Truce
by Afuhfuihgs
I managed to escape the passage and arrive at the edge of the outer universe where Ross of Yearning, Jin Sian, was. My dorm room looked like a major earthquake had hit, with everything that had been on the desk scattered on the floor.
When I opened the door, the walls and ceiling had collapsed, revealing the Milky Way. Something must have happened here. Thankfully, the floor was intact. I carefully moved around, looking for Jin Sian. Had he not moved after sending me to another world? I saw Jin Sian sitting on the living room floor, his back to me.
He looked different from the last time I saw him. He was wearing a robe with a long mantle like a great wizard, and spheres emitting black light around him were slowly spiraling, as if protecting him.
“Hey.”
As I said that and approached, Jin Sian turned around to look at me. I was so shocked by his appearance that I stopped in my tracks. The places where his eyes had been were sunken in. Hideous scars writhed endlessly on top of them, as if alive.
“You’ve come. You’re later than I expected.”
It wasn’t just his eyes that were gone. One of his arms was missing. Looking closely, I noticed several black spots on his skin as well.
“What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
I was dumbfounded by Jin Sian’s nonchalant face, as if he didn’t understand my question.
“Why are your eyes and arm like that?”
“Ah, it’s from bearing the causality. Losing an eye and an arm is a cheap price to pay.”
“Causality…?”
Causality was something Jin Sian was very wary of. He was cautious of the causality that his actions would have on me, and he was helping me very carefully.
Helping me from the sidelines to figure out what I could deduce based on my memories was possible because it was a natural flow, but Jin Sian simply telling me information that I couldn’t deduce at my current level would apply causality.
So, Jin Sian would ask me questions to guide my thinking in the direction he wanted, allowing me to gain enlightenment. Instead of catching the fish for me, he was teaching me how to fish myself.
“It’s the price for protecting your life from that bastard.”
Jin Sian’s giant hand had saved me from being trapped in countless passages. Even though I was attacked by Roel at the end, I would have been trapped in the maze-like passages if it weren’t for Jin Sian.
“Thank you.”
I was deeply grateful to Jin Sian for losing an arm and both eyes to save my life. But Jin Sian simply shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.
“So, did you get what you wanted?”
Instead of answering, I sat down facing Jin Sian. Looking at him up close, a giant eyeball appeared behind Jin Sian. He must be using that to replace his vision.
“Yeah, so I have something I want to confirm with you.”
“I didn’t know you were such a good student, getting your answers checked by the teacher.”
Behind the playfully sarcastic Jin Sian, the giant eyeball stared at me as if trying to observe my expression.
“You said before that if you do something that goes against the principles of the world, causality will come back.”
I could feel Jin Sian’s giant eyeball watching me intently. I continued with a confident voice.
“The fake possession that the Saintess created is something that goes against the principles of the world. So I suspect that the resulting causality had some effect on Roel.”
“Hooh, why do you think so?”
“Because you were so sure. You said that Roel’s beliefs don’t change in any multiverse. I thought about it assuming that statement is true. Whether Roel could really return to another world.”
Jin Sian gave a bitter smile. That reaction made me even more certain.
“If the enemy’s actions require causality, then when the Pontiff sent me a trap through the mask, he wouldn’t have been able to send a powerful trap. If there was causality to send a powerful trap that could distort the flow, the Pontiff or Konfsi-on would have stepped in directly.”
“Are you saying that the Pontiff didn’t send the trap?”
At Jin Sian’s gleeful voice, I shook my head.
“No, it is a trap. A very cunning trap that makes me unconsciously think that there is a secret to Roel by showing it to me.”
“Kukuku.”
“The conclusion that can be drawn under the assumption that the Pontiff cannot expend a huge amount of causality at that time is one thing. That the content of the trap is not a fabricated lie, but a fact, so as not to deviate from the plausibility of a natural flow.”
But there is a critical error here. If the Pontiff’s trap is true, then Roel used a passage to cross over to another world. Since I actually had an experience where I almost died from Roel using the passage, this is an obvious fact.
