บท 63: Terrible News.
Light flashed and the world was spinning around as a young man landed in a white space without any other color.
The young man was lying on the ground because he fell directly on his face, however, no sound was produced from his actions.
"Is this a new way of delivery?" Leo raised himself from the ground before he saw this place.
This place is weird, even for Leo. He never saw a place like this even if he felt some familiarity from it.
"... It's very similar to my inner world" Leo remembered the world where he preserved his last memories for his family. A place that even the curse of God wasn't able to breach through.
Leo took a few steps forward as his steps didn't produce any sound or leave anything behind. Everything seems to be still and nothing was changing.
The endless whiteness was spreading across everything, but Leo somehow knows that the color white doesn't exist here, so it doesn't make sense to give this place a color. To be honest, he doesn't know what he should say about this place.
Is he even standing here? Is this place a dream or reality? Everything didn't make sense and it cannot be explained.
Everything around gave him a feeling of familiarity that he can't explain, it was similar to his first time in the Dimensional Gap, but this feeling was much stronger and didn't vanish instantly.
"This must be the weirdest place I ever saw in my life" Leo walked more around this place as he was observing it.
Honestly, he wants to teleport, but that doesn't seem to be possible in this place. All his beasts are in deep sleep, even Ddraig wasn't available.
After a while, there was a change as a white petal fell from the sky exactly at Leo's location. Reaching with his hand, he caught the petal, however, the petal didn't last long in his hand before it passed it and landed on the ground.
At that moment, the place changed as the golden color appeared all around, and more white petals started to fall from the sky. However, Leo saw something happening to the petal he dropped.
A lot of colors appeared on the petal before it became golden and blended with the ground as all the other petals turned to gold when they touched the ground.
However, before Leo could understand anything of what's going on, he heard a voice coming from behind him " Welcome..."
The sound was peaceful and pleasing, even Leo was a little relaxed before he snapped and looked behind him.
Leo saw a girl wearing a white kimono, she had short black hair and Katana as her waist, however, this didn't surprise him like the feeling coming from her.
The girl was like a goddess, a real goddess who shouldn't appear in the world. Leo saw some goddesses like Aqua and Valkyries in Asgard, but he never saw someone like her.
"I'm deeply sorry about the bad journey, but my world, or at least this area, isn't very stable at the moment" the girl smiled slightly as Leo was staring at her without saying anything.
The weird feeling increased a lot when the girl appeared. Leo can't see anything about her except the girl in front of him is 'emptiness' and the 'emptiness' is her.
The blue-rainbow eyes that send chills to the souls as they were reflecting the death of everything, but strangely, Leo wasn't bothered by those eyes.
"That's fine, but what's this place?" Leo asked before he stopped as he widened his eyes.
"Hm? What's happened?" the girl was confused before she saw Leo looking at her with a wary gaze.
"Let me ask a better question... Who are you?" Leo said the question that he should ask first even if he didn't know why he's so calm with this girl.
For him to completely ignore her existence and ask about the place is very weird. Leo couldn't believe he instantly acted like he knew her and even trusted her. He even found that he can't be mad or even angry at her.
{What the hell is going on?} Leo thought as the girl nodded as she understood what he meant.
"Ah, right! You can't know me in this form as I'm attached to this body" the girl smiled before she walked a few steps to the side and said " I'm the world will of TYPE-MOON world, but I'm also Shiki Ryougi, or you can call me the Swirl of the Root, and the Akashic Records"
"But I prefer Root for short and about this place... It's the Boundary of Emptiness" Root smile didn't vanish as she was waiting for Leo's response.
"Root, huh...*Sigh*" Leo sighed before he covered his face with his hand and said " Less than a minute and I'm already meeting the biggest boss in the world"
The Swirl of the Root, Heaven, or the Akashic records is a location within TYPE-MOON that exists at the top of all theories in every dimension, as well as the source of all events and phenomena in the universe. This place is an 'emptiness' that holds nothing, but it stores and archives information of all possibilities and events, past, present, and future, of the world.
