Chapter 355: The Lost World Line

"Parallel World Lines...?"

Kotori Itsuka frowned slightly.

Even though she, in her black-bellied younger sister persona mode, could serve as the captain of the Fraxinus and display considerable ability.

And could command the crowd's respect, at least making the majority not object.

But it also couldn't change the fact that she was merely a fourteen-year-old middle school student, therefore regarding those overly abstruse cutting-edge theories, she was naturally comparatively unfamiliar with them.

"How did I not know about this kind of thing before?"

"Isn't that only natural? I didn't know before either, so isn't it perfectly normal that you don't know?"

Kurumi Tokisaki let out a low chuckle, speaking faintly, while simultaneously raising her eyes to scan the surrounding Mors People.

"...!!"

Quite a few people's expressions and gazes all changed slightly in an instant, subconsciously stepping back half a step at the same time, or tensing their bodies, assuming instinctive defensive postures.

This also couldn't be blamed on them for having this kind of reaction.

It was simply that this "Nightmare" was too infamous; just the humans who died by her hand, those with records alone, had already reached five figures.

And this wasn't some matter of being caught in a Spacequake, not something a Spirit's own will could decide...

But rather the result of her purposefully choosing to strike and hunt, this was the key point.

So even though the captain chose to let the "Nightmare" board the ship, they didn't express opposition to it, but deep down they still instinctively held a share of vigilance and dread toward her.

"Eh?"

Shido Itsuka looked toward the surroundings somewhat dazedly.

Mainly because the surrounding people's nearly uniform retreat was a bit too obvious, making this fellow who stood foolishly in place unable to react, seem somewhat like an obvious sore thumb.

What situation?

Did something happen? Why didn't I feel anything at all?

Besides Shido Itsuka this completely clueless fellow, the only one who also didn't move at all was Kotori Itsuka; she just sat quietly in the captain's seat, pouting her lips.

And there was also Reine Murasame.

The Analyst young lady, although she also put on a vigilant appearance, correspondingly displayed an awe-inspiring composure of firm fearlessness.

She didn't just blindly follow the surrounding people's reactions, but instead quite well carried through her own characteristic persona.

"It seems you're all afraid of me..."

Kurumi Tokisaki smiled beautifully, extending a small hand to lightly cover her mouth, as if teasing something, but that deliberately lowered voice still made one's hair stand on end instantly.

How to put it, it was like seeing a predator in disguise, actually in a state where it could launch an attack at any moment.

When realizing this point, it inevitably made one apprehensive and uneasy, suspicious and uncertain.

"Alright, stop putting on an act there, this is our territory, you'd best not do anything that would make us misunderstand..."

Kotori Itsuka clicked her tongue, sitting in the captain's seat and speaking displeasedly, interrupting Kurumi Tokisaki's words.

Although she also knew the "Nightmare" was notorious, but they were all Spirits, so this wasn't anything scary.

Anyway the Organization has already transformed now, the new BOSS is right beside us.

Moreover the original plan for Spirits has already been shelved, now a whole new set of plans must be implemented, so the Commander naturally wouldn't be very polite either.

Valuing them still had to be done, but there was no longer a need to conduct KPI assessments from the favorability angle, naturally no longer needing to constantly agonize over obtaining the Spirits' recognition, making them produce recognition toward the Organization, toward society...

"Hah, truly a hurtful way of putting it, Kotori..."

Kurumi Tokisaki let out a "ha", couldn't help but shake her head, clicked her tongue, putting on a very sorrowful appearance.

"Aren't we the best of sisters."

"No." Kotori Itsuka decisively shook her head, a face of denial: "I don't remember being this familiar with you, don't try to get close..."

"But I remember."

Kurumi Tokisaki inserted a sentence with a smiling expression.

"You—"

Kotori Itsuka's expression slightly became stiff.

"Is it because... of that Parallel World Line you spoke of?"

At this time, the Analyst young lady also spoke up calmly to interject, her gaze patrolling back and forth on the two Origami Tobiichi.

She faintly had a guess.

Could it be that Origami Tobiichi's situation wasn't something like killing Ailian in the future to become superior, inheriting that Spirit Crystal, becoming the second Spirit.

But rather...

From the very beginning, she accepted the Spirit Crystal from "herself" here, directly changing classes?

Only, it was in another possibility's World Line?

Almost in a split second, Reine Murasame had already perceived the truth of that possibility, her heart secretly surging with shock.

"Ah, that's exactly how it is..."

Kurumi Tokisaki lightly acknowledged it, smiling as she nodded, also glancing at the Analyst young lady—

"As expected, Miss Reine is smart, reaction as fast as ever."

