Rather, the question is, will the world really not be destroyed if things continue like this?
Pania was already reaching her breaking point: "I thought that from now on, I could finally live a life where I could eat steak whenever I wanted, sleep in late, eat ice cream, roll around in bed as much as I wanted, and not have to go to work..."
You can do it! The power of love is more than enough.
"I don't think this is what I originally thought!"
Panya complained bitterly. But given her personality, even if she was lazy at first, after seeing all sorts of unpleasant things happening in the world, she would definitely still be unable to resist intervening, rescuing, and protecting. She was a loving child. Hayden had a lot of confidence in her.
Alastor nodded: "I will do my best."
That one sentence was enough for him. Hayden also had a lot of confidence in him.
Interestingly, even Uriel, the angel who had been silently standing by, finally spoke to the giant: "Son of man, I truly admire you. This is indeed a just method of judgment. You truly deserve my respect and admiration."
He obediently and sincerely bowed his head to the giant.
So there's only one small problem left.
"...So, you're leaving?"
Karen bit her lip and clenched her fist. She wasn't stupid, so her gaze towards the giant was particularly complicated.
"I know what you're thinking, but you really can't stay?"
Although Mitra has been defeated and Uriel has submitted, problems still pile up. In a sense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the most difficult period is yet to come. If a large-scale riot were to occur, Hayden would be the most effective person to quell the unrest—a fact everyone understands.
But the giant shook his head: "That won't work."
Absolute existence should not linger where people can easily grasp it. God's intervention should not be so readily available.
The struggles of this world will likely never end, for war and enslavement are inherent in human nature; as long as there are earthly nations, this weakness is unavoidable… But it is precisely because of this that the pursuit of improvement and mutual trust are meaningful. If every bad thing happens and an absolute god intervenes directly, wouldn't we all become puppets on strings?
Direct intervention by such a force will inevitably operate in the direction of depriving human free will, regardless of whether there is malice or treachery involved.
My goal has never changed: to destroy oppression and exploitation, to eliminate inequality, and to ensure happiness for all… I am willing to sacrifice everything.
Therefore, Hayden had to leave and never return.
Tears welled up in Karen's eyes, but she wiped them away angrily, perhaps desperately. Everyone looked closely and realized that, at some point (perhaps after breaking the cycle of reincarnation), Karen's eyes had changed. She now possessed the same large, wide, clear pupils as Mitra had before, four in total—two pupils in each eye, gleaming with a deep blue light.
She didn't say anything like, "I'm carrying your child." Karen would never say such a thing, never bring it up. However, she couldn't help but say, "We're husband and wife. We made a marriage vow, and we should always be together. You can't go back on your word, can you?"
Hayden, of course, had no answer to this.
So Raphael picked up the conversation. Her voice emanated from within the Giant of Light: "That's not true, Miss Karen. Your marriage vows have been dissolved."
"………………What?" Karen was stunned. "Angela, what did you do!?"
"The contract of mortal marriage is valid 'until death do us part.'" Raphael said solemnly, "Hayden is dead in this world, truly dead."
The giant of light's body disintegrated, returning to the forms of Raphael and Hayden. Raphael was now holding Hayden in his arms. She was draped in pure white clothing, resembling a wedding dress.
From this day forward, I will be with Hayden forever and ever.
噫
What a grand ceremony of bestowing titles upon six kingdoms! How did such a chaotic scene suddenly appear? Not to mention Alastor and Pania, who were watching the spectacle from the sidelines, even Kallen would be taken aback by this situation.
"What kind of sophistry is this?!"
This is not sophistry.
Raphael tilted his head slightly and smiled faintly.
Alright, everyone, it's about time. Time to go home.
Countless vengeful spirits surged forth and prostrated themselves at Raphael's feet. Raphael gently placed one of his hands on their foreheads in a comforting gesture.
【Children, children born of dust and death, are you willing to repent and confess the many evils you have committed: sometimes fighting, sometimes quarreling, sometimes hating one another, acting hypocritically, and being blinded by your own pride?】
“Yes,” the vengeful spirits, led by Adam, said first. They responded to the prayer, saying, “Yes.”
Raphael nodded happily: "Then rest assured."
She reached out and gently lifted up the millions of vengeful spirits.
Rest in peace, sons of man, children of the earth, for forgiveness is here. Earthly life is not eternal, but eternal life is here—eternal light and peace will surround you who have been called.
The bodies of the vengeful spirits began to blur. A beam of light shone down from the sky, slowly enveloping them. They seemed to be embraced, merged into the light, absorbed by it, and propelled forward.
forward!
Finally, Adam turned around, nodded to Hayden, and smiled. Before he could, his figure vanished completely, transforming into a shimmering mist. Golden light surrounded it, guiding it as it silently rose, ascending towards the heavens, and rising higher still.
Human beings have a finite lifespan, but life is eternal.
"Alright, Hayden, we should go now." Raphael then put his arm around Hayden's waist. "Uriel, come back with us. Gabriel will definitely laugh at you, but I'll speak up for you."
Uriel sighed and took flight. She flew towards the light of the sky, beginning to guide the billions of vengeful spirits to ascend to heaven, making sure they didn't fly to the wrong place.
What will happen to the world after that?
