Chapter 197 T's Started, Hasn't It? The ≪great Transition≫
The clock rewinds a little.
In the [Seal Temple], 1,500 meters (≈ 4,921 feet) underground, at the moment Ickle stabbed Aaron Gale's heart with a magic sword.
Jilva Chronosphere was in one of the rooms in Caduceus's mansion.
With no one nearby, alone in the room, Chronosphere sat on the sofa, leaning back against the headrest, eyes closed, using his Supernatural Ability [Invisible Hands].
The scenery reflected in his closed eyelids was not darkness, but a "possibility world". This could be called a "future world" in relation to the present. However, it was just one of countless possibilities.
But at this moment, one of the "possibility worlds" became reality.
Aaron Gale received the blade and fell to the ground, bleeding.
And Chronosphere was not witnessing this scene through [Space Perception] magic. It was the result of his Supernatural Ability, "Future Observation", which allowed him to observe without being noticed, even if Aaron was in top condition.
"Now, is it...?"
To eliminate the detestable 'Lucia's Sword', which could even destroy gods, Chronosphere used Logan, used Noah, used the [Temple], and used Ickle. He had allocated many resources to bring about the event of "Aaron Gale's death" for another plan.
The Chronosphere's [Invisible Hands] isn't a perfect power.
It's not an ability that can guarantee a future that goes exactly as he wants it to.
It's an ability that lets him observe the possibilities that could exist in the future, choose the one he wants, and increase the chances of it happening by using various means that he can intuitively understand――that's the "Future Observation" and "Future Selection" power that [Invisible Hands] has.
Of course, the lower the chances of a future happening, the higher the chances of failure. But on the other hand, if he spends time and effort, the chances of success will gradually increase.
Chronosphere can see it.
Aaron, who's lying in a pool of blood, is still not dead.
But if he were to teleport to that scene right now and attack him, he thinks he could easily kill him.
He's half-dead... no, almost dead. It's easy to think that killing him would be a piece of cake.
It's like a delicious piece of meat that's been thrown right in front of Chronosphere's eyes. Normally, he'd want to devour it without hesitation.
But that's exactly why Chronosphere is on guard.
――Observe. Watch. See.
From here on out, he'll observe the possibilities that branch out, the worlds that diverge.
Now that Aaron's near-death state has been confirmed, he should be able to observe the future with even higher accuracy.
Chronosphere observes.
If he were to teleport to that scene, the success of killing Aaron――the pros and cons of it.
"......Indeed, it's not here, is it..."
He had expected as much.
But, he couldn't help but feel despair. He couldn't see a future where he succeeded in killing Aaron. In fact, if he were to teleport to [Temple], he couldn't observe any future beyond that point.
There's only one condition for Chronosphere's "Future Observation".
It's that he has to be alive in the future he's observing. Chronosphere can't observe a future where he doesn't exist, a future where he's dead.
And he also can't observe a future where he's about to die. He can't see the specifics of his own death. It's as if fate is saying, "You're not allowed to avoid death..."
"It's as if I can't see it at all..."
In other words, not being able to see the future after teleporting to [Temple] means he'll die.
And it's as if the "death" that will occur just a few minutes after the teleportation is hinting that he won't be able to observe the near-future death either. If he teleports to [Temple], he won't be able to observe with Chronosphere how he'll end up dying or what will happen.
Still, there are a few things he can infer from the situation.
"Well... over there, we have Noah, Logan, and Fiona with the power of Priestess, who possesses a part of [God's Remains]... if fate doesn't want him to die, there's a possibility of reviving him even from that state... and if he recovers from his injuries to some extent and his magical energy recovers a bit, it's easy to kill him... but I don't get why I'd be killed in just a few minutes... no, that's it! With divine magic, it's possible to transfer magical energy... and if that's the case, he'll probably revive through that route, won't he? Well, in any case, it's impossible here..."
Looking at the result, Chronosphere's scheme has failed, and instead, it has strengthened Aaron Gale. However, he understands that the strengthening itself is unavoidable.
"It's rather that I was able to delay his awakening until now because I didn't challenge him carelessly."
