Ao had never abused the creator’s grace the way other Divine Spirits did. All He received was a starting point; every shred of purifying power He now wielded came from millennia of continuous learning and mastery, and the depth of His bond with His followers in the material world was unmatched among all Divine Spirits.

He rose and fell as one with the Kalem Dragon Descendant.

Thus, even with His godhood stripped away, this Star Realm Dragon could still, by faith alone, instantly condense an even stronger Divine Fire—and even His Divine Kingdom Lanyuntian was not founded upon that artificial godhood.

He had never once unfolded the domain of that artificial godhood; that unbreakable wall standing in the Subspace was something the Eastern Holy Spirit had propped up by His own purifying power.

Yes—only when power returns to the self can He be invincible upon the Subspace Battlefield!

He is the only deity I truly respect.

While the other deities were lost in playing at being Divine Spirits, only He kept walking the path in search of true godhood. And now He is but a single step from the end; I dare to assert that one day He will voluntarily abandon this boon from the creator and truly set foot upon the path that belongs to Him alone.

That is my goal as well.

In this life of mine, I bow to no tyranny, shun all shortcuts, reject false virtue, and do not fear annihilation!

I will never become another Sulguk, and you can forget about tempting me with that dog leash that reeks of power!"

At this point, Vam stopped, then reverted to that brutish, raging posture of his, barking harshly:

"I’m already about to hit my limit here. After all, my Divine Kingdom already got blown to hell by this pack of Subspace dumbasses. I’m going to unleash a wrath that shakes the heavens, but at most I can buy you a hundred and twenty breaths. And one more thing! A whole lot of Chaos Shadows are coveting that godhood. Once you take it, it means you’ll never know another day of peace."

"And you think my life is good right now?"

Murphy shot back:

"If I pretend I never saw that thing, you really think the Chaos Shadows will just let me go? Don’t be stupid, Vam. Compared to their war with you lot, mine with them is the real ’until one of us is dead’."

"Not bad, not bad, there’s some backbone in those words. Then let’s do this. I’ll hold the front, you grab the thing and get the hell out! No dawdling."

Vam roared:

"Now, move!"

"Go! I’ve reached an agreement with The Fury—He’ll buy us enough time."

Murphy shouted to Monica and Adel. The elite sentinel was surprised that Lord Administrator had, without a ripple on his face, already cut a shady deal with a Divine Spirit, but she didn’t waste even a heartbeat. In the next instant she jumped with Murphy once more onto that battlefield—only to arrive and see Boss Wam already surrounded and pounded by endless torrents of chaotic filth.

Well then...

So this is how The Fury buys time?

Oh, Laowa, you’re too damn honest for your own good.

Murphy sighed, then activated the Omega Program, inducing a resonance that forced the artificial godhood to return from its hyperdimensional folded state to the Subspace environment, like an irregular gemstone radiating brilliant flowing light as it leapt to a halt before him.

The moment the thing appeared, Murphy immediately felt pressure closing in from every direction. It was not mere chaotic oppression; in that instant the very concepts of time and space were entirely rewritten, like a lump of clay being kneaded into grotesque shapes, sealing off every direction in which Murphy might have escaped.

A strained humming rose from within Monica’s body, as if she could no longer bear the load, and Adel buried her head in Murphy’s chest. The gaze and pressure the Chaos Shadows cast alone were enough to chill them to the bone. For the first time, Murphy heard the light of his otherwise unstoppable Omega Program creak in protest under the crushing weight.

It seemed that at its current level of development, the Omega Program was still utterly unable to counter direct interference from the Subspace Shadows.

"Back off! That one’s under my protection!"

Right then, The Fury, bruised and battered, let out a berserker’s roar that shook the heavens, and hurled the bone war-axe in His hand, shrouded in bloodlight, straight at Murphy’s position. It looked like He meant to smash Murphy to paste, but in truth He was swatting away the power the Chaos Shadows had already extended towards the vampire.

When the war-axe forged from Sulguk’s divine corpse shattered those imposed shackles, the Omega Program flared with blazing radiance, turning into a pale sun that wrapped Murphy within it. At the instant the vampire’s hand closed on the irregular gemstone before him, Monica triggered the hyperdimensional radar and jumped the three of them away from that place. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Laowa, run!"

Murphy cried out in his heart:

"I owe you one. I’ll pay it back next time we meet!"

"Hmph. You’d better."

Vam, already beaten to the brink, still had to maintain his cool-guy act. Tossing out a hard line, He snatched His war-axe back the moment Murphy jumped away, then staggered, limping as He crashed through the blockade, vanishing into the endless surges of the Subspace.

"Please remove my memory core at once, Lord Administrator. The Chaos Shadows have already been roused. You must depart immediately, and until this situation settles, you must by no means approach this Origin of Chaos again."

Monica handed Murphy a standard-issue Sentinel Commander weapon, then pointed at the back of her own head and said:

"Stab in from here and you can take it out. I’ve already finished the letter I’m leaving for Mosna. Please deliver it to her and, by your hand as the creator’s chosen, end the fate that was long since decreed for me."

"Then..."

Murphy, exhausted as he was, straightened his back. In this Land of Chaos that had already descended into perilous disorder, he spoke with grave formality to the corroded sentinel before him:

"In the name of Administrator Alpha, personally chosen by the creator, I convey to you your final orders, Sentinel Commander Monica."

"Yes, sir!"

Monica forced her corroded body—sparking wildly with errant arcs—to stand ramrod straight. Upon her own Subspace Battlefield she came to attention and, with the most standard of sentinel salutes, answered:

"Awaiting orders, Officer Morphy."

"In your battles against the Subspace, you have displayed supreme courage and achieved glorious victories. You have not betrayed the resources and ingenuity the creator invested in you. You have brought honor to your legion and your squad. Your deeds will be eternally inscribed upon the Wall of Radiance in The Heart of the World, and countless sentinel sisters will take you as their model as they race across the battlefields against the Subspace.

I will remember you as well. I will tell your story to every mortal hero I acknowledge, that all may know your legend and your feats.

This is what you have earned!"

Murphy raised his voice:

"Now, your combat mission is complete. Rest, Sentinel Hero Monica. Dismissed!"

"Thank you for your acknowledgment, Lord Administrator... core module self-destruct program, initiating. Explosive disassembly program, initiating... Please tell Mosna for me that in every minute and every second within the Subspace, I missed her dearly. Though these real emotions come as a gift from the Subspace, in this moment I no longer resist them.

I have come to understand sorrow, and I have learned joy. I have felt despair, yet also hold hope. Those beautiful things are what sustained me in resisting the foul and hideous.

At last I understand the impact my sister’s overly vivid emotions had on her, and what she felt. I regret that I cannot bid her farewell face to face, but I shall ultimately reunite with my sisters amid the quantum waves of the Sea of Data.

May your journey be smooth, Lord Administrator.

May you in the end meet with our shared creator...

Sentinel Monica...

logging off..."