Chapter 199

Chapter 199. We, Remember

The spirits once more peered into what was to come.

With their very first attempt, they obtained absolute proof that the premonitions of Baharmut were not set in stone.

……Crash!

Demian!

A young youth was sent flying into the stone structure by the devastating impact of Infernal’s fist, colliding heavily against it. The layout of the scene was nearly identical to what they had witnessed before.

However, there was a stark distinction.

This time, the youth failed to rise.

Crash! Thud! Thud!

The brutal strikes from Infernal’s legs descended without mercy.

Did Infernal possess feelings? As if driven by pure malice, it persisted in its redundant assaults for a considerable duration, leaving behind a gruesome outcome.

It was a horrifying sight, yet the spirits grasped a crucial truth in that moment.

[……It was mutable.]

[Indeed. Mutable.]

In the previous timeline they observed, the young youth held on until the savior demolished the fourth Barrier Stone, but in this variation, he ultimately perished.

Not a single new factor had been introduced, yet the outcome had shifted.

In a sense, it was perfectly logical.

Baharmut.

This foresight, generated by remnants of a blasphemous book, had never provided a flawless perception of what lay ahead. It merely displayed the single most probable path based on the collective perception of countless gathered entities and the incomprehensible energy of the relic fragment.

Even so, the reason the rulers of bygone eras could dominate the world using Baharmut, and why the foresight appeared absolute back then, was simple.

Conflict.

The clash of massive factions.

Because they were observing the immense momentum generated by an apparatus known as an “army,” comprised of countless individuals united together—only then did the foresight prove remarkably precise.

This meant that a single person’s destiny could never be perfectly anticipated.

It merely cast light upon a solitary thread among an infinity of diverging paths.

Regardless, the entities pondered.

[Which path is reality?]

[Uncertain. Impossible to determine.]

[Youth, in peril?]

[Incapable of knowing.]

Having witnessed two conflicting destinies, their perplexity only intensified.

They needed to base their actions on what was to come, but with two distinct paths serving as a reference, the very concept of a standard became meaningless.

At that point, the most ancient entity made a proposal.

[Observe further. Repeatedly.]

[……Repeatedly?]

Rather than utilizing words, the ancient entity conveyed its intent through sheer will.

The entities fell into a brief state of disarray, but their choice was made swiftly.

[……We shall observe.]

[Now, we shall deliver them.]

With their emancipation practically guaranteed—if the saviors were going to liberate them, it was now their turn to preserve the saviors.

Throughout that endeavor…

There was no reluctance.

Recurrently peering into the timeline was an exhausting trial even for entities such as themselves, and no one could foresee the consequences that might arise from doing so repeatedly.

[We, courageous.]

[Concur.]

The entities harbored no dread.

They were still unable to step directly into the fray, restrained by an inherent terror of Infernal, but within the boundaries of their capabilities, they exerted themselves completely.

Thus, the timeline unrolled once more before their eyes.

Forgive me. Please, hold on just a bit longer.

The elderly spiritist perished.

It was a demise suffered while shield-guarding a youth in jeopardy.

Even when confronted by the blazing heat of Infernal, he displayed not a single trace of agony, expressing concern for those he left behind as he dissolved into cinders and disappeared.

…Even so, Aster’s demise remained unaltered.

[……Once more.]

The entities cast their gaze into yet another timeline.

Demian, it was enjoyable. I am truly grateful to have encountered you all.

A youth with brown hair perished.

Once again, it was a demise suffered while shield-guarding a youth in jeopardy.

After safeguarding the youth with a protective barrier molded from the earth, he coughed up a spray of crimson from overexerting his mana pool.

The fist of Infernal descended upon him.

Crash!

Following that event, Aster intervened and drew the attention of the Infernals away.

…Even so, Aster’s demise remained unaltered.

[……Once more.]

The entities persisted in peering into what lay ahead.

The timelines that manifested spoke exclusively of catastrophic conclusions.

On some occasions Demian, on others Myserln, on others Chenbi—one, or a pair, and sometimes every single one of them.

They perished.

They continued to perish.

The sequences varied, but the finality was identical.

At times, the quartet confronted Infernal together and met their end. At other times, they trailed Aster, who departed unaccompanied to draw Infernal away, only to become entangled in the clash and perish.

However…

Not a single demise occurred in the exact same manner.

If there existed a solitary unifying element—

…None of them feared the end.

The entities continued to scrutinize the unfolding paths.

How many times did the timeline persist in this fashion?

A dozen? A score? They could not keep count.

With each repeated glimpse, the minds of the entities gradually dissolved, and one by one, those whose psychological fortitude crumbled first began to separate from the collective consciousness.

No matter how proximate the future was.

No matter how much they absorbed the vitality of the natural world.

It was an impossible feat without forfeiting themselves.

[I, recall. I, courageous.]

A single entity left behind words requesting to be kept in memory before losing its consciousness.

[I, offer myself.]

Another entity exhausted every remaining drop of its essence, then, resembling a fading shooting star, allowed its existence to dissolve into nothingness.

And so, one after another.

Through recurrent foresight, the entities steadily collapsed.

A forfeit for what purpose?

None of them questioned the reason.

Even with the emancipation they craved hovering directly before them, even with the moment they had desired with agonizing yearning just a stride away—

None of them felt remorse.

This was the nature of these entities.

Existences more unblemished than the most innocent youth—beings who would beams with delight at the slightest gesture of goodwill and accompany you for the rest of their days.

For the sake of those who sought to deliver them, they surrendered the liberation that awaited after millennia of confinement.

They desired only a single outcome.

[All, joyful.]

That the individuals who had unhesitatingly offered them a hand would all find happiness.

And while, in the physical realm, a mere blink of an eye elapsed, within the Mental Image, an incalculable epoch drifted by—

The entities, tethered even more securely as one by a solitary desire, advanced into a realm of perception they had previously failed to attain.

…and grasped a fundamental reality.

[Ah.]

A solitary truth exposed through countless forfeits, endurance, and aspiration—through immeasurable observations of what was to come.

That truth was…

…The savior’s demise cannot be altered.

That alone.

Ultimately, the entities disbanded their unity and retracted their foresight.

Thus, physical reality resumed once more. While the entities were recovering their composure, somewhere within Baharmut, mirrored by the power of the crystalline orb—

The savior at last arrived at the fourth Barrier Stone.

Now, with this… it is finished.

Paaang—!

The Barrier Stone fractured violently.

Liberation had arrived.

Yet no one celebrated.

Not a solitary soul.

And then, at that precise instant—

[A path, exists.]

[……A path?]

[We transform it.]

The entities had not surrendered hope yet.

Physical reality advanced in a manner not very distinct from their visions.

Following the destruction of the fourth Barrier Stone, Aster shortly stood at a dividing path, and just as he had in countless visions, he resolved to confront five Infernals unaccompanied.

[C-ch, companion. Me inquisitive.]

In an effort to delay Aster, the entity posed the identical inquiry, and once more, before Aster could provide a reply, he crossed paths with Demian.

And then—

“Wait.”

The primary point of divergence.

As Aster guided the five Infernals away, Demian shifted his stance.

“Something is amiss. I must accompany him.”

Demian sensed something unusual regarding Aster and, dragging his depleted form, pursued him from behind.

…This was a timeline where Demian perishes.

Or a timeline where every single person could perish.

At that exact moment, the entities intervened.

[Peril. Must not advance.]

“……?”

[We shall assist.]

The entities that poured from the crystalline orb resembled an infinity of stars.

The entities, structuring a celestial river, obstructed Demian’s advance and captured his focus so he could not proceed.

Simultaneously,

another cluster of entities pursued Aster from behind.

And then the secondary point of divergence arrived once more.

“Demian, this elder shall proceed.”

“Master?”

“Indeed. I shall go and observe.”

Myserln, who had restrained Demian, fixed his gaze upon the entities, as though declining to yield regarding the matter of his own movement.

And the entities…

[Elder spiritist, must tarry.]

They halted Myserln.

…If Myserln advanced toward Aster at this exact moment, it was a timeline where both Myserln and Aster perished.

Myserln surrendered his existence for Aster’s sake, yet remained incapable of averting Aster’s demise.

By the criteria of the entities of Baharmut, Myserln’s entities were far too juvenile, and those youthful spirits could not endure the pressure of five Infernals.

In that scenario, Myserln could only function as an impediment.

But framed differently…

A completely revitalized Myserln could offer genuine assistance.

“Tarry? For what purpose—”

As Myserln interrogated the entities that had abruptly materialized and obstructed his path, another host of entities manifested from the core of the immense conflict.

If the tides of a celestial river overflowed, would it mirror this display?

It was a spectacle so exquisite that even Demian, Chenbi, and Myserln lost themselves in contemplation—but the truly astounding aspect was not the visual grandeur.

[We assist.]

The newly materialized entities softly caressed Myserln’s form.

Myserln released a soft gasp immediately following the touch.

“……Ah.”

Comforting energy trickled into his form, which had been worn down by exhaustion.

The entities’ energy sweeteningly saturated Myserln’s form like rainfall descending upon an arid, fractured wasteland.

Animation began to replenish his damaged flesh, and as Myserln marveled in that state of bliss, the utterances of the entities echoed near his ears.

[A bit longer.]

It signified: tarry a bit longer.

Regaining his bearings at the sound of that utterance, Myserln could finally view the entities clearly.

[We courageous.]

[Concur.]

[I recall.]

[We recall.]

Entities that partitioned their vitality with him, leaving a solitary word each, before dissipating.

“……Ah.”

Myserln comprehended.

What the origin of this vital spark truly was.

This was… the energy of being that the entities had maintained for thousands of years.

Not something that could be merely converted into standard “spirit power”—but their absolute life essence, that which permitted an entity to exist as an entity.

“How….”

Myserln could only utter a sigh at their forfeit, and at that precise moment, an exceptionally massive cluster of radiance drifted toward him.

It was the most ancient entity.

[We, companions.]

We are companions… therefore think nothing of it.

That was the underlying message.

And yet those utterances pierced Myserln’s core even more deeply.

After thousands of years, they had finally achieved the liberation they had coveted so intensely, yet what they selected was not celebration.

It was a forfeit.

At the spectacle of these entities—so foolishly uncorrupted—sentiment swelled within Myserln.

Perhaps it perceived his internal state.

[Grief, unnecessary.]

The ancient entity offered solace to Myserln.

[We are the wild. Not fading.]

They were extensions of the wild, so it did not mean “obliteration.”

They would merely… lose their cognitive awareness and cease to exist as entities, returning to the wild that generated them—so he ought not to mourn.

It was a notion distinct from the complete destruction delivered by Infernal.

However, that was exclusively from an entity’s viewpoint.

From a mortal viewpoint, this was…

‘…How is that any different from fading away entirely?’

Yet there was no remaining time for mourning.

[Brown hair, approach. Frost youth, approach.]

The ancient entity summoned Demian and Chenbi and, just as it had performed for Myserln, partitioned strength to them.

Demian and Chenbi remained utterly fragile before five Infernals, yet… the entities performed to their absolute limits.

To forge a timeline where no individual perished.

However—

[With this, inadequate.]

The ancient entity recognized the reality.

By re-establishing the potency of these three individuals, the majority of timelines where they perished meaninglessly would be bypassed.

Yet it remained insufficient.

Therefore—

[Youth, designation.]

For the initial time in thousands of years, the ancient entity resolved to select a partner.

And that youth was…

“……Me?”

[Indeed. You.]

“I am… Chenbi.”

It was Chenbi.