These questions were running through Gowther's mind non-stop. He took a look at that person's facial features, and as soon as he saw them, his pupils shrunk until they were like pins, as he kept looking at that young man.
He looked very much like Boutaleb, his friend whom he met in the first year of high school. Not only did he look like him, he looked like him...it was actually him!
«B... Bou... Boutaleb! Is that you? How... How... How are you still young? You were supposed to be old! How are you still young? What are you doing here?
Gowther's mind was about to explode. He did not understand why, but he felt an enormous pressure that he could not explain the source of, as he looked at the grave that led him to draw one conclusion: the person in front of him made him realize the identity of the owner of the grave.
"If I'm dead, how am I here?"
"You foreigner, you this..."
«......»
"Speak, you scoundrel! Why are you still silent? Just talk!"
Gowther's heart was filled with confusion, fear, and dread, along with tremendous pressure and stress plaguing his mind and heart. He didn't understand where all these feelings were coming from.
His situation began to deteriorate little by little, and the matter was made worse by Boutaleb's absolute silence, who did not utter a single word, to the point that Gowther did not even hear the sound of his breathing. However, he somehow realized that Boutaleb was still alive.
Boutaleb turned his gaze to Gowther, who showed signs of shock to the point that he fell to the ground.
Boutaleb's face was as cold as frost, before he removed the cover that was covering his face.
A young man appeared with black hair interspersed with some white strands, and two eyes, one dark brown and the other grey, surrounded by thick black circles.
Boutaleb snapped his fingers, and the jacket he was wearing disappeared, revealing a very short-sleeved shirt, revealing his strong physique, a burn on his left shoulder, and burn marks on his neck. He had contracted it when he was eight years old, after boiling oil fell on him, leaving permanent marks on his body despite the passage of many years.
"How are you, my friend? It has been many decades since we last met, since that disaster that occurred when we were in our second year of high school. Maybe because you forgot me, like everyone else forgot me, and that's why I don't blame you.
"Hahahahahaha! However, we met again. And even though you're just a sliver of him, that's okay. It's been decades since I've spoken to any person or entity, and that in itself is strange. "I'm so excited!"
Boutaleb's tone of voice was the complete opposite of "I'm so excited." It was so cold that describing it as bitter cold is not enough to depict it accurately. It was devoid of any feelings, as if that coldness itself was the only feeling coming from him.
«......»
«......»
Gowther remained silent, speechless. Boutaleb has changed; From that fool who laughs and chatters a lot to a person with expressionless features who rarely speaks.
Before Gowther could do anything, a crimson crystal appeared in the form of a disc similar to the shape of his own wing, known as the Assassination Concept, which was in the form of an assassin holding two daggers crossed in an X shape in front of his chest.
"What is this...?"
Before he could say anything else, the disc headed towards Isaac's grave and entered it, crossing the layers of dirt as if it were just an imaginary wall.
Boutaleb looked at Gowther, who was shocked by what was happening.
"Why are you shocked? In the end, we are just characters in a novel. Also, regain your composure before your narrative is assassinated."
pop!
After Boutaleb snapped his fingers, Gowther's facial features changed and returned to calm, instead of the confusion that had dominated him, as if he was seeing these things for the first time.
Gawther turned his gaze towards Boutaleb, who was about to leave, and extended his hand towards him, but he felt that trying to touch him might have serious and undesirable consequences. So he decided to keep his hand away from him, even though his curiosity remained intact and unwavering.
"I am waiting! What happened? What is this disaster you are talking about? Why did we forget you? Stop talking in such a vague way! Speak, you contemptible scoundrel!"
«......»
Boutaleb looked at Gowther for several seconds, before he disappeared without saying anything. This made Gowther feel a little strange, so he redirected his gaze towards the grave, without saying a word.
Then, Gowther turned his gaze towards the young man who suddenly appeared next to him. However, he showed no signs of confusion, surprise, or other emotions; Rather, his facial features remained calm, as if he was looking at his reflection in the mirror.
The aura of great death and its strong scent were emanating from that young man's body, to the point that it was impossible to ignore them.
The young man was looking at Isaac's grave without making an intelligible expression, or any expression of any kind.
Gowther looked at him for several seconds without saying anything, as if trying to figure out who he was, but he quickly realized it.
Then he returned his gaze to the grave, and leaned his body against its fence without uttering a single word.
Silence remained the prevailing situation for several minutes, before that young man broke it with a tone filled with a cold amount of sarcasm, as if coming from someone looking at the world from above.
"Life really is strange, Gowther... Or am I the strange one, because I come from a ruler's path, so to speak?"
