The Iron Tomb, symbolizing "Hate," was dead, yet this cube, representing "Pity," was unharmed.
Of course, perhaps not entirely unharmed.
Leon raised his bow, aiming it at the sky.
It was just clinging to a final breath, waiting for him to send it on its way.
At least, that was the emotion his intuition picked up.
He didn't know where this feeling came from, but...
An arrow shot from the bowstring, shattering the cube in the center of the birdcage!
Since she wanted it, Leon didn't mind helping her out.
The cube cracked on impact, and the "Memory" contained within instantly spread out!
Deneb's "Memory" filled the space.
The scene before him suddenly changed, the ruins transforming into a sea of fire from The Destruction.
Directly ahead, he saw a familiar figure.
Deneb, or rather, Cyrene.
The pink-haired girl stood in the sea of fire, her gaze upon him filled with sorrow.
She was clearly smiling, yet her tears were so tragic.
Deneb looked at him, her lips parting, her mouth opening, as if silently saying something.
"We promised. In the future, you have to come save Amphoreus, and save me."
Leon read the same promise in her words as when they first met.
He knew she wasn't talking about here.
In this timeline.
Herta will be successfully crowned, and the anchored moment will be rewritten.
The galaxy will avoid a great divine war, but the fate of Amphoreus being devoured by the Iron Tomb cannot be changed.
Only by completing the past can the future be perfected.
Deneb sensed the corresponding "Causality" in him, so she sent out an emotion asking for his help, using the instantaneous burst of "Memory."
Before fading away, she saw him one last time.
Can you go save the Amphoreus that has not yet been used as nourishment by the Iron Tomb, and save everyone who can walk towards tomorrow from under the shadow of The Destruction?
On the scorched earth, Leon made a promise to her, and to himself.
"I will rewrite the story's ending."
Deneb kept smiling.
The words "I'll wait for you" softly escaped her lips, her eyes filled with hope as she looked at him before dissipating.
It was all over.
The moment Leon killed the Iron Tomb, Herta had also used the scepter to connect with Nous.
She became a "Perfect Scholar" for a moment.
Logging into the administrator account, the entire Path of The Erudition became hers to command in that instant.
With such Aeon-like power, she finally succeeded in rewriting the fourth moment.
But when she finished everything and went looking for Leon.
She couldn't find the person she wanted to see, even after turning all of Amphoreus upside down.
There was no trace of him.
In this situation, Herta could only assume the worst.
—He had died in the confrontation with the Iron Tomb!
But in reality, after ensuring the story of Rubert III was rewritten without a doubt,
Leon simply ended his brief journey against time on the Path of Terminus.
He returned to his original timeline.
On planet Adlivun, before the statue of Akivili.
Leon stood motionless, his position completely unchanged.
As if he had never been anywhere else.
"Where did you go?"
Elio was also still in his original position, standing on the broken part of Akivili's statue.
The flow of time in the two timelines was different.
From the moment he unfolded Terminus for Leon, to Leon's journey to that future, and his return now.
Only a minute had passed in total.
Terminus, it's amazing, isn't it?
"See? Impatient again."
Leon came back to his senses and looked at him. "Weren't you the one who showed it to me? Asking the obvious."
"Don't make rash judgments in the future, you understand?"
Actions speak louder than words.
Through this display of traveling against time, Leon hoped Elio would understand.
He never makes empty boasts.
Just because others can't do something doesn't mean he can't either.
No one will die, and there will be no regrets.
Because he will crush the Iron Tomb, and he will rewrite the story.
An unbeatable enemy does not exist.
What's all this gibberish? They can tell it to his stats!
Hearing this, Elio's face was grim.
He said nothing, because he had discovered something unbelievable.
The timeline related to Herta, the one on the Path of Terminus, had completely vanished.
He couldn't observe a single shred of a future related to it.
This was utterly baffling.
Others might not know what this meant, but how could he not?
It meant that the timeline had been completely rewritten. No factor would ever lead Herta to that ending again.
But how was that possible?
