Chapter 178: System Initiation, Final!
Ariel was certainly not the only one who felt that way.
Nor was Ariel the only one who wished to hold her back and ask her not to leave.
Yet, the Goddess did not turn around; she simply departed just like that.
The children watched the Goddess leave with their own eyes until she was entirely out of sight.
Starting with someone, no one knew who, everyone began to weep bitterly.
Perhaps the first to cry was Ariel herself, or perhaps it was someone else.
Everyone sobbed uncontrollably like infants.
Who cared who started crying first? In short, they simply gave free rein to their grief.
The Goddess departed just like that, going to sacrifice herself, going to save a world on the verge of collapse, going to save those human beings who had brought disaster upon themselves.
At this critical juncture of the world's survival, President Dustin, who likewise wished to save humanity, had no choice but to make a decision.
He asked the people around him how much time was left.
His subordinate minister answered him, "According to Potimas's calculations, there is less than a year remaining."
Hearing the old elf's name, Dustin put on a look of deep displeasure.
Although the blame couldn't be pinned entirely on that guy, the ringleader was undoubtedly that damned Potimas. At the same time, he felt that the only man who could possibly come up with a solution was also him, which was why he hadn't executed the other party immediately.
The minister continued to report the old elf's insights.
This one year was merely the timeframe before the planet itself collapsed; the extinction of living organisms might happen even faster. As time dragged on, the situation would only deteriorate further.
The underlying meaning was to urge him to make a decision quickly, as his subordinates would fully obey Dustin's decision.
Because he had firmly banned the use of MA Energy until the very end, the frequency of Dragon attacks on his nation was relatively lower. While other nations were nearly destroyed, his country alone suffered minimal casualties. He was consequently praised as the world's greatest wise ruler.
Now, no nation dared to say no to his country anymore; it could be said that his decisions held the destiny of humanity in their grip.
Dustin, after agonizing for a long time, let out a deep sigh.
In the end, he returned to his initial conclusion.
As a leader, he had to make a decision even if it was utterly unacceptable.
"Is there really no other way?" he asked once more.
No one answered.
A long silence filled the entire conference room.
In the end, he still spoke.
"Have Potimas make the preparations."
That was the decision he made as the representative of humanity.
Then, he stood up alone and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the sky was pitch-black and dreary.
*Thud!*
A sudden sound of impact rang out as Dustin slammed his head violently against the windowpane.
"What 'world's greatest wise ruler'? Nothing but a shameless bastard!"
He screamed aloud while continuing to slam his head against the glass, time after time.
Seeing him bleeding profusely from the head, the ministers hurriedly went up to stop him.
Yet he continued slamming his head relentlessly until three of his subordinates forcibly pulled him away, though he still continued to curse himself.
"Bastard! You filthy bastard!"
The ministers all stated, "Mr. President, you've done exceptionally well. You're no bastatd."
It was an evaluation straight from their hearts, yet it couldn't move the other party in the slightest.
Dustin shouted at the top of his lungs with a hoarse voice, "Repaying kindness with enmity—if that's not being a bastard, then what is it?! My name deserves to be reviled for all eternity!"
"No such thing."
"There is! There is!"
"If I want to be reviled for all eternity, humanity must first be allowed to endure."
The ministers instantly fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.
"A bastard must act like a bastard! Protecting the people of the world by any means necessary until my very soul perishes—that is the only thing this shameless self can do!"
Carrying an unshakeable resolve, Dustin announced:
Goddess Sariel, who saved humanity from the Dragon Race, would be used as a living sacrifice to allow the world to endure.
The ministers bowed their heads to show their willingness to go to Hell alongside him.
That was the exact chain of events through which the Pontiff back then decided to sacrifice the Goddess.
And that was why the previous scene of Sariel and the children bidding their eternal farewells came to pass.
However.
Dustin at the time had completely failed to see through Potimas's treacherous nature.
Around the time the Dragon Race ceased their attacks, Potimas's clone was captured by Dustin.
They had actually thought that was the old elf himself.
Mocking them as fools, Potimas provided Dustin with a method to save the world through his avatar.
That was to use the Goddess as an offering.
"How much energy must a Goddess capable of repelling the Dragon Race possess?"
