Ch.330Chapter 330: Epilogue – Two Become One

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“I am an impurity.” With these words, Lillian Shizu’s self-deprecation continued without pause.

And Shizu, standing before the self-deprecating Lillian Shizu, listened to it silently.

With her power and ability that allowed her to step into this place situated in the chasm between matter and mind—a place ordinary people couldn’t even imagine setting foot in—she could have easily ignored the lamentations of her other self.

Despite having the power to do what she truly wanted—to stop her other self from departing to a distant place—without hesitation.

“…”

Shizu simply listened to her other self’s self-deprecation with a calm expression.

From the moment her other self revealed her true form.

Though faint traces of the life her other self had lived flowed into her mind.

The main reason was that rather than understanding those life traces through what flowed into her mind, she wanted to hear it directly from the person herself.

There would be time to act after hearing everything.

Because both her reason and instinct were in agreement on this.

Shizu focused solely on listening without hesitation.

When she made this decision, she had intended to listen to everything calmly.

But her initial composure didn’t last long.

“You don’t need to try to hold onto someone as worthless as me.”

By the time Lillian Shizu’s final words—soft and gentle yet failing to conceal the sorrow within them—ended, cracks had formed in that composure.

They were cracks named sorrow.

Just like her other self who showed clear signs of sorrow while continuing her self-deprecation.

Shizu too became sad as she listened to her other self’s circumstances.

Her other self, who was no different from herself in every way.

Though unwanted, she had sacrificed much to pursue her path.

Unlike the vague feeling in her mind that her other self had lived with an emptiness and sorrow that couldn’t be filled even with praise and honor for saving the world.

When she heard it explained directly in a calm tone, the sorrow she felt couldn’t possibly sound like someone else’s story.

This must be why her footsteps, which had stopped at the word “impurity,”

Moved again as soon as Lillian Shizu finished calmly telling her not to come any closer.

“Why…?”

A bewildered voice came from Lillian Shizu’s lips as she saw Shizu approaching again.

Though that voice contained a hint of resentment toward her other self who was approaching again despite her insistence that there was no need to embrace her.

Just as Shizu’s initial calmness upon hearing Lillian Shizu’s words had quickly crumbled.

Lillian Shizu’s resentment toward Shizu also didn’t last long.

Because the emotion visible in Shizu’s expression as she approached contained too much tenderness to be dismissed as cheap sympathy.

The emotion was so intense that its nature was immediately apparent.

It was the kind of expression one might show when understanding someone else’s sorrow deeply despite only hearing about it secondhand.

And at the same time, it was identical to the expression she used to wear when sharing and alleviating someone else’s pain.

Lillian Shizu couldn’t help but recognize what that expression meant.

Captivated by that expression, she almost unconsciously allowed the approaching woman to close the distance.

But—

Thud—

As those approaching footsteps grew gradually clearer, she was able to steady her wavering heart.

Whoosh—!!

She quickly turned her body and once again directed her steps toward the distant light cluster, beyond the reach of her other self’s touch.

She did this because she sensed, judging from her other self’s expression, that she was about to do something.

It was obvious—right now, her other self was in a state imbued with divinity incomparable to what she had when she saved the world.

Even if she herself wasn’t fully aware of it.

A power that could repeatedly cause miracles that twisted the world’s causality through mere wishes in the material world.

In this place, balancing precariously between matter and mind, that power could effortlessly grant her wishes without twisting causality.

She would surely use that power to prevent me from going beyond that light cluster.

Even though she felt this wouldn’t be such a bad thing for herself.

Lillian Shizu hastened her steps even more.

Even if what was happening wasn’t so bad for her.

She simultaneously felt that it couldn’t be good for her other self who would do this.

However, Lillian Shizu’s attempt to hasten her steps didn’t succeed.

It was as if enormous weights had been attached to her feet.

Surprisingly, this happened even though her other self’s touch hadn’t yet reached her body.

“…Huh?”

It was only natural that a questioning exclamation tinged with bewilderment escaped her lips.

Though Lillian Shizu prided herself on having experienced more than enough astonishing sights since setting foot on this land.

The immobility of her feet now ranked among the most surprising experiences she’d had.

At first, she couldn’t hide her confusion at her suddenly bound body.

‘…Already?’

But after a short while, the confusion in her expression noticeably decreased, as if she understood why she was bound like this.

As she had inwardly acknowledged earlier, she understood that her other self had quickly figured out how to use the divinity within her body, and she was now experiencing the effects of that.

From the moment she set foot in this world, deceived by the demon god.

Though she had traded most of her power as payment and could only use martial arts and strength remembered by her body rather than divinity.

Even the demon god had treated her cautiously rather than dismissively, as her original power hadn’t truly disappeared.

Yet now her other self was using the power within her to bind her so effortlessly.

Indeed, despite differences in the process.

Does the end result remain the same?

Lillian Shizu quickly reduced her confusion about her bound state with this understanding.

But though she set aside her confusion, she didn’t give up trying to move her bound body.

If she surrendered to surprise and gave up moving, she would surely face a conclusion she didn’t want.

Given a little time, she could somehow escape from here, though it would be difficult.

Unfortunately(?)

Thud—

The heavy yet gentle footsteps reaching Lillian Shizu’s ears made her heart sink.

It was somewhat amusing that hearing footsteps imbued with gentleness would make her heart sink with cold surprise.

But she couldn’t help being surprised when she sensed that the gentleness in those footsteps intended to bear the burden she should carry.

This mustn’t happen.

After setting foot on this land with unfulfilled regrets as her wish.

She had once steeled herself to become a being faithful to desire.

If her other self, approaching to bear all her burdens, came any closer, she would surely detect the dark desire in her heart.

And she couldn’t even imagine how deeply her kind-hearted other self would be wounded upon reading that dark desire in her heart.

“…No.”

When her other self had already approached her side, Lillian Shizu tried to push her away with a faint voice as if all her strength had left her.

“It’s not your fault…”

The moment she saw her other self approaching like opposite poles of magnets attracting each other, speaking as if she already knew everything.

“…”

Words failed Lillian Shizu, and from her clouded eyes flowed tears that were remarkably clear and transparent despite being thin.

And the moment those gathered tears fell to the ground.

Lillian Shizu yielded herself to her other self who was gently trying to embrace her.

“Let’s be happy together…”

The warm and gentle voice that came from Shizu’s lips as soon as she held her in her arms.

“No matter how badly you speak of yourself or try to push me away, I can understand.”

Declared that she knew something.

“Because I am you, and you are also me.”

Stating the reason and simultaneously revealing that she would accept all her pain and darkness.

A tender silence fell.

In this chasm where matter and mind are not clearly distinguished, governed by bizarre laws.

Now, identical souls that have lived with opposing memories.

Are becoming one while accepting each other’s memories.

Upon entering her embrace, Lillian Shizu’s body, which had been maintaining its physical form by relying on this space’s peculiar laws, gradually began to fade.

Just like when she disappeared after meeting and bidding farewell to her precious sword in the world she had barely set foot in.

The difference from then was that unlike when she was about to disappear with only small satisfaction while lamenting a wish that could never be fulfilled.

Now Lillian Shizu was giving everything she had to her other self who was willing to accept all of her.

They merge.

Though they shared identical memories beginning with the broad back of a kind man who appeared gruff on the outside but knew how to share and alleviate others’ pain more than his own.

The memories of a woman who, entangled in chains cast by twisted beings, had to make different choices repeatedly and was emphasized only as a hero who must save the world.

And the memories of a woman who started from the same point but reached the present while continuously cherishing memories of a precious person who protected her until the end.

Were formed into a complete whole as they became one being.

Lillian Shizu, who had been self-deprecating as an incomplete being since setting foot on this land.

And had named herself Imperfectio.

Had now become Perfectio, a perfect being.

Feeling Shizu’s memories flowing into her, Lillian Shizu felt relieved.

The thought that the current her would make him much happier than herself, who had only received love but couldn’t properly express it to that precious person before withering away.

Made her sense that she wouldn’t regret choosing to give all her memories to her and becoming one after hesitation.

And Shizu also felt it.

That despite being another version of herself who had reached an extremely different conclusion in a different environment.

Her love for the sword was no less than her own.

So she had no regrets.

Although it was somewhat regrettable that the numerous memories she had built with the sword would no longer remain as memories preserved solely by her and the sword.

There was nothing to be sorry about if the being sharing those memories was another version of herself.

Lillian Shizu, who had entered Shizu’s embrace, disappeared without a trace.

And Shizu, who had embraced her, opened her eyes and rose.

Though her appearance hadn’t changed.

The usual brightness and gentleness that always surrounded her was now accompanied by a calmness that only time could bestow.

It wasn’t strange.

For she was both Shizu and Lillian Shizu.

Now united as one, they would not hesitate or succumb to hardships.

She would properly share the overflowing love she had only received with him.

And when he faces difficult and challenging situations, instead of floundering in confusion.

She would risk everything to protect him.

“Let’s go back.”

These were the first words from the lips of the two who had become one.

Simple words declaring her return to the world that she and her precious person had saved together.

The place where that precious person would be lying down, resting his tired body.

And as those words fell, the physical form of the two who had become one vanished from this space that precariously balanced on the boundary between matter and mind.

Her entrance had been sudden.

But her exit was an even more peculiar departure without any notice.