Published at 22nd of January 2024 12:07 pm

Chapter 331: Fragment: Fragments of Memories Part Two

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Originally, there was no power in this world that could directly affect “It.” Even if the host were to die, “It” would simply drift away before the soul disappeared, floating to another place.

However, an exception occurred now. If “It” was forcibly pushed out, it couldn’t be just a natural phenomenon. It meant that a power affecting the outer world had been applied… But that didn’t mean “It” was flustered or troubled. That’s because it didn’t possess such emotions.

(This is──)

Despite that, the scenery “It” saw when it jumped out not just from the old man but from the world left me exclaiming in astonishment.

(The world is overlapping… increasing…!?)

The world, which was a perfect sphere, was now overlapping in twos. The form of two spheres overlapping as if swallowing each other looked like the first step of all life… like the beginning of cell division.

(…? What is a cell? No, more importantly, what is this…?)

Ignoring the words that popped into my head yet had no meaning to me, my eyes were glued to the scene before me. The two spheres were vibrating violently, gradually separating, and appeared to be becoming independent entities… but their overlap stopped moving halfway.

(Why did it stop? …No, wrong. Was it stopped? Can it not move anymore?)

Around the two spheres, at first glance, it seemed like endless darkness stretched out. But “It-Me” knew that it was not space but a wall.

Yes, this was a closed box. Time and space, everything had limits here. There was no way two could fit in a place that only had the capacity for one sphere.

(Ha, this is troublesome.)

But before that sight, I was simply staring blankly. “It” had no thinking ability or emotions. It can imitate thinking and feeling like a person when attached to someone’s soul, but now it was just “It,” so it did nothing and couldn’t do anything.

Inevitably, I also became like that. The world I should be in was in serious trouble, but there was no sense of crisis. Everything was someone else’s problem, and without directions from the outside, I had no doubt that I would simply drift here until my existence disappeared.

But the current me is “It,” and “It” has my will. Not completely void, it at least has some opinions.

(Is this box going to break? I feel like something should be done… Huh?)

And, at that moment, the lid of the box opened just a little, and I felt the presence of something huge and powerful watching. For a brief moment, a giant eye moved, its obsidian pupil enveloped in golden light, and the next instant new knowledge poured into “It.”

Apparently, the sealed thing in this world had messed up. As a result of a behavior that exceeded even the assumptions of “It,” the entity of omniscience and omnipotence, the world had increased.

—It must be destroyed.

If the increased part isn’t reduced, the box will eventually break. For “this world,” it might become gospel, leading to an infinitely branching, eternal future, but for “It,” it would lead to the worst failure. Therefore, it must be prevented. Because I am “It.”

—It must be destroyed.

After all, if something has happened once, it can happen again. What if the world keeps increasing? One becomes two, two becomes four. A world that has limited time but infinitely overlapping branches and possibilities… what if it keeps growing?

—It must be destroyed.

In the center of it is “That.” An entity capable of ending things and thus having the choice to end “It,” an entity that “It” cannot end. What if such a “That” proliferates this closed world to become itself? Wouldn’t “That” match “It” in terms of total power?

“…It must be destroyed.”

Inside “It-Me,” for the first time, a clear will was born, not something that merely mimicked others. My gaze wandered in the air, discerning the target to exert its power on.

The top priority to destroy is the “Eternal White” at the center of the world. But that was something created by pouring all the power that “It”‘s main body could hold, so the peripheral me can’t destroy it… I can’t destroy it, right?

“…Is that really so?”

In my hand, a sword was grasped before I knew it. When I brandished the blade that housed a glow akin to dawn, I felt like I could even end the “Eternal White.”

Therefore, I directed my consciousness. One was freshly created and barely had any connections with the surrounding world, but the other was connected to a hundred surrounding worlds by dense lines, especially the fifteen lines that seemed to have been recently created, shined brightly.

“If I have to destroy something, it’s this one.”

The older one had become rather lax in various ways. The stopper, opened and closed countless times, was no longer fulfilling its role of containing what was inside, and the power was leaking profusely. Even if something like this hadn’t happened, it felt like the stopper would eventually break and all the power would have been consolidated into the “Eternal White.”

“Hmm. Then… there!”

When I lightly swung my sword, a black line ran through the “Eternal White.” Just that, and a supposedly solid world vanished, its contents crumbling and disappearing into the void. Specifically, things like a fancy bed and a magical furnace.

“Ahh, those were expensive…”

At that scene, I couldn’t help but wryly smile. Indeed, it ended in an instant, but shouldn’t I have salvaged things that could still be used? That’s right, salvaging is important. Even the divided power of the Demon King… Hmm?

“…What was it? Well, it doesn’t matter. Next is this one.”

A thought I didn’t understand crossed my mind, but if it’s something I don’t understand, it’s fine to ignore it. I directed my consciousness to the remaining “Eternal White” and took up my spear again.

“Let’s see, I also need to adjust this one properly, right?”

I smoothly moved the tip of the spear, drawing a line from the world where “That” was to the new “Eternal White.” Yep, this should connect them properly. If I don’t do this, I won’t know where “That” will flow.

“Now then, the only thing left is to dispose of the increased worlds. Such a hassle.”

There are two hundred worlds, so I have to destroy a hundred of them. The box is creaking dangerously, so I need to dispose of them as soon as possible before the box breaks.

“…But which is which?”

About half of the worlds were neatly divided, but the remaining half were complicated and crowded, making it extremely difficult to discern which world is which. I need to check them one by one.

“Ugh, I guess I have to confirm them one by one.”

I’m not motivated, but I sighed and pumped myself up anyway. I could see others like me entering the worlds one after the other. It would be tempting to slack off just this once, but that would be like throwing away my reason for existing, akin to a roundabout form of suicide.

“Well then, the first world is… that one looks good. Wha!?”

I chose a nearby world as my target and tried to flap my wings to move there… but I stumbled. When I turned to look behind me, I had only one wing on my back for some reason.

“Why do I only have one wing? Damn, this makes flying a hassle…”

Straying here and there, I still managed to enter the world I was aiming for. First, for good measure, I was about to thrust my spear into a large casino in front of me—

“What the!? What is this!?”

Suddenly, something black and sticky enveloped me. No matter how much I struggled, it clung to me, and I was completely caught. Despite my desperate resistance, my strength was gradually drained, and I became immobile.

“St-stop it!? It stinks! It’s dirty! It’s disgusting!”

In the end, with a pathetic voice, I was sunk deeper and deeper into the belly of some weird man.

(T/N: Merry Christmas Folks)

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