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

Chapter 401 "The Weak" and "The Strong"

The technique that isolated oneself from the outside world only worked for a moment.

But the world changed in that very instant.

Without the Conqueror King's support, the charging bull beneath him vanished.

Weber fell onto the soft grass and looked around to find the forest now silent again.

The current crisis is undoubtedly over.

In reality, Webber Velvet's persona is telling him about his inner joy at this moment.

Before leaving, the King of Conquerors not only returned the book to him, but also sent a very warm power into his soul.

When people pursue freedom, are they pursuing freedom itself, or are they pursuing the scenery they see along the way?

The scene that seemed to be returning everything to its primitive state was terrifying, but after gaining "freedom," this experience made the precious conquest of fate all the sweeter.

Weber will never forget this scene.

He knew that he was now the only one who could prove to the world that Iskandar and Alexander the Great had even conquered "fate."

Supported by his still trembling legs and shaking hands, Weber stood up, leaning against a nearby tree trunk.

Although the sky looked even darker now, Weber could still seem to see the white light and hear the roar.

That fighting spirit, stained with blood, almost soared to the heavens.

In that boundless white light, the army, like a blood-red meteor, seemed poised to cleave the white expanse in two.

That wasn't the fighting spirit of heroic spirits, but a real existence—

After all, how could the heroic spirits, who were written within the inertia of history, possibly survive even for a fraction of a second in the tide of history?
Therefore, what is summoned by that real and true mental image is the equally real and true physical body.

Who but Iskandar could have accomplished such a feat of conquering fate with flesh and blood?!

That sea of ​​sand was truly laid out in nothingness, and soldiers riding warhorses and wielding spears were fighting against the invisible history.

They were originally going to change the direction of the expedition, and were originally going to fall apart in this last abandoned expedition.

Now, that wish that was once abandoned in history has been picked up again under the encouragement of the king.

The handsome warhorse turned to skeletons in the charge, and the sharp spearhead turned to quicksand in time.

That indomitable army has turned into a handful of yellow sand in the torrent of history.

but--

Something has indeed changed.

Indeed, some destiny has been shaken.

Although that sandcastle built on the crest of the tide was swept away by the torrent of history.

But can the ever-growing edge of that boundless, empty beach also be seen as a conquest of the sea?
The golden sand was tinged with an indelible color—orange-red—by indelible bravery.

This light now shines like a torch in Weber's pupils.

Is it spiritual growth, or the power that has been passed down, that has made this young magician more mature?

Perhaps the former has a greater impact.

In the past, it was that external force that allowed Weber to stand tall and face the criticism and difficulties of others.

Now, that heart, which seems to be surging just as much, seems to be able to muster the courage to charge against that fate, even as a “weak” person.

Weber did not consider himself a “strong man” at all.

He believed the quotation marks should be placed above the word "weak"—

Why should something truly powerful proclaim its power to other beings?
In the struggle against that "fate," everyone should call themselves "the weak."

Yes, Weber now dares to admit that he is a "weakling".

So what if you're the "weak one"?

In any world, it's impossible for everyone to be a "strong person".

Even though he had only witnessed the battle, and even though he had only done something called "escape," Weber still felt a deep sense of joy and pride.

It's not just because I witnessed that unparalleled achievement.

For Weber, he was now a subject and friend of a king who had truly conquered fate—in fact, in the king's words, he was his closest friend.

How delightful this is!

Weber felt that he now understood the king's domineering nature.

Compared to the "strength and weakness" that can be determined at will, the path of conquering the stronger is much more captivating.

Just thinking about those last words made Weber's heart surge with emotion.

He could perhaps be called Alexander the Great's Hephaestus.

"I really want to see the King again," Weber thought.

He wanted to stand truly beside that king and tell him about the great deeds he had witnessed.

Then, he allowed Rider, who knew the whole story, to use the old trick of flicking his forehead against him.

I saw him laughing heartily, yet simultaneously complaining that he had wasted his energy.

Then, they could sit cross-legged in that cramped bedroom and discuss another expedition to conquer fate.

But now he is all alone—

The surrounding night grew increasingly dark.

