I could see everything.
Omniscience granted me the power to 'know' everything I want to know. I have seen countless futures since the moment I got it.
However, it was also detrimental to my mental state. Most God Kings are detached from the world that they only held a slight amount of connection to the people who were with them.
In the end, they show tendencies to become an emotionless machine, a being whose only purpose in life is to achieve a certain goal. It was completely wrong to 'want' a normal life when they already have this power.
As such, I tried my best to limit its impact on my personal life. I only tried to peek into my future with others several times before I stopped.
While I saw the future where this current scenario was happening…
"Phew… I'm glad Riveria agreed…"
…looking at Tiona in my arms, I thought for a while before I responded. I looked at the completely silent Aiz beside me. She wore her usual expressionless look, but it contained something else.
'Was she… no doubt about it.'
Aiz is jealous.
Although she herself expressed her willingness to enter this relationship when I also have others… it seems like she would be the competition of Manaka when it comes to pouting and such…
Just as I expected, Aiz's expressionlessness turned into a pouting face. She didn't say a word as she hugged me from behind.
When Tiona saw this, I could see guilt in her eyes.
"Aiz…"
"...Next time. I want to be carried by Nobu next time."
Thus, the first difficult challenge in a while ended.
*****
It has been a few days since that incident.
It was the first time I encountered something like that. Well, it was the first when it comes to 'direct confrontations'. There are instances when one of my lovers became jealous… which was also placated in private.
Just like now…
"Hm~?"
Manaka, who was sitting on my lap, turned around and looked at me.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought of something important."
Knowing her perceptiveness and her specialty when it comes to 'knowledge', I chose to be more discreet about it. Though, this 'excuse' remained to be a real concern of mine.
"Nothing had changed. Everything that I knew remained the same."
"The final boss?"
"Yes." I replied to her. "It serves to reason that it could reach the same conclusion as me… knowing all the endings and likes."
From that day, my preparations were taken. Numerous countermeasures were laid out just for the scenarios where the future changes.
Nevertheless, no such changes occurred.
"Mn… It is a cunning enemy. It doesn't want to show its tail when we are well-prepared." She commented. "It should make a move. If it were me, I would not miss that chance."
Manaka continued moving on my lap until her back touched my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her hair as well as the sight from downwards her neck.
Without saying much, I hugged her. It felt similar to hugging a doll, which wasn't wrong considering how cute Manaka is.
If it were not for the hidden madness underneath her usual look, she might have been more popular in her world.
It's not like it mattered, though.
The best thing someone could do is to follow something that makes them the happiest. For me, it was the company of irreplaceable people in my life.
Whatever it takes…
I will make sure to protect them all.
The sound of alarms rang out all over Altair. We are currently sitting on the captain's deck without a single person. Now, the entire screen was littered with several 'warning' signs.
It didn't take long before a familiar virtual figure appeared on the screen.
"Several abnormalities have been detected, goshujin-sama."
A hint of humanity resounded from her voice.
After a year and a half of operating Altair, she was extremely familiar with its protocols. It seems that she could also communicate with her parallel self, the other Miku who became responsible for 'merging' all worlds into one.
'Wait a minute..?'
A sudden change startled me.
This…
The twelfth calamity?
If I weren't wrong, this is the twelfth calamity. It was the one who caused the disturbance just now.
But…
'It should still be four days later..!'
"...Nobu."
"It's alright."
I didn't need to see Manaka's expression to tell that she was worried. We were talking about it moments ago.
Before I could say another word, I sensed yet another thing. The moment I did so, I was brought into a completely dark space. A certain power 'brought' my existence into this 'space'.
Everything took an instant to happen.
"This is..!"
I wouldn't be mistaken at this time.
This place…
This place..!
Hum-!
It took an instant for me to 'phase' out of this space. As if everything was an illusion, I was brought back to Manaka's side.
Immediately, I felt a strong grasp on my hand. I met her eyes and saw how frantic she had become.
"Nobu, you..!"
"It's alright."
I said my previous words as I patted her head. After some time, she stood up from my lap, to which I followed.
"Nobu!"
The first one to arrive was Suimei. He was still in the middle of taking care of his tie as he arrived.
"That thing just now… I wouldn't mistake it for something else."
"It is what it is." I replied. "If we consider things, it was already long overdue."
An interference.
I have seen countless futures. From those futures, there wasn't any form of 'deviation'. Each calamity descended on time. There weren't any abnormalities when it comes to their strength.
At best, we could induce their descent to be earlier than the original time. It gave us enough time to prepare for the stronger calamities.
Seeing a calamity descend earlier doesn't surprise or bother us.
However, that scenario happened without our interference. It could only mean that something else had intervened.
If it were not us…
"That thing's already eager to make its entrance."
It was the End. the personification of the Twilight Syndrome. The condensation of its concept.
It was the fourteenth calamity… and the one responsible for my other selves' demise.
It was at this moment did it finally strike.
Just then, I could feel that power trying to drag me into that 'space' yet again. That place, something I dubbed as the 'Finality Space' was basically the 'Domain Expansion' utilized by the End's personification.
