The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 331 Instantly Killing Billions: Myself

"Sakura, are you really going to stay in the mansion?"

Seeing Matou Sakura determined to stay, Kariya's anger, which seemed never to have subsided, surged once more.

A wisp of black madness rose from his right wrist.

Yan Ye's gaze swept over the relatively intact restaurant.

After failing to find any trace of that guy, the tightly clenched fist and the immense magical power finally loosened and dissipated.

Matou Zangen was very sensible.

Or rather, that decaying soul was perfectly aware of just how unlikable it was in front of Yan Ye.

Therefore, under the pretext of preparing the magic books to be handed over to the League, he left immediately after lunch.

—He was given a second chance at life.

Seeing Kariya's barely suppressed expression, unexpectedly, Matou Sakura slowly walked up to him.

Then--

The child took his hand.

……

Children's thinking can sometimes be very simple.

Sakura Matou has briefly recalled that painful past.

But the watch told him that the pain Uncle Kariya was experiencing was far greater than his own.

So how should I help Kariya?
Deep within Matou Sakura's hazy memories, there seems to be a warm voice that appeared when she and her sister argued over trivial matters.

That was my mother's voice.

Sakura could no longer remember Aoi Tohsaka's face.

She only remembered those gentle eyes and those words:
"Sakura, do you know?"

"If you share a moment of happiness, it will double; but if you share a moment of pain, it will halve."

As a six-year-old child, Sakura's thoughts are very simple right now:
Hmm... If I could make Uncle Kariya happy, it wouldn't hurt so much, right?

So, when will Uncle Kariya be happy?

Sakura tried hard to remember.

Ah, right!

Not long ago, although Uncle Kariya was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, he still had a very happy smile on his face.

But what if it still hurts a lot?

Perhaps, I can help Yan Ye share some of the burden.

If we do this, Uncle Kariya's suffering will be halved.

Sakura took a deep breath, as if she had made a very difficult decision.

She reached her hand into the hole again.

Trembling slightly, silently enduring, Matou Sakura forced a smile.

A gentle and tolerant quality, like that of an adult, emerged from the depths of those dull purple pupils.

"Uncle Kariya, Sakura already knows?"

Kariya could feel Sakura's body trembling slightly. In fact, her hand was gripping his wrist tightly, so tightly that it made his skin hurt slightly.

For some reason, Yan Ye's heart and his words trembled along with the child's voice.

This pathetic idiot had no idea what Sakura was doing at that moment.

They also had no idea what the child in front of them was thinking.

His voice unconsciously lowered, "Sakura... what does she know?"

"That technique must be very painful to use, right?"

Kariya never expected to hear such an answer.

He knelt down and hugged the child, who still cared for him even after falling into the "insect nest," tightly into his arms.
"No pain."

Kariya's voice was a little hoarse. He touched her purple hair and a happy smile, familiar to Matou Sakura, appeared on his face.

"If it's for Sakura... then it won't hurt at all."

Sakura lifted her head in his arms and smiled, just like Matou Kariya.

"Then... Sakura isn't in pain either."

Yan Ye was slightly taken aback, and he tightened his embrace.

Sensing the real presence of Matou Sakura at this moment, Matou Kariya's anger, which had been building up inside him, seemed to subside somewhat.

Instead, there is a gentle warmth.

It was an impulse that made him want to protect the life of the child in front of him until the very end.

Feeling warmed by this care, Yan Ye stood up.

His expression became unusually calm.

Even as he walked out of the Matou residence, a smile still lingered on his lips—

Now, it's time to go ahead with the plan and capture that Caster Master.

……

After saying goodbye to Yan Ye, a hunched, insect-like figure silently reappeared at the restaurant entrance.

It was Matou Zouken, whose face was gloomy and looked as if he were covered in a layer of corpse ash.

“Sakura, if I were to tell Kariya what you just did…”

His words carried a chilling probing tone.

—This kind of pain that affects the soul was undoubtedly transmitted to the old insect itself through the mark insect that Zouken left in Matou Sakura's body.

But Matou Sakura just narrowed her eyes.

Then, she gave a naive, innocent, and seemingly genuinely happy smile.

A brief band of light appeared, encircling "Matou Sakura".

The purple light, called "imaginary number," briefly illuminated that non-existent consciousness through the "hole" in the handshake.

Several of Matou Sakura's voices echoed in the same space, as if countless versions of her were whispering.

"In that case... you bug will die."

A kind of shadowy, imaginary luster appeared on Matou Sakura's hand.

As Zouken Matou looked on with apprehension, the hand slowly sank into his chest and then pinched the inscription insect that contained a part of Zouken Matou's soul.

