Chapter 117 - Back.
In a place beyond the physical world, the endless whiteness stretched towards the unknown, filling everything with a bright milky color.
This place gave a lot of weird feelings. Some will question if this is a dream or reality, is this place true color is white? However, the biggest feeling here is emptiness. An endless emptiness that'll never be filled.
In this white landscape, a person appeared here as he fell directly on the ground. Although his fall didn't produce any sound, the pain was there, but he didn't care about falling on his face.
He was pale and trembling a little. Standing up slowly, he held his hurting head as his eyes were shaking. It was like he saw all the horrors of the world at the same time and was forced to memorize them for eternity.
After a few seconds, Leo calmed down a little as he was whispering " No, I'm still safe. There's hope! I shouldn't be a normal servant in Gacha!"
"My condition should be like Goetia, a completely unavailable servant in Gacha!!" Those whispers felt like a helpless comfort, but Leo looked better.
"Unavailable in what?" A woman in a white kimono was standing next to Leo as she asked.
Without knowing when, the place changed as petals were falling from the sky and the witness on the ground was gleaming with a faint gold. Actually, Root appeared earlier, but she stood there watching Leo having a breakdown.
Leo turned to look at Root. His eyes were empty like he gave up on life and died on the inside at the same time before he said " You… You doomed us all!!"
"Eh?" Root tilted her head. Although she guessed Leo's breakdown reason, why did she doom herself and all of them?
"Why? Why?! If you wanted to destroy the world, why didn't you just summon a Beast?! Or all of the Beasts for a battle royal!! Now, the world will burn in flames, no it'll be tortured!! Even if it bugged for mercy! We, the Beasts, are heroes, even our actions will be fucking righteousness compare to that thing!" Saying all those words quickly, Leo was almost having another breakdown when thinking about the future.
Root was still standing there, blinking her eyes in confusion. However, Leo didn't care about her confusion.
He was still thinking about the seed of the absolute evil he just witnessed. Yes, absolute evil! He didn't even call the cruelest beings as absolute evil, but that…'thing' deserved this title! Despite not awakening, the seed of the embodiment of chaos has been planted and the reason was Root in front of him!!
"I know your fears, but be more logical. Ritsuka is just a normal girl, dragged into this because of my plot '' Root, like a teacher, said those words calmly.
"Yes, I know, but because of that, I'm more scared! How could a normal person exist in your world?! We all should have some loose screws!" Leo took a deep breath before he said seriously " The more normal she looks, the more I'm scared of what'll be hidden!"
"Leo! Calm yourself! You're really exaggerating it now! At the end of the day, you saw Ritsuka and spent time with her, even if it wasn't a lot, it was sufficient for you to understand her" Root was frowning a little because of Leo's remarks. She never felt so offended by something completely true.
Leo stopped as he sighed. Honestly, he felt helpless before he said " Yeah, maybe I'm exaggerating"
"How could it be for something like the embodiment of chaos Ritsuka to exist? I guess that manga is just a joke" Leo smiled at his silly thoughts.
Yeah, how could something ridiculous like that exist? It's not like there are infinite possibilities… Leo solidified in his place before he looked at Root.
Root lowered her eyes to the side and turned her head away a little, like she didn't want to meet Leo's gaze before she said " You know, parallel worlds and… Infinite possibilities"
*Scared angel's noises*
Leo stood in his place with a pale face before he opened his mouth and screamed, but his screams were like whispers in a weird language. Root blinked at Leo, who lost his control and screamed in angelic before he calmed down.
"I see, I see…" Leo nodded before he stood in his place normally, but for Root, his original pale face from his injuries became white like a paper.
"Ahem, let's talk about this later" Root cleared her throat before she put her hands on Leo's shoulders and said " I want to congratulate you for your splendid performance"
"We need more people like you, driving a space armada to fight in a magical based place!" Root patted Leo's shoulders like she was satisfied with the aerial battle with Gilgamesh more than saving the world.
