I am a mindless machine.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Determination

"........."

As the setting sun faded from view, Yun You fell into a long silence.

As a time traveler, she naturally knew what was going to happen next.

Shubi and Riku's current goal is to control the passage of the thirty-two devices used to transfer the fatal blows of the two strongest forces in the world—the Void Zero Protection and the Divine Strike—and to place them around the point of impact of the two attacks, forming an encirclement.

Then, according to Shubi's calculations, if that immense, apocalyptic force were directed directly downwards, the planet itself would be pierced through. It would be as easy as piercing a takoyaki with a thin toothpick.

However, Riku's goal wasn't to pierce through the flour, but to spear the octopus—the Elf Corridor buried in the center of the planet, the source of power for every race. Only by doing so could the Star Grail, the conceptual device with the power to control everything in the world, be created.

...That idea is correct.

However, Riku and his companions lacked the ability to accomplish it.

Even if their plan proceeds flawlessly to the very last step, thirty-two access controls will not be enough to redirect the world-destroying attack underground. Instead, it will fail by a terrifyingly small margin of 10 to the power of -609.

Yunyou lowered her gaze, and from the flowing remains of the elf in the air, she could clearly discern the direction Shubi had traveled. It was a trail leading to the final battlefield.

Hugh...she will die today. She will be discovered by Jibril, the strongest Winged Species, designated as an Extra Individual, when the twenty-second passage control is set up.

Finally, after a fierce battle... he still failed and died from the opponent's 100% Heavenly Strike, leaving no trace of his body.

But as if by a cruel twist of fate, it was precisely because of Shubi's death, and with this event as nourishment, that the Final Plan was able to be resurrected.

"............"

Yun You opened her mouth, wanting to say something in response, but in the end, she couldn't say anything. Or rather, she didn't know what to say.

The history of this world is unfolding just as in the original story—as Riku realized, this was a result of Yunyou's deliberate actions. When she first arrived in this world, she had wondered if, with the addition of her as a butterfly, the world would continue to develop as it did in the original story.

Based on observations over the past year, the answer is yes. It must be said that Riku's strategic acumen is truly extraordinary. Even though many things that didn't happen in the original work occurred because of her this year, he still managed to reach this point where victory is just one step away.

During the process, there were dozens, if not more, of things that nearly spiraled out of control. But in the end, everything was miraculously brought back under control.

Because in terms of the outcome, nothing has changed, but the process is indeed very different from the original work. So the girl doesn't know if these things can be considered a correction of the world line.

But so far, nothing she has done has been illogically hindered. In other words, the decision of what to do next remains in her hands.

—So, should I try to prevent Shubi's death from happening?

The girl looked up at the sky, her lifeless, blood-red eyes reflecting the equally blood-red, murky sky like a mirror. Against this boundless, crimson backdrop, her pure white body resembled a small boat adrift on a vast, uncertain sea, utterly alone and helpless. She had been in this world for almost five years.

Five years is not a short time. It's enough for a lot of things to happen and for many, many people to change.

In these five years, Riku has transformed from someone who only knew how to deceive himself into someone who dares to challenge the world. Shubi has found her soulmate and understood the true nature of emotions. Yuhi can now, when fully charged, effortlessly deceive over a dozen powerful Skywing races. We also received news of Funa from Kron; the once spoiled child now seems to have become the head of a clan of over 2000 people thanks to her exceptional abilities...

But what about myself?

Yunyou questioned her still unmoved heart so intensely—but even so, she still couldn't get an answer.

It seems that only I am not growing and am just standing still like a fool.

Even now, I can't make a quick decision on this issue, and I can only use this silent approach to let time pass as an escape.

Following the mechanical way of thinking, and based on the initial idea, Shubi should have died directly here, and then she would have passed her heart to all the Machine Race members. Then, those tens of thousands of Machine Race members who had been tricked would all fall in love with Riku after receiving Shubi's heart. Afterwards, they would willingly sacrifice their entire race, obeying Riku's plan—and ending the war.

While there's also the option of lying in wait, hoping to rescue Shiro after she's uploaded all of his information, this would make the subsequent plot unpredictable.

