I, the Final Boss of the Beta Server!

Chapter 130: No Matter What You Did, I Will Always Stand by Your Side

The hem of a white dress fluttered gently in the breeze, as the morning light filtered through the treetops and cast a scattered pattern of shadows.

Staring at the pale golden eyelashes rising and falling with each breath before him, Rast finally realized that the girl in front of him was using the softest skin on the inner side of her thighs to cradle the warmth of the back of his head.

“Good morning, Xiao Ai.”

Rast sat up from the soft lap pillow, greeting the blonde girl who smiled gently beneath the morning sun with a serene expression. “Long time no see… no, I guess it’s been half a day.”

“More accurately, it’s been one night.”

Emis’s voice intertwined with the distant sound of bagpipes, both melodious and lingering. “But for you, Rast, it must have felt like a very, very long time, right?”

She suddenly leaned forward, gazing seriously into Rast’s eyes.

With the movement, Emis’s pale golden hair cascaded down, with a few strands falling onto Rast’s cheek, giving a slightly ticklish sensation.

Their eyes met at a very close distance…

Moments later, Emis let out a gentle breath.

“Looks like your mental state is even better than I imagined.”

“You're no longer as self-destructive and hopeless as when we first met in Deep Blue Port, and your tendency toward self-ruin has also been suppressed. You seem much more alive now.”

Seeing the girl’s expression shift from tension to relief, Rast was slightly taken aback.

“Have I changed that obviously?”

“Mm.”

Emis gave a small nod. “You’re very good at disguising and hiding yourself, Rast. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t notice the difference.”

“But I can tell.”

“Because I’ve seen you at your most fragile—like a porcelain doll covered in cracks, on the verge of breaking, almost having lost all sense of humanity.”

“Back then, you still had a living body like a human being, still breathing and with a heartbeat… but whether it was your gaze or your words, none of it felt like a real, living human. You were more like a—”

“Machine.”

A trace of lingering fear showed in Emis’s sky-blue eyes.

“Devoid of humanity, having lost the sense of being human… like a machine forged of iron, driven only by a burning core, moving forward in ruin, following some preset program.”

“If that burning core were to extinguish, or if the preset program were interrupted, then all that would await the machine would be a gradual cooling and self-collapse.”

As if finally relieved, Emis gently patted her flat chest. “But now, you look much better, Rast.”

“Even though out of habit, you still keep that cold and indifferent expression, hiding your true feelings from others…”

“But now, I can feel something from you—something that isn’t mechanical, but human.”

She gently pressed her cherry blossom–colored lips together. “Even if it’s a little frustrating…”

“Still, is it because of Miss Shiltina?”

“Partly because of Shiltina.”

Rast sat up from the girl’s soft lap. “But there are other reasons as well.”

He and Emis sat side by side on the grassy lawn, gazing into the distance.

The mirror-like silver lake, the slowly rotating white windmill, and the quiet little town nestled at the foot of the mountain—all of it looked like a dreamlike scene straight out of a fairy tale.

“Xiao Ai, you were right.”

Rast’s voice was unusually calm. “In the world beyond Canaan… there truly are endless golden grasslands where the wind blows and the cattle and sheep can be seen as the grass bends.”

“There, I encountered many people and things I’d never seen before.”

“Now that I think about it, maybe the change in my heart began with those people and events…”

“Even if I didn’t realize it at the time myself.”

Hearing Rast’s words, Emis’s sky-blue eyes shimmered slightly.

“Then… can you tell me?”

“About the world outside of Canaan…”

“And the people and things you met there.”

“Sure.”

Rast gave a gentle nod.

“Where should I begin…”

He gazed into the distance, to the snow-covered mountaintop at the end of the mountain range.

“The snowy mountains… I’ll start with Dean Silver, then.”

“Do you still remember that Starfall University Shiltina once mentioned? Dean Silver is a professor from that academy.”

“But…”

A faint smile tugged at Rast’s lips.

“She’s actually a talking, homebody, lazy snow ferret who loves to act cute, even though she’s already several centuries old.”

…

High in the sky, the sun slowly traced its arc toward the highest point in the east.

The slanted sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting broken patches of shadow.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but in Rast’s memory, the sky over Canaan had always been a deep, endless blue… the sun bright, not a cloud in sight, never once weighed down by gloomy, overcast weather.

Rast leaned against the grass as he spoke, while the golden-haired girl sat beside him, listening.

She truly was a great listener.

Once Rast began to speak, she would assume a serious listening posture, occasionally nodding obediently and asking questions—never perfunctory.

