After leaving the team, the adventurer ladies regretted it deeply

Anna pondered, "Even someone like you—there must be a lot of adventurers pursuing you. Why didn't you agree to any of them?"

Lia found herself stumped by the question.

She had never considered it before.

"I... I haven't thought about it."

"What's even stranger is Aiko. She's really good at attracting men, even one of the new Four Great Dukes is her admirer," Anna tilted her head. "But Aiko hasn't married."

Lia replied, "Maybe everyone is just waiting."

Anna replied with a sly smile, "But what are they waiting for, I wonder."

Lia sank into thought.

Yes, what are they all waiting for?

The two stared wide-eyed at each other.

Neither able to give a proper answer.

That evening, Lia returned to her mansion in the countryside.

The conversation with Anna was like a small ripple, quickly fading away.

Life returned to its usual calm.

And so, time passed without her realizing.

Lia went about her days in a daze.

Until one day.

She felt the magic power slipping from her body. Her body weakened, and her outspread Light Wings seemed almost transparent.

Lia's mood remained calm, with even a hint of relief.

That morning, she dressed in new clothes for the first time in forever, watered the flowers in her garden, wiped down the furniture indoors, and then sat by her bed, opening a long-sealed cabinet.

Inside lay an old, yellowed photo album, sitting quietly.

The album carried memories from her youth.

She wanted to memorize every face.

Lia opened the album and began immersing herself in the past.

One photo featured Klrona barefoot, lounging on a sofa, clutching a Magic Conductor Handheld Console, crumbs from potato chips clinging to her lips.

"Who'd have thought she was a famous comic book creator," Lia remarked.

The next photo showed Aiko's face covered in cucumber slices, sitting in her wheelchair, basking in the sun.

"Pretended to be lame in the beginning, such a fraud."

Another photograph captured the Snow Goose Adventure Team posing on the grasslands after clearing the fifth layer of the World Tree.

"Felt happier then than when we cleared the fortieth layer."

Lia flipped to another page.

She found something strange in the album.

"A pocket watch?" (P.S.: To avoid misunderstanding, this isn't some deus ex machina; the protagonist took out this pocket watch many chapters ago.)

Lia furrowed her brows.

She didn't recall putting something like this in the album.

Her curiosity compelled her to pick it up.

The pocket watch's outer casing resembled brass but felt brittle to the touch; scraping it with her nails caused the coating to flake off.

What was this material?

Lia had never seen anything so odd.

She opened the pocket watch. The hands inside had long stopped moving, and its cover contained a small circular photograph.

In the photo's background was a shop, the neon sign displayed writing too complex to decipher, convoluted and resembling runes of some sort.

Lia wondered, could this be a type of magic rune?

In front of the shop were a man and a woman dressed in strange clothing. The girl was sitting in a wheelchair flashing a peace sign with scissors in her hand, while the man wore a serene smile.

The girl in the photo—Lia recognized her—was Lin Xi, a former teammate of Snow Goose.

But who was the man?

And ultimately, wasn't this a personal object of Lin Xi's? How was it in her cabinet?

Who placed it there?

"—Tomorrow is the final battle. If I don't return, keep it as a memento."

Disjointed images flashed across Lia's eyes.

That suffocating sense of dread reappeared in her body.

Disjointed static buzzed like a curse, rattling her head.

Among the fleeting visions, Lia caught sight of a man sitting tiredly at a table, saying, "I'm leaving the team."

On a dark street, Snow Goose Adventure Team returned from the seventh layer. She wore an eyepatch and encountered him.

"You're the one stuck in the past, Lia."

In Dragon Forest, as she fled from Moon Rank adventurer Hu Er's pursuit, she collapsed to the ground.

"You're awake?"

A bowl of steaming soup was placed in front of her.

What was going on?

Looking at the photo in the pocket watch, tears uncontrollably streamed from Lia's eyes.

Her headache worsened.

Memories of "That Person," like a breached dam, rushed forth.

His shadow lingered in every corner of their adventures.

Together, they formed the Snow Goose Adventure Team, parted ways, reconciled, and fought side by side entering the Demon King's Castle, engaging in the ultimate battle...

