Nobita's Time Heist

"...I'm so happy today, really. I haven't had such a carefree and happy afternoon in a long time." He crossed his arms and stretched lazily. "It's getting late, I should go home now, you should go home too."

"I won't tell you when Doraemon left, and there's no need to. You already knew he couldn't stay with you forever, right?"

"So, from now on, you must treat every day as if it were your last, and cherish every moment with him, understand?"

Illusion or reality, it doesn't matter anymore.

Nobita was talking to himself—that naive, innocent, and immature self, yet one that he couldn't let go of.

"Hmm." He nodded, then asked with concern, "But what about you?"

"Me? I'm fine. Rather, I don't belong here..." Nobita shook his head with a smile. The moment he said those words, the world suddenly fell silent, as if it had fallen into an unknown darkness.

The spark in his heart flickered on and off, and when he opened his eyes again, Nobita was gone.

The cicadas have stopped chirping, the wind has ceased, and this perfect, illusory world is now deserted.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Even if I could go back to the past, there would be no one waiting for me there."

Chapter 453: It's Not Over Yet

"Nobinia? Nobinia!"

Jinglu was quite frightened and shook Daxiong's shoulders vigorously, but he remained fast asleep and couldn't be woken up no matter what she did, as if he had been completely shielded from external stimuli. He was still breathing normally, his expression calm, without any sign of pain, as if he were having a beautiful dream that he could only dream of in his daily life.

“It’s no use.” Jia Kun’s voice came from all directions, and the light gradually gathered together, shaping his body. “He is still a human being. As long as he is human, he will inevitably indulge in his own desires, whether those desires are noble or filthy. That has nothing to do with me. My only responsibility is to create a perfect world for him.”

"However, as far as I know, no one has been able to break free from my illusion on their own."

“Nobinia is no ordinary person; he’s a Silver Swordsman.” Jinglu gritted her teeth and said with absolute certainty, “He won’t give in so easily!”

“The Silver Swordsman… Ha… You don’t understand him at all.” At the last moment, Jaqen finally revealed a cold smile. “The core of the dream was not created by me, but based on his own ‘memories’ stored deep in his mind that could maximally evoke happiness. Every single detail is his own story.”

"Faced with all sorts of external crises, he is indeed a Silver Swordsman. He can slay demons and monsters and is invincible. Even the powerful Phoenicians have to be defeated by his sword."

"But what about when he faces himself?"

Jinglu looked somewhat surprised. When she looked down again, Daxiong's breathing remained calm, which made her originally firm heart waver a little.

"He knows himself better than you do. He's not some Silver Swordsman, not a savior who carries all the hopes on his shoulders. He's just an ordinary high school student living in the 21st century, in Nerima Ward, Tsukimidai Town, Tokyo, Japan, named Nobita Nobi."

"His greatest wish is to return to that carefree time when he could squander it as he pleased. Just like any living thing has the instinct to return to its burrow, he also wants to return to his carefree home, to that wonderful afternoon that he longs for."

"Now, tell me, can a person fight against their own instincts?" Jia Kun seemed to have achieved a complete victory, raising his hands high, his dark face beaming with the joy of triumph. "He is the bridgehead of the sacred timeline. As long as he is not there, even for a moment, a second, the foundation of the timeline will shake. I have waited so long, and finally... finally..."

"A spiritual tide that will overturn everything is about to descend..."

"boom----"

An unexpected gunshot interrupted Jia Kun's long-winded speech.

The bullet pierced his skull, shattering the afterimage of sound and light. Soon, Jia Kun's clone would reappear from another location, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had tried the same trick countless times, and had never seen it fail or ineffective on anyone before, but today was the first time.

"Nobita, you're a monster... You really are a monster. You can even deceive your own heart, you can even sever the deepest desires that lie dormant within you... That world must be infinitely close to reality, where you can continue as long as you want. You can indulge in it, enjoying this unspeakably long childhood! You can never have to grow up!"

"Why? Isn't that what you desire most?"

……

Da Xiong slowly stood up, holding a sword in his left hand and a gun in his right. His eyes did not show any determination to fight to the death; it seemed as if he just wanted to explain some principles to him.

"That was really good, I admit it, so good that I almost didn't want to wake up."

