After Tonomachi Hiroto and Koushi "tearfully" left the bags of ingredients they had hoped would earn them a delicious dinner at Shido's doorstep, the two looked at each other in silence, only sighing.
"Sigh, it seems tonight's free meal plan is completely ruined."
Hiroto slumped his shoulders, looking utterly despondent.
"Shido must be out with that 'Princess' until very late."
"No choice, our 'good brother' is at a critical moment in his life, after all."
Koushi patted Hiroto's back, his tone carrying a hint of playful "sadness."
"Prioritizing romance over friendship, this is the naked truth. Let's just fend for ourselves tonight, everyone disperse."
Although it was all according to plan, not getting the meal felt a bit like a loss.
With a forlorn, "abandoned" look, the two parted ways in the afterglow of the sunset, carrying the "desolation of single dogs."
After turning a few corners, the disappointment on Koushi's face instantly vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor that suggested everything was under control.
He pinpointed a direction and then stealthily made his way towards the city's edge, to the developing plateau.
As he expected, it was even more secluded here than the park. The noisy construction machinery of the day now lay like sleeping steel beasts, quietly hunkered down in the deepening twilight.
Piles of discarded construction materials formed strange shadows, and the unkempt land lay exposed, possessing a desolate beauty. The air was filled with the scent of dust and wild grass, a stark contrast to the distant city lights, as if they were two different worlds.
This was the place.
According to the "script," this would be where Shido heroically saves the beauty, and also where he first faces a mortal threat.
Koushi found a spot with good visibility that also offered perfect concealment. Leaning against an unfinished section of concrete pipe, he waited patiently like a hunter for the protagonists to appear.
He completely reined in his aura, the power of the heavenly judgment core suppressed deep within his body, as if he had merged with the surrounding shadows.
The AST sniper, I remember, was Tobiichi Origami. In order to "protect" Shido from being "harmed" by the Spirit, she ended up delivering the fatal blow herself... how ironic.
However, based on that "greasy" warning I deliberately left for Shido last time, those people from Fraxinus probably really think I'm like a perverted stalker, constantly watching Shido, right?
Then this time I need to break that impression. Shido was shot and almost died, and I didn't appear. Instead, it was Tohka's rampaging Spirit Wave that attracted me.
Thinking this, Koushi's lips curved into a cold arc.
Then, the subsequent development would be logical—
When Shido, in order to protect Tohka, selflessly pushed her away, but was himself struck by a sniper bullet from the AST, falling into a pool of blood...
Tohka, witnessing all of this, her immense anger and sorrow would cause the Spirit Power within her body to completely go berserk. That soaring Spirit Wave would be the perfect signal for my appearance!
He had already rehearsed the upcoming scene in his mind:
She would appear like a ghost from the shadows at the peak of Tohka's Spirit Power eruption, the Herrscher of Heavenly Judgment's form carrying suppressed rage and... "sorrow"?
She would first look at the out-of-control, despairing Tohka, and say in a somber, mission-driven tone: "Do you see? Tohka! This is humanity's 'protection'! This is how they treat outsiders! They can't protect anything at all!" Then, her gaze would "happen" to fall on Shido, lying motionless, his chest stained crimson.
In that moment, what kind of expression would she wear? Unbelievable shock? A momentary daze from having all strength drained? Or... a numb despair, as if a lover had passed away and all hope was lost?
No, she needed to feign a momentary loss of composure, an expression of disbelief.
She would stagger to Shido's "corpse," slowly squat down, reach out a hand, but then hesitate to touch him.
She would lift those golden eyes, their previous arrogance and aloofness completely shattered, replaced by a bottomless sadness, emptiness, and... a hint of madness igniting, a complete disillusionment with this world and a resolute determination.
The lines... the lines must be concise and impactful!
For example, in a calm tone, as if having lost everything and her heart turned to ash, she would speak to the berserk Tohka, and also to Fraxinus, who might be monitoring, and the AST, who would soon arrive.
"Heh... Is this the answer you humans give?"
"Guardianship? Understanding? It turns out... it was all just empty talk after all."
"Since the world he cherished cannot tolerate him... then, the right or wrong of this world, to me, is meaningless."
"Tohka, come with me. This world does not deserve him, nor does it deserve us."
Yes, that feeling! Shido is dead, right or wrong, I have no desire to explain... The End has come!
Koushi almost applauded his own "acting."
He seemed to already see Tobiichi Origami's pupils suddenly contract behind the sniper scope, seeing her instantly collapsing Dao heart as she realized she had personally "killed" the person she wanted to protect.
And the expressions of all AST members witnessing this scene, a mixture of fear, shock, and incomprehension.
And even more, to put pressure on those divine beings from Fraxinus!
Let them see with their own eyes how a Spirit who might have once had room for negotiation...
Was tricked by their terrible operations into becoming a "monster" that existed purely for revenge, to save Spirits, and to oppose the world, without any further scruples!
(This is like Zhu Yuanzhang losing Empress Ma, Lieyang losing Fushi, Kevin losing MEI! The darkening of a strong person who loses their beloved, this is an evergreen, classic storyline!)
(Ah, that one who screams about autumn, let's just skip him. But this should be enough to give those guys from Fraxinus a headache and make them reflect for a good while!)
As for Shido...
Koushi thought without any burden.
Anyway, Shido is very tough; with Kotori's Spirit Power in his body, he's like an unkillable cockroach, able to self-heal.
Let him lie on the ground for a bit longer, bleed a little, and experience the fear of death; it will also be good for his future growth, so he doesn't always act indecisive.
Just let him lie there for a while, it will perfectly complement my performance, and he can also experience the price of "heroically saving the beauty," teaching him a lesson for the future, so he doesn't always test the dangerous edges.
And I only need to play the tragic role of someone heartbroken by the fall of their "beloved," utterly disillusioned with this world, and attempting to "save" another compatriot.
It can both strengthen the legitimacy of Anti-Entropy and deliver a heavy psychological blow to Fraxinus, while also allowing me to observe Tohka's berserk state... killing three birds with one stone, perfect!
Twilight deepened, and the wind on the plateau carried a chill. Koushi waited quietly, like a director who had already written the script, waiting for the actors to take their positions, and for the gunshot that was destined to pierce the night sky.
The afterglow of the sunset painted the plateau in warm gold, but the air was already beginning to fill with a hint of tension, like a storm brewing.
Koushi collected himself, sinking his consciousness inward, and began to adjust the state of the heavenly judgment core, ensuring he could instantly switch to that majestic yet sorrowful Herrscher of Heavenly Judgment form when needed.
He was like a patient hunter, waiting for the critical moment when the "male lead" would be shot and fall, and the "female lead" would go berserk.
Then, she would make a grand entrance as the tragic character who had "lost her love," delivering the most shocking improvised performance for this drama woven from misunderstanding, jealousy, and fate.
He seemed to already see what would soon unfold here—blood, tears, rampaging Spirit Power, despairing gazes, and his carefully prepared, utterly convincing... Oscar-worthy performance.
This stage play of "love and death," orchestrated by him, was about to begin. And he would be the most heartbreaking, and also the most terrifying, "protagonist" on that stage.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"