Chapter 303

"In any story—in any story that teaches us to be kind, to be brave, and to have hope! This act of separating everyone and living forever in a fake, solitary world… it must be wrong!!"

"By doing this, aren't you asserting that this world is completely rotten, that it has no value in being saved, and that there is absolutely no future or hope left?!"

The silence triggered by these words lasted for quite a while in the hall. The air seemed to have solidified.

In the end, it was Qi Xing himself who first revealed a bitter smile.

"Artemina, I certainly don't think that the world has no future or hope, otherwise I wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to do all these troublesome things."

"But I don't deny that this world is indeed rotten."

"This world has been rotten for a long time."

That was it.

Once it was said like that, it was as good as dead.

Of the seven space-time heroes, one was dead, three were hesitant, and three raised their weapons against the Super Demon King.

A mantis trying to stop a chariot? An egg hitting a rock? Indeed.

But there is no reason for heroes to fear death.

Seeing that these few were still about to make a move, the enthusiastic Lin came over with her blade again, but Qi Xing raised his hand to tell her to calm down.

"Indeed, in any story, any work of art—not believing in the future, not reconciling with the current rotten world, not choosing to change the world slowly, but instead suddenly pulling off such a big stunt… it must be very incorrect."

Qi Xing said unhurriedly.

"In order to maintain the political correctness of 'although reality is rotten, we must still love it,' writers and screenwriters must write fatal flaws and costs into such 'paradises' in their stories in advance."

"The Infinite Tsukuyomi in 'Naruto' actually turns everyone into White Zetsu; the Matrix in 'The Matrix' actually uses humans as batteries; and don't even get me started on Gijera in 'Tiga'…"

"There are many other novels, games, and all sorts of works that follow the same logic. Writers must set it up this way; they must add toxic side effects to the paradise. For example, if it lasts too long, it will explode, it will crash, or it will give birth to some super terrifying, insane monster crawling out."

"Because if they didn't write it that way, if they didn't label such behavior as 'fake' and 'evil'… then the protagonists who insist on breaking the paradise, pulling everyone back to the miserable reality, and continuing to strive forward, wouldn't they be in an awkward position?"

"To make the story's values politically correct and positive, the person who creates the eternal paradise must be wrong, must be the villain in the story. They must be extremely extreme, making the protagonist suffer, and making the audience very uncomfortable."

"…Alright, Sasa, you go down first. I don't want to fight while plugged in. It's too silly."

Saying this, Qi Xing pulled Sasa out with a 'pop,' set her aside, stood up from the black throne, and stood proudly.

This supreme figure made even the bravest heroes tremble from the depths of their souls. This was the pressure of the King♦.

"But, brave heroes, I am the one who looks down upon the foolish masses, the supreme one, the [Venerable Leipu] of the gods and demons. How could I not be the villain?"

He opened his arms and laughed out loud.

—The current world is rotten, but even if it is rotten, everyone should still love the world, love life, understand each other, believe in love, believe in bonds, and believe that those who come after will make the world better.

If the story ended like this, it would certainly be a very classic, heroic ending.

But Qi Xing is [Venerable Leipu].

He is an ugly, overbearing, and deeply desirous Super Demon King.

The new Satan who obtained the permission of God and governs the [Atheism] Universe.

"Go ahead and deny it! Righteous heroes, go ahead and attack! Concentrate your will and logic, and block my path!"

"Because this world—is fucking rotten like shit!"

Volume 8: People of Freedom and the Free World: 282: Superman

Just like that, all the heroes fell.

Those who should give up gave up, those who should return returned, and those who should be blasted to smithereens were blasted to smithereens.

Magical Girl Artemina successfully transformed into her second form during the battle, drew the Bow of Glorious Radiance, and shot at [Venerable Leipu].

As for the result, Qi Xing still punched her bow until it broke and knocked her to her knees.

Sigh, not every Magical Girl can trigger a power-up to defeat an infinite multiverse-level Super Demon King.

"By the way, do we count as infinite multiverse-level powerhouses now?"

"I think discussing this is very empty and meaningless."

"Fine."

