Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"Mother's...expectations?" Shen Liang asked softly.

"Kanria is already destroyed. The demise of such a powerful nation is enough to accompany your mother's death. Your Highness, you are the Emperor of Inazuma, the master of the World Tree, and a deity who will one day command the continent. Such a great future beckons you, so why hold onto our differences?" Nico took a deep breath and extended the final olive branch. "And the benefits we can offer you are equally astonishing. Once we discover a way to connect everyone to the new world, you will be the first to use it. The witch will witness that planet called 'Earth' with you."

She looked up at Shen Liang expectantly, hoping for his answer. Every witch present cast her gaze upon her, each with a complex expression—hope, pleading, or disdain—but all were filled with anticipation.

White hair, tied up with a hair tie, fell across the boy's face, obscuring his features. He kept his head down, and no one could see his expression. The writer, Anders Dort, suddenly hesitated. She was the only witch among them with a normal human constitution, and she had endured the most pressure from Shen Liang. Now, she was the first to feel the pressure lessen, as if she had instantly jumped from a suffocating vacuum into the normal world. She felt a surge of joy, sensing that she probably wouldn't have to fight this battle.

In fact, the Witches' Council did stand idly by while Rhinedot acted. From their perspective, Rhinedot's act of plotting to assassinate a demon god, despite being human, was a commendable act of madness. Although Andersdot had his doubts, fearing it might bring disaster, he believed that with the destruction of Kanria imminent, what did any greater calamity matter?

She wanted to say something more, such as, "Is it true that only gods can kill people and that humans cannot defy the gods?" "It's already a war, isn't killing the enemy commander a necessary evil?" "So many gods died in the war between demons and gods, what does it matter if a few more die!" These were arguments that she could no longer accept.

The Witches' Guild has always refrained from interfering in the actions of others. Although Rhinedot's research was quite important, they ultimately turned a blind eye to Rhinedot's acts of war. Essentially, the witches didn't care what Rhinedot did; they only cared that Rhinedot couldn't just die... As long as it lived, the Witches' Guild's goals could continue.

Therefore, cooperating with Shen Liang is entirely feasible. Shen Liang is a deity from another world, and he himself represents the verifiability of the Witch's Society's ultimate ideal. Being his enemy is the worst outcome; an otherworldly being can bring enough "world reality" to the table, just like Alice.

In short, as long as it's not a life-or-death struggle, it's a good thing.

As Anders Dort was thinking, she suddenly felt as if she hadn't heard anyone speak in a long time. She wanted to lick her dry lips, but at that moment, she froze, and a huge fear gripped her mind like a black claw.

She was unable to move; she couldn't do anything, not even blink. All she could hear was the howling wind.

—The sound of the wind?

The wind is blowing so fast?

In that instant, Anders Dort's mind raced, and then she suddenly understood: it wasn't that the wind had sped up, it was that she had slowed down.

Time slowed down for her without her even realizing it; her senses also slowed, taking her a fraction of a second to perceive the wind blowing. This was because her perceived time was disconnected from real time, to the point that she couldn't control her body at all. Every command issued by her brain took hundreds of seconds to be processed by her body! It was as if her consciousness and body had been separated!

eternal!

But at this moment, he was in a position where he was staring at Shen Liang, so those who could see Shen Liang felt even more desperate.

Because the world is moving a hundred times faster than normal, everyone who looks at this boy sees the ocean rushing forward like a giant python's jaws. Although the seawater cannot flood into this space, all the witches know that the ocean has already submerged the entire Inteware!

In the moment he used his power to imprison them, before they even heard anyone cry out, they knew this crazed boy had killed everyone. Complete annihilation! No mercy! Not a single space for communication; all their pleas had failed to sway him. And just like that, it was over… so many lives lost, so much blood!

Gods, this is the killing of the gods, the consideration of the gods!

The next moment, all the witches heard Shen Liang's voice, a voice unrelated to the flow of time, calm and clear. Barbie Ross, who had been watching Shen Liang since before he was fixed in eternity, watched as he casually sat on Mistelin's shoulder in the rapidly changing world, still toying with his delicate Dream Heart in his hand.

Similarly, the witch saw the boy smile slightly, a smile that was extremely terrifying, without a trace of the bright and handsome appearance that had been praised by the bards in the past.

“I was already itching to get my hands on them while you were talking. I understand all the big principles, but I’m an emotional person. The doctor said I have an ENFP personality type, and people like that usually don’t listen to reason.” Shen Liang rested his elbow on Mistelin’s head, relaxed. “So I thought I’d better kill them all first. Since you’ve all come out, there’s no point in keeping them around.”

