radicalducati Page 455
Page 455
“Ato.” Morgana’s voice suddenly rang out, hoarse like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing together.
“Your Majesty, I am here.” Atto knelt on one knee, bowing his head even lower.
"What do you think... he'll ask me?" Morgana asked, as if she were asking Atto, or perhaps herself.
Ator couldn't answer. What could he say? "Your Majesty, your theory is invincible; you'll definitely pass with ease"? Even he himself didn't believe that. "Let's run!" he'd say. Run where? Even Karl's Grand Clock had been hacked on the spot; was there any safe place in this universe?
“Heh…” Morgana suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly. “Run? Back in the day, I even rebelled against the Angel Nebula for freedom. And now, I’m actually thinking about running away…”
She slowly stood up, walked to the flagship's porthole, and looked out at the unchanging, deep darkness.
She was afraid.
She wasn't afraid of death. Back when she rebelled against Keisha, she had already disregarded life and death.
What she feared was that the "degradation and freedom" she had practiced over thousands of years, with the blood and lives of countless people, would be proven to be a complete joke by that "teacher" in a way that she could neither understand nor resist.
That would be even harder for her to accept than being killed.
Just then, an inexplicable palpitation gripped the hearts of all the demons present.
That wasn't an energy fluctuation, nor was it a physical attack. It was a higher-dimensional "gaze".
It was as if a pair of eyes had pierced through the barriers of time and space, through the armor of the demon wings, and landed on Morgana.
coming.
Morgana's body tensed up.
The next second, in the vast void in front of the demon's wings, huge Chinese characters made of pure light appeared one after another.
That light was neither as majestic as it was when Hua Ye was being judged, nor as cold as it was when Karl was being questioned. It carried a strange warmth, as if it were filled with a sigh.
[Thought Question 3: Morgana, have you ever regretted your millennia-long struggle with your sister Keisha between "justice" and "corruption"? In the dead of night, have you ever thought of the innocent lives lost because of your war?]
This question is neither philosophically obscure nor logically convoluted.
It's like an ordinary old man by the fire, posing the simplest yet most profound question to a younger person who has made a mistake.
In an instant, Morgana felt as if all her armor had been stripped away.
Demon Queen, Fallen Freedom, Divine Body... all become pale and powerless in the face of this question.
She seemed to have transformed back into the angel still called Liang Bing, standing before her sister Keisha, stubbornly arguing, yet unable to escape the innocent stars and creatures that had turned into cosmic dust in their dispute.
"I……"
She opened her mouth, only to find that her throat felt like it was blocked by something.
The word "no" was so heavy that she couldn't utter it.
Chapter 429 Morgana, do you regret it?
The silence of the universe transformed into a tangible pressure, weighing heavily on Morgana's soul.
That question remained suspended in the void, each word like a mirror, reflecting her past, stained with blood and tears, which she had deliberately avoided for thousands of years.
Regret?
Have you ever thought about those innocent lives?
These two questions, sharper than any divine weapon, directly pierced through the incredibly hard shell she had meticulously constructed with her theory of "degradation and freedom."
"Regret? I'll never regret it!"
A hysterical roar shattered the deathly silence on the demon's wings. Morgana slammed her fist into the alloy wall beside her, the sturdy hull emitting a dull thud and leaving a clear fist-shaped dent.
Her eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.
"Ato! Start all the engines! Let's go! I'm not answering! I don't care who it is!" she yelled frantically, trying to use the volume to cover up her inner panic.
“Queen…” Ator’s voice was hoarse, “We…can’t leave.”
Even without Ator's reminder, Morgana had already noticed it. The line of text made of light remained fixed in front of them, no matter how the demon wings moved, like a persistent nightmare.
This is not a projection at the physical level; these 890 are a lock at the level of laws.
Can't run away.
This realization was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing Morgana's newly ignited rage and plunging her back into a chilling fear.
She slumped back onto the throne, panting heavily, her full chest heaving violently.
She knew she had to answer.
Silence or escape will lead to a fate similar to that of Hua Ye, who was turned into a "figurine".
"Haha...hahahaha..." She suddenly laughed again, her laughter sharp and neurotic. "Fine, fine! It's just answering questions, right? I'll play along!"
She slammed her hand on the armrest of the throne, and her entire demeanor changed abruptly.
"Connect me to the entire universe! I'm going to let everyone hear my answer, Morgana's answer!"
She had to answer, but she wouldn't answer quietly. She wanted to turn this "exam" into her podium, her debate arena, in front of the entire universe!
Soon, under Morgana's command, the Demon Wings' communication system was turned on at full power, forcibly pushing her image and voice to every corner of the known universe.
On the screens of countless civilizations, the heavily made-up, arrogant demon queen reappeared once again.
"Hey! My darlings all over the universe, did you miss me?!" Morgana crossed her legs and winked at the camera, as if she wasn't being judged but holding a fan meeting.
“Just now, a teacher asked me a question.” She pointed to the glowing text in the void behind her, her tone becoming playful. “He asked me if I regretted it. He asked me if I had thought about those poor little ones who died.”
She paused, glanced around at the demons under her command, and then turned her gaze to the endless universe beyond the camera's view.
"Before answering this question, I want to show you something first."
As she finished speaking, three-dimensional images began to appear in the space behind her.
It wasn't the grand, cold evolution of the universe like Carr's, but rather vivid, individual fragments.
