"Stop running your mouth," Merka frowned, no longer engaging with Shadow as before.

He stood tall in the salty evening sun, resembling a dried white pottery figurine.

"I want to take Turing out of the country... I need your help for that."

"Can you still turn Turing into combat mode now? I want to teleport directly out of Acadia with Turing."

Merka inserted the probe in his hand into the ground and asked casually, " ... no."

"My programming generator was destroyed in that war, and now I can't change Turing's form."

"I have bones, and I can substitute mechanical deity for the soul..."

"But, without flesh."

"Without flesh, I can't make another programming generator..."

Shadow hesitated but when he saw Merka looking so confident, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"I can get flesh," Merka said.

"I plan to go to Maria's lair to steal her daily necessities."

"Maria's body was blown to pieces, now her most fragrant possessions must be her daily necessities."

"There will sire new sacred relics there."

"As long as I have Maria's sacred relics, I can naturally summon the Power Angel. When the time comes, if I want flesh, I just need to cut flesh from the Power Angel."

After hearing this, Shadow was momentarily stunned, then his emotions became somewhat excited.

"You want to go far away with Turing?"

"But... Merka, you promised me you would destroy Oedipus."

"Are you going back on your word?"

"Do you not care about the millions of people in Acadia anymore?"

Shadow was clearly getting anxious, immediately using the millions of Acadia people as a threat.

In Shadow's impression, Merka would never abandon them.

But this time, Shadow was wrong.

"... Oedipus's rule isn't so bad."

"Although I said those words while inciting the youth in the tavern. But it's undeniable, she is already a quite outstanding leader."

"I and Turing are now redundant."

"Although I don't know what enmity you have with Oedipus, but you should seek another way."

Merka's tone was light, but in Shadow's eyes, it was more shocking than any bold statement.

Where had the Merka who cared for the world gone?

Where had the Merka who could win over countless women with just a smile gone?

Incredulously, Shadow exclaimed to Merka, "Find another way... are you kidding me!"

"I have sought the Forbidden Band, sought Maria, and sought many other people... none of them were able to overthrow the laboratory or reach Oedipus, they all fell short!"

"You are the closest one to victory... how could I possibly give up on you?"

Merka shook his head indifferently, seemingly sighing at Shadow's stubbornness.

"It's too late."

"Over the years, Turing and I have had enough of troubles."

"I can't defeat Oedipus, I surrender."

"Please, let me go."

With that, Merka set down the probe and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

"Listen to me carefully... you've always been curious why I want to destroy Oedipus, now I'll tell you."

Shadow seemed a bit panicked, hurriedly catching up with Merka and grabbing his shoulder.

"The ancient energy that has been passed down, we're almost running out of it."

"Soon... in forty years, no, probably in thirty years, Acadia's magic will be completely withdrawn."

"At that time, all Acadia people will die, I mean all! All!"

Shadow's voice was impassioned, as if he had a mouth at that moment, there would be spittle flying out immediately.

"What are you talking about?"

"What the hell are you talking about!"

Merka grabbed Shadow's neck, lifted him to his chest, and angrily shouted, "What's so strange about this!"

"In the ancient times, I injected pieces of my flesh into the land, then let them be absorbed by tobacco leaves, and finally let the flesh fragments enter the bodies of the Acadia people."

"So all Acadia people have angelic lineage! Because only in this way, could I control your genes internally, making you stronger, more beautiful, and smarter!"

"Acadia was originally a nation born from incestuous relationships, not to mention that your ancestors were artificially plagued with various genetic diseases. I want you to survive, so this method is necessary!"

"If Oedipus really succeeds, Kagtua will become combative, and all remaining magic will be withdrawn!"

"By then, without the angelic flesh fragments to regulate your bodies, all Acadia people will die! All will die!"

Shadow's voice was loud, but to Merka, it seemed all the more empty, to the point where his whole body turned cold.

"Why... why are you only saying this now... why!"

Merka kneeled hard, pushing against Shadow's belly, then kicked him to the ground.

"I've lost everything, I've lost everything!"

"Now you want me to be a savior... you want me to be a savior again!"

Merka sighed deeply, raising his head and looking at the vast snowfall illusion flickering in his eyes.

Turing's innocent and lovely cheeks, accompanied by a hint of phantom pain from Merka, faintly appeared in the white snow.

Merka chuckled self-deprecatingly, tears brimming in his eyes.

He thought he would never face storms again.

Now he realized, his whole life had been a storm.