Chapter 377: The Glittering Trigintaoctahedron

That was a story from long, long ago, in the crack of time.

Within the endless sea of time, the girl exchanged her own history and existence for a chance to change the past.

She returned to the distant Age of Gods, turned her back on the ruined remains of a world in despair, and from then on, the entity named Illya ceased to exist in any world.

Though she sometimes felt fear and loneliness, she had long made up her mind.

To ensure Miyo's world could endure, to protect her own world's family from threat, she willingly chose this.

Even if such a thing was too cruel for a elementary school student.

In the distant Age of Gods, Illya, who was striving to save the world and humanity, had become a spirit, accompanying Pan Duola, spending seasons with this "girl."

"Brother."

By the midnight bonfire, Illyasviel floated in the air, gazing up at the star-studded night sky above the sleeping Pandoralia.

Yesterday she missed Miyo and Kuro, today she missed her parents and brother again.

She looked at her arm—now transformed into nearly transparent wings—"The birthday gift my brother gave me is gone too."

That was only natural; after all, she no longer had a physical body, and that bracelet had likely fallen into the Sea of Time.

If she saved the future, what would the world without her become?

For the first time, she pondered this question: perhaps Miyo would live a happy sibling life with another "Weigong Shilang" in her own world, free from danger due to her identity as the Natural Holy Grail.

In her own world, her father and mother would still spend most of each year on their honeymoon, leaving the anxious Sera to manage everything at home, occasionally dieting over her weight.

After all, her brother's cooking was too delicious.

Lizbeth, a bit clueless, would no longer worry about someone stealing the TV—she'd become a homebound "hikikomori."

Her brother…

He's still popular, isn't he?

Rin, Luviagelita, Nana's older sister, and Matou Sakura all like him.

Who will Shilang marry in the future?

More and more restless thoughts surged forth—did she regret it? Of course there was regret; she had known from the moment she made her decision that she would regret her future.

"If I could, I really wouldn't want to give him to them."

"The Holy Grail can grant wishes, right? Then I'll wish to see my brother again."

"Just kidding—I hope my father, mother, brother, Sera, Liz… and everyone can all find happiness."

The spirit made a wish toward the stars; in this history destined to be erased, in this world where the gods had decayed, she folded her transparent wings forward in prayer.

"We're done, Illya!!!"

Within the Sea of Time where her consciousness resided, the long-absent voice of Tian Zhong echoed beside her.

Though she often seemed scatterbrained, her true identity was the planetary inhibitor Gaia—she had entered the Sea of Time with the aid of Gaia and Gilgamesh.

Though she had no idea why a planetary consciousness would possess such rich emotions—it was far too anthropomorphized.

"Tian Zhong, Young Lady?"

Illya saw the figure, wearing a gymnastics outfit and capable of gripping Mjölnir with one hand, swimming toward her from the darkness, clutching a "jellyfish" from the Sea of Time, her face filled with panic.

"We're finished! We're finished! We're finished, aaaaah!!!" Tian Zhong—or rather, Gaia—looked utterly desperate:

"That thing has stormed into the Sea of Time and is surging upstream!"

"It's not just these two insignificant planets—other planets are starting to destabilize too! We're done! The entire universe is going to collapse, aaaaah!!!"

"Alaya, that idiot, has already given up—even stopped sending Guardians to other timelines!!!"

"No, even the Guardians are flawed! What kind of trash did it pick when selecting them originally!!!"

"Who?!" Illya instantly tensed: "Darius?!"

She had finally mustered the courage to come here, abandoning everything.

Had all her efforts been in vain?

Fear spread through every corner of her being; even in the Sea of Time, where temperature meant nothing, she felt as if she had entered a frozen hell.

Had the future she changed not improved—but grown worse?

"There's only one way left, Illya Young Lady," Tian Zhong clenched her fist and said: "Stand with this universe—save the world!"

"Me?!" Illya asked urgently: "What can I still do?"

Could her prayers still work against an enemy of this magnitude?

