"Previously, I was afraid that that crazy woman would chase my roots with her sword at all costs. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to grow up until now."
"Ah..." Li Mo opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He could only babble like a mute.
"I know what you want to say. Unfortunately, even if I tell you, you probably won't understand, and even if you understand, you won't necessarily accept it."
Kallen stood up and walked into the distance. Before she left, she snapped her fingers lightly, and a huge cocoon fell from the sky.
Li Mo's eyes widened in an instant. He turned over, and the remaining half of his body desperately crawled forward.
"The person you heard calling you just now wasn't an illusion, but that was a cry for help she sent out a few hours ago."
"In a sense, I should thank her. If she hadn't stepped into this dead land, you would never have stepped into this supernatural event. Even if you had, you wouldn't have risked getting off the bus. The sword in your hand would have allowed you to get off the bus safely, but you need to find someone, don't you?"
Kallen walked to the cocoon and looked at the unconscious Rin, smiling as she spoke.
"To thank her, I spared her life and hid her. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have been able to see her last."
"By the way, you seem to think that the file was sent to you by that woman. Actually, I prepared it for you. I have some connections in the higher-ups. It's a simple matter to entrust them to deliver some confidential documents to you."
Kallen's voice was very calm, as if she were talking about something very common.
In fact, these things were very common for normal people, but for the "Kallen Kaslana" who abhorred evil, she would never accept it.
The righteous "Kallen Kaslana" never stooped to using such tricks.
"Actually, I originally wanted to invite you to... 'save' this world with me, just like... back then."
Kallen's smile gradually disappeared, replaced by an extremely solemn and mournful expression.
She lowered her head, and her azure eyes seemed to reflect a scene from the past.
It was a spring morning. Her father, Francis, had brought back a boy covered in wounds. Out of curiosity, she had secretly climbed into the boy's room at night and learned the story behind the scars on his body.
At night, the gentle breeze rustled, lightly tapping on the doors and windows.
Inside the room, the two of them communicated like a raging fire, telling each other their pasts.
It was also at that time that she understood how Li Mo had gotten the scars on his body.
At the age of thirteen, he had been injured while protecting civilians from the Honkai beasts. He had saved civilians who were dozens of years older than him from the siege of several adult Honkai beasts. This was the hero she admired the most!
In comparison, she had not done anything practical yet, only blindly learning martial arts and knowledge...
Kallen was deeply attracted by his noble personality.
Three years later.
The two, also sixteen years old, joined the Schicksal Valkyrie forces, stood on the front line of resistance against the Honkai, and repeatedly saved teammates who were unable to move under the claws of the Honkai beasts.
Li Mo's combat ability far surpassed that of the Valkyries of the same age. Although he had no special bloodline, he was more familiar with combat than anyone else.
His body had developed an instinct for resistance, and the unsightly faded stigmata on his back bore witness to Li Mo's illustrious military achievements.
But due to his origins, the outside world did not recognize this achievement. Most of Li Mo's achievements were divided up by the connections of the church inserted into the Valkyrie forces.
She had also tried to refute these unjust acts, but the power of the church was too strong for one person to overthrow. In addition, her father, Francis, had died in battle a few years ago, which had caused the influence of the Kaslana family to wane. They were choked by the neck by the nobles on the crucial economic level and could only choose to compromise.
Despite this, Li Mo still did not change his original intention and fought to protect the civilians, carrying out the teachings of the Kaslana family.
Whether it was out of free will, or out of repaying Francis for saving his life, she did not know.
She just stood behind him, silently watching Li Mo's advancing figure, constantly chasing his brilliance.
Schicksal's eastern expedition failed. The church issued "indulgences" to exploit the common people. The priests of Schicksal snatched away the wives and daughters of the common people on the streets, abused their power to imprison those who did not obey and tried to resist, and tortured them into confessing, trampling on their self-respect.
She began to doubt the justice of Schicksal, and used a simple and unadorned method: robbing the rich to help the poor, to carry out the justice in her heart.
