What is a Person?

Chapter 690 What is a Person?

The red dragon Alex perched atop the ruins, her molten gold vertical pupils like two burning furnaces, locking onto the tiny humans below. Tang Zijun was not intimidated by her power and retreated; instead, she tightened the throttle, causing the otherworldly creation named Langya to roar even louder and more defiantly. This was like a sharp thorn, piercing the sensitive nerves of this proud dragon!

To her, that roaring sound was nothing short of a direct contempt and mockery of her supreme authority.

"A mere insect!" Alex's fury burned like a tangible flame, searing Tang Zijun's consciousness. Her massive dragon head bowed, its sharp, white teeth gleaming coldly in the molten gold light. "You are testing my patience. Is the noise from your laughable metal toy a declaration of your rage?"

Tang Zijun looked up at the ferocious dragon head that almost covered the sky. His face showed no fear, only an icy calm. He faced the dragon's might that could freeze the soul, and his voice pierced through the roar of the engine, clear and cold.

"Provocation? Alex Terragris." He addressed her by her first name, with a strange respect mixed with a sharp, confrontational edge. "Do you think I'm running away from something?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the shadow of the Blackrock Mountains stretching across the horizon like the spine of a giant beast.

"If you know even a shred of what this cursed land is like..." Tang Zijun's voice carried a sharpness that pierced through the mist. "Then you should know what awaits beyond these mountains!"

Alex's burning vertical pupils suddenly narrowed, and her huge head subconsciously looked in the direction Tang Zijun pointed. Beyond the rugged black rock ridge was a deathly still, boundless expanse of lead gray.

"That is...." Alex's grand vision faltered for a rare, human-like pause, as if this simple question had triggered a forgotten cognitive loop.

"The ocean... the Eternal Darkness Sea..." Her voice echoed in Tang Zijun's mind, trembling with disbelief. "Beyond the Blackrock Mountains, only that... that dead zone, where the final nightmare is born..."

The fiery eyes of the molten gold suddenly contracted, and the huge dragon head turned sharply back, staring intently at Tang Zijun. Its gaze was filled with extreme absurdity, shock, and an indescribable panic.

"You, you..." Alex's voice, for the first time, lost its ancient dragon composure and arrogance, becoming sharp and urgent, like a string on the verge of snapping. "What do you want?!"

Her thoughts crashed over Tang Zijun like a tsunami.

"That sea! What sleeps within it! A terrifying existence that even your proud gods are powerless against!"

"Lord of the Deep Sea's Sleep," when He truly awakens from His eternal slumber, when His will pierces the endless seas, the entire ocean will transform into His tentacles! The whole world will be dragged into eternal...cold darkness!

"How dare you?!"

Her enormous body even trembled slightly with excitement, and the massive ruins beneath her groaned under the weight.

"It's utter madness! It's pointless self-destruction!"

"This is suicide!"

Faced with the Red Dragon's almost roaring questioning and the terrifying future it proclaimed, a smile slowly appeared on Tang Zijun's face.

He gently shook his head, his gaze calmly meeting Alex's molten gold vertical pupils, which were filled with shock and confusion. "That's none of your business."

Immediately afterwards, Tang Zijun's gaze became like a knight's longsword drawn from its sheath, sharp and pure, as he stared directly at the ancient red dragon before him, a symbol of destruction and power.

"knight."

"They will not escape their own battlefield."

Every word was like a brand, etched in the wind, on the cursed land beneath their feet, and on Alex's ancient soul.

"so...."

Tang Zijun's hand firmly gripped the cold, knife-like handlebars of the Langya chariot, and the roar of the engine seemed to transform into a bugle call to charge!

"Could you please move aside?"

The resolute smile on his lips widened once more.

"...I'm going to my death."

Alex Terragris, the ancient red dragon who had experienced the twilight of the dragons, witnessed the fall of the gods, and harbored endless grief and desolation, was now frozen in place on the ruins.

In the vertical pupils of molten gold, the raging flames seemed to have solidified.

Shock, absurdity, bewilderment, anger, and a complex emotion... a long-forgotten, almost forgotten... called "respect," collided violently within her massive head like boiling magma.

She looked down at the human knight below, who was as small as a speck of dust, yet whose spine was straight, whose eyes were as clear as cold stars, and who calmly declared his acceptance of death, along with his otherworldly creation that also exuded an indomitable will.

The roar of the engine was no longer harsh; instead, it sounded like a war drum.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The wind, carrying the scent of ash and sulfur, howled past between the enormous dragon shadow and the tiny knight.

Alex's massive, mountain-like body slowly and silently moved a small step to the side.

This step opened up the pass leading to the Blackrock Mountains, which was also the most direct path to the Eternal Dark Sea.

She didn't send out any more thoughts, but simply stared deeply, deeply, at Tang Zijun with her molten gold vertical pupils burning with complex flames.

Tang Zijun understood the silent gaze. He said nothing more, but simply nodded slightly to the high and mighty red dragon.

next second.

"Langya! Full speed ahead!!!"

The silver motorcycle, like a ferocious beast breaking free from its restraints, roared deafeningly, transforming into a streak of dark light that tore through the desolate landscape. Without hesitation, it charged into the shadowy pass of the Black Stone Mountains, which resembled the throat of a giant beast, and sped away towards the lead-gray Dead Sea that would eventually bring about its destruction.

Only the red dragon Alex remained, like an ancient sculpture, perched atop the ruins, her molten gold eyes gazing longingly in the direction where the knight had vanished, her massive wings casting a heavy, silent shadow against the leaden sky.

On the other side, on the desolate land.

A silent torrent of steel is rapidly advancing towards the battlefield on the river front, a battlefield already soaked in blood and filth.

The heavy footsteps, the scraping of armor, and the deep hum of the energy core converged into a suppressed and murderous torrent, sweeping across the war-torn land. The leaden sky hung low, the turbid river gleamed ominously, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and an indescribable, pungent, sweet, and fishy odor originating from sorcery.

Above this silently advancing legion, a figure soared gracefully.

Qin Nan flapped her wings, which were made of pure magical energy and shimmered with pale purple starlight, like an elf dancing on a leaden gray canvas.

Her delicate face was framed by tactical goggles, her gaze sharp as a hawk's, constantly scanning the marching troops below, the high points on either side, and the stench billowing on the distant horizon. As the legion's eyes and high-altitude sentinel, her duty was paramount.

The nimble parrot, Little Grey, was surrounded by a faint blue vortex as it easily followed Qin Nan. Its beady eyes were also alertly observing its surroundings, but most of the time, its gaze lingered on its magical girl companion of many years.

The tension brought about by the forced march weighed heavily on the hearts of every soldier, like a solid lead weight. Xiao Hui keenly noticed a subtle tension beneath Qin Nan's seemingly calm and focused exterior.

It flapped its wings and drew closer, its clear sound carrying an unusual seriousness that resonated directly in Qin Nan's mind.

"Are you nervous, Sister Nan?"

Qin Nan paused slightly as she adjusted the focus of the eyepiece, then responded calmly without turning her head.

"Nervous? What am I nervous about?" Her gaze remained fixed on a narrow pass rapidly passing below. "The ones who should be nervous are those slag pieces waiting to be crushed, aren't they?"

Little Gray tilted its head, and a knowing glint shone in DouDou's eyes.

"This is different, Sister Nan." Its voice carried a straightforwardness like that of an old friend. "Before, what we were dealing with were those twisted, inhuman heretical demons, greedy beings who only knew how to destroy and devour. They were monsters, filth that had to be cleansed. It was only right and proper for us to protect peace and eliminate them, and we had no regrets."

"But this time it's different. On the front lines of the River Basin, those cultists and nobles of the Feast Order are human beings, living, breathing beings with thoughts and feelings just like us. Or rather, they were once human beings with thoughts and feelings. We magical girls and spirit beasts protect peace and life. We... have never killed anyone."

"6

'

Qin Nan fell silent.

The flapping magical wings seemed to freeze for a moment, with a subtle disorder in the flow of light and shadow.

Below, the heavy footsteps of the soldiers and the clanging of armor seemed to be amplified infinitely at this moment, pounding on her eardrums and on the stronghold of her unwavering beliefs.

Yes, to safeguard peace.

These four words were so clear and firm when facing inhuman monsters.

But what if the object becomes a person, even one who has been bewitched by an evil god and whose hands are stained with blood?

After a moment of silence, Qin Nan raised her head again. Her eyes behind the glasses were like amethyst crystals tempered with ice. The corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile, but the smile no longer had the gentleness or playfulness of the past. Instead, it carried a chilling coldness and a resolute sarcasm.

"Of course I wouldn't kill anyone, Little Grey."

Her voice was soft, yet it pierced the wind like an icicle.

"But, a monster in human skin..."

Qin Nan's gaze fell upon the sky at the front line of the river, which was stained dark red by the foul energy, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"—That's not necessarily true."

This sentence acts like an invisible dividing line.

It did not abandon the belief in protection, but rather redefined the enemy on the battlefield. When humanity is completely distorted, when the soul is occupied by filth, when existence itself becomes a breeding ground for evil, then what is left under this skin that is worth protecting?

Looking into Qin Nan's eyes and sensing the resolute determination in her words that cut off all hesitation, Xiao Hui didn't say anything more. He simply moved closer, offering his small body as a silent support. He knew that his partner had made her choice.

Just then.

A chilling, eerie aura, like ancient ice mixed with the wails of countless battlefield dead, swept across the entire legion like an invisible wave.

Even the leaden sky seemed to have dimmed a bit.

The marching troops below, whether they were valiant Black City mercenaries, elegant elven rangers, or up-and-coming warriors equipped with magic armor, all involuntarily stiffened, their movements momentarily frozen.

Qin Nan and Xiao Hui also looked up suddenly.

The front line of the river basin is right before our eyes.

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