Every place was filled with his existence.

But why couldn't she remember him?

Why had she forgotten even his name?

Lia's vision grew clouded with tears.

"Lin Da..."

She unconsciously shouted the name missing from her memories.

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Outside the window, a bright green bird knocked forcefully against the glass.

Its eyes glowed an eerie blood-red, its sharp beak like a knife, shattering the glass with ease.

The emerald bird stared at Lia, its expression was ferocious.

"Damn brat, die, just die!"

It screamed internally in a frenzy.

It had believed everything about the Hero had been erased, tipping the scales of victory in its favor.

But who would have thought—something not from this realm had slipped through its grasp.

The girl must die; the pocket watch must be destroyed!

With talons turned razor-sharp, the bird lunged toward Lia's unprotected neck.

"Lin Da?"

The figure wiped from her memory grew clearer by the second.

Like a black-and-white photo slowly regaining color.

Lia had begun to see the faint stubble on his chin.

"Lin Da!"

Lia's heart trembled as she stood abruptly.

She remembered.

The teammate etched deep within her soul, her companion, the Oath-bound, the most important person in her life—how could she forget him?

Surrounding space crumbled, revealing a boundless dark world.

Within it squirmed myriad distorted clocks, the ticking sounds thunderous.

The emerald bird dove down, but crashed into an invisible barrier.

Even "her" Divine Power couldn't overstep the bounds of the Future.

Watching as this "future" began collapsing, the bird screamed in panic, "No, stop, STOP!"

But Lia couldn't hear its cries. She clutched the pocket watch tightly, fragments of her broken memories coming together at lightning speed.

"Lin Da!"

Crack!

The speed of spatial collapse intensified.

Mirror-like fragments fell.

Like a paper castle engulfed in flames, exposing the world beyond.

"Stop, stop right now!" The green bird shrieked, its face twisted in despair.

"Lin Da, Lin Da... Lin Da!"

Lia screamed his name with all her might.

The battle wasn't over yet; the Demon King had yet to be defeated.

This wasn't the "future" she belonged to!

BOOM!

The space shattered.

Lia stood amidst scorched earth.

Before her loomed the lightning-stricken Demon King's Castle, the air pulsing with chaotic magic power.

She was young once again, red hair flying, Battle Qi blazing like flames.

...

"You idiot, Lia—what are you doing? This is a battlefield!"

Aiko shouted urgently, wielding her Magic Wand to summon a massive cone of light, driving away the demons attempting to ambush her.

Klrona also came rushing over, her heavy armor stained with blood, grumbling angrily, "What's going on? After all these years adventuring, you still make rookie mistakes."

Both paused as they noticed Lia's odd demeanor.

Aiko gasped, "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

Lia didn't respond. She clutched the pocket watch, staring blankly forward.

From the void, a black fissure tore open.

Inside were countless oddly-shaped clocks.

A black-haired adventurer emerged from within.

Lia bit her lip, tear-filled eyes trembling.

Lin Da embraced the red-haired girl, "Thank you, Lia, for remembering me."

Lia whispered, "You idiot."

"Feels like a lot happened that we don't understand," Aiko and Klrona exchanged glances.

"What exactly happened? Weren't you fighting the Demon King?" Aiko asked, confused.

"The Demon King is about to appear."

Lin Da drew the Demon Sword Philo, "This will be an unprecedented battle—one I cannot win alone. Lia, Aiko, Klrona... everyone, I need your strength."

Lia wiped away her tears and said, "This lady will obviously help you. But, where's the Demon King?"

"Careful, it's coming!"

Lin Da fixed his gaze on the Demon King's Castle, as if facing the ultimate foe.

The gates blasted open with a deafening roar.

A surge of overwhelming power spilled out like a tidal wave!

Be it adventurers or demons, everyone froze in awe, staring at the castle.

A colossal woman, ten meters tall, clad in an emerald gown, with her right arm fused with a wooden sword, began to stride forth.

"Let's begin, the final battle," Lin Da declared gravely.

In the lower right corner of Lia's vision, blood-red text appeared:

[System Notification: Final Boss, World Tree Goddess Tricia (Level 100), has appeared!]