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Silver radiance streamed from the Cocoon of Finality, enveloping the entire starlit sky as if some mysterious force were influencing the region.
Confronted with this dramatic change, Kiana couldn't help but furrow her brow, feeling as though facing an immense threat.
As the Herrscher of Finality, her power originated from the Cocoon of Finality. She could sense that significant alterations were occurring within it. Although these changes didn't directly affect her Authority, something far more terrifying than mere disruption must be taking place inside.
"Kiana..."
Raiden Mei and Bronya stepped forward, their gazes filled with concern for Kiana. However, she merely shook her head without saying anything.
There was nothing she could do; despite being a Herrscher—specifically, the Herrscher of Finality—she wasn't receiving any more information than they were.
"This must be the final trial Ana-sensei mentioned."
"And the answer to everything," Bronya chimed in.
"Yes." Raiden Mei nodded.
"Don't worry; Ana-sensei should be fine. What's crucial now is facing the entity ahead of us."
"Agreed."
Kiana nodded, then, seemingly to lighten the mood—or perhaps just out of her natural optimism—added, "No problem! As long as we're together, with Mei by my side, I feel like I can take on a hundred enemies!"
"You always say that..." Hearing these familiar words, Raiden Mei chuckled helplessly. Still, they did bring her some comfort and stirred memories from their past.
The silver glow persisted without dissipating, but inexplicable changes were occurring within the starlit sky above. The Main trio observed it, unsure of what to make of the situation.
On Earth, at Schicksal Headquarters.
Members of both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had gathered once again, much like before. This time, even Drs. Tesla and Einstein wore grave expressions on their faces—clearly, they too were uncertain about the nature of this entity.
"The unification of virtual and real numbers, the fusion of past, future, and present—a being beyond our comprehension."
A voice suddenly echoed through the room. Following its source revealed a translucent figure: it was Dr. Schrödinger.
Schrödinger was an old friend of Einstein and Tesla, one of the founders of Schicksal. During her time as Joyce, she accomplished many feats before ultimately quantumizing herself and becoming Durandal's ally via a world bubble.
Since then, she has been discreetly lending assistance from the shadows. While not her first appearance since then, this marked the first time she revealed herself to everyone present.
Naturally, no one was surprised by her emergence. With a brief explanation, they understood the situation. Given these extraordinary circumstances, even encountering an unfamiliar face warranted trust. When humanity itself is at stake, there's nothing worth holding back or hesitating over. In this way, they began to grasp the challenges faced by the Heroic Spirits of the previous civilization.
"Unification of quantum and virtual states?"
Several individuals turned their gaze towards Seele. Among them, only she possessed quantum attributes. Of course, there was also Schrödinger, but he couldn't achieve such unification.
For Schrödinger, merely existing here in his current form was already at its limit.
"Past, present, future... This seems reminiscent of Eastern philosophies."
"So you're suggesting it's a divine being? Are you kidding me!"
Tesla grasped what Einstein implied and responded irritably, "A divine being? Does this world actually have gods? And how could a god manifest like this?"
It defied all scientific principles!
"Hmph, even if it's a divine being, fundamentally, it should still adhere to the laws of science. Let's see what the Hyperion can do..."
Moments later, Tesla's eyes lit up with determination.
"Dr. Tesla, I think you need to brush up on your philosophy," Dr. Einstein said, exasperatedly shaking her head. In reality, studying philosophical masterpieces was mandatory for them, but how did that relate to the situation at hand?
Dr. Tesla found herself momentarily perplexed.
"In any case, with your capabilities alone, you cannot affect her existence."
"...," Tesla hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. She couldn't have imagined such a situation; could that existence truly be this terrifying?
Wait, they haven't actually witnessed its true form yet. In other words, everything here might just be conjecture or illusions.
In essence, Tesla's current thoughts were a form of denial.
However, given the circumstances now, denial was utterly meaningless, akin to burying one's head in the sand.
Just as Dr. Tesla struggled to accept the reality, another transformation occurred amidst the original radiant light, with signs of distortion and absorption emerging.
The divine presence was truly descending in every sense!
Within the previously unyielding glow, there was a flicker, and the light began converging towards a single point. Gradually, within what had been imperceptible before, a figure started taking shape. The silhouette appeared hazy and indistinct but undeniably present.
This state persisted for approximately several minutes. Finally, the all-encompassing light began to dissipate, while the faintly discernible figure grew increasingly clearer.
In what seemed like an instant, as if overcoming cognitive barriers and reshuffling perceptions, without anyone realizing it, She truly descended.
From afar, it appeared to be a human figure, but upon closer inspection, one's understanding shattered, making it seem almost unreal—as if nothing existed at all.
Yet, She undeniably was there.
The figure of a person, with long silver hair radiating an enigmatic glow, her eyes shimmering mysteriously. Gazing into them felt akin to confronting a divine being from myth.
At first glance, Her countenance embodied pure rationality; upon further scrutiny, it revealed sheer beauty. Yet, attempting to describe it proved impossible.
Confronted by Her presence, no one could muster any desire to resist, as if She represented both the culmination and origin of everything.
Everything else in existence seemed utterly meaningless compared to Her.
Like a Lovecraftian deity, despite eliciting positive awe, She influenced everything around through a meme-like infection.
"Who... exactly is she..."
Gazing upon Its figure, Kiana's initial confidence instantly wavered. In her understanding, the disparity between herself and this entity was immense; they existed on entirely different levels.
Yet, she had already become the Herrscher of Finality, standing at the forefront of all existence.
Naturally, Bronya and Raiden Mei experienced the same reaction.
