Bab 332: Final Chapter: Epilogue
There wasn't any significant effects.
From the moment I declared checkmate, the faker disappeared. It was pushed back to its previous place—the location where 'The Root' resides. From our connection, I knew how the [Order] side took advantage of its weakness and thoroughly erased it. There won't be any insane bastards who would seek to erase all worlds anymore.
As for the chances of this happening again... it won't. It is a one-time thing. 'The Root' would never affect reality again. It won't find the chance to sneak again.
Everyone else is free to write stories of their own.
Nobody would dictate their endings.
Crack.
The position I had once reached parted ways with me. I no longer felt the dissociation of this world—I am a part of it once more. However... it doesn't end like this.
The sense of familiarity was overrode with a conflict. As someone who became the vessel of 'The Root' and used its full power, I had long transcended the world. Having that power withdrawn made me experience dozens of drawbacks.
Am I still Shiro? Or was I a remnant of the root?
Where do I belong?
That place or this world?
I became somewhere in-between. I could be from The Root's place, yet I could also be from this world—the reality. This conflict escalated and started tearing me apart.
Crack.
Will my story's end signify a new beginning? A new prologue?
Of course not.
I had prepared for this moment. I wouldn't let this epilogue turn into infinite sadness—the type that leaves emptiness after seeing your favorite character die.
I've learned enough from Romani.
"Yo. Everyone."
Tap.
I tapped my feet to the floor.
A transparent wave swept through the blank room. The chair opposite of me remained. What was added were the hundred or so <Beyonds> that helped me in the crucial moment.
I saw many faces, be they familiar or not.
"You look like you're dying."
The one who spoke was a white-haired girl with golden pupils. She is the fourteenth Herscherr, also known as "The Final Herscherr". I know where she got her snarky attitude. To "stop" the time loop in their world, Kiana Kaslana has to merge with her on the Finality Cocoon. The one in front of me was the Kiana who retained her sense of self and stopped the cycle once and for all, all the while sealing the other Herscherrs on the Moon.
"You're... well... not that far from the truth."
"You remind me of someone..." She said with a frown.
"Hey, I'm better than Otto Apocalypse."
At this moment, hundreds of Otto Apocalypses from several timelines sneezed simultaneously. It even reached to his epic music video in select worlds. The soundtrack on that one is an absolute banger.
Someone else stepped up from the silent group.
I wonder why they are like this? Complex emotions, perhaps.
"Shiro."
"Don't wear that solemn look, Romani."
"...Did you plan to sacrifice yourself since the beginning?"
I paused for a while.
Indeed, I saw many futures where I was 'sacrificed'.
"Pffft..! Ahahahahaha!"
I covered my forehead with my rested arm.
"I'm kidding. I didn't plan something like that. You know how well we are similar in this regard. I only fight in winning battles."
"..."
I had directly quoted one of his final words to Goetia.
"What should we do?"
This time, it was Ritsuka who stepped forward. She wore the same outfit as Decade—a long trenchcoat and a red turtleneck.
I met her orange pupils.
"You are familiar with Decade's concept, no? That specific which I passed onto you."
"...So it's like that."
"Yeah."
I supplemented a short explanation.
"I'll keep it shorter than Kal'tsit's words."
Thank goodness she wasn't here as of the moment.
"I am currently torn apart two sides. One of them belongs to its place, the role of an author. The other belongs to the 'character' portion. I am stuck between these two places, and they are pulling me apart like a stuffed toy. In this regard, I would be needing everyone's help. I need my 'character' portion to be stronger than the author one."
"You don't want to be an author?"
Suddenly, the highschool girl, Haruhi Suzumiya, asked.
"Hell no. That ain't fun."
"That seems fair enough." Haruhi easily agreed.
"So this was the reason why—?"
"Yeah. I erased the definitive future and made it vague in purpose. That way, we could write whatever we want. The surge of many <Beyonds> could help cement my existence here."
I answered Ritsuka's final doubts.
It is why I chose to add many <Beyonds> in contrast to the ones from the future I contacted. The main purpose was to thwart its plans, but the other purpose is to save myself.
Everyone went silent once more. A second later, someone stepped up.
"You've done many things for us, Shiro-san. It's our turn to act."
"Thanks, Rimuru-kun."
"So, what do we need to do?" A bald man named Saitama asked.
"It's like before. But this time, the target should be me."
Crack.
My hands started disappearing already. The tearing force gradually became stronger.
"Think of me. My stories. My legends. My proof of existence."
Crack.
This time, I couldn't feel my feet. It was wiped off clean.
"I'll entrust myself to you all. If time allows it—"
Only a single moment remained before I am completely torn apart.
"—let's meet again."
*****
Darkness.
Bubbles.
Water.
Suffocation.
That was everything the man felt. He tried to reach out to the surface, but to no avail. Still, he didn't give up. He reached his hand out to the only light source.
"Ah..!"
Suddenly, he found himself thrown backwards. The man found out he was no longer drowning.
"Hah..!"
In his sight, he saw nothing but a paved pathway. A strange source of light illuminated it. His surroundings are purely made of nothingness.
"Where... am I?"
He scanned his surroundings once more. Alas, he only saw nothing new.
Step.
Upon stepping forward, the man was surprised to see his line of sight change. He saw his body turn small—like a small boy's. His confusion didn't hinder his other feet from stepping forward.
Step.
Suddenly, a large chunk of memories gushed forth.
"Shiro."
The boy recalled his name. What came next are memories of a life he had already lived. Shiro's refusal to talk with others of his age didn't prevent fate from letting him meet Meiko Honma.
That served as an opening to a colorful life.
