“Struggle. Yes, struggle. The struggle of ‘putting A and B on the scale and worrying about which side to choose’. For you, there should be another option that is worth as much as ‘the next world’. Think about it, isn’t that the case?”

Having said that, Kamijou Touma gently extended his right fist forward.

Fantasy Killer.

Its purpose of existence is…

“Orelus said that Fantasy Breaker is like a collection of the wishes of various magicians. It is a reference point that can restore the world that has been distorted according to its own desires to its original state when necessary… Although I don’t know if that is the true origin, it can be used in this way, right? Speaking of which, this guy is another card called “Original World”. It does not apply a new layer of paint, but scrapes the paint off completely with a palette knife.”

“The Original World (Fantasy Breaker)” and “The Next World (Gun of the Lord)”.

If God’s work were perfect, there would probably be no difference between the two.

From a human perspective, perhaps even the “slight sense of abruptness” of Oopats (Note: OOPARTS, Out-Of-Place ARTifactS, refers to ancient relics that should not appear in that time and place because their craftsmanship or technology far exceeds the contemporary level) cannot be felt.

but.

The God of Magic is simply too perfect.

In this way——

“Even if the result is the same, you still can’t abandon your ideal – completely remove the ‘phase’ you put there and return to the ‘original world’ which is your first choice! This is also natural. The six billion people on the earth are all convinced that their world is the same as usual, and only you who took action know the truth. That is the three-dimensional ecological model you created based on the second choice, not the place in your memories! So you can’t abandon your ideal. Although you can simply escape to the ‘next world’ by putting a new ‘phase’ on the second choice, you can’t give up the ‘original world’ which is your first choice in front of you! This is the reason why you can kill me ten thousand times, one hundred million times, but you always keep resetting your willfulness to accompany me!”

So, this is indeed a one-on-one battle.

This was a battle that only Kamijou Touma could participate in, and it couldn’t be handed over to someone else.

“The Original World (Fantasy Breaker)” and “The Next World (Gun of the Lord)”.

Only these two cards face off, a struggle that will literally determine the direction of the world.

…..

After much thought, I decided to split it up. I still have to use some original text for this section. The first half will write about the views of the audience from other worlds, and the latter part will focus on the psychological feelings of the parties involved.

Chapter 196: Trying to Make the Demon God Change Slightly

Original world vs. new world.

That’s what this game is about.

When Kamijou Touma said this.

Othinus, who usually behaved calmly, remained silent.

But Kamijou Touma remained calm.

It was as if he had seen through it all.

But he soon discovered;

This description is too arrogant.

So the boy added: “No, the outcome of this ongoing battle should depend on how you choose the direction of the world, right?”

The more you are killed, the more sober you become.

How ridiculous.

And the words he spoke.

Proof that he will continue to struggle.

Prolonged negotiations with the gods will obviously lead to their tempers becoming agitated.

But, Kamijou Touma could only do this.

Ultimately, human power is still too weak.

If we want to restore the world to its original state, the only thing we can do is to rely on the devil’s mood.

It’s cruel, but true.

“That’s right. If Touma in the video wants to change the world back to its original state, there is really only one thing he can do – find a way to make the demon god completely believe and recognize the original world that Touma hopes for!”

Even Index had to admit this: the boy who could save himself from the nightmare of having his memory wiped out, the only thing he couldn’t do was to reshape the world.

If you want to restore the transformed world to its original state, then… this is the only way.

“Even though Touma’s hand is difficult for the demon god to handle, without sufficient knowledge to support it, Touma still has no way to restore the world to its original state… In this case, there is only one thing he can do – try to change the demon god who can change the world!”

Even though she had the knowledge from 103,000 grimoires as support, Index knew that these were not areas she could venture into;

The amount of knowledge of the demon gods far exceeds the magic knowledge she possesses, and those behemoths that have lived in the world since the ancient gods cannot be described using common sense.

Therefore, even if no one is willing to admit it.

However, the final outcome of this tug-of-war can only be one…

Moreover, this ending seemed like a joke to Othinus, who was watching the clip.

“Change my mind? That’s an idea that’s beyond my status. As a god, why would I argue with mortals about this kind of thing?”

The one-eyed demon with the pointy hat responded so lightly, and his puzzled expression did not seem fake.

She couldn’t understand why Kamijou Touma was doing all this useless work.

I felt a slight touch in my heart, but I just gained a new understanding of Kamijou Touma’s stubbornness.

