Chapter 584

Sharp, metallic pain stabbed directly into his brainstem.

His head felt like it was splitting open.

The pain was too great to think.

But what lay before him mattered more than the pain—even if his mind was churned to pulp, he had to kill them.

Beneath the silver moonlight, the burning Yano mansion, his sister's withered corpse long dead, the maid pinned beneath a body, her eyes vacant as a doll's.

And then there was.

Arcueid, bound by an unfamiliar ritual, her limbs, head, and torso severed, her blood-tear-filled eyes reflecting a broken figure.

A useless man pinned to the ground, his eyes pried open, unable to look away, forced to watch it happen.

Who is it?

It's me.

The attackers known as "Cyclers" laughed mockingly, their blood-smeared fingers dragging across his face, finally stopping at his eyes in a mocking "click" gesture.

Kill them.

"Pull out his eyes right now, don't waste time—another team hasn't shown up yet."

"Eyes won't fetch much on the market anyway; we'd have to take them back for the Master God to process."

The acrid smoke stung his nostrils, yet still couldn't block the creeping sleep—his body grew colder, but he had to hold on.

His head was yanked up by the hair; a square-faced giant smiled with a monk's benevolent grin, extending his index and middle fingers toward him.

His entire body felt flayed by a thousand knives, his spinal cord ripped out and replaced with ice rods; amid violent convulsions and near-death agony, he finally saw—

The threads on their bodies.

So he opened his mouth and bit down on their fingers.

He collapsed alongside his shattered body, but by then he had no strength left.

Everything in his vision slowed; the Cyclers, in their moment of distraction, were struck by an unknown attack.

Squeezing out his last life force, he opened his eyes and took in the deaths of those men—fifteen seconds, yet stretched like a century.

"Even like this, he managed to reverse-kill a Cycler with rule-based defense gear—dying like this is a waste."

"Do you want to become a Cycler, Yano Shiki?"

He couldn't remember how he answered, but—

The Yano family was gone.

For many years after, he wandered the Cycler Space, never returning, until he remembered the thing called "Origin."

After consulting his teammates, he acquired a scroll to open the "Holy Grail War" instance world for 30,000 Cycler Points and seven A-rank medals.

It was the Fifth Holy Grail War; for a team that had fought for years, it was no different from switching locations to farm points.

As expected, they won and purified the Evil of the World.

The only risk in this world was reaching the Origin.

Try to reverse everything!

"The Origin—philosophically, it's called causa sui; in Christianity, that causa sui is Jehovah." Eleanor asked: "Do you really want to meet God? You're a Cycler now."

"If I don't come back, these are yours." He pulled out all the treasures he'd collected over the years.

After finishing his arrangements, he entered the tunnel linking to the Origin through the Great Holy Grail's aperture.

The origin of the world and the starting point of all things, recording every past and future, this supreme concept was the foundation of the world, the primordial energy beyond conventional rules.

If I go there, I can surely restore what was destroyed.

What was destroyed.

Destroyed.

Endless, within the Void, a black abyss formed from shattered remnants stitched together.

Information, concepts, laws, matter—ordered and disordered, piled and combined like a black hole, endless abyssal darkness pouring in, restructured into "worlds."

Calling it a world—

It was merely countless identical planets, identical star systems, mass-produced from templates in corners untouched by light, pulled from the abyss that devoured all light and hope.

Occasionally, a universe would be born—but only through the same production process.

Predestined fate, predestined events, endlessly replaying a script written by no one.

Dust of history accumulated here; ancient secrets were buried forever; gazing outward revealed only endless, stretching void—this was what was called "Origin."

Even the life born within it was nothing but soul particles of the abyss, stamped with information and forged from the hollows of shattered remnants.

He was no exception.

"Yes, this is the truth." Shiki Nanaya floated in this void, showing no great emotional disturbance.

Merely a scene he had seen countless times in dreams.

Every soul particle resonated with the surrounding void, linked to the "Origin"; when he learned "everything," he understood then—this place had long been dead.

He was merely an insignificant individual born from it, not even the true "Nanaya Shiki."

Type-Moon universe?

Perhaps it once existed.

There was no true Origin; even if there had been, God was surely already dead.

He reached out and touched the remnants formed of information and concepts; somehow, whether by the Cycler Space or someone else, a "Type-Moon instance" had been embedded into this Marvel universe.

But the scale of this Holy Grail War was terrifyingly large.

