"What do you mean... Explain yourself!" Merka took two or three steps to the black silhouette lying on the ground, knelt down on one knee, and grabbed the silhouette's neck with one hand, staring angrily into its face.
"If what you say is true, then regardless of whether we win or lose, will the people of Acadia perish?!"
"If Oedipus dies, Acadia will survive another thirty years."
"If Oedipus doesn't die, Acadia will survive until the end of the next Bouquet ceremony."
"What difference does it make?!"
"Moreover, am I not also a citizen of Acadia?"
"I will also die when the time comes! Just like them!"
Merka roared in anger, pouring out his frustrations.
He suddenly felt like he had spent his whole life in lies spun by others, manipulated by all kinds of people, all kinds of angels.
Perhaps to the black silhouette, he was like Maria to Oedipus.
He was just a goldfish raised by it, and no matter what action he took, it was within its expectations.
"What's wrong with living another thirty years?!"
"Acadia has been confined to this Western paradise for how many years, how many generations have enjoyed peaceful and prosperous lives?!"
"Do you know how envious the outside world was of your life before entering the Second Industrial Revolution?"
"They regard you as demigods, as the children of angels."
"The perfect world that Eve longed for, I have already achieved it."
"It is you, a group of ingrates, who think you know better, who have turned this place into a mess!"
The black silhouette, like a black mummy, with its bandaged face resembling a leaky mouth, creaked.
It, too, was becoming agitated like Merka.
As a guiding AI, its millennia of loneliness and grievances erupted at this moment.
It began to feel some hatred towards its creators.
They had made it too much like a human.
"And... do you think you are a citizen of Acadia? Do you think you will die with the people of Acadia?"
"You're dreaming! Curseborn who have never smoked, you can't even be considered citizens of Acadia."
"You don't even have the accounts issued by the divine authority."
"You, who have not undergone genetic editing, naturally have inferior physiques, more flawed genes, hence the prevalence of so many disabled limbs."
"And the reason why you can use someone else's relics is because you don't even have an account."
"The angels don't recognize your scent, determine that you don't have an account, so you can use someone else's account."
"Turing is just like you. As the offspring of man and machine, she was not assigned an account, so she can use Theresa's relics!"
The black silhouette looked at the stunned Merka in front of him, further escalating its tone, adding fuel to the fire.
"Show a little gratitude... Monk, you who no longer believe in your own god."
"You, who were supposed to be eternally condemned in the dark abyss, have now seen the light!"
"But you are still so shameless... shamelessly demanding more hope, more light!"
"Think about it!"
"Aren't these supposed to come at a price?!"
"Do you think being with a perfect girl like Turing comes for free?"
"Compared to those in the lab, are you not even more shameless?"
The black silhouette countered Merka, leaving him speechless.
It swatted away Merka's hand tightly grasping its neck, and got up from the ground.
Merka, bombarded by the string of verbal attacks, was left stunned.
He furrowed his brows, his eyes empty as he watched the setting sun in the distance, remaining silent for a while.
He rubbed his face, pinched his nose under the deeply sunken eye sockets, sat down heavily on the ground, and let out a deep sigh.
On the horizon, the dark night spread its eerie fingers, reaching out its wicked claws towards the setting sun.
The remaining red glow on the earth gradually faded, tearing at Merka's ribs, flesh, and heart.
That faint tingling sensation and warm feeling were like Turing's embrace.
Turing's unconditional love and wholehearted embrace were more delicious than the finest feast, more enchanting than the evening tide.
"...I promise you, I will destroy Oedipus."
"But you have to give me a way out."
"If I fail to defeat her... I won't care about the people of Acadia."
"I want to take Turing away from here."
After a moment of silence, it seemed like Merka had resigned himself, speaking softly.
"...Alright."
The black silhouette hesitated for a moment, testing Merka's inner thoughts with a side glance and finding that he genuinely intended to defeat Oedipus.
With that realization, the black silhouette had no reason to refuse.
"However, I have one doubt."
Merka spoke up.
"Turing and I left Acadia once before, and she started bleeding heavily from all seven orifices, then passed out."
"Is this a normal occurrence for angels? Is there any way to prevent it?"
Upon hearing this, the black silhouette thought for a moment and then replied promptly.
"Turing has a remote control program left by the backdrop on her body... It's called the Despair Line, or Earth Line."
"Every angel has it, it can keep the angels confined in Acadia, preventing them from ever escaping."
"You can find the backdrop itself to help remove this line... but I don't know where it is now, possibly in the central city."
"He is already unconscious, I can help you wake him up."
"But you have to help me come up with a viable plan to truly kill Oedipus, then I will be willing to help you in this way..."
Just as the black silhouette finished speaking, it suddenly paused.
It saw something interesting in Merka's memories.
"Wait, so... do you already have a plan in mind?"
