Because he had personally tried it and realized that what Sasa had said before was true.

As long as one possesses sufficient power and wisdom, the laws of this world can indeed be changed.

So, to put it bluntly, everything is merely a reenactment of myth.

What if the cosmic laws are in disarray? What should one do when there are ten suns in the sky scorching the human world?

Just shoot down nine of them.

What if the moon runs around everywhere, disrupting time and preventing everyone from resting peacefully?

Take a rope and tie the moon down!

What if an arrogant god of death imposes tyranny on the living, causing people fear and pain?

The hero just needs to go to the underworld and soundly defeat death.

For the well-being of all living beings, god-men reshape the order of heaven and earth… This is a myth found almost everywhere across the globe, shared by all of humanity.

By the same logic, even if this world is filled with evil, lewd laws, since the laws can be modified, Qi Xing no longer has any need to fear or worry.

"Who do you think I am?"

"I am Master Leipu, who defeated the Demon King, defeated the gods, and saved the world from catastrophe!"

"If anyone, any gods, or any insane loopholes in the cosmic laws stand in my way,"

"I will use every possible means to eradicate them all."

————Qi Xing said these words so naturally, as if it were a matter of course.

Yet, it was precisely because of this matter-of-factness that Elaine's heart quietly trembled.

How could she not want to marry Qi Xing?

Just imagining the arrival of that moment made Elaine's consciousness feel like a light cloud, floating weightlessly in mid-air.

Her entire body was heating up, her breath becoming hot, filled with happiness and satisfaction.

But, but… what could she possibly give back to him?

He had poured such deep affection into her, yet she could not return even one ten-thousandth of it. How shameless, how selfish.

Let the "Strongest Man on Earth" marry her? How could that be? That would just be a greedy demand of her own selfish desires.

She was a useful deputy, a think tank for mythology, mystery, religion, and even socio-politics, and perhaps could even be considered a trusted tactical advisor. She could stand by his side to help him clear up situations, write reports, and coordinate logistics.

————But that was all.

She was not one of those legendary heroines. She was too weak; whether in martial strength or spirit, she was embarrassingly, ridiculously weak.

She understood that when Qi Xing said the word "marriage," it was an incredibly serious, incredibly sincere promise.

But this was also a huge waste.

Marriage itself is a form of strengthening.

On a political level, marriage could bring Master Leipu new allies, excellent bloodline descendants, and even consolidate the resources of multiple factions.

In a mystical sense, there were many contracts and rituals that assumed the husband and wife were a community of destiny and soul, allowing them to share a portion of power and authority.

But if the object of the marriage was her——Elaine.

Qi Xing would gain none of these benefits.

She had only managed to reach a barely high-ranking position in the Church; she was neither a saint of some ancient secret sect, nor did she hold any family's thousand-year treasure or lost heritage, nor did she possess any power capable of changing the world. She was just Elaine.

For Qi Xing, from any realistic consideration, this marriage was a losing deal————what's more, even without marriage, she was destined to follow him without hesitation.

Qi Xing, Qi Xing, Qi Xing, Qi Xing——…

The more she longed for him, the more pain seeped from the depths of her heart. It was like burning herself, yet also like pouring a basin of cold water, extinguishing all the joy and heat that had just risen.

The happiness and passion throughout her body evaporated, turning into heavy guilt.

She could not give him the return he deserved, yet she greedily clung to the joy he gave her; if this wasn't selfishness, what was it?

…But even so, Elaine still could not resist.

She couldn't resist.

She just wanted to stand by his side.

Longing.

The white of longing and the heavy black rolled in her heart, entangled endlessly.

"…It would be too abrupt to suddenly trouble Father Amos or the local bishop."

Suppressing the heaviness in her heart, Elaine tried her best to make her voice sound steady and normal,

"Do you intend to hold the wedding in the Aomori church so urgently?"

She pushed those chaotic emotions below the surface, as if everything were normal, almost as if she were discussing official business.

"No. Actually, I didn't think about holding the ceremony in a church. In theory, it doesn't necessarily have to be in a church, right? As long as there is a priest's blessing, that's enough."

Qi Xing chuckled,

"I have an idea that might sound a bit strange——I want to get married on Mount Hakkoda."

…?

Elaine subconsciously looked up, immediately feeling puzzled.

Mount Hakkoda was the place mentioned before in the center of Aomori Prefecture, where the abandoned village of Yaobikuni was located. It was the starting point that had first been polluted by Yaobikuni with her laws, then formatted by Mahamayuri, and finally restored by Qi Xing, the end of the Northeast Dragon Vein.

The new world that Qi Xing had rewritten the laws for and reconstructed for the first time using the power of the silver coin.

Why, of all places, choose to get married there?

"Because marriage is not the end of the story."

Qi Xing looked at Elaine, his tone flat, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Life is not a romance manga, nor is it a GAL game. Marriage is just the beginning of a new life."

He paused, slowly turned around, and looked into the distance——the mountain range that was once the source of despair was now bathed in tranquility and hope in the twilight light.

