"……Um?"
Sakura, standing still in the rain, noticed that the burning sensation on her body was gradually easing... So that's how it is, can the "punishment" be alleviated if she just leaves?
"Hahahaha... Not bad! Not bad! Come on! Keep going!"
But at this moment, Sakura couldn't care about too many things and could only concentrate on fighting him.
And under the heavy rain, the battle between the two "inhumans"... I'm afraid it will last for a very long time.
…………
………………
"........."
What Ying didn't know was that when she left, a pair of eyes were watching her figure disappear into the rain. Then Xi Wang wordlessly opened the umbrella, walked out of the church, and walked silently in the heavy rain.
The raindrops fell on the umbrella, making crackling sounds. The environment outside the umbrella was chilled by the rain, but inside the umbrella, around Xiwang, it was warm, not scorching, but gentle, like the warm sun in winter.
Occasionally, the night breeze brought with it cool rain, gently brushing the back of his hand, wetting his clothes and fingertips, but he did not mind. He just slightly adjusted the things in his hands, freeing one hand, and stretched it out of the range of the umbrella to touch the rain falling from the sky, letting it gather in the palm of his hand and flow away between his fingers.
Just like he said before, he liked rainy days. The cool and humid environment made him happy. He didn't even know if it was because the rain could sense his liking for it. He could occasionally sense the emotions coming from the water... For example, now, it was expressing its concern and inquiries to him.
It was concerned about whether it was living well on the "land" and whether it wanted to "go home". It was very worried about itself and asked itself why it had the scent of "fire" on its body. Although it was not dry, the warm feeling did not match the coldness of the water.
But Xi Wang did not respond to all this. He just withdrew his hand indifferently, held the umbrella, and walked silently towards his destination.
After a while, Xiwang arrived in front of a small building. When he walked in, he could see people infected by Honkai disease one after another... They were all patients with "Honkai disease" and were about to die.
"Father..."
Seeing Xi Wang coming, those who were still able to move hurriedly stood up and wanted to go forward to greet him, but were stopped by Xi Wang in the end.
"Please don't do that yet."
Xi Wang spoke softly, with a hint of sadness in his tone, but his words were still steady and clear.
"I... am not worthy of you doing this."
Xi Wang put the rain-stained umbrella aside and said so.
"No, how could that be? Father, you have given us a place to live and allowed us to continue our lives. We should thank you."
A patient lying on the bed said with a smile... Purple lines had already spread to his neck, and the "Honkai Disease" would soon take his life.
"No... I'm sorry, this place you all had high hopes for is about to be destroyed, and I gave you false hope... This is my fault."
"Please don't say that, Father."
Another person spoke... He had lost both of his legs, and even his upper body was covered with purple lines, but his mood at the moment was very stable, even a little relaxed.
"I know. I've seen it... People who are similar to us can't survive long after contracting this strange disease... Especially people like us."
He gestured around, at those patients who were similar to him and had extremely serious "Honkai Disease" conditions... If other doctors or people from the Fire Moth saw all this, they would probably be frightened, because their symptoms were already very serious, with purple lines either spreading to the chest or the neck, or even worse, purple lines had already appeared on their faces.
"Look... Father, we are destined to die. I have seen people who were in similar situations as us... They all went crazy, became monsters, or were taken away by a group of special people... We all know that those who were taken away were not given special treatments, but were killed directly. If left alone, people like us will become monsters and hurt more people."
“But here, we can live, retaining our consciousness as human beings. Even if it is hard, even if it is short, but... this is enough for us.”
He said so.
"Yes, Father."
Another person said.
"I've had so much fun coming to your place for a few days...Everyone is so nice and speaks so well. I love it here!"
"Father, thank you for your care these past few days... Unfortunately, we have nothing to give back to you..."
"Father, where did you learn to cook? The food you cook is surprisingly delicious... Could it be that [He] taught you? [He] also knows this? He is surprisingly a very down-to-earth person..."
"Father..."
"Father..."
…………
They talked a lot, their voices were relaxed and steady, and even their words were just expressions of their gratitude, but in the end... they all said that sentence -
"Father, please, please leave, leave here."
So they said, begged, and prayed.
"You should go quickly, to a safer place, a better place... You deserve better, and you should live, instead of staying here with us."
"No, I will stay here until the last moment."
Xiwang shook his head and refused.
"Father, please go away..."
"Just leave... please..."
"Father..."
…………
They began to persuade her again, expressing their concern for Xi Wang in their words, as if they did not care about their own lives which were bound to end.
But... as time went by, Xiwang could hear that their words were trembling and had a faint tone of crying.
Finally... someone couldn't hold it in any longer, and faint sobbing sounds were heard, which soon reached everyone's ears.
What followed was silence, and then... crying.
