"Although I cannot accurately foresee your fate,"
"I can still perceive a thing or two about which variables might lead to the arrival of 'The Finality'."
Elio's cat-like pupils fixed upon him, demonstrating his sincerity.
"The causality of 'Iron Tomb' has been advanced," and that is the very reason I have come to find you.
Were it not for the fact that 'Iron Tomb's' hatching time is much earlier than planned, he would not have come to seek Leon today.
The entire universe exists within his future sight; only Leon is absent. This implies that Leon is the only one capable of influencing the variables of the future.
According to Elio's view, the reason for the advancement of 'Iron Tomb's' causality is likely because that Memokeeper sought out Leon before the Astral Express could set off again, leading him toward Amphoreus.
Because of Leon's unique nature, Elio does not know what outcome this thread will develop into. But precisely because he does not know, he cannot allow it to become the future, abandoning the timeline with the highest probability of victory to gamble on a minuscule possibility that Leon might win.
"It is not that I am forbidding you from going."
"Rather, you must wait a while longer. The emergence of 'Iron Tomb' cannot be too early, nor can it be too late. One wrong step could lead to a total loss."
Elio expressed that he had no intention of becoming his enemy.
"If you want the future to survive,"
"You must walk the path with the highest probability, which is the most correct route."
Elio hoped he would understand the consequences of acting willfully.
"Are you not looking for the Astral Express?"
"Before long, it will welcome a new Navigator. The day of its relaunch is close at hand. I hope you can have a little more patience."
Elio stated his stance while simultaneously offering something Leon cared about.
"You have already stepped onto 'The Trailblaze'."
"The girl beside you is also an indispensable aid to the future of 'The Trailblaze'."
"When the Express sets off again, I believe you will not mind traveling with them for a time. That will be the optimal moment to strike the bell for this divine war against 'Iron Tomb'."
Elio's meaning was clear. Fighting 'Iron Tomb' is acceptable; one might even say it is mandatory.
But it absolutely cannot be now; it must wait until the Astral Express relaunches.
As someone also on the path of 'The Trailblaze', even if Leon didn't go, he would sooner or later inevitably be drawn into this divine war. He is the variable most capable of influencing the tide of battle. If he can engage 'Iron Tomb' at the correct moment, he will certainly be able to push the future toward a better ending.
"The power of 'Iron Tomb' far exceeds your imagination."
"His fury is directed at the entire galaxy, and He truly possesses the capacity to sweep through the whole world."
"This is not alarmism."
Elio spoke earnestly.
"That is definitely not an enemy that can be solved by fighting alone. Only by gathering the strength of the entire galaxy is there hope to wrest that precious sliver of survival from His hands."
Conversely, if Leon were to act without authorization, it would steer the ending completely toward the unknown. Whether the end would be good or bad, no one knew, including Elio.
"Therefore, if you receive any news related to 'Iron Tomb' in advance, I hope you will essentially not be in a hurry."
Elio spoke from the bottom of his heart.
"Please wait for the right time. This is better for everyone."
Leon looked at him, his expression unchanging. As if what it said was still insufficient to make him retreat.
"You should know what kind of temper I have."
After listening to him ramble on for a while, Leon gave his reply.
"Is this your answer?" Elio sighed.
It did not understand, truly did not understand. Why was he so obsessed with something like a "First Kill," when clearly it was just postponing the crusade against 'Iron Tomb' slightly?
"Yes, this is my answer."
"The edge of 'The Hunt' has never pointed solely at 'The Abundance,' but at all calamities threatening the universe. If it comes knocking at my door, it is impossible for me to ignore it."
He had an answer, of course, and only one.
"—Me, avoid His edge?"
The issue was not about postponing or not; the issue was that Leon would not avoid anyone's edge.
To do exactly as Elio said—wouldn't that be equivalent to knowing where the enemy is, yet not only being unable to go actively but having to deliberately turn a blind eye, waiting quietly to gang up on them to win?
"Don't joke around," wouldn't that make his branch appear weaker than Iron Tomb?
To flee before fighting—such a thing, he could not accept!
"Since you cannot see my fate,"
Actually, Leon felt that rather than trying to persuade him, it would be better to persuade Black Swan. After all, when he would go to war with 'Iron Tomb' depended entirely on when Black Swan brought the news to him.