So Sasa obediently retracted her head and continued to adjust her system backend.

Qi Xing sighed, conjured up and put on his pants, and walked toward the Magical Girl who was slumped on the ground.

"Artemina, if you think my approach is wrong and you just can't accept it, that's actually fine."

"Moral right and wrong, justice and evil… these things are not mathematics; it's not like one plus one equals two. Just like whether miso soup or corn chowder tastes better, there is simply no standard answer."

Perhaps the [King of Hell]—perhaps Qi Xing's brother-in-law—has the absolute answer to morality and justice. However, He refuses to provide a completely detailed answer key for everyone to copy from, and just ran off after saying "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Therefore, human definitions of moral right and wrong are always unstable, subjective, and lack a unified standard.

To love your neighbor as yourself, therefore, you yourself are the standard.

"Justice has no answer. Throughout the long river of history, countless wise men have tried to answer this question, but they have never reached an answer that satisfies everyone."

"Magical Girl Artemina, if you think I am wrong, that's fine. People are free; they have both the freedom to think and the freedom not to think."

"But if you spout justice and right and wrong without thinking—then that is not your own answer."

"Go think, go reflect."

"The only one who can truly decide is yourself."

"After you have thought of an answer, if you still feel I am wrong, feel free to challenge me again."

Saying this, Qi Xing smiled slightly and reached out to tap his own chest.

"The Demon King is always here waiting for you."

—This kid, he really knows how to act cool.

Sasa lay lazily on the throne, adjusting the system while watching Qi Xing talk to the Magical Girl, and couldn't help but find it a bit funny.

Although she complained about Qi Xing dumping all the troublesome tasks on her, Sasa was actually quite content now. Her ideal had finally, for the first time, gotten on the right track here.

Because the world that Qi Xing was now flowing out was indeed a "world that creates Supermen."

Sasa had struggled for who knows how many ten-thousands of years, messed up the laws of the universe, and tormented humans terribly, only to end up with failures. Until now, seeing Qi Xing's operation, she finally understood how ridiculously wrong she had been in the past.

No matter how much Sasa struggled, she could never create a Superman in the old world.

Because the old world was full of shackles.

Background, genes, environment, luck, social rules, the laws of the universe, the opinions of others… mortals were bound by countless invisible chains. The "happiness" that people pursue is often just a concept created and instilled by the environment.

In the murky environment of the old world, all living beings were slaves. Slaves to Sasa, and slaves to each other.

But now, Qi Xing had broken everything.

Giving everyone a universe. No rules whatsoever. Everything is as people desire. Absolute freedom is, in fact, the best test.

Yes. At first, everyone would definitely indulge wildly, releasing their instincts like animals. Most people would drown in this… but it wouldn't last forever. The instinctive pleasure brought by omnipotence has a threshold, after all.

It wouldn't take many thousands or ten-thousands of years before everyone fell into complete nihilism and boredom. When everything is within reach, when the moment you "want" something you already "have" it, "effort" and "sense of achievement" disappear. Eternal life would become an eternal punishment.

This is the greatest barrier; only those who pass through this layer of hell can reach the next stage.

They will realize that external endowments are all illusory. They must dig inward, amidst absolute loneliness and freedom.

"Who am I?"

"Why can I obtain everything I previously desired, yet still cannot fill the emptiness in my heart?"

"Why have I exhausted everything in the world, yet still cannot find satisfaction in my heart?"

"What exactly is it that I truly want?"

When a person is no longer living for survival, no longer for the opinions of others, and no longer for base desires, but purely out of the will of the "True Self," to create, to love, to explore, to define good and evil, and to give life a brand new meaning—

Only then can he transcend humanity and become a "Superman."

Only by giving absolute freedom can a soul with absolute will be born.

—"Living beings, I give you the method to become a Superman."

This must be [Venerable Leipu]'s love for the people of the world.

It's just that… this love is not infinitely tolerant after all.

Just as the [King of Hell] once said to Puxun, how can there be a way to universally save everyone? There cannot be, and there should not be. There must be screening, there must be judgment, because indiscriminate tolerance means the absence of justice, and fairness does not exist.

