Chapter 265

Perhaps, then, every living being in this world, amidst their desires and struggles, reflects a different facet of her soul.

"The world and the humans that Sael secretly replicated have gone awry; why should I be the one to resolve and save them?"

[King of Hell] summarized indifferently,

"Leaving behind a path to ascension, rather than immediately destroying all these imitations, is already sufficient mercy from me."

"Because I am the King of Hell (Heliand), the king of heroes, not Jesus."

For the Son of God is not merely a lamb who bears suffering and atones for the sins of others, nor is he simply a nanny here to pay for everything on humanity's behalf.

Because when Christ descends for the second time, he is truly the God of conquest and judgment, wielding a sword of fire, holding an iron scepter, trampling the winepress, and making the nations tremble in his burning wrath.

…This is precisely the image that Qi Xing himself longs to achieve.

"Father."

Rin, who had been silently following by Qi Xing's side until now, finally spoke up and asked,

"Am I… also a [Descender]?"

"Originally, you indeed belonged only to this world."

[King of Hell] shook his head, his expression indifferent,

"But you should still remember, when you were seven years old, playing with the children in the village, you encountered an attack by a mountain hag. You were just a mortal with no power, yet you still stepped forward, using a wooden stick to draw the mountain hag's attention and protect your friends."

"At that moment, I acknowledged that you possessed the qualifications of a hero and were worthy of becoming a daughter of God. Thus, I injected half of Uriel's spiritual essence into your body, granting you a truly immortal soul."

He raised his hand, pointing to the floating continent beneath their feet, pointing to those two billion people of [Heaven].

"There is no fundamental difference between you and these people whom I have chosen."

"I am a warrior; I am aware of that myself."

Rin replied in a low voice, but her brows remained tightly furrowed, not giving up,

"But what about Mother? And there are many people in this world who… are not warriors."

"Heroes are not just warriors, Rin."

[King of Hell] finally smiled,

"A scholar who martyrs themselves for the truth is also a hero; a farmer who fights to the death against bandits to protect their family is also a hero."

"A firefighter who rushes into a sea of fire to save people, a teacher who saves students from being crushed by a building… Hero is a broad concept, and it is the foundation for entering [Heaven]."

The corners of his mouth curled into a nostalgic smile, one that seemed more human.

"Don't look at how your mother seems a bit lethargic after giving birth to you; Asuka was quite brave when she was young… or rather, quite prone to acting impulsively."

"When I first met her, she was still in college in Tokyo. Her friend went missing, the police wouldn't do anything, so she went to investigate on her own. When she was dragged into the sewer by monsters, she actually took a steel pipe and hit them, and as a result, she happened to run into me."

"If you call it stupid, it is quite stupid; if you call it weak, she had no power. But why can't a weak person who is willing to risk their life and step forward for a friend enter my Heaven?"

"It is a pity, however, that most of the people in this world are still mediocre."

Changing the subject, [King of Hell] said, turning his head to look at Qi Xing,

"They will not actively commit evil, but they will never step forward either."

"They are accustomed to following the crowd, only bowing their heads and nodding in the crowd, never questioning the evil happening around them."

"When their companions are dragged away, they look away, pretending they didn't see anything."

"When evil runs rampant, they just whisper 'don't cause trouble,' and then continue living their own lives."

"Can such livestock even be called humans? — What do you think, kid Qi Xing?"

This was indeed a question that Qi Xing had often been troubled by and thinking about recently, while ruling over the European region.

"Since that is the case, [King of Hell],"

he asked, frowning,

"Then why not follow what you said and just kill Sasa completely, instead of keeping her, sealing her, until today?"

"Because of you, kid Qi Xing."

[King of Hell] grinned,

"Because we once had an agreement. No matter what happens, her ending can only be decided by you."

What?

Qi Xing was stunned, not understanding why.

"The previous two times, you both were defeated by various 'saviors,' so your souls have always been cycling in this Möbius loop."

Ignoring Qi Xing's surprise, [King of Hell] just said indifferently,

"But this time, you have at least been able to defeat Maitreya. You have become a hero, understood your true self, and are about to fully mature. Therefore, the fate of my foolish sister should be placed in your hands."

"Since things have reached this point, I can make an exception. I don't need to speak as cryptically as usual, but will tell you directly — kid Qi Xing, if you are willing, you can break ties with her and the failed world she replicated right now."

"I will save all the heroes of this world throughout history, grant them true souls, and they shall enjoy an eternal Heaven."

"And my foolish sister, this piece of trash who still hasn't grown up, will, along with the rest of her dregs, receive a true death."

Wow.

This proposal, to be honest, was just too tempting.

No need to fight anymore.

As long as he tossed away this piece of trash in his arms, Qi Xing could dump the remaining troublesome matters onto God. He would save everyone worth saving and punish all the bastards.

[King of Hell]'s logic was very pure. He did not hate the weak; he liked brave people who transcended their own limits, but he deeply loathed those numb, go-with-the-flow mediocre people. This was indeed a point that Qi Xing liked very much and could resonate with him on.