But the turning point of fate suddenly came. Li Mo betrayed the Kaslana family, joined the Apocalypse family, and was given a name by the head of the Apocalypse family, Nicholas—
[Otto Apocalypse].
Li Mo's betrayal caused the influence of the already weak Kaslana family to plummet, and they gradually became a tool of the church and the Apocalypse family.
Therefore, she broke with Li Mo and walked on two completely opposite paths.
At that time, the naive her thought that she could change this ignorant era with her own strength.
She took the black box and fled from Schicksal, going to Shenzhou to seek the help of the immortals.
On the way to escape, she had helped many people, most of whom were commoners fleeing from Europe. For this, the reputation of the righteous phantom thief, Yoru no Yari, became more and more prominent, and her fame spread to Vienna and the headquarters of Schicksal.
That was her proudest time, enjoying the satisfaction that the reputation of a good person brought her.
Until the day she returned, she returned to Schicksal and stood on the trial platform in the center of the city, looking at the dead boy on the execution platform.
A priest of Schicksal shouted, "The sinner Otto Apocalypse, stole Schicksal's secret black box, which led to the spread of the Black Death, insulted the nobility, assassinated the head of Schicksal and the head of the Apocalypse family, plundered the private property of the nobility, and sent slaves away from Europe, among many other crimes..."
Lies and truths were mixed together.
The Black Death was not caused by the black box. On the contrary, the black box was a greater crisis. Schicksal wanted to seize the power within it. In order not to let the tragedy repeat itself in the devastated Europe, she had stolen the black box alone and fled from Vienna...
The words and pictures that insulted the nobility were written by her and sent to the major slums, hoping to make more people stand up...
Taking away the slaves was also her masterpiece...
Assassinating the head of Schicksal? Why? With his high status, why would the designated heir of the Apocalypse family, Nicholas, assassinate Nicholas and the head of Schicksal?
"..."
Kallen could no longer hear the words that followed.
Until—
when the people she had helped came on stage to accuse the dead boy, something in her heart shattered in an instant.
The justice she had upheld had become a blade that stabbed into her family's heart.
The "righteous phantom thief," the "world-saving saintess"...
Hmph, how ironic...
So for so many years, the people she had protected were actually like this.
She was willing to fight for justice for the common people, to fight to the death.
But when people like her needed justice, when they needed righteousness, everyone lowered their heads, as if they could be blameless if they didn't see.
Yes, people feared death. She understood...
But was it right that his and her deaths could be treated as if nothing had happened?
Why?
Why!
Kallen shook her head, pulling her thoughts away from the memories of the past. She said to the dying Li Mo on the ground:
"Do you know why 'Impostors,' no matter how well they imitate, will still reveal their flaws even after living in human society for several years? Because I let them refuse 'unjust and unfair' practices, even though that would expose themselves."
Kallen said in a deep voice.
"Any person or organization in the world wants to get the greatest return with the least effort. For war, everyone's choice is to stay out of it. But Impostors are different. They will take the initiative to provide assistance and resist the party that starts the war, regardless of interests, gains, or losses."
"I know, this practice is very stupid, and more often than not, it will only put oneself in a difficult position. But... what if everyone in the world is like this?"
Kallen suddenly laughed, her eyes filled with fanaticism.
"That will be a brand new world. There will be no more bullying. All 'people' will have a high moral standard. Even laws will not be needed. The world can be maintained normally just by the common moral and conscience of human society."
"Humanity will be united, without any distinction. No more scheming, no more deceit. Everyone will communicate purely and live purely, without a single evil thought. Such a world... is the world of absolute justice."
The rich will take the initiative to help the poor, the strong will take care of the weak, and desperate and difficult diseases will be solved by people who spend their hearts and minds, and they will not have to worry about their lives falling into a predicament.
Because everyone has a high moral standard, and they will take into account their contributions, and will take the initiative to give them money, goods, and spiritual returns.
That is... what justice should be like...
Even if... those are not humans.
But what does it matter? Only the victor can write history. At that time, it will only be a matter of changing the definition of "human" a little.
"..."
"..."
All sacrifices have a price. She had already abandoned even herself. Otherwise, with the noble personality of "Kallen Kaslana," she would never have been able to do these things.