"There's only one option left now: use the beauty trap!" Tian Zhong seized Illya's hand and said:

"According to reliable sources, the enemy is a lolicon and a siscon—please persuade this highly awakened being to join our side!"

"With some nurturing, you might even turn the tables and become the primordial consciousness, expelling those enemies outright and becoming the guardian of this universe!"

"Illya Young Lady, we're good friends, right? You'll stand with me, won't you?"

She had no idea why a planetary consciousness had become such a person.

"I refuse," came the cold voice from the girl: "A world that needs a girl's innocence to be saved is better off destroyed."

Whether a joke or serious, such words were nauseating.

She had done this for Miyo, for Kuro, and…

As the elementary schooler Illya felt powerless, Tian Zhong suddenly swam behind her, clutching the jellyfish on her head, trembling:

"He's coming for you!"

"For me?!! No! Absolutely not!!!" As Illya froze, within the stagnant, dark Sea of Time where history lingered six thousand years past, it was as if a shell had shattered—first, an astonishing coldness rose, then a slender beam of pure light pierced through.

Like celestial constellations passed down through ages, that faint light, whose meaning was unknown, existed only at the entrance—yet why…

"Illya!"

The girl's pupils shrank—she thought she heard someone calling her.

"Illya!!!"

Countless sword rays coalesced into sword forms, winding like lightning and piercing the darkness from afar.

Immediately after, ten-directional light illuminated the Sea of Time; endless streams of swords surged forth, constantly worn down by time yet continually replaced by new blades, inch by inch, extending toward this position.

"Iriya!!!"

This time, she truly heard it.

Deep within that torrent, wasn't there a golden-haired boy?!! Why is it Wang Jier-kun?!

The moment this thought arose, the golden-haired boy with lifeless eyes was tossed backward by a hand; the hand's owner broke free from the tide, shedding the blinding garment of light, his red hair bleached as if washed by radiance.

"Brother."

Still wearing his school uniform, his face had lost its youthfulness and gained maturity; the blade pierced through flesh and sprouted from his back, half his body crystallized as if resisting time, his only intact arm aging endlessly yet constantly regenerating.

Weigong Shilang stretched out his right hand toward the girl as if expending all his strength; though still a short distance away, he seemed desperate to touch her:

"Go home!"

"Do you remember what you once said?" Kleine approached Su Lin, who was busy on the Moon, and said: "You said to be cautious, to be careful, and to prevent those big shots from capturing you as a Five-Star Card vessel."

Su Lin, who was trying to use the imprisoned Star Soldier sealed within the Lunar Crystal as bait and tying it to the Law Chain to fish for the Star, paused and asked: "Did I say that? I'm not a Moon Worshipper, am I?"

"." Kleine abandoned the idea of reconstructing history; this man's position was now too high, and time and space bent at his will.

He shook his head, handed Su Lin the ritual core arranged by everyone during this time, and vanished.

It was a long sword with a black blade and a yin-yang fish at its hilt.

"Moye." Su Lin examined it, then casually refined the Law Chain into a long thread, tied it to the sword, pulled the fishing line, and hurled it toward the starry sky:

"The ritual feel of the classic skin."

"It'll have to do."

After the bait fell into the starry sky, darkness rippled, and vast Bai Mang surged like waves, covering this land of strife.

Beyond the universe, the light signals from the various changes near the Solar System had subtly altered; from the outer reaches measured in light-years, the Solar System remained the same Solar System.

"Finally out of that unchanging eternity, haha."

Su Lin sat cross-legged on the Moon, propping his chin with one hand; even as a phantom, distant presence appeared within his perceptible horizon, he showed no alarm, instead smiling with a hint of exhilaration:

"By the way, where did my Fuyuki love story recommendation go?"

"You know, when someone like me—a thrill-seeker who loves courting death—is locked up too long, once freed, they can't control themselves." Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang walked through the streets of Fuyuki under the guidance of Tenzan Lixiang and the others; it was his first time visiting a country with such a comfortable lifestyle:

"Personality doesn't change with dull environments; the more suppressed, the more it accumulates, and the stronger its release."

"So you should understand me—it's an irresistible force."

