Night World Players

Chapter 258 Until the ends of the earth, until our hair turns white

The grass on the cliff swayed without wind, each blade of grass topped with a glistening dewdrop.

Are the hazy figures reflected in those thousands of dewdrops, the departed people clapping and blessing around Amys and Rast, illusions or reality?
When Raste looked back again, the illusory shadows had vanished.

Only faint specks of light remained, drifting above the cliff, still carrying a lingering warmth.

"Xiao Ai, did you see that?"

"Last said softly."

"Ah."

Amise nodded gently in the boy's arms: "I saw them all: Grandma Selene who runs the pastry shop, Uncle Mad the hunter, and Grandpa Wenger the blacksmith..."

“I could even smell the lingering cigarette scent between Uncle Med’s fingers.”

"really……"

She gently touched her chest with her pale fingers, as if to feel the warmth of her heart: "I have never actually been abandoned by the whole world."

"The people of Canaan, those who lived with us... have never truly left."

Even if the real-world town of Canaan has been destroyed and remains frozen two hundred years in the past, as long as we still remember those wonderful people and events…

"Then Canaan will never die, but will live on in our hearts forever."

Amys smiled and stretched, as if she had regained her fighting spirit.

"However, just as you answered me back then, Rust—"

"To this day, becoming a guardian of the shore and a partner of justice remains your ideal."

"Then, as partners of justice, we cannot stand still here, can we?"

"The tranquil and peaceful land may be nice, but after a short rest, the brave must eventually regroup and set off on their journey again."

She looked directly into Rust's eyes and said, "Now, shouldn't we prepare to return to reality?"

"Ah."

Last nodded slightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before... the gravediggers and the remnants of the cult will be unable to restrain themselves any longer and will make their move against Hiltina and the royal family."

"After all, two years ago, in the capital, in front of visitors from all over the continent, Hiltina made the Holy Sword recognize its master, becoming the new Holy Sword Wielder and the next Empress of the Granville Empire."

"And in just two years, she has already achieved legendary status, not far from being an angel, and even enough to intimidate villains on her own."

"Such a growth rate... if I were Hiltina's enemy, I would definitely be very uneasy."

"After all, if this trend continues to develop naturally, it won't be long before Hiltina will truly ascend to the angel level."

Luster couldn't help but smile.

"At that time, they won't even need to come to us."

"Given Hiltina's personality, she will definitely take the initiative to clean up all the scum and hidden dangers in the entire Western Continent, both overt and covert, to prevent them from happening in the first place."

"Hmm, that does sound a lot like Miss Hiltina's style."

Beside her, Amy nodded her little head in agreement.

Although she had never met her before—during that reunion in the Sixth Era's Echoes of History, Amys only saw Dean Silver, who was with Rust, and did not see Hiltina.

However, in the Canaanian illusion, Amys heard Rast recount his experiences with Hiltina many times.

From their first meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love at Deep Blue Harbor, to their later battles side by side in the mist of Frozen Water Town, and their subsequent engagement.

With her woman's intuition, Amys had already keenly sensed the threat that Hiltina posed to her—the look in Rust's eyes when he spoke of Hiltina was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Therefore, Amy already had a general impression of the legendary Miss Hiltina in her heart... Otherwise, the Judgment Angel, formed from the will of the Star Cup, would not have a virtual personality similar to Hiltina.

After all, as the saying goes, "love is war."

For Amys, in order to win the final victory in this war of love, understanding the intelligence of her strongest opponent, Hiltina, is also an indispensable part.

"If it weren't for those angels among the tomb guardians who have survived from the age of gods, who have been in a state of slumber and self-sealing for a long time in order to preserve their status and resist the erosion and corruption of time... even if they decide to go into battle, it will still take some time for them to recover from the long river of history and restore their full combat power."

"Those tomb guardians and remnants of the evil god... probably would have already made a move against Hiltina long ago, and it wouldn't have been possible to wait until now, two years later."

Last's expression turned slightly serious as he began to analyze the current situation with Amys.

Although it appears calm on the surface, in reality, thick dark clouds have been quietly brewing in Granville's capital and around Star University... It could evolve into a monstrous storm at any moment, enough to overturn the entire empire.

"For the angels who guard the tomb, the two-year recovery period is probably not a big deal... After all, they have survived for seven eras and tens of thousands of years since the Age of Gods, so a year or two won't make a difference."

"However, for us, this is extremely good news."

Luster couldn't help but smile.

The storm currently engulfing the Imperial Family and Hiltina is remarkably similar to the "Battle of the Broken Coast" launched against the Coast Guardians in the middle of the Sixth Epoch.

All this is because in the course of human history, a person of extraordinary talent and brilliance has emerged who is beyond our control and may rewrite the original course of history... This has led the guardians of the tomb, who were originally hidden behind the curtain of history, to appear in the world, to erase that uncontrollable "variable" and guide the course of human history back to the "right track" that the guardians believe in.

However, unlike the Battle of the Broken Shore in the Sixth Age, where Noah was in the shadows and the Shore Guardian leader Cecil was in the light, they could only passively respond to the counterattack.

This time, however, the roles were reversed, and it was Rust and his group who were lurking in the shadows.

"In the minds of the gravediggers and those cults, I should still be a vegetable lying in a hospital bed, not knowing when I will wake up."

"You must know that on that day I shot and killed that quasi-angel, and paid the price of the complete destruction of the 'Library of Fools'—all of this was witnessed by visitors from across the capital."

