'Origin Seeker!'
「 Are you sure you want to use Origin Seeker on her?! 」
Emily asked in a worried and slightly fearful tone
The time of the world around Philip has already stopped and his two right fingers were about to touch Ariii's forehead. He temporarily cancelled [Rule Breaker] to invoke ⟨⟨ Origin Seeker ⟩⟩
'Why?'
「 If you use Origin Seeker on her, she'll over power it and she'll also be able to use it. Meaning, she'll also be able to seek your origin, one way or another! Do you want her to see your past? 」
'Hm... I feel like I don't want that, but it's fine...'
「 Fine? 」
'Yeah. She has seen most of my memories after all. Besides, I want to know what she'll see in my actual origin... Origin is not about your past or memories after all... It's the very root of your being. The Origin. The Genesis. The Source'
「 ... 」
'So, I'll seek her origin too and what she means!'
「 Origin Seeker 」
Philip's right fingers touched Ariii's forehead. A bright white light flashed and dyed the world white. Everything around Philip was sucked into the point of his fingers, except for his room or the mansion
This seemed normal from Philip's perspective, but this time, it's very different
Whenever Philip uses ⟨⟨ Origin Seeker ⟩⟩, his and the person he's using it on, will stay in the real world in a suspended animation. Outside perspective won't know the difference because once Philip is successful in seeking origins, only a second has passed
Although, this time, Philip and Ariii completely disappeared, like they teleported somewhere or they actually physically travelled into the past
At this moment, everything that Philip set up to intimidate Ariii completely disappeared from his room. What's left is his clean room and Tenshi's unconscious body, after Philip used [Soul Corridor] to use her maximum power
*Whoosh*
A slight breeze from the air-conditioning unit soothingly spread around the dimly lit room
~~~
After Philip used ⟨⟨ Origin Seeker ⟩⟩, he saw the kaleidoscopic hyperspace fill his vision. In a moment, he found himself in a desolate wasteland
The wasteland is far from ordinary. There were no signs of life nor any ruined structures or buildings. There weren't even any large land masses like hills or mountains. Only a large expanse of lifeless plains as far as the eye could see. Though, there are hundreds or thousands of what seemed as destruction across the earth
Craters of varying sizes, craters insife craters, giant fissures and cracks that vary in sizes from a few inches to several kilometers that it could almost be mistaken as ravines, cliffs, or caves
There weren't any bodies of water or bodies of liquid that are common in wasteland settings, like acid pools, chemical lakes, or lava oceans. Everything is dry and the atmosphere is dry that there are no clouds forming
The dark sky that's slightly tinged in red could be seen. The visibility of the surroundings are lowered as there's seem to be a reddish fog, mist, or gas that's present in the entire wasteland
Everything looks red, empty, and blurry
There also weren't dead trees, but there are several distinct objects scattered across the earth. Skeletan remains that belong to humanoid beings, mostly from what looks like demons or devils because of the structure of the bones. There are wings, claws from their fingers, and varrying horns on their skulls
There are thousands of equipments such as armor, weapons like swords, spears, and lot more variety, flags, cloth, and broken mechanisms like gears, wheels, carriages, skeleton that resembles blimps or aircrafts, and giant skeletal remains
Philip quickly looked around to see if Ariii is in his vicinity, but to no avail. Looks like this very landscape is her origin
At this moment, the ground kept popping like popcorn and it sounded like explosions were happening from underneath the ground. The popping sounds then recoiled and zipped backwards until a giant mountain formed in the horizon. The ground where the popping sounfs came from then opened cracks and fissures, but it didn't open wide enough to engulf the dead bodies and carcasses
The mountain grew several hundreds of kilometers into the sky. It was then that the mountain crumbled from the looks of it, but instead, the landmass fell to the side only to reveal a giant creature with countless of horns on its forehead
Its eyes blared to the extreme that it could be mistaken as the Sun. Another mountain grew faster beside it and towered over it, but like what happened to it, the second mountain collapsed and revealed a gigantic weapon of epic proportions
"RAAAAAWWWR!!!"
The creature screamed and swung its weapon down forcefully that it generated an extreme shockwave that it almost blasted Philip away, who is several thousands of miles away
As soon as the weapon hit the ground, light flashed and resembled a nuclear explosion. The very planet that Philip's standing on seemed to be collapsing or in the verge of self-destruction
A tsunami of land, earth, and dust came after and uprooted the entire crust until it reached Philip
"..."
Philip knows that from seeking origins, none of the beings, except gods, could interact with him or directly affect him. Though, terrain, tangible and intangible objects, and external stimuli could affect him
He raised his hand and created a shield to block the incoming tsunami of land that's coming his way
「 Mana Actualization: Anti-Physical Barrier 」
*CRASH*
The tsunami of land forcefully crashed on his barrier and left a cone of unaffected land behind him. The barrier almost cracked
The land that was affected by the tsunami changed drastically from a rather rough terrain to spikier and rougher terrain
In no time at all, another flash of light emerged from the head of the creature in the horizon. This time, the creature seemed to he stumbling backwards
At that moment, an explosion like a volcano, erupted on the torso of the creature and red light beamed into space. The explosion was followed by several chaotic shockwaves that rocked even the air itself that Philip had to create more barriers
Philip continued to watch and he could see a red projectile shooting out from the creature. The projectile was shimmering and based on his [Supreme Sense of Calculation], the projectile is directly coming his way, about 10 meters behind him, on the cone of unaffected land
Philip narrowed his eyes until the projectile crashed and created a cloud of dust. He decided to not do anything since he's wary of beings that might be in Ariii's origin
Though, the cone of unaffected land behind him is already an eyesore of a sign that something strange happened in this spot
"..."