"[Rep-Man], can you tell me,"

After a long silence, Artemina finally murmured a question,

"In the world one creates, where exactly do those 'others' come from?"

Sigh, it seems this girl isn't stupid either. Although she says she just wants to be with her family and friends, deep down she knows that when everyone is free and voluntary, her family and friends probably won't want to be with her forever.

Her adamant opposition to Qi Xing is probably because she has sensed something in her heart.

"It's not that I can't tell you, but I must delete your memory before you leave."

Qi Xing frowned.

"Even if it has to be deleted later, I want to know now."

The Magical Girl was very persistent,

"It is true that in the world you created, everyone is free. But in this way, isn't it only the people everyone conjures up who are not free?"

Fine.

There were no other heroes in the hall, so Qi Xing touched his chin and sighed.

"First of all… actually, let alone you, even Sasa herself does not have the ability to truly create [souls]. It's just because she has an infinite amount of soul mass, so theoretically, she can distribute it to an infinite number of people."

High-order infinity divided by low-order infinity is still infinity, but that's a mathematical problem, so I won't go into detail here. Anyway, Artemina wouldn't understand calculus.

"The thinking structures of humans and angels are ultimately quite different; you cannot completely slice up and distribute your own soul… so the humans you create will only be reflections of yourself."

Seeing the girl's confused eyes, Qi Xing explained further,

"Have you heard of Jungian psychology? In your world, those 'others' are actually projections of your own soul. They are your 'Persona,' your 'Shade,' and your 'Anima' and 'Animus' from your subconscious."

Tsukimiya Ran didn't really understand. But relying on her intuition, she still grasped the most core point: "Then… isn't that still fake?!"

"What counts as fake?"

Qi Xing spread his hands and asked back, "If a person is manifested from your memories—he breathes, thinks, possesses identical personality and memories, and continues to live with you. He is an entity constructed from your understanding of 'father.' Is he also fake?"

"Or are you saying that parents who live in your memories are not your real parents? Parents often leave their children first. Are you going to say to a child who misses their deceased parents, 'The parents you miss in your head are not your real parents'—do you really intend to say that?"

"I think, therefore I am, Artemina."

The Magical Girl was speechless for a moment. But tears were still welling up in her eyes.

"Even so… that's not my real father… it's like a clone… although it's not a fake person, it's not my real father either…"

"People don't actually need real others."

Qi Xing replied, his tone carrying a hint of philosophical coldness.

"Even in the so-called 'original world,' what you truly love is not the objectively existing 'other,' but the person in your mind."

"Moreover, they are not fake people in the new world either. Every person you create is yourself. Their soul is you; they are real people. How you treat them in the world you created is how you are treating yourself."

This is exactly why Qi Xing must delete this memory of Tsukimiya Ran later. If she knew "everyone is myself" before entering the examination hall, then this "test" would be meaningless.

"You want to be in the same world as your real parents and friends, which is understandable, so I give you the right to freely combine worlds. But you also know that after an eternally long time has passed, one day, everyone will want to leave you for various reasons."

"There are too few people who truly want to, and are able to, be together 'forever and ever.' So don't be afraid of loneliness, Tsukimiya Ran. There is also a fulfillment of self-realization in loneliness."

"Human completion is not achieved by bringing everyone back together as one, but rather by finding it within one's own True Self."

There are too many weirdos in the Sasa Universe, and many people have inexplicable, strange desires and irreconcilable differences. What to do? Melt them all into orange juice, return them to Sasa, have you in me and me in you, eliminate all differences, and return to one?

"Gathering human hearts to reach a higher realm" sounds like a grand option that is more in line with social morality and universal values… but is there really anyone willing to show their True Self 100% to everyone, and have everyone go streaking together?

Forget about whether it's moral or not, Qi Xing definitely wouldn't want that… it's too disgusting.

Therefore, the answer he finally decided on is this.

Gradually, the Magical Girl stopped wiping her tears. She stared blankly for a while, and after a long time, as if she had finally grasped something: "So… this is an exam on how a god would treat others in their own world. Only by treating others kindly…"