Chapter 265: Intercepting the Future

A/N: Hello. Before we start this chapter, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates over the last few days. I got sick and did not have the strength to write new chapters, even when I stayed at home for the first few days. Anyways, I thought of writing a special April fool's chapter, but I thought of compensating with a stable update schedule (for about a week) instead.

Happy reading~!

*****

I... am an asshole.

Through their descent into the present, I got to see bits of that ruined future. The quest that was imposed on me is also completed. As the Space-Time Lord, otherwise known as Mysteries, I knew that changing the present while the time is "locked" is impossible. Meaning, anything from the future could not change what happened in the past and present.

Still, this event defied the norm. By giving Shinji the Time Card and letting him form a connection with his future, the others who could sense it used that as their springboard. The birdcage being a semi-fictional domain helped even further. In such a place, anything could happen.

I ruffled through Ruri's silky black hair. At the same time, I alleviated the symptoms of something similar to my corrupted <ORIGIN STATE>. It induces someone to "destroy", making you feel as if you are being torn from all sides. Even Beyond Creators would not be able to withstand that crazed sensation...

...not even me.

"...Shiro?"

Her deep scarlet eyes met with mine. Several emotions are seeping through it, with affection topping them all. Perhaps due to her being affected by it, she lost her reservations as her lips met mine. It didn't even take a second later before her tongue pried mine open.

Trying my best not to be taken aback, I went with the flow. I responded to each of her attacks with equal value.

This girl, whom I treated as a friend, loves me this much in the future. It goes to say that I have perfectly embodied Romani's teachings from before.

I placed my arms on her waist as I supported her while she was standing. When we separated, a thin string of glistening saliva was made.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she quietly looked at me.

"It's... It's been a long time..!"

As if ashamed of her current appearance, she buried her face deep in my robes.

...

My time is limited.

Feeling that the power that I borrowed is about to come forth, I explained to her:

"K... Ruri. Remember this. No matter what... I will save you."

These words perfectly represented my intent on cleaning the mess that my future self couldn't clean up.

"We will all have a happy ending."

*****

Against the innumerable odds, he fought back. He didn't choose to give up despite everything but decided to place the last embers of hope in unexpected places.

First, the chat group. Modifications were made to thwart the future.

Then, the system. He left it as a "communicator" across time.

Lastly, the loopholes that he left in his wake.

Even now... when he is "gone", his influence reached everywhere. When these variables combined altogether, it lit up the flames of hope once more.

Inside the pillar of light, a goddess was present. Wearing the loose luxurious robe adorned with different kinds of jewels increased her charm. The loose robe couldn't hide her curves, a far cry from her past childish self.

"The future."

Her voice encompassed the entire dreary black space.

"The variables."

The goddess decided to enact her plans. Firstly, the portion of the corrupted ??? in the present.

A thin black line streaked across the black space. With her touch, it disintegrated into nothingness, therefore reducing "its" grasp over reality itself.

"Spread across several realms, yet a single body exists."

The goddess found out something strange about "it". Time doesn't matter in "its" presence as "it" is the core of everything. Only a "single" version of it could be found in reality. Fortunately, it was fragmented before everything went into mayhem.

"Her suffering shall cease."

Her words completely removed the influence of "it" on Altair.

"It is being eroded."

The goddess called forth her familiar black sword from afar.

Click-!

Upon sensing the link, she used it as a channel to form a "sanctuary" for Ruri. With that, she shall be freed from "its" influence within the confines of that space.

"My crown."

The <Wisdom> which the <Sage of the End> possessed. Through it, she could find many things in this limited time.

"Hm..?"

A murky presence surrounded it from afar. She reappeared nearby before pointing one of her fingers at it.

Hum-!

The layers of space broke down under the sheer influence of a Beyond Creator. Mirages emerged from it, spreading confusion on which is true or not. At the end of the tear is a pillar of light.

When it died down, nothing changed. It elicited a frown from her as she summoned forth her regalia. Seven sword bits circled her as a golden halo emerged from her head. A huge white broadsword levitated above her arms. It let off a sizzling sound as it flew toward the crown. The sword bits followed the lead of the broadsword.

BOOM-!

A sphere of light materialized from that point. It disappeared before reappearing moments later.

HUM-!

BUZZ-!

BOOM-!

An extremely unpleasant sound was made as it imploded. A raving sound resounded in this space, which could make a Beyond Creator uncomfortable.

At last, the attacks did their purpose as they pierced a huge hole from the murky presence.

Tap.

Her hands touched the metallic surface of the crown. Each of the jewels on it shone as if waiting for this exact moment. Then—

"Huh..?"

—it blew her away from this space. "Repulse" is the exact word to describe this phenomenon. The power behind the crown made her travel into an extremely long distance; to a place where there is no longer darkness present.

"That is..."

her words were cut short when her sight laid upon a familiar sight. The endless sea of books, each organized with wooden shelves whose length seems endless. In its center is a small tea table with a hardcover book placed on top of it.

"My library."

The goddess had an inkling of what happened. The crown would have been able to effectively give out information but chose to redirect her in this place for a reason.

The sensation of leather assaulted her fingertips. It is not as glossy as it looks. When she opened the first page, she saw many familiar lines.

{The directory of the library. Each set of knowledge intercepted will be sorted according to its categories, time, and topic.}

{The most abundant category is the...}

Many lines that were also written in the Library of her time remained the same. However, a single line at the end stood out from the rest.

{The former domain of the Commander.}

"Commander... I'm attached to this name."

The goddess wore a thin smile before flipping the book open. Unlike the book of her time, it is undeniably much thicker in content. History, magecraft, mechanisms, laws of many worlds...

{Year 1002. The mission of [Altair] was given.}

{Year 1003. The mission of [Romani] was given.}

{Year 1004. The fight against "The Spider" occurred. All servants present in the Human Order CHALDEA were dispatched along with a dozen reinforcements from the Chat Group.}

{Year...}

She skimmed through some interesting events. They knew all too well the stories revolving around Romani's world along with the final Lostbelt and the confrontation against a Type known as "ORT". Even so, receiving this confirmation is another matter.

Just as she was about to go ahead into the latter dates, a man (?) entered the vicinity.

"Excuse me. I haven't seen you before."

With a height of around 120 centimeters, he wore an all-black attire with furs around the collar. His golden pupils stood out from his features along with his soft features that misled everyone else about his sex.

"Is that... the chat group?"

"What?"

Present in her sight is none other than the chat group panel in a gold-black color scheme. Lines of messages passed by now and then, showcasing how many members it has right now.

Buzz-!

With that, she tried to call her very own chat group. Just by manifesting a quarter of it, the world shook. It's as if something that wasn't supposed to be here is revealing itself to the world.

BUZZ-!

By the time it completely manifested itself, the library shook for over seven times.

The gazes of the two met. Just with it, the man completely understood the identity of the person in front of him.

"You... you are not supposed to be here."