"Mount Hakkoda is the place where I first changed the world, the beginning of my 'new world'."

"So I thought, let's just do it there, together with you, to mark a new beginning."

…And so, Elaine could no longer bear it.

"O-okay. Then… I really can't do anything about you…"

At this point, she really didn't even have the strength to oppose Qi Xing.

Even if Qi Xing didn't want to marry, if he wanted to have pre-marital █ negotiations with her now, Elaine definitely wouldn't be able to resist.

Just how much does this person want to make my heart race before he's satisfied?

She knew that Qi Xing would absolutely, absolutely never "abandon" her..

But if Qi Xing no longer "needed" her, and was only unilaterally giving to her, she——

(No… I need to be more, more, more,)

(I will try my hardest, so that I can always stay by your side…)

It must be so.

Otherwise Elaine, this replaceable one-star card, would have no value in existing.

(Qi Xing… what should I do so that you need me more…?)

Volume 3: Shrine Maiden of the Black God: 117: I Am Not a Trinket

To return to the other side of the story.

Returning to Jingo Rin, after she returned home, she first went to find her father to report the events of the day.

Jingo Shinji did not show much interest in how they sealed Mahamayuri; after listening, he just nodded indifferently and remarked casually:

"——So, Rin, you still didn't [draw your sword] this time?"

Rin nodded silently, and after a moment of contemplation, she spoke again: "The wind-up is too long; there was no suitable opportunity."

"Opportunities are created by oneself."

Jingo Shinji said calmly, unimpressed,

"——But that's fine too. If the first [sword draw] was just used to hack a Giant Spirit, that would be too boring."

This remark made Rin tilt her head, revealing a trace of confusion.

Hacking a Giant Spirit isn't interesting? Then what in the world is it supposed to be used to hack?

[Sword Drawing]

This term, of course, did not refer to the technique Rin usually used to shape divine fire into blades to slash demons. That was merely an energy sword similar to Qi Xing's Thunder-Fire Sword, just a simple move.

Even if she could suppress the entire Northeast region with this one move, it was ultimately just a "simple exertion of her existing power," a small trick she had known how to use since she was seven… thinking about it carefully, it was truly terrifying.

The father and daughter were mentioning "Sword Drawing" now because there was still one move that Rin had not fully mastered, a finishing move that served as a symbol of growth for "taking a step further."

And up until now, she had never successfully used it in actual combat.

It was not just because there was no opportunity, but because her state of mind was indeed still lacking.

"Regardless of what other schemes the mastermind has, at least the Northern lands should be safe for now."

Picking up his teacup, he took a sip of melon soda——since it was green anyway——Jingo Shinji suddenly changed the subject and asked: "Rin, what are your plans for the future?"

For this question, Rin already had an answer.

"The first friend I ever made, a companion I can treat as an equal, is being tempted by demons and is dabbling in dark powers to realize his ideals."

She said calmly,

"His ideals themselves, I believe, are good. I do not agree with his methods, but if I cannot offer a better alternative, merely rejecting them is meaningless."

Rin's fire——Fire of Uriel, is a fire that hates evil. It is a divine fire that purifies and judges sin, and refines the soul.

Since she awakened at seven, no matter when, this fire had always been with her. As to why this fire existed, she actually didn't know either.

In the past, she had once thought that perhaps she really was a descendant of Jesus Christ. But Yaobikuni had made it clear that the "Tomb of Christ" was just a legend fabricated to create the belief in the Black God, a fabricated lie.

If that was the case, where did Rin's divine fire come from?

…However, such questions were not important now. This was not what she truly cared about.

"'Our God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.'"

"In order not to let my friend lose his humanity on the future battlefield and fall into the evil path he despises, I want to accompany him from now on, and I want to light up the road ahead of him."

Qi Xing's future was destined not to be peaceful. On that dark battlefield, which would certainly be filled with more blood and filth, Rin wanted to continue to burn, to break evil and refine souls, and to become the radiance that guides her comrade.

This was Rin's current desire, very pure and clean.

But——

"Boring!!"

Rin's dad put on a straight face and harshly retorted!

"Boring! It's like you're just spouting high-sounding empty words!"

Huh? Ah?!

Now, even Rin couldn't help but break into a cold sweat on her forehead: "Dad, I am very serious…"

"A silly girl who hasn't even killed anyone, who hasn't even tasted death, talking about being the radiance that guides a comrade on the battlefield?"

Jingo Shinji sneered!

Rin was sprayed by her own dad and was completely confused, unable to make heads or tails of it.

"The value of fire lies in how much light and heat you can emit. At your current level, you are at best just a nightlight."

"I don't much like that kid Qi Xing either; he starts getting cocky over small things, and his aura is still far from enough. But if we're talking about having seen true darkness, you girl are not even as good as him."

Such harsh criticism! And Jingo Shinji's tone was so calm it was almost cold.

And Rin, for a moment, was speechless.

And old man Shinji's offensive was not over yet.