Amidst the starlit sky, It emerged from an endless radiance, its gaze indifferently sweeping over everything in the world. With omniscience, no secret could remain hidden. In that instant, It seemed to perceive the future of this cosmos.
Everything was predetermined; the future cannot be altered.
Even if one claims to transcend fate or change destiny, how can you be certain it isn't all under the control of that unseen hand? Perhaps even Its birth itself was an inevitable destiny?
"Thus, I am destined for this trial!"
As this thought took shape within Its consciousness, It stepped forward, directing Its gaze towards the Main trio before It.
Undeniably, everything present was left behind by Its past self. While It could have chosen to ignore these remnants, they inherently formed part of Its own journey.
In any case, faced with this situation, It knew action was necessary.
"As you wish, my past self."
Whispering these words, light once again emanated from Its being. Within its radiance, Its original form gradually vanished, and moments later, a brand-new entity emerged amidst the starlit sky.
Its appearance closely resembled Savior Kevin but exuded even greater power and transcendence.
Had It ultimately taken that decisive step, this would have been Its manifestation as a philosophical concept within the universe. Alas, It had not yet reached that point.
"Come forth, newborn Herrschers! I am the Lord of Finality, standing on the threshold of transcendence, here to deliver the final trial!"
"The future is already set; civilizations will inevitably fade away. As part of this process, what answers can you provide?"
As they listened to Its words, the Main trio gained a sudden understanding. Despite the somewhat peculiar phrasing, they comprehended the intentions of this existence.
To engage in battle and offer their own responses.
"Is this the test Ana-sensei spoke about?"
"It certainly seems daunting."
"But so what? We've surpassed Finality and defeated Kevin; there's no way we'll stop here!" Kiana declared, rallying herself and her companions.
Without hesitation, Kiana took the lead, charging directly towards Him...
Kiana and her companions couldn't quite grasp how long this battle had lasted. As they fully engaged with Him, their sense of time became increasingly blurred.
He didn't even need to strike; waiting was sufficient. The Main trio' attacks, fundamentally, could not inflict effective harm upon Him due to an insurmountable disparity in power—an absolute gap that no effort could bridge.
Fortunately, He lacked any desire to attack. In essence, as the Divine Self, Ana represented a progression from the Superior Self Ana. Regardless, her stance towards this world and the Main trio mirrored Ana's own sentiments closely.
Otherwise, with merely a glance, all hope for the Main trio would vanish instantly.
Time seemed to lose its meaning until finally, His figure disappeared. However, it was clear that this dissolution wasn't due to defeat but rather the end of the allotted time.
Staring at the spot where He vanished, the Main trio felt somewhat disoriented. Their awareness of time resurfaced, and amidst their daze, they realized that only a fleeting moment had passed in reality.
In just an instant, they had completed an arduous and epoch-defining battle, leaving them feeling somewhat disoriented.
It was as if what they experienced wasn't a thrilling combat but rather a vivid dream.
However, with His disappearance, a pure white Heavenly Road emerged amidst the clouds, clearly leading to the ultimate conclusion.
The Main trio exchanged glances before stepping onto this path together.
They needed to uncover the truth, no matter the cost, and finding Ana-sensei was paramount.
Hand in hand, they walked along the Heavenly Road. At its end, a figure awaited their arrival.
As they approached, the silhouette turned around.
Without a doubt, it was Ana herself.
Dressed in her familiar attire from her days as a teacher at Saint Freya Academy, she wore the same gentle smile. As they drew closer, the surroundings transformed, mirroring the appearance of Saint Freya Academy.
"Hello, my students! Welcome to the end of all journeys. As your teacher, I shall guide you through this labyrinth."
With a light laugh, Ana waved her hand, and a table appeared before her. The surroundings transformed accordingly, resembling the Principal's office at Saint Freya Academy.
"Please, have a seat!" Ana gestured casually, though her expression betrayed a hint of weariness beneath her relaxed demeanor.
To explain, the Divine Self version of Ana was not something she could fully comprehend or control. It seemed evident that this Divine Self had indeed reached the domain the creator of Cocoon of Finality intended to explore.
Now, just one step away from completion, He needed only a single answer.
An Aeon is a sentient being who has relentlessly pursued their path to its ultimate conclusion, ultimately providing their own answer. Although somewhat unconventional, Divine Self Ana was indeed close to achieving this, requiring merely that elusive answer.
However, finding this answer proved no easy task.
It wasn't so much about difficulty in discovering the answer, but rather the challenge lay in choosing the right one. The universe operates under principles of equilibrium, and any deviation from neutrality necessitates careful consideration of His stance.
The Divine Self could potentially suppress and eliminate this emerging consciousness, and such actions were not unprecedented for them.
Although Ana knew she would inevitably return regardless, disappearing for tens of thousands of years due to a disagreement on her path would indeed be frustrating.
Hence, rather than hastily providing an answer, it was better to withhold it temporarily, maintaining ambiguity.
In reality, that's exactly what Ana chose to do. As for its effectiveness... well, only time would tell. For now, at least, she had not yet faced interference from other beings.
Due to this situation, Ana needn't immediately worry about her existence. However, even if she did provide an answer, the most likely outcome would be becoming akin to Su—an observer beyond the world.
If that happened, engaging meaningfully with individuals in the Real Number World would become exceedingly difficult. She could only manifest as a divine presence but wouldn't have the same level of direct interaction.
Overall, Ana is quite content with her current state and its outcomes. It is precisely because of these circumstances that she has the opportunity to complete her previous script—explaining everything that transpired to the Main trio and everyone involved.