I am a mindless machine.

"Damn it, how could this happen, Sunset, you—....."

Riku immediately understood the situation. Although he was stunned by the sudden bad news and his mind was in a state of confusion due to the incomprehensible circumstances, he immediately looked at the sunset, intending to offer words of comfort. After all, the girl would be the one most unable to accept such a thing.

But when he saw the sunset's eyes, devoid of any light and like an abyss, he was speechless.

He forced down the words that were about to escape his lips—Who are you?

That wasn't the sunset, nor was it the girl who, from the first meeting, revealed an innocent look, hoping for world peace, and following closely behind Yunyou—but rather some kind of monster with the same appearance as that girl.

—A monster made of hatred.

"...Riku, you said before that you had met the God of Games, right?"

The girl lowered her head and said this softly.

Riku suppressed the churning questions and fears in his heart, and as usual, put on a calm and composed expression, replying, "That's right... but even though you said before that I should summon Him, I don't know how to do it."

The message that Sunset spoke to Riku in the cave earlier was his wish for him to summon the God of Games. After all, all the gods in the world are currently involved in war, and only the Fantasy and Divine species are qualified to hold the Star Grail. Even if they were able to summon the Star Grail with their current abilities, they wouldn't be able to obtain it.

At that time, Yunyou had already planned that, regardless of whether Xiyang lived or died, she would let Xiyang drink her blood one last time, so that Xiyang could become a god and then the only god. But as an alternative, she hoped that Riku could summon the God of Games.

"Is that so? — If you think it's possible... then that's enough."

A transparent film spread out from the girl, enveloping the three of them, and a forceful, suggestive power ruthlessly eroded the life within.

More accurately, it invaded Riku's mind.

Blood-red Sunset (Part 2)

"Ugh—!?"

"Riku...!?"

In an instant—Riku clutched his head, collapsed to his knees, and collapsed in pain, his hair soaked with sweat. Shubi rushed to his side in a panic, a slightly hostile expression on her face as she looked at the black-haired girl. "Sunset...! What did you do to Riku...!?"

"I'm sorry, I won't harm his life. But to achieve my goal, this is the only way I can use now." Yuhi said to Shubi with an apologetic smile—but anyone could see that it was just a forced smile, devoid of any real emotion.

Just like a cold, lifeless doll.

Her heart was dead, dead along with Yun You. It was filled with something called hatred; something within her was utterly destroyed, beyond repair.

She is indeed capable of becoming the only god now, but she is unsure what she will do with that power.

Anyway, it certainly won't be the world peace it used to be.

She now possesses the power to easily deceive anyone, even the entire world... but she cannot deceive herself. She can no longer believe that this world is a good place. World peace? But that's built on Yun You's sacrifice; if that's the case, what's the point? It's just a false peace.

She didn't want to continue living in that kind of world... She'd rather destroy that kind of world altogether.

There are no fairy tales in this world.

However, the girl did not want to break the final promise she made to Yunyou—because it was Yunyou's last wish in the world. It was her dying wish.

Since her soul has been defiled and stained with blood and filth, then she can only entrust the wish for world peace to someone who can achieve it.

A light containing powerful elven energy appeared.

This was the result of forcibly influencing Riku's brain with illusion magic of god-like level, combined with the girl's own power of thought.

Sweating profusely, Riku barely opened his eyes. Although his brain, which had been forcibly given the suggestion, was still throbbing with pain, he muttered with a wry smile, "What... you really do exist after all..."

The person who always appeared in the depths of darkness, playing games with him with a confident smile, had now truly appeared before him.

A girl wearing a large checkered hat, with colorful eyes displaying diamond and spade patterns, and short light brown hair, emerged from the light. Wearing a pink jacket and blue shorts, her initially blurry features gradually became clearer.

The weakest—and also the last—divine species appeared at this moment.

—She is the goddess of games...Tetu.

The girl of the divine race looked at the three people present with a somewhat dazed expression.

"Uh... hello? Hello? Koni-ki-wa?"

