, but different from Ling Ke's.
The figure of a nun appeared, on the brink of life.
And in that instant, the hot-tempered old man was completely frozen by those words… or rather, by the power hidden within them.
Though he trembled, he could no longer move.
He just gritted his teeth and spat out a few syllables:
—"A—po—nia!"
Seeing this…
—"Oh… so that's what true incompetent fury looks like."
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" approached Qianjie like a curious baby and murmured out of place:
With a "studious" expression, while Qianjie's veins bulged from his forehead.
But by now, he was just an expendable side character.
At the center of the "stage" stood the black-haired youth… and the nun mocked by fate.
Darkness.
A staged persona.
Eden —the fourth of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, bearer of the "Gold" Sigil— shook her head and sighed:
—"He (Ling Ke) is hollow inside… and has been forcibly filling himself with things learned from the outside."
—"Pitiful, pathetic… miserable."
At the same time, in the Hall of Paradise...
Only one voice could be heard:
—"Lost traveler… What do you seek from me?"
The nun… the third of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Aponia, bearer of the "Precepts" Sigil, spoke calmly.
Upon hearing her...
—"A precise coordinate."
—"A coordinate of 'time.'"
"Dominator Doll · Ling Ke" didn't beat around the bush and asked without hesitation:
—"Tell me, Aponia…"
—"How much time has passed since the outbreak of the 'Third Eruption' in the previous era of civilization?"
—"I want an exact value… down to the number of days."