This was something that hadn't happened yet, something in the future.
To put it simply, it didn't exist in the present. So how can you change something that doesn't exist?
An ordinary person can't change it, you know? They don't have that ability.
To be able to do something like this defies all common sense.
But Leon was clearly far from human and close to a god, not within the realm of the ordinary.
It was absurd, but as absurd as it was, he had to believe it now.
After all, that timeline had completely disappeared.
Coupled with Leon's strange disappearance right after his bold proclamation, what else could it be but him traveling to the future and changing it to sever that ending completely?
"You... became an Emanator of Terminus?"
He hadn't noticed before, but Elio now belatedly realized that Leon's fate had changed yet again.
If his fate was previously completely concealed under the veil of The Hunt...
...then now, an extra layer of chaos was added on top.
A chaos just like his own.
Elio had already told Leon the reason for the chaos in his own fate.
Because the walkers of Terminus observe all timelines.
They accumulate an immense amount of "Causality." How could it not be chaotic?
But Leon, a follower of The Hunt, valued precision above all else. How could his fate be chaotic?
Elio had never sensed this kind of chaos from him before.
Clearly, this chaos was only added after he returned from the future timeline.
In other words, during that process, he had stepped onto the Path of Terminus.
And he had walked very far down it, to the point where he could rival Elio himself.
Elio wasn't actually surprised by this outcome; in fact, he had anticipated it.
Traveling against time is the prerogative of Terminus the Aeon.
If Leon really did what he claimed, then in a sense...
...he had become an existence on par with Terminus the Aeon.
Perhaps it was the feat of traveling to the past to change the future that allowed him to leave his own brilliant mark on the Path of Terminus all at once.
"I don't know."
When Leon reached out to punch the blessing of Terminus, he was acting purely on instinct.
He never really looked into the specifics of what was happening.
He just thought, 'Something is coming, and this should work,' before carrying out the subsequent series of actions.
"Alright."
Elio had a lot he wanted to say, but it was all shut down by that single "I don't know."
Sigh, this is what a natural talent who can do anything he thinks of is like. I'm speechless.
"Although I already considered you the most important variable, I have to admit, I still underestimated your abilities in the end."
Elio sighed.
"You have already proven to me that the 'end' can be dissipated. I won't try to persuade you anymore."
Since Leon could change the first timeline, he could definitely change the second.
Without a doubt, there was no longer any need for persuasion.
If he wants to fight the Iron Tomb, let him. He has more than enough power to back up his confidence.
Scripts, the Astral Express, none of it is needed. Leon has proven with his own strength that he has the right to decide the fate of eons.
To take on the whole world by himself!
Elio had nothing left to say. You win, you stat monster.
"Can you see the 'future'?"
Elio asked.
The two of them should be on the same level now, which means the things he could see...
Leon should be able to see them too.
Although he couldn't see Leon's fate, Leon himself should be able to see it, right?
Elio was actually quite curious about what the future, with his own involvement, looked like in Leon's eyes.
"I can't," Leon said truthfully.
Stepping onto the Path of Terminus didn't really change anything for him, it just gave him another pool of Imaginary energy to draw from.
"?"
Elio tilted his head, confused. "You can't see it?"
A "Path" is like a profession.
And each Path has its own unique professional skills, as well as advantages and disadvantages.
The unique skill of Terminus is foresight.
By knowing in advance what will happen next, one can change the future.
To avert the final end.
"How is that possible? Why don't you try using that infallible 'I reckon' of yours and see?"
How could Leon not be able to see it? He's an Emanator of Terminus!
Not being able to see would be a major flaw.
"I don't feel it's necessary."
Leon didn't think he needed foresight.
"I'm too lazy to look. My future doesn't need to be decided by someone else's perspective. Whatever I encounter is what I'm meant to encounter. There's no need to avoid it."
"Sigh, alright then."
Elio himself really wanted to figure out what was up with his version of Terminus.
But if Leon was unwilling, there was nothing he could do.