The dust cloud dissipated quickly and a muscular man emerged
He has sinister red eyes that seemed to be eternally burning, white spiky hair that's tainted with blood and embers from flame. The man has four arms, the additional pair of arms are growing from his shoulders, or the back of his shoulders
He has tattoos carved across his arms and torso that looks like it's burning or being lit up like charcoal
On his lower left arm, he's carrying a baby, a child that's wrapped and protected by her obsidian wings. She has long horns and white eyelashes
'Could it be?'
「 Yes 」
Philip's seeing baby Ariii on the hands of this four armed man
'Then this man...'
[Who are you?]
"!!!!!"
The man suddenly shifted his head toward Philip and asked him with burning eyes. Though, his tone seemed to be gentle, but behind that tone is immeasurable rage and anger
[Answer me!]
"F-fate Controller..."
For the first time in a while, Philip felt slight fear that he stuttered
[Fate Controller???]
The man asked in a curious yet furious tone
[Were you behind all of this?!!!]
The man's voice increased in several octaves from anger
"N-no... I came from the future"
[Future...]
The man's voice returned to being gentle
[The Fate Controller that came from the future??? Why?!!]
"..."
Philip pointed at baby Ariii
[??!!!]
The man's anger increased as he's coming to a misunderstanding. Philip immediately explained himself
"Your daughter... Your 999th child... She chose me as her Desecration Bachelor and told me the truth about the Demon Realm and the devils"
Seeing as how the man is holding baby Ariii and how he became angry and protective over her, Philip came to a conclusion that this man is her guardian
From how he defeated the giant creature that looks like the most evil devil from the horizon that's capable to almost destroy this planet, his power would be astronomical. Therefore, this man would be the Demon God, Asura Srath
[Desecration Bachelor... Demon Realm and the devils... Ahh yes... Do you know?]
"Not yet... But I heard that the devils pinned their wrongdoings towards the Demon Realm. That is why you're currently rampaging and trying to set things right"
[Yes... I have no choice... I just want the best for my race and for the devils to leave us alone!]
Asura shouted, but that's just it. He released his anger from the shout without creating any disturbance around him
Asura looked defeated, exhausted, depressed, and on the brink of death
Ariii being a baby on this time frame means that Asura is close to death, as Ariii mentioned previously. Though, Philip doesn't know how Ariii was born nor he knows how demons proliferate
"Can you tell me the truth?"
[...]
Asura directly looked at Philip with sad eyes
[No... Not when you came from the future. You have to learn it on your own...]
"Then, do you know that your death is near?"
[Yes]
"Ariii chose me to become the father of her child and to become the next Demon God"
[Seems my child chose the correct person]
"You're not against it?"
Philip thought that Asura would've been furious that one of his daughters already chose a partner, like how father figures from manga and novels would act if they learned that their daughters have someone they're dating
[Why would I? Future Ariii is different from now... I know how to differentiate timelines...]
"...!"
Philip was impressed. Despite Asura being a muscle head, he seems to have incomparable wisdom and insight that unconventional topics for him like time doesn't affect or overwhelm him
[All I'm going to say is that demons and devils are different... That's why devils have evil in their names]
"That's what I said!"
It was at this point that Philip's vision instantly warped and changed scenery. Asura's final words distorted that Philip didn't understand it
~~~
"Father! Why do you keep on fighting! Your life force is almost depleted! You will die soon!"
Ariii's voice echoed in the the grand chamber that looked like the hall of a giant castle
Asura is sitting on his throne. He looked like he aged tremendously
Surrounding the throne are Asura's children. Though, not complete, a lot of them are present. Only a few from the 72 Great Demon Lords are present and none from the single digits are present
Philip watched silently from behind a pillar
[I have to do this to prove the point that the demon race is not evil!]
"But you're sacrificing your life for it! It's all in vain if it keeps on happening and all evil are being directed on you as collateral!"
[It's okay... As long as none of the evil are being spread to my children... All of you! Don't falter from the Inevitable Evil and fight against it!]
At this point, Philip's vision fast forwarded until it stopped on the same place that he was in, but this time, there are fewer Demon Lords that are present. None of the 72 Great Demon Lords are around and Ariii is next to Asura again
[Ariii...]
"Yes, father..."
Ariii is devoid of emotions. She addressed Asura formally, like something big happened within the time leap
[I have a commandment to provide...]
"I will tell everyone"
[All my daughters are needed to find suitable partners for the birth of their offspring... From now on, all my daughters will be called the Desecration Maidens]
"What? What for?!"
Ariii was flabbergasted, including the other Demon Lords that are present. They didn't know what Asura meant
"..."
