"The Tree of Existence was twisted from the moment it sprouted, destined to grow towards a fixed, twisted future—so why don't we just burn it to the ground instead? Why must we compensate for it, why must we create a space for its twisted future to grow?"
"If the world is the problem, then we shouldn't be the ones to suffer for it..."
"To hell with the Aeons' schemes! Let's you and I turn this world upside down!"
Herta's words were powerful and resonant. Ron looked at the fierce determination on her face, at the woman who was utterly unwilling to be a pawn in the Aeons' game and who desperately wanted to stir the pot, and for a moment, he was slightly stunned.
He fell silent, but it wasn't the same silence as before, where he simply didn't know what to say.
He just didn't want to shatter Herta's current fantasy. That was all.
To be honest, hadn't Ron considered Herta's idea before?
Of course, he didn't want to become a cosmic self-cleaning program, to sit on the divine throne of [The End] and become a new, forever-unattainable ending for this sea of stars, all at the cost of his own future.
But how much power, how much preparation, would it take to resist these Aeons? Did he even need to say it?
Just thinking about it made it clear that this was a path that was almost impossible to walk.
Herta sounded passionate and confident now, as if she had already figured out a way to resist the Aeons, to leap off this grand cosmic chessboard and become a player herself, ready to flip the entire board over. But Ron knew it was impossible.
After all... they were simply too weak.
No matter what, they were facing an entire world... Since they themselves were a part of this world's evolution, how could they possibly resist the world itself?
It was too difficult... far too difficult.
If they acted rashly, they would absolutely pay an unimaginable price.
When that time came, it wouldn't just be Ron losing his future. Herta and the others would likely lose themselves completely, to be utterly and thoroughly erased by the Aeons.
Even though this sea of stars was trapped in a destiny of repeated resets, a strange world where the Tree of Existence constantly sprouted anew, Ron believed that the Aeons, as the players, absolutely had the ability to permanently erase certain existences.
After all, Ron had already experienced it in the last simulation. [Nihility] IX could casually erase the Guiding Spirit Lantern that Ron had forged from himself, and everything associated with that lantern was wiped clean, shifting from "existence" to "non-existence."
And now that he knew that every run of the Life Simulation Game was equivalent to a world reset, the entry for "Guiding Spirit Lantern" he received as a reward told him exactly what the consequences of being erased by [Nihility] would be—
Currently, although Ron possessed the "Guiding Spirit Lantern" entry, the lantern itself no longer held the consciousness of his self from the previous simulation. That consciousness no longer existed; it had vanished completely and utterly. It was likely that even the King of [The End] couldn't bring it back when It reset the universe.
Therefore, the consequences of rebellion were unthinkable...
After all, if he truly wanted to resist all of this, the Life Simulation Game was something he absolutely could not use—using the enemy's power to fight the enemy? Did they really think the King of [The End] was some kind of philanthropist?
The simulation would surely lead to no good end. Only by abandoning the simulation, by abandoning this poison-like power, could he possibly escape the shackles of "fate" and forge a future held within his own hands.
But... was there really any chance of success?
At this thought, a bitter smile touched the corner of Ron's lips.
Honestly, he had never considered himself a genius, nor did he think he was stronger than anyone else.
If not for the existence of the Life Simulation Game, he didn't think he could have reached his current position.
Although at the very beginning, Ron would occasionally fantasize about being the protagonist of some novel, equipped with the game like a returning Dragon King at the end of a three-year pact, ready to smite gods and buddhas and hold the sea of stars in the palm of his hand...
Deep down, he knew this was just an idle fantasy to amuse himself.
Ron never thought of himself as a protagonist in a book. After all, before transmigration, he was just an ordinary person. After transmigration, without the help of the game, he would have struggled in Belobog for ages just to become a Lieutenant of the Silvermane Guards—and a desk-jockey at that, not fit for the battlefield, relegated to guarding the gate at Qlipoth Fort.
Did Cocolia really need the Silvermane Guards for protection? The entire city of Belobog combined couldn't beat Cocolia when she was wielding the power of her divine authority and the Stellaron. Compared to so-called "royal guards" or "praetorian guards," a Silvermane Guard at Qlipoth Fort was truly just a desk-jockey.
Ron's greatest quality was his stark self-awareness.
He never thought he was particularly amazing. Besides being a bit quicker on the uptake and a bit more proactive than the average person, he didn't really have any major strengths.
He didn't feel like he had gotten this far on his own effort. In reality, it was all thanks to the boosts from the Life Simulation Game.
If he couldn't use the game, if he lost the assistance of his golden finger, how could he possibly resist the manipulation of the Aeons?
A man ought to know his own limits...
Ron sighed internally, saying nothing so as not to douse Herta's enthusiasm. But Herta had a sharp eye and a keen mind; she had always been able to see right through him.
She looked at Ron's slightly dejected expression, her eyes narrowing, emitting a dangerous aura.
"What are you thinking, Ron?"
"We haven't even done anything yet, so why are you already wearing that look on your face?"
"You think you can't do it, is that it?"
Hearing Herta expose him so unceremoniously, Ron felt a bit awkward, but he still sighed softly and didn't refute it.
"We can't do it, Herta."
He spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of powerlessness.
"What we have to resist is perhaps a collective of Aeons, but it might just be the Tree of Existence and the Sea of Quanta—in other words, even in the best-case scenario, we have to fight the King of [The End] and [Nihility] IX."
"But They are the existence of this world itself—Herta, have you ever thought about it? Since the King of [The End] is the embodiment of the Tree of Existence, and the Tree of Existence is this entire world, how are we, as a part of this world, supposed to resist the world itself?"
Ron's voice was laced with a bitter smile.
"What's more... even if we resist this world, will it really lead to a good outcome?"
"Let's not even talk about our minuscule chances of success—even if, by some miracle, fate smiles upon us and we manage to overturn this sea of stars, how are we, as the children of this cosmos, supposed to survive?"
"This world is indeed twisted. But just because it's twisted, should we destroy it and let everything descend into finality?"
But Herta just raised an eyebrow and said something that completely defied Ron's expectations.
"Why do you assume that when I say burn the Tree of Existence and overturn the world, I mean destroying everything and letting it all descend into finality?"
Ron was taken aback, momentarily unsure of what Herta meant.
"The Tree of Existence represents this sea of stars itself... I've seen the Imaginary Tree theory of Zandar One Kuwabara. The Tree of Existence is the fundamental nature of all existence. It gives birth to the cosmic structures of countless worlds. If it is destroyed, this sea of stars will naturally fall into complete ruin..."
Hearing Ron's words, Herta couldn't help but shake her head with a laugh.
"Who told you that what Zandar said is the truth? Ron, smart as you are, I can't believe you'd get tangled in such a strange logical knot, trapped in this kind of dead end..."
Herta's gaze burned as she looked at him.
"You said the Tree of Existence—that is, the Imaginary Tree—is the fundamental nature of all existence, giving birth to the cosmic structures of countless worlds, right?"
Ron was a bit confused about what Herta was getting at, feeling a little lost.
But he still nodded. "That's right. After ascending to the divine throne of an Aeon, I saw the fundamental nature of this world's existence more than once. There's no problem with that statement."
But Herta shook her head, a hint of mockery in her tone.
"Although Zandar was a founder of the Club, I never thought he was much of a genius—he created Nous, but what does Nous becoming an Aeon have to do with him?"
"He established the Imaginary Tree theory, and this theory has influenced countless Amber Eras since, fooling who knows how many people!"
"The Imaginary Tree is indeed the fundamental nature of all existence, the structure that gives birth to countless worlds... but Ron, do you really think this world needs it?"
Hearing Herta's words, Ron felt completely bewildered, increasingly unable to understand her.
"Why? It's the essence of the world. Doesn't the world rely on it to exist...?"
"Is that really so, Ron?"
Herta gestured meaningfully toward the sky. "The Imaginary Tree binds countless star systems. Beyond each system lies a surging tide of Imaginary energy, an endless 'Nihility'—once, [The Trailblaze] Akivili passed through the barriers and blockades between countless star systems, crossing this unknown Imaginary domain, and connected them all."
"So... did those connected star systems get destroyed because of it?"
Hearing this, Ron was stunned. He suddenly realized a problem that, for some inexplicably strange reason, he had never noticed before.
"You're right... [The Trailblaze] Akivili's actions were, in essence, an act of destroying the Tree of Existence itself. He broke through the transparent barriers of the Imaginary Tree, connecting one leaf to another. But the connected leaves were not destroyed. The one who was destroyed was..."
Ron's words slowed. "...the one who was destroyed was [The Trailblaze] Akivili himself, who sought to forge a path to the top of the Imaginary Tree."
"He... He already did what we want to do."
"But He failed... failed completely and utterly."
Listening as Ron gradually untangled himself from his strange train of thought and grasped the main point, a smile finally appeared on Herta's face.
"Exactly... This is a task that our predecessor left unfinished, Ron."
"The Imaginary Tree theory is a complete scam... This sea of stars doesn't need any rigid shackles. The Imaginary energy should be free for Pathstriders to command, not separated into different star systems by the dimensional barriers of the Tree of Existence—what kind of world-destruction would breaking them be!"
Hearing Herta's words, a new impulse stirred in Ron's consciousness.
To be honest, he was not one to resign himself to fate. The kind of dejected surrender he'd shown earlier was the strange part.
An idea, the seed of a plan to overturn everything, had already formed in his mind. But just as he was about to speak, a small golden sigil from the Guiding Spirit Lantern flared up in his mind, and using its last bit of power, it caused Ron's words to turn dejected once more.
"But even so, it doesn't mean we can actually succeed..."
"Without the help of the Life Simulation Game, I'm just an ordinary person. How could I possibly accomplish such a great feat..."
Hearing Ron's words, Herta couldn't help but frown, sensing something was wrong.
"What are you talking about, Ron?"
"I don't know why you suddenly have this idea... but you are by no means an ordinary person."
"So what if you don't have the Life Simulation Game? What's the difference between the so-called simulations and reality anyway... In the last simulation, wasn't it you who personally bet everything as a stake to forge the Guiding Spirit Lantern?"
"The moment you became [Salvation], wasn't it you who answered the wishes of this entire sea of stars? What on earth are you agonizing over!"
"...You're right."
"What am I doubting... What am I agonizing over?"
That golden sigil in Ron's mind was already flickering, unable to suppress his own thoughts.
The facts Herta spoke of were like a sharp knife, directly piercing through the illusion that was affecting his mind.
His consciousness gradually cleared, his thoughts returning to normal—recalling the inexplicable self-doubt from just a moment ago, Ron couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"The rewards from the Life Simulation Game are influencing me... It wants me to back down out of fear of the difficulty, Herta."
"But... it's because of this that I've discovered something. It's actually scared."
Ron looked at Herta, and a smile that was truly his—confident and in complete control—finally appeared on his face.
"You're right, Herta..."
"Since the Tree of Existence is already twisted, why don't we just burn it to ash and give this sea of stars the new, unshackled life it was always meant to have?"
"I have a plan now, Herta."
He said, extending a hand toward her.
"I'll listen to you... Let's go turn this world upside down."
"Let's... burn the Tree of Existence to ash!"