Time passed, and Xue Dili found that changes were occurring in his consciousness space.
There were 14 hours and 52 minutes left on the countdown, but in his consciousness space, a set of sacred armor unexpectedly appeared.
The armor covered the entire body, with a translucent holy light behind it, vaguely forming wing-like shapes, seeming like angelic armor, which could even be called "Birdman Armor."
Reaching out to touch the armor, Xue Dili could still sense the aura of the old undead, but it was just a pure set of armor without any consciousness or soul attached to it.
"Old thing, even in the end, were you still thinking of helping me?" Stroking the armor, Xue Dili felt each piece of armor was close to him, as if he could control them at will.
In front of the bathroom mirror, Xue Dili made a motion as if slapping his belt and dramatically shouted, "Henshin!"
A flash of light instantly covered him, and the set of Birdman Armor was immediately draped over him.
It fit perfectly, without any discomfort or sense of weight, just like an extension of his skin.
After the armor disappeared, a gem appeared in Xue Dili's palm.
Just as Xue Dili was puzzled, the next moment, he was forcibly placed in his consciousness space, and a noble female figure appeared over the gem.
That figure looked very much like the Female Pope, but Xue Dili immediately realized they were not the same person at all; the phantom that appeared was nobler and more... divine.
"Hello, traveler of the Otherworld. You may call me World Consciousness, or the Biological Consciousness Cluster. Thank you for everything you've done for this world. This is just a sliver of my manifestation. To show my gratitude, I can help you fulfill a wish within my capabilities."
"A wish?" Xue Dili scratched his head.
He seemed to have no particular wishes. In terms of strength, he was confident that with his training, he could reach the Legendary Level, and he had no real regrets.
"Wait a minute, how's the old man now?" Xue Dili asked.
"He has become a Heroic Spirit, a Guardian of the world, and has merged with it," the Otherworld consciousness replied.
"Then can he return to the Empire? That big mess there needs to be cleaned up," Xue Dili muttered.
On the gem, the phantom resembling the Female Pope shook her head.
"Then let the old man appear normally in the Empire. Let him live another life," Xue Dili said, not caring about using this wishing opportunity.
To his surprise, even such a wish made the Female Pope-like phantom shake her head: "Barak has already become the Guardian of the world. He is prohibited from entering history... this wish, I cannot fulfill."
"Useless," Xue Dili cursed.
Otherworld Consciousness: "..."
It seemed that this world consciousness was really weak if it couldn't even fulfill such a simple wish. Even if he wished to become stronger, reaching Quasi-Legendary Level would be something to be thankful for.
However, the Female Pope-like phantom thought for a moment: "Although Barak is not allowed to re-enter history, I can secretly open a back door, allowing part of his consciousness to attach to a sword and appear in the Empire. Such a loophole can be used."
"Like this? That works, I guess," Xue Dili said, figuring this useless world consciousness was probably like the Holy Grail, unlikely to fulfill grand wishes.
"Then, the contract is made!"
The light of the gem gradually faded away, leaving behind a glass-like object that Xue Dili casually placed in his consciousness space.
On the other side, the Birdman Armor emitted a faint glow.
"Goodbye, old thing. I hope we both have a wonderful tomorrow," Xue Dili smiled, perhaps this was the best ending.
Back in his home, Xue Dili took a photo of the Birdman Armor, then set up a shrine, placing it at the center.
The old thing ascended, making him somewhat of a god, albeit an Otherworldly one, but he was still placed here by Xue Dili.
No matter how effective it was, a little belief couldn't hurt.
Three incense sticks were placed in front of the shrine of the Birdman Armor. He thought of Old Barak, who still thought of Da Gu until the end.
With a few days left before school started, he could try attending "Da Gu's" concert and bring back an autograph for the old thing.
This was his way of fulfilling the old man's last wish.
"Nagano Hiroshi's upcoming concert, is it on August 19?" Xue Dili searched and found that there was still time.
He had to immediately apply to go abroad...
...
Otherworld, Imperial Calendar Year 138.
On this day, the Church Court, together with the Otherworld's Hero, killed the Witch Demon King at the peak of the Holy Mountain.
On this day, countless people witnessed the Holy Mountain God's roar, saw a meteor fall from the sky into the Holy Mountain, and thus, the Witch Demon King perished, the Undead Army turning into non-threatening monsters.
Countless people wept with joy, filling the streets of the Empire with jubilant crowds.
The Church Court missionaries produced a new doctrine, titled "New Testament," which tells the story of the Otherworld Hero burning his life to kill the Witch Demon King.
In the Empire's central square, they erected a statue of the Hero, and countless survivors sang and danced beneath it. The minstrels vividly recounted the tale of the Hero vs. Demon King, as if they were firsthand witnesses.
Below the statue, a line was written, not in Imperial Language, but in Chinese:
"In honor of the Otherworld's Hero – Xue Dili"
The minstrels wrote songs to commemorate the Hero, their melodies floating in the skies of the Empire, and as the Holy Knights gradually reclaimed lost human territories, the songs spread afar.
The Hero's gratitude was not fully repaid, so it will be remembered forever.
The original Empire might indeed have been a cesspool, but it would slowly improve, at least becoming marginally better than before.
Because he had once been there.
...
"Your Holiness, are you really going to step down and leave?" Countless nuns and priests looked at Female Pope Alola.
Yet at this moment, this former Pope took off her noble robe, put on the lightweight clothes of adventurers, carried a pack, and shouldered a sword, ready to depart.
"I have already stepped down, as in the doctrine, 'widows' are not allowed to become Popes, and I am now a widow," the Female Pope smiled, tidying the last of her belongings, as she left the Church Court where she had lived for decades.
"Alola... are we still going to find Xue?" A voice came from the plain, ordinary short sword on her back.
"Yes, after all, I'm now a widow, and I need to demand an explanation from my former husband," Alola joked, leaving the Imperial Capital.
The world is so vast, and humanity still doesn't know how the Witch Demon King appeared. In the relics scattered everywhere, or in ancient civilizations and magic, perhaps a way to connect to the Otherworld can be found.
"Did you really fall in love with him?" the old undead asked.
"Perhaps. In this lifetime, I haven't met anyone else who could move me," Alola said, brushing her hair from her ear, moving toward the sunset.
"Besides, it's quite normal for a young widow to want to remarry, isn't it?" Alola playfully smiled in front of her grandfather.
Thus, the young widow and her sword grandfather embarked on an adventure across this land, intending to find a magic connection to the Otherworld and attempt to establish a link with it.
Sometime in the future, we will reunite.