Chapter 1256: Endgame

"Tell me, Legris… did you also see this coming?"

As I uttered those words, I could clearly see the confused expression of the enemy.

Legris Damien was stunned beyond words as he saw me stand right in front of his grand prize.

"H-how did you…?"

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for. The same applies to any of my variants." I broadened my smile.

"W-what are you…?"

"Did you really think Lewis and Karlia were fighting you in vain? They already knew they stood no chance in their fight with you, but they fought you anyway." I added, raising my index finger.

"Why do you think that is?"

For a moment, there was silence.

It took forever for Legris to process my question, but I waited patiently for him.

We had time.

His eyes slowly widened, much wider than they already were. It seemed he already understood.

"That's right, Legris. They were stalling for time."

After completing my transformation into a Grand Constellation, I finally remembered everything—including my arrangement with Lewis.

Of course, that meant I remembered Karlia too, but at this point it was all inconsequential.

All that mattered was the mission.

"Lewis' objective was to intercept you and stall for as long as possible, pending the time I intervened in some capacity. In essence, the sacrifice of those two allowed me to be here."

Every second Legris wasted. Every minute he threw away. Every hour he squandered.

All of them brought me closer to my goal.

"I know perfectly well what kind of person you are, Legris… how petty you are."

I had experienced it firsthand.

"I counted on those attributes of yours to lead us to this very moment."

And, thankfully, they did exactly that.

"You… planned all of this? But… that's impossible." Legris murmured.

I could understand his confusion.

"I destroyed you. All of you. I sealed the entrance. There was no way you could have come in!"

Legris' irrationality usually surfaced during moments like this—when he was truly cornered.

I had kept my guard up, expecting some other hidden card he had, but this solidified it for me.

Legris was out of cards.

This was it—his endgame—and I beat him to it.

"I could have used the Nether ROOT to arrive here, you know? That's how Lewis and Karlia got here."

Once I said this, I saw Legris' eyes flicker a little.

He had probably neglected that channel, but now realized it could be a plausible explanation.

"N-no! That can't be! I definitely searched for any signature here! I didn't sense you! You didn't come from the Nether Root!" Legris responded in his desperation.

He wasn't wrong, though.

"I suspected you would probably do that, so I didn't use that method. Even if I did, it would probably be too late anyway…"

Traveling to the Nether Tree and going further down the Nether Root, all to reach [All Things] was a hassle that would probably lead me nowhere.

Legris would have completed his mission before I could conclude mine.

Not to mention, I was a Grand Constellation of Aether, and I could not properly utilize Nether.

It would be increasingly difficult for me to survive and prosper in the Nether Realm.

Finally, I would have to find the Arcanas of the Nether Realm, and that would be yet another process that would not be worth the trouble—especially when considering the time constraint.

With all these factors put together, it was impossible to think I got here through such means.

"How did you do it? Tell me!"

Legris displayed his irrationality once again, but I didn't mind.

I wanted to tell him.

'But first…' My thoughts trailed in amusement.

"It was really fun watching you struggle and get all the way here… only for your face to turn out like this."

"Jared, you…!"

"How does it feel to go through all that trouble, just go find someone waiting for you at your grand prize?"

I hadn't forgotten what Legris did to me—right after I ended the Demon Incursion.

He had played me, ending up with the Arcana that I desired.

He manipulated the events and ended up being the winner, making me out to be a fool.

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'Consider this payback.' I smiled internally.

"You shouldn't be here! There's no way! I made sure of it! I took all precautions!" Legris barked, waking me from my thoughts.

"All your means were exhausted! You… you CAN'T be here now!"

Once again, Legris wasn't wrong.

Technically, I had exhausted all my means. There had been no present alternatives for me to exploit—at least, none that I could think of.

For every option, there was a caveat.

For every solution, there was an underlying problem.

Having simulated all the possible outcomes, I found none that would satisfactorily end things for good.

"Which is why I gave up on that and went back."

"Went… back…?!" Legris' face looked boggled by what I just said.

I knew why.

"Yes. I went back in time and used my Grand Constellation access to defy the Unwritten Laws and reach the points beyond time—physically and not just Astrally."

In essence, I did exactly what Legris did to The Nether, but used it on myself.

"Karlia and Legris, along with The Ursula, defeated The Nether, but I absorbed him afterwards. As such, being blessed by Aether and possessing Nether, I am allowed to have access to the inner recesses of Origin."

That was essentially how I arrived here.

"That's why [All Things] isn't rejecting you…?!" Legris mumbled.

"You catch on quick." I responded, still maintaining my smile.

I realized that no amount of combat would grant me an upper edge against Legris.

He had already become too powerful, and his plans were in their final phase.

However, power usually came at the steep cost of hubris.

If I could find just one chunk in his monolithic agenda—one oversight to exploit…

… I knew I could win.

"So… you let Lewis and Karlia cease existing… just for your goals?" Legris muttered, staring at me in disbelief.

What was with that expression? Why was he acting as if he wouldn't do the same?

"No, you're wrong." I shrugged slightly.

"They're still alive. I copied their Souls into [All Things] before you erased their existence."

As long as they were a part of the matrix of existence, they weren't gone.

"I can bring them back."

"I won't let you." Legris growled, his glare deepening as he clenched his teeth.

It was at this point that I was reminded of the words he told me back then.

"Oi, Legris… don't be a sore loser."

Once he heard this, his bulging eyes stretched to their limits and he growled.

~WHOOOOSSSHHH!~

He rushed towards me, now the very incarnation of pure rage and desperation.

Everything he had planned and worked for… I knew he didn't want to lose it.

And that was exactly why I waited here for him.

'You are a very petty man, Legris. But, it seems you didn't know this about me…"

My outstretched hand was already right next to [All Things], just waiting for a slight push from me.

As I watched him reach for his goal, struggling to make it to [All Things] before me, I merely stretched my smile to the limits.

I must have looked like a malevolent representation, but I did not care.

I was enjoying myself to the maximum.

'… I'm very petty too.'

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

We're really approaching the end of his book, and I can't help but get emotional.

We actually made it this far!

See you in the next one!

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