After the previous Stampede, Chronosphere noticed the existence of 'Lucia's Sword', and Aaron already had the possibility of killing [God] within himself.
In reality, he hasn't become stronger gradually like this. No, that's correct, but when Chronosphere noticed Aaron's existence, he already had the possibility of killing [God].
What he needed was an extreme crisis that exceeded his limits. That's what happened during his battle with Logan, and after the previous Stampede, he could have awakened as a [God Slayer] at any time. Aaron had already accumulated the necessary fundamental abilities for that.
That's why Chronosphere couldn't make a move. If he did it poorly, Aaron would awaken, and he'd be killed――that's what he knew would happen.
"But, as he approaches death, the probability is certainly converging..."
That's what he can clearly see with [Invisible Hands]'s ability.
This incident has become a powerful, yet indirect, move to kill Aaron in the near future.
"The world's strongest hero... doesn't need to be killed by force. I'll show him that I can kill him with a poison that's impossible to resist. And... other things have gone as I hoped..."
The plan using [Temple] failed――or rather, he made it fail himself.
Chronosphere originally intended to carry out the plan using [Temple]. It wasn't built to fail from the start.
But――when the goal changes, the plan changes, and that's only natural.
And... since the goal is something that can't be spoken of, he had to keep it a secret from Noah as well.
"I've done something terrible to Noah... well, I don't think we'll meet again anyway."
Chronosphere muttered, opening his eyes.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door to the room was knocked on.
"――Come in."
"Ah, excuse me."
After waiting for Chronosphere's permission, the door opened.
The one who entered was a middle-aged man in his forties, Nacht Caduceus, Jilva's son.
However, Nacht didn't show any signs of softening towards his father, and instead gave Chronosphere a formal bow before starting his report in a businesslike tone.
"My lord, we've received reports from those who were watching the labyrinth."
"Hmm... what's happening?"
"The monsters inside the labyrinth, starting from the lower floors, have stopped reappearing, and signs of environmental initialization are showing up near the outer edges of each floor."
"I see... it's started, hasn't it? The ≪Great Transition≫."
Chronosphere smiled, looking pleased, and nodded.
――≪Great Transition≫
In the [God's Remains Labyrinth], a phenomenon where the labyrinth's structure changes every 100 to 200 years――≪Transition≫――occurs. However, unlike the systemically defined ≪Transition≫, the ≪Great Transition≫ has a different fundamental cause.
The ≪Great Transition≫ refers to the large-scale changes in the labyrinth's structure due to the functional changes of "Terrafomer007".
In other words, it's a phenomenon that occurs when the highest authority holder who can give commands to Hlidskjalf (Administrator's Throne), which manages "Terrafomer007", requests a functional change.
And the one who holds the highest command authority over Hlidskjalf (Administrator's Throne) is not Chronosphere.
That person is only one, or rather, only one pillar.
"Thanks for the report, Nacht."
When Chronosphere said that, Nacht's body trembled as he bowed his head.
His gaze was fixed on the empty air, as if something was there.
"As of now, I will delegate all of Caduceus's lord authority to you."
The ceremony to appoint the new head of the 4 houses involves the transfer of authority, such as the right to create [Seal Keys] and higher-level operation rights for the [Seal Temple] control system. While they may hold grand retirement ceremonies for the old head and inauguration ceremonies for the new one, what's truly necessary for a head is only the transfer of those system-related authorities.
The transfer of authority is done in an instant through the Brain Support Interface.
What appeared in Nahct's vision was a screen asking him to accept or reject the transfer of head authority from Jilva.
"......I humbly accept the duty of the next Caduceus head."
Nahct answered the system's question with a "yes" through thought operation, bowing his head.
Just then,
"――Well, from now on, you can do as you please."
Before Nahct could lift his head, Chronosphere said so and disappeared somewhere.
Had he teleported away? By the time Nahct lifted his head, Chronosphere was nowhere to be found in the room.
The remaining Nahct――,
"...You old geezer...!! You did as you pleased, didn't you...!!"
With a resentful face, Nahct glared at the sofa where Chronosphere had been sitting, then quickly turned around and left the room.
To do what needs to be done.
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