This is an outside world that exists outside of time and space, the source of all souls, including those of Heroic Spirits recorded on the Throne of Heroes, originating from and to where they return after death.
Root in front of Leo is one of the personalities of Shiki Ryougi, which process the connection to the Akashic because of her origin 'Emptiness', however, this doesn't seem to be only that personality. This is also the world will that controls the Swirl of the Root.
"Hehe... Can you count this as an achievement?" Root laughed a little before she looked at Leo removing his hand from his face.
"Yeah, yeah, I achieved the dream that all those magicians wanted without even trying... I'm going to rub it in their faces" Leo said before Root sighed before as she said " You're really a carefree person"
"Carefree? Maybe" Leo shrugged his shoulders before he looked at Root and said " So, what is the reason for meeting you here?"
Taking this detour from the task isn't a coincidence, especially if you met the world will and the Akashic face to face. Leo doesn't know the reason behind this meeting, but TYPE-MOON doesn't seem to be normal, even if Root showed nothing weird.
Root nodded at Leo before she said " Yes, there is a reason for calling you here, but I want to know something first"
"Why?" Root looked at Leo's eyes and said one word as the surrounding atmosphere changed slightly.
"Why, what?" Leo looked at the eyes that can bring death for all, as he didn't understand the meaning behind Root's question.
"Why did you refuse it?" Root walked forwards towards Leo before she said " He(To Aru) made a clear path for you, didn't he?"
"In the end, why did you refuse it and took a different way?" Root was standing in front of Leo as she looked straight into his eyes before she said " Your eyes see the same world as me, right?"
Leo understood what Root was talking about as he didn't want to talk about this subject, but Root didn't give him any chance before she gently reached his cheek with her hand.
When Root's hand touched Leo's cheek, he felt like something had connected with him and everything was clear for a moment as he didn't notice that the effect of darkness's power was gone. His dark blue and golden eyes are now flashing with rainbow colors.
However, both eyes showed a different picture with the rainbow color. The dark blue eye was devouring the rainbow color in a spiral way while the golden eye was creating more in a spiral way.
"You're also an 'emptiness'..." Root looked at Leo's dark blue eye before she said " You should have led the world towards nothing, but..."
"You were able to find something in your 'emptiness'..." Root looked at Leo's golden eye before she said " I'm really curious... Why did you do it?"
However, Leo snapped from the feeling of connection with everything before he slapped Root's hand away.
*SLAP!*
Leo closed his eyes from a moment before everything returned to normal as his connection with the Akashic was served.
"Don't you ever dare to do that again..." Leo said with a slightly cold voice as he looked at Root that was staring at her hand.
"I deeply apologize for my actions now" Root smiled again as she lowered her hand before she said " Curiosity got the best of me, I hope you can forgive me"
"*Sigh* It doesn't matter, I can't even be angry at you, and it's very strange for an Omnipotent being to ask something" Leo said with a sigh as a wry smile formed on Root's face.
"You saw it, huh?" Root recovered her usual look of calmness before Leo said " Yeah, at least in this place, you're the all-mighty, right?"
Root in this area from the world is omnipotence and can do everything and everything will act according to her, but it seems this effect can't be carried for the outside.
"Maybe, but this is only in my world. I've observed a lot of things, even so... Something always gets my attention" Root smiled, but Leo didn't like that smile a lot as she could see through everything.
"So, did you finish with the questions?" Leo wanted to finish this task as soon as possible and leave this world.
"Not yet. That was more like a personal question and I hope we can start the main subject now" Root said as a black orb appeared in her hand.
The orb seemed to be sealed with a white-green barrier as it was struggling inside, however, Root gazed at it as the orb stopped because of fear.
"....." Leo felt some connection with the orb before he looked at Root and said " Personal, huh? Are you the world will or Shiki Ryougi?"