"Extract that energy and inject it into the world to make up for the lost MA Energy."
That was how he put it.
Yet only he knew full well in his heart that doing this couldn't save the world at all.
Energy comes in different types. Even if the Goddess's energy were injected into the planet, not only would it fail to substitute for MA Energy, but it might even trigger an unknown reaction, causing an early collapse.
However, how could those fellows possibly understand such principles? It was the perfect opportunity to trick them into helping him seize the Goddess's energy.
The Goddess's energy—it held far too much research value.
In the end, Potimas hadn't been able to find a method for eternal life.
If it was the Goddess's energy, perhaps it might be possible.
However, after seizing the Goddess's energy, it would be impossible to stay on this planet no matter what.
In the best-case scenario, the collapse would happen after he found a planet he could move to; if that failed, he would simply wander through space while searching.
He prayed he wouldn't run into the Dragon Race again; those disgusting Dragons had revolted against him even as they left. The MA Energy they had stolen was originally what the old elf had wanted.
However, Potimas, whose wishful calculations had been ringing loud and clear, never imagined that the appearance of a certain person would cause his perfect plan to abort completely.
...
Just as the children were crying endlessly, a certain familiar voice suddenly echoed inside their minds.
[Humans, can you hear me?]
[My name is Gulie. Perhaps some of you have already noticed that the world has transformed.]
Although the children were weeping uncontrollably, Gulie's voice clearly entered everyone's minds, and the children gradually quieted down.
[From now on, this planet will be governed by the System. I am the System's Administrator.]
[Foolish humans brought about the end of the planet. The remedial measure was to sacrifice Sariel to restore the planet.]
[To cause trouble yourselves, yet demand that another give her life to make amends.]
Hearing this, the children finally learned that right when they were traveling on the tour bus, President Dustin had already announced the sacrifice of the Goddess to save the planet.
And today was the day of execution.
Later, they learned that Dustin originally hadn't wanted them to see the Goddess one last time, feeling that letting the children see the Goddess off was somewhat unbearable.
However, the children, who had known nothing at the time, merely found it utterly incredible when Gulie's voice echoed in their minds.
[Shouldn't humans atone for the sins they committed themselves?]
[Therefore, I give you this opportunity. The System that covers the entire planet exists for this very purpose.]
[I want you to fight for me, using it to increase the energy of your souls.]
[You shall become devices that fight, achieve victory, and thereby increase energy for me; then, once you die, the accumulated energy will be reclaimed to regenerate the planet.]
[However, once dead, you are useless, so strictly within the confines of the System, you shall be allowed to reincarnate in a cycle upon this same planet.]
[Even after death, you can be born again on this planet, and then continue fighting to earn energy.]
[Now, this planet has avoided collapse with the help of Sariel's power. Using your own hands to save the Sariel whom you nearly sacrificed is no big deal.]
[It is simply swapping what you wanted to do to Sariel onto yourselves instead; it's very simple, isn't it?]
Dying and living again, living and dying again.
The profound speech sounded completely baffling to the children, yet that single phrase "save Sariel" was deeply engraved in their minds.
For the children, this was hope!
At the end of the speech, Gulie expressed himself with intense passion.
[Atone for the sins you humans committed yourselves! Atone, atone, atone, atone... Fight, fight, fight... And finally, die!]
Gulie's incantation demanding humanity's atonement sounded like gospel to Ariel and the others.
And from that day onward, their battle—the battle to save the Goddess—began.
An incredibly long battle.
A battle far too long and far too cruel...
In an instant, Ariel suddenly snapped back to her senses.
"Yare yare, when people get old, they always like to reminisce about the past."
Side-stepping, she dodged several incoming attacks.
Gazing at those fourteen familiar yet strange shadows, the events of the past were vivid in her mind.
She couldn't help but sigh; it really had been a long time.
Yet dust to dust, ashes to ashes—certain things ought to be brought to a definitive end.
"Everyone, our unfinished mission is about to end. Rest in peace."
As her words fell, accompanied by a violent surge in Ariel's momentum, the Ruler Skill
A blood-red hell manifested behind her, and blackish-red energy wrapped around her body, plunging this entire region into an absolute underworld.
"Abyss Manifestation: Gluttony Hell!"
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