Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 557

“It’s up to you now,” Dinia said to Ronan.

In terms of physical strength, she is better than Ronan; but in terms of wit, she still needs Ronan.

Knowing what to do is not difficult; the difficulty lies in how to accomplish it.

The target is not wood, but a person, and a person who is extremely intelligent and resourceful. Not only is the person extremely intelligent and resourceful, but the person is also a special being. A special opportunity must be created during the transition between life and death, and the person's own essence must be successfully injected into the other person's body.

Dinia knew she couldn't do it at all.

"I can only do my best."

Ronan responded.

Ahriman should know what Ronan and Dinia are going to do, and Ronan has basically guessed what Ahriman is going to do as well.

Both sides are actually playing their cards openly.

"Well, anyway, you take the lead from now on, and I'll assist you."

Dinia said.

Whether you have unwavering confidence in victory is not important; what matters is never backing down.

A day later, the two sides met again on a section of the Yellow River.

At this point, both sides had returned to their original appearances, but in reality, they were still in a state of extremely low magical energy and vitality.

The two sides, one on the north bank and the other on the south bank, stepped onto the river almost simultaneously. On this section, which was several tens of meters wide, they moved very slowly, gradually building up their sharpness and gradually restraining their momentum.

This section of the river, which was originally rushing, gradually calmed down, as if the world belonging to this section of the river had been frozen and stopped flowing.

The two walked closer and closer on the river surface, not as if they were on water, but as if they were on a dim, yellowish glass surface.

They stopped walking at the same time, about a meter apart.

Ahriman slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. "People of the old era must be aware of becoming stepping stones to the new era, my father."

"To have a grand, self-justifying principle to justify doing something is a sign of inferiority and cowardice. I remember telling you that once, son," Ronan chuckled. "Or perhaps you're not confident at all?"

“Indeed, no. The union of Father and Aunt Dinia can hardly be called a union. It’s too difficult to separate you.” Although he said it was difficult, there was not a trace of worry on Ariman’s face.

As he said, to win, he only needs to separate Ronan and Dinia; just for a moment, he can defeat either of them in that instant.

When Ronan and Dinia were not in their combined form, they were no different from those insignificant seventh-tier beings in his eyes.

He is at the ninth level, which means he is already the administrator of the entire extraordinary system, but his authority is insufficient and his input and output capabilities are limited.

Even after Ronan and Dinia merged, they still lacked authorization, yet their input and output capabilities were astonishingly strong, and both possessed external forces that had infiltrated the system. "I think dealing with you will be a bit more difficult," Ronan said.

As soon as the words were spoken, both of them raised their hands simultaneously.

Unlike the previous exchanges that were measured in milliseconds or ten-thousandths of a second, this time, both sides were moving extremely slowly, as slowly as a dying old man on a hospital bed with his eyes closed, his heartbeat about to become a flat line, slowly raising his hand as if trying to grasp something.

It's too slow, so slow that it feels like the two sides might completely freeze and then vanish in the next instant.

In stark contrast to the slow pace of both sides, beyond this still river surface, the Yellow River on both sides surges wildly, sweeping away everything in its path.

The earth began to tremble, the land surged, and in the blink of an eye, countless fissures and pits appeared in the surrounding land.

At the same time, the surrounding temperature continued to rise, and the river water quickly boiled and began to evaporate rapidly.

When the combined Roddy and Aliman raised their hands to chest level, the riverbed of the Yellow River around them had dried up and cracked, and the ground in the distance, which had long been fractured by earthquakes and fissures, with fallen plants and trees even sinking into pits, began to burn.

This region, centered on the two opposing sides and located in the central plains of Seris, is a land abundant in water and lush with vegetation, but it is rapidly transforming into a lifeless desert.

High in the air, on the spaceship.

“Whoever touches the other first wins,” Astrid said.

Louise leaned closer and asked, "Why not speed up and get the first move? Or change your tactics to interrupt the opponent? Also, wouldn't it be better to just dodge ranged attacks?"

“Ordinary forces cannot interrupt it.” A strange male voice appeared; the newcomer was Liu Chongsi. “Furthermore, as time goes by, both sides’ ‘attack power’ and ‘defense power’ are constantly increasing.”

Astrid followed up, "In short, you can think of it as a charged attack, but if it's done ahead of time, it's not 100% certain. Besides, neither side is even sure if they can defeat their opponent 100%."

Liz spoke up, "Even if it's not 100%, it's enough to severely injure the opponent and interrupt them, right?"