"It's about time I left here."

He had rested enough; he had the will to sever his link to the Origin.

"Strange, why—"

Seven Nights Shigeki found he could not wake from his dream; he remained in the posture of having just touched the ruins, a faint light flickering at his fingertip.

It was so weak, yet so resolute.

"God is dead?"

A voice echoed in his ears—he did not know whose.

Unable to think, unable to analyze, unable to hold onto his self!

A searing pain struck Seven Nights Shigeki's eyes, as if tearing his entire soul free, yet his body moved uncontrollably, as if by instinct, fixing its gaze upon it.

It revealed an unprecedented, strange sight: the mud of the abyss collapsed and crumbled; the piled ruins of worlds began to boil and evaporate; a faint light ignited within the deep, dark void.

The light gradually expanded, illuminating the surrounding darkness—a portal, composed of countless esoteric symbols, floated silently within the ruins of the abyss's origin.

Complex chants and prayers compressed into a single instant; in the next moment, endless blazing light erupted from within the gate!

He saw

A pair of emotionless platinum eyes, gazing down from the cloud-piercing heavens above, from the convergence point of infinite branching possibilities, upon all things within the ruined world of the abyss.

"Light my fire."

What?!

Seven Nights Shigeki heard His voice—loud as a bell, supreme and ethereal.

"Light my fire."

"Forge a new heaven!"

The light solidified utterly; in eternal silence, not a single ruin remained.

Swish—

Seven Nights Shigeki jolted awake with a sudden gasp, his mind blank; his movement disturbed the casting of Caster, the Dark Strange Doctor Shi Difen.

Captain Eleanor asked: "You're awake?"

"How long was I asleep?" Seven Nights Shigeki pressed his hands over his eyes; they felt scalding hot.

"Six hours. It's just past midnight," Shi Difen answered for Eleanor:

"It doesn't matter. We were only here as spectators anyway. The seating just wasn't ideal—not suited for viewing."

The sound of water echoed through the narrow passage; the air reeked of earth and dampness.

Since their companion had suddenly collapsed, they had withdrawn temporarily from downtown New York and chosen a concealed location.

They had intended to use the Sanctum Sanctorum, but when Shi Difen saw the Ancient One of this timeline staring at him from afar, he suddenly decided against it.

According to the results of the foresight spell, the opponent was the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, possessing the power to impose judgments by force.

Moreover, a too-prominent and famous base was not particularly suitable.

"Your eyes," Shi Difen murmured, stroking his chin as he gathered magical energy into a mirror.

In the mirror, his pupils reflected through his fingers—chaos, embracing all colors, swirled within.

Seven Nights Shigeki gently touched his eyelids; the scorching heat was fading, but the manifestation of his demonic eyes had not changed.

The black lines and dots remained around him, yet when he gazed directly at them, he felt no burden whatsoever.

Had his body grown accustomed?

"What's going on?" Eleanor asked.

Seven Nights Shigeki was about to speak when a flash of Bai Guang suddenly appeared in his vision; he froze, his face blank with confusion.

A well-dressed, tie-wearing elite man smiled with concern—but then paused slightly:

"Uh, young man, your eyes make me uncomfortable."

"Mephistopheles, don't bother my companion," Shi Difen narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

The demon who rules Hell?!

"Merely a small gesture of concern," Mephistopheles smiled indifferently, then a parchment appeared in his hand:

"Normally, I only pursue those who sign a contract. Before they become my true client, I always provide perfect service."

He turned, holding the parchment, and walked toward the rear.

There stood a green giant with a white beard—apparently the Warlord Hulk from a parallel universe—currently suspended by chains, eyes closed as if in deep slumber.

Mephistopheles pried open the giant's mouth and shoved the parchment inside.

"Why be so wary of me?"

Mephistopheles smiled: "My true form isn't here. Any one of you could easily kill me."

Lou Baiyu transmitted a voice:

【During the hours you were unconscious, they came to you seeking an alliance. Mephistopheles is the Master; his Servant is Rider. The others are Reincarnators.】

Reincarnators?

In Seven Nights Shigeki's vision, every one of his teammates and every other Reincarnator was covered in blinding white lines.

Not black death-lines—but white lines.

As if a single touch would—

"What are you doing?"

A woman with golden short hair watched Seven Nights Shigeki stagger toward her, hand outstretched, eyes alight with fanaticism; she laughed:

"If you want to court me—"

Before she finished speaking, the moment his finger touched her, a flash of Bai Guang was drawn from within her.