A slight smile curved the corners of Last's mouth.

"In their eyes, even if I were to awaken from my vegetative state, I would most likely be a cripple—having lost my greatest asset, the 'Library of Fools,' and having destroyed my own sequence upgrade, my strength would have plummeted to its lowest point, and there would be nothing to be wary of."

"Even the loss of a quasi-angel, in exchange for the complete destruction of the 'Library of Fools,' ensuring it would never be passed on to the next Guardian... in their eyes, this might be a rather worthwhile deal." The Gravekeeper could never have imagined that the scorched-earth shot fired by that demon, like Satan Yar, high above—

In fact, it was Rust who was forging a new legendary path by destroying everything.

Two years have passed, and this legendary road, unique to Raste, has been fully opened up, infinitely wide and infinitely far-reaching, bearing the footprints of Raste's ascent to legend.

As for Amys, whose will of the Judgment Star Cup in the spiritual world has been completely removed, who has truly taken control of her body and returned from her long slumber in the Night World... she is an unexpected variable that the Gravekeeper could never have foreseen.

Whether it was Amys's time travel, the "Artificial Angel Project," or the birth of the Judgment Angel, all of these events occurred under Gray's direction.

At that time, Gray was at the height of her power, and as the Angel of Fate... she possessed the ability to overwrite the course of all destinies.

All information and intelligence about Amys, and even the traces she left in the course of history, were concealed, covered up, and distorted by Grey using her authority.

The tomb keepers, who were then hidden behind the curtain of history, knew nothing about Amys, let alone that... there was an angel of the Judgment Sequence who survived the final catastrophe of the Sixth Age and has lived to this day.

"To be honest, I was always being watched from the shadows by the tomb keepers."

"Time and time again, whenever human civilization in each era makes a slight progress, those rats that always hide behind the curtain of history will come out and cause trouble."

"I'm getting a little tired of this kind of thing happening so often."

Last looked up at the end of the sky, at the starry winter night.

"Since I call myself 'Last,' I have always considered myself the last guardian of the shore."

"Then, the grudge between the shore guardians and the tomb guardians, which has lasted for several eras and tens of thousands of years... should also be settled."

The night sky is filled with twinkling stars.

Before countless ages ago, in the distant First Age, the first Age of Gods... those humans who still lived under the oppression of mythical races must have been gazing up at the same starry sky.

As inheritors of the will of that "Fool," the organization of the Gravekeepers was undoubtedly pure and full of faith and ideals in the beginning.

To preserve the tombstone of human civilization, to stand guard in solitude for the sake of passing on the spark of civilization.

However, as time goes by, those once glorious and fervent ideals are eventually weathered, eroded, and corrupted over the long course of time...

Ultimately, it was twisted into a yearning for "eternity".

It has evolved into a rotten obsession that is willing to wield the butcher's knife against other humans in order to maintain the status quo.

"Whether they are the ancient gods who are barely clinging to life on the Throne of the Blazing Sky, or the tomb keepers who have forgotten their original faith over time."

"Since they are all old relics from the First Age of Mythology, let them wither away along with that era."

The boy's voice drifted in the cold winter wind.

"Since those sinister insects want time to plot and prepare their schemes... then let them have time to prepare, to plan, and to lay out their plans."

"The moment when what's in the shadows truly steps into the spotlight—"

"The age of mythology is coming to an end."

This was Rust's declaration before the hunt, an arrogant statement that he would let the gravediggers and the cult plot and scheme, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing such arrogant words, they would probably think that Rust had lost his mind.

However, under the starry winter night sky, on the edge of the cliff in the forest.

Amys simply extended her delicate, fair right hand.

Then, she carefully placed it in the boy's palm.

The touch of skin against skin conveyed a gentle warmth from each other's body heat.

"Well, I'll accompany you."

She took Rust's hand and said softly.

It wasn't that Amys was unaware of just how arrogant and dangerous what Rust was about to do was.

On the contrary, as the protagonist of the artificial angel project and as the angel of judgment, Amys's understanding of legends and even the divine realms involved with angels is far greater than that of Rast at this moment.

Whether it's the ancient and powerful figures within the Tomb Keepers organization who form the foundation of their power.

Still on the Threshold of the Blazing Sky, there are those ancient gods who have lingered on since the Age of Gods.

Without exception, they are all true angels, supreme beings who transcend their original races and reign over trillions of living beings, and are also the masters of the rules and authority of their respective order of life.

Moreover, unlike Amys and Gray, who have only recently ascended to the ranks of angels... those mythical beings are all ancient beings in the angelic realm, having undergone the baptism of countless years. Their power, status, and control over their respective authority far surpass those of the newcomers.

But none of that matters.

Just as the blonde girl once said at their parting, "Amys will support everything Rust does unconditionally."

Call it arrogance or a foolish decision.

Even if it leads to self-abandonment, cowardly escapism indulging in illusions, evil depravity that betrays one's true nature, or incomprehensible despair and madness, it doesn't matter.

This was a vow secretly made by a distraught little girl in that dark cave.

And now, under this beautiful winter starry sky, Amys repeated this vow once again.

“This is not your decision alone, but a decision we made together, Rust.”

"From now on, whatever we may face on the road ahead—whether it be joy or sorrow, laughter or tears, or even death at the end of the road—we will face it together."

Amys will follow the black-haired boy in front of her from his youthful days to his maturity, from his innocent childhood to his old age when he can no longer walk.

Until the ends of the earth, until our hair turns white.

(End of this chapter)