'Still, it would be best if we gave our names to facilitate the conversation, wouldn't we, Mr. Gowther MacTeer?'
The Death Path Fragment spoke in a calm tone, while looking at Gowther. The latter looked a little surprised, but he corrected the situation, and his facial features returned to calm.
"Well, what's your name then?"
«......»
The Death Path Fragment remained silent for several minutes after hearing Gowther's question about its name, as if it was trying to solve a difficult dilemma for it.
"My name is LS 04 76. Nice to meet you, Mr. Gowther McTeer."
Gowther looked at LS 04 76 strangely for several seconds, before speaking in a tone of amazement at his strange behavior for someone who was a natural killer.
"You're really weird. "I thought you were going to fight me and take my body, but I see something else."
76 LS 04 looked at Gowther for several seconds, before he burst out laughing loudly.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
LS 04 76 was laughing heartily, as if he had heard the funniest joke in his life.
Gowther's face held a degree of displeasure as he looked at him, but he decided to ignore it, because LS 04 76 was able to kill him without any effort.
"I want to ask you a question: Do you know the reason for the power difference between the ruler's path and the rest of the other paths of existence?"
A look of confusion appeared on Gowther's face as he listened to LS 04 76's question.
"So, are you saying that the Narrative Fragments and the Great Outcast Path Fragments, which are from the Ruler's Path, are weaker than the other twenty-six paths of existence that currently exist?"
LS 04 76 laughed internally at Gowther's naivety in understanding his question.
"No, I didn't mean that. Yuta is not the weakest path master, and you are not the weakest path shards either."
"However, you are not the strongest either. "And I'm not interested in taking over your body, because it's more fun to watch you than to watch you."
Gowther's face changed, and he began to doubt the ethics of LS 04 76, but he decided to ignore the matter about being monitored for the past ten years, because the time was not right for that.
As for LS 04 76, he, in turn, ignored Gowther's gaze, while a malicious smile appeared on his face.
"Where do you want to go with these words?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
LS 04 76 laughed loudly again, looking at Gowther.
«I really like you! So much so that my desire to kill you grows stronger with every passing second! Ha-ha-ha-ha! However, I won't do anything to you. But I have one condition, one condition only. "Try not to forget it once the crossing is over."
A look of astonishment appeared on Gowther's face as he listened to LS 04 76's words, but he decided to ignore it for now, because he was confident that he would not forget anything; He has a strong memory, because he is omniscient.
"What is your condition, then?"
A malicious smile appeared on LS 04 76's face, filled with killing intent, and a death energy emanated from his body that made existence shake violently. But the shaking calmed down after he canceled out his aura and killing intent.
"A simple policeman: When I ask you to switch, you will agree. Good?"
A look of caution and doubt appeared on Gowther's face as he looked at LS 04 76.
This was a dangerous request, because he might be asked to switch at times when he shouldn't appear, which could cause serious problems.
"I appreciate your concern, but don't worry. I will not ask you to switch except at appropriate times, or when my appearance will not cause any harm. Are your doubts gone now?
"Okay, that's okay. "I will take your word for it, because I have no choice but to agree."
"You're right, Gowther McTeer. "I think you should leave now."
Signs of astonishment appeared on Gowther's face again, and in the blink of an eye he found himself inside that eternal darkness. However, he did not feel any trace of Fang Yuan, but he remembered that he was replacing the concept of assassination, so it made sense for him to leave after him.
After several seconds had passed, a crack similar to the one made by Fang Yuan appeared, and from it emerged an elegantly dressed person: a tailored suit in black, interspersed with shades of blue and gold, with some delicate, almost imperceptible light white lines.
His facial features were calm and attractive, with short golden hair and light red eyes.
He turned his gaze to Gowther, who looked surprised because that person looked so much like him, as if he was looking at himself. This made him realize his identity immediately.
"So, you're the concept of assassination, right?... Nice to meet you again."
Gowther's tone held a degree of respect as he considered the concept of assassination.
A slight smile appeared on the face of the assassination concept as he looked at it, then he snapped his fingers, and the world transformed from eternal darkness into a beautiful garden, emitting the smells of the most wonderful perfumes, along with other unknown smells, capable of distorting parts of the olfactory center in the normal human brain.
They were inside a beautiful greenhouse, whose design combined sophistication, beauty, authority and strength.
Gowther, after returning to his original form, sat facing the concept of assassination. The two kept looking at each other without saying anything, until Assassination Concept decided to break the silence, pouring tea for himself and Gowther.
"Would you like some tea, Mr. Gowther MacTeer?"
