"...I didn't expect that, Herta."
Ron fell silent for a moment, then looked at Herta before him and once again pulled a smile at the corner of his lips:
"I don't think this matter is as complicated as you imagine. The reason Terminus, the [Finality] became what it is now isn't necessarily because of the primal driving force of the Path of [The End]. It's possible that Itself is just like that..."
"So you can't find a reason to refute the 'Aeons pushing you to become the new [The End]', is that it?"
Herta pointed out the loophole in Ron's words, leaving him at a loss for what to say for a moment.
She looked at Ron seriously, and after a moment, she suddenly said, out of the blue:
"Does it hurt?"
Ron was slightly taken aback. "What?"
Herta's tone was calm. "I'm asking you, when you threw yourself into the Furnace of Creation as material, when you forged yourself in the holy flame of [Salvation], did it hurt?"
"...What time is it to be talking about this? It was just a simulation. What's so important about a mere personal feeling?"
Ron avoided the question, but Herta didn't need him to tell her the answer.
Because besides Ron, the person who knew the most about his pain in the Furnace of Creation was Herta.
Herta had guided Ron's consciousness to trace the patterns on the lantern, and she had done so for two whole days... She had also listened to Ron's agonizing wails for two whole days.
Herta knew exactly how much Ron had suffered. That's why, looking at him now, even more anger began to rise from the bottom of her heart.
She looked at Ron's evasive eyes. Her words were tinged with a hint of mockery, yet one could hear the sorrow seeping out from within:
"That's right, the personal feelings of a simulation aren't important... But you still advised Bronya to give up, afraid that she would be burned by Phantylia's flames, leaving behind the pain of her soul being incinerated in her memories..."
Herta's sharp gaze seemed to want to dissect Ron's heart as she stared straight at him:
"But what about you? Why were you able to jump into that furnace when you personally entered the simulation, to forge yourself into a lantern?"
"I don't know what you've been through, Ron... I don't understand you. But I'm very curious as to why you would be so 'self-sacrificing'."
"What is it, exactly, that made you into this person who completely disregards himself?"
"Do you truly have no lingering attachments to this sea of stars? Perhaps you just arrived on the Xianzhou [Luofu], so you have no feelings for this land beneath your feet... But what about Belobog?"
"When you set foot on the land of Jarilo-VI, was there truly nothing on that land that could make you feel attached?"
As Herta spoke, her eyes, which had always been rather indifferent towards all things, were now filled with genuine sorrow. Her words seemed to be laced with a subtle hint of... pleading.
She looked at Ron, her lips quivering for a moment, but ultimately, she seemed determined to get an answer from him:
"You... Are you really willing to become that so-called [The End], to look back in solitude from the end of the story, and cast away everything you have now?"
Ron fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth.
"I... truly have nothing to be attached to."
"Herta, you actually don't understand. Belobog isn't the home that raised me. I don't really have any sense of belonging there. Everything I did before was just so I could live in peace. I'm not that..."
But before Ron could finish, he was cut off by Herta's stern voice.
This was the first time Ron had seen Herta show such intense anger. It was hard to imagine that this Emanator of [Erudition], who had always been known for her rationality, could display such an emotional outburst.
She grabbed Ron's hand, roughly pressing his palm against his chest, against his rapidly beating heart, and questioned him through gritted teeth:
"Is that so, Ron? Is that your true thought?"
"Search your heart, is that what you really think? Is it really because you don't care about any of this that you made the choice to become [The End]?"
Ron felt an immense pressure. This wasn't because of some uninteresting, mundane thing like a difference in power, but because Herta's fierce and pure emotions were weighing down on him, making him somewhat unable to answer this earnest question.
He was silent for a long time, only managing to maintain his previous statement with great effort.
"Herta, I'm not lying."
"But your eyes have already told me the truth, Ron."
Herta snapped her fingers. The authority of [Erudition] was enough for her to create a simple, inanimate object with a wave of her hand... and she created a mirror.
She roughly shoved the mirror in front of Ron, forcing him to look at himself in it:
"Look at your own eyes. Look at these evasive, fearful eyes..."
"Listen to the sound of your heart, which is pounding because you're nervous. Tell me, Ron, are you truly willing to become the eternally-not-arriving [The End] and bid farewell to all of this?!"
Yes, am I truly willing?
Looking at his own reflection in the mirror, a bitter smile inevitably appeared on the corners of Ron's lips.
Herta was right, not a single word was off.
His eyes were evasive, and a hint of fear flickered within them.
His heart was pounding, and he was so nervous he was having trouble breathing.
Herta had guessed correctly.
He was afraid.
Ron was not an unfeeling god; he never was.
He was just an ordinary person... an ordinary person who wanted to live a peaceful life and had been constantly striving for it.
Of course, he would be afraid.
How could Ron not see everything Herta had said?
The Life Simulation Game was the golden finger that had been loaded when he transmigrated into this sea of stars. Ron could have considered it a simple, wonderful gift from some unknown source and made it the greatest aid in his new life.
But he wasn't the type to daydream like that.
All gifts of fate have already been secretly marked with a price. He understood this truth, no matter the time.
In the beginning, he didn't have enough information about the Life Simulation Game and was naturally unable to define it... but now, things were different.
Just as Herta had said, the Life Simulation Game was truly too strange...
It used the same power as Terminus, the [Finality], and even with its help, the [Salvation] Aeon that he had created in the simulation was the easiest puppet for Terminus to manipulate.
Perhaps this reason could be attributed to the [Salvation] in the simulation having devoured [Destruction], but Ron knew clearly that this was definitely not the biggest reason.
The reason... had been reflected in the divine authority of [Salvation] long ago.
The divine authority of [Salvation] could anchor the future, create miracles, and break the shackles of fate—
But who was to say that the future anchored by [Salvation] wasn't a new, preordained destiny?
The reason Ron had gotten to where he was today, although mostly due to his own choices, still had many factors that stemmed from the guidance of the Life Simulation Game.
This seemingly unintelligent simulation game had a clear objective: to guide Ron in the direction of [The End].
Ron had seen this problem. After all, the performance of IX of [Nihility] and the very nature of the Life Simulation Game's power were simply too strange. If there wasn't a deeper reason behind it, it would be absolutely impossible.
However, there was one thing Herta didn't know—
From Herta's perspective, the divine throne of [The End] was something other Aeons were capable of taking, but they were unwilling to do so because of the responsibilities of [The End]. But Ron didn't see it that way.
Perhaps he really was that "son of destiny."
Why, you ask? It's actually quite simple—
Just as he had said before, a person's hair could never murder the person himself. All living things that originated from the Tree of Existence would likely never have the chance to replace the Tree of Existence itself and become the new [The End].
Terminus, the [Finality] was clearly the incarnation of the Tree of Existence. Its position was not one that just anyone could take...
But Ron was different.
No matter what, he was a transmigrator from beyond this world, a unique existence that did not belong to this sea of stars. If one truly wanted to forge a new ending, perhaps only an existence from outside the Tree of Existence could become the new ending.
Ron was that chess piece, pushed around by the Aeons, placed on the board to replace Terminus, the [Finality].
Ron wasn't sure exactly how many "Aeons" this included, but it definitely included Aha of [The Elation] and IX of [Nihility].
After all... the guidance of Aha of [The Elation] was far too obvious, and the warning from IX of [Nihility] was far too blunt. It was impossible not to be suspicious.
But he had discovered all this far too late... Only now did he realize that he had landed on the great chessboard of this sea of stars, a piece held in the hands of the Aeons.
So, he finally understood... Now, he no longer had a choice.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Ron's mood surprisingly began to calm down.
He looked at Herta before him with a complex expression and sighed:
"I am afraid, Herta..."
"I'm not as unfeeling as I said—I actually really like this world."
"Belobog may be cold, but the afternoon sun still allows one to bask in its warmth."
"The night market of the Xianzhou [Luofu] is bustling, full of the lively atmosphere of the mortal world. Buying a cup of hot floating sheep's milk and strolling down the street is very relaxing."
As he spoke, he paused slightly, as if hesitating, but ultimately gave up on concealing it and said frankly:
"Did you know? Bronya is actually a very clumsy person. In order to become the next Supreme Guardian, she always acts serious, but secretly, she's always worried about whether she can be a good Supreme Guardian. She wants everything, but can't hold onto anything. Her whole person exudes a clumsy innocence."
"That's what she's like as a leader... but as the real Bronya, she's a gentle girl. Every time I leave the Supreme Guardian's residence, she leaves me a letter with a little flower she drew by hand. It's very cute."
"Actually... I really like her clumsy innocence."
He spoke, beginning to count on his fingers like a scumbag, but his words held a clear emotion:
"Seele is a blockhead. She's actually very gentle on the inside, but for the sake of Belobog, she has to act cold and icy. Every time she makes a decision, she struggles with herself for a long time..."
"Natasha is very gentle, but she has a strong will. She carries a gentle determination to save Belobog and has never wavered in the slightest..."
"Cocolia is a pitiful person who lost her way on the path of life. After she came to her senses, she thought of nothing but atonement. Although her methods were a bit clumsy, perhaps one day, her sins can be wiped clean..."
"And then there's you, Herta."
Ron looked at Herta and smiled gently:
"You are indifferent to everything, but in this cold puppet body, you have never lost your warmth..."
"No matter how indifferent you are to this world, you are still willing to persuade me to turn back at this time. I like the tenderness beneath this cold mask of yours."
"But... it is precisely because of this that I cannot give up my current choice."
As Ron spoke, the smile on his lips gradually faded, replaced by a determination that was almost unshakable—
"It is precisely because I love this world, love everyone, that I cannot give up on becoming the new [The End]."
"It is precisely because I love all of this that I cannot let this matter go unchecked."
"To turn this imperfect ending into the one we hope for..."
"...Someone has to make the sacrifice, right?"
PS: Author's Note
I don't know if you guys have noticed, but this book has actually started to enter its concluding content.
According to my outline, this is the beginning of the final major plot arc. This arc will be about 120,000 to 130,000 characters long, and is effectively the final volume.
However, although the content I'm writing now doesn't seem very... uh, happy, the ending won't be a tragedy. I personally don't like bad ends.
Of course, I'm saying this now to explain to everyone that this chapter is actually a branching point. In my outline, the plot from this chapter onwards can develop into two different paths. One is the happy ending, and the other will definitely be the bad ending.
After I finish writing the normal, true happy ending, I might write a short "what-if" line to write out the bad ending as well.