kvmb Chapter 336 Qiong: Nahera, I *****!
Chapter 336 Qiong: Nahera, I *****!
It sounds like Lakada's immortality is even better than the pure, natural, and harmless immortality of the Black Abyss White Flower. After all, even the Red and Blue Doctors couldn't be immune to harm... not to mention the plague ancestor that the Immortal Ship people used to worship.
However, this best form of immortality brought even worse results than the Immortal Ship Alliance...
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"Qiong, would you like something to drink? It's on me."
Since Sora was a guest, Mei took her from the ruined square to a beverage shop after she finished speaking. However, since Sora didn't want to drink, she was lost in thought.
"Want to try the Black Tower ice cream cone? Kiana always brings me here when I'm feeling down..."
Mei pulled the distracted Sora behind her and pressed him down onto a high stool.
"Welcome! We have plenty of drinks today. Would you like a large black tower or a small Vita, General?"
"Fireflies?!"
Qiong then came to his senses and, upon realizing that the bartender was Liuying, took the menu that was handed to him, but the strange names on it left him somewhat bewildered.
"Black Tower, Vita... Seriously? Then is there a Boundless Tower?"
When Sora asked a casual question, the shop suddenly fell silent for a moment. The bartender, Ryouki, also froze on her face. Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Mei gently nudged Sora with her elbow.
"Sora, Himeko Murata, the older sister of Ryuki, was a pioneer in our attempt to fly into space. She has already..."
"..."
Na-Hera!
Just as Qiong was silently criticizing someone's terrible script, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly came from afar.
"Here they go again? They really are persistent!"
Mei's expression changed, and she quickly picked up her naginata and walked towards the door.
For some reason, watching the departing figure, Qiong felt a surge of impulse.
"Mei, I'll go with you!"
At first, the traveler simply wanted to see more of this immortal lucky star, but he suddenly realized he cared deeply for the fragile yet strong immortal girl… So, he made a decision: to stay. He helped the people of the city and the girl, repelling invaders time and again—whether human, man-made monsters, or cold machines.
Ignoring the sudden narration from Nahera, Qiong followed Mei outside, only to see a group of monsters surging towards them. For some reason, these monsters were emitting a metallic sheen.
Mei Sora wielded her naginata, hacking down the charging monsters. He quickly drew his baseball bat, ready to join the fight, but…
The world before my eyes suddenly turned black and white, and was paused.
"what happened?"
[Fifty years, 1,500 battles.]
"I only said a couple of things last time and you didn't skip the skip button, is it really necessary to skip fifty years at once?"
As Qiong was making sarcastic remarks, the scene before her suddenly regained its color. The city now seemed even more dilapidated, but Mei stood there, wielding her sword to slash at the monster from before—but her hair had changed, and her eyes held a hint of vicissitude… She had transformed from the Thunder General into the appearance of the Underworld.
"Mei?"
Qiong called out, but "Yellow Spring" seemed not to hear him and continued fighting the monster. Just as Qiong was about to step forward to help, "Yellow Spring" drew and sheathed its sword, and all the monsters instantly vanished into thin air.
"Yeah, we won... So what?"
She slowly turned her head to look at Qiong, but her indifferent gaze made Qiong feel a little uncomfortable.
"No, it's nothing. How did you become..."
What else could it be? War, endless war, had exhausted her both physically and mentally. She was stabbed by swords time and time again, and fell victim to enemy fire time and time again... Fortunately, she was a resident of an immortal world, and death was not a threat to her.
Nahera inserted herself again, and looking at "Yellow Springs" like that, Qiong felt a little sad.
Although the face of "Huang Quan" before him was still familiar, a sense of unfamiliarity washed over him. "Huang Quan" simply nodded slightly and then turned to walk back.
Qiong quickly followed, and along the way, he hesitated several times before finally speaking first.
"Qiong...we will win the war, won't we?"
As she asked her question, her eyes were fixed on the ravaged city: countless residents rummaging through the rubble for their families and meager food supplies—a large part of the city's suffering over the years could be attributed to the traveler. The traveler brought his knowledge and extraterrestrial seeds, providing the city's inhabitants with unimaginable sustenance. He also used his knowledge and experience to help the girl and those around her build the best and strongest defenses. The city had once prospered thanks to the traveler's help. But in this war-torn world, prosperity itself was a sin… Moreover, the traveler was an arrogant and foolish dragonborn; this self-proclaimed observer merely stood there offering handouts, never truly deeply involved in the conflict—for example, leading the girl's enemies off this planet…
Nahra's voice carried a hint of sadness and regret.
If she had abandoned her observer role from the beginning and taken full action to help Sinadia, would Sinadia have been different...?
……
"Yes, we will win."
Without the slightest hesitation, Sora immediately gave her answer: Since everyone is immortal, how could Mei possibly lose?
At most, it's just eternal conflict, right? But people always get tired, don't they...?
He believed in Mei's perseverance.
Hearing Qiong say this, "Huang Quan" smiled slightly.
