Story Reader / Main Story / 28 Polaris Bond / Story
The fabric of time and space entwined, rendering the future<//PRESENT> meaningless.
When their whispers reach your ears, the entire world<//HELL> will unfold before you<//ME>.
What a magnificent city!
The world is cast as a reflection in a mirror, showing only this city within its glassy confines.
The golden city, where humans, mechanoids, and Constructs coexist peacefully, dons its most enchanting regalia at night.
When Qu regains her senses, she finds herself on the bustling streets of Kowloong.
It is as though nothing has changed, with history eternally capturing the city in its most radiant moment.
Bzzzz... bzzzz...
A strange figure darts through an alley across the street, and Qu sharply notices the anomaly.
...You... bzzzz... side...
The street is too crowded. By the time Qu navigates through the throng to the mouth of the alley, the figure with the pulsing green glow has vanished.
In its place stands a woman in her twenties.
Greetings, Lady Qu.
Huaxu sent me to guide you. You can call me Jiaxi.
Huaxu sent you...
That means I'm still in the Tabula Akasha, right?
Hmm... This isn't the right place to talk about it.
Please follow me to a safer location.
The woman cautiously peeks out of the alley before signaling Qu to follow.
Jiaxi leads Qu through the intricate alleyways. After making sure there is no one suspicious around, she opens an old door.
Inside, a tall and kind man immediately stands up to greet Qu.
Lady Qu.
What is going on?
Lady Qu, you are in the Tabula Akasha.
Huaxu intended for you to finish building the historical data before entering the Tabula Akasha.
But it seems there was a glitch in the cache, so Huaxu had to upload you into the Tabula Akasha.
But some sectors of the Tabula Akasha have turned into a no-go zone, a kind of hell where any data that enters can never leave.
At the last moment, Huaxu sent you here.
So, this area is part of the Tabula Akasha's data space?
To put it simply, from the moment you were uploaded, you've been inside the Tabula Akasha.
This sector is still safe. Huaxu moved us here temporarily.
However, we don't know when we might have to move again...
...So that's how it was, huh.
Settle in here and don't leave without permission.
Huaxu will relocate you again when necessary.
As Qu grabs her sword and turns to leave, Jiaxi blocks the door with her body.
No, Lady Qu.
You... you can't leave here.
Her voice trembles as she blocks the path of the Monarch of Kowloong.
...Step aside.
No.
Unable to confront her people, Qu couldn't raise her sword.
Tsk, well, Jiaxi...
You need to explain things properly. Lady Qu doesn't fully understand the situation yet.
The man, who appears to be Jiaxi's husband, quickly steps between them to mediate.
Continue.
Well... how should I put it...
Well... Huaxu's orders were to bring you to this safe sector and make sure you stay here.
Why?
Uh, well...
He nervously searches for the right words.
Well...
I, I am Jiaxi's husband!
I was already forty when I was transferred to this sector.
But look at Jiaxi. She still appears to be in her twenties, right?
That was the age I was when I first met her!
So, you're saying...
There's a lot of scrambled data here, and some timestamps are incorrect.
Yes! Exactly!
Then I must leave. There are things I need to do—
Magical Girl! Shining Warrior!
A youthful and cheerful declaration rings out from the room, leaving an awkward silence among the three.
?
Why didn't you turn off the TV...
Ahem... Haha... It's nothing, nothing.
The middle-aged man, with a sheepish smile, walks past Qu and turns off the TV.
You know, the kids love it, and I find it quite captivating myself, so I thought I'd watch too...
...
Your child...
She should be just outside now.
Her name is Yoyo, right?
Yes...
Sufu's mood visibly deflates.
Speaking of which, you mentioned a special edition DVD last time...
As Qu turns back toward the room, the couple's expressions fall.
Lady Qu...
I know Huaxu doesn't have the spare resources to predict her future or end.
But if you could tell me... will she make it?
She is currently serving her duty as Pulao for the people of Kowloong. She'll make it through.
Qu clenches her weapon tighter.
She knows she can't offer them any answers. She is not even sure if the situation is moving toward the future she hoped for, or if Yoyo can survive this disaster.
But she has to offer some reassurance.
It's a necessary facade.
That's good... that's good...
The man mutters softly, then quickly, as if realizing something, pulls his wife standing at the door back to his side.
Lady Qu, will we all survive?
Sure. Things will get better—
...Who's that?
But the person outside seems unwilling to respond, continuing to knock incessantly.
Who's there?
Thump!
The knocking turns into violent ramming. If Huaxu hadn't reinforced the memory area's defenses, the seemingly fragile door wouldn't have withstood such impact.
