The judgment did not arrive as a command.
It arrived as a conclusion.
1. The Moment the Decision Locks
The pressure around Yin Lie changed.
Not heavier.
Sharper.
Qin Mian felt it immediately. The air no longer pressed evenly—it focused, like attention narrowing to a single point.
To him.
Her Anchor screamed in alarm, every warning signal firing at once.
"…No," she whispered.
The presence did not react to her denial.
It had already moved past that phase.
2. Reclassification
Meaning arrived, clean and absolute.
Subject Yin Lie:
Temporal anomaly exceeds recoverable thresholds.
Cascade probability unacceptable.
Termination required.
Qin Mian screamed.
"No! You don't get to say that like it's a report!"
The world did not respond.
Reports did not argue.
3. Yin Lie Understands Before She Does
Yin Lie laughed.
It surprised even him.
"…Termination," he repeated softly.
He wiped blood from his mouth, hands shaking only slightly.
"So that's the word you use."
He looked around—not at the presence, but at the fractured world that had carried him this far.
"…I thought it would feel bigger," he said.
"It feels… administrative."
4. No Trial, No Defense
There was no accusation.
No list of crimes.
No justification beyond risk.
The presence did not accuse Yin Lie of malice.
It did not label him evil.
It simply categorized him as non-viable.
Qin Mian felt sick.
"…You didn't even ask why," she said.
The meaning returned immediately.
Intent irrelevant.
Outcome dominant.
5. What "Termination" Means
The presence did not raise a weapon.
It did not summon force.
Instead, time around Yin Lie began to thin.
Moments lost cohesion.
Edges softened.
His outline blurred—not visually, but conceptually.
He was still there.
But less anchored.
"…You're not killing him," Qin Mian realized in horror.
"You're unthreading him."
The silence confirmed it.
6. Yin Lie Feels Himself Loosen
Yin Lie staggered as the sensation hit.
It wasn't pain.
It was release without consent.
Like fingers slowly prying him out of the present.
"…This is new," he muttered.
He reached down.
His hand passed through stone that should have been solid.
"…I'm already leaving."
7. Qin Mian Panics — Fully
She ran to him, grabbing his arm.
Her hands met resistance—but barely.
It was like holding someone through water.
"No!" she sobbed.
"You can't do this! You can't just decide he's too messy!"
Her Anchor flared violently, trying to stabilize him.
Pain exploded through her skull.
The presence reacted instantly.
Pressure surged.
Interference detected.
8. The Warning
Meaning sharpened.
Continued resistance will escalate corrective measures.
Anchor-capable subject advised to disengage.
Qin Mian shook violently.
"…You're threatening me."
The presence did not deny it.
9. Yin Lie Makes It Worse — On Purpose
He smiled faintly.
"…Hey," he said softly.
Qin Mian turned toward him.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"They're right about one thing," he said.
"I don't line up anymore."
She shook her head furiously.
"No. No, we'll fix this."
He laughed again, breath hitching.
"…You don't fix earthquakes."
10. He Steps Forward Into Dissolution
He took a step.
Time did not resist.
It welcomed the movement.
His leg blurred, stretching across two moments at once.
Qin Mian screamed.
"STOP!"
She lunged, grabbing him again.
This time her hands passed partially through his arm.
She sobbed.
"You're fading!"
11. The Presence Clarifies the Outcome
Meaning arrived again, colder.
Termination will not be instantaneous.
Subject will gradually exit sequence.
Residual influence acceptable.
Qin Mian stared in horror.
"You're letting him linger?"
The presence did not answer.
Lingering minimized shock to reality.
That was all that mattered.
12. Yin Lie Feels the Weight Lift
Something inside Yin Lie loosened completely.
The pain in his body faded.
The constant lag.
The tearing.
The misalignment.
All of it eased.
"…Oh," he murmured.
"That's why you do it this way."
He looked at Qin Mian gently.
"…It feels better."
She stared at him in terror.
"That's not relief," she cried.
"That's you letting go!"
13. The Cruelest Mercy
He nodded slowly.
"I know."
He reached out.
This time, his hand almost fully passed through hers.
"…They're not wrong," he said softly.
"I'm dangerous to keep."
Her chest felt like it was collapsing.
"No," she whispered.
"You're dangerous to lose."
14. Qin Mian Makes a Choice — Too Late
She screamed and forced her Anchor beyond safe limits.
The world shook violently.
Fractures roared.
Time spasmed.
For a heartbeat, Yin Lie snapped back into solidity.
He gasped in shock.
Qin Mian cried out in triumph.
"I have you!"
The presence reacted instantly.
Pressure multiplied catastrophically.
15. Punishment
Not anger.
Correction.
The Anchor was hit with a force so precise it felt surgical.
Qin Mian screamed as something deep inside her tore.
Blood poured freely from her nose and mouth.
She collapsed.
Yin Lie screamed her name.
"QIN MIAN!"
16. The Presence Finalizes the Sentence
Meaning arrived again, heavier than before.
Anchor interference exceeded tolerance.
Termination process accelerated.
Yin Lie felt it immediately.
The loosening became a pull.
Strong.
Relentless.
He screamed—not in fear, but rage.
"You don't get to hurt her!"
The presence did not respond.
17. Yin Lie's Last Stand Is Not Violence
He did not attack.
He did not resist.
He anchored himself to her.
Not with power.
With intent.
He wrapped what remained of his existence around Qin Mian's position.
"…Then take me," he snarled.
"But you don't get to erase her choosing."
Time convulsed violently.
18. End of the Chapter
When the shockwave settled, the world was quiet again.
Qin Mian lay unconscious, Anchor damaged but alive.
Yin Lie was still there—
but thinner.
Fainter.
Already partially outside the present.
The presence withdrew slightly, recalculating.
Termination had begun.
But something unexpected remained:
A residue.
A connection that refused to dissolve cleanly.
The sentence had been passed.
The execution was underway.
But for the first time since the Judge had appeared,
the world could not guarantee
that the condemned would disappear
without consequence.
And that uncertainty—
that single unresolved variable—
was enough to threaten everything the judgment was meant to protect.