"You can say..." Root raised the orb and made it float next to her before she said " I'm both"
"I see, then what with these questions?" Leo nodded his head before Root clapped her hands and said " You've read the task description... And about my world"
"Your world isn't in the best condition?" Leo remembered the task before Root nodded and said " Unfortunately, yes. I can't help you a lot during this mission, so we have to manage with what we have now"
"Help me?... Did this happen before?" Leo frowned while Root sighed slightly before she said "It's complicated, but I know you'll understand later, however, we need to focus now"
Root walked away from Leo as the orb was following her around.
"Are these questions important? And do you even have time for questions?" Leo looked at the dark orb floating next to Root as it struggled again.
If the world was really in a bad condition, then Leo doesn't see a point in wasting time here and chatting.
"No, nothing is important, and it doesn't matter if you answer or not as it won't change anything" Root smiled with her carefree look before she said "The Akashic doesn't have the concept of time and it doesn't pass here"
"Then what the point of doing this?" Leo's eyebrow was twitching as he felt this world was planning something.
"The outcome won't change, but how do you reach it, is also very important" Root smile vanished before she said seriously " However, I hope you answer me honestly"
"..." Leo closed his eyes and thought about the situation before he opened them and said " Very well, but I'll answer what I want"
"Thank you..." Root smiled before she said the first question " The first question... What do you think about humanity?"
"A species rotten to its core, even if it has moments to shine, but those moments will also turn for worse because humanity at its core is evil" Leo said his thoughts about humanity as the white light of the orb was flickering.
"I see..." Root nodded before she said " Then what do you think about the Earth?"
"A rock floating in space, inhabited by a lot of species, but there'll be a day when it'll die and other species will follow it to death or find a way to survive like always" Leo said his thoughts as the green light on the orb was flickering.
"Hmm, then let me change the question a bit" Root nodded again before she said " You know... I always was observing different things, and I even observed the Chat Room"
"So?" Leo said as he was waiting for Root to continue.
"I saw you with your friend and new members... I even saw you before you've died" Root's words made Leo raise his eyebrow, but he didn't say anything because this is an Omnipotent being, even if she was weaker outside of her world.
However, Leo confirmed that the worlds knew about him even before he was sent to DXD.
"I found something weird in your actions... At first, you didn't want to have a lot of ties with the members in the Chat Room, but that changed completely after a while" Root waved her hand as scenes from the past were playing in the void.
"I think it's really strange for you to want to help them suddenly without any gain" Root smiled as the atmosphere became slightly heavy before she said " Does this have something to do with your old friend?"
"...." Leo didn't say anything, but his eyes weren't all that friendly.
"Are you afraid of losing someone else? Or the guilt of not being able to help her was hunting you all this time? Even hating heroes" Root picked a petal from the air as the petals fell even more.
"And the way you help them... Are you afraid that you won't be able to help someone like your friend? Is this why you choose to let them rely on themselves" Root let go from the petal as it turned golden and flew past Leo.
Root stared at the silence Leo as she wanted to ask again, but she was startled as Leo's shoulders were shaking, however, he was laughing.
"Pffff... You're an omnipotent being and you can't even guess these things? This hilarious" Leo was trying to suppress his laugher as Root didn't understand what so funny about her questions.
"Look here, I don't care what you think about me" Leo shook his head before he said " I always moved in the way of I don't need to justify my actions as it doesn't matter what the others think"
"However, as I said, I'll answer honestly" Leo looked at the petals floating in the sky before he said " Of course, I'm afraid of losing someone close to me. I mean, who doesn't want their close people to stay safe?"
"Guilty about that moment? A little, I hoped that I would have found sooner and maybe saved her, but this won't change anything now" Leo said as he felt the power to control the flaws of the world in his eyes.
"And about my way of helping? I just do it because I want to do it. Listen, I believe that people should rely on themselves, not waiting to be saved by a hero" Leo sighed slightly before he said " I choose to help them in this way so they could rely on themselves and not wait for another help. After all, nothing last forever"
"You... Why?" Root widened her eyes slightly before she said " Why are you speaking like you're going to die?"
"Everything has an end, even worlds like you" Leo shrugged his shoulders before he said " You know that at some point even this Akashic will vanish, so why am I an exception?"