But if Roel uses the passage to cross over to another world, then there will be two Roels in that world. The existing Roel and the Roel who came from another world. Two of the same protagonist cannot exist in one world. It is an inconsistency, and the Roel from another world will not be able to avoid the world’s rejection.
Even if he kills the existing Roel and the Roel from another world deceives the world and takes his place. In the first place, if Roel is an existence that crossed over to another world, then the word regression is wrong. The fact that Roel used the passage eliminates the assumption that he regressed.
“Roel didn’t regress. He just met the Roel from the next world.”
I remembered what the being wearing the mask in the Pontiff’s trap said.
“…chasing after the continuing dream.”
“Kukuku! You’ve finally reached a natural flow that doesn’t go against causality. Yes, Roel didn’t regress. No, Roel realized that regression is just an act of trapping himself in another cycle.”
Jin Sian, who burst into laughter, held out his remaining arm. Instantly, mana condensed and a snow globe with nothing inside was created on Jin Sian’s palm.
“This is a special gift I prepared for you.”
“A snow globe with nothing in it…?”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Jin Sian smiled and emitted an enormous amount of mana. Mana flowed into the snow globe, swirling inside, and I could see a world being created.
“This is my own unique magic, a few levels upgraded from Nelson’s mental world magic.”
Inside the fluctuating snow globe, I could see someone’s face. It was Roel’s face. It was also the sight of Roel looking at each other. As I looked at him as if asking what this was, Jin Sian gave a confident smile.
“No matter how vividly you convey your memories in words, no one will fully believe those words. But if you become the person and experience the memories, you can feel even the emotions of that time.”
Jin Sian held out the snow globe and gave a bitter smile.
“Well, would you like to become Roel?”
This is the last piece. Jin Sian prepared a gift so that I could see the whole puzzle. Without hesitation, I reached out towards the snow globe.
The moment I felt a cold sensation on my fingertips, my sense of direction changed in a jumbled mess, like a person inside a washing machine. I felt a bright light along with the feeling of being sucked somewhere.
■■■
“Heok, heok….”
I’m out of breath. I realized long ago that he was an opponent I could never win against. But I couldn’t stop fighting. Because I never give up. Despite the obvious fact that I had already lost everyone, I did not lose hope.
God must exist somewhere. The holy sword in my hand was proof that God definitely exists. When the final battle is over, God will surely smile at me. If I overcome that thing, God will surely return.
The Pontiff. No, the being who has now escaped from human form asked me.
「Are you really going to fight me forever?」
It’s been a long time since I ate anything or took a break. My body, which has transcended the realm of transcendence, did not feel fatigue unlike other people. It is clear that the blessing of God has been bestowed upon me, who has become the owner of the holy sword.
“No, I’m going to win.”
Saying that, I once again poured power into the holy sword. I don’t know how much time has passed. Years, or maybe decades, have passed. Just as I can never win against the opponent, the opponent can never win against me either.
I couldn’t figure out why the divine being who destroyed the world couldn’t win against me. Fatal blows against each other did not work, as if cutting water. But that was enough. As long as one side doesn’t give up, the eternal battle will continue. And I will never give up.
「…You’re serious. That’s not human will.」
“That’s right, this is the will of everyone who believed in me.”
Silence fell. In the gap in the world destroyed by chaos, nothing could make a sound except for me and that being. It was a world where not even a single blade of grass remained.
The being who had been silent for a moment said.
「God’s puppet. I will make you a proposal.」
“A proposal?”
「We cannot defeat each other. We will only repeat endless battles. So, how about we call a truce?」
A burst of laughter erupted. The being who destroyed the world at will wants a truce. It’s not worth listening to. I grabbed the hilt of the holy sword and pulled up my mana. Just as I was about to swing the holy sword diagonally with my only remaining arm, the being in front of me said.
「I will give you a chance.」
I stopped the holy sword at the out-of-context words. We had many conversations while fighting, but he had never said anything like this before.
“…What kind of chance are you talking about?”
「A chance to stop the meaningless eternal battle and truly defeat me.」
The being in front of me moved his hand. Then, something like a portal appeared between us, looking like dozens of colors were overlapping.
「I invite you to my throne.」
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