Zongman: Beginning with the Killer Queen

Hakurei Shrine.

This shrine built on a high mountain is not shabby, but it can also be called remote.

Although the shrine does not necessarily need to be in a populated place, for the sake of incense, the location should not be too lonely.

Therefore, it is common for Hakurei Shrine, which has not a single nearby village to see any villagers, to see any villagers worshiping at Hakurei Shrine.

Most of the residents in the human world are only aware of the existence of this shrine, and they don't even know the specific gods enshrined in it.

At this moment, Yakumo Murasaki was stepping on the stairs step by step and walked into the shrine in front.

She was not surprised that the shrine, which was dimly lit by incense, was spotless. She did not use the convenient gap, but stared at the torii gate in the distance and walked forward calmly.

In this short period of time, the still broad Omotesando has reached the end, but Yakumo Purple still did not stop.

What is incredible is that the shrine seems to have an end from a distance, but when you actually set foot on it, the end seems to be far away.

Faced with this strange phenomenon, Yakumo Purple's expression did not change and she continued to move forward. As she walked, the remaining rainwater on the stone slabs of the shrine dried up more and more. From the gaps between the shades of the trees next to it, there was still something similar to this. Gensokyo has been insulated from the sunshine for a few days.

In the torii at the end of the shrine, a black-haired boy was sitting there quietly, as if asleep.

"Although I don't expect you to work, isn't it a little too decadent to just bask in the sun like this? I'm very busy here."

Yakumo Purple pretended to be angry and said with an intriguing smile on her face.

"Wouldn't it hurt your heart to put all the aftermath on a seventeen-year-old beautiful girl and rest here alone?"

"A seventeen-year-old beautiful girl..." Roland opened his eyes and looked at Murasaki Yakumo in surprise.

Yakumo Purple, who had a sweet smile, pulled out a folding fan from nowhere, covering her pretty face, and stared at Roland with her purple eyes that seemed to be able to speak.

The blond beauty and the quaint shrine complemented each other in beauty, but from Yakumo Murasaki's sweet laughter, Roland could only read a warning of evil intentions.

If she continues to investigate, she might have to use her body to remember how cunning and playful girls of this age can be.

Roland turned his head and his tone softened a lot.

"It's too rude to say you haven't done anything. Isn't this space you are in my masterpiece?"

He snapped his fingers, and the next moment, the torii gate and the road that mirrored Hakurei Shrine disappeared like bubbles.

Yakumo Murasaki was in the garden.

With the vast palace as the center, it is surrounded by seven towers, beautiful courtyards, waterways, and springs.

The buildings are almost always made of pure white stone. The majestic and unrestrained style is commensurate with the status of the residence of gods and princes.

Elegant artificial pools and fountains, colorful flowers and plants.

Beyond the stone floor within the confines of the garden - there was bare wilderness.

The infinitely extending land is covered with green grass, but no life or trees can be seen.

Only the palace to which this garden belongs is a sanctuary isolated in this wilderness.

Such a change in the world made Yakumo Purple blink her eyes. She was not surprised that Roland could do such a thing, but because... the stars in the sky were so dazzling that it was surprising.

The monster sage raised his head and discovered that there was an extraordinarily huge blue planet above his head——

"Hey, Earth!?"

Yakumo Purple thought she was dazzled.

The blue of the ocean is mixed with the green and brown of the earth, and is dotted with white to represent the clouds.

"With such a magnificent palace, I really don't know whether people should criticize you for your extravagant decadence or praise your ambition to pursue the dream of the galaxy."

"Why can't we have it all? Welcome to the [Temple of Infinite Time]. Although this idea of ​​being outside time and space is just a replica, my scale is much larger than the original."

"In other words, this is not any place on the ground, but a special space, similar to the replica of the universe you used to create with the power of realm?"

"Actually, there are quite a few differences, but your understanding is correct."

Roland continued.

"This is a sacred realm where neither the material world nor the spiritual world can accommodate the other side. It is a closed space where nothing exists except this temple. The difference between it and that universe is that it is not based on realm, but based on what I hold. It is built on the basis of the principle of desire.”

"Even if I hear you say that, I can't understand it at all."