On this "third day," which is now slowly and positively flowing backward, after morning, it should be close to the "early morning" of the second day.

In other words, if Webber wanted to, he could indeed see Rider again now.

Now he finally has the same vision as the king.

The lush foliage above could not conceal the eyes brimming with the power of [Breaking Limits].

In the silence, Weber looked up—

Three skies, three cycles of brilliance, each reflecting a different shade of orange-red and silver.

According to the descriptions in the grimoires, or the watch formerly known as TDD, those are real timelines.

If I step onto that very first path, if I can endure the pain of my soul being torn apart, then I suppose I will be able to see the King again.

But Weber couldn't do that—

His king commanded him—no, he wished that he, carrying his share, would continue to conquer according to the path he envisioned.

If you do that, you'll likely end up with a disappointed look from Wang, or even a reprimand.

It's even possible that the path to conquest that the king painstakingly sought could be destroyed—just imagining this terrifies Weber.

But it is this fear that gives people courage.

Moreover, now that I have power, I should use it to prevent this fear from happening.

Waver summoned his weapon from the grimoire—the weapon the king had fought for him on the battlefield: the Branch of Damage.

He used this original text of the Levadin from future Norse mythology as his staff.

He waved his hand and cast a spell called [Physical Barrier - Kinetic Deflection].

Then place the "Extra-cosmic Adaptation - RSI Masking Mimicry" section on the first page of the book, in a readily accessible location.

Weber then headed toward another hill in the suburbs—

On the mountain where the Tohsaka family is located, a terrifying, temple-like shadow looms over everything, ethereal and unreal.

Rider, along with information left behind by the Alliance, has already revealed the name of the temple to Waver.

It is called Liudong Temple.

This temple, which is closely connected to "the next day," is the "shadow of greed that devours us" mentioned in the letter that Tokiomi Tohsaka received.

……

Everything was just as Weber believed.

The most important secret is the true goal that each "strong person" wants to achieve.

He who does not plan for the long term cannot plan for the short term; he who does not consider the whole situation cannot plan for a part. Perhaps Conan Edogawa will make some mistakes. But for Detective Conan—the truth never exists in a single dimension.

This is especially true for Lin Sheng.

Perhaps all the plans began when he "moved into" [Oo Matou Sakura's] TDD.

Moreover, it wasn't just his strategic vision and wisdom; the founder of this alliance was also an extremely patient person.

Just like in the game of chess within this universe, he even surpassed time.

Of course, the current Weber has no idea about these things.

If he had realized where the other Weber had gone, and the profound consequences his purpose and its outcome would have on Weber City.

He'll probably cooperate with the Alliance honestly from the start—

No, it should be that from the very beginning, it attracted a terrifying enemy symbolizing "fate".

But it was too late to say anything.

Now, he and Iskandar beside him, like grains of sand carried back to the sea by the tide, have become a phenomenon that recreates the light and shadow of the past.

It must be said that, setting aside differences in perspective, he did indeed "perfectly" achieve his original goal.

What is currently driving this phenomenon is the inertia inherent in the compilation process.

They were like a ship without a helmsman, or a chariot without a driver, moving along their destined path toward the ideas of the Alliance and other "stronger" entities.

At the same time, they also accurately fell into the trap set by the [Alliance].

Ultimately, the Type-Moon universe had never encountered the concept of "cycles" before.

With the "case" taking precedence over everything else, let alone reversing the timeline, you might even be able to travel back and forth within the same timeline several times.

Therefore, [historical inertia]—

Regardless of whether it's the "Fourth World War" or the "Fifth World War," there is a certain historical inertia.

Neither of them realized that they were being slowly and silently led in the opposite direction.

Because these things that were "destined to happen" are indeed happening.

Because before Detective Conan, there had never been anything like it—

It's about making the tree of "Editorial Matters" grow towards the sky while also sprouting leaves and new branches from the ground.

Just as the dual timelines plagued the Alliance in the past, their mechanisms are now "plaguing" the historical inertia.

However, unlike the dual timelines, they no longer learn to "think" or realize the problems involved.

This is also obvious—the current Chaldea has, to some extent, replaced their role.

Even if Chaldea doesn't intervene, other "strong individuals" will definitely join forces to prevent this from happening.

