"Aniki..."
Instantly, Shinji woke up from his inactivity. He felt as if he had just drowned a moment ago.
"Right... We are fighting against 'it'. Sakura made that temporary base inside the Imaginary Number Space, but..."
Memories of his struggles popped up. his aniki's disappearance was followed by his wives who went separate ways to chase him. After that, the cataclysmic event happened. Turns out, the chat group was made all for that purpose.
"...What is this?"
When he checked his palms, it is not ones wrought with calluses and wounds. It is smooth and soft, just like...
"Just like my childhood..?!"
He looked around and saw the ruined place. Craters are present left and right, soil replacing the previous cemented grounds. The stars in the sky twinkled, yet he knew that this is similar to Sakura's Imaginary Number Space–a place farther than reality.
"What did just... Aniki locked time itself, so nobody should've been able to travel back..."
Then, he recalled a certain memory that he had. It gathered dust in his mind, but he somehow caught hold of it. The silver card that he used back when they went against Altair decades ago. It granted him the abilities of his future self from what he recalled. Though, he is sure that nothing like this happened.
Shinji habitually opened his [Dimensional Storage]. When he looked at its contents, he was surprised to find out that many things are gone. The array of SSR and UR weapons that he uses as well as his potion stash for unexpected situations... have disappeared.
He took out the familiar [Ice Spear] gifted by his aniki.
"This is nostalgic."
During that time, it broke down. The UR weapon could not bear the weight and stress that he subjected it to.
"S...R?"
Once again, he was befuddled.
'Just what is happening right now?'
Bam-!
He saw a pillar of black light descending upon an entity multiple times. Then, he felt it. He was weaker than he used to be. His concept-breaking powers did not heed his call.
"This..." Something clicked in his mind. "Was I sent back into the past?!"
He quickly denied it. Even now, he felt an impending sensation–one that he is sure to not escape from. There's another sensation, however. It enables him to regain his powers for a short period.
Knowing that his time here might be limited, he tore that seal open.
"Huh?"
He saw a phantom of himself, one older than his current child-like appearance, merge into him. Moments later, the sensation of power came back.
Infinite Spear Series.
The technique that was derived from his best friend, the Lord of Dragon Nest. He is also the origin behind his first UR ability, Yu Ilhan. He had a spear technique called "Transcendent Trajectory", which was shown to Shinji while all of his kids are having a football match.
That's right. Yu Ilhan has a large harem that made it possible to hold a football match with his children alone.
(A/N: 11 Players are the maximum in football.)
"Those are... Artoria-nee and Altair-nee..?"
He remembered the reason why they are fighting. That huge misunderstanding was worsened by that existence. It came off as a confusion to him that they did not attribute Altair's anomaly to the single thing that should have made it possible.
"I need to stop them... and cut her down away from Altair-nee."
The same determination from before appeared in his eyes.
"Now that I am given the chance, I would not let it happen."
Horrendous memories of his friends being killed appeared in his mind. It became a terrifying thought that the people who should have been [Active] in the chat group became [Deceased] in their status.
The first time he experienced that, he cried.
The next, he also cried.
However, it kept happening to the point that he was soon numbed down by pain. The people that he looked up to, the people that he considered precious to him, all of them left one by one. Especially his aniki's decision of facing it himself. He disappeared after that, not even a visage or trace of him present.
"For a better future."
*****
Far-fetching darkness.
That's what Kuroneko could see. As far as her enhanced sight allows, she could see no end to this darkness. Although, she feels intimate with it as if she belongs in this place.
"Um..."
She heard someone groan. When she looked behind her, she saw a towering throne made out of shadows. Sitting on top of it is someone she finds too familiar.
Her scarlet pupils met with the girl's similarly colored eyes.
"You are wondering if..."
"This is a dream?"
The petite girl wore a set of gothic clothes. Its hem touched a portion of the shadow, prompting it to leak out darkness from it. She hugged a sheathed black sword in her chest.
"...You fool." She spoke with visible disappointment. "Everything here is real."
Suddenly, shadows rose from the ground, revealing the ever-reliable knight that Kuroneko.
"Igris..."
With a smile, the girl on top of the throne said, "Welcome to my... our domain. The Shadow Domain."