Because it wasn't until after Shubi's death that Riku locked his heart again, deceiving himself and considering all the Machine Guns as disposable tools. So, if Shubi hadn't died, Yunyou could be fairly certain that Riku would have tried his best to find another possibility to ensure the survival of the Machine Guns.

However, there is no original work to guarantee that so-called other possibility—the possibility of failure is... very high.

So... should we just leave it at that? Anyway, nobody in the world knows this happened, so it can't be said to be my fault. As long as I don't say or do anything, nobody will blame me...

"Master Yuu."

The soft, gentle voice of the setting sun gently pulled Yun You from her inexplicable melancholy. Yun You was startled for a moment, and before she could respond, the setting sun suddenly leaned closer. Her petite body, shrouded in a veil as dark as night, resembled a tiny kitten snuggling up to its owner, waiting for a tender caress.

Vampires' bodies aren't actually warm, after all, they're not human flesh; on the contrary, they're quite cold. But being nestled in Xiyang's arms like this, feeling the slightly upturned ends of her black hair sneaking in through the gaps in her loose white robe, restlessly tickling her snow-white skin, Yunyou somehow felt much warmer.

It's clear that the machine-type shouldn't be able to feel warmth.

Beneath this boundless, chaotic sky—the girl, like a drifting boat, now has someone by her side.

"I don't know what you know, or what you want to do... All along... you've always made your decisions alone, and I've just followed behind you... I can only look at you with admiration." The setting sun buried its face in Yunyou's soft white robe, murmuring these words in a low voice, as if pouring out its sorrows, "You've been so good to me... even better than my mother. So, in order to be of any help to you... even just a little bit, I've been really trying my best to improve myself...!"

Even Sink Nielbaren and Ronnie Dorobnil only achieved their current strength after decades of war. Yet the vampire girl, Sunset, relying solely on outdated (hundreds of years old) experience passed down from her ancestors, has reached a level that, while still immature, is undeniably capable of touching the pinnacle of combat power in just over two years—a feat that, by common sense, is something only a genius among geniuses could accomplish—a miracle.

"But...!" The girl's childish voice was already trembling with tears, and Yun You could feel the dampness through her robes. "Even so... even so! I still can't catch up with you!!"

This is the harsh reality.

If Xi Yang's progress was miraculous (impossible), then Yun You's progress was beyond words, incomprehensible. Now, Yun You, even with only her own computing power, could single-handedly defeat a dragon spirit. This exaggeratedly rapid growth was constantly tormenting Xi Yang's desire to help Yun You.

"Lord Yu... I... really like you...!" Amidst the weak sobs broken by tears, the girl poignantly uttered the feelings she had suppressed until now.

In the girl's eyes, Yun You was tormenting her relentlessly because of her naive and foolish wish. Even with such immense power, she kept challenging those stronger than herself, leaving her battered and bruised on the verge of death several times. Meanwhile, she could only offer insignificant help, merely cleaning up the mess.

She finally pulled her face away from her soaked robe, her delicate, fair face now blurred with tears, her eyes glistening with tears: "...I also want to achieve what you said at the beginning, that you want me to make you fall in love with me, but I have absolutely no idea how to do it...! So, that's why I thought that if my strength could catch up, maybe I could be on par with you, maybe I could have a chance..." But she couldn't even achieve this one possibility. Even though she squeezed her sleep time to the limit and tried her best, she could only watch helplessly as the distance between them widened.

"—Sunset..."

Driven by emotions she herself was unaware of, Yunyou's mind was in a state of confusion, and without thinking, she decided to comfort the other person first.

But the girl spoke again, interrupting her.

"But none of that matters now...!" The setting sun wiped away her tears, her expression turning serious. "Lord Yu, I absolutely don't want to see you with that expression. That distressed look is so unsuitable for your beautiful face!"

"........."

Huh? Feeling down? ...Who? Could it be me?

That's impossible, isn't it? How could I possibly have feelings for someone like that right now...?

Yun You was stunned again, because she saw her own reflection in the clear eyes of the setting sun—the white-haired girl's face, which should have been expressionless, now showed a distressed expression as if she was about to cry.

...Really? So I can actually make that kind of expression now...?

The setting sun probably saw my unusual attitude today, which is why I said those words that I originally planned to keep to myself for a lifetime.