And so, the golden-tinged, tranquil time quietly slipped away, moment by moment.

During that time, Rast spoke of many, many things.

From Ishta trying to perform a psychological evaluation on him only to be countered, to the spectacled gorilla-like professor Barbalossa.

From Starfall University on the endless golden plains, to the secretive Ritual Tower in a heavily guarded military restricted zone, where the Sword of Judgment always hung overhead.

From giving the name “Grey” to a little girl like a young beast in Frostwater Town… to everything that happened in the Paradise—the embrace under the sunset and the betrayal in the rainy night.

The mask Rast always wore wasn’t the type that would babble on and pour out emotions easily.

But in Canaan, and only in front of the blonde girl before him, he could fully remove that mask and all disguises… and speak freely from the heart.

“And after that, I chose to leave the Nightworld…”

“Only, the story within the Nightworld Remnant hasn’t ended yet.”

He looked up at the clear blue sky. “Next time I enter…”

“That will likely mark the beginning of the Shattered Coast War…”

Rast stopped speaking.

Despite how bizarre and fantastical his experiences sounded, a tale that anyone unfamiliar with the Night Travelers or the Nightworld would likely dismiss as complete fabrication—

Emis had fully immersed herself in the story, laughing with him, hurting with him.

When Rast spoke of Dean Silver, Emis’s eyes sparkled, as if she too wished to pet that talking snow ferret, to feel the fluffy touch of that snowy white fur.

But when Rast’s story reached the point where he entered the Nightworld Remnant and began executing the Paradise Project…

Emis’s attention became completely drawn in by that part of the tale.

Even though Rast’s storytelling had ended, the sky-blue eyes of Emis still held traces of longing.

“Fairy tales are fake… but is love real…”

Emis murmured softly to herself.

A dazzling light flickered in her eyes.

It was as though she had followed Rast’s story to the cliff’s edge under the setting sun, and had personally witnessed the blue-haired Queen of the Underworld proclaiming her fearless declaration.

Suddenly, Emis turned her head and looked into Rast’s eyes once more.

“But what about you, Rast?”

“Even an illusory seed can bloom into a beautiful flower—that was the answer given by the Queen of the Underworld, by Miss Akxia.”

“Then… what is your answer, Rast?”

“In your eyes, what kind of existence is Miss Akxia to you?”

Her voice was gentle and pleasant, reminding Rast of a wind chime ringing in the middle of the night.

“Is she just a classmate from Starfall University with whom you had a fleeting encounter? Or is she a scion of the Death God, who stands on the opposite side of the Shoreguards and must be eliminated?”

“Was she a sacrifice that had to be abandoned for the justice in your heart, Rast, and for a greater goal?”

“Or was she like the male and female leads in The Chronicles of the Silver Wing fairy tale—someone you must protect at all costs, even if it means forsaking your past justice and beliefs?”

The girl’s voice was soft and light, yet every word was distinct, echoing beside Rast’s ears.

Hearing Emis’s voice, which felt as though it resonated directly within his heart, Rast hesitated, unwilling to answer the question right away.

Because he feared that if his answer about Akxia failed to align with Xiao Ai’s hopes...

Then the blonde girl before him might feel disappointed.

However—

What responded to Rast’s inner uncertainty was merely a soft sensation from above.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“No matter what kind of path you choose, Rast, I won’t be disappointed, much less angry.”

A cool and gentle touch came to his cheek, prompting Rast to lift his head in mild surprise.

Emis’s pale, slender fingers rested on the side of his face, softly tracing the contours of his cheek.

“I know that right now, you too are lost and confused.”

“If you wish to save Miss Akxia from the Abyss, to change her fate as a sacrificial offering in the Gravekeepers’ ritual... then you’ll inevitably have to bear extra risk.”

Even if the narration was briefly interrupted by odd filler text, the story continued smoothly.

“It may even significantly affect the plan you’ve arranged with Leader Sisel.”

“And because of that distraction, it could even change the outcome of the upcoming Shattered Coast War.”

As though she could see right through all of Rast’s thoughts, the girl gently whispered beside his ear.

“The justice of the ‘Shoreguards’—this has been your ideal since childhood, something you were willing to sacrifice everything for.”

“It was the very belief that supported you to survive, the belief that got you through that endless loop of despair in Deep Blue Port.”

“And now, if you continue to uphold that belief, and are willing to do whatever it takes for it...”

“Then coldly and ruthlessly offering Miss Akxia as a sacrifice in exchange for great power—using that power to fight in the war that will decide the Shoreguards’ fate—that would be the choice with the least risk and the most rational logic.”