Assassination Concept's tone of voice was refined and noble, as he looked at Gowther.
"I apologize, but I decline your invitation to tea."
«Ooooh! Do you refuse to invite someone? How impolite you are!
Gowther's gaze was analyzing the concept of assassination with extreme precision. He then took a look at the teapot, which was made by merging several timelines together.
He had created the concept of the assassination himself, and then transformed those lines into teapots and cups, with the aim of keeping the state of the teapot and its contents intact, even if billions of years had passed. Because he had nothing to do but enjoy his strange hobby, he used to transform concepts and laws into raw materials to create what he wanted.
"An assassination attempt by putting poison in tea? "I can smell poisons and know everything about the type of poison within the world I currently exist in."
Styling... Styling... Styling...
He applauded the concept of assassination after hearing Gowther's words.
"I thought you were stupid after Fang Yuan deceived you so easily."
A look of confusion appeared on Gowther's face as he looked at the concept of assassination, because he did not understand how he had been fooled in the first place.
A sarcastic smile appeared on the face of the Assassination Concept, as a sign that he understood what Gowther was thinking without saying, because Gowther was originally a character stemming from one of the twenty-seven fragments of the Assassination Concept.
"First, I didn't ask anyone for help, and I wasn't busy with anything. Secondly, he made you go into the past, to a time before the appearance of the Creator of the Twenty-Seven Paths of Existence, in order to take you and begin the journey of the First Initiation of the Great Outcast. "So, technically, he cheated you out of benefits without putting in an ounce of effort."
Signs of annoyance appeared on Gowther's face as he recalled his encounter with Fang Yuan.
"Who are you, this one?"
Gowther's gaze was full of caution and anticipation, as he watched every move the stranger might make
.
A slight smile appeared on that person's face as he looked at him.
"I am Fang Yuan, the ninth son of Yuutu, or as you call him, Yuutu Caseral."
"What? I'm kidding, right? Yuta has more than one son! "You're kidding, aren't you?"
Gowther's tone was full of shock, as he looked at Fang Yuan, who let out a mocking laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahaha... I'm from the future, you idiot!"
Fang Yuan's features immediately changed to serious, as he looked at Gowther who looked a little confused.
"Let's go. The assassination concept is busy and coming soon, so let's go.'
Fang Yuan turned his back, and began to wander within the eternal darkness that seemed to have no beginning or end.
"Where are we going?"
"Be quiet. "You'll know when we get there."
Fang Yuan's words were sharp and rude, which made Gowther angry, but he didn't say anything for several reasons. The first was that he was unable to use his power. The second is that if Fang Yuan is actually Yuta's son and from the future, then he is far stronger than him; Even if he could use his power, he would be easily defeated by him, because entities like Yuuta, when they give birth to sons, their sons are of the same rank as them. This applies to any entity of Boundless rank and above.
Fang Yuan split his existence in half, then passed through the crack without saying anything. Gowther did the same thing, and followed him without uttering a single word.
Gowther began cursing Fang Yuan internally, cursing him with all the curses and curses he knew, for making him look like a fool. He vowed that he would teach him a lesson that he would not forget when he was born, because he would be stronger than him. But he decided to ignore it, as this was not the time to think about trivial matters, such as moving on to confront an unborn person.
A deep sigh escaped from Gowther's mouth as he looked at the assassination concept, which was drinking tea in a refined and perfect aristocratic manner.
"What is so special about the Assassination Concept Pavilion?"
The tone of the assassination concept's voice was calm, which made Gowther feel a little strange.
What is special about the concept of assassination? However, Gowther was aware that it was not about direct killing, but rather something greater than simply slitting someone's throat or hitting a target in a dangerous vital point that would end his life with one hit.
"I don't know, and I'm not in the mood to guess what it is."
A feigned look of annoyance appeared on Assassination Concept's face as he listened to Gowther's words, who seemed both calm and annoyed at the same time.
"You're so boring. And yet I like you, because you have something that makes you an assassin, a transcendent entity, and a human at the same time."
"The thing about you, Gowther, is that you walk a fine line between being an assassin, a transcendent entity, and an ordinary human being. This is what makes you special."
"As for the wing's work, it is assassination as a character..."
Signs of realization appeared on Gowther's facial features, as he realized the function of the Assassination Concept Pavilion. This made him feel terrified of his strength and abilities, even without actually seeing it.
"You mean to manipulate the writing of the character, remove his written development in all aspects, and turn him into mere narrative garbage devoid of anything, whether distinctive, trivial, or even worthless, so that he becomes just a drop in the middle of a narrative sea. "This is the work of the Assassination Concept Wing, right?"