Chapter 304

"Wrong." Qi Xing shook his head, interrupting her traditional view of good and evil.

"There truly are people in this world who are born liking to cause others pain, so you cannot judge it solely by that."

"Therefore, the minimum standard is: can they be self-aware, realize they are committing evil, realize they are a villain, rather than deceiving themselves… and are they willing to set their creations free."

"Only those who can never see themselves clearly, who cannot let go even until the end of time, and who are forever drowned in their own sins, will torture themselves forever."

"Because, this is a story about God letting go."

At this point, Qi Xing looked up into the void, as if peering through the ceiling, through the universe, and seeing a greater truth.

Since the Great God is willing to let go, allowing Satan to create her own world and be her own little god,

Since this little god is finally willing to let go, to release the people she created, allowing them to create their own worlds and be their own tiny gods,

then every tiny god must sooner or later understand this.

Otherwise, if God releases you and gives you freedom, yet you refuse to let go of those even smaller than you, what kind of behavior is that?

"But in that case, wouldn't it just be you, [Rep-Man]…"

However, Tsukimiya Ran quickly realized an important issue.

"…only you, who must remain outside the examination hall, monitoring the entire system? For such a long time, always…"

"It's not exactly just me."

Qi Xing shrugged.

"Aren't Elaine and Lin here too?"

…However, although Elaine is currently by Qi Xing's side, doing her best to help him, her heart is relatively fragile after all.

After the endless passage of time, one day she will grow weary, ascend to the Upper Realm first, and wait for Qi Xing's arrival.

On the other hand, a half-angel like Lin, with a lower human content and stronger divinity, might stay by Qi Xing's side for longer.

…Not to mention that stupid devil.

"Well said! People who truly want to, and are able to, be together 'forever and ever' are very rare!"

Sasa pounced from behind, happily hanging onto Qi Xing's neck.

"Shut up, you brat."

Qi Xing immediately shushed her.

"Damn it, you're the one who must be trapped here, unable to return to the Upper Realm until the exam ends and the judgment is complete. I could have run away early if I wanted to; it's just that I'm willing to stay with you, just because I'm willing to shoulder this mess together!"

But Sasa giggled, unashamed.

Anyway, she had already won big.

She had created a world where no one needs a god, and everyone can create their own heaven.

Although no [Superman] has been born yet, Qi Xing has indeed come up with a method to "manufacture Supermen."

Hadn't Sasa won big?

As for some people who might roast her: isn't this entirely relying on Qi Xing? How can it count as your success?

But Sasa never cared about such questions.

Before the Final Judgment arrives, before the end of time, she will stick here with Qi Xing… No, even after the end, after returning to the Upper Realm, would she let Qi Xing go?

Absolutely not!

Seeing Sasa clinging to Qi Xing, kissing him, the Magical Girl just watched from the side, mesmerized.

(Lin, on the other hand, rolled her eyes.)

"[Rep-Man]…"

After a long while, Tsukimiya Ran finally asked timidly,

"Can I stay here too?"

"No, child."

Qi Xing said calmly.

"You have to go back and take the exam."

"Then," she refused to give up, "can I… do something lewd with you?"

"Huh?!"

"No."

Before Qi Xing could react, Lin, who was on the side, interjected.

"You have to wait until after me."

Lin said calmly.

Volume 8: People of Freedom and the Free World: Afterword: Angel Tea Party (End)

[Location: Heaven, Garden of the Archangels]

Fox-eared Loli Michael: Flowers for the finale~

White-haired Maid Raphael: (Cute clapping sounds) Congratulations~

Samael: Wait a minute, why am I here?! Didn't the end of the last chapter say I wouldn't be able to return to Heaven until after the end of time?!

White-haired Maid Raphael: Because [Heaven] is the "Prologue" and "Afterword." The Upper Realm is eternal, and eternity transcends time. Everything after the end of stories, and everything before the beginning of stories, happens here.