"Lord Yu is Lord Yu; whatever decision you make is the right one. You must have your own reasons... So just do it! Don't worry about anything else! Just like always, do a bunch of nonsensical things and think you're the center of the world... Huh!?"

The setting sun tried its best to cheer up the dejected Yun You. But then, she gasped in surprise as she was suddenly picked up, "Yo-Yo-sama?"

"Thank you, Sunset. Thanks to you, I know what to do now." Yun You smiled sincerely at the somewhat flustered girl, like a flower blooming in the dead of winter.

Then she spread her wings and sped off in the direction that Shubi had flown away from before!

It seems she has unconsciously grasped that new thing (the heart). Ah, there's nothing she can do about it. If she doesn't do what she wants to do now, she'll blame herself—and that will make the sunset sad.

Yunyou now truly feels that her past self was incredibly foolish. Yes, this body's emotions are indeed very bland, many times more so than the emotions she remembered; practically nonexistent, and she can't express them as clearly as Shubi...

—But so what?

—It's true that the emotions are too bland... but does that mean it's not an emotion, and can't be called a heart? Would anyone point at a lion and say it's a stone? Of course not!

The smile on Yunyou's face, though still understated, was unmistakably radiant and beautiful, a smile of boundless joy.

Indeed, if the original script were changed, the ending would probably be a failure. But so what? Should we stop moving forward because we are afraid of failure, turn a blind eye to the tragedy that is about to befall us, and cowardly entrust all our hopes to others, just passively waiting for world peace to come?

I don't want that cowardly future!

Yun You now—denied it in her heart.

She spoke to the girl held in her arms in a gentle tone:

"[Request] Sunset, from now on, please join me—to change this world."

It can definitely be done.

Because, well, I'm a genius, right?

Chapter Fifty-Six Taking Over the Battle

"Traffic control... eight more left... need to be set up..."

Shubi placed the complex, disc-shaped object in her hand on the ground, letting it automatically bury itself in the earth, and then murmured softly.

She looked up towards the next location. With a light step, she prepared to leap into the sky.

Since the purpose of the traffic control was to directly channel the apocalyptic attack energy underground, it was only natural that the place she was currently secretly operating in was on the outskirts of the decisive battleground where the world's greatest power was concentrated. It could be said that every step she took was a gamble with death. In fact, she had already sensed no fewer than dozens of dangerous gazes that would mean certain death if she were discovered, and each time she had desperately hidden herself to escape unscathed.

Shubi couldn't help but feel grateful that she had chosen to come alone. If Riku had forced his way with that battered body, simply trying to escape would have been fatal. He would have been like a candle flickering in the wind, where even a gentle breeze would have extinguished its last flame.

Moreover, since she was alone, she could use her Pokémon for supersonic movement, making everything much faster. For example, she completed the twenty-four passageways in about three hours. In a human body, that would have taken more than two months. Not to mention Riku.

Okay, hurry up and finish... then go back. Riku, wait for me a little longer...

He would be very angry and scold me for taking the initiative, but he wouldn't be able to help but smile, right?

Just thinking about that scene made Hughie unconsciously raise the corners of her mouth slightly.

But in the next instant, she understood exactly what it felt like to feel a chill creep up to her bones.

That was a very leisurely sound.

"Oh my, I was just wandering around aimlessly out of boredom when I happened to notice a very faint reaction from a Pokémon, so I came over out of curiosity. I didn't expect to find such a pleasant surprise. How lucky I am!"

A young girl stands in the sky.

She was an adorable girl, seemingly an angel, with a geometric halo spinning above her head. A soft glow emanated from her waist, and her long, flowing hair reflected different smooth lusters like a mirror. Her bright, amber eyes blinked, and her face beamed with the innocent smile of a little girl who had just found a toy that interested her.

With the final battle imminent, all Skywing races were ordered not to launch attacks against the Alliance, lest they become the spark that ignites the war.

She was so bored that she suddenly had the idea to set up a search network with a radius of fifty kilometers on the edge of the war zone to see if she could find anything interesting.

And now, she has found it.

"—Greetings, Scrap Metal. Are you out for a walk alone today?"

A winged girl named Jibril greeted the despairing Shubi with a smile.

...

...

The earth was groaning, the mountains were trembling, and the once mighty riverbed, teeming with torrents, was now being pierced directly from the side.