Anime Crossover: Post-Apocalyptic Survival, My Stand is the World

At the moment Kurumi Tokisaki uttered that philosophically profound question, it was like the final arrow aimed at the answer to the riddle.

A brief silence fell over the solitary confinement cell.

Only the faint hum of electricity from that single shadowless lamp echoed in the silent space.

She had expected to hear a grand answer, full of domineering power and befitting the strength of the man before her.

For example, "conquering the world," "becoming the god of the new world," or even the more hypocritical "protecting all mankind."

however--

Su Chen looked into her beautiful eyes, which were full of inquiry and curiosity.

She simply and calmly gave an answer that she had never expected.

"I?"

Su Chen leaned back in his chair, shifting to a more comfortable position, as if the question wasn't worth sitting up straight to answer.

"My pursuit is very simple."

"Longevity."

"And a place where I can take a peaceful afternoon nap without worrying about being woken up by monsters, a place filled with flowers and plants..."

"back yard."

"..."

19 “Huh?”

Kurumi was stunned.

A look of utter bewilderment appeared on her face, a face that always maintained elegance and composure even in dire straits.

She looked at the man before her, who had just used godlike methods to completely defeat her, displaying unparalleled power and cunning.

Then I listened to his ultimate dream, which could be described as having no ambition whatsoever.

An unprecedented, bizarre feeling, filled with absurdity and unreality, welled up in her heart.

Just...that's it?

After all that fuss, you're actually more like a demon king than I am.

His ultimate dream was simply to become an immortal... retired senior cadre?

"Is it not allowed?" Su Chen asked confidently, looking at her expression.

"..."

Kurumi was completely speechless.

She felt that the tragic atmosphere she had just built up was instantly destroyed by the unpredictable man in front of her.

It felt like punching cotton.

"Okay, the chat is over."

Su Chen smiled as he looked at her adorable expression, which was full of confusion and speechlessness.

Then, the smile on his face slowly faded.

His expression became inscrutable.

The air in the entire confinement room seemed to become somewhat heavy at that moment.

He stopped beating around the bush with her.

"Tokisaki Kurumi."

His voice was soft, yet it struck Kurumi's soul like an undeniable divine decree.

"The reason you keep devouring other people's 'time' is..."

"The reason why we must go back to the 'past' at all costs."

"The reason why they are willing to merge with that nest full of malice and madness, even at the risk of being assimilated and losing their humanity."

"The purpose is to kill the source of all the disasters that occurred thirty years ago."

"That initial spacequake."

"That one codenamed 'Phantom'..."

He paused, and under Kurumi's increasingly wide pupils, he spoke, word by word, the final and only truth that should never have existed in this world.

"The first spirit."

"Am I right?"

"!"

"!"

"!"

That moment.

Kurumi Tokisaki's body trembled violently, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

In an instant, a monstrous storm erupted in her once calm, wine-red right eye!

Shock.

Horrified.

fear.

She suddenly raised her head and stared intently at the calm man in front of her with a look that seemed to be looking at a monster—no, a thousand times more terrifying than looking at a monster.

impossible!

This is absolutely impossible!

This was her biggest secret, a secret she kept buried deep in her heart and never told anyone.

It was the only lighthouse that sustained her through countless desperate days and nights as she journeyed alone.

In this world that has been destroyed by the apocalypse, even those so-called intelligence agencies no longer exist. How could anyone possibly know the secrets from thirty years ago?

This man...

How did this man know that?

Is it...

Could it be that his ability to foresee the future is so great that he can even see the secrets of the "past" that are hidden deep in history and have long been sealed away?

Is this... what they call omniscience and omnipotence?

this moment.

Kurumi Tokisaki's defenses were already unbreakable, the last line of defense protecting the softest part of her heart.

Faced with Su Chen's overwhelming intelligence, which was like a dimensional reduction attack, and completely on a different level.

It completely collapsed.

……

"Looks like I was right."

Su Chen looked at her expression, which was full of despair, with unfocused eyes, as if her soul had been completely ripped out.

A victorious smile, as if everything was under control, appeared on his face.

he knows.

The time for negotiations has come.

He looked at the Time Queen before him, who had completely lost all her cards and was like a woman stripped of all her disguise.

She was offered something she couldn't refuse no matter what... 330...

transaction.

"Tokisaki Kurumi."

"Become my 'spear'."

"Clear away all enemies who dare to stand in my way as I build that 'back garden'."

"In return..."

A divine smile, radiating absolute confidence and boundless grace, graced his face as he extended his hand to her.

"After I rule this world."

"After I completely beat this buggy garbage game."

"I will use my strength."

"I'll help you turn back the tide of something you can't salvage no matter what..."

"past."

He paused, then summarized in a simpler, more unconventional way, but also in a way that struck her soul most directly.

"simply put."

"It's you and me signing an 'unbreakable vow'."

"I'll help you win that damned 'Holy Grail War' and save your best friend."

"And you, be my sharpest, and most loyal..."

"pawn."

"How about it?"

He looked into her eyes, which had been dimmed by despair but had been rekindled with a faint spark of hope by his words, and asked with a smile.

"That's 'fair,' isn't it?"

Chapter 175 The Smoke of War at Shuchiin

The hunt in Shinjuku has come to an end.

The journey back to the SEGA headquarters felt both unusually easy and eerie.

The team has expanded.

Besides Su Chen and his four equally battle-hardened individuals, there were also three newcomers with extremely unique styles.

Saeko Busujima, a black-haired swordswoman carrying the demon sword Murata, walked silently at the front like an ancient swordsman, clearing the way.

Her every step was precise and steady, her sharp gaze scanning every shadow around her like radar, nipping any potential danger in the bud.

A rock girl named Michiru Hyodo, carrying an electric guitar and following at the very back, responsible for bringing up the rear... no, for boosting morale with the rock melodies she hums from time to time.

Like a bird just released from its cage, she was filled with boundless curiosity about everything in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and every now and then she would want to take a look at the strangely shaped remains of a monster by the roadside.

And walking in the very center of the group, the Time Witch, Tokisaki Kurumi, though still wearing invisible shackles, once again wore that elegant smile full of joy and amusement.

She was observing this strange and incongruous group with great interest, as if she were watching an interesting stage play she had never seen before.

This ultimate "monster and demon" squad, composed of gods, demons, ghosts, saints, and kings, marched in a grand procession through the ruins of the apocalypse.

Wherever it passed, even the lowest-level demons seemed to sense the terrifying mixed aura that was enough to make even gods and Buddhas retreat. They trembled with fear and hid in the shadows of the ruins, not daring to approach.

……

"Su Chen, please respond."

Halfway through the march, Kong Na's voice, full of curiosity and gossip, came through the communicator.

"How's the interrogation going? Has that woman confessed everything?"

"Hired."

Su Chen glanced at Kurumi beside him, who was looking at him with great interest, and replied with a hint of helplessness.

“She has abandoned the darkness and joined us.”

"what?"