"It must be Uruk."
Sighing, Ryuya confirmed his suspicions about the 'Age of Gods Legend' scenario. Considering the legends of Uruk and the records of Gilgamesh, the oldest king, he wondered which version he would encounter: The wise king? The young Gil? Or the hot-tempered one?
"Before thinking about that, I should figure out why I died."
Even in the early Age of Gods, Uruk wasn't a hell where infants died immediately upon birth. It was just that gods, Phantasmal Species, and mana had reached their peak. The place Ryuya was born was clearly abnormal, definitely not an ordinary location.
"The White Dragon King's Bloodline and Fairy of Avalon I chose aren't ordinary Phantasmal Species… they are among the most powerful. Even as an infant, they should provide some mana for self-protection. Dying instantly... Where was I born?"
Closing his eyes, Ryuya pondered his possible birthplaces, but after a long time, he dismissed all the ideas he came up with.
None matched the scene in his memory, that space where the sky and earth seemed merged, existing within a dream.
"System, begin the second simulation."
[Please select talents to carry.]
"I choose Sun-Crowned King, Rashomon, and The Eternal Nation."
In the Life Simulator, Noble Phantasms were also categorized as talents, so The Blade of Vowed Obsession and Rashomon each occupied a slot.
He specifically chose Rashomon, knowing it could generate its own world. If necessary, he could hide inside Rashomon first to see if he could survive.
[Simulation begins. Confirmed talents: Rashomon (S), Sun-Crowned King (S), The Eternal Nation (SS).]
[You are born.]
It was the same boundless world as before. This time, upon birth, Ryuya held a miniature gate in his hand… Rashomon.
Boom!
Understanding its master's will, the moment Ryuya was born, Rashomon instantly expanded to its full form.
Although Ryuya was just an infant and couldn't supply mana, Rashomon was an S-rank Noble Phantasm with its own consciousness and mana reserves. Protecting Ryuya wasn't an issue.
"I didn't die. Success."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ryuya found himself inside Rashomon, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The scenery, beautiful as a painting, was the world that once held countless Oni.
But after the Lord of the End's purge, not a single Oni remained. It had transformed back into a beautiful world.
Ryuya, still an infant, noticed rivers, vegetation, and more gradually appearing here.
Rashomon was actively absorbing mana from the outside, this unknown place, and growing independently.
[Under the protection of Rashomon, you survived.]
[You discovered the mana in this space was so dense it was almost tangible. You grew gradually here. After seven years, with the Sun-Crowned King's bloodline, you possessed some ability to protect yourself.]
[You decided to try and see the outside world.]
"Rashomon, open."
Inside Rashomon, the seven-year-old Ryuya, blessed by the legend of the Sun-Crowned King, had grown to resemble a teenager of fourteen or fifteen.
As Rashomon opened its gate to the outside, he saw a world of color.
"This mana density... You've got to be kidding me."
Having experienced the world at the end of the Age of Gods and witnessed the decline of mystery in the modern era, Ryuya felt the overwhelming mana surging towards him and realized for the first time how terrifying this world was.
"This mana intensity is second only to the Root itself. No wonder I died instantly upon birth. Surviving in this environment would be difficult for anyone."
Because he had used the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad to open a path to the Root, Ryuya had glimpsed that majestic endpoint.
Discovering that this world possessed intensity second only to the Root, he even suspected this might be the birthplace of the gods themselves.
But...
"It's too quiet. Are there no living beings here?"
[Looking at the utterly silent world, you found it saturated with mana. Mana almost violently flooded into your body. An ordinary person would likely explode instantly. If not for Rashomon's self-contained, sealable world, you probably couldn't have survived either.]
[Finding no signs of life, you drifted aimlessly while relying on Rashomon to grow. A year later, you saw a colossal figure.]
"You are..."
Gazing up at the majestic form, Ryuya saw a goddess of breathtaking beauty. Her silver hair shimmered like a sea of stars.
"Aaaaa..."
A tremor, like a soul's resonance, sounded. Crimson star-like eyes looked down upon Ryuya, seemingly surprised that such a 'tiny' little creature had appeared near her.
"You are... the Mother of Origins, Tiamat!"
'How majestic was her form!'
'How divine was her appearance!'
'How warm was her benevolent love!'
The moment he saw Tiamat, an extreme sense of security washed over him. Even more shocking than this intense feeling of belonging was the fact that the perpetually violent mana around him calmed down, as if blocked.
As his reason returned, he recognized the name of the being before him.
One of the Seven Evils of Humanity, the Beast (Beast II) holding the Logos of 'Regression'… the Mother of Origins, Tiamat!
"You are Tiamat. This place is... the Sea of Imaginary Numbers?"
Realizing where he was and understanding why the mana was so violent, Ryuya seemed to see it… the light and shadows beyond the faint, filmy barriers at the world's edge, which was an endless ocean.
In this space between sky and earth, countless bubbles floated faintly, some bright, some dark, wrapped in hazy, luminous mists and obscure, mysterious runes.
Infinite matter, boundless mana, a world with no end in sight converged here. Worlds being born and worlds being destroyed all appeared simultaneously.
'World Bubbles? World Walls?'
'So the place I was in is the legendary Sea of Imaginary Numbers?'
Just as Ryuya finally understood where he was, the Mother of Origins, Tiamat, made a sound again.
With a series of 'Aaaa' sounds, Rashomon trembled violently. Ryuya felt as if Rashomon's existence was being broken by something, followed by...