{To think about it, didn't she was the one who cut down the 'Hook', then flushed us like trash from the reality marble} Leo's body was shaking from Root's 'friendly' tapping, however, he shook his head before he put his hands on her shoulders.
"We also need more World's wills like you!" Leo tapped Root's on the shoulders exactly like she did before and said " Smart, strong, and capable! You're really an ideal world's will!"
Root stopped as she stared at Leo. She was confused, but she wasn't moved at all because she can feel it. This guy is scheming for something!
"What do you want?" Root looked at Leo in the eyes and asked.
"Root, how could you say this?! I want something? Did you really think I'll praise you because I want something? I disappointed, to think I was that kind of person in your eyes" Leo closed his eyes like he suffered a major blow, but Root's eyes became blank as she said " Yes, you are"
"Goddamn right, I am!" Admitting it shamelessly, Leo removed his hands as Root did the same.
"Why are you asking for your reward? Just wait for it in the Chat Room" Shaking her head, Root asked.
"No offense, but the currency called points can't help me at all. Damn, my so-called system became pointless, uselessly expensive, and too bothersome to use" Leo sighed at his situation.
In his current levels, relaying on the Chat Room's power increasing function is too pointless and troublesome. Just the traveling function is far more enough for Leo to pull some shenanigans with other worlds' powers.
So, these days, he didn't even bother to check on the shop or strengthening function after he saw more than nine zeroes next to his Esper's ability.
Root's eyes narrowed as they flashed. It seems that the Chat Room needs some boost that'll make this angel eat his words! After all, she was one of the makers of the Chat Room and has pride in her creation.
Leo felt a chill before he saw Root's eyes flashing, however, she just smiled and said " I see, then do you want me to heal you?"
"Will that cost me from the reward?" Leo felt it was more than good to be true, after all, he knew his current condition.
Smiling brightly, like a flower blooming, Root said " No, but who made you have almost no points?"
"*Cough*! I don't want to make it hard for you after all this time, after all, you're a World's Will that I, Satan, respect. So, can I ask you to share your wisdom and knowledge?" Leo coughed as he looked very honest in his words.
However, this time, Root was really confused and said " Do you want me to connect you to the Akashic?"
However, she quickly denied that because Leo already rejected being connected to the huge database of this world.
"No, no, no… It appears that you can make systems, share this wisdom with us mortals!" Leo shook his head before he said those words with a bright smile.
"Rejected" Root looked at him with a blank look before she said " And don't ask again. This knowledge can't be understood or used by you at all. Also, you're not mortal"
"All of us mortals compare to you" Leo nodded his head while sighing. His look made Root's eyebrow twitch.
"Then to avoid the black keys and Gacha, can I ask for another type of knowledge?" Leo looked like he made some sort of a decision before looking at his right hand, which had a slight burn on it.
"Hm?" Root looked at Leo's right hand before her pupil shrank and said " You want that knowledge?!"
"Yeah, there's no use now. Although I used my right side to charge against Solomon, the real reason for injuries because my 'Right' is very unbalanced" Speaking those words, Leo clenched his fist before he said" Yet, I can't go in the orthodox way, the most logical way will be balancing it with my 'Left'..."
"Sephiroth and Qliphoth, both of them serve the same purpose even if their foundation was different, yet, a hollowed tree is still a hollowed tree" Leo looked at his left hand before he sighed.
Root frowned as she fell into deep thoughts before saying" Now, I really can't help you much. They aren't really easy to mess with at all. Although they exist in some of our worlds, those were only avatars. Their main bodies are swimming in the multiversal void"
This time, it was Leo turn to be surprised as he said " It seems the relationship between you and them are different from the other Outer Gods"
"No, they are still considered as Outer Gods, but they are… 'Special'. To be honest, they are more on good terms with us than the Outer Gods" Root shook her head, indicating that she doesn't want to talk about it any further.