In that place…
Once you meet your end, there is no going back. It was a 'Domain' that granted a sure-kill effect even when it comes to inviolable beings (i.e., World Magisters).
That was the main reason why one of the parallel Suimei was severely injured, to the point his arm itself could not be regenerated by any means.
It was the space that brought back the feeling of mortality.
'It's stronger..?'
Despite being stronger than before, it was easily resisted compared to before.
'It's really forcing a one-versus-one fight…'
"Again… What's going on, Nobu?!"
Suimei asked as he also 'saw' what was going on.
"It's pulling me in. It's challenging me… by doing this."
Time is no longer a constraint when it comes to my thought process. I was able to deduce countless possibilities on why this happened.
In the end…
'Did it see those parallel worlds too? If so… a being on the same level as me? Or is it even stronger?'
For the nth time, the feeling of uncertainty swept over my mind. It was the first thing that I wasn't able to keep under control, basically a threat that was looming on top of my head.
'...Why am I like this?'
Just because of that bad end…
…
"Hah…"
I saw the questioning gazes of the three people, Suimei, Manaka, and Miku, inside the control room.
I… Didn't I go through this many times already?
Way back in the past, I faced these challenges with only the information advantage from my iterations (futures).
For the first time in a long while…
'Something like this shouldn't be feared..!'
To fight against my strongest enemy…
To protect everything I hold dear…
Something half-assed would not suffice at all!
If so…
'My preparations or your strength…'
I will know the answer now.
"Suimei. Get ready to deal with the twelfth and thirteenth."
"You really… You will duke out with that thing now?" He asked.
"I have no choice. Since it targeted me, the best I could do is a stalemate. There'll be a time I won't be able to resist its pull. It's best to fight it out with it when my strength is still preserved."
Thinking of the surprises I found on my own, I became more firm in taking my stand against the [End]. I didn't form any connection up until this moment, thus it became one of my biggest trump cards.
I turned to look at Manaka who fell silent from the beginning.
With her special eyes, I knew she saw through what was going to happen.
"Manaka."
I placed both my hands on her shoulders.
"I have a request."
"...Okay."
"Please explain everything to others." I said. "I don't know if my countermeasures would work once I enter… but just in case…"
"...No."
I paused upon hearing her response.
"You will have to tell them yourself." She pouted. "You will have to return to us."
It took me a while to process it, to which I only smiled.
"You're right."
I couldn't help but see how cute she is, giving me no chance to resist the chance to kiss her.
Only the operation of the machines within the control room resounded. It was a chilling silence, but it fitted perfectly with that kiss.
As for Suimei… he went out for a moment.
Hum-!
Once again, I felt that 'pulling force' out of nowhere.
There's no way I would allow it to interfere with this precious time.
Click.
'You will have to wait more, even if you're the incarnation of the [End].'
*****
Click-!
Suimei, who stealthily went out, returned to the control room. Only, Nobu's figure was already long gone.
Seeing this, he let out a sigh.
Hum.
At this moment, a connection was formed with his other self.
"Something bad is happening, doesn't it?"
The voice of the other Suimei rang in his ears. He was the one responsible for guiding the current Suimei into making… better decisions.
Unfortunately, he was merely a parallel self. His connection with 'this world' could easily be tampered with.
After all, the [End] they are fighting is completely different with the [End] from another parallel world. The parallel world projections were, in the end, merely 'projections'. It could easily be 'cut off' by the [End] in and of itself.
"Nobu… he was forced to fight against the [End]. Alone."
"..."
For a moment, Suimei could only hear silence on the other side.
"...So it has begun."
Just like the fate of the parallel world Nobu—
"Hey, Yakagi-san. Could you do something?"
Manaka's voice suddenly interrupted the talks between the two Suimei. Somehow, they knew that the one Manaka was talking to was the Suimei from another parallel world.
"I could see… you reached the same level as My Prince."
"...You are right. I did reach the same level as him."
It was during the thirteenth calamity. The one they faced was the incarnation of the [Entropy] concept. Its power was to make all energy fall into the state of entropy. Therefore, they were rendered useless—be it magical energy, cursed energy, or any other form of energy.
It was a desperate battle that Suimei was forced to resolve most of the issues that prevented him from achieving the [World Magister] status.
Due to that battle, he was able to directly become a [World Magister] during the battle with the [End].
"As for the solution… There is none applicable at this moment."
His answer silenced the two… no, the three people within the control room.
"The one he's fighting… no, the thing we fought… It left no mistakes. All the loopholes we thought of became nothing…"
The other Suimei suddenly paused.
"...except for one."
Just like riding a rollercoaster, his response gave them something to look forward to.
"But first… you will have to know its purpose."
Why was the Twilight Syndrome even a thing?
It was something that bugged countless magicians since time immemorial. It was only when they fought against it themselves did they get the answer.
"The Twilight Syndrome… It was a natural thing." He explained. "If there is a beginning, then there is an [End]. It was a natural disaster that sought to bring [End] before the world reaches its natural end."
The natural end referred to the 'stagnation' the world could experience after a period of time. If there are no longer any mysteries left to uncover, there won't be any improvements to be made in the future. It would lead to a period of stagnation, which would spell the 'end' of all things.
Simply put…
"The end is inevitable."