"....." For the first time in this conversation, Root was surprised as she was silent for a while before she said " You really accepted your death"
"Yeah, it has been a while, but I still remember it" Leo looked at Root's blue rainbow eyes before he said "It was dark and everything was vanishing, screaming or pleading won't help you there... You'll lose everything and slowly accept it"
Leo grinned as he looked at Root's eyes before he said " Honestly, I prefer to look at your death's eyes all day and not experiences something like that again"
This is why those mystic eyes of death perception won't affect Leo or intimidate him.
"So, I choose to help them in this way, I'll be that annoying asshole that bothered you more than helping. Then you'll say something like 'I bet I'll do it better if he stopped bothering me' and ' Can't he just help normally?'. In the end, it'll become something like ' He only wanted to irritate me!! I'll show him what I can do!!'..." Leo said with a helpless smile as it made Root stop in her place.
" Then you'll find yourself able to stand completely on your own and this bastard doesn't have a lot of credit in that" Leo laughed slightly, but Root wasn't calm as usual as she was staring at him.
"You really only want that?" Root took a deep breath before she asked.
"Of course not! I'm a person who doesn't care a lot about opinions, okay? If I want to be lazy then I'll be lazy and I'm a greedy bastard who wants to make everyone he cares about happy, even if that is almost impossible" Leo closed his eyes as he was able to remember some things.
"However, from my last life, I learned something. There's always that possibility of everything ending in a blink of an eye, so even in the end..." Leo was able to see something from his memory.
A girl with short blond hair waving from afar with a bright smile on her face as he was waving at her for the last time.
"..." Leo smiled slightly before saying " In the end, I don't want anyone I care about to be sad about a bastard like me. Even in my last moments, I want them to remember that I was happy with a smile and they don't have to be sad about me"
*Silence*
Root stared at Leo that he finished his words as she couldn't say anything about what she just heard.
The black orb next to her stopped struggling after hearing Leo's words. The white light separated from the barrier and left, but the green light stayed for a moment before it vanished.
However, Leo didn't pay attention to the lights as he looked at Root's eyes before saying " Oi! What with that look on your face? I answered honestly, even if that was my vision to the end, but as a reincarnate, I should know that death can happen at any time"
"Nothing... Just you're really an idiot" Root glared at Leo before she said " You're absolutely an embodiment of a Fool"
"Hah?!" Leo snapped as he wanted to say something, but Root walked a few steps forward before she said " In the overall point of view of Alaya(Humanity) and Gaia(Earth), you're a danger that should be obliterated immediately"
With those words, Leo found that the two colors on the orb were representing Alaya and Gaia.
"However,..." Root reached in front of Leo as she reached to his chest with a white card that appeared in her hand.
Leo didn't feel any malice and he wasn't able to stop this omnipotent being, so he waited to see what happened before Root put the card on his chest.
The card sank into Leo's chest before he received a message from the Chat Room.
[You received TYPE-MOON power compatibility card]
"In the individual point of view of both sides, your wings should be white" Root said as she was able to see Leo's wings even if he wasn't able to summon them without the spell.
Root words meant that this color that represents the falling shouldn't appear on Leo's wings, but he only shrugged his shoulders.
"Nah, I like this color because it's cooler than white wings" Leo said with a grin as he didn't care that much.
"*Sigh*..." Root glared as she was slightly angry at Leo's reaction before she said " You should be more honest, many people will understand you better if you do..."
"I really don't care if they understood or not" Leo's answer made Root glare at him again before she sighed and picked the black orb that stopped struggling as it was moving toward Leo.
"Final question..." Root looked at Leo's eyes before she raised the orb in her hand.
Leo doesn't know much about the orb except it has a familiar feeling and something was calling him from it.
"Do you wish to bear this crown?" Root was more serious than ever before Leo frowned and said " I really don't want to become a king or something because that sounds troublesome"
"This isn't the crown of a king or an emperor. This isn't even a power" Root shook her head before she said " This is just an 'Evil'..."