She seemed to have a certain degree of familiarity with Reine Murasame as well, only similarly not perceiving that this Fraxinus's Analyst was actually her sworn enemy she thought of day and night.

Also the root cause that created all her suffering.

Otherwise, they'd probably have wrestled on the spot.

The Analyst young lady somewhat forced a smile, smiled, but this performance was also very normal, everyone understood it completely, didn't think in other directions at all.

"This kind of thing is too far-fetched, even if you put on a dead-serious appearance, but in our view you're just a stranger acting self-familiar here..."

Kotori Itsuka took a deep breath, waved her hand forcefully.

She also felt it was very bizarre, this "Nightmare" simply completely lacked that self-awareness, or rather should say, was simply too self-aware.

From the moment she boarded the ship until now, she hasn't shown the slightest courtesy.

Not only in her words, but in all the details of her demeanor and conduct — even Kotori Itsuka, a non-professional, could vaguely tell —

The other party is not unfamiliar with the Fraxinus, and even has a sense of familiarity with it.

Not just with the people on this ship, but with the ship itself.

It's as if... as if she had stayed on this ship for a very long time...

"This isn't make-believe, but something I've actually experienced. You too, Kotori, and Origami — I'm very familiar with all of you, and the other Spirits as well..."

Kurumi Tokisaki secretly glanced in a certain direction again, then said with a sigh.

"Of course, perhaps only I have memories of this aspect right now."

"..."

"..."

"So, parallel worlds really exist?" Kotori Itsuka lowered her head in thought, then asked seriously, attempting to verify this intelligence —

"Just that we didn't know before?"

"Parallel worlds indeed exist, but... it's not necessarily that we didn't know before; rather, this concept had no entity before, did not truly exist."

Kurumi Tokisaki organized her words, then sighed: "They say it's the infinite possibilities presented before and after wave function collapse, but possibilities may just be possibilities, theory just theory..."

She spread her hands: "Anyway, I don't understand the specifics either; those are too complex, too obscure."

"..."

"..."

Kotori Itsuka narrowed her eyes: "Then why did it appear later?"

"Who knows, maybe it's some monster that flew in from another timeline or another world, or simply some phenomenon..."

Kurumi Tokisaki continued spreading her hands with a smile —

"So it injected new possibilities into this planet of ours, maybe even gave the star a dream..."

"..."

"..."

A strange silence.

The air itself seemed to suddenly grow quiet.

"Wait, are you serious?" After a good while, Kotori Itsuka tentatively spoke up.

However you listen to it, it feels especially unreliable.

"Who knows, we have no way to explore the essence behind it; you simply don't know what Earth will become several years later..."

Kurumi Tokisaki had an utterly unconcerned look.

"Dao Arts Heavenly Net, Yellow Turban Terminator, Anomalous Planar Domain Invasion, Xian Arts Neural Mechanical Rebellion... after that alien spaceship was shot down, it wasn't victory — that was the true beginning of trouble..."

"There are far too many troublesome things; compared to them, the parallel world theory being proven actually seems like it became a good thing..."

She said this with a grin, yet the information she revealed was somewhat staggering.

The group on the Air Battleship couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

The Analyst young lady hesitated slightly, also glancing at a certain someone who wasn't expressing an opinion, and asked tentatively: "Then what about Origami Tobiichi... what's her situation?"

"She? She is one of the deviations of a world line extremely close to the origin..."

Kurumi Tokisaki spoke, about to continue, then seemed to recall something, her expression turning somewhat gloomy:

"Mm, more specific intelligence, I still can't tell you directly right now, but please believe me — she is a very important Fixed Point."

"Hold on, you're not being forthcoming yourself, so how can you expect us to believe you?" Kotori Itsuka wasn't buying it, decisively hitting the nail on the head.

"We lost..."

"What?"

"We lost... in the world line I just came from." Kurumi Tokisaki was still smiling, but something seemed to be loosening in her pupils.

Like anger, like unwillingness.

"..."

"..."

The black long straight-haired young lady, bangs covering half her eyes, stared straight at Kotori Itsuka: "Even until the end, we didn't know how she won. We did everything we could, but she could just stay ahead of us forever..."

"Thinking carefully now, perhaps it's because she is a Child of the Planet, a Star Brain Body, the incarnation of the entire Earth — she might be able to sense everything..."

"Air, vibrations, gravity, Earth's rotation, and people... everything happening on this planet, like blood flowing in her veins..."

"So—"

"Before we find a countermeasure, those most critical secrets, I cannot just speak them out on Earth!"

(Chapter End)