The projection ended, and the screen before them returned once again to a state of static code.
"Do you understand?"
Elio spoke abruptly.
"If you lose the war on the front lines, Herta will make this choice too."
"Without any hesitation."
"This is the outcome brought about by the absence of the Astral Express's 'Causality'. A Genius meets a premature demise. The one you must kill is not the Iron Tomb, but Emperor Rubert III."
Having shown him this, Elio hoped he would truly understand that this was for the good of the entire galaxy.
After all this back and forth, Elio was just short of kneeling down and begging:
"I beg you, bro, please don't go provoking that living Reaper so early. You can't beat him. Not only will you lose, but you'll drag a lot of people down to the grave with you."
Leon paid him no mind.
Even though only static remained on the screen before him, his gaze did not shift away in the slightest.
From the depths of his heart, he felt a summons—a call coming from the superpower he had only recently acquired.
The superpower said: It's time to go!
"'Simply cannot defeat the enemy'... I don't speak that language."
And so, Leon rose from his chair.
"I suspect you don't know the true meaning of 'Arbitrating Eternity'."
He stepped forward, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the theater.
"To shield everything you care about behind you, and to resolve even the greatest crises alone."
"That is what it means to Arbitrate Eternity."
Arriving directly in front of the screen, Leon stopped.
"I will not let anyone related to me die. Neither in the future nor in the present."
He reached out and placed his hand on the screen of 'The Finality'.
The hand did not pass through; instead, it landed precisely upon the surface.
Elio watched the scene before him in disbelief, the fur all over his body standing on end involuntarily.
This was the domain of 'The Finality'. A person who had not established a connection with Terminus...
How could he touch the screen that symbolized the 'Future'?
"It's simple. Since I don't like this story, wouldn't it be fine if I just changed it with my own hands into one I do like?"
Leon kept his hand on the screen, turning his head to speak to Elio.
"Whether it is the present or the future, it is all the same."
His words fell into Elio's ears, giving the cat an extremely ominous premonition.
"You want to personally modify the ending of this Herta... no, of Emperor Rubert III?"
Elio truly felt his head must be muddled to even voice such a deduction.
"You can't do it."
Leon was being a bit too presumptuous.
"This future is merely a projection."
Although Elio didn't know how he managed to place his hand on 'The Finality'—by all rights, he shouldn't have been able to touch it at all—his idea was simply nonsense.
"It has never truly existed, so speaking of changing it is fundamentally impossible."
"Besides, even if it did truly exist, who can move against the timeline?"
The more Elio spoke, the more he felt reason was on his side.
"To simply move against time—perhaps your 'Causality' could help you achieve that."
"But to move against the timeline itself... aside from Terminus, there is no second person in this world who can do it."
Yet, the feeling in his heart that things were slipping out of his control did not diminish in the slightest, as if Leon could truly do what he claimed.
"We are only observers. We cannot change anything."
Moving against the timeline—such a thing was nonsensical talk even for Elio, a Destiny's Slave and Emanator of The Finality.
"All we can do is ensure the future avoids that timeline as much as possible."
He really didn't know where Leon got this confidence.
"Just because you can't do it, why do you think I can't?"
Looking straight into Elio's gaze, Leon did not retreat a half-step, his tone absolute.
"Have you ever been to an IF Route? Making wild assertions after just a few glances... you assume too much!"
And in the instant his voice fell, Leon vanished.
It was quite abrupt, as if he had evaporated from the world into thin air.
Elio's eyes went wide.
He could feel it. This wasn't an ordinary disappearance; it was extraordinary.
Before, he could still trace the variable fluctuations of 'The Finality' to find where Leon was.
But now, he couldn't find him at all.
The man was gone so cleanly, it was simply as if he had completely vanished from this world line.
'No way... '
Elio looked at the spot where Leon had just been, utterly dumbfounded. A very human expression that said 'this person's mechanics are above mine' appeared on his feline face.
For no reason, he suddenly thought of the words Leon had just spoken not long ago:
"Others can't do it, but I can."
Elio realized it now.
——He wasn't joking!
...
...
In the timeline of 'The Finality'.
To lead a crusade against 'Emperor Rubert III', the IPC convened a corresponding conference.
Those attending the meeting were three old friends of the party in question.
Seat #81 Ruan Mei, Seat #76 Screwllum, and Seat #84 Stephen.
"Forgive my bluntness."
Screwllum's tone held no fluctuation, as calm as always.
"Madam Herta had already planned everything. This farce will be concluded by 'The Silent Lord'. This meeting by the IPC is trampling upon the honor of her march to death."