"That's right, but what percentage is enough to interrupt the opponent? It's uncertain, since both sides' attack power and defense are increasing. After interrupting and severely injuring, one will inevitably be significantly weaker. If the opponent can still charge up an attack at this time, while one's side is not strong enough to unleash a charged attack, then it's just a matter of waiting to die."

"Of course, if you happen to interrupt and severely injure your opponent to the point that they can no longer launch an attack, then you win."

"Therefore, there are two ways to win. First, both sides keep accumulating power without stopping, and the one who finishes accumulating power first and makes a move wins."

"Second, strike early at a certain point in the middle of the fight, severely injuring the opponent to the point where they are unable to fight anymore, while you still have strength to spare." "This is where the game of strategy comes in. If anyone can't resist and makes a move out of blind confidence, they will most likely lose."

Astrid provided an analysis and explanation.

Lavana asked, "But if you see that your opponent is about to fully charge up, and you are likely to be a step behind, then you have no choice but to make your move, right?" Astrid nodded, "Yes, so it is a battle of mental fortitude and wisdom."

As they talked, the other women in Ronan watched in unusual silence, yet with immense tension.

Who will win and who will lose? It's impossible to know.

But the result will arrive in no more than three minutes.

Chapter 1297: Patricide and Son Murder, the Grand Finale, is it?

On the section of the river that had been cut off, which had become completely still, the combined Roddy and Ahriman slowed down more and more. If you kept staring at them, you might not even be able to feel them moving.

Just then, Ronan suddenly spoke up, "Ariman, it seems we're faster on our end and will finish first."

Ahriman feigned a panicked expression, then regained his usual calm. "Should I launch an attack immediately to gain the upper hand?" "Why not?" Ronan retorted sarcastically.

“It is precisely because I do not have it that you are afraid,” Ahriman said calmly. “Fear is the beginning of failure. You should have acted sooner. If you wait until some point in the future, it will be too late.”

Ronan had a faint smile on his face. "The more people emphasize something, the more they lack it."

Time is always flowing, but its flow seems to be slower than the almost stillness of both sides.

A minute feels like an eternity.

The combined Roddy finished charging up first and moved, but just as it was about to make contact, it suddenly stopped, its fingertips stopping less than a centimeter away from Ahriman's chest.

Ahriman moved almost without pause, yet his hand never actually touched the combined Roddy, who appeared entirely in Ronan's form.

"Why did we stop?" Ariman asked Ronan.

"Shouldn't I be asking you this question?" Ronan retorted.

With his other hand, Ahriman brushed the slightly messy hair from his forehead back. "There's no reason. I can stop whenever I want."

Ronan let out a long sigh.

“I just feel you’ve become a little strange. The you of the past was gentle yet arrogant; now you have a respect for people and the world.” Ronan said calmly. “I still remember when you were little, you said that those who were willing to silently endure suffering, even sacrifice themselves to fight against certain people or things, were just running away. They were simply doing whatever it took to deny a certain person or a certain idea, without even wanting to understand why they were doing it. That was cowardice, not courage.” “You said that true courage is understanding the world, finding your own path, and being willing to give everything for it.”

"And I tell you that you should respect others and reduce your arrogance. Arrogance breeds loneliness, and loneliness further fuels arrogance. Perhaps others cannot defeat you, but going from arrogance to nihilism will ultimately lead you to utter defeat, or even destruction."

"What you said back then was, 'You're a coward too,' yeah, that's very Garcia-esque, haha."

"But now, you're different. You've become very easygoing, and you've even learned the most basic thing about being a person: respecting others and their choices."

"So I'm wondering if this 'they' includes me too?"

Ronan stopped there.

Between a father and son, some things don't need to be said too clearly, nor can they be said too clearly.

Ahriman looked up and remained silent for a few seconds before facing Ronan again, a long-lost arrogance appearing on his face. "No matter what kind of person I become, or what changes you undergo, some facts will not change. The loser will be forever imprisoned within the newly formed psionic system, becoming the sole observer, losing their freedom and the ability to intervene in anything on their own. Are you ready?"

The next instant, the arrogance on Ahriman's face vanished once more, because he moved, while Ronan did not. If he hadn't stopped again, the battle would have been over.

"Why?" Ahriman asked.

Ronan said, "Like I said, I should be the one asking why."

"Why?" Ahriman asked himself, then sighed. "Maybe it's because I'm unlucky. I was born in the East, Seres, and grew up there. All I see are Seres people, but I am ultimately a Westerner, and the people who raised me are also Westerners."

