Chapter 224: Wish

Chapter 224: Wish

"Wait! How do I fit into all this? How do I stop myself from even becoming the Tyrant of the End?"

For some reason, the being Bianca fought had yet to unleash his full might. And surprisingly it focused more on Bianca than on himself.

[To put it bluntly, the only one who can stop the Tyrant of the End is the Tyrant of the End. You have both his abilities and memories.]

"That doesn’t make sense. If everything you showed me is correct, then the moment I ascend to Peak Twilight, I will become the Tyrant of the End. I saw them, Dr. Magnolia. There were versions of me that wanted to stop!"

Somehow, among the one hundred and twenty-five versions of Elian Reed, some of them grew tired of war. Rather than subjugate the Crucible, they instead retired to small, uninhabited islands in silence.

Even as Origin used the System to stop the other worlds from bothering those Elians, his mere existence caused the world to change. Battle-hungry lunatics from various worlds would chase the trail of the "Strongest Being" that even the System was terrified of.

They hunted him only to die by Elian’s hand.

It took time, but eventually Elian would resign himself to the fact that he could not retire. From that point on, the same beats to the end played, dooming the world in the process.

[I know. I helplessly watched as it all as it unfolded. Much like my brother theorized, it is as if the universe itself has thrust this role upon you. No matter what we did or whatever choice you made, it always led to the same conclusion.]

As if fate itself deemed Elian to be the avatar of its destruction.

Elian shook violently. Despite being in Adamant, his emotions continued to crush his heart. Guilt, sorrow, and above all, fear. Not for any enemy nor the universe, but for himself.

"I am not even sure I can kill your brother. He is a being so powerful he can be called a god. Unlike the other Elians, I am only at Peak Radiant; I just got to Level 50."

[I wouldn’t worry about that. I told you, didn’t I? To ensure this world’s Elian—you turned out to be different; I did everything I could. As nothing in the other universes could change your fate, I turned to using the only other variable similar to you.]

At Dr. Magnolia’s words, everything clicked.

The various universes all failed to change the fate of Elian Reed. He would always end up becoming a golem under Bianca Valestra. The names and how they have met differed, but the content was the same. Iteration after iteration, like a cheap, badly recycled plotline.

Elian would be turned into a golem under duress. And Bianca would die as a consequence of his eventual spiral into depression when his wife moved on without him.

But it only dawned on him that in this world, that wasn’t the case.

The Tyrant looked up above and saw the woman desperately fighting for his honor. Unlike the other versions of him, he didn’t have a lover in his life when he became a golem.

She was his lover — and this time, he became a golem not by coercion but by choice.

There was no need for Elian to resent Bianca for stealing his happiness; she was the very thing that all other Elians so desperately sought.

All of a sudden, Elian’s mind became clear.

So long as Bianca Valestra, the emotional Anchor in this world, existed, there was no way Elian Reed would just accept the Tyrant of the End’s reasoning.

This meant only one thing. Even if he killed Origin at this moment, he would not become a replica of the Tyrant of the End. No, far from it; he instead became his complete opposite.

And it all stemmed from having an Anchor. It all began and ended with her.

"... just how far back have you seen this?"

[If there is one thing immortality gives you, it is the time to think,]

"Then why didn’t you tell your brother about this plan—I see, that’s why he is careful in hurting her. Because he knows just how much rides on Bianca’s safety."

[Indeed. However, he and I have vastly different goals, Elian. I told you before I had more than a hundred lives to think about this. And the conclusion I came to was simply this. There should only be one universe, and mankind isn’t meant to be immortal.]

"..."

The voice of the brilliant doctor sounded soft and light. But as a witness to the incredibly long journey of Dr. Magnolia, Elian knew just how much was behind her simple words.

He couldn’t help but clench his jaw in reflex. As if to blunt the truth he was about to hear.

"Then what is your goal? And what is Origin’s?"

[As the absolute being in this world, I could only hide my plan until my brother lived as a human. So, I married the strongest breaker and shaped this world as I needed it. I took charge of bringing Bianca into this world and gave her both Alchemist and Psychomancer.]

"I see. You shorten the time it normally takes for Bianca to get the Forged potion."

[Yes, I gave her everything she needed ahead of time. And created the stage for her to be trapped in that dungeon. It was difficult, but I used Trevor and the school to ensure you would be left for dead, all to be 99% sure you two would meet in your darkest hour.]

At Dr. Magnolia’s words, the grim realization hit. It caused Elian to grit his teeth in anger.

All for her own purposes, this woman played god and orchestrated the lives he and Bianca would lead. It was selfish and cruel, but it allowed her to fulfill her objective. It was Machiavellianism at its worst.

"Then your death, the big three and their actions, Bianca’s terrible origin in this universe, are all your fault. You two-faced lying backstabber," he growled like a beast, "The end justifies the means, huh? Even if you screwed over the very people you want to help."

Elian didn’t know the whole picture, but among the various iterations, he saw the lives that the other Biancas led. Although they all ended with her becoming the Villainess, most had relatively normal beginnings.

From typical country girls wishing to become rich to aloof heiresses who desire only to prove themselves. None of them had lives as bleak as his Bianca.

She usually gained Eternal through different means, and her second job also wasn’t Alchemist but Archmage. That meant if this despicable excuse for a person hadn’t interfered, Bianca could have lived a normal life!

And while he understood why Dr. Magnolia had to do it, the good doctor hadn’t seen the wounds it inflicted on his beloved’s soul.

The end justifies the means. It was only at this moment that Elian began to refute this saying with every fiber of his being. Causing Bianca to experience so much suffering all to save the world, which was something he could not accept.

