No more suits, no more pretentious white gloves.
And—
Looking so "elegant."
These "masks" are no longer necessary for Ling Ke.
He is "now letting go."
Wearing a black T-shirt with the ironic English words "Love_And_Peace" printed across the chest.
On the lower half, loose pants and a pair of canvas shoes.
If he added a baseball cap, he'd look like a hip-hop kid.
Ling Ke erases an era of "great world-destroying players" and the law of dominion over "everything." He once ascended gods, and now he prunes the new imaginary tree like a potted plant.
I'm —— on —— vacation ——!!!
At that moment, he was preparing a classic meal of "popcorn + cold drinks." Logically speaking, he should have looked for a theater where no one makes a sound, sit down, cross his legs, and enjoy the bliss of being single—while, incidentally, getting a taste of the couple's "dog food" sitting beside him.
However, he was so distracted that he brought his "cinema pack" to a concert that had absolutely nothing to do with the words "no one makes a sound."
At that moment, beside him were crowds of people holding glow sticks and cheering loudly.
He was the only one, still sitting in his original seat like a flock of chickens among cranes, chewing non-stop.
Truly, "I walk my own path to the end."
This was the venue of a concert held by the great star Eden.
Now, this outstanding artist, who had already shot to fame during a charity performance and became famous ever since, was standing on stage, attracting immense attention and singing for her era.
She is now just a normal person.
He didn't know if his own time had "returned."
But she still enjoyed the moment.
"The performance is actually quite moving."
Ling Ke continued munching and munching, silently commenting in his heart, "Though I don't like classical music or opera, it still feels very pleasant now, and my mood is much better."
"Still, I prefer the 'script' I carefully prepared."
Speaking of which—
"My first group of 'passengers' who arrived at the station have already taken action."
Ling Ke suddenly thought sarcastically in his heart, "Why didn't I see this efficiency before?"
"Indeed, if you want people to grow or even transform, you need to exert hundreds of millions of points of pressure."
Clearly, what Ling Ke mentioned now was precisely what brought him the most joy.
Those "plays" that he had choreographed and most enjoyed watching were now being performed 24 hours a day.
Just like: now.
Middle East Region.
Here, religious forces are complex, and wars rage all year round.
And within its borders lies a lawless zone, seen as extremely special and dangerous even by those around it.
Its name: Twilight Street.
An uninvited guest arrives in Twilight Street today.
She is tightly wrapped.
Physically, she appears to be a woman.
Beneath the hooded trench coat, strands of purple hair can be seen.
What follows is a tall and graceful figure and a strikingly beautiful face.
As expected, she attracts many malicious gazes.
"Eh~"
The dusty purple-haired girl... Raiden Mei let out a breath.
Two days had passed since she arrived in this time period which, though she knew a bit about, was still relatively unfamiliar to her.
She is no longer the Herrscher of Thunder.
But all of her combat power has not diminished—instead, it has grown.
It seems that a few days ago, when a noticeable crack formed in her heart, she had already set out on a strange kind of "path."
After sensing the oddity within herself, Raiden Mei had tested this immense power that had inexplicably become connected to her—in the Sahara Desert of this era.
It was easy to lose herself in it.
But it was also unusually powerful.
So powerful that even her former Herrscher-of-Thunder self would seem weak in comparison.
Surpassable.
Strong enough that... these past two days, she often thought: if back then she had possessed the power she holds now...
Could everything have been saved?
But now, no matter how many thoughts like that she had, they were meaningless.
Because this powerful strength—though overwhelming—cannot interfere with time.
This is not her "path."
It can only cause ultimate destruction, through "loss," through "annihilation," through... all forms of "being" reduced to "nothing."
Thus, the current Raiden Mei can neither save others nor save herself.
All she has left are the means to inflict "harm."
She—has lost.
She doesn't know where to go.
Even so, in that excessively beautiful "memory of nonexistence," she had learned much of the hidden history.
But—
The one-way ticket forcibly handed to her by Ling Ke, against the flow of time, was no gift—it was enslavement.
The other party had clearly even temporarily extinguished the possibility of "walking together."
"Still want to huddle up and stay warm together? Nu, nu, nu?"
It's as if a silent, scornful sneer like that has remained in her ears the whole time.
Raiden Mei learned that the "passengers" selected by Ling Ke would not arrive at the same place or time.
Yes, she and Kiana, and Bronya, and the class monitor, and the principal... even Yolandelle, Rita, and... Otto.
All "separated."
All "passengers" arrive at different times, in different places, and even in different forms.
She and Kevin Kaslana—the ones who "saved the world"—were the "first group."
So, when will the others arrive in this era, where will they fall, who will discover them first, and what kind of chaos will they be drawn into?
She doesn't know.
She only knows: they will come.
Because that was the "intimate" farewell reminder Ling gave her in the final moment.
And those few words fell into her ears and cut deep.
"Don't worry, your Kiana won't disappear."
"Because you subconsciously decided she was more important than the world... at least more important than your biological father."
Yes, subconsciously she chose Kiana.
Before that final farewell day, she chose to stay by her side and let others protect her father.
So, her biological father—the mighty Thunderclap Kaslana—was reduced to "nothing" along with the old world (era).
Ling Ke has been fulfilling one cruel promise after another in his uniquely twisted way.
And now... this is the result of her choice.
Though she didn't want to admit it at all—she had made it subconsciously.
"Hypocrisy...?....?!"
Raiden Mei wants to laugh at herself.
But now—
She can't seem to laugh.
Thoughts, minds—
Suddenly—
"Eh?"
Raiden Mei senses someone quickly approaching from behind.
Bang~
The man, clearly charging straight toward her, was about to flee after bumping into her "by accident."
However—
"Huh?... Ah?"
One of the stranger's hands was clenched in Raiden Mei's palm.
As a result, their whole body was dragged, and their footsteps forced to stop.
At that moment, reflected in her violet eyes was a familiar yet dirty and slightly different face.
No cat ears, and pupils still normal.
Looking down—
In the other's hand, an ornament.
One of those few memories she had managed to bring out from the "land of the past."
A pink crystal flower.
Though it may look valuable... well, Raiden Mei doesn't know exactly how much it's worth in this era.
She just felt it was meaningful to keep it, so she always carried it with her.
She has 12 such trinkets.
Anyway—right now.
"Uh, um... boss... you... this... don't get the wrong idea... ha, haha..."
The girl whose hand was caught clearly panicked. "We were just—"
"Pardot."
Faced with the familiar face lingering in her memories, Raiden Mei—now under the influence of that strange power—unconsciously said:
"Can you help take me to Aponia?"
"Eh?"
Dirty-faced girl—stunned.
This guy...
"Why did she call me Pardo?"
"And... so intimately?"