Rebirth of the Interstellar Pope <Mecha>

Chapter 48

Chapter 48

[Rufeite: Anno, you were once my unwavering belief, my love intertwined with the poison in my blood. Yet in the end, it was killing that led me away from the path of a saint.

Do I still love you? I don't know.

You explained in the Bible that glory and power are mere illusions. But what of love and hate? Are they not illusions as well, Anno?]
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Michael's red fuselage streaked across the starry sky, pursuing Napoleon's figure.

"Anno!" Rufeite's childlike voice crackled through the communicator.

Anno didn't cut off the connection. Instead, he replied, "Rufeite, go back."

"You don't have the Sea of Consciousness, so how can you still control Napoleon?" Rufeite shouted, frustration boiling over as he slammed his fist against the control board.

Seated quietly at the console, Anno felt as if he had explained everything clearly to Rufeite. But deep down, he recognized those words were mere excuses to convince himself. He had no idea how far he could go in his current state, nor what kind of future he would have to bear.

"Anno, come back," Rufeite's anxious voice pleaded through the communicator. "I promise you, I'll quit the Church. I'll do anything if you just come back."

Pride and arrogance had once defined you, Rufeite. When did you become like this?

"Anno, just a day ago, we were still like lovers, still dating. Tell me-was that your true heart? Or were you just pretending?"

Calmly, Anno gazed at the starry sky outside the display, where a red mecha hovered silently. "Rufeite, it's no longer important."

"No! Tell me! Tell me! I'll let you go after you tell me!"

"What is your current belief, Rufeite?"

"Don't ask me about that bullshit belief anymore!" Rufeite's voice roared through the communicator. "Just tell me-have you ever loved me?"

Anno remained composed, as if he had been the Pope on his high throne for centuries, untouched and unchanged, never having met the man who had obsessed over him for years.

"Rufeite," Anno rested his chin on his hand, answering evenly, "I think I was moved by you at one point, but that was probably not love."

"You're lying!" Rufeite screamed in anguish. He couldn't accept it. It was impossible. Yet deep down, he realized that despite Anno's loss of the Sea of Consciousness, he was still able to control the ancient civilization mecha. What did that signify? It suggested that while Rufeite and Anshuo had excluded Anno from their plans, Anno had already anticipated everything.

Perhaps Anno had always been wary of him.

The red mecha shifted, aiming its light pistol at Napoleon.

"Oh, it seems you need to escape. Napoleon's combat coefficient is still quite low. If you don't want to die, you'd better get out of here quickly!" A lighthearted voice chimed from behind Anno.

Without hesitation, Anno severed the connection and ordered, "Napoleon, prepare to jump to the fifth dimension."

Outside the fourth dimension lay nothing but chaotic darkness.

The sole artificial star had exploded, and particles of dust drifted quietly in the void.

Exhausted, Anno sat on the edge of the platform, a white shadow hovering behind him.

Rubbing his temples, he said, "Kai, you can stop now!"

The white figure was none other than Kaigan Guwen, the creator of Napoleon's ancient civilization mecha.

Kai's figure flickered, shifting from a position by the window to float behind Anno. "Oh, really? I finally get to take a break. What's your next move? The fifth-dimensional space is still being formed, and destroying the fourth dimension means annihilating humanity. Anshuo is truly naive."

Anno rubbed his temples, still haunted by Rufeite's furious roars. He hadn't wanted to think of him, had actively tried to avoid it, but Rufeite's defiant face lingered in his mind.

"Anshuo wants to destroy the world, but even if he tries for tens of thousands of years, he can't use the black cave magnetic field to obliterate the entire four-dimensional world. So, he used Anmia to lead me to the immigration spaceship, intending to give me misleading information on purpose."

Kai replied, "Oh, of course! He can't destroy the fourth dimension without the twin particle explosion, but he likely doesn't know the activation code."

"He doesn't know it. Only I do."

Kai waved dismissively, his form merely a white phantom, a representation of consciousness. "The particle explosion was a mistake. The ancient civilization sought to dominate the universe, and you must dismantle that plan. The consciousness of the stars has eliminated all those from ancient civilizations; it will not allow Rufeite and Anshuo to succeed. Before that happens, it will ensure the extinction of humanity. To them, it matters little who rules the universe. What matters is the evolution of the stars and the stability of the cosmos. The fifth dimension is still in formation. Once the fourth dimension is gone, it will be like a pregnant woman with two lives-if one disappears, so too will the other. The stars rarely interfere with the development of this universe, but that doesn't mean they will remain indifferent. The downfall of the ancient civilization is the best proof of this."

At that moment, Anno suddenly recalled his conversation with the consciousness of the stars. Rufeite was the key, and his rebirth had been entirely because of Rufeite.

Why is Rufeite the key?

"No, I don't think that's the case," Anno replied, his mind racing.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Kai inquired, curiosity piqued.

Anno recounted his conversation with the stars. "If humans and other intelligent life forms ceased to exist, the universe and galaxies would continue to develop. So why is Rufeite the key? This implies that, unlike the vanished ancient civilizations, humans should not be destined for extinction. In other words, if humanity were to perish, the universe itself would face an end."

Kai's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, if that's the case, then Rufeite..."

He trailed off, but Anno quickly continued the thought. If humanity and the universe were ultimately doomed to destruction, and Rufeite was indeed the key, then the consciousness of the stars would likely target Rufeite in the end.

[Anno: Rufeite, sooner or later, the fate of this galaxy will no longer concern us. At that point, where will we be? Who are you? Who am I?]