That’s right.

Humans simply cannot defeat gods.

but–

If it could impress the gods.

So–

It wouldn’t be difficult to get the gods to cooperate with humans a little.

It’s very strange.

why…

What gave him the courage?

Do not understand.

It’s unclear what’s going on with this guy.

After thinking about it, she shifted her gaze and fixed it on the boy next to her who was also watching the video with a particularly conflicted expression, and uttered a somewhat light-hearted mocking remark.

“It’s clear that I’m the one who killed you countless times in the video, but in the video, you actually have the guts to talk to me about these absurd possibilities… Human, don’t you think you’re ridiculous in the video?”

——That’s too much.

That’s right. …

This guy is beyond ridiculous.

This guy is just an ant that can be crushed to death at any time.

But in the video.

This guy faces constant death.

Why is he still so persistent and energetic?

and–

The most ridiculous thing is.

In the video, the life form called Misaka Integrated Consciousness rushed to save Kamijou Touma at the last moment before being perfected by himself.

When she used words to wake up Kamijou Touma.

This guy’s heart seemed to be encouraged and became more resolute.

Everything was becoming increasingly difficult.

Even though I was laughing happily in the video.

He behaves indifferently towards the transgressions of mortals.

But, she knew that such a smile did not mean anything. The person in the video must have been irritated or even tired of these arrogant words.

and so–

as a party.

She really wanted to see what Kamijou Touma thought outside the video.

As she said this, her eyes were fixed on Kamijou Touma’s face.

I tried to find clues from his expression, to see some sign of hesitation.

but.

She realized it immediately.

This is a futile effort.

Let’s not talk about whether Kamijou Touma in the video will be shaken by this.

but–

The timeline where Kamijou Touma is located.

None of his companions had ever suffered from amnesia.

Therefore, although Kamijou Touma in this timeline has not experienced these things, his mind and foresight are not inferior to Kamijou Touma who has experienced these things, because he is standing at the perspective of a “bystander”, which is also known as the “God’s perspective”.

As for why, Othinus knew that asking him this question was ineffective.

The most sincere reason was that Kamijou Touma, facing such questioning, still had clear eyes and showed no signs of being shaken.

“Ridiculous? There is no such thing. I have fully understood that the integrated consciousness of the Misaka sisters wants to enlighten me and tell me the reality.”

Before you save others, you must know how to save yourself.

This principle seems so difficult to understand, but at this moment Kamijou Touma has already figured it out a little bit.

If you want to save others.

First of all, you have to save yourself.

“…If there is still some possibility of restoring the original state, I will try it no matter what.”

Kamijou said this firmly, clenching his right fist once again.

“I won’t say anything exaggerated for everyone. I have decided that even if I have to deny every smiling face I see here and completely break off relations with everyone I have known so far, I will return to where I was. Even if it takes decades to reconcile completely, I will not avoid the pain anymore. At this point, how can I back down just because my opponent is a god! No matter what, I will let you choose my card!”

“If this is how it can be solved, do you think I in the video would make such a big deal out of it?”

He asked, his words almost in sync with Kamijou Touma in the edited scene playing in front of him.

Seeing this, Othinus said nothing more.

But she knew that she was already a little impatient in the video.

And the truth is indeed so –

Video content…

In the hands of Othinus.

There was a soft squeezing sound of someone gripping the “spear”.

That is the expression of disliking the other person for being too presumptuous.

“There is no solution. There is no solution at all! Even if I had a palette knife to scrape off the paint, even if I could scrape off only a thin layer each time, I still couldn’t accept the finished painting. The convenient option of ‘restoring the original state’ no longer exists. Time can only move forward. Since the thing I expect is not in front of me, I can only create the ‘next world’!”

“…You should understand, Othinus.”

“Understand what? Do you think a mere mortal can boast that you know God’s plan? With your brain, you can’t even understand a fraction of the trial and error I’ve gone through so far, yet you think you can surpass me in conclusion? You are too self-righteous!”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Kamijou said, shaking his head slowly.

“I’m not talking about technology or theory. If it were you, you would understand my desire. I am lost in the same dark maze as you! So you should understand! I want to go back. Even if I lose everything and everyone hates me, one day we will still laugh together! As long as this hope is still there, I can move forward no matter how much I have to give up! You should know that too!”

“Well.”

These words seemed to have enough power to silence Othinus.