She seemed genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance, a forced, twitching smile on her face. Even though she was a deity, this way of being dragged out of the public eye... wasn't it a bit too strange?

"Alright, if it's the person you believe in, Riku, then she should be able to bring about a decent world." The girl with lifeless eyes ignored the god's embarrassed expression and said this directly, then looked up at the sky.

"Are you planning to have her take the Star Cup in your place...?" Riku, enduring the lingering pain in his brain, looked up at the setting sun. He saw the power the other party had displayed, their previous plan, and the situation on the ground. If he still couldn't analyze the general situation from this, he wouldn't be qualified to manipulate the battle from the shadows.

In his view, Sunset is currently preparing to summon the Star Grail, using the power of deception to trick the world into revealing the Star Grail, and finally letting Tet, who is qualified to touch the Star Grail, take over.

Finally... following Yunyou's figure, they entered eternal sleep.

Having experienced Shubi's disappearance before, he understood Yuhi's current feelings very well, so he couldn't offer any advice or dissuasion. In this situation, any outside interference would only make things worse.

"No." Sunset shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the sky—in the direction of Abant Heim—and spoke softly, "There's one thing Yu didn't foresee: if she obtains the Star Grail just like that, but Altshu doesn't die... then the situation won't change."

Having obtained the power of the divine species and acquired the so-called divine essence, the setting sun's existence had transcended dimensions, truly reaching the realm of the gods.

Therefore, she was able to obtain information that Yun You did not know.

—The God of War, Artesius, is defined by war, struggle, chaos, and the strongest.

The definition of the strongest is not just the strongest in terms of physical strength.

In this way, even if the rules of the world are rewritten, no matter how things change, Althu will still be the strongest. If it's a world where deception reigns supreme, he will be the most skilled con artist; if it's a world where science is paramount, he will be the most brilliant inventor; if it's a world where games are the competition, he will be the strongest gamer.

That is the so-called conceptual essence (the strongest).

Moreover, as long as he lives on in this world, the conflicts in this world will expand endlessly, and in the end, it will evolve into a world no different from the great war we are in now.

so.......

I must fulfill the promise I made to Yu.

"God of Games—once you see the light of Altshu's soul being stripped away, press the trigger without hesitation—and then create that so-called peaceful world where no one will get hurt...."

The girl spoke in a dreamlike tone, and without waiting for anyone else to say anything, she simply leaped through space and disappeared without a trace.

There was not a trace of doubt in her words about whether she could do it.

It was as if it had already become inevitable.

...

...

Around Abant Heim, the allied forces survived because the Divine Strike was inexplicably redirected. With the vast majority of the Skywing races immobilized due to energy depletion, how could they possibly let this opportunity pass them by?

Of course, as a fantasy species, Abant Heim himself also has anti-air turrets, and the later-created Skywing species also have some combat capabilities, so they will not surrender easily.

On the outskirts of the Sky Island, a scene of utter carnage unfolded. Countless drops of crimson blood bloomed in the air, composing chapters of war. Intricate magical runes appeared everywhere, symbolizing this place as the convergence of wisdom in the entire war, where different races employed various methods to achieve the same goal.

For them, this was the only chance to annihilate the Skywing race and the War God, a faction that had garnered immense hatred during the great war.

The setting sun stood silently in the sky, indifferently watching the chaotic scene unfold. In the past, although she wouldn't have intervened to stop the fight, she would at least have felt a pang of pity and mixed emotions.

But now... now it doesn't matter anymore.

These people have no idea what price they paid to be here and commit such pointless killings.

"[Inquiry] Successor, are you planning to go and attack Altshu?"

A figure appeared beside the girl in the sky. It was Einschitz, the de facto leader of the remaining Machine-type Machines and the All-Link Commander.

All the mechs had gathered near the battlefield and were constantly observing the every move of the girl Yun You loved. After all, Yun You was their benefactor, so they naturally wouldn't just stand by and watch their benefactor's lover.