Yakumo Purple muttered.

"In short, it is a singularity that does not belong to any world. It is the end of the world, right? No wonder it cannot be reached using a gap. It can only be reached by walking through the mirror of Hakurei Shrine."

After pulling Roland back from the deepest part of the universe, Yakumo Purple temporarily placed him in the temporarily empty Hakurei Shrine.

In order to carry his own power, Roland took advantage of the fact that Hakurei Shrine was the entrance to Gensokyo to create this space.

Floating in the sky of this temple of infinite time is the blue earth and the bright stars of the universe, just like the sky you look up to from the moon.

However, Yakumo Murasaki was more curious about another thing than the scenery of this temple.

"What's this?"

Yakumo Zi looked at the mighty throne under Roland.

It is located at the highest point of the temple, and its entire body is golden in color.

On the top of the golden throne, the cracked star cup is the most dazzling gem. It exudes a soft glow, giving the entire temple a treasure-like bearing.

Even the light emitted by the universe and planets that serve as the ceiling above our heads cannot compare with it.

As time goes by, the sky has turned into a crimson sky at sunset, and the throne has been dyed orange by the sunset, adding a bit of gorgeous color.

In this hazy light, people will inevitably wonder whether it is the Golden Throne that dyes the sky red, or the sky that dyes the Golden Throne red.

Looking out from this glorious throne, you will probably only see endless scenery.

However, even so, it's a bit strange to have been sitting on the throne since he came in, right?

In Yakumo Murasaki's impression, Roland was not someone who would show arrogance in this way.

"Don't worry, it's just an amplifier."

Roland chuckled lightly at Yakumo Purple, who was still a little confused.

"Now that you have had time to come over, it seems that Gensokyo has almost adjusted."

"The main things are almost done, but the remaining work is not idle."

Although she is known as a monster sage, Yakumo Murasaki is often criticized as a monster idler because of her too casual style.

But to be honest, for Yakumo Murasaki, who is responsible for adjusting the Hakurei Great Barrier, she has no free time at all recently.

In the false universe created by Realm, the sudden disappearance of the sun and many stars really shocked Gensokyo.

The dark cloudy sky and the hazy drizzle falling from time to time are the remnants of that storm.

Ironically, because the residents of the human world were accustomed to messy things and had no contact with the extraordinary truth, they quickly calmed down the commotion and returned to their daily lives.

The monsters who claim to be powerful are always in panic. If the monsters that can really affect Gensokyo have not been substantially damaged, and the outside world has returned to its original state, I am afraid that Yakumo Murasaki still can't spare time.

However, after appeasing the main forces and using his past reputation to pin the blame for this change on himself, all that is left is to let nature take its course.

Common sense is meant to be shattered in Gensokyo, and both monsters and humans know this.

Under the subtle influence of the Great Hakurei Barrier, those monsters who are still on tenterhooks will gradually calm down, and soon this change will become a topic of conversation in Gensokyo after dinner.

Except for the two sages, no one would know that this world was once only a thin line away from death.

No, even the Moon Mind probably can't understand this emotion. No matter how many theoretical conjectures there are, they can't compare to seeing that desperate battlefield in person.

"Fortunately, it's all over."

Yakumo Purple smiled bitterly.

"Although I don't want to spoil the fun at this moment, it is a bit premature to make such a conclusion now."

"..."

Looking at the frozen Yakumo Murasaki, Roland shrugged.

His expression was somewhat calm and helpless.

"This victory only postpones the disaster."

"Why? When is the next time?"

Yakumo Purple didn't know what kind of expression she should show now, but the sense of peace of mind that Roland was by her side restored her sanity, allowing her to start preparing for the next doomsday in advance.

However, Roland's answer left her completely stunned.

"Well... it's too troublesome to explain anything. You'd better come and see for yourself."

Roland put his face on his hands and hooked his hand towards Yakumo Purple.

Without even half a barrier, Yakumo Purple's consciousness left her body and began to fall under Roland's wrap.

The location is—under the throne.

Yakumo Purple's mind was shaken and she immediately entered a state of meditation. When you don't need to take the lead, doing this is more trouble-free than reading and writing.

