[Merka.]

[You are right.]

[This world is so unreasonable, so devoid of humanity.]

[But it's also because of that... I can't blame it.]

[Because it brought me the best gift...]

[That is you.]

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"Um... cough, cough."

"Am I... dead?"

Merka rubbed his eyes and wearily opened them, his sleepy eyes flickering open.

To his surprise, he found that his body no longer hurt, and that nauseating feeling of the Reaper clinging to him had completely disappeared.

Moreover, after inhaling copious amounts of red powder, he now felt not sluggish, but rather revitalized.

You see, even a tiny pinch of red powder is enough to make an adult Curseborn dance wildly in the club all day long.

And Merka had sprinkled two large bags of it at the time.

Even if he didn't inhale all of it, he had breathed in about a third to a quarter of it in one go.

Merka had thought he would die on the spot.

Contrary to his expectations, it was not Merka but the Reaper who had journeyed to the afterlife.

To Merka's astonishment, the Reaper's deathly body, wearing an owl mask, had a noose around its neck as it hung alone from the chandelier on the ceiling.

Its horrific and ghastly appearance, with every inch of flesh inside and out thoroughly emptied by some dreadful entity.

The Reaper, now crumpled like a piece of waste paper, had completely lost its previously menacing aura of hunting Merka down. It seemed like a lifeless husk, hanging alone with a noose around its neck.

To be honest, Merka was quite pleased to see this scene.

But what brought Merka even more joy was someone else.

A hint of fragrance suddenly appeared, teasing Merka's nostrils and gently scratching at his heart.

Merka then realized that he was being enveloped by a very familiar, warm, and sweet embrace.

The girl in front of him had soft red hair that seemed to embody the gentleness of the whole sea.

"Are you... an angel?"

Seeing the girl expertly holding him, leaning against the broken prison door, Merka couldn't help but smile.

"Hehe, you naughty boy."

"Are you sure you will definitely go to heaven, huh?"

Turing smiled and teasingly asked.

"No, of course not..."

"But I know, there won't be a girl as beautiful as you in hell."

Seeing Turing, Merka suddenly felt a clear and bright mood washing over him.

The previously suppressed damp emotions vanished in an instant.

"Alright, alright, my little trickster."

"You rest for a while, this won't work on me."

Turing hugged Merka, leaning him against her.

Merka could feel that her body was soft, as if lying on a pillow filled with petals; yet at the same time, it was firm, fragile-looking but seemingly unbreakable like a steel-reinforced bed that couldn't be crushed no matter how hard you tried.

These completely contrasting qualities formed the familiar Turing that Merka cherished deeply and considered his treasure.

"Turing, how did you find me...?"

"Also, I remember inhaling a lot of red powder before due to circumstances. It should be hard to treat the chemical residue in the body, right?"

"How did you do it?"

Merka snuggled into Turing's embrace, greedily inhaling the ethereal scent naturally emanating from her body, that intoxicating fragrance.

He couldn't help but close his eyes, this moment of happiness reminding him of the time when he had yet to awaken his Curseborn trait, spending time with his father.

"It's simple."

"You two made such a commotion on this floor that even if I were slow, I'd find you."

"As for how I healed you... see."

Merka followed Turing's gaze and noticed dozens of hair-thin tentacles extending from Turing's body into his own, quietly penetrating his skin.

"I performed a full-body dialysis on you, removing all harmful substances."

"I can even utilize molecular-level programming magic, the precision of which is nothing to an angel."

Merka was slightly taken aback, but as he focused, he watched the tendrils deeply embedded in his body, expanding slowly and carrying plasma, and he couldn't help but smile.

He shook his head helplessly, feeling genuinely happy.

"Ha... so that's how it is."

"It seems like you saved me again."

"You're amazing..."

"Just as amazing as you were before."

Turing sensed the melancholy in Merka's heart.

But she just smiled and shook her head.

"You're amazing too."

"Look up."

Merka looked up and saw that a large hole had been torn in the ceiling at some point.

Probably, like the shattered walls around, it was left behind by Merka and the Reaper unknowingly during their fight.

"I tried multiple times, if you tried to forcibly break the ceilings in other places, you would experience strong illusions that would force you to halt the action."

"Seems like only this area you found can be accessed to the next floor by breaking the ceiling."

Upon hearing Turing's words, Merka fell silent for reasons unknown even to himself.

The atmosphere became somewhat solemn.

As if there was some thick, congealed sorrow choking the space between them.

"............"

"Oh, that's great then."

Merka turned his head away, and spoke slowly.

As if a little sulky.

Turing actually understood why Merka was feeling this way.

But there was also some uncertainty.

"Merka, are you not feeling okay?"

Turing inquired.

"No, not at all."

"Why do you say so?"

Merka was actually feeling a bit off.

Because the stark difference in strength between him and Turing always reminded him that they were from different worlds - one a noble high above, the other a lowly Curseborn down in the dust.

This made him feel unworthy of Turing, causing him discomfort deep within.

Hence, during their time together, he always felt a lingering uneasiness.

"...... I hope next time you don't do things that are detrimental to the enemy and yourself, alright?"

"I had a long period in the past when, like you, though my body continued to move forward, my mind was filled with thoughts of death, seeking death wholeheartedly,"

"..... I can't quite recall that memory now."

Turing held Merka tightly, lifted her youthful face, her eyes looking into the distance as if reminiscing about events from a very long time ago through these cold, surrounding buildings.

"But some things are indelibly imprinted in my mind."

"Merka, guess how I got out back then?"

Turing's cheek pressed against the back of Merka's head, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"It was because of you."

"Because of you, and that exhilarating snow battle we had by Lake Anhun one afternoon."

"Perhaps for you, a snowy day in early spring is a horrifying memory."

"But I have persevered till now thanks to the sweetness left in that memory."

"Now it's my turn to save you, okay?"

"When you're at a loss, on the brink of despair, you can shout my name loudly..."

"I will protect you... until the end of my life."