"So, it's not a fundamental problem, except it'll be difficult, right?" Leo thought about it a couple of times before he nodded.
{Difficult? No, it's really easy, yet, the aftermath is what worries me} Root's thoughts kept circling in her brain, trying to find a good solution.
Honestly, she wants to kick Leo from the Roots now and give him normal rewards filled with Gacha, black keys, and mapo tofu. But it was a good thing she learned about this, at least she can control it for now without letting things get out of control.
She knew with Leo's personality, he's bound one day to find what he wants and get it. Actually, it's easy for him to get it, like super easy! Moreover, the compatibility with him and that one is ridiculously great.
Leo stood there waiting for Root, who was thinking as he felt slightly dizzy because of his injuries.
Root noticed this as she sighed, then her eyes flashed. She decided to take this slowly, step by step, without stirring much waves. They might even pull those beings to their sides slightly further if they succeeded.
"Fine, I can give you, but there'll be a lot of rules in this. Also, I'm charging you on Gugalanna, VI, and the incomplete Heaven's Feels because of this" Root said with a serious face, which made Leo nod.
It seems his choice is really expensive for Root or there are some problems he doesn't know about.
"However, not now. I need some time to prepare and you also need to be in the best state" Root returned to her normal look as she gave another condition.
"Yeah, no problem, I also need to take care of a lot of things on my side" Leo nodded as Root's conditions were very suitable for him.
"Okay, your reward is almost finished, you can leave " Root sighed as she felt her work will increase.
"Almost? Can I ask for something?" Leo put his hand on his chin as he asked, but then he saw Root's eyes before he said " Don't worry, this is just a question"
Root lifted her eyebrow as she was waiting for Leo's question.
"In the cycle of birth and death, do the soul's treatment varieties from one world to another a lot?" Saying those words calmy, Leo looked at Root in the eyes.
Staring at Leo, Root frowned a little at this question before she remembered something and said "You… How long were you thinking about this"
"Hmmm… for a while" Giving a casual answer, Leo shrugged his shoulders.
A slight dilemma and helplessness appeared on Root's face as she closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them slightly and said " The world is like a living entity"
"A closed system like the universe, as the amount of energy doesn't change, but its shape keeps changing. In fact, this can also relate to the five True magics" Root walked slowly around the place.
"It is said that the beginning First changed everything, The world started from nothingness. The 1st True magic, The Denial of Nothingness"
"The following Second acknowledged many, Parallel worlds, timelines, and the infinite possibilities. The 2nd True magic, Operation of Parallel Worlds"
The resulting Third showed the future, the souls, life, the things that allowed the world to truly have life and advance. The 3rd True magic, Heaven's feels"
"The linking Fourth concealed itself, the already prepared encounters, destiny, fate, and karma. The 4th True Magic, Karmic Memory"
"The final Fifth had already lost its meaning, consumption, extinction, civilization advancement, and the Order had fallen. The 5th True magic, Magic Blue"
"These magics are singing the song of creation and advancement of the world, the so-called cycle of life, death, reincarnation, and all of those that were done normally, are just something similar to our organs. Their function is to reduce the stress and consummation on the world, so they are like a closed system" Root said slowly as Leo was listening.
"Heaven, hell, are actually the same place for us. A place to recycle the souls, I guess you know this. Even in a world that doesn't have these two concepts, the souls will be equally washed and used again. These places are usually in the world you came from, which is why it's easy for the Outer Gods to steal those souls. Of course, this rule isn't fixed because rules change from a world to another." Root looked at Leo as she didn't notice anything before she continued " We also wanted to clear this problem, but changing a function like this for a world is like turning it into a chimera"
Leo noticed that Root's tone carried a slight anger, which made him think. If the world's will are this strong, why can't they stop the traversers or mess with them in their worlds?
{There's a lot of things, huh?} Leo wondered how many secrets this multiverse contains, but honestly, he doesn't care that much as long as it doesn't affect him a lot.