"That represents that you also do not know exactly what the future holds. So believe it—believe that what others cannot do, I can do!"
Leon's goal was to be the Celestial Emperor.
Celestial Emperor, Grand Emperor, True God, Phantom God, Meta-Definer, Dominator. These were the six realms representing intensity after ascending beyond the 'Super-Giant' tier and the rise of the ranking theory.
"There is nothing I cannot do!"
If he retreated three she's (stayed well away) just facing a 'super-spec' T0 'Emanator' at the Phantom God level, how could he face an 'Aeon'—a Grand Emperor? How could he achieve the status of Celestial Emperor!
"Even if your choice today leads to your friendship and bonds abandoning you alone?"
Elio made his words a few degrees tougher.
'Iron Tomb', no matter how strong, was merely an Emanator. Even if He could easily destroy the universe, He could not shake a higher-dimensional existence like an 'Aeon' in the slightest.
Given 'Lan's' favor toward Leon—which was practically like treating him as His own half-body—there was a high probability he could survive 'Iron Tomb's' hands. But 'Lan' would only protect him alone.
With Leon's strength, plus an extra life as a cushion, it was indeed true that there was a possibility of defeating 'Iron Tomb'.
But the cost? The cost was that apart from him, no one would survive, including all his connections.
"Let me show you something."
"After watching this, I hope you can choose carefully."
As the voice fell, Elio's golden cat pupils instantly turned blue. This was clearly a manifestation of utilizing the power of 'The Finality'.
Leon offered no resistance, allowing the blurred chaos to appear before his eyes. He wanted to see just what this Companion of Destiny intended to show him.
......
By the time he came back to his senses, Leon's consciousness had already arrived inside a theater. The theater was pitch black; only the screen before him flickered with a faint light.
"What I am demonstrating to you now."
"Is the future that will occur if Herta discovers the formula of 'The Erudition' too early, or if you act willfully, causing her to enter the game of 'Iron Tomb' ahead of time."
Elio, standing on the right armrest of the chair beside him, spoke thus.
Leon glanced at it. He did not reply, but silently cast his gaze back to the screen.
Elio did not mind. Under its control, the screen, which had been displaying garbled code, began to manifest images.
The vision of 'Terminus', the scene of 'The Finality'.
"Omniscient existence, I ask you—"
Along with the figure of the Witch of Erudition, it was revealed before his eyes.
"What is 'Divinity'?"
......
'Finality Horizon'.
After Herta subdued the 'Memokeeper' lurking beside her, she traveled to the 'Path's Interstice' as she wished, successfully gaining an audience with the Mechanical Head once again.
"Amphoreus, the First Cause of Life?"
Hearing the answer given by 'Nous', Herta frowned.
"I can get the answer to 'What is Divinity' there?"
Amphoreus—Herta had strictly never heard of this place name.
"Then where is Amphoreus?"
She looked at the mechanical head before her and asked aloud.
'Nous' did not speak. He was only responsible for giving answers; the explanations were left to the Geniuses who asked questions as His 'neurons'.
"Fine, I didn't think you'd answer me anyway."
Herta spread her hands; the energy she had prepared for this audience only allowed for one question. Now that this energy had bottomed out, she figured the Mechanical Head would not reply to her again.
"But I accept this difficult problem."
Before leaving this space, Herta looked at Nous and accepted the project He had given her. After all, the fate of a Genius is to solve the difficult problems encountered without stopping for a moment.
'Nous's' screen went dark. In a flash, Herta also withdrew from the 'Path's Interstice'.
Inside the Space Station.
"Phew—" Herta took a deep breath.
Seeing the puppets strewn in a mess all around her, she planned to call Asta to handle it later.
"Amphoreus, is it..."
She hummed low, recalling the answer she had just received from 'Nous'.
"Amphoreus? Hehe, Madam Herta, could it be that you are looking for it?"
Just as she was thinking briefly, the Fourth Mirror suddenly jumped out. From its tone, which vaguely carried a sense of claiming credit, it could be seen that it knew this place called Amphoreus very well.
"Oh? You know?"
Hearing this, Herta thought of something. "Searched from that 'Memokeeper' just now?"
The Fourth Mirror was her creation. The creator herself didn't know Amphoreus, so where would a creation know it from?