Even if it cannot be disseminated, it can at least bring back some information that may be called clues.

"This is...the universe?"

There are countless stars scattered in the dark space.

Such an image appeared on the inside of Yakumo Murasaki's tightly closed eyelids.

Beneath the throne, darkness enveloped everything like an egg shell.

But in this void, in the dark egg shell, there is a crack, and the golden throne where Roland is sitting is just above the crack.

In this seemingly endless crack, there are dots of bright spots.

Sun, Moon, Mars and Venus.

Stars outside the solar system are "point" shaped, while those just next to the Earth are about the size of a football.

but……

The place the sun illuminates is not the blue earth, but the Golden Throne itself.

Even the sun, which can construct the orbits of celestial bodies and form galaxies with its own gravity, is still under the constraints of the throne.

If the Golden Throne is like a large leafy tree, in Yakumo Murasaki's impression, the current sun is the size of a beautiful potted plant.

"It's like viewing the world from a higher-dimensional perspective, but there are still cracks in the world that have not been repaired..."

The moment Yakumo Purple murmured, her eyes dived deeper again.

Immediately, she noticed

——The reason why the cracks are not repaired.

It’s not that the world doesn’t want to recover, it’s that it can’t recover.

A huge black snake hovered on the outside of the crack, just like the snake surrounding the World Tree. It lay on the crack, as if it would get in the next moment.

Intuition told Yakumo Purple that this black snake without wings was exactly what the shadow of the snake was dissipating on the battlefield when she rushed to save Roland when it was alive.

Because those bright and shining red eyes were the chaos similar to that phantom.

The snake's eyes were only slightly opened and it didn't make any movement, as if it was half asleep and half awake.

But it seemed that Yakumo Purple's gaze was too sharp, and Black Snake's eyelids suddenly trembled. Just when Yakumo Purple subconsciously held her breath and was at a loss, the radiant temple returned to her field of vision again.

At the critical moment, Roland pulled her back to the water, avoiding the worst case scenario.

"In order to prevent you from waking it up, I can only show you this level of information, but this level should be enough for you to understand that I am not being alarmist. As for when the next disaster will be..." Roland suddenly changed his subject. change.

"It's impossible to say for sure, but the specific omen should be when I leave this golden throne."

Roland smiled slightly and sighed.

"The Emperor's name and the return of his soul to the Golden Throne are really inseparable. I should have known better than to let them spread this name."

"When you leave the throne?"

Yakumo Zi frowned, suddenly having an unknown premonition in her heart.

"That's right, because when I leave the throne that amplifies the principles of eternal calamity, I will come back to life."

"survived?"

"Well, haven't you noticed? I'm in a dead state right now."

Looking at the stunned Yakumo Murasaki, Roland showed a faint smile.

"In order to maintain the status of the Supreme Apostle at this moment, I must die, otherwise this apocalypse will not be able to end at all."

Yes.

The Dragon God thought that killing the winged snake would be considered victory. This answer based on the future of the world was not wrong, but it was incomplete.

This temporary victory is only the beginning of disaster.

Roland realized this during the battle with the Winged Snake.

That's why in his final state, he allowed the winged snake to swallow up his own possibilities. This was not because he wanted to risk his troops for victory, but because he was certain to die, and that was when temporary victory emerged. Base.

"Once it senses my resurrected breath, this snake will immediately break away from my eternal destiny and wipe out this world and me in one thought."

"Can't understand..."

Yakumo Murasaki became even more puzzled.

If Roland is in a dead state, then why can he still enter his field of power, and why can he have contact with him?

Although repeatedly leaping across the realm of life and death was Yakumo Purple's specialty, judging from the enemy's level, she didn't think that the black snake even had the ability to tell whether Roland was dead.

"As far as the results are concerned, there is no doubt that 'Roland' is dead."

Roland glanced at Yakumo Murasaki strangely, and said meaningfully: "As for why you can contact me, have you forgotten how I communicated with you at that time?"

"Of course at night, you broke into my dream without permission..."

Before she finished speaking, Yakumo Purple's pupils suddenly shrank, and her pretty face suddenly froze.

In the temple of infinite time, the sleeping Roland awaits you in your dreams.