The dimension that holds the dark side of a universe. In that place, there is only one person who can be considered invincible. The Shadow Monarch. The former Ruler partook in the events that ended the life of his creator. Now, this title was passed down to a hunter on Earth before being recognized as one of the "legacies" by the chat group.
In the end, the legacy reached her–Gokou Ruri.
"What's going on?"
The mature Kuroneko asked the girl–to her "doppelganger" in the form of her younger self.
"Fate had something up its sleeves, it seems. He should have locked time and prevented any sort of tampering, yet I there came upon a chance to bypass it."
She looked at Kuroneko below her with slight disdain.
"If you still haven't got it, our time intersected, making this meeting possible."
"You are... my future self?"
Parallel Worlds, also known as "Multiverse Theory". It is the study that states that the world has infinite branching possibilities. The study about "parallel world selves" is included in it.
"It is I, truly. No one else."
Future Kuroneko adorably swung her feet on the tall throne. Suddenly, her crimson pupils threatened to leak out something ominous now and then.
"Kkhh..."
A twisted smile was drawn to her cute face. Feeling the metallic touch of the sword in her grasp, she regained her usual composure. Her head bobbed upwards once more, directly looking at the Kuroneko on the ground.
"Time is not something we can control right now. A huge sword is hanging above us, yet we didn't notice it until it was too late."
She jumped off from her throne and stood face-to-face with the present Kuroneko.
"That's why... I will be borrowing your body for a while."
The latter's eyes widened as she heard her words. Then, she caught on to something when she met her serious gaze. It is one of utmost importance, something that even Kuroneko herself didn't know she was capable of making.
"Alright."
"I'm glad your intelligence is not as low as I thought."
Leaving the snarky remark, she put her forehead forward to present Kuroneko's.
...
Kuroneko opened her eyes. What greeted her is a familiar yet unfamiliar sight. Buildings were broken, and the ground itself was dug several dozen meters deep.
After recalling at which point in time was this, she swiftly made her move. She switched with one of her current shadows, reappearing nearby the main battlefield.
Even if this sight is already an apocalyptic one, she did not mind it. She saw something much worse. Just her state being this fine is already something to rejoice for.
"Time is limited."
With a light murmur, she put her plans into action.
"Aniki..."
Instantly, Shinji woke up from his inactivity. He felt as if he had just drowned a moment ago.
"Right... We are fighting against 'it'. Sakura made that temporary base inside the Imaginary Number Space, but..."
Memories of his struggles popped up. his aniki's disappearance was followed by his wives who went separate ways to chase him. After that, the cataclysmic event happened. Turns out, the chat group was made all for that purpose.
"...What is this?"
When he checked his palms, it is not ones wrought with calluses and wounds. It is smooth and soft, just like...
"Just like my childhood..?!"
He looked around and saw the ruined place. Craters are present left and right, soil replacing the previous cemented grounds. The stars in the sky twinkled, yet he knew that this is similar to Sakura's Imaginary Number Space–a place farther than reality.
"What did just... Aniki locked time itself, so nobody should've been able to travel back..."
Then, he recalled a certain memory that he had. It gathered dust in his mind, but he somehow caught hold of it. The silver card that he used back when they went against Altair decades ago. It granted him the abilities of his future self from what he recalled. Though, he is sure that nothing like this happened.
Shinji habitually opened his [Dimensional Storage]. When he looked at its contents, he was surprised to find out that many things are gone. The array of SSR and UR weapons that he uses as well as his potion stash for unexpected situations... have disappeared.
He took out the familiar [Ice Spear] gifted by his aniki.
"This is nostalgic."
During that time, it broke down. The UR weapon could not bear the weight and stress that he subjected it to.
"S...R?"
Once again, he was befuddled.
'Just what is happening right now?'
Bam-!
He saw a pillar of black light descending upon an entity multiple times. Then, he felt it. He was weaker than he used to be. His concept-breaking powers did not heed his call.
"This..." Something clicked in his mind. "Was I sent back into the past?!"
He quickly denied it. Even now, he felt an impending sensation–one that he is sure to not escape from. There's another sensation, however. It enables him to regain his powers for a short period.
Knowing that his time here might be limited, he tore that seal open.
"Huh?"
He saw a phantom of himself, one older than his current child-like appearance, merge into him. Moments later, the sensation of power came back.
Infinite Spear Series.
