From the moment he saw Leon, although there were slight differences in appearance, Luocha's expression—which had remained unchanged even if mountains collapsed before him—finally showed emotion.
"It's you…"
"Things have changed with the passage of time. Let's not mention the past."
"Back then, right and wrong aside, I owe you a sincere thank you. Thank you for everything you did."
Seeing Luocha's serious expression, Jing Yuan was surprised and couldn't help feeling curious.
Leon's years of existence seemed even longer than he had imagined…
"Forget it. In the end, both Vanilla and Safina still betrayed their former faith."
Leon smiled noncommittally.
"Whether I took action or not didn't matter much."
Luocha was stunned for a moment, then said seriously: "At least the meaning represented by the outcome was different. Your efforts were not meaningless."
"Perhaps."
Leon gave Jing Yuan a look that said "you guys continue, it has nothing to do with me."
He had forgotten exactly how long ago it was when he visited that world.
That world was guarded by the Church of Purity Palace, which had fought against demons that harmed humanity for generations.
Unfortunately, the overall strength of the demons far exceeded that of the Church.
The Church feared the demons yet craved their power, so they captured a young demon.
—That is, Safina.
Safina was trained to become the knight of the Saintess Vanilla, protecting her at all times.
Then one day, Yaoshi descended.
THEY scattered wheat ears across that world and bestowed blessings.
The Church gained the power to punish demons, but they also contracted and spread a maddening disease that caused them to lose their humanity.
The iron law of the galaxy: what you gain, you must lose.
This was the price they had to pay.
The knights tormented by the madness could no longer distinguish etiquette from order. They clamored to expel all descendants of demons so the Church could receive salvation.
Little did they know they had already become existences that threatened the Saintess even more than the demons themselves.
The Church fell into chaos, and the world's order completely collapsed.
Or rather, it had already collapsed from the moment they captured the demon and used the demon's power.
Leon did not think that world needed salvation.
He simply left behind the direction he hoped for the future of those who were truly pitiful.
Thus, Luocha embarked on a path of no return.
Knight Safina massacred the Pope, protected the Saintess, and prevented the madness contracted by the Pope's knights from spreading.
From then on, the Saintess became a witch, and the knight returned to being a demon.
Recalling a single grain in the boundless sea of memories, a hint of nostalgia flashed in Leon's eyes.
He silently walked to the edge, leaned against the wall, and stood with his arms crossed.
Blade had been staring at Leon the whole time, as if pondering whether to attack again and drive him away.
Recalling the script content related to him from Elio in the past, Blade ultimately dismissed the idea and instead looked toward Jing Yuan.
"You really have changed, Jing Yuan."
"The you of today would actually admit that you are one move short."
Jing Yuan: "Who hasn't had their young and frivolous moments?"
Blade: "Hmph."
Jing Yuan: "Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon… Oh, right on schedule."
He slightly tilted his head and looked toward the coastline at the end of his sight.
There, several figures were walking over.
As they got closer, it was the strange trio consisting of Jingliu, Yanqing, and Dan Heng.
Upon arriving at the Dragonvista Rain Hall, Jingliu swept her gaze across everyone, lingering for a moment on different people.
Blade, Jing Yuan, Leon… and finally Luocha.
Luocha exchanged glances with her and nodded slightly.
"Take this man away first. The following matters have nothing to do with him."
Jing Yuan did not say anything more about this.
"Yanqing."
"Yes, General."
Yanqing understood and led the Cloud Knights to escort Luocha away first.
"Seems there's still one irrelevant person?"
Blade still wore a gloomy expression, looking at everyone as if they owed him several lives.
Although the other party was not looking at him, Leon naturally knew who Blade was referring to.
From the perspective of past events, that person was indeed irrelevant.
But from the perspective of the present world, sorry.
"You are mistaken. Ensuring the safety of companions is the top creed of Nameless."
"If I don't stay here, who knows if someone will suddenly get a craving for taro and start going crazy toward Dan Heng."
Leon spoke leisurely. While his words were not very pleasant, his hands were not idle either.
He took out a melon grown in Owak and imported via the Echo of Fire Merchant Guild, bit into it, and ate with relish.
That open and obvious stance and intention made the corner of Blade's eye twitch.
…Meddlesome guy.
Blade's sinister gaze turned toward Dan Heng, seemingly very dissatisfied that the other could still enjoy companionship.
Dan Heng sighed helplessly, yet a trace of warmth surged in his heart.
Jingliu did not mind Leon staying here.
She took a few steps forward, stood in the center of the three, and gently parted her lips.
"…With this, everyone is here. I didn't expect that after hundreds of years apart, the Five Heroes of the Cloud could gather once again."
Jingliu looked toward the statue of the High Elder, her tone rarely nostalgic.
"If my memory serves me right, seven hundred years ago, the five of us made a promise right here—"
"No matter how far the journey, we would gather here to share a drink. Unfortunately, the waters of Scalegorge hang empty, and worldly affairs turn like reeds in the wind."
"Of the five of us, some have been reborn in the world, some seek death but cannot attain it…"
"Some have become criminal prisoners, while others… can no longer keep the appointment, and the friendship between us has completely vanished."
The smile had long disappeared from Jing Yuan's face. Listening to his master's words, he remained silent.
Jingliu: "Soon I will be shackled and stand trial. This parting may be farewell forever."
"So before I leave, I issued an invitation, inviting everyone to bid farewell at this place where we first gathered."
"Of five people, three must pay a price."
Her gaze fell on Dan Heng.
"The chief culprit, Imbibitor Lunae, arbitrarily used the marvelous dragon transformation method to bring back fallen comrades to life, altering their forms and causing great disaster, thus disgracing the honor of warriors."
Next was Blade.
"The accomplice, Yingxing, touched the flesh and blood of Abundance's divine emissary, assisting Imbibitor Lunae in his folly, ultimately falling into an undying evil being."
Finally, Jingliu lowered her head.
"And the sinner Jingliu, who fell into demonic depths, murdered comrades, and betrayed alliances… We all must pay the price."
"But… not today."
"Dan Heng, you will never be able to escape Imbibitor Lunae. He is your starting point. The sins committed by Imbibitor Lunae will accompany your future path like a shadow, following you until your extinction."
"Blade… is a good name. Yet in your endless remaining life, you can only wander between killing and being killed, seeking your own burial place."
"Lastly, it is me, who will face the Alliance's judgment and bear eternal punishment. After this… even more tragic costs await me."
"Only in this way will the pains that should be remembered… not fade away."
"The Five Heroes of the Cloud bid farewell here. In the future, let us become a page in the history of the Xianzhou."
Jing Yuan stood opposite the three, his long bangs covering his eyes, still saying nothing.
Suddenly, several objects cut through the air, bringing strong winds toward the four people.
Jing Yuan casually caught them and was stunned to see they were jars of wine. He looked toward the melon-eating man at the edge of the hall.
"Enjoying alone is not as good as enjoying together. Eating alone is not good behavior. I can't treat you to melons, but I can treat you to wine."
Leon finished eating the melon in his hand and grinned.
"The atmosphere has reached this point. Even if a fight is about to break out, it probably needs wine to add to the excitement."