「If Yoo Joonghyuk were the strongest, he would have given up his life to save everyone and regressed.
If Klein Moretti were the strongest, he would have sacrificed himself to end the scenario and resurrected.
If Van were the strongest…」
***
With a lighthearted attitude, Merlin smiled. It was impossible to discern if it was his true feelings or a facade.
"You know who I am?"
A 'prophet'.
Although Sefirah Castle usually gave him strong anti-divination properties, before he died once, he didn't have the protection of Sefirah Castle, so a skill working on him wasn't truly surprising.
"In previous and future wordlines, my past self could glimpse into the records of this world. This is the essence of my skill 'Future Sight'."
With the help of Cheon Inho's 'Incite' skill, Anna Croft could disregard the usage limit of her 'Future Sight' skill—despite some backlash in probability—and uncovered more about the truth of this world.
She continued, "However, contrary to other wordlines, this world's records have been 'modified'."
The unchangeable future she foresaw for this world previously had been rewritten when she looked at it now.
"For example, you never appeared in the future I saw before."
Anna Croft looked straight at Merlin.
Unlike Kim Dokja, for whom her Future Sight didn't work on, this particular wordline was centered and changed around this newcomer.
The current worldline was special, disconnected from the others.
Now matter what they did, its fate was sealed. Like a loop that would repeat endlessly until the current status quo was broken.
"Incarnation Klein Moretti."
Facing him in person now, Anna Croft's eyes relayed to her a different sight.
Klein didn't know how he appeared in her eyes.
"I don't know who you are, or what you intend to achieve." She declared, "But I can assure you that we are not your enemies."
Despite his real name being known, Merlin's expression didn't change.
At least, their claim of knowing who the strongest was was more credible.
"If you don't trust us, I believe you have a way to check it yourself."
They seemed somewhat aware of his abilities as well.
Merlin threw up a coin and made a divination.
After glancing at the result, he finally opened his mouth.
"I am also aware of who the strongest is, but why should I help you eliminate them?"
+
The fifth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is 'Righteous Deceiver Klein Moretti'.
+
Trampling on someone, Jung Heewon raised her head, "Klein Moretti? Who is that?"
Next to her, Lee Jihye questioned, "Gehrman Sparrow is still not in the rankings?"
"Maybe he will appear later."
On the other side of Seoul Dome, Merlin's lips twitched.
Righteous Deceiver? That sounded so bad.
Meanwhile, Cheon Inho seized the opportunity to banter with the prophet, "Kim Anna, if you say too many cryptic things, it doesn't sound mysterious, only like a load of nonsense."
"Don't call me Kim Anna."
"Sure, Kim Anna."
Merlin turned his attention back to them.
+
The fourth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is 'Supreme King Yoo Joonghyuk'.
+
Fighting against Nirvana, Yoo Joonghyuk froze.
"Master is only fourth?" Lee Jihye exclaimed.
Klein had also expected the regressor to be ranked higher.
He pointed to the ranking, "What tells you I have enough strength to go against the strongest in the first place?"
Cheon Inho nodded.
"Of course, individually, none of us can stand a chance. However, it's a different matter if we ally."
Merlin listened.
"Even if we wait," Cheon Inho continued, "we can survive. We have enough strength to hold on until the end."
Then, he brought up an important point, "But, what do you think the 'strongest' will choose to do? Will they sacrifice themselves for the greater good?"
Cheon Inho gestured toward their surroundings.
"If it continues like this, half of Seoul's incarnations will die."
The Evil Sophist met Merlin's eyes, "You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Merlin looked into the distance.
+
The third strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is 'Salvation Leader Nirvana'.
+
On the screen, the fight completely stopped.
Seoul's incarnations were confused.
Who was the strongest?
"Is Gehrman Sparrow stronger than Nirvana?" Lee Jihye wondered.
The madman's name hadn't come out yet.
Kim Dokja stayed silent.
…It couldn't be, right?
"I didn't think you were the type to worry about people's life and deaths." Merlin remarked, "What is your purpose?"
Even when Klein first saw him, it was obvious that Cheon Inho wasn't really a righteous person.
The Evil Sophist shrugged his shoulders.
"Let's say I've had a change of heart."
He was lying, they both knew it.
In any case, even if Klein refused, if he was such an important person as Kim Anna said he was, forging a good relationship with Klein Moretti would be beneficial.
…Pushing aside the one time he had met him as Gehrman Sparrow.
"So, will you help us?"
Facing the two blondes, Merlin considered the proposal.
+
The second strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is 'Evil Sophist Cheon Inho'.
+
'Evil Sophist, what a trustworthy-sounding title,' Klein lampooned.
Still, being placed second was outstanding.
The moment that the fourth and third rankings were announced in Seoul, the incarnations fell into a panic.
"Fuck! What is this?"
"Then who is the strongest? What are we going to do?"
Most of Seoul's incarnations hadn't realized yet, but a minority started to understand the situation.
Someone whose name hadn't come out yet.
Someone they had avoided because they couldn't beat him.
The worst possibility to be the strongest.
It had been obvious, yet he had instinctively tried to deny it.
"Aaaagh!"
The situation was becoming worse. The 5th grade monsters weren't easy and the incarnations were less united than expected.