Regarding the fact that the girl didn't intend to press the switch for the Star Killer, although the Machine Race, who had only recently gained vague emotions, didn't understand why the girl would make such an illogical choice, they judged that this might be what was called the heart. They wouldn't interfere with the girl's choice.

They would even try to help if the girl really wanted to do it.

After all... they also bear some responsibility for Yunyou's death.

"【Proposal】In that case, our Machine Type can provide assistance. According to the deductions of the Observer and the Analyst, as long as the total number of Machine Types is 15,802, we can achieve the goal of destroying Altshu's Divine Essence with minimal casualties."

The figure spoke in a mechanical tone. The current force numbers over five thousand more than in the original work, and the database contains many records left by Yun You, making their combat capabilities far superior. As for achieving complete victory without any casualties... that's impossible.

With Altshu as their opponent and numerous enemies along the way, it's incredibly lucky that over a thousand Mechs survived.

Even so, they were still willing to give their lives for their benefactor. It was precisely because their feelings were still somewhat budding that the emotion of repaying that debt of gratitude felt all the more important.

"No need, thank you for your kindness. After all, you are Yu's clan, which is practically my family. How could I let my family be in trouble? Besides, Yu would be sad... after all, she made that choice in the end."

"—So, leave this to me."

The setting sun tilted its head slightly, a gentle smile playing on its lips, giving Einschitz a kind smile, her small, white canine teeth peeking out from her mouth looking playful and adorable. Her expression seemed perfectly normal, as if her previous grief had been completely forgotten.

But Einschitz understood that the situation was quite the opposite. It meant that the girl had deeply imprinted that pain into the depths of her soul, and that the sorrow no longer needed to be accompanied by emotion. Even if every word she spoke now was understated, it was not because she really didn't care—it meant that she had long been prepared to go beyond that.

Every word the girl spoke so casually carried an unwavering resolve.

—Her time had long since stopped at the moment of Yun You's death, and would never move an inch further.

"【Negative】Although the successor now possesses the power of a divine being, the enemy you face is Alteshu. Even if the opponent is weakened after unleashing a divine attack, you still cannot defeat him with your current strength. Moreover, the remaining Skywing beings will not easily let you stand before the throne." Einshiz calmly analyzed in this way, and it was indeed true. If it were really that simple, then the other two gods present, the Forest God and the Forging God, would have already made their move.

"No, it's possible."

As if to completely negate the conclusion drawn by the other party through precise logic, Xiyang said with a smile.

Then, she stretched out her slender, snow-white hand towards the battlefield, just as Yun You often did when she was still alive, casting a spell. Her eyes revealed complex and eerie patterns of magic. Then, as if her small eyes could not contain such intricate spells, the overflowing runes swirled around her body like birds spreading their wings, bringing a divine radiance that made the girl seem like an angel descended to earth.

"Mental Intervention - Dream Bewilderment"

She murmured the name of the technique.

Then—the whole world came to a standstill.

Whether they were Skywing Goblins or Forest Elves, those who were fighting just a moment ago now lowered their eyes, a slight smile playing on their lips, and fell into a deep sleep. The magic they had been using, only halfway through, melted away like snow under the sun. The roar of cannons ceased, and countless spells crumbled into nothingness. Even the entire island of Abant Heim was now completely silent.

All things have fallen into the deepest slumber, and, as the setting sun has described, have fallen into a beautiful dream.

"[Shock] Such power? Impossible—[Analysis] [Error] [Contradiction]..." Upon witnessing this incredible sight, all the remaining Machines sharing vision with Einstein were stunned. They were completely unable to comprehend how such a sight could have been accomplished.

In their perception—even the gazes of the two gods who had been observing from the periphery of the battlefield, ready to intervene at any moment, had vanished—this meant that they too had been affected by the skill unleashed by the girl.

But—how is that possible? How could such a faint, nascent divine power have accomplished that...?

Even if you're cheating, you can't do it like this. At least you should follow the rules of logic, right?

It should be impossible for anyone other than the strongest Althu, who could rule the world...

Suddenly, a possibility flashed through Einschitz's mind.

So, he couldn't help but ask the girl: