These were the questions that raced through Gowther's mind, relentlessly studying the face of that person. The moment Gowther looked at his features, his pupils constricted into pinpricks as he stared at the young man.
He bore a striking resemblance to Boutaleb, his friend from his first year of high school—no, it was almost as if he were Boutaleb himself.
"B...Bou...Boutaleb, is that you? How...how...how are you still young? You should be old! How are you still young? And what are you doing here?"
Gowther's mind was on the verge of exploding. He didn't understand why, but he felt an immense pressure, the cause of which he couldn't fathom. His gaze fell upon a grave, and from looking at it, he drew a single conclusion: the identity of the person buried there was revealed.
"If I'm dead, how am I here?"
"Foreigner, you..."
"..."
"Speak, you bastard! Why are you still silent? Just speak!" Gawther's heart was filled with confusion, fear, dread, immense pressure, and strain on his mind and heart. He didn't understand where it was coming from.
This made the situation worse by the day. Adding to his distress was Boutaleb's complete silence; he didn't utter a single word, not even a sound of his own breathing. Yet, somehow, he realized that Boutaleb was alive.
Boutaleb turned his gaze towards Gawther, who appeared so shocked that he collapsed to the ground.
Boutaleb's face was as cold as ice as snow. He removed the covering from his face.
A young man with black hair streaked with gray, dark brown eyes, and gray eyes with thick dark circles under them, was revealed.
Boutaleb snapped his fingers, and the jacket disappeared, revealing a very short-sleeved shirt that showed his strong physique, a burn on his left shoulder, and burn marks on his neck from when he was... He was 8 years old when boiling oil spilled on him, leaving permanent scars on his body over the years.
"How are you, my friend? It's been decades since we last met, since that disaster when we were in our second year of high school. Maybe you forgot me, like everyone else. That's why I don't blame you."
"Hahaha, even so, we meet again, even though you're just a fragment of him. But it's alright. It's been decades since he spoke to someone or something. Besides, it's strange. I'm so excited!" Boutaleb's tone was the exact opposite of "excited." It was so cold that even "cold as ice" couldn't accurately describe it, as it was devoid of any emotion. Coldness itself stems from a lack of emotion.
"......"
"......"
Gawther remained silent, unable to speak. Boutaleb had changed so much. He was a fool who laughed and chattered so much at someone with such an emotionless face and rarely spoke.
Before Gawther could do anything A crimson crystal, shaped like a wing, appeared, embodying the concept of assassination. It was shaped like an assassin, holding two X-shaped daggers against his chest.
"What is this...?"
Before he could say anything, the crystal moved towards Isaac's grave, entering as if the layers of earth were merely an imaginary wall through which the crimson disc passed.
Boutaleb turned to Gawther, shocked by what was happening.
"Why are you shocked? We're just characters in a story. Also, get yourself together before your narrative is assassinated."
A snap of fingers.
After Boutaleb snapped his fingers, Gawther's expression changed from one of confusion to one of renewed calm, as if he were seeing these things for the first time.
Gawther turned to Boutaleb, who was about to leave.
Gawther reached out to touch him, but he felt that attempting to touch him would have dire and unforeseen consequences. So he decided to withdraw his hand. Even so, his curiosity remained undiminished.
"Wait, what happened? What disaster are you talking about? Why did we forget you? Stop talking in such a vague way. Speak, you vile scoundrel!"
"......"
Boutaleb stared at Ghouther for several seconds before disappearing without saying anything. This surprised Ghouther somewhat, and he turned his gaze back to his grave without saying anything.
Ghouther looked at a young man beside him who had suddenly appeared. However, he showed no signs of confusion, surprise, or any other emotion. His features were calm, as if he were looking at his reflection in a mirror. There was an aura of great death and a strong, almost undeniable, smell of death emanating from the young man's body.
He was looking at Isaac's grave without any discernible expression or any expression of any kind.
Ghouther looked at him for several seconds without saying anything, as if trying to discern who he was, but he quickly realized who he was.
He turned his gaze back to the grave and leaned against its railing without saying anything. One Word
Sir Makan remained silent for several minutes before a young man broke the silence with a tone filled with cold, mocking worldly sarcasm.
"Life is truly strange, Gowther, or I'm from the Ruler Path, if you will."
"Even so, I prefer to mention our names to facilitate conversation. Aren't you right, Mr. Gowther McAteer?" The Death Path Fragment spoke in a calm tone, looking at Gowther, who was somewhat surprised but quickly recovered, his expression returning to its usual composure.
"Well, what is your name then?"
"......"
The Death Path Fragment remained silent for several minutes after hearing Gowther's question about his name, as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. "My name is ls 04 76. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gowther McAteer."
Gowther continued to look at ls 04 76 in astonishment for several seconds before speaking, his voice tinged with surprise at ls 04 76's strange behavior for someone who was a killer by nature.
"You are truly eccentric." "I thought you were going to fight me and take over my body, but I see something else."
LS 04 76 stared at Gowther for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" LS 04 76 was laughing heartily, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life, told by himself.
Gowther's face held a hint of displeasure as he looked at LS 04 76, but he decided to ignore it, knowing LS 04 76 could easily kill him.
"I want to ask you a question. Do you know why there's such a power difference between the Ruler Path and the other Existential Paths?"
A look of confusion crossed Gowther's face as he listened to LS 04 76's question.
"So you're saying that the Fragments of Narratives and the Greatest Outcast Ruler Path are the weakest of all the Existential Paths currently."
LS 04 76 chuckled inwardly at the absurdity of it all.Gowther's heart sank.
"No, I didn't mean that. Yuta isn't the weakest Path Master, and you aren't the weakest Path Shard either."
"Even so, you aren't the strongest either. I'm not interested in possessing your body because observing you is more fun than watching you."
Gowther's expression shifted, questioning LS 04 76's ethics, but he decided to ignore the fact that he'd been under surveillance for the past ten years, deeming it an inopportune time.
LS 04 76 himself ignored Gowther's gaze, smiling maliciously.
"So, what are you trying to get at with this?"
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" LS 04 76 laughed loudly again, looking at Gowther.
"I'm really impressed that my desire to kill you grows stronger every second. Hahahahahaha. However, yes, I won't do anything, but I have one condition. Try not to forget it." Once the crossing was over,
a look of surprise crossed Gowther's face as he listened to ls 04 76 speak. He decided to ignore it for the time being, confident that he wouldn't forget anything, possessing a powerful memory due to his omniscience.
"So what's your condition?"
A sinister smile, brimming with murderous intent and a death-energy emanating from his body, caused Gowther's presence to tremble violently before settling as ls 04 76 neutralized his aura and murderous intent. "My condition is simple: when I ask you to swap, you'll agree, right?"
A look of caution and suspicion crossed Gowther's face as he glanced at ls 04 76.
This was a dangerous request, as it would require him to swap at inappropriate times, potentially causing serious problems.
"It's alright, I understand your concern, but don't worry, I won't ask you to swap except at suitable times or when there's no harm in my appearance. Have you cleared up your doubts?"
"Very well, I'll believe you since..." "I have no choice but to agree."
"You're right, Gowther McAteer. I think you should leave."
A look of surprise crossed his face again, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself in the eternal darkness. He felt no trace of Fang Yuan, but he remembered that he had been replacing the Assassination Concept, so it made sense for him to leave afterward.
After several seconds, a crack appeared, similar to the one Fang Yuan had created. A figure emerged, elegantly dressed in a tailored suit—black, blue, gold, and light white—with fine, almost invisible lines. He had a calm, attractive face, short golden hair, and light red eyes.
He turned his gaze toward Gowther, who was surprised that this person looked so much like him, almost like himself. This made him immediately recognize him.
"So you're the Assassination Concept, then... It's a pleasure to meet you again," Gowther said respectfully as he looked at the Assassination Concept.
A slight smile appeared on the Assassination Concept's face as he looked at Gowther.
He then With a snap of his fingers, the world transformed from eternal darkness into a beautiful garden, emanating the most exquisite fragrances, unknown and capable of distorting the sense of smell within the brain of a normal person.
Inside a beautiful greenhouse, its design a blend of elegance, beauty, authority, and power,
Gowther, having returned to his original form, and Assassination Concept sat gazing at each other without saying a word. Assassination Concept decided to break the silence as he poured tea for himself and Gowther.
"Would you like some tea, Mr. Gowther McAteer?" Assassination Concept's voice was refined and dignified as he looked towards Gowther.
"I apologize, but I must decline your request for tea."
"Oh, refusing an invitation is impolite."
Gowther's gaze analyzed Assassination Concept meticulously as he looked at the teapot, which was crafted from the fusion of several timelines.
Assassination Concept had created and then incorporated these timelines into the teapot and cups to preserve the pot's condition and what It remains within him, unchanged even after billions of years. Having nothing else to do, he indulges in a peculiar hobby: using concepts and laws as raw materials to create whatever he desires.
"An assassination attempt by poisoning tea. I can smell poisons and know everything about any type of poison in the world I currently inhabit."
Clapping...Clapping...Clapping
The Assassination Concept clapped after hearing Gowther's words.
"I thought you were stupid after Fang Yuan so easily deceived you."
Confusion flickered across Gowther's face as he looked at the Assassination Concept, unable to comprehend how he had been tricked in the first place.
A mocking smile appeared on the Assassination Concept's face, a sign of understanding Gowther's unspoken thoughts, since Gowther was originally a 27th Shard of the Assassination Concept.
"I didn't ask for help from anyone, and I wasn't preoccupied with anything else. He took you to a past that existed before the creator of Existential Paths 27, to take you and begin the journey." The first instance was specific to the Great Outcast, so technically he tricked you to gain benefits without lifting a finger.
A look of annoyance crossed Gowther's face as he recalled his encounter with Fang Yuan.
"Who are you?" His gaze was filled with caution, watching for any move the stranger might make.
A faint smile appeared on the stranger's face as he looked at Gowther.
"My name is Fang Yuan, the ninth son of Yutu, or as you call him, Yuta Cassial."
"What? You're joking? Yuta has more than one son? You're kidding!" Gowther's voice was filled with shock as he looked at Fang Yuan, who was laughing mockingly while looking back at Gowther.
"Hahahaha... I'm from the future, you fool!"
Fang Yuan's expression turned serious as he looked at Gowther, who was somewhat confused.
"Let's go. The Assassination Concept is busy and will be here soon, so let's go." "
Fang Yuan turned his back and began to wander into the seemingly endless darkness.
"Where are we going?"
"Shut up. You'll find out when we arrive." Fang Yuan's words were sharp and harsh, which angered Gowther, but he remained silent for several reasons. First, he was unable to use his power. Second, if Yuta's son was truly from the future, he was far stronger than him. Even if he could use his power, he would be easily defeated, as entities like Yuta have offspring of the same rank, and this applies to any entity of the Boundless rank and above.
Fang Yuan split Gowther in two and walked through without saying a word. The same was true for Gowther, who followed him without uttering a single sound.
Gowther cursed Fang Yuan.Ng Yuan kissed him and cursed him with every curse and insult he knew for making him look like a fool. He vowed to teach him a lesson he'd never forget when he was born, because he would be stronger than him. But he decided to ignore it, as it wasn't the right time to think about trivial matters like being transferred from someone who wasn't even born yet.
A deep sigh escaped Gowther's lips as he looked towards
M
Assassination Concept, who was sipping tea with the refined manner of a perfect aristocrat.
"What's so special about the Assassination Concept wing?" Assassination Concept's calm tone made Gowther somewhat surprised.
Mameez in Assassination Concept, however, knew that it wasn't just about direct killing, but something bigger than simply slitting a throat or injuring a target in a vital, dangerous way that could finish off a target with a single blow.
"I don't know, and I'm not in the mood to guess what it is."
A look of feigned annoyance crossed Assassination Concept's face as he listened to Gowther's calm yet irritated words.
"You "It's incredibly boring, yet I admire you for possessing qualities that make you an assassin, a transcendent being, and a human all at once."
"Something special about you, Gowther, is that you walk a fine line between being an assassin, a transcendent being, and an ordinary human. That's what makes you unique."
"As for Wing's work, it's character assassination..."
A look of realization crossed Gowther's face as he understood Wing's concept of assassination. This terrified him, even before seeing him in person. "You mean manipulating character development, stripping them of any narrative growth, reducing them to mere narrative garbage, devoid of anything significant, trivial, or even worthless—just a point in the middle of a narrative sea. That's Wing's concept of assassination, right?"