Zouken Matou deeply regretted not adding "Sakura Matou is not allowed to attack me" to his self-imposed compulsion statement.

Regardless of what method Matou Sakura used.

The growing sense of "oppression" felt simultaneously on every Crest Bug that was protecting its own life—the pressure exerted on every part of one's "existence"—cannot be faked.

As the shadow of death loomed closer, Zouken Matou finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke first:

"Sakura, what exactly do you want?"

"Give me the method for cultivating the Lesser Grail."

The old bug finally had no choice but to agree.

He left with a feeling that was hard to understand—

Zouken Matou couldn't understand why everything seemed to have changed overnight.

The moment he disappeared, with a fleeting flash of TDD on his wrist, the pain and the double image, like a severed shadow, were instantly erased.

And within that [hole] deep within Matou Sakura's soul.

A grown-up Matou Sakura stood quietly to the side, her expression impatient, and she snorted coldly in her heart.

Hmph... I actually had to let some evil pass through.

What an annoying agreement.

If it weren't for justice, and the chances of it being successfully brought to light in the end—

She should have cleaned up all that ugliness long ago.

For Sakura Matou, she was currently on the edge of an endless purple ocean.

Of course, those waves were not water, but countless "Matou Sakura" themselves, each with a strange smile, exuding a repulsive twist and malice.

At the edge of the ocean stands a barrier constructed by the CYZ effect.

However, on that crystal-solid defensive line, a vortex-like hole was quite noticeable.

Sakura Matou stood guard in front of the hole, looking down at these things with utter disgust.

Within the purple tide of shadows, countless "she"s writhe—

With faces identical to their own, and with pitiful wails and feigned pain, they performed clumsy pleas while tentatively reaching their "claws" toward the figures in the [hole] with their shadowy imaginary attacks.

"What... disgusting self."

The girl frowned.

She sighed softly, and with a flick of her wrist, a ceremonial sword shimmering with gemstone luster and the CYZ effect materialized from the imaginary space.

Seemingly enraged by her disgust, the beings that had been lingering around the hole suddenly howled. The entire purple ocean churned like a furious beast, and boundless "self" carrying malevolent magic surged towards this small space like a massive tsunami, rushing towards Matou Sakura.

But in that instant—

A glint of fiery gold light flashed in his purple pupils.

As magic and the CYZ effect surged, a chant arose:

"Imaginary Numbers: The Barrier of Resonance, an Impenetrable Shell."

"Imaginary Number - Domain of Slash, Severance of Cause and Effect!"

Sakura Matou bent her knees slightly and leaped high into the air. Her white sleeves tore through the "air" that was almost entirely composed of ethereal magic, creating a storm-like sound.

She swung her sword right at the fastest surging "wave".

The techniques named [Imaginary Number Reposition - Inviolable Shell] and [Imaginary Number Severing Domain - Severing Cause and Effect] are activated.

Like some kind of terrible divine punishment, a gust of wind swept through the cherry blossom forest, and countless purple petals fell, then immediately evaporated in the void.

Within this vast and boundless purple ocean, another boundless and empty ocean appeared—but because of the countless illusory reflections, this mythical reappearance-like attack swept them all away in an instant.

She landed lightly back in her original spot, and with another casual strike, wiped away the purple carpet-like growth beneath her.

The outburst just now made Sakura Matou's breathing slightly rapid.

She took a moment to catch her breath, then immediately stared at the still restless ocean with a scrutinizing and wary gaze.

Although the purple ocean showed no signs of shrinking, they had begun to feel a certain fear—

They were especially afraid of the golden light within that slash.

I should be able to rest before their greed once again surpasses their fear.

There are only ■■ days left.

……

As for young Matou Sakura—

Sure enough, the voice on the other end was right!
I don't feel any pain at all now.

The pain in my heart seemed to be smoothed out by some warm light, even turning into a slightly hot current that flowed gently through my heart.

The child's heart leaped with joy at the thought of "helping Uncle Yanye," like suddenly seeing a small house with a light on in a dark courtyard.

Lowering her head, Sakura Matou's gaze fell on the TDD on her wrist.

She remembered that before her uncle left, he told her that if she learned the magic trick called "imaginary number," she could help more people.

—It's decided!

I started studying this afternoon.

and……

At this moment, a hint of excitement and anticipation, typical of a child's age, finally appeared on the child's face.

If I finish learning it myself, I'll be able to read Batman comics!
Immediately afterwards, her small face suddenly became somewhat conflicted, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

but--

Wonder Woman seems a bit cooler.