What bullshit about the doctrine of the mean? What is this about gray being normal? What Qi Xing wanted was a world where black and white were distinct.

Brave good people get saved, evildoers get destroyed, and as for the mediocre, let them rot in the darkness!

…It is just a pity that Qi Xing happened to be holding Sasa in his arms.

Hearing [King of Hell]'s declaration, she could no longer hold it together; she looked up with a face full of terror, staring straight at Qi Xing.

Her golden eyes widened in fear, tears swirling at the corners of her eyes, and she was trembling. Biting her lip, her face flushed red; she clearly wanted to say something, but didn't dare utter a single word.

That pitiful gaze was clearly saying: "Don't abandon me…"

Sigh…

How troublesome…

Did Qi Xing really owe this stupid Sasa a mountain of romantic debt in his past life?

[King of Hell] just said something about the "previous two times," but the Christian worldview doesn't have a setting for reincarnation; what exactly is going on?

—However, what Qi Xing didn't know was that although there is no "setting" for reincarnation in the Christian worldview, there is actually an exception where reincarnation is used as a "punishment" for sinners.

Qi Xing himself was certainly not this sinner. But who told him to voluntarily entangle himself with Samael? So their story had to have an ending; it couldn't just be cut short halfway.

"Sigh."

Reaching out to pull Sasa's face, stretching it to both sides, Qi Xing pulled her little face until it was distorted, then looked up at [King of Hell] and shook his head.

"I think, as for the mediocre, we shouldn't be in such a rush to send them all to their deaths immediately; they should still have a chance to be tested and strive for salvation."

"Then, kid Qi Xing, you must make my foolish sister truly understand why even her own shadow would oppose her. Why black and white would resent her, their mother and creator."

[King of Hell] raised his eyebrows and smiled, with a hint of mockery,

"That is very difficult. Why don't you just forget it?"

Qi Xing certainly wanted to as well.

But, but,

"Then I will definitely regret it in Heaven later."

Qi Xing also raised his eyebrows,

"Besides, God, I am not entirely satisfied with your [Heaven] either. I would rather create a Heaven that I want myself."

With these words, the meaning was already clear.

—Ultimately, Qi Xing and Sasa still had quite a few similarities.

[King of Hell] then burst into laughter.

This was the challenge from the Son of Man that the King of Warriors had been looking forward to.

"Then, you need to defeat the remaining two ancient demon kings."

"You also have to defeat me."

"Finally, go and defeat my foolish sister."

"After you have conquered the entire world, you can go and create — the Heaven you want yourself."

Volume 7: Age of Apocalypse: 243: Truly Hopeless

Defeat the remaining two ancient demon kings.

Defeat [King of Hell].

And also deal with this stupid Sasa herself.

—The others were fine, but defeat [King of Hell]?

In an environment that is clearly suspected to be a Christian worldview, I am going to fight a barbarian version of Christ? Really?

How do you fight God on a theological level? Even Sasa in her prime was blasted into thirty pieces by Jesus's divine fist. What on earth is Qi Xing supposed to do to defeat [King of Hell]?

[King of Hell] himself looked quite cheerful, but Qi Xing couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

How troublesome.

It's not like I don't have a wife, nor am I lacking women; why must I be blinded by this stupid Sasa like lard, insisting on helping her?

But when he lowered his head, Qi Xing found that Sasa was gripping his sleeve tightly.

Those golden eyes were still red, full of fear, as if she were terrified that Qi Xing would really let go in the next moment and truly abandon her.

Such a gaze, Qi Xing clearly couldn't refuse.

Sigh, forget it, forget it.

In for a penny, in for a pound; the harsh words have already been spoken, it's just God, what is there to be afraid of?

I am [Venerable Leipu], whom even the Buddha must fear!

"Father, if Qi Xing is going to oppose you,"

Rin interrupted at this moment,

"I will also stand on his side."

"Rin, are you also dissatisfied with my [Heaven]?"

[King of Hell] turned his head and asked his daughter with great interest,

"Or perhaps, do you also think Sael is worth saving?"

"No, I have absolutely no objection to the devil deserving to be killed."

Rin's reaction, however, was very cold,

"But since I have decided to become a flame, I cannot give up halfway."

"As for the mediocre people you speak of, Father, while I can agree with the conclusion, I cannot agree with the process — being forced to be ordinary and being content with mediocrity are not the same thing. Ordinary people who are unwilling to be mediocre, if tempered, may not necessarily fail to become heroes."

[King of Hell] laughed: "Just like the little Magical Girl you picked up?"

Rin nodded.

"Everyone's starting point and environment are different."

"Some people are indeed content with mediocrity, using mediocrity as their talisman and excuse… but there are also many people whose mediocrity is simply shaped by the influence of their environment."

"Father, the Heaven I long for should provide equal tests and opportunities for everyone. Therefore, I will not agree with you."

[King of Hell] laughed heartily, but was not angry.

This longing was exactly Rin's essence.

She was the daughter of God, the leader of the Valkyries.