Qu immediately readies herself for battle.
Bang!!
Still no response from outside, and it feels different from the usual disturbances caused by the Punishing Virus.
Qu points her sword toward the door and slowly retreats to the bedside, signaling the panicked Sufu and Jiaxi to hide behind her.
Bang!!!
The fragile door finally cracks open, not from the ramming, but from a pitch-black longsword slicing through.
Behind the crack, a somewhat familiar eye is revealed.
Hey.
Bang!!!!
The door finally gives way under the external force, revealing a shadowy figure as dark as the longsword.
Ah... finally.
Found you.
Qu doesn't wait for the figure to respond and thrusts her sword toward their throat—
Clang!
The dark longsword deflects Qu's attack, causing her blade to merely graze the intruder's neck without inflicting harm.
Interesting.
Clang!
Qu instinctively shifts to the right, trying to reposition for another strike. However, with Sufu and Jiaxi behind her, she has to block the incoming attack instead of advancing.
The dark blade that swept past her seems oddly familiar, though she can't place why.
As the fight continues, the intruder mirrors Qu's techniques almost perfectly, but with a more sinister edge. Their attacks seem calculated to exploit Qu's instinct to protect the couple behind her, subtly aiming to strike at them with each move.
It is as if the fight isn't about winning or killing, but rather...
For pure slaughter and Joy.
Run!!
Terrified, Sufu grabs Jiaxi and they both dash to an opposite door, fleeing the scene.
Keep your eyes on me, Qu.
Qu counters another strike from the intruder, swinging her sword at a cluttered nearby table and TV, creating a distraction with dust and sparks. She seizes the moment to dive through the same door Sufu and Jiaxi escaped through.
The room<//MEMORY> they just left instantly turns into a sea of flames.
The dark figure stands illuminated by the fire, her sinister smile reflecting the flickering flames.
Why not forget the past and embrace a new life?
Escape.
Behind every door lies the same scene: identical room layouts, the same furniture, and the same "Kowloong's Magical Girl" DVD.
Escape seems futile.
Behind every door were the same intruders, the same fights, and the same flames.
Where else can you go?
You sinner.
The dark figure appears behind Qu, cold blade pressed to her throat.
Ah, so familiar.
Her cold gaze lingers menacingly as she teases Qu's stoic face.
It's been too long since I tasted such defiant memories.
Get away from me!
Qu tries to push the figure back with her sword, but the blade at her neck presses closer, the pain searing through her thoughts.
Though the pain drains her strength to resist, she still holds onto her weapon.
I won't leave, Qu.
I will "never" leave you.
Because I am you.
The blade sinks deeper into her skin, yet no vital fluid flows out. Instead, a strong hatred seeps through the wound into Qu's mind—
...I will fulfill the unfinished vision of my father.
Those who drove my father to his death will bleed for their deeds.
No... You can't...
You can't do this!
Many of them were my people, holding key positions in the Chamber.
Your people are all dead.
Now only you remain, despicable, shameless, and cunning.
If you kill me... everything... Kowloong... will spiral back into... war!
Kowloong does not fear war.
As the Monarch of Kowloong, I will end the war.
Qu!!!!!!
People of Kowloong! Hear me!
Kowloong is in the grip of an unprecedented crisis, and you have the right to know the truth—we have been betrayed.
A relentless faction within the Chamber coerced our previous leader into taking his own life.
Like evil dragons, they hoard the wealth created by our hands, blocking the progress of our era.
They only offer deceitful promises when confronted with our force.
I promise you, as your leader, I will settle scores with those who betrayed Kowloong.
They will pay dearly for their treachery and their betrayal.
The people of Kowloong never fear war!
And the war is right in front of us!
I have fulfilled my vengeance, slaying those who wronged me.
Yet, in pursuing this path, I have lost my brothers, my only family.
I spent years quelling the fires of war in Kowloong.
But as I stand atop the peak of a reunited, mighty Kowloong...
A hunger stirs deep within my soul—
War! War!
With steel and flames, we sweep aside all who dare stand in our way.
War! War!
With bullets and death, we exact retribution on all who dare betray us.
War! War!
I<//WE> will build an eternal Kowloong, a timeless citadel where our legacy resounds forever.
War! War!
I<//WE> will craft icy frontiers with the Arctic winds, forging realms of frost that endure beyond the ages.
War! War!
I<//WE> will cleanse the coastal defiance with storms born of the Atlantic, carving paths of power through the tempest.
Wars, wars, endless wars!
All emotions are woven into the very fabric of my being.
I perceive them, I sculpt them to my will.
