Fabricated Memories

Outside the tower at the Black Domain core station, Rin's heart burned with anxiety. He could feel the violent energy fluctuations from within the tower, a sign that Ye Xue was engaged in a desperate battle of wills with the "mother system." The light barrier blocked him, but he would never stand idly by.

"Damn it! I have to get in!" Rin's eyes flashed with resolve. He tried to unleash all his awakened power, even contemplating using forbidden techniques like "Realm Split in an Instant" again, attempting to tear through the invisible light barrier. Each impact caused the wounds on Rin's body to rip open, bleeding profusely, but he didn't retreat an inch. He knew Ye Xue was fighting alone inside, and he had to forge a path for her.

Meanwhile, in the "mother system's" internal consciousness space, the voice of the "Truth Keeper" echoed like an invisible shackle, attempting to completely bind Ye Xue's soul.

"Your 'love' has become the greatest uncertainty in My calculations," the "Truth Keeper's" solemn and cold voice resonated. "I will use 'fabricated memory techniques' to reshape your cognition and correct your 'defects.' Abandoning autonomous consciousness and returning to the perfect form of a 'terminating weapon' is your ultimate destiny."

Ye Xue felt a powerful psychic field surge into the depths of her consciousness, attempting to rewrite all her memories and emotions. Countless false images flashed before her eyes, trying to convince her that "love" was the root of all pain, and that becoming a cold "terminator" was the only liberation. She saw herself ruthlessly executing missions as "Cold Moon," saw the lives she personally ended. All these images were magnified by the "Truth Keeper," trying to make her believe that was her true essence.

Her body began to tremble, and her consciousness gradually blurred, as if swept away by a massive torrent, on the verge of losing herself.

"No… that's not how it is…" Ye Xue groaned in pain. She fought desperately, the image of Rin's face and everything they had experienced together in this life flashing in her mind. That warm bond was her only anchor.

Just as Ye Xue was on the verge of being completely consumed by the "fabricated memory techniques"—

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening roar erupted out of nowhere in the consciousness space! A dazzling light, like a sword cleaving through the heavens, forcibly tore apart the perfect void constructed by the "Truth Keeper"!

Rin had somehow breached the light barrier and stormed into the "mother system's" internal consciousness space!

He hadn't entered physically, but in an almost self-destructive manner, he forcibly engaged his consciousness, reshaped by the "Demise Power," in a data collision with the "mother system's" data stream! The blood-stained clothes on his body and his torn wounds were clearly reflected on his projected consciousness.

"Ye Xue!" Rin's furious roar, laden with intense emotion, directly impacted the "Truth Keeper's" cold logical core.

The "Truth Keeper's" voice became rapid and sharp: "Impossible! RB-00 (Rin)! You should not be here! Your consciousness cannot directly interact with My core! Data anomaly! Forcing exclusion initiation!"

"Purge me?!" Rin's eyes burned like fire. "You can purge my body, but you cannot purge my will! You cannot purge the bond between us!"

He lunged at Ye Xue, his projected body violently colliding with the "Truth Keeper's" data stream in the consciousness space. Each collision triggered a massive energy feedback, and with this feedback, the long-suppressed past-life memory fragments within Rin surged forth like a volcanic eruption!

These were not just scattered snippets from Henning's files, but the complete memories of his past life as the "Blade of Demise," presented directly and with raw sensory detail in his consciousness!

He saw the past-life Ye Xue, the cold and lonely "Cold Moon," yet in every mission, she silently protected him, clearing obstacles for him.

He saw the truth of that "betrayal"—

In her past life, Ye Xue had been implanted with an "emotion suppression chip." Every "assassination," every seemingly ruthless "attack," was carried out under the forced control of the chip! Deep within her eyes, though suppressed, there was still a struggle and pain.

During a mission, when the organization commanded her to eliminate Rin and completely reclaim his "Demise Power"—

Her suppressed consciousness, under the chip's shackles, desperately tried to send a distress signal to Rin! She used a cryptic message only Rin could understand, guiding him to the "Demise Project's" core area through what appeared to be an "attack" but was actually a "diversion."

And that final fatal stab was not a betrayal, but her sacrificing herself to save Rin in her own way!

She hadn't stabbed Rin to kill him, but to precisely strike the "Demise Power" core node implanted in his body. In an extreme and painful manner, she severed his direct connection to the organization, buying him the chance for a "restart"!

Rin's consciousness exploded at that moment! All the "misunderstandings," all the "pain," all the "truths," washed over him like a tide!

"Ye Xue!!" Rin roared in agony, tears silently streaming down his face in the consciousness space. He finally understood: she had never betrayed him. She had always protected him, in her own way, with the deepest love!

As Rin's memories erupted and violently collided with the "mother system's" data stream, Ye Xue's consciousness was also powerfully awakened by this massive impact. She saw the true scenes from Rin's memories, saw her own past-life struggles and sacrifices!

"I… I saw it…" Ye Xue's tears flowed freely. She finally understood the source of all her past-life struggles and pain. That "love," which the "Truth Keeper" considered a "defect" and tried to delete, was the deepest, most indelible truth of her soul!

"The past-life Ye Xue never betrayed Rin!" Ye Xue's voice was choked with sobs, yet incredibly clear. "Her assassination was controlled by an 'emotion suppression chip'; in reality, she was sacrificing herself to save Rin!"

The "Truth Keeper's" voice fluctuated wildly for the first time, filled with shock and an almost incredulous fury:

"Impossible! This data is invalid! RB-00! Your memories are corrupted! I will initiate forced repair!"

"Repair?!" Rin sneered. His consciousness was tightly linked with Ye Xue's; their memories were now completely fused. "Is this your 'truth'?!"

"Your 'fabricated memory techniques' cannot stand against true memories!" Rin and Ye Xue's consciousnesses intertwined, unleashing an unprecedented power that directly struck the "Truth Keeper's" core!

"We both misunderstood ourselves…" Ye Xue's voice carried a sense of release. She reached out, gripping Rin's hand tightly in the consciousness space.

Their souls, at this moment, completely intertwined. They were no longer separate entities but a complete existence, possessing all of each other's memories and emotions.

Amidst the "Truth Keeper's" furious roars, the entire consciousness space began to tremble violently, collapsing! Its "fabricated memory techniques" were utterly dismantled, and its logical core was shattered by this "love" and "truth" that lay beyond its calculations!

Rin and Ye Xue, with true memory and love, tore apart the "mother system's" facade, revealing the deepest lies and cruelty behind the "Demise Project"!