The loss of a capitalist ruler would likely cause immense chaos in society. Figures like Odin, Apollo, Mars, and the remaining bodhisattvas would probably not let the matter rest. Numerous conflicts could erupt again.
How do you know that what you believe will eventually come true?
I don't know. Because it's not that you know something and then do it, but rather that you do it and then you know it.
Sometimes you don't want to know the ending. Because how can there be a happy ending?
How can the world become a better place when so many terrible things happen?
But eventually, the terrible shadow will vanish. Even the darkness will disappear. A new day will dawn. The new sun will shine even brighter.
Raphael happily embraced Hayden from behind, spreading countless wings. The two embraced each other, floated into the air, and flew towards the heavens.
However, at that moment, Karen did something Hayden had never expected.
"I will catch up with them!"
She shouted excitedly, even furiously, pointing at Hayden and Raphael as they ascended to heaven.
"Don't think you've won forever, Angela! One day, when I have brought peace to this world and all people have no more worries, I will catch up with you!"
Wow
What a terrifying declaration.
But Raphael smiled instead: "I look forward to that day, Miss Karen. I'll have tea and cake ready for you."
The Ladder of Light begins to accelerate.
Hayden was about to be taken to a faraway world.
Surprisingly, he felt no fear. Although he felt apologetic towards Karen, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. His body, floating in the path of light, was enveloped by a warm and soft touch.
In the dazzling white light, they rose upwards, upwards.
As soon as he closed his eyes, everything Hayden had experienced in his past replayed in his mind.
Angela's sudden arrival.
From initial wariness, suspicion, and hesitation towards her, to choosing to believe her.
Angela gave him her love unconditionally.
And there's more, and more, and more—
what……
Too many to count.
Too many to handle.
Hayden's heart was filled with many memories of her.
Despite the hardships, he can now proudly say that everything has made him happy. Those irreplaceable days—
Hmm…
What should I say?
Although it was probably due to the current situation that Hayden became somewhat sentimental and filled with emotion; although it felt like reaching the end of a movie or the final chapter of a novel—
However, Hayden's life will not end today.
Their lives will continue.
Therefore, today is just a turning point.
It was just a slightly special turning point in my life, a day that was just a little different from any other ordinary day.
A segment of the story.
So this is definitely not goodbye forever.
Hayden closed his eyes and let his beloved angel carry him to the warm and gentle sky.
Ascend towards the sky, ascend to a place even higher than the sky, and ascend again, entering into eternal glory.
Until we meet again.
——————————————————————————————————
God, grant them eternal peace.
May eternal light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the departed...
Having received mercy, may you dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Wipe away all the tears.
Because there will be no more death, nor sorrow, weeping, or pain in the future.
For the old has passed, and everything must become new.
May they live happily ever after.
Author's Closing Remarks, Meow!
Finish this testimonial
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It is also a self-reproach edict (metaphorically).
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The Clockwork Bride is finally finished!
I've successfully finished my first book on Hedgehog Cat! And it's the first book I've ever written to be two million words long!
...although there are many problems.
Now, let me summarize and reflect on the various problems I encountered in this book.
First of all,
The first problem is... absolutely not, because if you come up with a seemingly good idea, you should immediately start writing it down.
Although I wrote a rough outline when I first started writing the book, an outline that's too rough is useless. In fact, by the time I was halfway through the novel, it had already deviated from that outline (head in hands). Around the fourth volume, what I actually wrote was different from the initial rough outline.
How different are they?
Aside from the ending, which was decided from the very beginning—Hayden giving everyone a perpetual fire machine, granting each person their own inalienable super-production resources to break the cyberpunk society—from the fourth volume onwards, almost everything written was completely different from the original outline (eyes dead). In other words, most of the plot was conceived on the spot.
Undoubtedly, this was a problem with my own writing, stemming from a poorly designed and insufficiently detailed initial outline. In some ways, this is the easiest problem to fix; I just need to put in more effort, thought, and time next time. I will absolutely never make this mistake again.
The second problem... is that you absolutely must not, because if you come up with a seemingly good idea, immediately start writing down something you don't understand at all.
Cats might be okay at writing about gods and magic, which is somewhat in line with their expertise.
But cyberpunk, especially capitalism and economic theories... Cat's level is probably only slightly better than Hayden's (deadpan). He was okay at first, but as things got more complex, he clearly couldn't handle it well. And these things can't be mastered by just cramming and reading a few books at the last minute.
Besides, cats are generally considered rather slow-witted.
Overall, this is a problem that will be relatively easy to solve in the future... Hmm, really? If I write about urban supernatural fantasy in Tokyo for my next book, mainly about gods and magic, would I really be able to write it well...? To be honest, I'm still not very confident.
There's so much the cat needs to learn. But it can at least try, so we should be more vigilant and it absolutely must correct and grow. The cat will do its best!
The third issue is that writing efficiency really needs improvement. And constantly writing and then stopping really disrupts my train of thought. In the future, I can't afford to be inconsistent with updates. Writing one chapter and then taking half a month to finish it—over time, my mind gets scattered, and if I'm still trying to rush back to updating, that's naturally the source of my writing breakdowns.
This needs to be corrected... It's always easier said than done. But all we can do is try our best. There will be no future if we don't correct this.