In the distance.
Leng Xuan gazed into the distance, where Loki's body was burned to ashes amidst the blinding golden light. He turned to Si Xiaonan and asked with some confusion:
"Loki is dead, what do we do now?"
"He's the God of Tricks, how could he die so easily?" Si Xiaonan shook her head. "Even if Lin Qiye possessed the power to kill gods for a short time, he couldn't kill him so easily. Among all the gods, his survival ability is the strongest."
Leng Xuan nodded thoughtfully. "And what's next?"
Si Xiaonan narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing at the figure that had turned to ashes in the distance, her eyes flashing with a sharp light, as if she were thinking about something.
She turned around and walked away into the distance.
"Come back with me."
"Go back?" Leng Xuan was taken aback. "Go back where?"
"Asgard," Si Xiaonan said calmly, "Loki's true form is there, and the next step in the plan must also take place there."
Leng Xuan didn't ask any further questions, simply nodding, "Okay."
...
Lin Qiye watched as Loki's body was turned to ashes by the Seraphim and Nyx's divine power, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Just as he suspected, what was here wasn't Loki's true form at all. After all, he was the God of Mischief; why would he undertake such a risky undertaking as venturing alone into a foreign land?
As a result, Loki will inevitably try every means to cause him trouble in the future, but this is no longer something Lin Qiye should worry about now, because it is still uncertain whether he can survive this ordeal.
Forcibly taking on Merlin's soul and using a "miracle" to delay for so long, the backlash from the soul after the taking on was enough to make him completely annihilated. Even if he were to survive by chance, he would likely be unconscious for a long time.
Now, Lin Qiye can only try to leave a "miracle" inside his own body to see if it can work.
He still has some divine power remaining in his body, but Lin Qiye is not a god after all. This divine power will quickly dissipate over time and eventually disappear without a trace.
"Xiao Chen..."
"Damn it... I need a rest..." Lin Xi Chen muttered as she sank to the ground and tossed her sword aside. "I'm fine... so just do whatever you need to do."
When he saw strange cracks and those glowing specks appear on her body, they did not float up into the air this time; instead, they flew back toward Lin Xi Chen and settled into the cracks, as if trying to mend her.
Only then did he feel somewhat reassured by Seraph's assertion that Lucifer certainly wouldn't let Lin Xi Chen die.
"... Get some good rest, okay? I'll come back to pick you up", Lin Qiye seemed to have thought of something. He knelt beside Lin Xi Chen and stroked her hair, reassuring her. Then he reached out and opened a spatial portal, and stepped into it.
Only after Lin Qiye had left did Lin Xichen slowly open her eyes; she gazed up at the sky as if making a decision, then unsteadily rose to her feet. A small golden orb of energy appeared in her hand, with sparks of energy dancing around it.
"There is no victory without sacrifice... Stinky Brother, don't worry... I will stand by you until the very end."
...
Peace Agency.
Wu Xiangnan, Hong Ying, and Wen Qimo sat dejectedly on the rooftop, silently gazing at the unrecognizable city before them.
Suddenly, a white spatial teleportation spell opened up behind them, and Lin Qiye, wearing a dark blue robe, stepped out. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the scene before him.
Hongying turned her head and saw Lin Qiye walking out from there. Her already red eyes welled up with tears again.
"What happened?" Lin Qiye frowned slightly. "Where's the captain? Where's Si Xiaonan? Where's Leng Xuan?"
Wu Xiangnan and Wen Qimo lowered their heads and remained silent.
Hongying bit her lip, then suddenly rushed to Lin Qiye, hugged him tightly, and cried out:
"Captain... Captain disappeared with the others. Xiao Nan... took Leng Xuan and we don't know where they went."
Lin Qiye's body trembled, and disbelief appeared in his eyes.
The captain also...
Buzz—!
On Lin Qiye's body, the three white mental spells left by Merlin reappeared, forcefully suppressing his emotional fluctuations.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, slowly released Hongying, and spoke as gently as possible:
"Don't worry, Sister Hongying... they will come back."
Hongying's sobs gradually subsided. Looking into Lin Qiye's eyes, she asked softly, "Really? Can he really come back?"
"Yes." Lin Qiye nodded. "Since all of this is a miracle I created, then one day, I will be able to create another miracle to bring them back."
On the surface, Lin Qiye comforted Hongying in this way, but he knew better than anyone how low the success rate was. Unless he could find the souls of those people again, he would not be able to create an identical Cangnan.
But... he didn't want Hongying to lose hope.
Hongying stared into Lin Qiye's eyes, and after a moment, nodded heavily.
Lin Qiye walked past Hongying and went straight to Wu Xiangnan, where he slowly squatted down.
"Qiye." Wu Xiangnan sat there, seemingly devoid of all strength, forcing a pale smile at Lin Qiye. "The captain said... thank you for giving this city, for giving him, a miracle."
Lin Qiye was taken aback. He remained silent for a moment, then forced a smile as well. "Yes, I understand."
After saying that, he stretched out his hands. "Vice-captain, give me your hand."
Wu Xiangnan was taken aback, not understanding what Lin Qiye wanted to do, but after hesitating for a moment, he still stretched out his hands.
A faint golden light reappeared in Lin Qiye's eyes, and the [Mortal Divine Realm] opened again, enveloping him and Wu Xiangnan.
A flash of light appeared, and the last portion of the Seraphim's divine power transformed into a "miracle," flowing into Wu Xiangnan's palm before disappearing a moment later.
Along with it, the two deep scars also disappeared.
Wu Xiangnan stared blankly at his hand, which had been restored to its original state. After a moment, he finally came to his senses and looked up at Lin Qiye.
"Qiye, this is...?"
"Perhaps, this is the last miracle I can leave behind," Lin Qiye said gently.
The soul wound left by the Kusanagi Sword cannot be healed unless a healing artifact with the same aura of "eternity" is used, but there is one exception...
That's when a miracle happened.
Lin Qiye poured his last bit of divine power into Wu Xiangnan's body, healing the sword wound on his palm. From now on, he can hold a sword again.
After doing all this, the golden light in Lin Qiye's eyes completely faded, and the [Mortal Divine Realm] crumbled inch by inch.
He suddenly stood up, waved his hand to open a spatial portal, and was about to step inside.
"Qiye," Wen Qimo suddenly spoke, "Where are you going?"
"I still have some things to take care of... I'll take my leave first." Lin Qiye forced a smile on his pale face, left these words, and then, regardless of what others said, hurriedly stepped into the spatial portal.
His figure disappeared from the spot.
Several kilometers away.
A white portal opened out of thin air, then began to shake violently, as if it might collapse at any moment. Lin Qiye's figure flashed out from it, staggering and falling to the ground.
He barely managed to support himself with his hands, clenching his teeth, large beads of sweat constantly sliding down his cheeks, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Having just treated Wu Xiangnan's injuries, he had exhausted his last bit of divine power, and the miracle that sustained the soul had vanished.
He has reached his limit.
Merlin's soul returned to the mental hospital, and Lin Qiye felt an unprecedented weakness and exhaustion wash over him. His soul felt as if it had been torn apart, and intense pain filled his mind!