It was endless
the blood
the remains
the screams
His failure...
they just wouldn't end...
it was the same thing, over & over again.
at first, he did not realize he was unconscious because it felt far too real for him not to be awake
but it kept repeating and repeating
He had finally figured it was just a dream and that he was unconscious and practically unable to wake up
It had strangely reminded him of the first time he came to this world as a slime. He somewhat took comfort in that fact
unfortunately, shortly after, he realized that it too was not a dream...
but clairvoyance at work
it was showing him all the outcomes of what would-... Had happened...
I could feel magic sense working again as my state of slumber was disappearing. How strange... Where was I?
{Finally awake I see}
Ciel stated more than asked. I feel somewhat nostalgic to hear her voice again after so long... I thought…. my nonexistence 'heart' clenched, and I gritted my teeth together as I remembered those unforgiving nightmares..
how long have I been out?
{Countless millennia. if you wish for a more detailed answer, it's been about 9832783,2938,13 years}
Holy hell... that long? No wonder I feel like hell…
…
Kay... Ciel, what happened to the world, and where are we? I asked, getting down to business immediately. I wanted- no, needed to know.
{This is the world at the end, or as you might also call it, 'End of Space-Time.}
So, this was just a vast world of nothingness? as Ciel had said, this was 'End of Space-Time' since time does not flow and is suspended here. I cannot detect the spreading of space either...
{Indeed, the flow of time has stopped in this world, and the spread of space has also ended. Now it has become nothingness according to the laws of entropy.
Has it? You speak of it as if you had observed it happening?
{Correct. We have been thrown into the far end of Space-time through Yuuki's attack. The star has exceeded its lifespan, but the world has not been destroyed yet. Judging by this, Yuuki could not destroy the world itself. I speculate that after destroying all the stars as a space-time continuum, his lifespan had ended, but I cannot determine if his wish had been fulfilled through this. After that, I floated off into space and witnessed the ending of the universe...}
Oh? she witnessed the end of the universe?
Heh, I see...
Usually, there was no way you could stay alive in such a situation. There were much more believable lies to tell–but this was Ciel. She does not tell lies.
Sometimes, I was fooled by her, but it wasn't so much that she lied, but that I had misunderstood her–or she made me–that's all.
besides that, I sense a, however, in that sentence of yours, Ciel
{…}
{It was not Yuuki who destroyed the world, but it was someone completely different. Unfortunately, I cannot find out who…}
is that so?
{you seem unsurprised}
I am
I had pondered the possibility of there being another enemy for a while now
Your analysis confirmed it
{Correct, actually they wished not only to destroy the world, it would seem that they had also wished to create a new one by stealing Veldanava's power and become its god, however, it would appear that they had failed, it is also transparent that they were teaming up with Yuuki, but even then, if you were to defeat Yuuki, that person would also most likely continue their plan regardless of the sacrifices they make}
in other words, I'd probably fail even after defeating Yuuki?
{The chances of success if you were to go back when the battle with Yuuki had started and defeating the person behind the scenes are 27%}
just 27%?
damn...
What a tough spot we're in
{Yes, that is right. Well then, what will you do now?}
My, what question.
{As many thousands of years have passed, there is an enormous amount of energy from 'Turn Null' that has been stored via [Imaginary space] Veldanava, when creating the world, had lost 'Turn Null' but you have {Imaginary Space}, so there should not be a problem. As [Imaginary Space] is infinite, it has been loaded with enough energy to rebuild worlds tens of thousands of times over. If I may add, this means that you can replicate every person you were ever involved with, including their memories. You can create a world that is as close as you can possibly get to the world you left. What will you do?}
Wha...?
I was shocked by the question.
Yes. If this really was the 'End of Space-time,' then that meant that Benimaru, Shuna, Tempest, Diablo, and the demons, Guy and Ramiris and Milim, all of those that I've loved were nowhere within this world.
My nightmares were confirmed
"Damn, that really pisses me off"
although I have felt nothing in a long, I'm able to get so damn frustrated and mad at the fact I had truly failed.
{No, that is wrong. Yuuki was unable to destroy you.}
But I could not protect those I loved.
There was no point if I was the only one who survived. And even if their memory and DNA could be recreated to be exactly the same, would that still really be them? Would I be able to interact with them in the same way when I had created them with my own hands!?
that was utter fucking nonsense, damn it!
"Such a thing is fake. Why would I ever lower myself to that level of shamefulness?" Logically, Ciel thought I should create a new world without the heretics that were Yuuki and that guy.
That was indeed, probably the right answer. You could say that there was nothing wrong with it. However, that's not enough to satiate me.
How could I resurrect my dead friends in such a way just to heal my loneliness? I would rather die than do such a thing.
I knew I was being obstinate.
But that was also why I could not allow myself to just create a world that was convenient for me. In such a world, the existence that was me was likely to rot away and die. It was better to choose proud loneliness than to hold on to the past just to comfort yourself.
{I expected you would answer in this way.}
I had shouted out with rage, but Ciel answered as if she were pleased. And then she continued.
{Also, you have not been defeated by Yuuki, you can just return to the past. }
Ciel offered as if it were nothing.
...
Of course, you'd say it like it was such a normal thing...
Chloe had [Time Leap] which could read memories from the future, but that was really just an ability that allowed you to return to your past self. And it could not be activated where time had been stopped. Yuuki had carefully planned to block such escape routes when he stopped time.
{No, there should be no problem. Mai's newly acquired {Teleport} was nothing more than a prototype for a different ability. This ability was not an 'ability that allowed you to return to a place you had been but was an 'ability that allowed you to travel through space-time and arrive at the desired point.' As you can control time and space, going back into time should be a simple thing for you.}
Are you serious?
No wonder Ciel had acted so normally, despite my rage. keh, as expected of her, knowing what I exactly want before I even ask... Right then, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!
{As you wish, my lord.}
Ciel answered my order.
In the same easy way as always. This was business as usual.
But I had only just awakened. Ciel had lived through countless millennia as she waited for me to wake up. There was an undisguisable joy in the voice that answered my command. In order to answer her expectations, I had to choose the world that felt right for me.
Defeat was not an option.
I was going back, far back to the past
to defeat Yuuki and that guy
I grin as Ciel Teleports us
No escape this time, no matter who comes in my way. I'll annihilate them without mercy!
In that moment, when Future Rimuru went back to the past, when he was first reincarnated as a slime.
Both Future Rimuru's and Past Rimuru's soul were fused together, creating an unimaginable force that no one dared to mess with, a creature that would turn the world upside down.
This was The Story of How Rimuru got his sweet revenge.