“Giving up the smaller picture for the bigger one, sacrificing one to preserve perhaps an entire civilization… that would be absolutely correct, and no one could blame you for it.”

“But that would also mean... betraying Miss Akxia.”

Emis opened her arms and gently wrapped them around his neck.

“It’s perfectly normal for you to feel confused and lost, Rast.”

“A cold machine would never hesitate.”

“Confusion, inner turmoil, and tangled pain—these are emotions unique to being human.”

Her embrace was soft and light, just like the one Rast once experienced on the cliffside outside Paradise City.

In his arms, the girl’s body was warm and supple, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood.

“So, it’s okay, Rast.”

“Whether you choose to sacrifice Miss Akxia for the justice of the Shoreguards, or take the risk and delve into the Abyss to save her...”

“I will always stand by your side and support you in everything.”

Feeling the warmth of the girl in his embrace, Rast slowly closed his eyes.

“Xiao Ai.”

As if making up his mind, he spoke softly.

“What if—I mean, just what if...”

“What if I told you... that the Canaan we live in, this entire world, is fake?”

“Like a story from a fairy tale, or like the Nightworld I once told you about... everything we’re experiencing and all the scenery we’re seeing is built on illusion—echoes and reflections of the past.”

“Even you, Xiao Ai, are nothing more than a fictional character invented by a fairy tale writer, an NPC in a virtual game, not someone who truly exists in the real world.”

“All of this is a lie, beautiful and dreamlike like morning dew on tree leaves... but the moment sunlight touches it, it will vanish into nothing.”

“If that’s the case, what would you think?”

This was something Rast had long suspected.

Whether it was the concept of “Echoes of the Past” in the Nightworld, or the entire past he had seen of the Shoreguards and Grey in the historical remnants of the Sixth Era...

Or the “Canaan Files” he had witnessed firsthand in the Ritual Tower of the real world.

All of it pointed to a single, chilling truth.

He could not bury his head in the sand and run from it, nor did he want to.

“If both I and Canaan are fake...”

“If I’m just a fictional character in a book, an NPC in a made-up game...”

Listening to Rast’s words, a flicker of contemplation shone in Emis’s sky-blue eyes.

There were no secrets between Rast and her.

So even the word “NPC,” which was outside the understanding of this world’s era, could be completely grasped by Emis.

Yet just as a nervousness crept into Rast’s heart, as he worried she might react like a character in those old science fiction novels—where a synthetic soul collapses upon learning it is not human...

He heard a crisp, bell-like laugh ring out beside his ear.

“If that’s the case, then I’d probably feel... grateful.”

On her snow-white, delicate face was a serious expression.

“Grateful that someone created such a world, even if it’s fake, just so I could meet you, Rast...”

“So I could be there during your most painful, most hopeless times, so you wouldn’t fall into the abyss of self-destruction.”

Emis looked into Rast’s eyes.

“I think—”

“That’s the greatest blessing of my entire life.”

…

“So that’s how it is?”

Hearing the girl’s answer beside his ear, Rast opened his eyes.

Above the azure sky, white clouds quietly drifted with the breeze.

In that moment, there was no longer even a trace of hesitation or confusion in his gaze.

“To be honest, I do have some feelings for Akxia...”

“Maybe those feelings come from her knowing who I am and where I come from, yet still throwing herself into a pursuit of a fleeting, illusory love.”

“But if you ask me whether I was moved, or madly in love... I wouldn’t really say that.”

Rast smiled and shook his head, finally answering the question Emis had asked at the beginning.

“But—”

“I still have to bring her back from the Abyss.”

If the fairy tale in Paradise’s royal city and all the emotions born from it were fake—

Then what about Canaan?

If Canaan and Xiao Ai were just another fairy tale?

All the clues and information hinted at numerous doubts about Canaan’s existence itself.

If one day, the illusion of Canaan collapsed—

Then… having already denied everything that happened in Paradise, and all the emotions tied to Akxia—how would he face yet another broken illusion?

This wasn’t just about saving the Queen of the Underworld.

It was also—

To save Rast himself.

“Looks like...”

“Rast, you’ve already made your choice.”

In the gentle breeze, Emis’s voice drifted softly.

She lifted the bagpipe in her hands and brought it to her cherry-colored lips.

The next moment, a lilting melody began to soar into the air, echoing across the entire hillside.

Rast was immersed in the flowing tune, and his consciousness slowly drifted away with it.

Away from Canaan, away from the Nightworld...

Toward the real world.