"Yes, we will win. No matter how many times, we will drive them away until the final victory."
Just as Qiong was about to say something encouraging, Nahera's annoying voice rang in her ears once again.
[The two hundredth anniversary, the five thousandth battle.]
"You're skipping the plot and speeding it up?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the world turned back to black and white, as if time had been fast-forwarded. When the colors returned, the scene before him made Qiong gasp: the city was almost a ruin, with smoke rising from the broken walls and rubble.
Mei... no, at this moment, Yomi lay on the ground, her eyes empty, devoid of any life.
"Mei!"
The traveler's help was ultimately no match for the wisdom of the people on this star. They tore through the defenses with steel behemoths and even reached the city center... Even his friend fell victim to the new weapons—but it didn't matter, he knew this was an immortal star, and she would awaken soon...
"Nahera, shut up! Ouch!"
Qiong rushed forward, trying to help Huang Quan up. But just as he was about to touch Huang Quan, a shell hit him from behind. Qiong felt a sharp pain and almost fell to the ground.
In a daze, he heard Nahera's voice.
This is an attack from the enemy, but also a testament to their ingenuity. Even an immortal would find it difficult to withstand such an attack.
"Nahera! I really want to hit you with this stick right now!"
This is really advanced; they're even involved in an arms race?!
But the traveler is an immortal dragonborn; a mere fatal wound can heal him in an instant.
Qiong suppressed her anger towards Nahera, gritted her teeth, and looked around. Fully armed enemies were pouring in one after another. Huang Quan was still lying on the ground, showing no signs of waking up.
Qiong was furious. He quickly picked up his baseball bat, ready to have a friendly interaction with the enemy to vent his anger. But before he could do it, all the enemies were burned to ashes by fire that appeared out of nowhere.
The dragonborn traveler used dragonfire, and everything in front of him except the girl was reduced to ashes—but they are immortal, and given enough time, they will recover…
"This immortality is too much! Never mind, Mei!"
Huang Quan was helped up by Qiong. No matter how you looked at her, she looked like a dead person. Only her faint, almost imperceptible breathing proved that she was still alive.
She's alright, just a minor fatal wound. Given enough time, even if she were torn to pieces, she could recover—and with energy replenishment, it would be much faster.
"I told you to shut up, didn't you hear me? I get annoyed just hearing you talk!"
【…】
"Cough cough cough... Qiong."
Huang Quan slowly opened his eyes, looked at Qiong's worried expression, and gave a weak smile.
"Qiong... I'm fine, thank you."
Even after being repeatedly reminded that this was a trial and it was all fake, Qiong still became impatient, and her face visibly began to flush.
"Look at you, you're injured like this and you still say you're fine!"
Huang Quan sat up, a glimmer of light in her eyes, and gazed at the distant city ruins.
"And what about you? You were the one who repelled them just now, weren't you? A long war, one empty victory after another, one comeback after another... Qiong, I was on the verge of despair, and I gave up on myself several times. But you were there, because you never changed. You fought by my side every time the enemy attacked. Even in the most difficult times, you never abandoned us and kept fighting desperately—seeing you, I believe that hope has not abandoned us."
No, I'm not as good as you think—I mean, the traveler felt ashamed; he had only ever observed, and hadn't gone all out in any battle…
"..."
At this point, Qiong realized one thing: his current perspective was probably Nahera's own story.
"I will not yield to them, nor will I abandon this city or its people."
Qiong took a deep breath and clenched her fist.
"Okay, then I'll go with you! Let's drive the enemy out completely together!"
A hint of emotion flashed in Huang Quan's eyes.
"Sora, thank you... We will achieve final victory, right?"
The traveler hesitated. The endless war in the world of immortality had already exceeded his ability to predict its outcome, but to comfort his friend, he still…
"Yes, you will win. I will always support you!"
Huang Quan smiled, though her body was weak, she still smiled happily—even though she herself knew that on this eternal star, nothing would ever end. After war came truce, and after truce came new war, forever.
"Thank you, Qiong. Thank you for not doubting me, my friend. Because you believe in me, I will definitely persevere!"
[The fifth hundred years, twenty thousand battles.]
"Not again?! Can't you just let me have a proper fight this time?!"
Qiong roared in anger, and the world turned black and white again, time flying by. When color returned, the city had become a desolate steel jungle, with hardly any trace of life to be found.
Huang Quan stood in the desolation, her eyes numb, as if her soul had been ripped away. Qiong quickly walked to her side.
"Mei!"
Huang Quan slowly turned his head, staring blankly at Qiong, as if he didn't recognize him.
"Qiong, do we... really think we'll win?"
Huang Quan's voice was weak and confused, and Qiong held her hand tightly with heartache.
"Yes, it will, it definitely will..."
"Qiong, I want to hear the truth."
Qiong: ...
Qiong remained silent for a long time. Looking at the desolate city and Huang Quan's bewildered eyes, he felt an indescribable sadness.
"Mei, in this world of immortality, war never ends. But I believe that as long as we don't give up, there is hope for victory—"