"For your question, the souls that have been washed… They are not the same people, no matter how much they looked similar to the previous lives, they are never the same person. Also… It has been a very long time" Root finished explaining as the last phrase was actually for Leo.
"I see… Thank you for the information, I guess I should leave" Leo nodded as he stretched his hurting body and wanted to leave this place.
"Do you want to go on another world mission?" Root said as she got an instant response from Leo " HELL NO!! I just want a vacation for my burned brain cells. They can go and suffer in Konosuba alone!"
"Okay, I'll send you to your homeworld, but… Sometimes, keeping everything inside and for ourselves isn't very good" Root nodded before she said seriously.
"Even if it doesn't affect us, but at least once in a while, it's good to release what we kept inside of our minds" Root didn't wait for Leo to talk and threw a card.
"Hm?" Leo caught the card to see it was a class card of a saber as he lifted his eyebrow.
"An extra reward, only because it'll annoy you" Root said as Leo was trying to remove the card, but it was stuck on his fingers.
"What the hell!!" Leo struggled to remove the class card for a moment before he stopped and sighed. His body started to become transparent as Root lifted her eyebrow because she expected more struggle.
"Oh, I forgot to say. You and Goetia aren't in the Gacha pool" Seeing Leo almost leaving, Root smiled sweetly before she said " For now"
With those words, Leo with his eyes that gave up on life, left Type-Moon's world as Root sighed.
"To think the actual Heaven was in a place far deeper than Hell" Shaking her head, Root also left the place. She has a lot of things to do and the extra work is the worst, especially if it involves those tentacles gods!
Meanwhile, a world filled with angels, fallen angels, devils, and dragons. In a normal house, in a 'normal' city. A bright light flashed inside of one of the rooms before a young man fell on the bed.
Glancing with his empty eyes that lost all hope in life, Leo recognized this place as his room. The world around started moving again after Leo landed, which means the world will release the time-stopping effect.
Leo felt the DXD's world will have a heart for changing his landing location from the dimensional gap to here, but he doesn't care about anything for now. He'll die, a horrible one on top of that. Not a real death, but a mental death.
"Goetia became a Gundam. I wonder what'll happen to me? Me and Forsaken Eden will probably become some sort of high-quality VR game, isn't it?" Leo laughed dryly while looking at the ceiling and said " I'll be forced to satisfy all the lewd, horrible, lustful, disgusting, vile, and nauseating fantasies of that Gacha slave without the ability to damage her, right?"
"*sigh*..." Massaging his temples, Leo sighed and hoped Ritsuka won't become a bare hand's Beasts killer in the future before he called the Chat Room.
Writing a message, Leo described the 'Hook' and what he knew about the multiverse space invasion types before closing it and lying on the bed. He didn't bother to look at anything in the Chat, he is beyond tired now.
Honestly, if he was still his old self, he'd already be unconscious because of all the pain and injuries. Maybe the angels have different understanding and feelings about pain and suffering.
Picking his necklace, Leo glanced at the green gem as he smiled slightly, but Ddraig inside the necklace frowned. That smile, even if it looked normal, was so bitter in his eyes.
"Anyway, I should slow down the consumption and start recovering" Leo turned to the side as he closed his eyes slowly. It was mid-night when he was summoned, so it was still the same.
For an angel, sleep isn't necessary, but Leo's condition is very bad, so slowing down the consummation is the best way to recover for now. After all, this involved his soul, not just his physical body.
"To think about it, with my abilities… This is kinda ironic" Leo closed his eyes as he blacked out. An angel doesn't sleep, so he can only force himself to save energy, also they can't dream. Ironic, isn't it?
However, deep inside of Leo's soul, a candle was flickering with weak flame, it was so weak that they could be blown at any moment. Struggling for a few seconds, the sparks died down and everything was filled with darkness.
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A/N: So, I focused on this part, huh?. Now, the focus will be on Konosuba's side >:)