The instant Alain broke through the black water, an all-encompassing pain wracked his body. It was as if fine, crystalline thorns were emerging from his skin's surface, and unquenched ice needles were piercing every pore, making his head spin.
He couldn't be bothered with this and quickly checked the monster's direction. Only then did he see that the mass of black water beneath it had already scattered into small, dispersed puddles on the ground. And there was no sign of it recovering.
Alain still remembered that when he first encountered that creature, it was full of arrogance, as if it were the embodiment of despair. Now, Little Mita and its positions were reversed. The monster, its recovery state interrupted, had only managed to regenerate one spider leg, and was now climbing pitifully, attempting to reach the entrance of the next loop.
"Ah, ahh!" it shrieked, moving inch by inch towards the door that seemed to represent hope for it. And Alain believed that its despair was their hope.
Little Mita seemed to unintentionally think so too. A sound of surprise suddenly escaped the girl's lips. Alain looked back and saw Little Mita, still in Millie's embrace, staring dumbfoundedly at her own hand.
"Version permissions, they're back?" The girl aimed at the monster, or rather, at this loop, and snapped her fingers. After a "snap" sound, the room returned to brightness. The darkness that had eroded the light was no more; the tender pink wallpaper, the pale white particles drifting outside the window, returned to 1.3B. Everything returned to peace and brightness.
And the monster, at the same moment, climbed to the door of the next loop. However, after pushing the door, it was surprised to find—the door wouldn't open.
"Ah, ah..." With a final cry, it collapsed to the ground like a stone sinking into the sea. This also meant they had completely achieved victory. And Alain understood that it was all because of the yellow spot. It seemed the yellow spot was like the monster's "main body" for stealing version permissions. It stored the version's permissions inside the yellow spot—the Parasite. Thus, it wreaked havoc within 1.3B.
"Darling, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"
"Heh... It's nothing." Alain himself could feel the paleness of his complexion. The piercing sensation of pain of having an entire ice lake poured into his veins constantly stimulated him. But he couldn't show any weakness at this moment.
"Millie, put Little Mita down." He looked back; the hatted girl, after hearing Crazy Mita's words, was also looking at him with concern. Seeing Alain's gaze, she belatedly followed his instructions and placed the bewildered girl on the ground.
Alain walked towards Little Mita step by step. Indeed, the current goal could be said to be mostly successful: Little Mita had regained version permissions; the monster had lost its ability to expand outwards: the monster breeding house. And, they were only one step away from killing the monster.
"Phew..." He exhaled, moving in front of the girl. The plan was mostly complete, that was not wrong. But it was only mostly complete; a small part was still unfinished.
"Come on. The final moment, let me and you finish all of this together." In the gazes of Millie and Crazy Mita outside the window, he took Little Mita's hand and walked step by step towards the second corner.
"Together... finish?" The girl seemed to also sense Alain's terrible condition, looking at his side profile with concern.
And the two of them also walked past the second corner, looking towards the entrance of the next loop. That monster had stopped its recovery ability, but was still not dead; it needed someone to deliver the fatal blow. And this person, Alain thought, he was very suitable, and Little Mita was also very suitable. He was the cleaner of viruses, the "acting agent" of the Security Guard in the game world. And Little Mita was the "native resident" who had suffered greatly from the virus.
"Yes. We finish it together. Together... put an end to your hatred." Alain released the girl's small hand and bowed slightly. His calf muscles were stimulated, pain rising and falling. "Haven't you always been saying that your ending will ultimately be a bad ending?" He looked at her, extending his greatsword. It was just right in front of Little Mita, leaving an inch of the hilt.
"I hope you personally complete the good ending of 1.3B." Alain's eyes sparkled with a brilliant smile, "That is... the Little Princess and the Knight, together, slay the evil dragon."
"...!!" A faint smile touched Little Mita's brow. She reached out and gripped the hilt position Alain had left for her. Two people, four hands, holding the greatsword, slowly walked towards the monster.
"Hmph, hmph..." The monster, sprawled limply on the ground, seemed to also sense something was wrong. Its remaining single leg didn't want to give up its meager hope of survival and was about to attack them. But it was blocked by a baseball bat.
"I won't let you spoil Alain's good deed." Millie blocked the monster's already weak attack, allowing the two of them to walk as if on a sunny path, unimpeded.
"'QBO QBO QBA..." It writhed its body, wanting to move towards the nearby corner. But that wall suddenly broke open, and a giant hand pinned the monster in place.
"Hmm... How should I put this? Let's go with the flow." Crazy Mita also lent a hand.
Thus, the monster's attack was blocked, and its moving steps were also difficult to advance, firmly fixed in place. And all of this only needed one sword strike to end.
In the gentle corridor, only the sound of Alain and Little Mita's graceful steps and the monster's despairing low growl remained. The girl looked at its face, then thought of her own despair when she was immersed in endless darkness. The despair of being in an ice cave, the piercing pain of needles pricking her whole body, seemed to surround her again in this instant.
And all of this... Little Mita raised her head slightly, looking at the owner of this greatsword: Alain. Her dark night was cut open by him with a bright opening. Alain, in that opening, reached out his hand to her. His and her hands were finally tightly intertwined, and would continue to be so in the future. And the Always and Forever Alain spoke of.
He did it... Little Mita looked at the four hands, fitting perfectly together, on her shoulder. He did it. Midway through their advance, the girl's face was blurred by tears.
He really did it! Alain didn't pull her hand away, but held it tightly all along!
The two's steps stopped, stopping right in front of the monster.
"Didn't I tell you? This is the good ending of the story." Alain clicked open the Security Guard panel, selected "Memory Optimization," and chose "Gauntlet of Failure" as the target.
"Mm! This is the best ending." The girl felt a slight pulling sensation on her arm and understood that Lord Knight was about to swing the sword with her.
"With me—swing down."
"Mm!" Two people, four hands, together swung the final sword strike at the monster. This sword strike completely shattered the door of the next loop, the monster's broken remains, and Little Mita's despair.
After doing all this, Alain fainted.
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