Dr. Magnolia paused, then held her hands up as a gesture of peace.

[Wait! This is important; though I tried to extend his life, Alfred Valestra suddenly died one day, releasing my brother back into this world. I need you to know I did everything to stop him.]

"Do I look like I give a crap about your twisted sense of morals?" he snarled.

[I can understand why you are angry, Elian. Truly I do; I have never had a daughter in any of my lives, but Bianca is as close as I have ever been. I loved her with all my heart, if it’s any consolation. I gave my life as payment for my sins to her. ]

"Then tell her that yourself, you freaking coward! How dare you claim to love the person you heartlessly used and threw away! She feels guilty for all the crap you put her through! If you weren’t dead, I would bring you back just to kill you again!"

[I beg for your forgiveness for harming your wife, Elian. If there were any other way, I would have done it so. I—]

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Elian’s heart began to constrict as his rage grew too much to be kept at bay. His body rippled as the bloodlust radiated from him. However, as he saw what Dr. Magnolia had seen, he knew he was being irrational.

After all, if she didn’t do all that she did in this world, he wouldn’t have met the wonderful woman he had. Instinctively, he found himself turning towards her mana signature; she was still in the air but had ceased to move, much like he had earlier.

His eyes next turned to Origin, who was talking to his wife as he crept closer to her.

[As I said at the beginning, Elian. Time is short. My brother wishes to take your wife hostage into a void hidden in a pocket dimension.]

"..."

[He believes that by using her, he can keep you at bay. Despite being at his most powerful, he fears you with every breath in his immortal body.]

Elian could believe that. And considering what he knew, Origin was correct. If the psychotic lunatic took Bianca away, he would play nice, at least until he got Bianca back.

After that, I will end him for good.

"Ah..."

But then a flash of inspiration hit; Elian’s mind saw a possibility he had not seen before. An obvious loophole he had never noticed.

The system’s words to the Tyrant of the End echoed in Elian’s mind.

[The multiverse would collapse and revert back to being only a single universe. The state of all surviving worlds will determine what gets recreated in the last reality.]

"What happens if I kill Origin before becoming the Tyrant of the End?"

At his words, Dr. Magnolia smiled.

[As expected of the Tyrant I created. This is what I spent my entire life preparing for. This universe is the way it is, all for this moment.]

All at once, an unfathomable surge of power raced through Elian’s veins. He could feel strength flooding his body faster than his mind could understand. Like a drug, his body reacted in ecstasy and filled him with a sense of omnipotence.

[Now I will return what should have been yours from the beginning, along with my final hope. Elian Reed, you are correct. In the other universes, the only way for you to beat my brother was to use the legacy of the Tyrant of the End, but—that is no longer the case.]

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Like alarm bells, system messages began to pop up. Confirming what Elian felt with his body and soul.

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 55 and have reached the Dusk rank! Would you like to choose your 3rd job?]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 60!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 70!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 80!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 82 and have reached the Twilight rank! Would you like to choose your 4th job?]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 90!]

[You have leveled up! You are now Level 100!]

"!!!!"

[The reason Earth has remained weak despite all its lust for battle. The reason everyone in the first generation, including my husband, died without any achievements, the reason why Heaven’s fist could not get stronger...]

"It can’t be..."

While his mind understood, Elian’s rationality couldn’t.

[Even now, your own legions have had their experience reduced by 95%. Every single bit of experience for the last fifty years has been siphoned from every world, every fighter in this entire universe, all for this one single moment.]

All this time, Elian wondered why Earth stagnated. The humans were by no means lazy, but their results were pitiful. Despite being able to unify the world, he found them weak.

Now he understood why.

Dr. Magnolia’s reveal changed everything. If before every person caused his suffering, now he stole without remorse from the entire universe. Every single point of experience was paid for in blood, sweat, and tears.

They sacrificed and were denied their futures all to give him a shot at saving this last reality.

It could truly be said to have been a legacy as grand as the Tyrant of the End’s.

But it didn’t stop there, what Elian saw next was equally shocking. The old woman in the video suddenly bowed her head in reverence to him.

[Elian Reed. My goal is to right the mistake that began with my wish. There shouldn’t be multiple universes to begin with. And there shouldn’t be a Crucible that destroys them. All this began with my foolishness and should end with a me bearing all responsibility to make it all right.]

Dr. Magnolia then broke down in tears as she sobbed pitifully. If that were not enough, the old woman left her seat and got on her knees as she continued.

[I will not ask for your forgiveness as I have no right. My selfish wish and negligence harmed my family and caused so much death and suffering across universes as a result. Giving you this chance is the only thing I can do. I can’t even fight myself in this universe; So please, I beg you...]

Despite being one of the two absolute beings who gave birth to the multiverse, the living echo hiding in the Crucible’s system, Dr. Magnolia placed her head to the ground. She did not command nor request but beg.

Her voice trembled, and her breathing was ragged.

Like a vagrant, a weakling without an ounce of power, she begged.

[Please save this universe. Please do not let the only memory of my brother be a tyrant who played with the lives of so many innocents. Please let his legacy be a kind brother who went along with his foolish sister’s selfishness.]

She had passed on for decades by this point, yet she still did everything humanly possible to bring about this outcome. This one final chance, even if it meant descending into absolute moral bankruptcy in order to do so.

The regret and grief she carried would crush weaker men under its weight. But still she begged him, all to take responsibility for the evils she unknowingly created.

[For your wife in this world, Bianca Valestra... for your family... for all that you love... for the legacy of hope this universe has painstakingly forged. Please, my Tyrant, I beg you. Save this universe and free my brother from his fate. And save us all from the Tyrant of the End.]

"..."