He loved cats, but hissing at this one might get him loved to death by a bowstring used as a data cable.
Elio chose to be respectful.
"Weren't you looking for the Astral Express?"
Before leaving, Elio prepared to give a little something as a farewell gift to increase his affinity, hoping to unlock a special cutscene with him and the Stellaron Hunters.
"If you're in a hurry, there is a remnant of a train car beneath this statue of Akivili. If you're not, a new navigator will appear soon."
After speaking, Elio vanished without a trace.
"Consider this information a small gift for the disturbance I've caused."
The black cat that had been standing on the statue was now nowhere to be found.
"A magnificent cat, truly one of a kind."
That was Leon's assessment.
Elio was indeed a magnificent cat.
Everything he did was to avert the final end. Coming to talk him down was just his way of hoping Leon would survive.
Asking him to abandon the perfect ending with the Astral Express to pursue an unknown route...
...was indeed unlikely.
Leon could understand, and of course, he held no grudge against him.
"Where did you go?" March 7th asked.
Although it had only been a minute.
She could clearly sense the weight of Leon's memories had increased by more than a single level in that instant.
And...
[You met an 'Immaculatus'?]
He smelled of another woman, and one of her own kind at that.
Evernight keenly noticed this.
Being asked by both at the same time, Leon didn't know who to answer first.
"What the heck is an Immaculatus?"
Fortunately, Leon had a strength-based bias, and he made his choice in no time.
No need to hesitate at all.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
March 7th was confused.
"I'm talking to your camera."
Leon wasn't afraid to say it outright.
"Hmm... Why won't she talk to me?"
Hearing this, March 7th immediately took the camera from her waist.
"Miss Camera Person, how come you only talk to Leon and not me? Is it because I'm usually too rough with you?"
Ever since she found out there was a person in her camera, March 7th had often tried talking to her in her spare time.
But she never got a single response.
If Leon hadn't brought it up again just now, she would have thought he was just teasing her.
[...Look what you've done.]
Evernight said to him, sounding rather troubled.
It was actually better for March 7th not to know about her existence, but Leon just had to drag her into the spotlight, putting her in a difficult position.
Not that she blamed him.
It was just that her existence was rather sensitive, and it really wasn't convenient for her to reveal herself.
If nothing else, if that group from the Garden of Recollection found out about another 'Immaculatus'...
...they would definitely come looking for trouble.
And March 7th's enemies weren't limited to the Garden of Recollection. If she could pretend not to exist, it would save a lot of effort.
"So what should we do?"
Leon wouldn't accept any baseless slander.
"If you're worried your existence will bring trouble, then let them come. Whatever it is, I'll take it on for you."
He had said it before: he wouldn't let anyone connected to him die.
That applied to both March 7th and Evernight.
[Well, thank you very much.]
Although Evernight's tone was sarcastic, like 'well, I guess I should thank you,' she felt a sense of relief hearing his words.
She had witnessed his power firsthand.
With him protecting March 7th, she believed that no matter how big the trouble, nothing bad would happen.
The wheelchair of stats is truly reassuring.
"Do you not like me?"
Seeing that Leon could communicate with her effortlessly while she couldn't get a single response, March 7th asked sadly.
Come to think of it, Leon was the one who bought this camera.
The camera would be bound to its owner and should only speak to its owner.
Thinking about it that way, it made sense that it only talked to the original owner and not her.
After all, she was the newcomer. It was normal to be unwelcome.
[I don't!]
Hearing the words "don't like," Evernight immediately retorted.
Leon's assessment: she's hissing like a hardcore fan.
[It's not that I'm ignoring you, it's just that I'm not ready to face you yet.]
Evernight sounded a bit hesitant, which was a rare occurrence.
"Why do you need to prepare?"
March 7th leaned closer, undeterred.
"From the day I got you, weren't we already friends?"
"You even helped me when I was practicing with my sword. I never got a chance to thank you properly."
In March 7th's eyes, they had traveled together all this way, witnessing the same sights, and had long since formed an inseparable bond.