“But…none of that is real. It’s just a fantasy I created to amuse myself.” His voice gradually lowered. “Doraemon left once. I was only in fourth grade then. I cried and begged him not to leave, but he still left in the end. Before he left, I made a promise with him that even if Doraemon wasn’t by my side anymore, I would overcome difficulties on my own. I wanted to prove to him that I could live on my own. That was a promise we made.”

"The real Doraemon won't drag me into the past, because the past belongs only to the past me."

"He will wait quietly in the future for my grandson's grandson to reunite with him."

Unexpectedly, Jia Kun listened attentively to the confession, then chuckled softly, his expression somewhat complicated, and for a moment, he felt an indescribable envy.

“Past and future, reality and illusion… why can you always distinguish what is right and what is wrong?” He cast his gaze into the distant void and murmured, “That’s probably the difference between us, Nobita. I can’t see the beautiful world in your eyes, and I’ve never loved humanity like you do…”

His hands were clasped together, and the seven-colored hada hanging around his neck began to move slowly, the sound becoming increasingly ethereal and dreamlike, like a heavy bell.

"In that case, let things be as they are between you and me."

Before he finished speaking, countless hands sprouted from his body, like a lush field of potato sprouts, exuding a lush yet eerie atmosphere under the holy light. Each hand formed a different shape, which Da Xiong couldn't understand, only feeling that it was a gesture used by gods to subdue monsters. In the next instant, Jia Kun's figure rapidly split apart, each pair of hands corresponding to a different clone. So many clones sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, floating in the sky and quickly surrounding the two of them.

"Pobon!"

"Kiss kiss—Kiss kiss—!!!"

Popon transformed back into a mercury-like fluid, shrinking in mid-air and covering Nobita's silver armor. At this moment, his nature was like a pure white venom plus version without any weaknesses, perfectly fitting his host. As part of the Silver Swordsman's bound equipment, this armor was also made of 100% pure mithril, arguably the best armor in the world, and highly receptive to foreign substances.

"call……"

Clad in armor, he paid no heed to the possibility of a sudden attack. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused his attention on the silver sword itself. He had seen the same tactic before when facing the Demon Emperor; it wasn't anything new, and he had countered it in the same way then.

The bamboo dragonfly propelled his body, and he slowly floated up. Guided by his intuition, he chose a direction, pointed the sword, and thrust it fiercely at one of the countless illusions.

"laugh----!!"

Like the sound of shattering glass, the sword pierced through his body, and all the illusions vanished in an instant.

"...Your excellent judgment is truly admirable. You were able to accurately detect my existence the instant my consciousness shifted. I can't help but applaud you." Jia Kun uttered the same seemingly complimentary yet sarcastic remark as the Demon King Daimao. Instead of retreating, he advanced and directly grasped the blade of the silver sword with his palm.

The phrase "cutting iron like mud" was no longer an adjective when describing this sword. With just a slight grip, the blade pierced his flesh, and blood gushed out. But Jia Kun showed no sign of letting go; looking at his bleeding hands, a smile even appeared on his face.

"Come on, Nobita, this isn't over yet!"

Chapter 454: Our Cat and Mouse Game

"boom------!!"

A tremendous sound and tremor emanated from the sky behind them. In that instant, Nobita understood why his father had suddenly become so excited, reaching out to grasp his silver sword with his bare hands. The sky was filled with a golden hue, pure and transcendent, just as it had been when it was first born.

"...Delaying time?"

“It won’t take long.” Jia Kun smiled with satisfaction and rapture. “The ‘surge of spirituality’ has already begun.”

"After this great tide engulfs the earth, all humankind will become spiritual beings!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At this very moment, a golden rift suddenly opened in the sky above Earth, and some substance not existing in this world cast its gaze upon this insignificant speck of dust in the universe. Despite its disdain and contempt, it ultimately followed the principle that even a fly, no matter how small, is still meat, and descended with a spiritual tide.

Fluids of light, gushing forth from the darkness, defied all logic, pierced through Earth's atmosphere and spread to every corner. Wisps of white-gold vapor rose slowly from the Earth's surface; whether they brought salvation to humanity remains unknown.

Spirituality.