Tenzan Lixiang trudged down the street with equipment whose durability had hit zero; her messy hair and professional Sui Xifu attire made her look like a long-homeless dropout.

"Is this why we were chased? You logged in as your main account in the Confucian Sage form, escaped from the Mystical Realm of Xuzu, planted eighteen hundred single-unit nuclear weapons in the Tianhe Guild, and solidified the Crowned Bomber artifact—causing us all to be hunted?"

Tenzan Lixiang no longer wished to blame him; after all, as a special player who never completed the tutorial, he'd been teaming with them, their NPCs, for a long time—she knew exactly what kind of person he was.

But the problem is

"Why are they chasing you in Liyue? Isn't that just a TV drama plot?"

Upon hearing this, Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang's expression changed; he laughed it off and shifted the topic—clearly, he'd done another outrageous thing.

"Well, nothing happened, right?" Kirschtaria, shouldering his spear, chuckled drunkenly: "The Holy Grail War is finally about to begin—congratulations, congratulations."

Tenzan Lixiang stopped walking and asked blankly: "Why are you here with us, Mr. Kirschtaria?"

"Of course because I drank too much and couldn't pay the bill—only my old buddy... *hic*." Kirschtaria patted his head and said: "Of course, to join this Holy Grail War."

Hearing this, Tenzan Lixiang asked, confused:

"Holy Grail War? Is that a new event? I don't know if it has good gear rewards."

Mathers, holding her glowing +16 shield, suppressed the urge to shake her Master awake and said: "Senior, we're not players—please don't forget that!"

She had long wanted to remind Tenzan Lixiang, but hesitated due to too many irresistible factors, and since revival items were sold in the dungeon, she hadn't lectured her.

After all, in this world, Tenzan Lixiang had unconsciously blended into it and seemed to be enjoying herself immensely—she hadn't seen her senior so happy in a long time.

'If only this were truly just a game,' Mathers often thought involuntarily.

Back then, the door to the real Earth hadn't been opened; they were powerless, forced to gather information, cooperate with Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang on missions, and occasionally even haul bricks for Grandid—weapon expenses were simply too heavy.

"But Senior, we've reached the most critical moment now!" Mathers clenched her fist in encouragement: "We can't keep falling like this—we're not players, and we must return to reality eventually!"

"I received your friend request," Kuang Dao Kuangdao Sanlang tapped the void: "Are you going to do the tutorial quest?"

"Go ahead... it's free." Tenzan Lixiang considered, then tapped the air twice, surprised: "My stats are this high?"

Mathers froze, then asked bewilderedly: "Senior, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"Don't you notice?" Tenzan Lixiang tapped the air again: "We've got player panels now."

Mathers suddenly saw a cartoon-style envelope pop up, reading:

"Welcome to the beta test of 'Simulated Universe: Second Universe.'"

Signed by:

Mr. Guangming.

In a secluded forest space within the Dimensional Corridor, a small village on the outskirts.

Inside an ordinary wooden house stood a vast library.

"It seems something has changed—want to go see?" Forbidden Naiyali gestured to the weary Dimensional Traveler conducting experiments.

"This world changes daily," the tired young mage said, analyzing fragments of the Annals from items traded by 'players': "This resembles Arad, but with a pile of strange people and things—I still haven't figured it out."

Nearby shelves held many special items, some magically sealed—like the monocle gifted by the neighbor, Mr. Amon.

That guy... seems to be a distant relative of Naiyali's.

He adjusted the monocle Naiyali had given him and said to her:

"I can see the player panel now. Whatever you want to do, just tell me—I'll help you with anything you wish."

Forbidden Naiyali traced her ring on the ring finger, then turned and walked deeper into the house: "I don't need you. I can handle it myself."

She tossed a egg-shaped mineral crystal in her hand, then walked into the darkness with Naiyali, and the object began to spread pure malice.

The young magician said no more; he remembered only that one day, when he returned home, Naiyali had pulled out the true form of the magic stone, and immediately afterward he discovered this world's dimensional coordinates.

That magic stone was called — "The Shining Trigonal Trapezohedron"

(End of Chapter)