"I don't want to die... Father... I don't want to die..."
Yu Xiwang saw someone next to him looking at him, crying helplessly… His body was still intact, but the purple lines had spread all over his body, and there were even some at the corners of his eyes. Therefore, he basically lost the perception of his entire body, and only his eyes and mouth could move, and he could only cry helplessly alone.
Warm tears flowed across skin that had long lost its sensitivity, dripped onto the bed, and left some water stains on the pillow.
Xi Wang was speechless and could only hold him in his arms. She wiped away his tears with one hand and placed the other hand gently on his palm to give him some warmth...even though he could no longer feel it.
Yes... When you know you are going to die, who can not care? The gratitude to Xiwang and persuading Xiwang to leave was just because they didn't want Xiwang to see their embarrassing appearance...
He was clearly infected with an incurable disease at the beginning, and then he fled desperately, and after being exploited, he finally entered what others called the "Garden of Eden", but he unexpectedly discovered that he seemed to still have a way to survive here, and hope appeared in his originally desperate heart, but in the end... he found that this hope was just an illusion.
What a blow and what a despair this was for them... Indeed, a "false hope" is worse than a "real despair".
"........."
Xi Wang remained silent. All this was caused by him. It was he who gave everyone false hope, but in the face of the inevitable ending... any words he said seemed so powerless and pale.
But here, no one said bad things to Xi Wang, and no one complained... because they all knew that they could live a few more days because of Xi Wang's contribution and the "miracle" of this place. They couldn't and should not complain to Xi Wang.
It is such a blasphemy to speak ill of the being who saved your life, and it goes against everyone's conscience.
Therefore, they just cried and vented their inner fear and anxiety.
After some time, the crying of the crowd gradually weakened. After a brief silence, the man held in Xiwang's arms spoke again.
"Father...I am guilty."
"I coveted life and tried to survive, abandoning my wife and children."
"I am...guilty."
"You are innocent. It is natural for people to cherish their lives. And... your wife and children died in a disaster. It has nothing to do with you."
Xi Wang shook his head and whispered what he had never said.
"No, Father, I am guilty!"
he said firmly.
"I should have died, I should have followed them, but I lived alone. I am... guilty."
"you……"
"Father!"
He interrupted Xi Wang's words, sounding rude and rude, with a hint of begging in his words.
"I am...guilty."
he whispered.
"I just don't want to...become a [monster]. I just want to die...as a [human]."
"........."
"Father, I am guilty."
he said again.
"........."
Xiwang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes as if he had made a decision. His golden pupils shone like stars in the rainy night.
"You...are guilty."
As the words of hope fell, a bright flame ignited from his body, not hot, but gentle, like a bonfire on a snowy night.
"Thanks……"
He smiled and closed his eyes in the flames, as if at this moment, he could feel his body again and the temperature of the flames... No, not as if, he truly felt the warmth from the fire.
"You...are still so kind..."
Before turning into ashes, his whispers echoed in the silent room.
“…Father.”
After a brief silence, another person shouted.
"I'm guilty!"
He shouted so.
"Father, I am guilty!"
They said so.
The reasons were nothing more than "loving life and living in the world", or "abandoning wife and daughter, giving up relatives and friends", but... Xiwang pointed out everything they had never said.
Their wives, children, relatives and friends all died in disasters, they were not abandoned by them.
But... they still persisted.
They are…”guilty.”
"........."
Xiwang understood everything, so he stopped asking questions and said nothing more.
I just went up to them one by one, hugged them gently, placed my hands gently in their palms, blessed them, and gave them strength.
And then... give them farewell.
A bright fire ignited, burning them to ashes, but no one wailed. They just smiled calmly and closed their eyes silently, welcoming their end as humans.
The flames gently embraced them, allowing them to pass away in warmth... quietly and happily.
"Father, can you... hug me?"
In front of the last girl, she spoke softly to Xi Wang.
She had lost an arm and an eye, and there was an obvious gap on her head. Her long hair only covered half of her head, and even her face looked ugly because of the wound. Her legs were covered with purple lines and she could not walk. She could only move with the help of one arm... But at this moment, she shyly but calmly opened her only arm towards Xi Wang.
"I have only been here for a short time. I have not met the priest many times, nor have I had much contact with him, so... can you hug me? I want to... have more contact with you..."
"Ah."
Without hesitation, he just nodded gently and reached out to hug her.
"Sure enough... it's just as everyone said... the priest's body is warm... very comfortable..."
She gently closed her only remaining eye and carefully felt the warmth coming from Xiwang's body.
Immediately, she tilted her head slightly, leaned against Xi Wang's profile, and spoke in a weak, slightly trembling, but extremely firm voice.
"Father, I am...guilty."
Then, a bright flame ignited from her body.