"The root of Eastern values ​​is 'child killing,' while the root of Western values ​​is 'patriarchal authority,' just as arrogance and respect are inherently contradictory."

"It is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. The more powerful a person is, the more difficult it is for them to truly integrate their id, ego, and superego."

"The only thing I admire about you, Father, is that you are a person who truly integrates animality, humanity, and divinity."

"Actually, I still prefer that arrogant, lonely me, who clearly disdains being understood and hates being admired, yet still foolishly wants to find someone who can stand with me and understand me, rather than the me who now makes others choose for me."

Ronan laughed, even awkwardly clapping his other hand against the raised one. "Congratulations, Ariman, you've seen the mountain again." "Goodbye."

Ahriman read out those two words.

At that moment, he seemed to hear continuous applause surrounding him, and then he seemed to see some people.

The dead Luo Chenghao, the dead Garcia, the living Guts, the living Astrid.

They formed a circle.

While clapping, they said "Congratulations" to him.

"Yes, thank you," Ahriman replied.

The next moment, Ariman grabbed Ronan's hand and pressed it to his own chest.

Ronan remained calm, but Dinia was astonished.

That immense power surged violently into Ahriman's soul and body.

As expected, the powerful force will bring everything inside the finite container to a standstill.

But, an unexpected incident occurred.

Ahriman himself showed no signs of disappearing; on the contrary, he seemed to be on the verge of exploding, which was completely contrary to the initial estimates.

At the same time, Ronan and Dinia felt a strange force connecting them, as if countless threads were drilling into their bodies and pulling them in a certain direction.

“I see, hahaha.” Ronan laughed.

At this point, he finally understood everything.

From the very beginning, there was no winner or loser in this battle; there were winners and losers everywhere.

This battle is destined to give rise to two roles: one is the central observer of the new extraordinary system, also known as "God," who is said to be unfree but is actually free; the other is the executor who maintains this system, also known as "the incarnation of God," who is said to be free but is actually not free.

The two are not subordinate to each other, but they are forever bound to this system, sharing its fate.

If Ronan and Dinah are defeated by Ahriman, they will become "gods," and Ahriman will naturally become the "incarnation of a god."

Conversely, as is the case now, Ronan and Dinia defeated Ahriman, so naturally Ahriman became "God," while Ronan and Dinia were forced to become "incarnations of God."

Ariman, whose spirit was gradually crumbling, looked at Ronan and said, "Well, Father, what do you think of the gift I gave you?"

“Now I’ve really become a ‘public servant’,” Ronan said with a self-deprecating laugh. “This is worse than death.”

"Ha, isn't it the kind of thing that you, Father, are best at, to bully your master?" Ahriman laughed as well. "The servant of the public is actually the master. I wish you a pleasant time in the future."

Ronan sighed helplessly, "So, I have to thank you?"

"No need, I have already accomplished the highest achievements of both East and West: killing my father and killing my son."

Chapter 1298 Sequel: The Second Sleep, Chaotic Times

Ahriman's soul and body completely disappeared.

Ronan and Dinia survived in their original forms.

The battle thus came to an end.

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The disappearance of President Ariman did not cause much of a stir in France; it was simply a matter of holding another election.

His chosen successor was unsurprisingly elected, continuing the policies of the previous two presidents.

Only a few high-ranking superhumans knew that one of the culprits behind the "natural disaster" that had previously affected all of France was Ahriman, but revealing this would not bring them any benefit; on the contrary, it might bring endless trouble.

Like many major events in the past, this incident became a well-known secret within a small circle, but unknown to the outside world.

Five years later, in the central Pacific Ocean, on an island north of the Australian continent, a towering tree, three hundred meters tall, suddenly sprouted overnight, its trunk, branches, and leaves gleaming with a white light.

From this moment on, a new extraordinary system was born.

However, the vast majority of the tens of millions of superhumans around the world did not feel anything unusual; only a very small number of the most outstanding superhumans did.

Before long, a group of people standing at the pinnacle of the extraordinary world arrived at the nameless island in the Pacific Ocean, saw the giant white tree, and were convinced that it was the source of the faint anomaly. However, after some research, they still didn't know what the white tree was or what its purpose was. The giant white tree was visible and perceptible, but apart from its branches, leaves, and exposed roots, only the outer shell of its trunk was real. The inside of the trunk was like an illusion; it appeared solid, but when touched, it was hollow.

It's incredible.

Some people stayed behind, wanting to uncover the truth, because this tree was definitely something that could influence the world.