317 Player
Perhaps it was due to William’s placid tone, but the three goddesses didn’t respond to his query.
This was something that was straightforward to discern—to most Void Sovereigns, it was undoubtedly unforeseen that he, the Moon Realm Calamity, would return to this world 1,008 years later.
Hence, the Lady of Starvation’s approach to transforming her birth timeline into Currere’s true history wasn’t to make use of his conceivable Precept from the outset.
This could be substantiated by the information left behind by Sibylla and Nehe.
In that case, ensnaring him in this timeline wasn’t as much a component of Their plan from the outset. It was more akin to Them attempting to outmaneuver him out of helplessness. And now, Their machinations as if everything was within Their control were solely to augment the pressure on him.
Seasoned negotiators frequently presented an unacceptable price before commencing to lower the price.
As long as he comprehended this, William naturally regained the upper hand in this colloquy.
“Thus, quit your blustering. Disclose your true price,” William pressed again upon observing that the other party remained mute.
You took the risk of traversing to this timeline for the salvation of the 40 million Forest Elf souls, correct? If you’re amenable to exercising Precept and transmuting this timeline into true history, there’s no necessity for Camilla to activate the conversion ritual She devised. I’ll undo the dream bindings of those ancient souls and transport them to the new Ravenwood to initiate a new cycle of reincarnation.
After a moment of silence, Zamara’s voice reverberated in William’s mind.
As he had anticipated, moral coercion had commenced.
William thought.
Regarding the alleged ‘as long as you’re willing to assist us, we won’t exterminate the 40 million souls. Instead, we’ll permit them to persist as marionettes.’ How magnanimous was this concession…
William sneered and refrained from answering. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Them and persisted, “And?”
Just as he concluded speaking, a few recognizable figures gradually took shape from the nebula ahead of him. They stumbled out of the Moon Realm rift akin to marionettes being manipulated by puppet strings.
These individuals were Remides, Nizemar, Elise, and the rest… In other words, acquaintances of William who were or would be in Ravenwood.
Slaughtering all your subordinates is the simplest resolution. If you’re amenable, we can also transmit their souls to this timeline. Of course, since they’re not as unique as you, they can only be transformed into liches akin to Floral before being transported over.
Camilla’s voice reverberated in William’s mind.
No Void Sovereign possessed the authority to engender life in Currere. Even the Lady of Starvation could only produce a putrid vessel.
However, if they were transformed into liches whose souls and bodies could be separated, they could access this timeline through Soul Transmigration akin to Floral.
As to why Blake wasn’t among them, it was because Blake had already become a high-level entity in the Moon Realm. To a certain extent, he had partly exceeded the temporal limitations of Currere.
“Hence, you can magnanimously spare my companions in the other timeline as long as they cooperate?” William surveyed the marionettes with evident festering marks and queried leisurely.
Without awaiting the other party’s response, he continued, “In other words, the survival of the Forest Elf’s 40 million ancient souls and the lives of my friends in Ravenwood are at opposite ends of the scale?”
The apparitions of the three goddesses nodded and articulated, On the opposite end of the scale, just Ravenwood’s history and future will metamorphose into what it was meant to be. There is nothing amiss with this. After all, when Camilla became a Void Sovereign, the Lady of Starvation, Ravenwood ought to have transformed into a Kingdom of the Dead and ascended to the Moon Realm.
In other words, the three goddesses aspired to bargain for William’s pledge not to assault the new Kingdom of the Dead prior to the timeline being cemented.
“Just?” William narrowed his eyes and asked. “If that’s the case, what about the living Forest Elves now?”
Once this timeline became actuality, the millennia of Forest Elf history would transform into nothing but fleeting bubbles.
If this mattered to you, I can merely inform you that they’re akin to a future that you didn’t opt for in the past. They never existed. Or… do you aspire to shoulder the culpability of all those timelines being pruned owing to your will?
Beatrice’s words reverberated in William’s mind.
This was the final blow She had devised… to penetrate the Calamity’s psychological defenses.
The existence of Ravenwood’s 5,000-year timeline was an error. If it weren’t for Camilla’s aspiration, it would have vanished entirely the moment the Lady of Starvation was born.
What They were executing now was solely to bring about the calamity that should have transpired 5,000 years ago on this land once more.