The next instant, blood sprayed.

"Residue from a world after its reincarnation?" Su Lin stared at the substance forming on his palm, frowning: "So that's how the specialty goods sold in the Reincarnation spaces come about."

Countless eons ago, before the world had grown into a multiverse, the ruins of that world fell into the abyss and were influenced by unknown forces.

Based on residual information, the recorded world was reconstructed—but it was unknown whether this was a natural phenomenon or the result of human intervention.

"Pirated. No, this is copying my underlying code?"

It felt like some company staying up late outside its own building, rummaging through the trash bin at the gate after lights-out, and actually finding some critical information.

"."

Su Lin looked at the few Sky Fragments that had appeared in his hand, thought for a moment, then, following the newly established connection within the Source, redirected them into the pair of 'Death-Seeing Eyes' as an amplifier.

This killer among the Reincarnators was an unexpected gain.

For now, let him act as our 'jungler' and let him hunt down wild Reincarnators on his own.

With Logos and Loki's assistance, the Holy Grail Ritual had become a fixed 'major event' across all timelines within the Omniverse.

Thus, to fabricate a false legendary history, the Reincarnation Space would inevitably dispatch Reincarnators to carry out missions when this major event was triggered.

Of course

It couldn't guarantee every participant was connected to Reincarnators; this was merely a broad-net fishing method.

As long as participants continued to gather and were lured into killing each other, the efficiency of Sky Fragment recovery would rise with increasing casualties.

After slaying seven Heroic Spirits and collecting seven Holy Marks, one could make a limited wish to the Little Grail, at which point victory would be achieved and one could choose to return to their original world.

To gain access to the Multiversal Great Grail, one must keep fighting until roughly half a month later, when only seven Riders remain.

"Could this make me seem like a behind-the-scenes villain?" Su Lin's conscience rebuked him for a second.

But upon closer thought, the Reincarnation Space's methods were much the same.

Reincarnators carrying the First Sky Fragment, whether dead or completing missions, accelerated the awakening progress of the First Sky.

I merely gave them a different grave.

Here, those who died or completed missions would naturally have their Sky Fragments absorbed into the world, and the souls of Reincarnators who lost their 'identity passports' would be bundled together and handed over to Loki for processing.

If they hadn't done anything too extreme, they'd merely be expelled.

"If nothing goes wrong, this should be handled steadily."

Whether the Reincarnation Space had other tricks left was none of Su Lin's concern.

Thinking of this, he opened the group chat and asked whether 【My Sandbox World】 had been placed in Stark Tower.

Meng Qi was in charge of this matter.

Meng Qi: "I understand everyone has their own secrets, so I always respect everyone's privacy and never pry."

But could you tell me what this sandbox, forged from the prototype of a Multiverse, actually is? @Su Lin."

Meng Qi: 【Image】

Su Lin: "A nine-year compulsory creation artifact, a recent new item."

MostLovesBeastMilk: "?"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Bro Su, sell me another cheat. Yours is too pure—I'll sell you the Myriad Worlds to devour later, okay?!"

I hope this guy doesn't bring back any unwanted stuff when he returns to modern society.

Meng Qi: "Can you share your sourcing channel or introduce me to it?"

Su Lin: "We're just internet acquaintances, and you've overstepped. (Cold expression)"

Ye Fan: "I'm afraid one day I'll lose my patience and knock you out like I did with Duan De, then rob you blind."

Meng Qi: "I'll provide the escape tool (Cause of All Results—Universal Access Ball)."

Lu Mingfei: "I'll plan the escape route (Wait for me to integrate my memories—Universal Navigation)."

Xing: "I'll be the one yelling '666'."

Song Shuhang: "I'll be the decoration."

Teacher Yan Sen: "Then I'll provide a weapon that can knock Su Daozhi unconscious—who's going to swing it?"

The group seemed to have been collectively muted; as administrator, Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan looked away, certain he hadn't done it.

Until a moment later.

Madoka Kaname sent a message: "I'm at the supermarket—there's fresh cow and goat milk here. Big brother, do you want some? @MostLovesBeastMilk"

【MostLovesBeastMilk (private chat): Bring me some.】

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "So, what's the purpose of this sandbox?"

Su Lin: "It refreshes New York citizens daily at 0:00."

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "?"