Yet from the words he spoke, one could tell he was fighting against the injustice done to his friend.
"Do not be angry, Mr. Screwllum."
As the representative of the IPC, Jade stated that this was merely for insurance.
"It is precisely because we respect Madam Herta's resolve that we convened this meeting. This action by the IPC is also for your own good."
"If we allowed 'Emperor Rubert III' to act recklessly..."
"Then the standing that you fought so hard to regain for inorganic life... what would become of it? I believe you are clearer on that than we are."
Jade spoke plainly.
Screwllum fell silent.
There is a common saying: bad things shouldn't happen more than three times.
If 'Emperor Rubert III' were to incite a chaotic anti-organic war like the previous two Emperors, there would likely be no place left for inorganic life in the entire galaxy.
"However, since 'The Silent Lord' has decided to conclude matters, that couldn't be better."
Hearing this news, Jade also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
With that entity making a move, the fall of the Genius—or rather, Emperor Rubert III—was a certainty.
"But just in case, the IPC's fleet will remain on standby nearby."
Having said this, Jade stood up.
"We will have to trouble the three of you with the aftermath once things are concluded. I hope you will be able to lend the IPC a hand when the time comes."
She left, leaving the space to the three Geniuses.
Silence. A dead silence.
The trio of Geniuses said nothing, but coincidentally shifted their gazes to the Emperor outside the window.
Silver-white hair, the hat upon the head, the purple flower on the chest.
These were all Herta's style, serving as constant reminders that Herta had been thoroughly swallowed by the Iron Tomb.
"...The Space Station, The Blue, the Simulated Universe. Everything she cared about, as well as her dying wishes, will be taken over by me on her behalf."
Screwllum's voice remained calm, yet that calmness conveyed a lingering sorrow.
Geniuses rarely cooperated; mostly, they were busy with their own affairs.
By all rights, the three of them should never have had much interaction in their entire lives.
It was Herta who gathered them together, using the project known as the Simulated Universe.
And thus, the subsequent stories came to be.
But now that the pillar was gone, this story was falling apart.
Ready to meet its deserved end at any moment.
To prevent this from happening, Screwllum stepped forward voluntarily.
He took on all of Herta's responsibilities, in the capacity of a friend.
Whether it was her homeland or her long-cherished wish.
"En."
Ruan Mei stared unblinkingly at Emperor Rubert III, as if seeing the shadow of her old friend within.
This was her project, and also the choice she herself made in the end.
After today, undoubtedly, Herta would cease to exist.
No one would remember Genius Society Member #83 Herta anymore, just as no one cared about the life of Rubert II before its birth.
What future generations would remember would only be Seat #83, Emperor Rubert III.
All of Herta's great achievements would be buried under this title.
"...I have no objections."
Stephen, his face obscured by a string of random data code, also stated his position.
Among the three present, one was indifferent and reclusive, and one just wanted to live an ordinary life.
This meant that Ruan Mei and Stephen had practically no contact with the outside world, and naturally, they possessed no forces of their own.
If they were to protect Herta's homeland, they would have to reach some agreement with the IPC as collaborators.
After all, no one didn't want to curry favor with a Genius.
But Screwllum did not have this distress.
He was the monarch of Planet Screwllum, a prominent figure in the universe with dignity and his own forces. He was undoubtedly the best candidate among the three.
"'The Silent Lord' has arrived."
Sensing an undisguised, powerful aura, Ruan Mei spoke coldly.
Using her own sacrifice to ensure the world did not meet a destructive end.
'The Savior Witch'.
Herta undoubtedly deserved this title.
Although it led to the tragedy of the Third Emperor War's bloodbath, compared to the coronation of the Iron Tomb, this was already the best ending she could fight for alone.
After that candy-colored blade shadow flashed, no one would remember Herta anymore.
But 'Herta' would exist forever.
In the future, there would still be a 'Herta' who would stand up again. Because people like her existed in the galaxy, it has been able to survive well until now.
Without following in the footsteps of destruction.
"..."
Screwllum remained silent, simply witnessing the arrival of his good friend's end from afar.
He removed his hat, placed it against his chest, and bowed.
——Paying his respects to Genius Society Member #83, Herta.
——
I wrote the previous chapter entirely to pave the way for this one.
I had to throw out this transformation into Emperor Rubert III, so I had to explain the origin of the matter clearly. The story lacking those 2k words caused issues with the reading experience; I apologize. At the same time, I'm throwing out these missing 2.7k words for free.
Remember to refresh.
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