Hearing this, Roan's heart skipped a beat.
This was his deepest secret, and his greatest asset since transmigrating into the world of the Foundation.
"...You are referring to the fact that I can increase the level of my reality bending abilities, aren't you?"
Roan actually felt a sense of relief and relaxed completely. "It is indeed different from other reality benders. My initial awakening was only at Level 1; all I could do were trivial things like bending spoons with psychokinesis or grabbing objects from a distance. It took a massive amount of effort to improve step-by-step to my current level."
"However, I'm afraid I must disappoint you. The conditions for growth have reached a dead end. It is now extremely difficult to improve any further."
Neoth asked, "Tell me, why have you reached a dead end?"
"Satisfying the condition for improvement is very simple: slaughter."
Roan sighed. "When I kill a sentient being, or if their death has a direct causal link to me, their soul is devoured by me and used to increase my own Hume Index."
"You should be aware that the Hume Index is a parameter used to measure the stability of reality. The higher a reality bender's internal Hume Index, the lower the Hume Index of the space surrounding them becomes. Thus, their reality bending capabilities are enhanced."
He paused, then continued his explanation: "When I advanced from a Level 1 to a Level 2 reality bender, I only needed to kill a few dozen humans. I took a trip to a chaotic country, wiped out a few drug cartels, and that solved it."
"But now that I need to advance from Level 2 to Level 3, to say the requirements have risen exponentially would be an understatement. I simply cannot do it."
"Could it be a very massive number?"
"Exactly."
Roan's expression was extremely solemn. "At the very least, it requires over one hundred thousand souls!"
As his words fell, a very peculiar atmosphere settled between them.
After a long while, Neoth finally spoke:
"...One hundred thousand?"
What the hell is with that "is that all?" attitude of yours?!
Roan's eye twitched. "Is one hundred thousand souls not a lot?"
You must be joking. Do you think the Foundation is blind?
If he actually attempted to carry that out, he feared that in the very next second, the "Achilles' Heels" Mobile Task Force—specialized in suppressing reality benders—would spawn out of thin air right at his doorstep!
Then he would be beaten to his knees and dragged off to a containment site to serve as a contained anomaly!
"No, I have a proposal," Neoth said after listening. "Would you be willing to leave this world and travel to another universe?"
"You mean, go to another universe to escape the Foundation's surveillance, and then fulfill the conditions for my growth?"
Having mixed in the anomalous world behind the Veil for several years, the experienced Roan was naturally no stranger to the concept of alternate universes.
It certainly sounded like a good proposal, but it wasn't without its issues.
"But the problem is, don't other universes also have the Foundation?"
Indeed, this was the biggest problem.
The Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting humanity from anomalies, was distributed across the multiverse.
Based on Roan's experience using containment objects and anomalous technology from other organizations to explore parallel universes, there were only two scenarios: either the Foundation existed and maintained order, or the world was a wasteland, a doomsday scenario where humanity had been wiped out.
Neither scenario could satisfy the conditions required for his reality bending abilities to grow.
"No, you have misunderstood. My universe has absolutely nothing to do with the Foundation."
Neoth shook his head and dropped a piece of news Roan had not expected at all.
"You can consider it a completely different multiverse. To use a metaphor, they are two completely different books. They should have been entirely separate and unrelated, but a miracle—one that I cannot comprehend even at my current level—occurred, bringing me here."
"However, the connection between the two worlds is extremely fragile. Not only can it not support the passage of overly powerful entities, but it is also likely to vanish at any moment. Due to these various restrictions, I must immediately select someone who can assist me—someone like you."
"Are you willing to leave this universe and travel to mine?"
Roan almost agreed to the proposal right then and there.
He had truly had enough of this hellhole that was the Foundation!
Various anomalous objects that could cause instant death if one wasn't careful, K-Class (End of the World) Scenarios happening several times a year on average, the Foundation and the Global Occult Coalition chasing him like mad dogs, a gathering of various organizations harboring sinister designs, and all sorts of anomalous technologies that wouldn't even let one die in peace...
What world could possibly be worse than this hellhole?
But Roan managed to forcibly hold himself back and asked, "Could you describe your world? What kind of place is it?"
Neoth's expression remained unruffled and completely calm.
"It is a very beautiful universe. A fantasy world where humans, elves, orcs, undead, demons, and many other races coexist."
"Of course, because multiple races coexist in one world, there is often a tiny bit of friction between them. This is unavoidable."
"I am the Master of Mankind. My requirements for you are not high. As the Hero chosen by me, you simply need to help humanity defeat the demons and the Evil Gods behind them, and lead humanity to greatness once more."
"I believe this task will not be difficult for a reality bender who can modify reality at will with their mind, nearly achieving whatever their heart desires."
"Furthermore, you can improve your reality bending abilities through slaughter. It is very likely you will soon become a Level 3, or even higher, reality bender. When that happens, the task will become even easier."
Roan stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
Of course, with his experience, he certainly picked up on what was left unsaid in the other party's words. Clearly, the description of this world was a bit of an understatement.
For instance, His description of His universe was very brief; it would even hold true for the Foundation's world, as if this universe didn't also have demons, elves, undead, and orcs.
However, in the end, after repeatedly weighing his options, Roan nodded heavily.
"I accept!"
It came back to that same thought: he had truly had enough of this hellhole that was the Foundation!
Surely that world couldn't be even more of a cesspool than the Foundation, could it?
Hearing Roan's words of agreement, the youth calling himself Neoth revealed a smile filled with divine compassion. His eyes erupted with a spiritual light akin to the blazing sun; soaring columns of intense light wrapped around his form, and layers upon layers of white wings unfurled behind him.
Roan felt a sudden, searing pain on the back of his hand, causing him to involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air.
Fortunately, the pain faded as quickly as it had arrived. The searing sensation soon transformed into a lingering warmth. He raised his hand and looked closely.
Appearing on the back of Roan's hand was a pattern shining with a brilliance reminiscent of the sun. Its shape was roughly:
—A Golden Double-Headed Eagle?
Roan's eyes went wide.
"Wait, something's wrong, wait a minute..."
This extremely familiar symbol instantly awakened Roan's memories from his past life. Since things had reached the final step, Neoth no longer needed to hide anything and directly removed the cognitive interference placed on Roan's mind.
Without the other party's interference, Roan was able to use the various pieces of information to pretty much guess the universe he was about to head to, and the true origin of this "person" calling himself Neoth.
Regrettably, it was too late to say anything now.
The layers of wings had already descended, enveloping his entire body. In the next instant, before Roan could even utter a word, his form vanished within the brilliant golden light.
All the strange phenomena dissipated. Neoth slowly descended to the ground, his figure swaying. Cracks began to spread across his face until, finally, he turned into light and faded away.
Within the church, only a faint, lingering sigh remained:
"In this dark forty-first millennium, war is eternal..."
"...But hope endures."