Elegy from Another World

That day, as usual, I was immersed in my "little workshop." Using the energy stored in the bio-battery, combined with precise magical manipulation, I was trying out a new invention—perfume.

The labyrinth is made of flesh and blood. Although Xiao Bei has kept it relatively clean, a faint, lingering stench of living organisms always remains. I want to create a perfume that can improve the air quality, making this "home" smell warmer. The raw material will be the small white flowers that bloom on my body; their nectar carries a crisp and lasting floral fragrance.

"57th failure..." I sighed, looking at the murky, strangely smelling liquid in my hand. Extracting and stabilizing the floral fragrance was proving far more difficult than expected. I carefully disposed of this failed attempt, then handed the few intact white flowers I had picked for the experiment to the tentacles waiting nearby. "Shall we share them as snacks?"

Because I can only have a maximum of 33 flowers blooming on my body at the same time, and the nectar is only secreted while the flower is attached to my body, once it is picked, although the flower itself still contains magic and tastes sweet, it is no longer a sustainable resource, so it is more often regarded as a rare treat.

I took a deep breath, preparing for my 58th attempt. However, just then—

"boom!"

A deep, yet extremely penetrating roar came from the depths of the maze, causing even the fleshy membrane beneath my feet to tremble slightly.

My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately called out in my mind, "Xiao Bei! What happened?"

no respond.

Xiao Pei, who usually responded almost instantly, seemed to have vanished without a trace. An ominous premonition instantly gripped me. I immediately focused my mind and tried to manipulate the few free tentacles around me, making them extend and sense in the direction from which the sound came, like flexible probes.

The message relayed by the tentacles sent chills down my spine: a well-equipped squad of about thirty people was engaged in a fierce battle with swarms of defensive tentacles in the core passage of the maze! They moved swiftly and coordinated perfectly, their magic and martial arts flashing continuously, and the tentacles were retreating step by step before them, easily severed and pulverized.

"What's going on? Could it be... that they've come specifically to annihilate the kingdom's elite forces here?" My heart sank. Had the people from Valencia finally found their way here?

Just as I was filled with surprise and doubt, Xiao Pei's voice, no longer directed at me alone, resounded throughout the entire symbiotic network, carrying an unprecedented urgency and determination:

[Everyone, leave this area immediately! Follow the tentacles around you and evacuate to the outer perimeter! Hurry!]

The internet exploded instantly, filled with astonishment, panic, and confusion.

"Xiao Bei? What happened?"

"Why do we have to leave? Isn't this our home?"

"What are those sounds outside?"

Little Pestle seemed to know it could no longer hide the truth; its voice carried a heavy, helpless tone: "The intruders... are the former hero's party. I recognize their equipment; it's the highest-level standard for defeating demon lords. They... have come to kill my master. I don't know how they found this place, but this day has finally come. You must leave quickly; this place will soon become extremely dangerous!"

A hero's party?! A party to defeat the Demon King? This information struck everyone like a hammer blow.

Xiao Bei said no more and began to efficiently execute the evacuation. I could feel that the structure of the maze was subtly changing, with countless tentacles gently yet firmly entwining each member of the network, quickly and orderly transferring them to the outer edge of the maze through pre-set safe passages.

As I was being moved, enveloped by tentacles, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Xiao Bei! What will happen if your master... is no match for the hero team?"

Xiao Bei's answer was unusually calm, as if she had already accepted this ending: "It's nothing. The master will be killed, and the core of the maze—that pink crystal—will be destroyed. Without its energy source and control system, the maze will completely collapse and disintegrate. And I, as a program dependent on the maze system, will naturally dissipate along with it."

I fell silent. My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an icy hand.

"Don't worry, Liscia." Xiaobei's voice carried a hint of relief. "I was born for this purpose; this is my destiny. To meet you all in my final moments, to build this little home with you, truly... makes me very happy. Thank you for allowing me, an artificial being who shouldn't have feelings, to experience a 'heart' like a human's. Goodbye."

Its sound abruptly stopped.

At the same time, I felt the delicate tentacle that had been connecting me deep in my ear canal, serving as a bridge of telepathy, gently and with a final touch of lingering affection, slowly withdraw.

The symbiotic network, that ocean of thoughts that held almost all our laughter and warmth, vanished in an instant. My mind fell silent, leaving only the lonely beating of my own heart.

Like everyone else who had been moved to the outer edge of the maze, I fell into a deathly silence. Some couldn't accept this sudden farewell and began to sob softly; some stared blankly, as if they had lost their souls; some hugged their arms tightly, their bodies trembling slightly.

Is it... over just like that?

It's clearly our home. Although it has a dark origin and ulterior motives, it's a place where we created warmth together, the only haven we found in this cold world.

A profound sense of powerlessness and grief overwhelmed me. I recalled every detail of the past year: the joy of tasting the fruits of my own labor for the first time, the peaceful sleep I could finally stretch out after the room was expanded, the happiness on everyone's faces when the music played, and Xiaobei's clumsy yet sincere care...

"If... if Xiaobei's master wasn't the Demon King's apostle... then things wouldn't have been like this..." A choked voice rang out beside them, expressing what many people were thinking.

I didn't hear what was said after that.

A crazy, dark, yet incredibly clear thought cleaved through my sorrow and confusion like lightning.

It would be good if he wasn't an apostle of the Demon King?

Perhaps... there is one last way.

The last, and most extreme, way to save this "home".

That is—to kill them all.

The hero squad that came to subdue them, along with the former knight commander who had become a puppet guarding the core of the labyrinth...

Annihilate them all!