The tide of spirituality quickly swept over time, gently enveloping this inconspicuous peripheral star.

This scene is truly thought-provoking... like a cup of boiling rapeseed oil poured on the head of a helpless sheep. Once the entity behind the crack has prepared the essential ingredients—scallions, ginger, and garlic—and a touch of vinegar, it's ready to unleash its power. From a space perspective, it's hard to say whether this is salvation or sustenance.

Unfortunately, no one on Earth can see this scene anymore; those who have fallen into a deep sleep cannot even control their own fate.

Golden threads began to descend from the clouds, like a rain of mushrooms, fluttering down from the sky. Peeling back the cocoons, the threads seeped into the bodies of each unconscious human. In no time, the fungi had parasitized their flesh, beginning to secrete copious amounts of sunlight.

……

"finally……"

Just as he had planned, Jaqen Helma became the first human to embrace the spiritual tide. Nobita couldn't judge what this spirit was; perhaps in his eyes, it was a rare salvation. He opened his arms, embracing the unseen spiritual tide with utter ecstasy.

"The Earth and humanity can now rest in peace."

Although no mushrooms landed on him, his body gradually became ethereal, transforming into a vague and intangible consciousness. Sound, light, thought, and all intangible things condensed around Jia Kun, forming a protective armor forged from golden light.

The two worlds were connected by dreams, and when the other world underwent an anomaly, this world was naturally also greatly affected. The sky and the earth trembled inexplicably, as if they had been thrown into an egg beater, which was running at full speed to completely separate the egg white and yolk.

"Nobinia!!" Jinglu's scream came from behind her. She was looking down at her hands with a look of horror—the substance that made up her body had decomposed.

“Shizuka…” Nobita realized that Shizuka’s body in the real world must have been affected by the spiritual tide, causing problems with her projection in this world as well. Judging from her expression, this feeling was definitely not as enjoyable as Jia Kun had described; on the contrary, it was filled with terror and despair.

"I...I don't feel well...I feel like I'm disappearing..." Her legs also turned into pure light, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud. What's worse, this process was completely devoid of pain or itching; she could only watch helplessly as her body disappeared bit by bit. For someone who was still conscious, it was an immense form of torture.

“I don’t want to disappear, Nobinia, I… I am who I am… I am not something else, I am not! I…”

In that short sentence, she used countless "I"s, seemingly trying to emphasize her own presence.

But things didn't go as planned. A moment later, Jinglu's eyes suddenly froze. All her emotions, including fear and despair, vanished. Like butter solidified at the bottom of a bucket, she no longer possessed any vitality, but was filled with an indescribable deathly aura.

She disappeared, leaving only a useless suit of armor lying on the ground, clanging in front of Nobita.

"...Is this what you call the spiritual world?" Da Xiong asked, suppressing his anger.

“All hatred in the world comes from ‘you, me, and him.’ Without these distinctions, there would be no more strife and war.” Jaqen clasped his hands together and whispered with a preacher’s smile, “Humans, animals, the ants under our feet, trees and rivers, the whole world is connected, but most humans are not able to realize this. They separate themselves and greedily and insatiably take everything.”

“Nobita, I know you're not that kind of person. You just love humanity too much. You know you're connected to all things; you've known this for a long time. But…”

He looked puzzled and confused, opened his arms, and asked in a drawn-out tone, as if preaching.

"How can you save the world if you disagree with it... change?"

……

“kusa%…*%#&——!!”

A painful metallic sound came from the pocket, and Meijin emerged from the four-dimensional pocket, crashing heavily to the ground. He rapidly switched his forms, from a jeep to a race car, a tank, a sedan… Since the parts for these different models weren't interchangeable, he kept changing, ultimately losing his original form. Meijin's pain was indescribable; he was still desperately trying to hold on, seemingly attempting to escape something through continuous transformation.

However, like Shizuka's fate, he ultimately couldn't escape it. Golden spiritual light spread through his optical lens, and his body grew increasingly stiff, like real metal. In his final moments, he turned his head, looking at Nobita with reluctance and fear.

Kakakaka—!

The dollar turned into a lifeless jeep, just like when it had just rolled off the assembly line from the Time-Traveling Vending Machine.