The witches were stunned, but they couldn't utter a single word. Shen Liang's power forced them to submit and listen. Even though they were filled with rage, it was like being doused with cold water. Faced with this overwhelming sense of pressure, they couldn't even muster the anger to resist.

Shen Liang lowered his head and looked at each of the witches, finally stopping on Nicole's face, who was closest to him.

"Your speech was brilliant. Yes, cooperation, turning swords into plowshares, everyone can win, win twice, what a wonderful collaboration. But cooperation depends on the partner. You started by promising me the future, painting a rosy picture while threatening me with others. I've been a prince and crown prince my whole life, I'm spoiled, I can only be swayed by soft words, not hard ones." Shen Liang smiled brightly. "Besides, you seem to have misunderstood. Those things are unimportant to me. Yes, power, land, national affairs, the Inazuma Emperor, conquering the continent—if you have to talk about it, you might as well clean yourself up and willingly lie down in the castle tower waiting for me to choose you. Saying I will inherit my mother's legacy and her hopes... makes it sound like I'm some power-hungry brat who can only seize power after she dies. It's infuriating! My mother and I are the Inazuma model mother and son, with proof from the shogunate."

He suddenly stopped laughing. "Those things were originally mine, and if I could, I wouldn't want them at all. It's the same with Inazuma and the world. If you want to negotiate with me, you have to understand who I am first. The future I want is a future where I'm a spoiled brat who abuses my mother's power, not a future where I have to work hard to become some damn ruler... I don't have that much of an ambition for officialdom."

There was a deathly silence; no one could answer him.

"You've driven me mad, yet you want to sit down and make a deal with a madman. You talk so eloquently about fate, saying things like 'lightning truly cannot stop death,' 'a little death and friction,' 'history moves forward'... How elegant! But who are you talking to? Do you think you're talking to 'the young emperor's destiny, the second-in-command of the Ruo Ri Ming God'? No, you're talking to a child who has lost his mother." Shen Liang said calmly, "Was my mother's death predetermined? To put it bluntly, you're just saying she deserved to die, right? Kill her and then tell her son she deserved to die, how can people's emotional intelligence be so low? Sister Yu Tu, I thought I was already bad at talking."

“You’re just good at annoying people, but you’re actually very good at talking. At least you can make everyone happy,” Mistelin said calmly.

“I don’t think I’m the kind of ghoul who needs to eat my mother’s corpse to grow strong, so I’ve thought about it and decided that killing you all would be the best way to prove my love for my mother,” Shen Liang said. “You’re right about one thing: I am indeed a good child who listens to my mother in everything, and I have never let her down.”

The witches couldn't understand.

"So you see, I protected Inazuma well." Shen Liang counted on his fingers, his smile both cute and innocent. "I dealt with the corrupt shogunate in half a month, I drafted the trade law, I made peace with the seven countries, I announced the abolition of most agricultural and trade taxes, and I also guaranteed a period of recuperation without major warfare. Actually, I'm not stupid. I did everything a so-called 'conservative ruler' should have done, so it's no surprise that Inazuma developed very well and quickly. The reason I did this is because I later realized that revenge against Kanria didn't seem to require a nationwide mobilization, because I didn't need to consider fairness and justice—"

"It's basically the simplest form of genocide."

There was an indescribable murderous intent in that smile. The witches were momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing that they were also one of the people the boy had mentioned!

Space and time were shattered in an instant!

A fierce gust of wind swept in, whistling past our ears, and a barefoot goddess in a white dress and a familiar figure wearing a witch's cloak arrived together.

"If you beat the young one, the old one will come. How many more times will this happen?" Shen Liang laughed.

He didn't look at the familiar woman, but stared at the goddess in the white dress. She was nowhere to be found among the seven rulers of the mortal world. As a wanderer who had traveled through the seven kingdoms, Shen Liang also realized the identity of this person.

Only one person can break his time lock.

Time governs, Ishtar.

"..." The goddess remained silent for a long time, seemingly unwilling to face him, but still whispered, "That day, Rhinedoth attacked Raiden... they were sorely mistaken. Seeking only temporary gain, they didn't realize what a terrible wolf they had unleashed... If I had stopped them with all my might, things wouldn't have come to this, what a pity..."

She didn't know who she was talking to, and Shen Liang was too lazy to listen at the moment.

He glanced at the woman beside Ishtar, his eyes filled with sarcasm. "Is this the reinforcement you brought? Or should I address you as Miss Alice, First Seat of the Witch Association, codename A?"

“Miss Alice…” A hint of sadness flashed across Alice’s face, which had remained unshaken even in the face of the destruction of Kanria.

"Are you happy now that you've committed such atrocities?" Ishtar said softly.

Shen Liang was taken aback.

"Are you happy now?" Istaru asked again.