Is she still Kallen now? Perhaps she is.
Is she really? Probably not.
So what if she isn't? As long as she can achieve the final result, the process is meaningless. The result of victory can always embellish the process to be tragic and epic.
So it doesn't matter what means are used, or how much has been paid. The result will justify the process.
For example, in order to "save" this world from the root, she had abandoned her free will, and her obsession had condensed into a bizarre rule. She had traveled through the past, present, and future, looking for the most suitable opportunity to completely change the world.
In a sense, she was Kallen disguised as "Kallen Kaslana."
"Nothing is important."
"What's important is that the tragedy of the future will not happen again. And I..."
Kallen smiled lightly, turned and left, leaving the dying Li Mo and the cocoon-bound Rin behind.
She walked to the bizarre station and waited quietly, her eyes without light. With the method of getting on the bus that she had exchanged for twenty-seven deaths, she entered the ghost bus again.
And with the experience of thirteen deaths, she chose to sit in the second to last row. When the ghost bus drove to the station connected to reality, she took the initiative to respond to the driver's call, got off, and returned to reality.
Kallen walked into a coffin shop and began to choose with a calm expression.
When the shop owner saw that it was a young girl, he walked over and asked with concern, "Classmate, are you alone?"
Kallen glanced at the other party, perfunctorily "hmm'd," and then pointed to the black coffin in the center of the shop and said, "I want that coffin. Deliver it to the place I specify within today."
"This... I'm afraid that's not possible. This coffin was passed down from my ancestors. It's only for viewing, not for sale. I have a similar coffin here. It's no different in size, material, or appearance. A brand new one is better, isn't it?"
The shop owner explained patiently.
Kallen did not answer, but silently walked to the side of the black coffin.
The black coffin was ancient and heavy. Every inch had been eroded by time and was blurry. The coffin was carved with complex runes and patterns, like ancient curses, and like twisted faces, faintly visible in the darkness, whispering...
In the hot summer, there was a different kind of cold near the black coffin. This coldness came not only from the physical temperature, but also from the gloomy and bizarre aura that the black coffin exuded.
Kallen suddenly said to the shop owner, "Can you [please] turn around?"
The inexplicable request made the shop owner feel puzzled, but he looked at the slender Kallen and thought that it was just a matter of turning around. Could the other party really lift the black coffin away?
So he readily agreed and immediately turned around.
The request was granted, and the soul imprint of the Impostor appeared...
The moment the shop owner turned around, Kallen closed her eyes and began to read the other party's memory.
There were no valuable episodes in her personal life. Kallen focused on reading the memories about the black coffin.
The shop owner had not lied. This black coffin was indeed passed down from his ancestors, but it was not obtained by his ancestors, but a gift from a mysterious person.
As for that person, there was not a single clue. No information record was left, including the name.
Kallen was very confused. Her memory could even extend to a time millions of years ago in this civilization, but so far, she had never heard of such a person.
"This world is very unfair. The strong have absolute dominance over the weak."
"But I'm different. I believe in justice and righteousness."
"...I'll take this coffin. Consider it buying your life."
Kallen placed her hand on the glass plate. In an instant, both the person and the coffin disappeared from the shop, leaving the shop owner looking at the empty glass display case, his eyes dumbfounded.
What happened? Where's the person? Where's the coffin?
No, did she want to kill me just now?
The shop owner belatedly collapsed on the ground. He pinched his face hard. The pain made him very sure that this was reality.
But... it was too absurd. A living person disappearing with a coffin...
On the other side, Kallen found a deserted hill, dug a pit, and threw the black coffin in.
She had originally planned to be buried at sea. Now with the black coffin, it was much safer.
"The moment Li Mo dies, the future will be changed. Similarly, the future me will also change, and there will be no situation of becoming a Bizarre. But now, it is a fact that I have become a Bizarre, immortal, and unchangeable."
"So, the moment the future is changed, my consciousness will disappear completely, without any residue. Kallen Kaslana will die, and the Impostor Kallen will inherit all the memories and continue forever."