For some reason, the Traveler's positioning always managed to evade Scaramouche's attacks in advance, while the Traveler's strikes each time hit dead angles that made him uncomfortable.
"Your actions, logic, and abilities are all within the calculations," Nahida said as she slowly approached the Shouki no Kami.
"Don't joke around!" the Shouki no Kami said angrily. "I am a god!"
However, Lumine's predictive movements were constantly proving Nahida's words—she really has calculated everything about me!
"Even you, who wields wisdom, cannot calculate everything about a god!"
Nahida's footsteps did not stop; she nodded and said, "You're right, but if I've witnessed it multiple times firsthand, then I can calculate it."
At this moment, Nahida's pupils emitted a verdant green glow, and within her pupils was the shadow of the Shouki no Kami.
In the battles with the Traveler and Lucian, the Shouki no Kami had already exposed everything; the data collection was complete, and the rest was left to Nahida's calculations.
"What? Witnessed firsthand... multiple times... what exactly have you done!?" the Shouki no Kami exclaimed in shock.
Nahida did not answer. She stopped her footsteps, slowly floated into the air, and then halted.
Just then, the Traveler's attack damaged the Shouki no Kami's mechanisms, causing it to stumble and half-kneel on the ground.
After half-kneeling, when Scaramouche inside the Shouki no Kami looked up, he met Nahida's gaze exactly.
Nahida smiled faintly. "Just like this—calculating all of your actions, that's all."
As Nahida spoke, the surrounding scenery changed; it was no longer the testing ground, but a massive grass-green palace—the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Scaramouche was greatly shocked. What is this? Two prophets?
Nahida shook her head. "Not two—I'm just a scholar in pursuit of knowledge, not a prophet."
"With sufficient information understood, your future is merely a simple formula in my eyes."
"You can read my thoughts?" Scaramouche's eyes widened.
"Yes, so I know what you're thinking right now, but unfortunately, that heart does not belong to you."
Nahida extended her small hand, and a force pulled at the Gnosis in Scaramouche's chest.
"No! Wait! Not this! Don't! Don't!!"
The Gnosis flew out, and Scaramouche reached out to grab it, but he couldn't grasp it no matter what.
"Don't... don't take it away... my... heart..."
Losing the Gnosis's energy supply, Scaramouche instantly detached; on the verge of fainting, he fell from the Shouki no Kami's body, his gaze still fixed on the Gnosis.
Feeling the sensation of his body falling, falling... my entire life has been one of falling.
Scaramouche looked at Nahida floating in the air and slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, it was as if he had returned to the moment of his birth—he was falling, tumbling into the estate, seeing only lightning.
That was his birth, beginning with failure and falling.
He saw the Mikoshi Nagamasa's core again—that was his growth; he was flung away by energy, falling through the air, stopping the explosion. Had he succeeded?
No, he had still failed; he hadn't preserved Iwakura Michihiro, let alone Mikoshi Chiyo.
In the end, he fell to the ground, lying in the laboratory to become a tool; the puppet's performance was developed to its utmost, and the Gnosis was placed inside him.
He had succeeded! He had become a god!
Beelzebul, look at me! I have ascended to godhood! I am not—a failure!
Scaramouche lay on the ground, looking at the Gnosis floating in the air and raising his hand, wanting to grab it.
But his vision began to blur—was it because the power had vanished, or because of tears?
He didn't know; he only knew that he had failed again.
This was his ending, just like at birth; what he saw in his eyes was still a god.
Scaramouche's hand fell limply to the ground, and he closed his eyes, his brows relaxing.
The sages who set up a false god on an empty throne—no, fools—the gods are right there, aren't they?
Gods, sages, why create me.
Scaramouche closed his eyes. When dreaming, one should close their eyes, right?
Scaramouche didn't understand, because as a puppet, he had no ability to dream; it was Nahida who had granted him the right to dream.
The first dream of his life was one of loss...
Will I have another dream?
Probably not; as a tool, I no longer have value.
And as a person... I died long ago.
The core disaster had died for him—a heart, Niwa's heart, and also his; what died then was the 'Wanderer.'
Now he had lost his second heart—this was his second death, the death of 'Scaramouche.'
But his life had not yet ended, because he would experience three deaths.
The third death would come when he found his heart again, and he would lose it once more.
Nahida looked at Scaramouche, who had fallen to the ground and fallen into a coma, and said nothing; her divine eyes showed no readable emotion.
Lucian: "A man without a heart, defeated by the dream brought by the heart."
"In the end, he still couldn't unveil the veil of Maya."
What is the veil of Maya? Falsehood, ignorance, treating the nonexistent as existent.
The one who unveils the veil of Maya is the one who has broken through 'anatta,' broken through 'attachment,' and achieved nirvana.
Unfortunately, Scaramouche hadn't done it; as the Shouki no Kami, he was shrouded in delusion and falsehood, unable to see through this dream.
Nahida's figure descended from the high air, gently patting Lucian's head. "As expected of a prophet—you know so much."
Then she smiled, pressing her two small hands together in front of her and clapping lightly. "Very clever."
How to put it—somehow, Nahida really liked encouraging and praising others.
It could be said that she truly deserved the title of a loli who could become a mother; her educational philosophy was all about encouragement, like a preschool teacher.
She had child psychology down pat, and Lucian quite enjoyed it.
Suddenly, he thought of Shenhe; both of them patted Lucian's head—one a loli, one a big sis; one expressionless, one with a gentle face—they truly complemented each other.
In comparison, the loli-bodied Nahida actually had more of a 'mother' feel.
As for whether Nahida's 'educational philosophy' was good or not, Lucian couldn't evaluate it, but it was probably much better than Ei's free-range education.
If not for Niwa and the others, Scaramouche would still be an illiterate bumpkin to this day.
Lucian looked at Nahida and sighed.
Nahida was still very happy right now, but afterward, she wouldn't be able to stay happy.
The veil of Maya didn't shroud just one person; without ruthlessly eliminating Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Nahida was also someone shrouded by Maya.
Defeating Scaramouche could give her confidence, but it couldn't bring her nirvana.
"It's over?" Ei walked over.
It seemed there was no room for my 'Musou no Hitotachi' to make an appearance.
This one was even more of an expert; Ei had no intention at all of breaking through Maya.
Whatever Maya or not—let me try my blade!
Joking aside, in fact, though Ei had no intention of breaking through Maya, she had inadvertently achieved it during her five hundred years of ceaseless war.
See, the elbow really works—nirvana elbowed out alive.