Meanwhile, Philip clicked his tongue inwardly while on the verge of chuckling to himself
'That old man used the knowledge of the future from the past to make this decision, huh?'
「 It's basically a time loop with you being the constant 」
'Yes... From the beginning, this decision was made the moment when I seek Ariii's origin and this time loop will continue across unlimited timelines...'
「 A Nexus Point... 」
'...'
Philip was silent. He doesn't want to talk about Nexus Points as much as possible
[Since my death is nearing... The offsprings of the Desecration Maidens will become the candidates for the next Demon God... As to how you'll all decide that is up to you... None of my direct children will inherit the next throne, only their offsprings... This is my will]
"..."
No one rebutted or objected because Asura immediately mentioned that this is his will. Asura's words are absolute and none of the demons can go against it, even the 1st Great Demon Lord, Baal
"..."
Philip's vision fast forwarded again to the same place. This time, no one's left except for Asura's weak body and Ariii
Ariii's kneeling in front of Asura and Asura seemed unresponsive. It's like Asura is on the verge of death and several life support systems are connected to him
"Father..."
[...]
Asura couldn't respond. At this point, almost all of his children has been influenced by the Inevitable Evil, except for Ariii
"I promise... I promise that I will reclaim back the glory of the Demon Realm and clean the name of our race! I will take revenge on the devils and make you proud!!"
[...]
"That's why... T-that's why..."
Ariii began to burst into tears. Her white eyelashes glowed and her tears shimmered and twinkled
'Ariii's tears... I wonder how valuable or powerful those droplets are...'
「 ... 」
Philip had the thought after seeing Ariii's tears. Usually, tears from powerful beings can be used as powerful catalyst, just like how Natsuki's Flame Tears are like fire attributed Mana Stones and how the tears of an angel could heal any pain and cure any diseases
Seeing Ariii's white shimmering tears could possess incredible power
Of course, Philip is not that heartless, metaphorically. He still has empathy and he could feel the sadness from this scene
"So, father... Stay alive... Hick-"
Ariii bursted into tears as she tucked her head into Asura's left thigh
It was then that Ariii suddenly stopped sobbing when Asura placed his left hand on top of her head without energy, it's as if to caress her head and say that everything's going to be fine
Asura then pulled back his hand and Ariii stood up with fervor. Her face full of resolution and promised Asura one last time
She then stormed off out of the castle, leaving only Asura and Philip in the Grand Hall
[...]
"..."
Philip walked out of the corner from the darkness behind the pillar. He approached Asura, who has grown five times his size since the first time they met
Asura opened his eyes, when he didn't even open when Ariii was around
"You overexerted yourself... Look at you now"
[So, it's true... A time travelling Fate Controller...]
Asura spoke with great difficulty
[I never got to ask... What is your race?]
"Race? I believe I was originally a human... I still am now, but I don't know to what degree since I am also the 7th God of Darkness... Apparently I'm also a half demon? I don't know how true is that..."
[F-fasc...inating...]
Asura widened his eyes and gazed into the far distance
[A human... I was right...]
"Right about what?"
[The chosen one...]
"...?!"
Philip was surprised from Asura's words, though he doesn't know the true meaning of it. He doesn't know if he's pertaining to the [Ultimate Title: Fated Omega One] or the chosen one universally or generally
"What do you mean the chosen one?"
[Do not pretend... You know what I'm talking about... I'll leave the fate of the Demon Realm on your hands]
"What?!"
Asura then closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his body relaxed to a degree that his body will be in suspended animation to prolong his life even further
At this point, Philip's vision flashed and he found himself floating in a white world
'The World of Imagination... Is the Origin Seeker over??'
「 It shouldn't be... But from the looks of it, it actually has ended. It's the same as when you directly go straight to the World of Absolute Nothingness 」
'Then why the World of Imagination?'
「 The answer is right in front of you... 」
"..."
Philip strained his eyes and saw Ariii floating several hundred meters away from him. She's not moving, but her eyes are swirling in green light
'Green light... Could it be?'
「 She's seeking your own origin... 」
"..."
Philip's eyebrows furrowed. He doesn't like when he's being probed, especially if he doesn't know what is being probed
There is also a lingering feeling deep within him that's extremely itchy and uncomfortable that'll explode when Ariii is done seeking his origin
It's like the calm before the storm. Like an unknown that shouldn't be known
He only had this gut feeling considering his power and potential that has been happening for the past seven months, or since his childhood practically
It was alright if Ariii saw his deepest memories, but the very origin is different
What if he is some kind of indescribable entity or a simulated existence?
Philip is experiencing early signs of existential crisis, which shouldn't be possible since he's already completely aware of his being and the truth of the universe
It just goes to show how dreadful the aftermath of Ariii being able to seek Philip's origin
Curiosity also killed the cat and he couldn't stop taking the bait
Several hours has passed, Ariii showed signs of movement. It means that she is about to return from seeking his origin. Cracks also appeared across her eyes
Philip felt a pit in his stomach. His eyes began to swirl as it flickered in golden light. The black hole of negative emoions is slowly forming in a distance light years below him