"Talk to me more in the future, okay? I believe that, barring any accidents..."
"...we'll keep walking on and on, taking lots and lots of pictures. I'm counting on you to witness both my future and my past!"
March 7th held up the camera, speaking to the Miss Camera Person inside.
If Leon was her first anchor, then the camera and photography were her second.
[...Okay.]
Her tone was so hopeful, Evernight couldn't refuse.
"So what did you mean by 'Immaculatus'?"
Seeing their chat was over, Leon brought the topic back on track.
[You can think of it as another name for an Emanator of Remembrance.]
"I can work with that."
"Divine Foreshadower, Lord Ravager, Immaculatus... it's the mandatory four-character title, isn't it."
Leon made a random connection.
[The others are just titles. For Remembrance, it's because this Path truly has a unique characteristic.]
"How so?" Leon asked.
['Immaculatus'.]
[Also known as a 'Candidate for Fuli.' As the name implies, it's someone who can one day take over the position of the Aeon of Remembrance and become Fuli.]
Evernight told him the truth.
"What do you mean? Hasn't Fuli always been around?"
Leon asked, confused.
[No, Fuli has never been born. Only when the entire galaxy is filled with 'Memory' can Fuli emerge.]
Evernight unveiled this common misconception.
"Then who was the 'Fuli' I met before?"
Leon thought of the Aeon of Remembrance from not long ago; he was the one who entrusted March 7th to him.
[That was me.]
Evernight's words made Leon slowly form a large question mark over his head.
"What do you mean?"
[It really was me.]
Evernight was not surprised by his reaction.
[I told you just now.]
[Every 'Immaculatus' has the potential to become Fuli. The 'Fuli' you met was me, but also not me.]
[Strictly speaking, the 'Fuli' you saw was an illusion created by the former March 7th. I was merely a part of its composition.]
Evernight resolved his confusion.
"Wow, Fuli faked their death."
Leon never expected that the Aeon of Remembrance he had met was actually the former March 7th.
Did she see his great potential and entrust herself to him?
Nice, she has good taste.
It's just that Leon had previously talked about making Fuli drop some loot. With Evernight's revelation, it now sounded like he was planning to farm March 7th for loot.
That was a bit awkward.
"Then what did you mean by becoming an enemy of 'Fuli'?"
Leon recalled the answer Evernight gave not long ago when he asked what would happen if March 7th regained all her memories.
[Exactly what it sounds like.]
[There isn't just one 'Immaculatus.' Too many people want the throne of Fuli, and for them, the fewer competitors, the better.]
Evernight stated that she was speaking plainly, not in riddles.
[And once March regains her memories, it means she must re-enter the battle royale for the position of Fuli.]
Evernight provided the annotation for 'becoming an enemy of Fuli'.
To this, Leon had only one thought.
He was just talking about taking on Fuli, and now it's like, what's the point?
Turns out it's one of his own people.
The relationship between an Aeon and an Emanator being one and the same body is incredibly rare.
Among the eighteen Paths...
...perhaps only the Path of Remembrance, due to its unique nature, has such a blatant promotion channel to Aeonhood.
Ascending to Aeonhood on the other seventeen Paths is not so simple; there's basically no channel at all.
Well, it's not that there are absolutely none.
You could either try the corrosion method like the Iron Tomb, or you could gain the favor of an Aeon, like him.
But both of these methods only allow one to become a temporary Aeon, a far cry from the complete succession of Remembrance.
Although the succession of Remembrance has many restrictions.
Besides ensuring 'Memory' fills the galaxy, you also have to be the winner of a winner-takes-all elimination process.
But no matter what, it's a genuine path.
According to Evernight...
...March 7th is also an Immaculatus. As soon as she regains her memories, she'll be dragged into the vortex surrounding Fuli. No wonder she's so resistant to getting her memories back.
The position of an Aeon.
It's no exaggeration to say it's enough to drive any Emanator mad.
Such immense stakes would naturally bring a lot of trouble for March 7th.
"I don't know if the person I met was an Immaculatus."
