My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

Nobody knows what will happen next, so let's make sure the phone has enough battery first.

At least it can be used for lighting.

"Of course, I can't leave so many loopholes and just watch you slip through my fingers."

The landlord, who had just been buried under rubble and ruins, now appeared before the two men unharmed. The force that had temporarily blinded Li Wei seemed to have no effect on him; only his black coat, draped over his body, was riddled with holes.

When the magician, with his unparalleled physical skills, ripped off his long-useless coat, what was revealed was a giant-like, robust body and perfectly intact skin without a single scratch.

"Mr. Araya, what is the purpose of all this?"

On the one hand, he wanted to buy himself some time to recover as much as possible, and on the other hand, Li Wei was indeed full of curiosity.

Based on past conversations with him, Araya Sōren is not an extreme terrorist or religious fanatic, nor does he have any childhood trauma. Apart from being taciturn, he is perfectly normal.

"—True wisdom."

Where can we find it?

"—Only within itself."

"What's your purpose?"

"Where are you going?"

"Right here, at the end of this paradoxical time, at the spiral's end, we arrive at the true source."

If you ignore the tense atmosphere and the suffocating smell of blood, this conversation seems like a philosophical discussion about life between two people.

While saying these things, Araya Sōren's face showed neither the joy and pride of success, nor the unease and impatience. He maintained a tremendous sense of pressure from beginning to end, as if he were not discussing a matter of life and death with Li Wei, but rather a matter of the neighborhood having a water outage for an hour at 8 p.m. tonight, or a weekend half-price discount at the supermarket next door.

Calm, or you could say indifferent. They appear neither arrogant nor domineering, but in reality, they don't care about anything.

It's as if they've lost all human emotions.

“I admire you. Hand her over to me.” The somber giant pointed to the two behind the boy and said in an unquestionable tone, “You can stay by my side and appreciate the truth deep within the root.”

"I'm sorry, I don't understand any of what you're saying."

Li Wei shook his head: "I only understood one sentence: your goal is Yin and Yang, right?"

"Of course."

"Then there's no need for us to continue this discussion." Finally calming his turbulent blood, the young man said to the blurry figure not far away, "Killing you will end all of this, won't it?"

"Fight? That's one way to resolve it, though it won't affect the final outcome."

Araya Sōren was neither surprised nor angry.

The next moment, Li Wei's entire body erupted with internal energy, his arms from the knuckles to the shoulders were coated with a light blue layer, and the violent fist energy scattered and shot out, accompanied by a huge roar like a meteor breaking through the sky, smashing down on the opponent.

At the same time, Ryougi pulled out a short blade from his bosom, bent down and rushed forward. His body was like a hurricane and his blade was like lightning. He unleashed a bright blade light that could cut off the flow of a river and slashed horizontally towards Araya Sōren's waist.

"Such weak attacks are ineffective against me... huh?"

The landlord, who was originally preparing to use his own barrier to defend, found that Li Wei suddenly changed his move in mid-air. The blade light, which should have followed the fist, arrived first. Caught off guard, the barrier at his waist was actually cut open.

Even Ryougi and Saeko could pull off such a simple combination; the landlord underestimated these kids.

"good chance!"

With a single step, the boy swiftly moved, shrinking the distance between them, and instantly appeared before the enemy. His body transformed into a phantom, and his fists unleashed their full power through the gaps that had been cleaved open. His arms became a stream of illusory light, relentlessly bombarding all the acupoints on Huangye Zonglian's body.

[Water Flow Rock Shattering Fist] Unleashing full power, a dense barrage of fists explodes with thunderous roar like a tidal wave.

The four seas are surging with raging clouds and waters, the five continents are shaking with wind and thunder!

"Very good, next, you, Liangyi..."

Li Wei's fist stopped.

One reason was that, according to the plan that was agreed upon at the beginning, after Li Wei attracted the enemy's firepower, Liangyi, who was supposed to take the opportunity to cut through the barrier and escape from the apartment, did not leave, but stood by his side to guide him.