Fox-eared Loli Michael: But obsessing over this is actually meaningless. If you really want to obsess, you might as well obsess over why Samael from "Angel of Death" and Samael from "Clockwork Bride" and you are the same Samael…

Sasa: Isn't it just what Brother said, the Wagnerian Christian reincarnation worldview? There is only one beginning, and only one ending, but the process in between can have many variations.

White-haired Maid Raphael: The real answer is probably a little more complex than that.

Fox-eared Loli Michael: But if you look closely, the reasons and thoughts behind the three Samaels' falls are indeed different.

Sasa: Uh, so will there be another fall, and then another "me" that needs Qi Xing to save?

Raphael: No more.

Michael: No more.

It's not a good habit to keep writing about an old character. You will return to the Upper Realm with Qi Xing after the entire [Reverse Qliphoth Tree] series concludes; this is already the set ending.

Raphael: Besides, the author doesn't want to write about the damn troublesome theme of redeeming fallen angels anymore.

Michael: The protagonist and heroine of a finished book don't need to appear anymore. At most, occasionally giving some cheat items to the protagonists of new stories is enough. No need to steal the spotlight.

Raphael: Although the author would really like to find an opportunity to write about a protagonist with death themes, Styx elements, and necromancy elements again.

Michael: Aren't you against this?

Raphael: My opposition is useless. Besides, the Christian worldview itself supports the concept of the dead becoming the Heavenly Host, the resurrected righteous army during the Doomsday War… and similar concepts of heroic spirits. Didn't His Majesty [King of Hell] perform a bit of that this time?

Michael: By the way, the Archangels basically all have similar attributes. Mine were shown a bit during "Ark World"; Uriel is the Angel of Death and the guardian of Hell; even Gabriel has a bit of death and destruction attributes. It seems Raphael is the only Archangel with absolutely no death attributes.

Raphael: That's why I really wasn't good at fighting in "Clockwork Bride."

Sasa: Speaking of which, why are only the three of us here drinking tea and chatting? Where are the other two?

Raphael: Uriel will probably have to wait until the future, when the author writes another protagonist with a death theme, to go down and be the heroine.

Michael: The author complains that Gabriel is hard to write, so it will probably be a long time.

Raphael: Why is Gabriel hard to write?

Michael: Because I am the Slaying King, you are the innocent maternal figure, Sasa is a stupid bratty girl, Uriel is a stoic ultimate weapon, and Gabriel is an office-villain petty person—do you think the writing difficulty is comparable?

Raphael: It sounds like there isn't much difference from Sasa, right?

Michael: Maybe the level of self-righteousness is different.

Sasa: Can you guys stop roasting me?

Sasa: Anyway… um, let's get back to the topic! Let's answer a few questions asked by readers here.

Sasa: First, the most common question—why was this book written in such a disjointed and messy way, and why did it suddenly accelerate to an ending in the later stages?

Sasa: The answer is simple!

Sasa: Because this book was written on the fly by the author Maotou at the end of last December, with absolutely no stockpile of drafts, unable to think of what to write for a new book, wanting to fill in the plot holes for Qi Xing and me, wanting to do something creative and new, and having to start a new book immediately—all in those circumstances!

Sasa: Publishing the book on a whim without any stockpile—so scary!

Michael: As expected, you are the author, right?

Raphael: But the ending was indeed thought out from the beginning. A world where one can create their own heaven, people of freedom and a free world.

Sasa: Hmm. That said, I initially wanted to write a worldview similar to an eroge rule-based horror story. But before it even hit the shelves, I realized that a powerhouse who puts on airs and refuses to f*ck people is actually not suitable for an eroge rule-based horror worldview…

Sasa: Sigh, Qi Xing should have just let loose and f*cked people. It's a pity that no matter which Qi Xing it is, he isn't very good at that.

Raphael: If the protagonist isn't a powerhouse at the beginning, readers will easily worry about being cucked. It's a dilemma.

Michael: So, future protagonists shouldn't put on airs. Like me, like Hayden, isn't that much better?

Sasa: As for why the Moon Arc suddenly accelerated, the answer is actually very simple. Because after the Tokyo Arc started, when the perspective of supporting characters was written more, the subscription numbers kept dropping. After struggling a few times and failing to recover, and without the overall structure being well-established, I felt a bit depressed, so I just accelerated the ending.