The technique that was derived from his best friend, the Lord of Dragon Nest. He is also the origin behind his first UR ability, Yu Ilhan. He had a spear technique called "Transcendent Trajectory", which was shown to Shinji while all of his kids are having a football match.
That's right. Yu Ilhan has a large harem that made it possible to hold a football match with his children alone.
(A/N: 11 Players are the maximum in football.)
"Those are... Artoria-nee and Altair-nee..?"
He remembered the reason why they are fighting. That huge misunderstanding was worsened by that existence. It came off as a confusion to him that they did not attribute Altair's anomaly to the single thing that should have made it possible.
"I need to stop them... and cut her down away from Altair-nee."
The same determination from before appeared in his eyes.
"Now that I am given the chance, I would not let it happen."
Horrendous memories of his friends being killed appeared in his mind. It became a terrifying thought that the people who should have been [Active] in the chat group became [Deceased] in their status.
The first time he experienced that, he cried.
The next, he also cried.
However, it kept happening to the point that he was soon numbed down by pain. The people that he looked up to, the people that he considered precious to him, all of them left one by one. Especially his aniki's decision of facing it himself. He disappeared after that, not even a visage or trace of him present.
"For a better future."
*****
Far-fetching darkness.
That's what Kuroneko could see. As far as her enhanced sight allows, she could see no end to this darkness. Although, she feels intimate with it as if she belongs in this place.
"Um..."
She heard someone groan. When she looked behind her, she saw a towering throne made out of shadows. Sitting on top of it is someone she finds too familiar.
Her scarlet pupils met with the girl's similarly colored eyes.
"You are wondering if..."
"This is a dream?"
The petite girl wore a set of gothic clothes. Its hem touched a portion of the shadow, prompting it to leak out darkness from it. She hugged a sheathed black sword in her chest.
"...You fool." She spoke with visible disappointment. "Everything here is real."
Suddenly, shadows rose from the ground, revealing the ever-reliable knight that Kuroneko.
"Igris..."
With a smile, the girl on top of the throne said, "Welcome to my... our domain. The Shadow Domain."
The dimension that holds the dark side of a universe. In that place, there is only one person who can be considered invincible. The Shadow Monarch. The former Ruler partook in the events that ended the life of his creator. Now, this title was passed down to a hunter on Earth before being recognized as one of the "legacies" by the chat group.
In the end, the legacy reached her–Gokou Ruri.
"What's going on?"
The mature Kuroneko asked the girl–to her "doppelganger" in the form of her younger self.
"Fate had something up its sleeves, it seems. He should have locked time and prevented any sort of tampering, yet I there came upon a chance to bypass it."
She looked at Kuroneko below her with slight disdain.
"If you still haven't got it, our time intersected, making this meeting possible."
"You are... my future self?"
Parallel Worlds, also known as "Multiverse Theory". It is the study that states that the world has infinite branching possibilities. The study about "parallel world selves" is included in it.
"It is I, truly. No one else."
Future Kuroneko adorably swung her feet on the tall throne. Suddenly, her crimson pupils threatened to leak out something ominous now and then.
"Kkhh..."
A twisted smile was drawn to her cute face. Feeling the metallic touch of the sword in her grasp, she regained her usual composure. Her head bobbed upwards once more, directly looking at the Kuroneko on the ground.
"Time is not something we can control right now. A huge sword is hanging above us, yet we didn't notice it until it was too late."
She jumped off from her throne and stood face-to-face with the present Kuroneko.
"That's why... I will be borrowing your body for a while."
The latter's eyes widened as she heard her words. Then, she caught on to something when she met her serious gaze. It is one of utmost importance, something that even Kuroneko herself didn't know she was capable of making.
"Alright."
"I'm glad your intelligence is not as low as I thought."
Leaving the snarky remark, she put her forehead forward to present Kuroneko's.
...
Kuroneko opened her eyes. What greeted her is a familiar yet unfamiliar sight. Buildings were broken, and the ground itself was dug several dozen meters deep.
After recalling at which point in time was this, she swiftly made her move. She switched with one of her current shadows, reappearing nearby the main battlefield.
Even if this sight is already an apocalyptic one, she did not mind it. She saw something much worse. Just her state being this fine is already something to rejoice for.
"Time is limited."
With a light murmur, she put her plans into action.