"Am I not your eyes? Eyes don't leave the body and run away on their own."

He didn't speak, but his expression made it clear.

Another reason is that although Araya Sōren looked disheveled after enduring countless attacks, he was not defeated.

"A truly commendable attack." After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said, "If I hadn't buried the Buddha's relics in my body beforehand, or if you were a few years older, I would have surely fallen because of this. It's just a pity that you are still too young."

After saying that, a large number of magic circuits suddenly appeared behind Araya Sōren, gathering power like snakes, and then suddenly pounced on the two of them.

Caught off guard, Li Wei had no time to think. He grabbed Liang Yi and held her in his arms, letting the magic rain down on her. In an instant, the battle turned around. The boy crashed heavily into the wall, leaving spiderweb-like cracks in the thick load-bearing structure.

—Approximately 5 ribs were broken, the left arm was fractured, the right leg was comminuted fractured, the right ear was temporarily deaf, there was massive internal bleeding and displacement of multiple organs, countless ligament and muscle strains, and blood loss of about 700 ml.

In an instant, Li Wei diagnosed his injuries.

"This is it, we're doomed."

Even disregarding other injuries, a blood loss of 700 milliliters would be very distressing for an adult, let alone a primary school student.

Li Wei is now holding on and hasn't collapsed, relying solely on his own willpower and strong sense of responsibility to protect the Two Elements.

[Little Li Wei, can you hear me?]

It sounds like... Mr. Merlin's voice?

[That's right, it's me...it's me. Now, drop the burden you're carrying, and I can teleport you away.]

Then... take the two elements with you, and leave... me here.

Why are you still thinking about others at a time like this? Do you really like this human that much?

A scholar...will die for a true friend...

Listen to my advice: when you grow up, you'll realize that many things aren't worth it. Don't do anything foolish.

A scholar cannot be without ambition and perseverance, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long.

Is her life more important than yours?

A scholar...seeing danger...will risk his life; seeing gain...he considers righteousness.

【Ugh, I'm not going to care about you anymore! You're all idiots!】

Mr. Merlin, as if his defenses had been breached, issued an ultimatum.

Since you value her so much, then trade your life for her. Accept my power, and then sleep forever, forever.

Chapter 43 Li Wei, Fading Away

"The outcome was already predetermined. No matter how hard we fight, it will only result in more casualties and losses. What's the point?"

Araya Sōren, who had easily knocked the two away, remained unmoved, his extremely imposing figure continuing to approach them.

The only one still able to move, Ryougi Shiki, had clear, deep blue eyes. She held Li Wei tightly in her arms with one hand, refusing to let go, while gripping a short blade with the other, attempting a desperate last stand.

There seemed to be a voice calling to her from within, but it wasn't Zhi's voice.

Although we don't know what will happen, there's no other way now that we've come this far.

Give her your body.

Just as the idea came to mind and he was about to act on it, Li Wei's body in his arms suddenly showed signs of abnormality.

A powerful surge of magic erupted from the boy's body, which should have been on the verge of collapse, enveloping him completely in an instant. In a flash, his near-fatal wounds healed rapidly, and with a flash of light, a crude, unforged weapon appeared in his hand.

If examined closely, one could barely discern from its appearance that it was a one-handed knife or sword. However, it was so simply decorated that it didn't even qualify as a sword blank, let alone have been sharpened.

It's like a peerless sword that should have been forged into its perfect form, only to be abandoned by a lazy craftsman.

"Avi!?" Ryougi's voice was filled with surprise.

"I don't have time to explain right now. Anyway, please take good care of yourself."

After glancing briefly at his best friend, Li Wei turned to face Araya Sōren, confronting the magician whose strength far surpassed his own.

In terms of physical skills, he is probably one of the strongest humans he has ever seen. It is likely that only Mr. Bang, Hiratsuka's grandfather, will be able to surpass him in strength.

With Mr. Merlin's brief blessing, he finally gained the ability to win the battle, albeit at a high cost.