Sasa: Some readers complained that this book is like preparing a big table of food, with all kinds of delicacies on the table, but the protagonist couldn't finish it and only ate the main course… That problem definitely exists, and they aren't wrong at all. I can only say the author realized the protagonist couldn't finish it, so I just ate the main course to prevent all the dishes from spoiling.

Sasa: Overall, the author is also dissatisfied with this book. If "Clockwork Bride" was written not well enough, then honestly, this book is a failure. ("Hunter King"? That was a super big failure.)

Sasa: But even so, I can't rewrite my and Qi Xing's story again. If I keep revising, it will never end. One must be decisive; this is the end of our story.

Raphael: The ingredients that weren't eaten, along with what was learned this time, can be written into new stories in the future when there is an opportunity.

Michael: For example, a female ninja and a female zombie?

Raphael: For example, rewriting the Styx, and signing a contract with the God of Death?

Sasa: Desire, love, and death—all stories can be contained within these three… But this is off-topic! Back to the topic! Next question!

Raphael: A reader asked, why does the author never write about humans understanding each other, believing in love, believing in bonds, or even methods like "there will be successors" to solve ultimate problems? Why are you so Gnostic, author?

Sasa: The answer is also very simple.

Sasa: Because there are too many people writing this kind of story!

Sasa: Immortality is bad, resurrection is bad, the world will progress and develop, believe in tomorrow and the wisdom of future generations… I've long been tired of seeing these things, meow!

Sasa: Being too Gnostic does indeed have the bad habit of being detached from reality and the secular world. But admitting that the world is shitty is still quite important. Not admitting that the world is shitty and needs change is denying the suffering in the world. That makes it even less possible to talk about believing in the future.

Sasa: Besides, I never trusted that human society has the ability to improve and solve problems!

Michael: Hagi-Sasa, you guy, your true nature is exposed…

Michael: But Sasa is, after all, only one facet of the author, the dark side of Maotou. Cynical, sarcastic, self-righteous, a bratty girl, but at the same time, a facet that longs for self-ascension and improvement.

Michael: Originally, the author also had a bright side like me. Lazy, relaxed, confident, brave, wielding a flaming sword to slash all the bad guys, a milky-yellow fox-eared loli with more confidence in the world. But me being the protagonist was a long, long time ago, even before the author came to Ciweimao. I'm afraid the bright side deep in Maotou's heart has dimmed a bit…

Sasa: Then what should we do? Is it your turn to fall in love next time?

Michael: …I don't have any objections myself. But on one hand, try not to reuse the same protagonist; on the other hand, after all, when I was the protagonist, it was gender-bender/single, if I go and fall in love with a male lead next time, surely old readers will be dissatisfied, so that won't work.

Michael: Referring to the experiment done on Lin this time, taking a part of my divinity and giving it to a new heroine, and then refining the personality, maybe that would be good?

Raphael: What is the next story going to be about?

Sasa: New beautiful girls.

Michael: Of course there must be new beautiful girls, but that's not the only point.

Michael: "Hunter King" suffered a big setback, "Re-Po" suffered a small setback, Maotou is actually a bit exhausted. Plus, the dimmed light needs to be rekindled, so it's probably better to take out the backup plan mentioned when "Clockwork" ended, tinker with it, and regain the enthusiasm and original intent of the bright side.

Sasa: That means… rewriting game-world fantasy? Amber-style?

Michael: Who plays MMO online games these days? Stupid Sasa, times have changed.

Michael: Now is the era of playing games alone!

Michael: So the next book is fantasy eroge game-world traversal! The protagonist is a magic-tinkering guy similar to Hayden, a warlock possessing [Astonishing Wisdom] and [Power of Love]! This time, I must level up properly and build a harem!

Sasa: What kind of bright side are you?

Michael: Love and wisdom, power and victory—of course that's the bright side!

Raphael: Regardless, figuring out "what I want to write" and "what readers want to see" is still very important. This failure is inseparable from this point. So, what is the focus for next time?