Tengo was dead.
Those loyal to him followed his final orders and did not continue to resist.
The world opened up.
They headed to the Capsule Tunnel, boarding their own trains and leaving the city they had lived in.
Miranda City would likely fall into a period of chaos.
Although all the major City-States had suffered varying degrees of damage from the explosion at the Hanging Drowning Seaheart, as long as the people were alive, the cities could be rebuilt quickly.
A new City Lord would emerge from the turmoil.
But none of this had anything to do with Ye Qiyan.
His gaze fell upon the wisp of remnant soul before him.
[Cruel King]
The crown shattered, and the remaining throne gradually turned transparent.
[You... are very special.]
Asmodeus spoke thus:
[Throughout history, this is the first time I have seen someone unwilling to accept this power.]
The silent words swirled around Ye Qiyan's ears.
"I don't want to become someone else just sitting on a throne, and besides, aren't you dead? That means the so-called king isn't that strong either, right?"
Ye Qiyan spread his hands, the mark on the back of his hand gradually transforming into the Bewitchment smile.
Asmodeus fell silent for a moment.
Its remnant soul began to grow increasingly illusory.
[...You... are right. I am a wanderer left behind in the past, a so-called king bound to the throne, beneath the crown.]
[I am a failure. Now, let my story end here.]
"Don't disappear just yet. Can you tell me how you died?"
Although he didn't like Asmodeus's power, the fact that both Mr. Order and Tengo had schemed and fought over it meant it couldn't be simple.
So what kind of enemy would defeat such an existence?
[I... don't remember. Perhaps it was a battlefield. Or perhaps it was a human.]
[Anyway, thank you for letting me return to dust.]
He vanished.
As if he had never existed.
The only thing left behind was the ring lying flat in Ye Qiyan's palm.
[Ring of Sovereignty of Asmodeus, the Cruel King (No Grade)]
[The King's Crown has been shattered in this world, and the noble soul bound to the throne has finally reached its end.]
[The last Asmodeus has left you a gift.]
[Wearing this ring grants you the authority of the final [Cruelty].]
[Uses: 10/10]
[After use, gain special attack ability enhancement against the concept of [Hope].]
Ye Qiyan pondered the final words of Asmodeus.
"A battlefield, huh..."
He didn't get it.
He didn't get it at all.
The more he knew, the more his curiosity grew.
Fortunately, he wasn't the type to keep chasing after things just because of curiosity.
Just keep moving forward. As long as he moved forward, there would come a day when he knew everything.
"Hey~ Ye, ahem, Altos! That was pretty cool just now."
From a distance, Zhu Xingshu and the clearly displeased Menrojina beside her arrived on a magic flying carpet.
The moment they reached Ye Qiyan, Menrojina immediately kicked Zhu Xingshu off.
"Get lost. Don't stand next to me. Disgusting."
"Wah~ Gina, that's too cruel! We were just fighting side by side a moment ago."
"Heh."
Menrojina didn't want to say much to Zhu Xingshu. She glanced at the demons and machinery around Ye Qiyan, and a faint smile appeared on her face beneath her veil.
"Don't forget what I said. Most importantly, when you encounter danger, don't forget about me."
With that, she used her Staff-Sword to cut through space and disappeared into a platform within the Subspace.
"If I find the Demon Card, I'll bring it to you."
She left.
Not because she was leaving this world.
In this Miranda City, the people she had manipulated through Karma had now repaid their karmic debts after this stop.
She didn't care about this city, but because of Ye Qiyan, the number of [Karmic Retribution] chains had reached eleven.
So, she wanted to conduct an experiment here~
To make some people owe her eleven chains of Karma too~
The method?
Simple.
Beat someone to the brink of death, then save them. That was the simplest and most efficient way.
Of course, she had many other methods.
This Miranda City might not become like Suoluo City, where Zhao Xi's presence allowed them to rest anytime without fear of exposure.
But by taking advantage of the current chaos and the Capsule Tunnel that concerned most Train Conductors, turning this city into her backyard would be a piece of cake.
"Ah~ Gina is such a busy person. I'm more free, hehe, so, Mr. Altos~"
Zhu Xingshu blinked, meeting Ye Qiyan's eyes.
She said in a cheerful tone:
"This operation~ is a complete success! Will you help me again next time~?"
Ye Qiyan also smiled, and then...
"Boss, I'm very busy. Next time you have such troublesome matters, find someone else."
"Ah~ But I feel that only when you're around do things become more interesting."
"Your interest isn't mine. But let me ask you a question."
"Sure~ Ask anything, hehe. Everything you ask me now won't have any consequences, don't worry~"
Ye Qiyan opened his hand, revealing the ring in his palm.
"Asmodeus... what is it?"
"Hmm..."
Zhu Xingshu put away her smile, circled around Ye Qiyan, as if thinking or listening.
She clenched her left fist and tapped her right palm with it.
"I know! If we're talking about Asmodeus, then we have to talk about Shaya too."
"Shaya?"
Ye Qiyan raised an eyebrow. How did this have anything to do with Shaya?
"Yes, Shaya.
Hehe, since you're on such good terms with her, you should know she believes in [Atheism], right?
Atheism, the first Sephirah of the Inverse Tree, represents evil. Its original holder was named Satan.
More than twenty years ago, Shaya entered the Wasteland, and her talent attracted a Plunderer.
Back then, using an Angel Card she had obtained early on, she defeated that Plunderer and got a key.
In the following years, she kept slaying gods one after another, and that key gave her the conceptual idea of [Atheism].
That key allowed her to enter a mysterious Station World ahead of schedule after reaching a high level. Ahem~ I won't tell you exactly what level.
In short, there, she killed an existence named [Satan] and burned an entire tree with angelic flames.
She successfully plundered the true [Atheism].
She, just like you, crushed Satan's crown and cleaved the king's throne.
But the difference is, she was cursed, and her memories were damaged, so she can't clearly remember older things.
To the point that Shaya even thinks she, as a Train Conductor who entered the Wasteland more than twenty years ago, is one of the earliest batch.
Even~ things like items above level 12 were taken away by that curse.
As for Asmodeus...
The Cruelty it represents and the Atheism Shaya plundered are both Sephirah on the same tree, except a very, very long time ago, Asmodeus died on some battlefield."
Zhu Xingshu's gaze shifted to Ye Qiyan's side.
There, his Red Tears was standing.
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