【Night Curtain EX】, surging magic flowed into Livich's eight meridians like a tide.

"Take it and use it. This is everything you deserve. Use my power to defeat all your opponents." Mr. Merlin's voice was high-pitched and inspiring.

With his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, Li Wei immediately saw through the flaws in Araya Sōren's barrier.

"Hahaha. Great, fantastic! Truly reckless and foolish. Disgusting!"

【Dream End EX】, the already high magic power surged again, the battle clouds soared to the sky, and the momentum was unstoppable.

"When everything settles down, you will fall into an eternal slumber. The gifts of fate have already come with a hidden price."

"How did you do that?" Araya Sōren seemed to have an inexplicable curiosity about what was beyond his control, but Li Wei did not want to answer him.

This is not the time for philosophical and religious discussions; what he lacks most right now is time.

"Mr. Araya Sōren, you are an extremely arrogant person. You consider yourself a prophet, savior, or even a god who will save the world, while treating everyone else as background figures waiting to be rescued. You keep saying that you want to save everyone, but you never care about their feelings. You have never looked at them directly, never listened to a word they said, and you even indulge in self-pity."

Life is too short? Then live as long as you can. Is there a price to pay for extending lifespan? It's just the growing pains of saving humanity, a necessary sacrifice.

You have completely strayed from the right path and are going your own way. The path you insist on only makes me laugh.

It is only natural to inflict appropriate despair on the arrogant.

Fiery, radiant, hopeful.

This holy sword, which was still just a prototype, actually unleashed power like a divine weapon from an epic hero's tale. Before it, the barrier that had left Li Wei helpless was like bamboo joints before a sharp blade; it only offered initial resistance before splitting apart section by section along the edge.

Under the immense destructive force, Araya Sōren's body gradually disintegrated.

Even at this moment, his tone remained unchanged.

"So that's why I failed. I can certainly learn from this next time."

"You won't get a next time!" Under the sword's edge, all shall be defeated.

Regardless of what Huangye Zonglian did in his lifetime, at this moment, he has completely vanished into the world.

After doing all this, Li Wei instantly lost all strength, an irresistible drowsiness taking over his entire mind. His body went limp and he leaned forward; if Liang Yi hadn't caught him tightly in time, Li Wei would have fallen heavily to the ground.

"ended."

These were Li Wei's last thoughts before he closed his eyes: "I'll never ask Hiratsuka-nee to rent a house again in my next life."

------

When he opened his eyes again, he didn't see a familiar or unfamiliar ceiling.

The boy slowly got up, the piercing pain and the overwhelming drowsiness completely gone, replaced by a surge of energy. Standing up, he noticed the lighting around him wasn't very good; he was sitting in a small boat, and the person rowing at the bow was someone he knew well.

"Sister Enma? Am I dead?"

He recognized the boat, the surroundings, and the person who carried him—to be precise, his childhood friend—who wasn't very old, Enma Ai.

"..."

The girl in the kimono with the bob haircut neither nodded nor shook her head, but simply looked at him quietly: "Your work in the human world is over, and now you can stay with me forever."

"Really? That's not bad. You can be with familiar people after you die." The boy asked expectantly, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ah."

"Is Liangyi... the boy I saved, safe now?"

“I don’t know who the boy you’re talking about is.” Enma Ai nodded slightly, her eyes seeming not very happy. “But if you’re asking about someone named Ryougi Shiki, then she’s safe and healthy.”

"That's it, then I'll be relieved."

Li Wei felt a little comforted, knowing that his sacrifice had been worthwhile.

I wonder what others will think when they hear the news of her death. Hiratsuka-nee will definitely cry a lot, and Saeko and Rin will probably be very sad too.

I still have three patients to see, and I haven't had time to give the checks to the teachers, but now I can't do that anymore.

Life's span is subject to change, and all things eventually come to an end.

Since we're dead, let's make the best of a dead person.

"So, our destination is hell?" the boy asked curiously, looking at the girl in the bob haircut and kimono.

"...No."