[*Current number of incarnations: 90,424.]
Kim Dokja's gaze searched for Van.
A few others did the same, hesitating whether to waste their lives by attacking or charging. However, maybe fortunately, the mage was nowhere to be seen.
The atmosphere was a mix of resignation and despair as the dokkaebi in charge laughed.
They had to fight the one who had single-handedly faced an Outer God.
[The skill, 'Fourth Wall', offset your mental shock.]
Kim Dokja took a deep breath.
They couldn't be sure. Since the strongest hadn't yet been announced, there was still a sliver of possibility that his guess was wrong.
Before the hint was released, the reader should first get rid of Nirvana.
With such thoughts, Kim Dokja faced the Salvation Leader, who would soon be eaten by the Fourth Wall.
"What do you need me to do? What can I get in exchange?" Merlin asked.
Cheon Inho nodded, having expected it.
"In exchange, you can get a powerful 'story'."
"A story?"
"It is the most powerful weapon in the Star Stream."
It was most likely Cheon Inho's true reason for making such an offer.
If he could contribute to killing the strongest, the Evil Sophist could obtain a good story and become even stronger.
"Of course, regardless of whether it succeeds or fails, we will also give you coins." Cheon Inho added.
Soon after, the dokkaebi started talking.
[Shall I now announce who the strongest incarnation is?]
The incarnations listened intently.
[The strongest incarnation, he is…]
Seeing the hint, Kim Dokja didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
***
[You are currently the strongest incarnation in Seoul.]
A message rang loudly in his head since earlier.
"…"
Disguised as an ordinary person among the crowd, Lenoch looked at the incarnations fighting off monsters.
He watched the count of incarnations slowly decreasing.
+
The strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is 'Mad Mage ???'.
+
"Mad mage?"
"Who is that?"
"Why doesn't the name appear?"
"Isn't it Van?" Lee Jihye questioned. "He fits the description."
Jung Heewon glanced at her, "The 'mad' or 'mage' part?" She joked.
In the end, it didn't explicitly state that Van was the strongest.
Yet, it could still be taken as a confirmation.
Trying to relieve the atmosphere, Lee Jihye theorized, "Maybe a name doesn't appear because he wasn't given one. Since he's an orphan…"
"Did Van-ssi ever say he was an orphan?"
"Doesn't 'mad' suit Gehrman more?"
"But he's not a mage."
"Come to think of it, where did Van-ssi go?"
Feeling a gaze on him, Lenoch turned around.
In a low voice, the other person spoke.
"Found you."
An unknown woman radiating no sign of life faced him.
It was Merlin's marionette, the Disaster of Floods whose appearance was changed with the abilities of a Bizarro Sorcerer.
His arms crossed, Lenoch didn't ask who she was.
"How did you find me?" he curiously inquired.
Truthfully, Klein's divinations about Van failed. However, despite not being able to divine his location, finding where he was wasn't particularly difficult.
Through Klein's Spirit Vision, the mage stood out among the crowd.
There wasn't anyone else with such a bad health throughout Seoul.
"It's a secret," the marionnette said.
Then, Merlin made her ask the question he was curious about.
"Are you really going to let half of the people here die?"
"…"
Lenoch was silent for a moment.
With a bitter smile, he answered, "…It is human nature to want to survive."
Klein understood.
Humans were inherently selfish. Although many preached for morals, few would choose to sacrifice their lives for the greater good.
He couldn't force a companion to sacrifice themselves either.
But why survive, when Van didn't want to live? Klein wondered. He didn't really want to kill someone who had once been a colleague.
He was mainly here because he wished to confirm Van's intentions.
Emotional exhaustion. Pain. Rational thinking. Although the theory that Van was suicidal may not necessarily be true, judging from his health, even living must be painful.
Self-deprecating. Reluctance. Struggle. These were the emotions Klein could see through his spiritual vision right now.
The words hung in the air.
Lenoch knew, in the future, the scenarios would become even harder. These 50 000 people he could save now would eventually perish.
The weak die and the strong survive.
They weren't innocent either. Even if there were a few exceptions who exploited loopholes, the people here had passed the first scenario by killing someone.
…No, in the end, he was only self-rationalizing things.
Lenoch wasn't a good person.
That's why he could make such a choice.
'If I die, what will happen to the people in WORLD 3.0?'
Wouldn't all his colleagues die as the end of the world comes?
He still had things left to do.
So, he couldn't die here.
"Isn't that why you aren't talking directly to me right now?" Lenoch remarked.
He curiously eyed the marionnette, trying to analyze the technique behind it.
Merlin was surprised. He didn't expect Van to know.
A moment of silence ensued.
Then, Lenoch spoke up again, "So, did your skill work?"
He had noticed that the other person was stalling for time and trying something during this conversation, and let them do so on purpose.
As he thought, Klein was indeed attempting to control Van's Spirit Body Threads since earlier.
Since the mage had immediately noticed his gaze, Klein had made his marionette approach him as a diversion.
However, no matter how long he waited, Van wasn't affected. The Spirit Body Threads were there, but for the first time, far from seizing initial control, Van's Spirit Body Threads didn't respond to Klein at all.
Not waiting for an answer, Lenoch acted.
Merlin's connection to his marionette was suddenly cut off.