The person Evernight was talking about was undoubtedly Cyrene.
"But if you say so, then she probably is. You know more about this than I do."
During their farewell just now, Leon did feel a momentary, powerful surge of 'Memory' from her.
[Does she have pink hair?]Evernight asked.
[Then that's her.]
"?"
[You must remember one eternal truth—girls with pink hair are never simple.]
"Then I guess I'm really fated to cross paths with Fuli, huh."
Leon felt that was a rather arbitrary way to identify them.
"Then was the Emanator of Remembrance I killed before also an Immaculatus?"
He thought of the Emanator who was cosplaying as Fuli before.
Forgot her name, she was too much of a nobody, but he was pretty sure she didn't have pink hair.
[She was.]
Evernight did not deny it.
"Then it seems the stats of pink-haired Immaculatus are generally higher than the others."
He had met three Immaculatus.
Cyrene, Evernight, and that random one.
The first two could make his brows twitch in response, but the third was a pure nobody.
From this, you could see the value of pink hair. The difference in quality was obvious.
[How do you plan to handle this 'Immaculatus'?]
Evernight asked pointedly.
"I don't know. We'll see after I rescue her."
As he spoke, Leon shifted his gaze to the statue of Akivili in front of him.
"If she has nowhere to go, I might bring her aboard the train."
According to Gallagher, as long as the train exists, the conductor will appear on their own.
He wasn't going to wait.
Since there was a ready-made one right here, he would use it. Having a vehicle would be nice.
Besides, he was a Trailblazer too, after all.
Stellarons, these mysterious things were not only the reason the train was stranded, but he now knew they were a much bigger problem than they appeared.
As a Galaxy Ranger and a Nameless, he had no reason to ignore it.
Anyway, where there are Stellarons, there's bound to be oppression from The Destruction.
Ultimately, the duties of a Galaxy Ranger and a Nameless don't conflict. Sealing Stellarons would just be something he does along the way.
[Then I'm afraid you won't have much peace.]
Speaking from her own selfish perspective, Evernight didn't want Leon to take in Cyrene.
[Two Immaculatus.]
[And both from the group of top contenders. The Garden of Recollection will definitely make a move.]
Because Cyrene's existence would expose March 7th's identity.
If Cyrene and March 7th were in the same place, the trouble that followed Cyrene would certainly notice something amiss with March 7th.
Leon didn't care. If he couldn't even guarantee the safety of two people so closely connected to him...
...wouldn't that make him a complete scrub?
"Let them come. It doesn't matter how many. It's not like I can't protect them."
If they're not stray dogs he likes, he'll just crush them.
[Then I can only wish you less trouble.]
But Evernight also knew that Leon would definitely do it.
Just as he didn't back down after learning of March 7th's special identity and still accepted her, he would absolutely hold the same attitude towards Cyrene.
If he didn't, he wouldn't be Leon.
"Are we going to dig up the train now?"
March 7th, standing nearby, asked.
Evernight's conversation intentionally avoided her.
As a result, she couldn't hear anything; it was just Leon having a monologue.
Although she had no idea what he was talking about.
But she heard the words "aboard the train" and immediately thought of the information Elio had given them.
"Yeah."
Leon bent down and gently placed his hand on the formula left by Zandar at the base of the Akivili statue.
With a crack.
He pried off the stone slab with the formula inscribed on it.
This thing was no good. If left here, it would eventually be rediscovered by someone else.
It was better for him to keep it safe.
"Senior, I'm only doing this to restore the glory of the Trailblaze. I have no other choice."
Leon put the stone slab in his pocket and said to Akivili.
"Please understand."
With that said, Leon easily lifted the statue, placed it to the side, and began to dig.
It didn't take long.
Just as Elio said, he dug up a dilapidated train car from deep below.
"Do you know how to fix it?"
March 7th asked, looking at the car that barely resembled one.
How are we supposed to drive this?
Will Leon carry it back to the Space Station for Herta to fix, or should we contact Herta to send someone?