As I obliterate the foes of Kowloong with the fury of war, as I purchase the allegiance of nations with the weight of gold—
As I shed this mortal coil for an immortal form, as I transcend the confines of flesh and bone—
As I fold the world into the grand dominion of Kowloong, as my city ascend from the soils of every celestial body within our solar grasp—
As I wield the power of life and death across the cosmos with a Dyson sphere, as the might of Kowloong's flagship eradicates all who dare oppose us—
Bow before me or face your demise!
This insatiable hunger gnaws at me still, leaving my essence hollow, a mere husk.
But now, I can feel it, that elusive jubilance.
I have wiped out the intellect of an entire galactic civilization, drained a star of all its power, and launched a Kowloong ark beyond the speed of light, sending it on an eternal and boundless journey to the farthest reaches of the universe.
When I extinguished that star, jubilance filled me.
Beneath my throne lies the graveyard of history.
A palace built of bones and lies, is my only dwelling in the empty stars.
I am compelled to ensure that both my will and Kowloong's permeate and conquer the cosmos, achieving true immortality.
Now you see.
You maniac.
To us, conquest and possession are everything.
Humanity's primal urges need a unifying, eternal force to bind them.
In that future you denied, I achieved immortality for Kowloong.
And that ship, faster than light... at the very end.
They reached the edge of the universe, but the farthest edge turned out to be just... the nearest beginning.
They came back to where it all began.
Bringing you... yes, you.
Her nails nearly pierce the cold cheek she clutches, her eyes blazing with insatiable greed and hunger.
You... you rewrote this story.
You failed.
Don't you get it? You're the one who failed.
I sought to forge an eternal Kowloong in this universe, but in the end, you rejected me, rejected our ideals.
How pitiful.
Did I really talk so much in that rejected future?
Who would have thought that me as a villain would be this garrulous?
In those... hmm, cartoons, they'd never let a villain talk this much.
Huh? What?
Suddenly, a heavy greatsword flies toward Qu.
Boom!
To evade the blade, the dark figure has no choice but to let go of Qu, who quickly takes the opportunity to break free and roll to safety.
The place where they stood is now a desolate ruin, with a uniquely crafted greatsword standing upright amidst the debris.
Dragon's Bane...
Qu kneels on the ground, supporting herself with the sword, as a stream of crimson vital fluid flows from her neck.
Lady Qu!
From behind the door, a tall man and a shorter woman peer out, their expressions filled with concern as they look at Qu.
Ahem... uh... I saw Yoyo using this thing outside, and it reminded me.
Huaxu is helping too! Hurry up, Lady Qu!
Huaxu...?
Yes, Huaxu...
The shadowy figure murmurs softly, as the dark feathers on her body begin to burn with an abyssal darkness.
I, too, was betrayed by Huaxu...
Then I will take it all back, everything...
The dark blade points toward the couple who threw the Dragon's Bane.
Run! Run now! Both of you!
To destroy, and then to recreate...
In the endlessly replicated ruins of Kowloong, she musters her last ounce of strength, spreads her wings, and plunges into the profound darkness.
Huaxu!!!
She lies beneath the library's dome, the brilliant stars above her.
Bzzzz... bzzzz...
Qu... Qu...
A familiar voice whispers in her ear.
Huaxu?
But she is weighed down by the stars, unable to move.
This unit... is expending all power... at any cost...
To protect... The Tabula Akasha...
Was the version of me just now, one of the futures you calculated?
Yes... it was... one of them...
But you dismissed her, and you never showed me that future.
...
Great job.
This is... the duty and obligation... of this unit...
Did that couple survive?
This unit has... relocated them... to a safe sector... in the Tabula Akasha...
Great job.
She gazes at the stars, but the only reflection she sees is her own.
She notices one star, burning with eternal darkness like herself, hanging in the sky and reflected in her eyes.
Can the past be rewritten with something that transcends both the speed of light and time?
Huaxu, how can humanity survive under such circumstances?
All data has been parsed, but no such method exists.
Regardless of the method, humanity will only end in destruction.
Earth has already experienced five mass extinctions. Humanity is merely just a visitor on this age-old planet.
According to the consciousness simulation, you already know the answer to this question before asking me. Why ask then?
The motion sensor has detected that you have not moved in over 20 seconds.
Huaxu, can humanity survive?
...
The future... is unknown.
That wasn't your answer before.
Variables... always...
Exist...
...
Huaxu?
"He" is coming. I can no longer protect you.
Please, end this story.
I return'd from the most holy wave.
Regenerate, if 'en as new plants renew'd with foliage new—
Pure and made apt for mounting to the "stars."