"That doesn't help me in accepting it..." Leo said his true thoughts before Root smiled and said " Then don't, but it'll be always waiting for you here because only you are worthy of bearing this crown"
"....." Leo looked at the black orb and Root's eyes before he sighed and said " Well, why not? This is a free 'gift' from the world will"
"Because it's free, or are you trusting me now?" Root smiled before Leo said " Well, I respect you for not using mind reading shit on me, so I shouldn't be all that wary"
Root blinked her eyes before she laughed a little and reached with the black orb to Leo's head and said " I, the Akashic, in the name of the earth(Gaia) and the humanity(Alaya), the evil and good, the cursed desire and regrets, here crowning, Leo Arisaltek..."
Root put the black orb on Leo's head as it disappeared instantly without leaving a trace, but Leo closed his eyes as he was receiving some sort of information. Even the Book of The Law in Leo's soul was flashing slightly.
"It seems my answers were more important that you said " Leo opened his eyes as a blank look formed on his face while staring at Root.
"I said the outcome will be the same because this your prize for reaching the Akashic, but I didn't say how you'll receive it..." Root blinked at Leo as she seemed to succeed in doing a prank.
How many people suffered to reach the Akashic, but the world will(GM) was helping Leo(the player) to cheat and she was proud of it. However, Leo kept staring at her with a blank look as it made Root slightly nervous.
"*Ahem* Very well, it's almost time to start..." Root cleared her throat, but Leo interpreted her and said " It seems that time is also very important"
"Our 'guests' also don't have the concept of time" Root avoided Leo's eyes as she said " Is there something you want to know about this task?"
"Who's the enemy?" Leo asked before Root said " A system user and reincarnations from multiverse spaces"
"How many reincarnations?" Leo asked, but Root turned her head away and said " I don't know..."
"....." Leo took a deep breath before he said " Which place from TYPE-MOON is this? Is it FGO with all those timelines?"
"Leo-chan, you shouldn't think that way about the tasks" Root shook her head, but Leo was focusing on something else before he said " What did you just call me?"
"The tasks are only about irregular changes and not about the original history of the world, even if all the timelines were burned in that history" Root avoided Leo's question as she gave him a new look about the Chat Room missions.
"The place is Fuyuki and the holy grail war that took place in 2004" Root said as Leo nodded and made a quick plan in his head.
{Okay, it's Fate Stay Night. Quick plan, teleport everyone and nuke the entire city before fixing it and teleporting everyone in. Then leave this world as fast as possible} Leo felt his plan is flawless, but Root observed Leo enough to know what he's thinking before she said " I'm afraid it isn't that simple, Leo-chan"
"Are you a stalker? And what the hell with the chan?!" Leo snapped at Root while she just smiled and ignored his question again.
"However, this isn't Fate Stay Night... " Root words made Leo stop before she said " This is the 2004 Holy Grail War that started the Grand Order"
Not Fate Stay Night... 2004 Holy Grail War... The Start of the Grand Order...
{Hold on, isn't this the war where Solomon...} Those ideas moved in Leo's head before he stopped and looked at Root with an even more blank look.
"I finally understood why you gave me this 'Crown' and asked for a member with legends" Leo said as his words were bland and cold.
At this moment, Leo started to become transparent as his time here is almost over.
"..." Root wasn't able to withstand Leo's eyes before she said " I'm sorry, however, you can't exist normally in the world! But don't worry, no one will be able to control you, so please don't be angry!!"
"I'm not angry because I can't be mad about you for some reason, but... I'm just disappointed" Leo didn't care about Root's words as he stared at her with a blank look a while disappearing bit by bit.
"I'm sorry!!" Root apologized again, but Leo was about to disappear.
"No, you aren't sorry..." Leo left those words before he disappeared and went to the Holy Grail War.
"But... I'm really sorry!" Root said, but there was no one to hear her words.
After a while, Root sighed and looked at the void before she said " It started, huh... I wish you the best, the beast who's the closest to a human"
With those words, the grand battle that will determine the fate of the whole world is about to start.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง