Chapter 467: I Want You To Accompany Me!

The memories of the day her father brought Soo Soo back to their home had always remained within Qiao Qiao’s mind.

Back then, the young Soo Soo was just like a lost puppy. Her eyes kept blinking as she hid behind her father, an unconcealed expression of fear and timidness on her face.

Qiao Qiao recalled what her father told her that day: From this day onward, she is your little sister. You need to protect her properly and take good care of her.

In the beginning, Qiao Qiao did not put much consideration into those words.

However, her father would often be away on business matters, spending most of his time being busy with various other matters. Thus, Soo Soo was the one to accompany her most of the time. Additionally, her father would constantly remind her “protect your little sister properly, take good care of her”…

As time passed and those words were said to a little child hundreds and thousands of times, the notion of protecting her little sister became deeply imprinted into Qiao Qiao’s mind.

That was what she had been doing all these time.

She had worked hard to do so.

Whenever her father was not around, this little sister of hers would become the one most intimate with her, someone who seemingly shared the same life as her.

Occasionally, whenever her father was at home, Qiao Qiao would notice him looking absentmindedly at Soo Soo, a tangled expression on his face.

Qiao Qiao had not given it any further thought. She had just believed that her father was thinking about his old friend.

At present, the words coming out of Soo Soo’s mouth…

Blade! Mountain! Flame! Sea!

After those four words came out, Qiao Qiao felt her mind collapsing, just like a sand castle on the beach, breaking and falling down bit by bit.

…

Soo Soo’s parents did not die in an accidental fire.

They were killed.

The words spoken by the killer could clearly be interpreted as… … eradicating traitors to Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild.

Soo Soo’s parents were traitors. If so, the killer was…

Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild?

How could this be?

…

Qiao Qiao’s mind was a mess. She looked blankly at Soo Soo. She felt a thousand words bubbling out from her mind, but was unable to utter out a single one of them.

Soo Soo’s hand gently pressed on Qiao Qiao’s chest. The two girls looked at each other.

After a while, Soo Soo gently spoke up.

“What do I do, sister? I remembered the things that I should not have remembered… … what should I do? Sister… … it looks like, the one who killed daddy and mommy is sister’s father.”

Qiao Qiao remained silent.

“Should I avenge daddy and mommy? Sister? But I cannot bring myself to harm you.” Soo Soo said in the calm and cold manner. “Even though I can be indifferent toward everyone else in the world, sister alone has my heart. The thought of having to harm you brings me a great deal of pain.”

Qiao Qiao’s body quivered and she was unable to react at all.

Soo Soo’s finger slowly moved away from Qiao Qiao’s stomach. “Sister, you are still the same. When protecting me, you will become silly. Sister, just now, my hand had made contact with you. Why didn’t you move away? Don’t you know? I could have harmed you.”

Tears filled Qiao Qiao’s eyes. Suddenly, she stepped forward and forcefully put both arms around Soo Soo in an embrace.

“Soo Soo! Soo Soo! You are my little sister! My little sister!” Qiao Qiao cried out in a heartfelt voice. “This must be a misunderstanding! My daddy would never harm you! He is surely not the one who tried to harm you! Otherwise, why would daddy bring you home? Soo Soo, things are definitely not like that!”

“If so, does sister’s father know the truth?” Soo Soo suddenly asked with a whisper.

Qiao Qiao was stunned and left speechless.

Does father… … know?

Memories flashed before her eyes. Occasionally, her father would look at Soo Soo with that tangled expression.

Father… … does he know?

Qiao Qiao’s heart was clear on the answer to the question.

However, facing Soo Soo, how was she to respond?

“Sister, you cannot answer? Is it because you don’t know? Or, you are unable to say it?” Soo Soo let out a soft laugh. The same cold expression was on her face. However, tears had trickled down her cheeks.

Qiao Qiao’s body trembled. Then, she suddenly screamed out.

“Out! Let us out! We don’t want to continue this instance dungeon anymore! We don’t want to do this quest anymore! We want to leave! Let us out! Out! End it! Hurry up and end it!”

…

Plop!

Seeing Nicole, who was wearing Floating Angel armour, walk forward slowly, Roddy’s body gave an involuntary shudder and he fell to his knees. His knees hit the hard rubble.

He raised his head to look at the sky before turning around to observe the surrounding debris. Finally, his eyes fell back to Nicole.

“How could it … … feel so real?”

Nicole slowly raised her hand. The turbine of her Floating Angel armour revved to life and Nicole’s figure shot forward, arriving before Roddy in an instant. Her hand came up…

Shwap!

Roddy’s body flew up before slamming down heavily on the ground.

“Ni, Nicole! Nicole!”

Roddy stood up and shouted loudly.

Nicole ignored him. She burst forward once more, arriving before Roddy again.

“Nicole! Nicole! Is that you? Is that really you?”

Roddy’s eyes were red as he stared right at Nicole.

“So?” Nicole finally spoke up. Her tone was cold, but her voice remained familiar. “So what? Asking me this type of question when you already know that I am dead. You are shocked to see me here, aren’t you? Aren’t you?!”

Nicole leapt up and kicked Roddy’s chest, sending him flying into the wall. He fell down and his body became stuck in the debris.

Cough cough cough…

Roddy coughed out blood. Nicole then grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up until their eyes met in the air. Their eyes stared at each other, a short distance between them.

“Why? Why did you leave me here?”

Roddy was stunned. “Wha- what?”

“Why? Why did I die here while all of you get to live? Why?” Nicole roared loudly.

“It, it was because of that battle. At the end, you were the one…”

“I was killed in action! So, why do you people get to live?” Nicole sneered as she continued, “My sacrifice is only natural, is that it? Why didn’t you die together with me? Why is it that when I was sacrificing myself, you all simply stood by and watch? Or could it be you were all such selfish people from the beginning?

“Ah!

“That is right!

“It is so dangerous!

“Such a hopeless situation!

“Someone is stepping forward! If so, let her go sacrifice herself! Otherwise, we will all have to die! The death of one is better than the death of everyone! It is better to have others die than for you to die!

“That is it, isn’t it? That is what you were all thinking!

“Why? Why can you all get out of this place alive?!

“Why? Why must I be the only one left here?

“I died here, I had to stay here for eternity! There is nothing here! Just coldness and solitude! Do you know what a hopeless place this is? Do you?”

Boom!

Nicole viciously tossed Roddy away.

Roddy’s figure flew toward a distant building. As his body was about to slam into the high-rise building, he subconsciously acted in self-defence. He summoned the Floater.

Damaged Floating Angel armour appeared at the last moment, covering Roddy’s body and forming a layer of protection.

Roddy’s figure then slammed into the building. After a series of crashing sounds, he slammed out from the other side of the building.

His body struggled to stay afloat in the air. As the damaged Floating Angel armour was unable to provide a complete degree of protection, Roddy coughed out blood as a result of the collision earlier.

An ice-piercing chill flashed through Nicole’s eyes. Her body flashed forward and she reappeared before Roddy again.

“This… is mine! This is my Floating Angel armour!” Nicole grabbed Roddy by his neck. “You dare use the thing I left behind to go up against me? Shameless!”

“I… I didn’t…” Roddy panted. Seeing Nicole floating before him, he was unable to bring himself to fight her.

When the degree of danger to Roddy’s life reached a critical state, the damaged Floating Angel armour activated once more.

With a boom, the turbines on the damaged Floating Angel armour roared to life and Roddy’s body shot out, escaping Nicole’s grip. At the same time, a Floating Cannon emerged from beside Roddy and it automatically aimed at Nicole.

Nicole sneered. She raised her right arm and the armour on her right arm opened up to form a curtain of light.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several beams were fired out but they were all deflected by Nicole. Nicole coldly observed the Floating Cannon. “It seems you are able to use my Floating Angel armour quite well!”

Roddy’s figure fell upon the rooftop of another building. He raised his head to look at Nicole, panting for breath. Then, he shouted, “Nicole! What do you want from me?”

“It is very simple. It is not fair that I alone must be sacrificed! I want you to accompany me!”

Roddy was startled. Next, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

Unknown to him, his consciousness was slowly turning blurry.

To him, the one before him was the real Nicole. Nicole!

“You want me to… … accompany you?” Roddy took a deep breath. Then, he slowly replied, “All right!”

“All right?”

“Yes, all right.” Roddy looked Nicole in the eye. A look of obsession appeared for just an instant before he lowered his head. “Did you think I never thought about you?”

“… … …”

“Every day since the Tokyo instance dungeon ended, I have been asking myself.

“Why? Why did I let you sacrifice yourself?

“Back then, if I had fought harder, pushed myself more, maybe you would not have to sacrifice yourself.

“If back then, I did not leave, could I stay there to accompany you?

“Nicole… … I know, I know, I have always known! I am willing to accompany you, I am willing to die with you in that instance dungeon. Because…

“I LOVE YOU!!!”

The final sentence of “I love you” was uttered using all his might. Roddy howled those words out with a maddening fervour.

After uttering those words, his body trembled and he fell to his knees, tears all over his face.

She died so that we may live. She had to die alone in that place…. Back then, if I had fought just a little bit harder… … if I had held on just a few seconds longer… … maybe, she would not need to die.

That was … … the weakness in Roddy’s heart!

…