If we could think like we do with dual timelines, it would be ideal.

That would surely be the annihilation of everything that defies the "inertia of history".

……

Thus, unlike Weber's forward-flowing reverse time, they resolutely marched towards the early morning of the "third day."

At this moment, Rider and Waver are heading towards the Fuyuki Bridge in the reversed forward time flow.

To be honest, Weber had some complaints about this—

If Rider hadn't insisted on taking a shortcut through the woods, they wouldn't have bumped into a protruding rock and broken their skateboard in two.

Fortunately, taking a shortcut isn't without its advantages.

They arrived at the foot of the mountain only one step later than the convoy that had just left.

More importantly, they ended up encountering another car that had also broken down due to an accident.

After intimidating the returning armed detectives by using Matou Sakura's name, the car was temporarily placed under their control.

With the [Riding] skill, Rider could immediately tell what was wrong with the vehicle in front of him.

"The brake pads seem to have fallen off, oh, there's no brake... Hmm, it's not a big problem."

He paused, and seeing Weber's somewhat apprehensive expression, opened the car door.

"Once the distance is calculated correctly, it's not difficult to make the vehicle stop at the last moment."

However, Weber questioned the statement that "it's not a big problem".

But considering the urgency of the situation and out of trust in Rider, he ultimately sat in the passenger seat.

In fact, this gave Weber a strange illusion—

He was as if he were truly sitting on an ancient chariot, becoming an observer on the chariot, watching the road ahead and guiding the chariot.

Fortunately, as the engine started, he immediately snapped out of his reverie.

Weber showed Rider the intelligence he had just received and opened the electronic map that came with the car.

"Rider, we need to go to the bridge in the eastern part of the city."

"Based on the deductions of the [Academy] detectives, someone may want to blow up the Beika Bridge."

Rider easily understood Weber's idea.

He turned the steering wheel and rounded the last bend—clearly, the lack of brakes did not affect his driving.

Rider glanced at the route Webber was drawing on the map with his finger out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean—we'll be used as a surprise attack?"

“That’s right,” Weber nodded. “Shinto and Fukayama are separated by the Mien River, and there are only two paths to get to the other side.”

"Either take the bridge that the academy built in the seaside park, or take the Beika Bridge."

"According to the school's reassignment plan, the Matou family is in charge of the seaside park, while the Tohsaka family has volunteered to quell the chaos in the residential area and city center of Fukayama Town."

“What about the Einzbern family?” Rider asked.

Weber shook his head. "The academy didn't give any instructions. Perhaps there are... other arrangements."

“But that’s not the point,” he reminded Rider of the importance of the Mika Bridge. “If this bridge collapses, it will be equivalent to cutting off the supply of goods between the two sides.”

"That's true..."

Rider withdrew one hand from the steering wheel and subconsciously stroked his beard.

"But the problem is, the academy couldn't possibly have been unaware of this."

Weber explained to Rider why the Academy was ignoring this side:

"Because this is a pure steel bridge that was built under the supervision of Dr. Agasa's research institute. It was reinforced during construction to withstand loads and external impacts."

"According to the information found on the watch, it can even withstand a small-yield nuclear bomb."

"If we split up our forces, we will be more vulnerable to being picked off one by one by the enemy. Considering the distance and the fact that the academy cannot be lost, it is the right decision to go and support the seaside park."

Rider nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

"So, what about that 'but'? Kid, have you made any new discoveries?"

"I think the [Academy] might fail this time."

Weber couldn't quite put his finger on it; it was just a vague premonition in his mind, as if the disaster would inevitably happen near that bridge.

It was as if fate itself had told him this outcome.

However, he certainly wouldn't say that; instead, he offered his own perspective.

"After all, the two of us wouldn't be of much help if we went now, would we?"

“And,” he pointed to the empty space between the two bridges in the river, “if I remember correctly, the powerful Holmes was right there.”

"If it hits..."

Rider's expression also turned serious.

He knew what Webber was trying to say—the sharpest spear and the strongest shield would collide.

Whether the spearhead breaks or the bridge collapses, the situation will immediately deteriorate to the extreme.

(End of this chapter)