Shiro vaguely sensed the urge to step forward.
Step.
His line of sight changed once more. Shiro became taller than before. Unlike before, he is now wearing a naval uniform.
Step.
His other feet caught up. It signified another wave of memories which came to his head.
Fukushiro Sakurai, the commander of humanity's frontlines against the otherworldly invaders dubbed 'Leviathans'. He sailed on the sea along his trusted comrades.
As much as they had fun, the sorrow balanced it all. Shiro saw everyone fall one by one until he himself has to do a sacrifice.
Step.
His third step didn't change his line of sight. However, a mirror image existed beside him. He wore a luxurious white robe filled with many accessories and jewelries. Meanwhile, his mirror image wore a royal regalia fitting for an emperor.
Step.
Once again, he remembered.
The Supreme Magus.
The Demon God Fenrir.
Both of them are Shiro.
Magus met Fenrir's scarlet pupils. They smiled at each other before looking forward. They are no longer clueless. They know what is about to happen.
Step.
The fourth step didn't result in drastic changes. Only, Fenrir was no longer at my side. Everything reverted to normal. Our split selves became one again.
I wore a light armor formed by the fusion of Magus and Fenrir's garments. A crown hung on top of my head while a black sword is sheathed on my waist.
Step.
My other feet caught up. Memories gushed forward like a tide.
This time, however, it is far more eventful—far more fruitful. I met new friends and went on adventures with them just like in the past.
Kal'tsit's world, Terra.
Kouzuki's world plagued by BETA.
Shinji's world wrought with suffering and regrets.
Romani's world that is enacting the 'Grand Order'.
Sinon's world where the steel castle remained afloat.
Madoka's world in which little girls were forced to fight for their lives.
Shirou's world that faced the threat of a being a thousand years later.
Altair's world where the fictional creations either clashed or sided with their creators.
I could tell. It doesn't end there. There are many other interesting worlds out there. Numerous people experienced an adventure of their own, much like me.
"After everything that"
Step.
The fifth step.
The final step that leads to outside of this tunnel.
The one that signifies the end of my struggles—and the beginning of a new journey.
Step.
I took that final step. My eyes were momentarily blinded before it adapted to the brightness. When my other feet caught up, I saw the figures of several women.
"I didn't make you wait for long, did I?"
"Hm..? Are you sure about that~?"
The mischievous magus smiled at me.
"Ten years isn't particularly long."
The feline woman said.
"It's a small price to pay for my beloved!"
The girl who wore goth-themed clothes struck a pose.
"It doesn't matter. I missed you from the start, literally."
The purple-haired girl looked at the swoman in question.
"Hey, it's not my fault we got lost. You were the one who came with me. More importantly... I've heard you turned into an adorable boy before~?"
The said woman teasingly said these words.
"I'm glad you're back."
The woman in white veil spoke solemnly.
"Shiro..."
The brown-haired librarian couldn't hold it any longer.
"You made it back. Just as expected."
The military princess said in a certain tone.
"It's good you're alright... I can't take it if you pull another one like that."
The strict but adorable glasses secretary smiled in relief.
"You're finally back, dear."
The nine-tailed fox maintained her elegance though I know about her surging emotions from within.
They were not the only ones.
Shinji: "ANIKIIIIIII"
Sakura: "Nii-san!"
Madoka: "Sensei!!!!!"
Shino: "Shiro-san!"
Kouzuki: "You made us wait for long, Shiro."
Romani: "Right. You had us worrying."
Touka: "It's just Romani. He never stopped overthinking."
Romani: "..."
Touka: "Jokes aside, it did take you a long time."
The chat group became extremely lively. Back then, that journey started with this. It was supposed to be a countermeasure but it served as the start of my previous journey.
Shiro: "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
At this moment, a new journey started.
*****
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Afterword:
This is it. The end of our one year long journey. Those fun and troublesome moments that happened while writing this fic would remain in my heart for a long time. After all, this is the very first work that I had completed. A fic that spanned over a year with exactly 332 chapters.
For everyone who have been supporting this, thank you. I truly appreciate the support you had given to me while writing. There are times I was discouraged and got on the brink of dropping, but I was able to continue this until the end with your help. Once again, thank you very much.
Now, as for those who are wondering why I started a new fic while it is ongoing, this is the answer. Around a hundred chapters ago, I decided on the rough draft of A Foreigner's Chat Group's ending. It would go something similar to Lord of the Mysteries but with the 'highest' entity introduced so far. I do apologize if it got quite confusing near the end with all of that fourth wall breaks. The distinguishing line got blurry just as how I envisioned it, but at what cost? (Haha)
Anyways, this might be the end of this story but there are still something in store for it. It would have several Side Stories that details the aftermath of everything. These chapters would be released at irregular intervals. No worries though, I already have some of them planned.
My focus would also shift over to "I Will Live a Better Life!" Writing that one felt fresh as it is the complete opposite of "A Foreigner's Chat Group". Do support it if you can :)
Lastly, writing this afterword (and chapter) made me feel complicated. This ending was previously only in my head. Seeing it end gave me mixed emotions—particularly nostalgia and slight emptiness. The thought of not having to create a new arc that centers around Shiro and the chat group members made me feel empty. Nevertheless, I am grateful for finishing this work and giving it a proper conclusion. Albeit it did come quite short from the promised one-fifth (440 chapters) of the longest chat group fic (Sis-con Chat Group by Akikan40). (Gomen!)
I guess I will cut it short here. Let's not make this afterword something similar to Kal'tsit's 2,000 chapter monologue ;)
Thank you for hopping on this journey with me, dear readers.
From your lovely author.
IdleYoungMaster.
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