The three goddesses proffered William with a choice—either allow the catastrophe to descend in an even more brutal manner, with 40 million ancient souls devoured by stunning flames simultaneously, transforming a timeline and the individuals William cherished into ashes that filled the sky.
Or, he could permit this calamity to descend noiselessly—in one night, Ravenwood would transform into an illusion that never existed, a recollection that only existed in the minds of William and the survivors he rescued.
Beatrice also informed William that if he opted for the second alternative, he needn’t be disheartened because they had never existed.
More significantly, if he yearned to be despondent about this, there were far too many things he needed to be sorrowful about.
After all, with his Precept, he had pruned uncountable timelines over a thousand years ago.
After Beatrice concluded speaking, William fell silent.
He lowered his head and scowled as if he was pondering something.
Over the Lake of Entropy on the opposite side of the Moon Realm rift, Beatrice turned to gaze at Camilla. Even though She didn’t exhibit any emotion, the latter could still perceive a sense of arrogance emanating from her.
“I’ve already stated that instead of incinerating those ancient souls to activate the ritual, it’s preferable to take a risk and devise a plan to utilize the Calamity to complete the anchoring of the timeline.”
The entire scheme was meticulously woven by Beatrice via manipulating the threads of conspiracy.
By guiding the Calamity and ensnaring him in this timeline, They could verify if the Eighth Holy Spirit’s Precept resided within him. On the other hand, They could decrease wastage of the contingency plans They had left in Currere to finalize the reversal of the timeline. Simultaneously, They could exploit this opportunity to significantly weaken the Calamity’s allies in Currere and dampen His spiritual drive, establishing an advantage for the ensuing competition for Currere.
Beatrice was a master at controlling mortal minds. She comprehended that this man—who was known as the Moon Realm Calamity—still possessed many weaknesses unique to mortals.
So what if he had Precept? So what if he was indomitable in Currere?
Provided that one lacked a broad outlook and an immortal physique like Her, regardless of how powerful they were, they were only pawns beneath Her control.
For the sake of his deceased companions, he was even willing to relinquish the chance to become an undying entity. How could he possess the determination to shoulder the consequences of the Precept authority of determining timelines?
He was only mortal.
“I’ll shoulder it,” declared William abruptly, lifting his head to confront the three goddesses beyond the Moon Realm rift. He spoke resolutely, “I’ve made innumerable choices to arrive in this world. No matter if the possibilities that were pruned because of my personal decisions will be better or worse in actuality, I’ll bear the repercussions of their ultimate disappearance. This is because the current world is the most flawless conclusion I could have attained back then.”
As he spoke, lightning runes illuminated around his body.
“Hence, I’ll always carry the weight and be accountable for all my choices in the future.”
The lightning runes transformed into a chained door.
He intended to seal off this Moon Realm rift!
“Wait… Wait! What about your subordinates on the other side? And the 40 million ancient souls? Are you going to abandon them to their deaths?”
As lightning crackled, William answered Zamara’s inquiry with a somber expression, “I didn’t abandon any of them. You didn’t offer them a way out. As I can’t halt your actions, the sole thing I can do is avenge all of them… Starting with the utter annihilation of this country that Camilla has been ruling for 5,000 years and that hideous incarnation. I’ll exterminate so-called immortal entities like you. None of you shall evade.”
Camilla glared at Beatrice and spoke to William with eagerness, “You…”
“To be frank, I loathe multiple-choice questions. I was compelled to make numerous choices in the past. In this dreadful era, I once naively believed that I could at least not be coerced into making those multiple-choice questions anymore, but things didn’t proceed as planned…”
William didn’t grant the other party an opportunity to finish Her sentence. He continued icily,
“Fortunately, unlike over a thousand years ago, I possess an additional choice this time…”
Tearing apart the script.
“Do you truly plan on shouldering the responsibility of all the timelines being pruned?”
Beatrice queried incredulously. This was entirely different from what She had anticipated.
William gazed at Her and enunciated each word, “I’ve already borne the burden you mentioned.”
“What… are you?” Beatrice muttered gravely and in bewilderment.
Before the door comprised of pure lightning sealed the Moon Realm rift entirely, William replied, “I’m Player. I shape the current state of the world.”
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