……

“That’s strange… This is the first time I’ve seen this.” Jaqen looked at the money that had turned back into a jeep and laughed. “Being able to become part of the Spirit Tide means that he possesses something that can be considered free will. He’s just a machine that has been given consciousness by Origin Technology, yet he can do this. That’s quite an honor for him.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"An honor?" Nobita shifted his gaze from the US dollar and said in a deep voice, "An honor? What kind of honor do you think this is? If so, why are you still here talking to me?"

"Don't worry, Nobita, I won't miss the spiritual tide. But I think I've said it more than once, you and I are very similar in many ways, right? Our physiques are both very special, and unless there are resources, this level of 'spiritual light' is not enough to summon us over."

"Therefore, I will make sure to extinguish the last bit of free will in this world, and then I will return to the spiritual tide to enjoy the peace I deserve."

"And you, Nobita Nobi, are the last person on this planet who retains free will."

"Our cat-and-mouse game has now entered its final stage!"

Chapter 455: Thank you, Nobita, for the Big Bang!

"boom----!!"

With a single outstretched hand, Popon immediately understood Nobita's meaning, releasing the fusion energy he had just absorbed as a beam of light, piercing Jaqen's body once more. Under the star's extreme heat, everything tangible was mercilessly destroyed, yet the tormenting laughter continued to grow louder and louder, echoing from all directions, like fate's cruel mockery of Nobita.

"That's the power of the Phoenicians, isn't it? What a pathetic beast! Not only were you imprisoned, but even your prized atomic core was devoured by this little fellow within you." The spiritual light gathered once more, shaping his body exactly as before. "If it were before, perhaps there would have been a chance, but alas..."

He dusted off his coffee-colored fleece jacket, a smile on his face. "At this moment, I am connected with the spiritual tide. I am the spirit, and the spirit is me; we cannot be separated easily. You may kill me a thousand times, ten thousand times, even destroy this planet beneath your feet, but I will still be reborn from the surge of spirituality!"

He caught the surging heat with his bare hands, and by squeezing his five fingers together, he actually crushed it to pieces.

Da Xiong could no longer distinguish whether it was still his voice or not. More and more people joined in, to the point that he heard many people speaking at the same time, their voices overlapping and echoing like raindrops. Da Xiong heard the voices of his parents and his companions, all joining this vast torrent. Jia Kun's body dissolved, like a drifting soul, flying to Da Xiong, opening its light-like, mist-like body, and trying to swallow him whole like a sponge.

"laugh--!!"

The silver sword pierced his body, but all he received in return was a disdainful sneer.

"Now that things have come to this, do you still consider me any of the opponents you've ever faced before?" Jaqen's radiance emanated from all directions as he extended his right hand, revealing a holy smile, as if he were about to perform some kind of baptism on his believers.

With a single hand like a knife, he pierced Nobita's heart.

His first reaction was to step back. Physically, he felt no discomfort; his internal organs remained in place. But mentally, he experienced an indescribable sense of belonging. His memories and personality were rapidly erased, replaced by a profound harmony. He saw the spiritual tides rising wave after wave, and compared to them, he felt like a small boat adrift on a vast, turbulent sea, propelled only by a single oar.

A wave crashed over and almost completely swallowed up Nobita's small boat!

"what!"

He roared for no reason and bit his tongue hard, forcibly using pain to get rid of the feeling. At this moment, Da Xiong finally understood what Jing Lu had been afraid of—this feeling of being able to disappear at any moment and not be able to maintain her "self" was not much different from death.

To merge with the spiritual tide means the disappearance of the self!

Jaqen prides himself on being extremely proficient in elemental magic, but at this moment he no longer uses the elements as weapons, but rather intends to wipe out every single "other" in the world!

"Can you feel it? That eternal, enduring peace—that's what I've been searching for, the opening that the transcendent world has torn open for us! Turn around and embrace it, and we can..."

Nobita had no interest in transcendentalism or anything like that, nor did he intend to embrace the spiritual tide in this way.

At the very least, he would fight against it to the last second as the last human being.

……

"What's that? A blanket? A stick?" Jia Kun didn't recognize the prop in Nobita's hand, which made him instinctively feel a little uneasy—this prop was very likely another forbidden item from the future world, which Nobita had obtained through various coincidences before.