Sync.

—

[Two hours later.]

After dealing with the annoying Tissaia de Vries, who scolded him with a condescending tone like some kind of disciplinarian with the highest moral standards, Yoriichi grumbled his way through the conversation with Nemsy, who had now become the warden of the Netherworld created by the three Sa'angreal.

Reflecting on how Tissaia had picked apart his logical method of killing demons and how it affected everyone but himself, Yoriichi let out a breath of irritation, especially remembering being called an idiot and delusional for thinking himself the protagonist of some fantasy. And that's what irks him the most, especially after discovering that he is not just Richard but a combination of three variants of himself.

To add insult to injury, the transformation affects not only him but many others, including the child standing in front of Yoriichi. Although he is still adjusting to his new identity as merely a fortunate individual, being called an idiot and delusional makes it difficult for him to come to terms with himself, causing him great frustration.

The condescending voice keeps echoing in his mind like a reminder that he is nothing special, that he has nothing noteworthy, and that everything he possesses is merely a gift from a higher power. This thought process persists, fueled by his understanding of what Order and Chaos are doing. It's as if a devil were whispering in his ear that, without the singularity of inspiration, he might never have developed his breathing technique or created the Sa'angreal in the first place.

Not only that, but the fact that Huginn and Muninn did not issue any notification or warning alarm, despite the danger already signaled by Margarita, is troubling. This lack of communication indicates that the two crows are becoming sentient and do not consider him as their creator or even a parent.

Instead, he is seen merely as giving life to the three Sa'angreal, not to the extent of dictating every decision made by the crows. It feels like being regarded as a menial worker among twelve individuals, whose role is only to ensure that Order and Chaos's plans run smoothly in dealing with the aftermath of their actions.

What bothers him the most is that Huginn and Muninn automatically selected Nemsy as one of their owners, leaving her responsible for the Netherworld without informing him. His irritation is compounded by the fact that the linker to create Aon, which is present in his DNA, is gradually being removed and distributed to every contributor. Remembering Tissaia's voice of irritation and seeing his DNA slowly returning to its human state, Yoriichi clenches his fists in vexation, realizing that everything he owns so far seems too good to be true.

On top of that, the multiverse coming together to create new fundamental ingredients of the universe adds another layer of frustration. When the brand-new building blocks of physics are complete and are very different from what he knows so far, his Breathing and even his knowledge might become non-absolute, restricted, or not work at all.

As a result, this could demote him from being the strongest person in the Physical World, with Superman-like physiology due to the stars inside his body, to being a normal human who is unable to bench press even 100 kg. Considering all this, Yoriichi couldn't help but clench his teeth in annoyance, questioning why he had helped Ciri in the first place, especially since all he received in return was menial work.

That is, fixing the multiverse rift known as the Conjunction, ensuring that the three Realm anchors of the Sa'angreal remain safe, and restoring order to society, which makes him question his efforts because he did not even gain the satisfaction of being admired. Instead, he was met with scorn and faced prejudice and depression from being toyed with by the evil demons.

"Friend, do you regret arriving in this world?"

Stunned by the question and seeing Moiraine, who was already standing beside Nemsy but whom he did not notice due to being preoccupied, Richard chose not to interrupt his embarrassing, childish thought process. Instead, he decided to ponder his assistant's question seriously. Remembering the first time he saw the ghoul monster and how it danced beautifully under the moonlight with such grace and fluidity, Richard replied simply, "No."

"Friend, do you regret becoming part of this world?"

Releasing the built-up tension and relaxing his body to sit comfortably on the sofa, Yoriichi remembered the first person he met and her determination to protect her students despite being tortured and needing his sandal to shield her bloody feet. With jasmine and raspberries unknowingly scented by him, Yoriichi swore to himself that he would never let something like that happen again, unlike his Uta. Opening his watch to message Rita to ask if she had eaten yet, Yoriichi replied firmly, "No."

"Friend, do you want to see what this world will become in the future?"

Sighing in lamentation and laughing bitterly at himself for becoming so soft just because he is no longer special, Felix then remembered the day he wielded those pickaxes from his uncle's hands. He recalled the smiles filled with missing teeth and the last breath uttered, which was to become a learned person at the university. Felix let out a chuckle, feeling a pang in his heart as he realized he had already achieved his dreams without having to toil for two more years to earn enough crowns. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Felix replied contentedly, "Yes."

Smiling gently with a touch of pride at Yoriichi's conviction that he was being reforged once again, Moiraine nodded and started to produce a stack of report papers, saying, "Then that's good. Okay, according to everyone's collected coordinates to Toussaints, the closest one is in Belhaven. So, should we go now or wait once more until everything is ready?"

Taking a deep breath and resolving his motivation to play with the physics of this world, to forget his heartache-failure in this world, and to become something more from this world, Richard, Yoriichi, and Felix finally said in sync unison, "Yes. We should go."

—