……

As for Kariya Matou—

The warmth in his heart lasted only for a very short moment.

After leaving the mansion, TDD immediately projected the corresponding path into Matou Kariya's line of sight.

He took a deep breath, enveloping himself in that frenzied magic, concealing his aura and form.

Then, Matou Kariya "casually" put on the [Timeline Mask].

As a mad, resentful aura extended down from the mask, the sharply defined armor plates, like the bones of a wild beast, immediately snapped onto his body.

The heavy black battle armor completely engulfed Yan Ye.

However, a clear red light flashed in his eyes.

"boom--!!"

The ground beneath their feet collapsed instantly, and the cracked soil surged up like a tide. The vibrations in the air stirred up the dust, even forming a powdery smog.

As the surrounding tree trunks fell as if ravaged by a typhoon, a series of sonic booms appeared behind him.
— Kariya Matou chose the fastest and easiest way to find Ryunosuke Uryu and Caster.

……

Perhaps Conan believes that Matou Kariya, now aware of the terrifying nature of the Timeline Mask, will be more cautious when using it.

But this is precisely the downside of Conan not reading books.

The timeline of this universe is undoubtedly different from that of the Type-Moon universe.

Conan knew this, but he didn't understand what it meant to a "mortal".

An being who has mastered their own timeline can master their own "essence".

This "essence" is not some kind of consciousness from a higher dimension, like the "soul".

Rather, it means that you are able to clearly grasp your own "cause and effect"—

Whether it's anchoring the result towards the cause, or seeing the corresponding result based on the cause;

Whether it's skipping the process and only enjoying the beginning and the end, or rejecting both ends and only wanting to exist in the eternal process;

For an being that can control its own timeline, is all of this really so easy?

Actually, that's not the case. In this universe, it's extremely difficult to achieve this.

Because everything in this universe is a timeline, and they influence and are interconnected with each other.

In other words, unless the loop you create doesn't involve any other people, or you can weave a "reasonable" smaller loop, you'll be in trouble.

Normally, it's very difficult for you to get approved by the [Ethics Committee].

Moreover, Universe 2 is ultimately based on the [real timeline].
Therefore, this means you also need to apply for a sufficient quantity of APTX-4869, meet certain physical conditions, and so on...

—None of these exist in the Type-Moon universe.

Therefore, just like the original Karasuma Renya, who fell into a frenzy of greed due to that vast time perspective.

The current [Matou Kariya] is completely immersed in this complete control over his own pain.

His soul is shattered.

The "spirit" that records the past is scattered throughout every "historical" moment in his memory.

Although the length of these timelines is far less than the span of the [this universe], which has continued from the Big Bang to the present.

But how can a person's "spirit" and "soul" bear the weight of several decades?
Kariya Matou should have died the moment he removed his mask, but his "persona" saved his life.

And so, this man—

From the moment he was born, he became the tormented [Matou Kariya].

It wasn't just the endless repetition of beautiful memories from the past that caused that obsession with salvation to swell to an immeasurable degree.

It's just a tragic obsession, replicated countless times by the character at every point in the timeline.

In a sense, this is another kind of miracle.

The characteristics of the [timeline] have created a subtle "chemical change" with the thing called "soul" in the [Type-Moon Universe].

The state of "infinite magical power" that Matou Kariya is currently displaying is not a manifestation of obtaining infinity through the [Second Law] or the [Fifth Law].

It's just simple—

There are countless [Matou Kariya]s supporting this "manifested" version of himself.

Even though RSI values ​​cannot be simply added together, so many minute fluctuations, when added together—

Just like the performance shown by Matou Kariya.

The more he uses the mask, the more firmly his obsession with "saving Matou Sakura" becomes.

[Matou Kariya] will also become stronger.

Furthermore, with each use of the mask, he would rewind and copy himself from the end of the timeline to all other points in the timeline.

In other words, as the timeline known as "Matou Kariya" continues to extend.

His magic, his power... will only accumulate more and more.

However, this stability will also have a reverse effect on him.

Just as he had difficulty realizing the "strangeness" that [Matou Sakura] had just shown.

This man, who could also be said to have "instantly killed billions of himself," no longer has enough "self" to drive a new future.

He was forever trapped in a "painful" past.

This self-repeating cycle will cause him to use this point to "grow himself" more frequently, and will lead him... to a kind of "end" more quickly.

Perhaps, when this persona reaches the end of its historical inertia.

He will suddenly realize that he truly only has one ending.

Of course, just like what Matou Kariya is doing right now.

He doesn't care about that at all.

PS: The effects of this spell have been synchronized to the relevant information in the work.

(End of this chapter)