Possessing Fuli's authority meant having full control over the Path of Remembrance. I chose to set aside most of my capabilities, focusing on the Path's control over memories in the last two fights. Now that I put my mind into it, I sensed the presence of countless Pathstriders under Remembrance. Their locations are no secret to me, much less their memories. I have the power to forcibly rob others of their memories.
Only, I haven't tried doing it yet.
I could follow Fuli's instincts in this regard, but I foresaw a small chance of it going wrong. After all, I am not exactly in an optimal state. Adding this unmastered power atop them all is asking for trouble.
It is better to leave it to those who have mastered it.
Who else would I find if not them?
Creak-!
Fine white lights bearing the texture of ice appeared in the void. It turned its vicinity into a fissured ice surface.
Shatter-!
The moment these fragments fell out, a pink-haired woman appeared. She wore a black coat dress. It is cut off on her right arm, replaced instead by the white long-sleeved sweater underneath the coat. The said coat extended up to her left wrist. A mouth-like zipper could be seen from it. At the edge of her black coat, an inverted Astral Express ticket is attached.
The woman sported jellyfish-style hair. It is followed by a black umbrella. Her pale red pupils went straight towards me.
Though she did not say anything, I understood what she conveyed:
'You owe me once.'
She went ahead and faced the still-frozen Senadina. The woman, Evernight, stepped closely towards her. Simultaneously, I increased her 'authority' over Remembrance. A fragment of Fuli could not compare to Formlessness' complete control over this Path. Evernight's original power increased exponentially.
Senadina's eyes turned blank as Evernight reached her side. Faint gray light seeped out of Senadina before being grasped by Evernight. Everything that formed the foundation behind the heart demon's existence vanished. Its collapse is imminent.
Shatter-!
The memory of my peak state dissipated. I reverted back to my heavily injured state. The speed of my thoughts dwindled as time passed by. Only my physical aspect remained unaffected.
Zoom-!
Tearing through the void allowed me to reach Senadina's side with ease. Evernight turned her head towards me. Her eyes held a hint of scrutiny.
"To possess that power without reliance on any Paths…" She pursed her lips as she asked, "What kind of alien are you?"
I knew full well she pertained to my 'monstrosity'. In the eyes of others, the feat of reaching unparalleled power without reliance on Paths is a shocking thing. What's more, I also carried on to "steal" Fuli's authority. Anything between the two is enough to serve as a major event for the universe, much less both of them combined.
"We can talk properly later. I know you are preoccupied with something right now."
"..."
She did not speak, merely giving a nod. A moment later, she disappeared from my sight. Faint crystalline ice dust is all that's left in her place.
I looked towards Senadina, and then the memories flowing onto my imaginary space. Leylah's heart tribulation weakened the weaker the heart demon became. Her weakness receded like a tide as her true body started recovering physically and conceptually.
Leylah…
No, the future Leylah.
Everything is the result of my choices. I cannot escape the responsibility over everyone. The weight behind her memories I inherited stifles my heart. Looking at the withering Senadina, I forcibly suppressed my emotions. I wanted to talk to her, but that brought the risk of breaking her collapsing state. The Path of Remembrance caught her off guard, which is the biggest reason why everything went smoothly. She possessed the memories of the future Leylah. The only reason it happened is most likely because of the future projections' intervention.
I am not supposed to attain the eighth-level Tao Heart at this time. The Sea of Suffering brought it forward. A single lapse in judgement sealed the heart demon's fate.
I did nothing but to watch its state deteriorate. Spiritual qi leaked out of it, followed by the disappearance of its status. It is comparable to the Dao Integration Realm. Barring its weaknesses, it is the Dao Integration Realm aspect that allowed it to be this threatening.
The heart demon's withering did not follow mortal concepts. Her skin turned pale. The luster on her eyes weakened. The vitality within her 'true body' dissipated. She is no different than a dried corpse, yet her beauty and physical form remains pristine. The Dao of Blossoming Heart tried its best to counteract her eventual collapse, but to no avail.
Suddenly, her eyes cleared up at her final moments.
I did not act any further. She no longer had the power to attack once more.
"I… sorry…"
I reached out for her cheek. The same fingertips that touched the future Leylah's cheek touched hers. The sensation I received is the exact same as hers. Senadina's face collapsed, revealing Leylah's appearance deep within. In the same manner as her future self, she touched my right hand with both her hands.
The heavy feeling in my heart could no longer be suppressed.
"If you cannot trust yourself, trust me. I will bring everyone to that ending."
Hearing these words, a smile bloomed on her face.
"A happy ending… I am looking forward to it."
The fair cheek in my fingertips turned into motes of golden light. The departure of Leylah's heart demon shook the Sea of Data. Its anomaly is peeled off at this exact instant. The unprecedented chaos that suppressed our mind disappeared.
I didn't find joy over its resolution, only a strong sense of loss.
The inevitability of our tribulations speak of themselves. The same goes to the future we must face. I find myself wondering, still.
When will I be truly able to guarantee a good ending?
I shook my head and went towards Leylah. She wore the familiar black dress. Her face also overlapped with the Leylahs I talked to, only that she is not them. Upon checking, I found everything about her normal. Her true body is recovering. Her vitality is no longer dissipating. The status she held came back to her in one go. The effects of the heart demon tribulation will be gone after a round of seclusion.
Stepping out of the Sea of Data's core area, I found everything else reverting to normal. The cities as well as the people stored inside Mars' supercomputer returned within their divisions. When I left the Bubble World, the sight of everyone greeted me. Mars returned to normal, too.
"It's bad."
Kiana spoke first.
"The barrier… it won't be able to hold on for long."