Chapter 974: with translation of chapter title

NO. 97: Release, its name is Hei'an.

The youth sat in front of a coffee shop, gazing at the menu in his hand, while another youth who looked almost exactly like him sat opposite him.

He said he was called the Observer, and that he came from a different world, that he was Aomo Lindun from a parallel spacetime; the youth took his word for it, after all, he had not yet found any evidence to deny it.

"Latte, thank you."

His gaze lingered on the black coffee for a moment, but an inexplicable aversion made him decide to order something else.

He momentarily wondered whether he had previously suffered a loss at this shop, but his mental state over the past few days had indeed been poor, his memory seeming to betray him, leaving him completely unable to collect himself.

"Because your subconscious is being suppressed, a force compels your instincts, forcing them not to try to awaken memory, to the point that even the crystals in your brain cannot be mobilized."

It was like mind‑reading; the other seemed to know what he was thinking, what he was worrying about.

He would always utter the answer to the question he wanted to ask before he even asked it.

The youth felt he could somewhat understand how the other managed that, since he himself occasionally had an inexplicable premonition.

It was when he was looking at someone; as he looked, a thought would suddenly pop into his mind, interpreting that person's state and what they would do next.

Occasionally it would be wrong, but most of the time it was so accurate that he once thought he had gained an extra superpower.

Precisely for this reason, when this 'Observer' displayed such behavior, his words gained a slight boost in persuasiveness in the youth's mind.

But even so……

"Crystals in the brain?"

Such a phrase, found only in sci‑fi works, seemed to the youth even stranger than his otherworldly self.

After all, recent Japanese light novels and manga are popularly producing all kinds of isekai creations; by comparison… the sci‑fi field……

He only recalled that recent tokusatsu fantasies had no use for such relatively friendly tech as crystals, and even the budget for designing fighter jets was being spent on making super radishes, a more romantic product.

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter; the cost of letting you try is too high, and this isn't the point anyway—let's return to the original topic, Aomo Lindun. You need to be careful of the Aomo Lindun who will appear next."

"It sounds like there are many more of you like this, my otherworldly selves."

"Strictly speaking, it's a different universe," the Observer said lightly, "the barriers between worlds remain very solid, and the number of members is limited; I am merely you from another universe."

"……"

"Hard to believe, right?"

"No, I was just stunned because it's too manga‑like," the youth said, thanking the waiter who brought his latte, "so the 'me' that will appear next—is he also from another universe? Is he an assassin?"

"No, because the intimidation of a certain version of you forces even an extremist‑minded Aomo Lindun to weigh the cost and gain of getting involved, and as far as I know, the version of you most involved with monsters is that you……"

"That sounds a bit convoluted."

"Then…… you can call him the King of Beasts; the other Aomo Linduns, even if they seek to gain something from the monster realm by taking risks, will not act rashly before they are sure the payoff could become strong enough to surpass the King of Beasts."

"But you say this world's crisis is a multiversal crisis……"

"Yes, even though they are merely computer‑world universes, they still possess the intensity of a multiverse."

"Then…… even if one could earn the favor of such a behind‑the‑scenes villain, would it still not be enough to oppose the King of Beasts?"

"…… Though I don't want to admit it, that guy really is capable of severing one of my arms across the distance of a universe."

"……"

"Your gaze is much easier to read than before; you're wondering whether my being attacked by the King of Beasts makes me a dangerous person, right?"

"If not, please allow me to apologize."

"You really ought to apologize; this is a vicious slander, because that guy is the dangerous one."

The Observer took a sip of the black coffee in front of him.

"If this crisis were left to him to handle, he would destroy universe after universe in the past until he caught the universe where the culprit resides."

"By that point, it would be meaningless whether the opponent hid in the past or the future."

"Can the culprit still transcend time?"

"He originally arrived here from the future twenty thousand years later; it's not surprising, and even the anti‑spiral tribe you once knew became that way after crossing a thousand years of time."

"This already sounds beyond the usual settings found in light novels and manga; I'm curious about one thing—can you answer me?"

"What is it?"

"Did my original self have a giant robot?"

"My time isn't for answering such boring questions."

"But I think this is a very important question."

The youth's confident reply, however, left the other silent for a moment.

"…… Truly unexpected."

"What?"

"You, who have lost everything—monsters and the desires they reflected—merely forcing yourself to simulate intimacy with that woman, yet you still display a mechanical yearning that even I cannot tell is real or feigned."

"Could it be that your self is still producing new desires bit by bit?"

"I think… this isn't something I can answer… it's outside the scope of information……"

"That's indeed the case; expecting you, whose false memories are completely suppressed, to cope is unrealistic; in fact, given the pressure you're under, revealing too much established information is not good, just as you are now beginning to become congested again."

Watching blood trickle from his mouth, nose, and eyes, yet still propping himself up on his elbows on the table, head bowed, forcing himself to stay seated, the Observer shook his head.

"You have been under close watch."

"The authority they've placed on you is even more oppressive than what Shinjo Su suffered; any rash probing of your true self will only tilt that pressure further, and you now have nothing but this unprecedentedly weak body."

"... But I… still want… to know……"

"I saw that, even if your subconscious refrains from doubting everything for the sake of survival, you still can't help reaching out toward that snake."

"This obsession that defies biological norms…… honestly, I really don't want to deal with you." Having said that, he took another sip of coffee, then set it down, and the Observer sighed.

"But if I let you keep seeking death like this, the material will also deteriorate."

"I…… will…… not…… anymore……"

I certainly believe that trying in complete ignorance is foolish; the current information is enough for you to change your original pace, so you won't be that foolish anymore, but the price is your current state…… Can you still hear my voice?

He asked, looking at the youth who had already slumped over the table, blood trickling down from the edge.

Can……

Then let's return to the original topic—have you heard the current rumbling?

He raised his head, slightly leaned back against the chair, and gazed toward the direction of the hospital in the distance.

There stood a colossal figure nearly fifty meters tall.

Clad in damaged samurai armor, with even a partially bent arrow lodged in his body, and that pallid, disheveled face whose only distinctive feature was its narrow, blood‑red eyes, it was terrifying like a vengeful spirit.

Renki/Lian gui.

Originally, a pair of lovers—a samurai and a princess—from Japan's Warring States period, unable to unite due to their nations' opposition, after dying together for love, their souls intertwined to become a great vengeful spirit.

At this moment, a single slash split the entire hospital building, its narrow eyes continually searching within, as if pursuing the existence they hated.

The quickest to act after being attracted is certainly lust, mixed with desire; the desire you have repressed too much rebounds especially quickly.

It is looking for you; your existence hinders their freedom.

What……

The separated emotions, more accurately, are the separated hearts; they are immersed in the darkness you have continually sealed, each one being Aomo Lindun, and each one also wishes to obtain unrestricted freedom.

Isn't that easy to understand?

Those things that should have been merely cards, should have been only instinctual, now all have true hearts.

Although it is merely Hei'an's heart.

Yet they are likewise made whole because of you, possessing life, true monsters.