The first scene depicts a planet ruled by a "just order." From birth, the genes of all life are locked; a person's career, partner, and even daily emotional fluctuations are precisely calculated and planned by the angels' "Heavenly Blade System." They have no crime, no war, and no…freedom. The entire civilization is like a giant, precise clock, every component operating eternally and flawlessly on its predetermined track. In the scene, a young life, having secretly drawn a picture that didn't conform to the "aesthetics of justice," is deemed "mentally abnormal" and taken away for "correction." His eyes are numb and empty.
“Look,” Morgana’s voice rang out, full of sarcasm, “this is the justice that bitch Keisha has! One that allows no dissent, no surprises.”
"A paradise! Would you like to live in such a paradise?!"
The scene changes.
On a desolate planet, a diverse group of creatures struggle to survive in the harsh environment. They are ugly, they are savage, and they kill each other for a piece of food. Then, a demon descends. The demon grants them greater power, teaches them to modify their bodies, and teaches them to unleash their inner desires. They become more chaotic, but also more powerful and vibrant. In the final scene, this group of creatures, once on the verge of extinction, pilots a rudimentary spaceship, bursting out of their planet's atmosphere, their roars filled with a yearning and greed for the unknown universe.
"This is my downfall!" Morgana's voice rose sharply. "I gave them the right to choose! To choose to become stronger, to choose to evolve, to choose to pursue everything they wanted! Even if the process was full of bloodshed and death! That's what living is all about!"
One scene after another, constantly changing.
A rebel army, resisting the dictatorial rule, shouted the slogan of "freedom" and set fire to their city.
Some scholars, pursuing ultimate power, transformed themselves into half-human, half-machine monsters, going mad in the ocean of knowledge.
Ordinary civilians, amidst the ruins of war, shared their only piece of bread, then laughed as they rushed to the next battlefield.
Morgana packaged all this chaos, bloodshed, and cruelty as proof of "freedom" and "vitality."
“Now, I will answer the teacher’s question.” Morgana put away all the images, her face turned directly towards the camera, her expression more serious than ever before.
"Regret? I don't regret it!" Her voice was resolute. "What I regret is not being able to overthrow Keisha's dictatorship sooner! What I regret is that my power was not strong enough to protect more of my followers!"
"As for those innocent lives..." A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a more resolute look. "In war, there are never any innocent victims! When you chose to live comfortably in Keisha's hypocritical order, you already stood on the opposite side of me! For all life in the universe to gain true freedom, this sacrifice is a necessary price!"
"Keisha says I spread depravity, I say she kills lives! Our war is a war of ideas! There is no right or wrong, only victory or defeat!"
So, my answer is—
She stood up, opened her arms as if embracing the entire universe, or as if declaring war on that "teacher".
"I have no regrets! My conscience is clear! Those deaths are medals on the road to freedom!"
"Now, it's your turn, teacher!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with a desperate madness. "You stand high above, judging this and judging that! And what about you? What kind of universe are you pursuing? What are you willing to sacrifice for your purpose? Don't try to fob me off with that nonsense about going home! Do you dare to show your ideal world to the entire universe?!"
She roared out her final question, like a gambler who had lost all his chips, overturning the table, pointing his finger at the dealer, and demanding that he reveal his hand.
She didn't try to cheat within the rules like Carl did.
She chose the most intense and dangerous method—attacking the person who set the question.
At that moment, the entire universe held its breath.
Chapter 430 Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth
Morgana's roar echoed in the cosmic background radiation.
This passionate, argumentative, and counter-questioning "answer" plunged all the listening civilizations into an eerie silence.
Instead of denying the facts, she packaged those bloody "evidence" as medals of "freedom." She shifted the blame to Keisha and all civilizations enjoying "just order," and finally, she pointed the finger directly at that mysterious "teacher."
This is no longer answering a question; this is forcing someone to abdicate.
The atmosphere inside the seaside villa was somewhat awkward.
Feng Shayan's palms were sweating with nervousness. She glanced at the demon queen on the screen, who looked like she had gone mad, and then cautiously glanced at Zhou Ye.
She had assumed that her husband would, like he had with Karl, directly slap the other man in the face with a more sophisticated "truth."
To her surprise, Zhou Ye didn't show any displeasure or mockery. He simply leaned back on the sofa, stroking his chin, and watched Morgana's entire "performance" with great interest.
"That's interesting," he suddenly said, offering his assessment.
Feng Shayan was stunned.
“Compared to that shut-in who only knows how to use a calculator and chant scriptures, at least this one dares to argue.” Zhou Ye picked up the Coke on the table, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh. “Although she’s full of fallacies, her logic is self-consistent. She really believes in her own stuff.”
"So...did she answer correctly?" Feng Shayan couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"Right or wrong?" Zhou Ye laughed and shook his head. "Only children distinguish between right and wrong; adults only consider advantages and disadvantages. As for teachers, they only look at your homework and whether you have potential."
He put down the Coke can, slowly stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the boundless night sky outside.
“She asked me what kind of universe I wanted, and she also wanted to see my ideal world…” Zhou Ye’s tone carried a lazy smile, “Since she wants to see it so much, let her build one herself.”
After he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers.
A crisp snap of the fingers, almost imperceptible in the villa's living room.
But on the other side of the universe, in the face of the demon's wings, a colossal wave was unleashed.
The line of light questioning Morgana slowly faded away.
Immediately afterwards, a new "blackboard" reappeared in the sky above the Styx Galaxy with an even more magnificent and undeniable momentum. This time, its coverage was so wide that people on Earth could even see its miraculous brilliance with the naked eye in the night sky.