Asahi opened his eyes.
"Where... is this?"
He was stunned for a moment, because of the scenery surrounding him.
It wasn't the sunset battlefield of the Stohess District, but a world with a pitch-black sky. Under his feet was a vast expanse of sand that seemed to stretch endlessly; even with his vision, he couldn't see the end.
From the vague familiarity, Asahi not only recognized where this place was but also remembered that he had been here before.
"The Paths..."
But why was he here?
Last time, he was able to enter here due to multiple factors. This was a place that only people with Eldian blood could "access," as the origin of all of them was here.
While Asahi was still doubting himself, a... light appeared in front of him. It wasn't just a simple light like an electric lamp or a firefly; it was like a waterfall pouring down, splitting the sky and earth.
It was a tree, yet also like a galaxy. Its roots, trunk, and branches reached out to every corner of the dark sky, dispelling the shadows. This was the Paths, the Founder.
From within the light, a figure slowly emerged. It didn't appear from inside, but gradually materialized like an illusion becoming reality.
"Who's there!?"
Asahi spoke loudly, displaying caution.
"I have been waiting for you for a very long time."
The person spoke, his appearance now fully materialized.
It was a young man with long black hair that reached down to his shoulders, wearing a dark outer cloth shirt contrasting with a white shirt underneath. His face was reserved, his eyes fathomlessly deep.
Asahi tried to look closely, noticing some familiar features on the young man's face, and couldn't help but ask.
"Have we met before?"
The young man didn't answer the question, merely speaking three words.
"Follow me."
Asahi frowned. He was in a hurry and didn't have time to waste. But as if reading his mind, the young man reminded him.
"You know this place... we can talk for a very long time."
"I know."
Reluctantly, he followed the young man's steps, beginning the journey across the seemingly endless dunes.
"This place is the Paths, as you probably know. It is the collective consciousness, memories, emotions, and will... of the entire Eldian people, from the past to the present, and even the future."
"In other words, this is the soul of all of us."
Asahi paused slightly.
All conscious or unconscious thought, memory or emotion, will and instinct are separate, yet also a unified whole. They are mixed together, clash with each other, and then unify. The final thing created from these "energies"... is the soul, the true soul.
"Therefore, this place is beyond the boundary of the material world, of space and time. It is memories, thoughts, and will that exist through all and are not bound by linear time."
Saying this, the young man pointed his finger forward, toward the extremely distant Founding "Tree."
"It's also because of this that in your previous visit here, your will traveled back 2000 years, appearing in Ymir's memory. Only you were capable enough to withstand the pressure of being washed away by time. Although the coordinate is a place where time cannot govern, we cannot. We can only exploit loopholes to achieve our goals."
"What do you mean?"
Asahi understood all of this and didn't doubt its accuracy much. That trip was clearly one-way; that part of his will had dissipated, and he naturally didn't know what had happened.
"Because of your appearance, the cycle was broken, allowing Ymir to make way for me."
The young man stopped, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand. It began to transform in his hand, becoming a simple sphere, then dissolving back into a pile of sand, and then reforming into a cube. Finally, he let go, allowing it to slip away.
"Ymir, or currently myself, are the wills that have been tied to the Paths. Therefore, I can be said to be immortal. As long as the Paths exist, my will will exist forever."
The young man spoke in a tone devoid of joy. Immortality along with his current status freed him from the fate of his will, no longer bound by the loop, but he was also imprisoned here for eternity by the very immortality he achieved.
What is the meaning of such "freedom"?
"Wait, do the successors to the Founder position, like Frieda, gain these things?"
Asahi suddenly felt a bit strange. Based on this person's description, shouldn't he be the one who resembles the true successor to the Founding Titan? What role does Frieda play in this?
"Frieda Reiss? She is indeed the one who controls the power of the Founding Titan, while I... am only bound to it, if not a slave to this thing."
"Asahi, you need to kill Frieda. Only by killing Frieda..."
"Why?"
"It's the loop."
Asahi's eyebrows furrowed. He was about to ask for more when the young man suddenly vanished into an illusion, just as quickly as he appeared. Immediately, his consciousness was pushed out of the Paths so quickly that he couldn't react. In a brief moment, the pure and powerful wave of will power that erupted from Asahi caused his "vision" to catch something.
In his mind, something like a band of light appeared. It coiled up into a circular arc, binding everything within the "circle." Inside the light were countless faint images.
He couldn't help but recall a symbol.
"The serpent biting its tail... Ouroboros!"
"The future determines the past, and the past shapes the future. This thing..."
But before he could think further, he was back in reality, immediately feeling a colossal pressure bearing down on his entire body. Even with his superior physical strength, he couldn't break free.
Recalling the past events, Asahi instantly remembered that he had fallen into a trap, and what was currently weighing on him was thousands of tons of earth and rock.
The oxygen level down here was decreasing, but it wasn't a major problem for him. His physique was not only superior to that of an ordinary human many times over, but it was also specially constructed to sustain life in the most severe conditions. After all, it was what he exchanged for all of his unique physical strength.
However, Asahi was still very troubled.
Kill Frieda.
She had now become someone determined to destroy the entire world, but could he strike her down without hesitation?
Perhaps.
He wasn't sentimental to that degree.
It was just... not worth it.
"Never mind. First, I have to get out of here."
Asahi was serious.
"System, open store."
He glanced at his current accumulation of points. Killing so many Titans, he had earned back some capital.
He needed something, not just to escape this mess, but also to prepare for the rematch with Frieda. It had to be massive, it had to be powerful. He needed...
"I choose you!"