Combined with the fact that she had just exiled that plotting 'Memokeeper' into the Fourth Mirror. It was likely it had rummaged something from her, otherwise it wouldn't be popping out now.
Because it couldn't afford the consequences of interrupting her thinking.
The Fourth Mirror did not deny it.
"Judging from this 'Memokeeper's' memories, the 'Garden of Recollection' seems to be plotting something big in secret."
"Speak." Herta told it to spit out the intelligence quickly.
"They are all secretly dredging up 'Memories of a Vanished Path', or perhaps one should say, 'Memories of a Dead Aeon'."
"Amphoreus is the target they have selected,"
"A world capable of birthing this kind of 'Godfall Memory', a heaven and earth constructed by a Scepter, and also the breeding ground of the Lord Ravager 'Iron Tomb'!"
The Fourth Mirror told its creator everything it had stripped from the Memokeeper, piece by piece.
"...Scepter?"
Herta frowned, never expecting to hear this word.
In the 'Erudition' faction, there is a concept called the Perfect Scholar. Infinite lifespan, infinite field of vision, and infinite thinking capacity. The unity of these three is the so-called Perfect Scholar.
The Scepter, the legacy of Rubert II. The celestial neuron used by him to simulate 'Nous', and also the path of ascension he used to achieve the status of Perfect Scholar.
This was a considerably troublesome thing. Because its computing power was terrifying enough that 1% was sufficient to annihilate a star system at will.
"Not only a Scepter but also a Lord Ravager?"
Herta muttered to herself, "No, the two should be a connected relationship, not separate."
"Which means..."
A Genius is a Genius; Herta immediately sensed something wrong with the thought that subconsciously emerged.
Among all the 'Lord Ravagers', only 'Iron Tomb's' figure had not yet been truly exposed to the universe.
"—Is 'Iron Tomb' a Lord Ravager birthed via transmutation from this Scepter?"
Originally, it was thought that 'The Destruction' side was hiding their clumsiness, but thinking about it now, there were indeed many oddities about 'Iron Tomb'.
'Iron Tomb'. The current universe's impression of it is a 'Destruction' equation.
No one has truly seen Him, or rather, no one has ever seen His main body. Every time He appears or displays power, it is initiated by the intrusion of a 'Destruction' equation.
He himself is completely nowhere to be found. Even searching via energy fluctuations yields no trace of His existence, leading everyone to believe that this 'Destruction' equation is His main body.
But is that really the case? Every Lord Ravager has a corresponding husk; how could 'Iron Tomb' be an exception?
If everything is viewed from the perspective that 'Iron Tomb' has not yet been fully born, and this 'Destruction' equation is merely a tentative probe of curiosity toward the outside world during His infancy... Viewed from this angle, all confusion can be solved in an instant.
"This is truly an unfunny joke."
'Iron Tomb' was born from the Scepter, and He is not yet in His complete form. Herta felt her guess was well-founded.
Every 'Lord Ravager' corresponds to a Path; this is common knowledge. And judging from the various technological capabilities 'Iron Tomb' currently displays, barring any accidents, the Path He corresponds to is the Mechanical Head's 'Erudition'.
Under this premise, there is another decisive factor that 'Iron Tomb' was born from the Scepter. That is, half of the 'Emanators' under Nanook's command were stolen.
He likes to steal people from whichever Path corresponds to them; 'The Harmony', 'The Nihility', 'The Elation', He has done them all. Now, adding one more 'Erudition' is not strange at all.
The scholar obtained the answer, only this answer was not very funny to the universe. If an incomplete form is already an 'Emanator', then what height would the complete form reach?
"Memory of 'Godfall'..."
No wonder the Garden of Recollection was so sure they could dredge up what they wanted in that world.
"Interesting, the Mechanical Head has given me a difficult problem."
Herta said so with her mouth, but the corners of her lips rose slightly.
"Mechanical Head, oh Mechanical Head, was your 'death' also within your own calculations?"
'Nous' is an omniscient and omnipotent existence, which means He knows, but He does not care.
"You've found where Amphoreus is, right?"
Herta asked the Fourth Mirror.
"Leave it to me, Madam Herta!"
"Very good."
Herta nodded.
"Let's go, call Screwllum, and let us meet this so-called Amphoreus."
'What is Divinity'.
She looked forward to obtaining the answer she wanted there.
____
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