The desolate land was filled only with the howling sea wind and the surging waves. Everywhere lay floating corpses, only half-buried ruins and omnipresent flames. This land was covered in blood, but it wouldn't be long before the sea washed it away.

Are you happy now?

Shen Liang looked at a lone cloud drifting in the sky. The weather was truly clear today, with blue skies, white clouds, and a gentle breeze. There wasn't even a trace of blood in the air.

But I still don't really feel like breathing.

"You're not a god of justice, are you?" Shen Liang looked at her.

"The First Throne, subjects of the Primordial Ones." Ishtar silently looked at him. "If you are satisfied, that's fine. But are you truly happy to have obtained the revenge and freedom you sought even at the cost of your life?"

The demonic or rather, evil-looking golden light in Shen Liang's eyes dimmed, replaced by extreme exhaustion.

"What does happiness have to do with you?"

“If you’re happy, then it has nothing to do with me, and I won’t stop you,” Ishtar said softly.

The witches were astonished. Having witnessed Shen Liang's ruthless and cruel side, they no longer believed he would let them go! They trembled with fear, yet Ishtar didn't protect them? Did this mean Ishtar dared not anger this god of death?

“Interesting.” Shen Liang said in a low voice, “I thought that with your compassion, you would stop me for the sake of justice.”

"In Alice's words, it's procedural justice."

"Isn't procedural justice the true justice? Without procedural justice, there is no justice at all."

“But justice itself serves order, and order comes from helping the weak and punishing the strong. But how can the justice of the strong be upheld?” Ishtar said softly, “Because the justice of the strong does not need to be upheld; the justice of the strong is carried out by themselves… Your revenge is your justice, and it cannot be delegated to others.”

"You're right, it's the weak who need justice."

"The strong are heroes, and that's the logic of beasts." Ishtar looked at him. "Do you think beasts are happier, or the weak?"

Chapter Twenty-Five: If the sun shines brightly and the gods are wicked, the whole world shall condemn him!

To be a weakling who is arbitrarily killed and abandoned.

Or perhaps I should remain a beast that cannot be recognized or understood.

What kind of bullshit philosophical question is this? Why are you asking me philosophical questions at a time like this?

Who do you think you are? What do you want? To comfort me, to see if I'm happy? Ultimately, you just want to know how guilty I feel!

How could I feel guilty?

What a fool! In any struggle in this world, it's impossible not to implicate others!

Shen Liang's dormant killing intent surged up once more!

He knew the witches' personalities, of course. Witches never interfered in the actions of other witches; he would be hostile to the entire witch community as a form of misplaced anger.

But it doesn't matter!

Displaced anger? Yes! It is displaced anger!

"Alright, now we'll send you to reunite with those innocent people!"

It's easy to tell if someone is an enemy or not. Anyone who is incapable of resisting is definitely not an enemy!

Shen Liang turned his head and saw that the witches, who seemed to have received help from Ishtar, had surrounded him. They knew that Shen Liang did not intend to let them go, so they were equally determined to eliminate any future troubles here.

Witches are witches because they are audacious. Shen Liang's massacre of the entire Kanria was an act of utter despair, making negotiation impossible. But this was exactly what Shen Liang wanted.

He wanted to see if he had the ability to wipe out a group of witches who were cooperating to rule for a period of time!

With a surge of sword energy, and under Ishtar's sorrowful gaze, Barbiros suddenly raised her staff! In an instant, the world changed color!

Shen Liang grinned maliciously, leaped up, and instantly flashed to Barbie Ross's side, pinning her down and slamming them together onto the rising ice in the sea!

"boom!"

The ice was shattered by brute force, and Barbielos coughed up blood!

"If the Sun God interferes with the world's progress, as a subject of the First Throne, why don't you take action! This is not what we agreed on!" Ivanovna was stunned. She tried to ask Istar for help, but the latter only flashed her eyes and then silently lowered her head.

Even with a thousand abilities, Barbielos was helpless under the time-locked barrier! Shen Liang didn't bother to think about why Ishtar didn't make a move. His smile was sinister. Golden light flowed from the arm that was gripping Barbielos's neck, gradually pouring into the tall and beautiful witch's body. A dark red scale emblem gradually appeared on her forehead, becoming unbalanced.

This is a stigma symbolizing injustice, mere coercion and conquest, mere distortion and mere tyranny!

Shen Liang cannot rely solely on so-called "recognition," "admiration," and "gratitude" to inscribe the sacred mark. In fact, the driving force behind all of the actions of the Son of Man is ultimately just to complete his genes! These seemingly beautiful words like "love and hope" cannot hide the naked truth that no matter what kind of feelings are used to form a bond, in the end, it is only to achieve "mutual understanding."

But mutual understanding doesn't necessarily require mutual consent.