"Hey, welcome."
Ophis looked around silently.
Now she was standing on the top of the temple, just like before she died.
The difference was that the surrounding Uruk was intact, bustling with people and quite lively.
Tilting her head in confusion, Ophis turned to look at the person who probably knew everything.
A young girl stood behind Ophis, looking at her with a chuckle.
The girl had a delicate face like a doll, with waist-length golden hair casually scattered behind her. The smile flashing in her bright silver eyes and the cunning at the corners of her mouth made her look worldly.
However, what caught Ophis's attention most was the robe that was exactly the same as Enkidu's and the golden tablet that looked like a book in the girl's hands.
"Are you... Qi?"
"Isn't this already a positive statement? How boring! Can't you just pretend you can't guess it?"
"I think that's even more boring…"
The girl shrugged, skipping over to Ophis's side, where she stood in the air.
"Forget it, let's get straight to the point. Although it's strange for me to say this to you... Welcome to your own mental world~"
"The world of mental images?"
After hearing the answer that matched her guess, Ophis looked at the bustling city around her and fell silent.
"Hm... This place was completely dark a few months ago. It was so boring back then... I was sleeping most of the time, so it doesn't matter. By the way, is this your favorite piece of clothing subconsciously? Ah, before this, I didn't wear anything every day..."
Pulling at her outer robe, Qi grinned.
"…"
Ophis found that this girl was still quite talkative, even face-to-face.
Besides, considering your slender figure, which is similar to mine, it shouldn't matter if you don't wear anything every day…
"Although your eyes are a little bit subtle, I don't care about trivial things like body size... Anyway, you can only do what I do. Without saying that, aren't you curious about why you died in this place?"
Ophis tilted her head.
"Doesn't every death lead here?"
"No, no, no, you're already dead. Although your consciousness isn't completely asleep, it's hard for you to stay fully awake, let alone come here to chat with me."
Qi waved her hand in denial.
"I was the one who pulled you in. After all, the time limit is almost up."
"...Time limit?"
Ophis repeated the word hesitantly, with a bad feeling in her heart.
"You haven't noticed it yet? This is normal. It means my skills haven't declined."
"What did you do?"
Ophis frowned, but Qi responded with a sunny smile.
"What did I do... You should ask yourself that question. What did you do?"
Qi stretched out a finger and waved it in front of Ophis.
"Haven't you ever wondered why I'm inside you and your body doesn't react at all?"
Ophis was slightly stunned, then suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"It's a simple truth—Ouroboros is a perfectly independent individual. In other words, it is an absolute and perfect 'one.'"
Qi seemed to enjoy Ophis's wavering look and explained happily.
"But can a body that contains both your and my consciousness really be called 'one'? Can a spirit with impurities really be called 'perfect'?"
Ophis remained silent, but she had almost guessed what Qi would say next.
"Ouroboros is perfect. This is the paranoia that was instilled into this race after it was created. Even if you are not aware of it, your body and mind will automatically keep you in a perfect state."
"In other words, one of us will be automatically wiped out?"
"No, no, no."
Qi waved her hand again.
"How can simple exclusion of external things be called a 'perfect' method? Maximizing benefits is the most basic of the basics."
"...Absorption and fusion?"
"Exactly! And the after-sales service is excellent~"
"…"
Ophis looked straight at Qi.
"No, it's useless even if you look at me like that. That's your ability, not under my control."
"Qi, has this been your purpose from the beginning?"
"I guess so. I was originally planning to give you some guidance so that you wouldn't be so negative... but Enkidu showed up out of nowhere and took the job away."
Ophis was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I can't understand. What exactly does Qi want to do? Why did you voluntarily allow yourself to be absorbed by me?"
If they were two consciousnesses of equal status and both were Ouroboros, then whoever was stronger would naturally take the lead in the fusion process. However, Qi was an appendage attached to the main consciousness of Ophis. No matter how powerful she was, Ouroboros's instinct would not recognize her. Ultimately, she would be consumed and fused in the process, and eventually swallowed by Ophis.
Ophis didn't understand the meaning of her doing this.
With Qi's ability, she could completely deprive Ophis of her consciousness before the absorption began. Although Ophis was not aware of this instinctive fusion, she was also very clear that the ability of Ouroboros would never be used by non-Ouroboros species. It was impossible for the Ouroboros to become the host after the fusion.
Because Ouroboros is perfect.
Perfection may not mean the strongest, but it will not have any flaws.
"Omniscience and omnipotence."
Ophis looked at Qi in confusion at her sudden words.
"The most ridiculous lie and the greatest paradox in the universe, a realm that does not exist at all."
Although Qi was still smiling, a rare flash of seriousness appeared in her eyes.
"I want to see the scenery there... even if I can't get there in person."
As she spoke, Qi shrugged, and her tone returned to its original casualness.
"Although I was once at the point where I was just one step away from success... I felt like I was already invincible but I wasn't sure if I was really invincible. But later on, I confirmed that I wasn't truly omnipotent... After all, I was washed clean by your stone-headed ancestor in the end, leaving only a trace of my remaining spirit that couldn't do anything. I was really generous not to take it out on you."
"...The birth of dragon species is a phenomenon; it has no ancestors."
Ophis didn't know what to say, so she could only retort lightly.
"It doesn't matter anyway. All pure-blooded dragons are manifestations of the power dispersed by that guy. It's no problem to say that he is your ancestor... But that's not the point. Have you ever doubted that the person you are destined to replace in this world is really the King of Heroes?"
"…"
If she wasn't the King of Heroes, then was it just for fun that she fought so hard to protect her country and stop Tiamat?
"Ah, sorry I didn't make it clear. What I meant was, is he really a simple King of Heroes?"
Ophis had a headache. This person kept talking in circles. When would it end?