Chapter 158 - Sorry, I Still Refuse.
Does a person, once their needs in a certain area reach an extreme, begin to give up the pursuit of materialistic gains and start yearning for deeper things?
It's hard to draw a definite conclusion on this, because every person's growth and experience are different, and the situations they face are also different, so they naturally make different choices.
However, if measured only by the most superficial metric of wealth, some people, after escaping poverty, start trying to help others escape poverty, while others, after acquiring wealth, only think about obtaining more wealth to satisfy themselves and distance themselves from others to satisfy their vanity—
In real-life cases, the latter is always far more common than the former, but Emiya believes the difference lies more in their original motivation than in human nature.
A person who acquires wealth for the sake of wealth, and a person who acquires wealth to help others, are naturally different.
The former may even feel contempt and scorn for the people from whom they earned their wealth, while the latter only feels gratitude. The initial mindset determines the final direction.
However, the human heart is indeed not immutable. As self-serving creatures, people will eventually be changed by external benefits or discouraged by suffering; this is unavoidable.
Even people with the purest intentions will be subject to this.
There was once a Magus who yearned for justice. On the path to pursuing justice, he realized that his limited lifespan could not achieve that miracle, so he turned to finding ways to extend his life.
In this process, he gradually forgot his initial wish, instead making immortality his goal, and for this, he did not hesitate to go against his initial ideals of justice, eventually becoming a complete villain.
Even the 'Emiya Shirou' who constantly sought to be a 'Hero of Justice' was eventually twisted by countless repetitions of sorrow, becoming a cold and somewhat self-destructive Guardian?
Tengen says he is unwilling to trust similar people because he has gone through so much, and it may be true that he has suffered countless betrayals. After all, even Emiya has to admit that 'immortality' holds such an allure for humans.
The path to satisfying desire is endless. Those who pursue 'immortality' do so not because they changed their goal, but simply to realize more of their desires through it.
Tengen's words are certainly not wrong, as they are lessons and experiences accumulated through numerous instances of blood and tears. As long as he refuses deep contact with others, betrayal can certainly be prevented.
But what about the resulting problems?
The problem is not that you are unwilling to solve problems with others, but that you cannot solve the problem yourself yet are unwilling to solve it with others, ultimately leading to the problem becoming larger and larger—
As for whether Gojo Satoru, the Strongest, would pursue 'immortality' to maintain his power and status as the Strongest?
Emiya believes that this will absolutely not happen.
Gojo Satoru is the Strongest not because he wants to be such a person, but because he was born to be such a person—in this regard, he is far stronger than these individuals who constantly view things with the mindset of a 'deity.'
He is not desperately striving and working to become the Strongest; rather, he firmly believes deep down that he is naturally the Strongest, which is why he has achieved his current status.
As for whether Gojo Satoru would covet profit or 'immortality'...
Honestly, Gojo Satoru, in pursuit of high-efficiency exorcism of cursed spirits, has already compressed his daily sleep time to three hours, and he constantly keeps his Infinity Cursed Technique active even during that time.
If this is not asceticism, then what is? Has he genuinely used his power to satisfy purely personal desires?
His only remaining form of entertainment is his daily breakfast and dinner. Must he be deprived of even this small allowance for pleasure to be considered trustworthy?!
Well, his malicious pleasure in teasing others probably counts too.
Tengen must be able to see all this, right? Could it be that he thinks Gojo Satoru is putting on an act, and everything is a ploy to win his trust?!
"Thank you for your kind reminder, but regarding who to trust and who not to trust, I will make my own judgment."
Tengen may have lived for a thousand years, but he is merely a shut-in who doesn't interact much with people.
In terms of the richness of experience, Emiya, with the memories of numerous 'Emiya Shirous,' is definitely higher than this fellow.
"As for the cooperation you mentioned? If you are willing to truthfully provide information and locations for Kenjaku and those cursed spirits, I will of course be very happy to thwart their actions and plans, for the sake of saving more people.
But I will still trust those who are worthy of my trust. A lonely old man like you shouldn't offer opinions on such matters."
Emiya doesn't know if Tengen ever had friends or family worth entrusting his life and everything to, but even if he did, they were probably long since outlived by him sometime in the distant past.
Judging from his unwillingness to trust anyone, the influence of losing emotion is severe, as he is likely acting solely based on rationality now.
It's even possible that maintaining the balance of the Jujutsu world with his Barrier Technique is just a rational calculation. What if, at some point, he starts to feel that continuing to maintain the status quo of the Jujutsu world is actually detrimental to him?
"If that is the case, we lack the fundamental basis for true cooperation... I cannot guarantee that you won't reveal the events of today and the future to others, so I cannot provide you with any more information."
With such a simple change in conditions, Tengen quite readily expressed his refusal.
"..."
"But even if you tell me Kenjaku's location, and I reveal it, and he finds out, he will only hide again. How is that different from you saying nothing at all?"
Rationality shouldn't be this kind of rationality, should it? What is the difference between him and artificial stupidity? Has he truly 'evolved'?
"...That's reasonable, but I will also judge based on the circumstances at the time.
I cannot yet determine exactly how Kenjaku intends to execute his plan."
"What plan?" Emiya immediately asked.
"To promote the evolution of all humanity in the direction he envisions... Alright, we can't waste any more time here. That human could experience an accident at any moment.
Her body will either collapse because it cannot bear the Cursed Object, or it will undergo unpredictable changes due to Kenjaku's manipulation... Handing her over to me is your most correct option right now."
The creature's words were once again vague, saying something yet seemingly saying nothing. The topic had just been led to a crucial point, yet he forcefully dragged it back to square one.
But it doesn't matter. Whatever Kenjaku's plan is, Emiya only needs to kill that fellow as soon as possible.
That creature, which is neither human nor ghost, surely has an evolution in mind that won't be a good thing.
As for Tengen in front of him...
"My answer remains the same as my initial one.
Sorry, I refuse."
The moment the words fell, Emiya pulled out the Rule Breaker that happened to be stuck in the floor nearby and stabbed it toward the chest of this barrier body without hesitation.
Bang—!
The power to erase Cursed Techniques instantly nullified this possibly complex Cursed Technique. Under the blade of Rule Breaker, it was no different from an ordinary barrier that shatters upon contact.
Anyway, the other party wouldn't reveal any useful information in the short term, and who knows what accident might happen if they continue to stalemate?
At least one thing Tengen said was right: there's more than just his problem that needs solving here; Fushiguro Tsumiki is lying on the bed in an unknown state.
If he hadn't been delayed by this entity, Emiya would have already confirmed and resolved that situation.
However, along with the sound of the barrier shattering, there was also the sound of a door being abruptly pushed open, and Principal Yaga rushing into the room—
"Tengen-sama?!"
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