Leon then said, "Let me ask you, do you think this can be fixed?"
"It looks a bit difficult," March 7th said after another look.
This wasn't just broken down; it was scrapped.
Even buried deep underground, The Destruction had still left its mark on it.
"Have you ever been an Astral Express mechanic?"
Leon was waiting for that answer.
"Never been one, and you're already saying it can't be fixed? How presumptuous!"
After activating his superpower, Leon chose the most straightforward repair method.
He walked up and gently patted the car's body.
Yo, yo, yo.
That was fast.
After three pats, the train car instantly transformed.
From a piece of scrap metal no different from junk, it became a brand-new train car.
"See? Isn't it fixed now?"
Having done all that, Leon pointed at the car and said.
"That's amazing."
March 7th gave him a thumbs-up, then thought of something and asked:
"Are we going to be traveling in this from now on?"
"Yes."
Leon nodded. "What's wrong? Isn't this much better than sleeping out in the open?"
Believe it or not, the two of them didn't have a vehicle before and had to traverse the galaxy with their own bodies to get to the next destination, just like vagrants.
It was convenient when traveling alone, but not so much with multiple people.
After all, not everyone had the power of an Emanator to withstand the Imaginary energy that permeated the galaxy.
"I just think this is a moment worth commemorating."
Saying this, March 7th walked to his side, ready to take a picture to remember the moment.
"Let's take a picture!"
She linked her arm with his, her smile as bright as a flower.
"Cheese!"
She held the camera high, aiming the lens at the two of them.
Leon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
Looking at the girl linking arms with him, feeling the soft touch on his right arm.
More substantial than Herta's.
With that thought, Leon cooperatively raised his hand and made a peace sign at her camera.
You know what, getting a new ride for the first time is indeed worth commemorating.
Click!
After the flash.
Two young, vibrant faces, along with the train car behind them, were captured in the photo.
Just like every Nameless before them when they joined.
Full of spirit, dreaming of the future.
This was a new beginning for the Astral Express.
The Nameless of the future, following the footsteps of their predecessors, found proof that they once lived.
And they intended to write a new chapter for this unfinished journey.
"Speaking of which, that reminds me."
After she took the picture, Leon thought of something.
He also took out his Jade Abacus and turned to take a separate picture of the Astral Express.
「Oh yeah, new ride. One careful owner, Akivili. 99% new Astral Express.」
After typing out the caption...
...he used the picture as an attachment and posted it on his feed, as a sort of ritual.
On this day,
the long-stranded Astral Express, sets sail once more!
*
And as the two were acquiring their new ride.
Within the body of the yet-to-be-born Iron Tomb, an anomaly appeared that even its cultivators couldn't detect.
"I see..."
Besides 'Hate' and 'Pity', another unknown 'factor' appeared inside the Iron Tomb as if out of thin air.
"Did I arrive in his timeline?"
'Herta' murmured to herself.
She knew he couldn't have died; she must have overlooked something.
It turned out she overlooked that they weren't in the same timeline.
"Is the 'Iron Tomb' still alive?"
'Herta' sensed a familiar aura.
"Hmph, you helped me, so let me help you this time."
Leon's coming to her timeline was clearly to change her fate. Her timeline lacked him, which led to the tragedy.
So, he traveled against time.
He filled that missing void and rewrote the story.
In other words, for the sake of the 'her' in this timeline...
...he would sooner or later come to kill the Iron Tomb again.
Last time, he came to help that version of her. This time, it was her turn to help him, and by extension, help the other version of herself.
As the complete master of the 'Scepter S-mel13' from another timeline...
...Herta was confident she could counter the Iron Tomb and make it temporarily switch sides.
If Elio were here, he would be astonished.
Because Leon's Path of Terminus had now been revealed.
That's right, his 'Terminus' wasn't foresight.
It was reflecting the 'end' he personally changed back into the present.
Unbelievable. He was cheating!
____
🔥 We hit 140 members! 🥳 As promised, here are the bonus chapters 📚✨ 🔥
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan