The Cyber Ascension Arc 4 | Volume 4 | Chapter 31
"The Truth That Never Reveals"
The air was still, heavy with silence. The present Jin Yuan lay lifeless, collapsed on the cold metallic floor of the library. His giant katana rested beside him, the blue thunderlight dimmed, as if mourning its master.
Above him, Future Jin Yuan sheathed his colossal katana with deliberate precision. His mind raced, calculating, cold yet strangely calm.
Hm… even if I kill my own past self… I won't die here.
He remembered the instant his past self had touched the Fate Sphere. The merging had tethered him across timelines—past, present, and future now bound in one fragile web.
He merged with the Fate Sphere… now I can strike every version of myself without fear. I'll finally fulfill my dream…
And like a shadow folding into itself, Future Jin Yuan disappeared, leaving only a whisper of his presence.
---
The rest of the students arrived, breathless and tense. Their eyes fell upon the body of the present Jin Yuan, and the weight of reality struck them like a hammer.
Emily's legs trembled as she ran to him, collapsing onto his lifeless form, tears streaming freely.
Emily: "Jin Yuan! What happened!? Why… why are you leaving me like this!?"
Her sobs echoed through the library, reverberating off the endless walls of books. She held him close, unwilling to let go, as though sheer will could bring him back.
Nashino stepped closer, voice tight with disbelief.
Nashino: "I… I can't believe he's dead…"
Yuzurei's fists clenched, knuckles white, a storm of anger barely restrained.
Yuzurei: "Tch… that bastard… who the hell allowed him to die?"
His voice carried both rage and grief, the edge of control barely holding.
Youchina remained silent, watching Emily's grief, her calm demeanor masking the turmoil beneath.
Shioinkin's gaze flicked to the fallen Jin Yuan, analytical yet heavy with emotion.
Shioinkin: "Maybe Shinjukuna did this?"
Musukoni shook his head, tone low, precise.
Musukoni: "No… if Shinjukuna had done this, it wouldn't have been just him. Look around. Nothing else was destroyed. Jin Yuan… he died suddenly. Something unexpected happened."
Shinoki gently rubbed Yuzurei's back, her presence a soothing balm.
Shinoki: "Yuzu-kun… it's okay… just breathe."
Emily slowly stood, wiping tears from her face. Together, the students closed their eyes for a single moment, a silent tribute to the fallen. Then, hesitantly, they returned to the world of the living, carrying the heavy weight of loss within them.
Musukoni's voice broke the fragile silence.
Musukoni: "Aren't we taking his body?"
Shioinkin: "We can't… carrying his body across the Blue Realm is impossible. Not now."
Unseen by them, Future Jin Yuan observed from above, perched atop a gleaming skyscraper that stretched impossibly into the mist. His eyes, cold and unyielding, swept the survivors below.
Future Jin Yuan: "Hm… I will wipe out the entire Earth…"
A shiver ran through the air, a warning carried on the currents of fate. Every student sensed the scale of what was coming—but none could stop it.