"End Eight!"
The voice echoed again through the white space. The new Elric, eyes wide with growing disbelief, shouted once more—louder this time, with more force. "End Eight!"
Silence followed. Complete and absolute silence.
A third time. "End Eight!" Then a fourth. "END EIGHT!"
Nothing happened at all. Only stark, oppressive silence remained to remind him of his failure. The command that should've instantly ejected him from any VR simulation failed to trigger anything whatsoever—not even the slightest flicker of response, not a single system notification.
The unease that had been building steadily inside his chest finally bubbled up completely, settling like a heavy weight pressing down behind his ribs. This... isn't VR at all?
He gritted his teeth hard. When virtual reality technology was first introduced to his world decades ago, governments worldwide had enacted extremely strict global laws to prevent potential abuse. Among the most critical mandatory safety protocols was the inclusion of a hardwired, universal logout command built into every device. No matter what type of VR system you were using, no matter how immersive or advanced, shouting "End Eight" would forcefully terminate the simulation immediately.
Every single certified VR device was legally required to have a physical override component that recognized this specific command. So unless someone had somehow built a completely illegal system, or physically removed the override mechanism—a practically impossible feat without elite-level technical access and resources—this should've worked. It had to work.
And he wasn't valuable enough to be specifically targeted by something this elaborate anyway. At least, he didn't think he was. Even if his father was a big shot in the corporate world, it had nothing to do with him personally. Maybe some desperate poor people might try something like this for ransom, but they wouldn't have the resources or technology to pull it off convincingly. And anyone who actually had the power and resources to do this would know full well that his father didn't care about him enough to give a damn if something happened to him. His father had made that abundantly clear throughout his entire life.
And yet the command didn't work. Does that mean... this is all actually real?
He started scanning his surroundings much more attentively now, searching desperately for even the faintest clue or inconsistency. Until one of the other Elrics finally broke the tense silence.
"Which world are you from?"
The question cut cleanly through his spiraling thoughts. His heart, already racing from stress, now thudded even faster in his chest—but this time from a spark of something completely different. Something like excitement.
Wait... is this my cheat?
A wild thought burst suddenly into his mind. In his past life on Earth, he'd read plenty of light novels and web fiction—countless stories of protagonists who died, crossed into other worlds, and unlocked powerful cheat abilities. At first, he had genuinely thought he was the exception to that rule. Sixteen full years had passed since he transmigrated to this new world, and he'd seen absolutely no sign of anything remotely like a cheat ability.
Until now. Until this exact moment. Is this it? Is this finally the start of something?
He had only recently recovered his past life's memories—just a few months ago. And although he was starting to carefully lay down foundations for what he hoped would be an extraordinary life, he hadn't fully trusted his circumstances yet.
And honestly, his current life wasn't that bad either. He had been born into an extremely wealthy family in a dystopian future world, a world where the divide between the rich and the poor was absolutely stark and brutal. The rich did literally whatever they pleased. The poor lived like livestock, exploited and discarded. His father didn't care much about him personally—barely acknowledged his existence most days—but in this world, there weren't many things money couldn't buy or accomplish. So he couldn't say he missed his previous life too much.
But given how many people envied his position—or outright hated him for it—he had always remained extremely cautious and on guard. Even now, despite the strange nostalgic warmth he felt upon seeing these alternate versions of himself standing before him, he stayed wary. He would observe first. Trust later. That was the smart approach.
Marvel Elric, noticing the obviously wary expression on the newcomer's face, decided to step forward. He could relate to that feeling completely. When he had first arrived in this blank white space months ago, his thoughts had been just as paranoid and suspicious. Was he being abducted by cosmic entities? Celestials, maybe? Was some demon or devil behind it all? Fortunately, after giving One Piece Elric a solid punch to confirm things were real, everything had become clear.
So he chose to take the initiative now and explain properly.
"Hey, Elric," he began calmly, keeping his voice steady and non-threatening. "It's like this. We're all the same person fundamentally. After we were hit by that damn ice cream truck back on Earth, our soul split into countless fragments, scattered across different worlds and universes." He pointed to himself first. "I'm from the Marvel world. He's from the One Piece world." He gestured to One Piece Elric. "That little guy over there is from Naruto."
He extended his hand openly toward the newcomer. "If you still don't believe any of this, come here. Touch me. We can share our power and memories directly through physical contact. That'll clear absolutely everything up immediately."
The newest Elric stared at the offered hand for a long moment, his breathing steady and controlled. Somehow, deep down in his gut, he already believed it was true. From the very moment he had stepped into this strange white space, an indescribable sense of familiarity had washed over him completely. These strangers didn't feel like strangers at all. They felt like home. Like family.
Still, just before reaching out to accept the handshake, a sudden thought gave him serious pause. His expression shifted, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Wait. Before that... there might be a big problem here. A serious one." His voice was cautious. "Can you tell me exactly what kind of powers you guys currently have? Be specific."
Marvel Elric let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "My powers and One Piece Elric's abilities are honestly nothing to brag about right now. Pretty basic stuff. But... this little guy?" He gestured clearly at Naruto Elric, who blinked innocently up at them with his big red eyes. "He recently received the complete, full power of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. All of it."
A long, heavy silence settled over the group before the new Elric finally responded. His lips curled slightly upward into something that wasn't quite a smile—more like grim amusement.
"I see. That's... not very reassuring for me, actually."
The other three Elrics looked at each other with confused expressions. Are you from a very dangerous world or something? their faces seemed to ask.
The newest Elric took a slow breath. He looked each of them directly in the eye, one by one. Then he spoke clearly.
"I'm from the Overlord world."
The white space fell completely silent. Marvel Elric's eyes widened. One Piece Elric's jaw dropped slightly. Even young Naruto Elric sensed the sudden tension and stopped fidgeting.
"Overlord?" Marvel Elric repeated slowly. "As in... Ainz Ooal Gown? Nazarick? That Overlord?"
The new Elric nodded once. "That Overlord."
Another long silence. Then One Piece Elric let out a low whistle.
"Well...no shit."