"Why on earth are you doing this?"
Yu-hyun had something he absolutely wanted to ask Logos if he ever met him again.
What exactly was the Ultimate Story that would justify committing such horrific acts for its sake?
Erasing and restarting the universe over and over again.
Destroying countless living beings that existed within it.
[Didn't I tell you back then? It's to create the Ultimate Story.]
"I'm asking if that's worth all this."
[Hmph? On the contrary, I find it difficult to understand you. Do authors writing a story pay attention to each and every extra character they create?]
"What?"
It felt like Yu-hyun had just been hit on the head.
"So, are you saying that everyone living in this hybrid universe...?"
[Yes. To me, they’re nothing more than mere extras.]
Extras.
That word, which he thought he had forgotten, struck Yu-hyun's heart forcefully.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
[I originally created the world this way. I made a select few and allowed them to run freely across this vast world. That was indeed enjoyable. Various stories unfolded that even I hadn't anticipated. However, there was a serious problem with that approach.]
Logos did not remember every single cycle. However, he could vividly recall certain parts of the stories recorded in the initial pages of the massive book, Codex.
[Those who grew at an incredible pace eventually started to aim for the seat beyond the heavens, where I reside. Had I been a bit slower in reacting, they would have taken over my position. An author dethroned by his own creations? Isn’t that a ridiculous story?]
The experience at that time gave Logos a profound realization.
Afterward, instead of creating a chosen few, Logos chose a method of granting smaller authority to a broader, more diverse array of individuals.
He diluted the level of depth in the characters while increasing their numbers.
Thus, the universe entered an era of ensemble drama.
[It was the right decision. Previously, the world had been accelerating toward the singularity at a radical pace. Afterward, things started to progress at a slower, more gradual rate. I was able to gather even more stories, and such stories came to fill the most pages in the Codex.]
The only drawback was that with only trivial incidents filling the story in the absence of major events, it became challenging for Logos to detect subtle changes with his perspective.
And as more pages accumulated, it became impossible for him to remember every cycle, so he decided to create something new.
That was how the Bookmark came to be.
A measure to observe changes between previous and subsequent universes, between worlds and worlds.
He periodically retrieved the Bookmarks to read through the stories recorded on them and analyze changes.
[Well, I got tired of it later on, so I almost abandoned it entirely.]
Soon after being created, the Bookmark quickly lost its original purpose.
However, due to Logos' neglect, the Bookmark remained in the universe, persisting through the recurring worlds.
The owners of the Bookmarks were bound to repeat each moment from a certain point in the world, regardless of their will. There was no way to escape it, not unless Logos stopped the universe from recurring.
Or unless an ‘appropriate individual’ forcibly passed the ownership of the existing Bookmark to someone else.
In the current era, Kwon Jia, who had repeated over 600 worlds, was the owner of the Bookmark.
But even before her, and before that, other Bookmark holders had existed in this universe.
[Yet, there was still a problem.]
Through the ensemble drama, Logos had managed to lower the risk posed by beings in the lower realms. However, it merely slowed down the speed at which they reached a level capable of challenging him rather than fully resolving the issue.
In the end, the final destination that beings in the lower realms aimed to reach was no different from when there were only a select few chosen ones.
Each time that happened, Logos erased the world and started anew. But despite the repetition, not much changed.
Amusingly enough.
The beings of the lower realms, particularly humans, were always like that. They behaved as if something was chasing them, always aiming upward.
Aiming for a higher place, a higher level, a higher stage.
Not all humans were like that, but there were always some who aspired to reach higher, and it was almost always humans.
They weren't climbing because they knew of the existence of Logos beyond the heavens.
It was simply an instinct engraved deep in their souls.
To grasp the stars with their hands, they climbed endlessly.
Displeased with this, Logos tried implementing changes several times. At one point, he even attempted to take away free will. But Logos eventually had to reverse that decision.
It was meaningless.
Beings without free will were nothing more than machines performing only what they were told. Their daily lives lacked depth. Characters in the Ultimate Story couldn’t be flat.
But most importantly, even among humans who were supposed to lack free will, a few rare individuals occasionally emerged, retaining their free will.
Those individuals spread their will to those around them like an infection.
Observing this, Logos felt an inexplicable sensation he couldn't resist for the first time.
It felt dangerous. With that thought in mind, Logos overturned the universe once more. He decided to leave free will alone this time.
Instead, he created his own loyal Elohim modeled after those humans who had lost their free will.
At least they would be useful.
The next thing Logos pondered deeply and finally settled on was a new answer.
[No matter what I did, there were always those who sought a higher position. Instead of suppressing and stopping them, I decided to divert their attention elsewhere. I created an illusory throne called the Seat of Stars.]n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
That was how the Divine Spirits came into existence.
It was a seat prepared for those who, as humans, possessed special power and transcended their species to reach a higher level.
The seat of a Divine Spirit was not that of a great being or a transcendental Star Seat.
[So, I will give you an opportunity.]
"An opportunity?"
[You have provided me with great inspiration. Surely, it will have a significant impact on the stories that unfold in the future. So, in the Ultimate Story that will one day be completed, I will inscribe your name as a co-author.]
"What?"
[So join me. Add your unpredictability to the Ultimate Story. This is a rare opportunity.]
Logos extended his hand to Yu-hyun as he said this.
The Creator, the Absolute One, held out his hand to a human, the lowest-ranked of all his creations.
This was unprecedented, making any comparison meaningless.
[If you take my hand, I can ensure that the precious humans you care about will remain without disappearing.]
As Logos said this, he projected multiple images into the air.
They were scenes of his comrades fighting outside the Foundation, in Armageddon.
In the fierce battles, some were injured, and others fell.
On the screen, Yoo Young-min could be seen being injured by the light arrow fired by Ahura Mazda.
Odin’s spear pierced through one of Kwon Jia’s arms, and Zeus’s lightning scorched Kang Hye-rim’s forearm. The corrupted demon army summoned by Mara Papias inflicted wounds on Seo Sumin.
They had all told him to trust them and go on ahead.
But reality was merciless.
[If you don't, they might all die. The choice is yours.]
Yu-hyun's gaze remained fixed on the children with whom he had contracts.
[With just a single gesture from me, I can stop the attacks from the Elohim and the Judicators. I can make sure no one else dies. Their fate hinges on your answer.]
The whisper was like a sweet, alluring scent.
It stirred Yu-hyun’s heart deeply.
[Only you can save them.]
“I can... save them?”
[Yes. Only you can. You are the only one who can stand as a co-author with me, Logos.]
“I....”
In response to Yu-hyun’s bewildered mumbling, Logos nodded.
[Yes. You can. Their future....]
You can change it.
At those words, Yu-hyun twisted his lips into a smirk.
"Do you think I came here just to see this pathetic display?"
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
The hostility pouring out from Yu-hyun became even more directed and purposeful, aimed straight at Logos.
[Hm?]
Strange. His persuasion should have worked.
“I see you don’t remember. You forced a similar decision before, didn’t you?”
That story was one of lasting regret for a certain being.
If he had fought without accepting that proposal.
If he hadn’t given up until the end.
Then the outcome might have been different.
“It seems you've forgotten. There was someone who fell prey to your deceit and replayed his regrets over and over.”
He chose to die himself to make the right choice, even if it was too late.
All of his regrets, despair, and even his chances.
He passed them on to one person.
-Don’t repeat my failures.
“I made a promise. I won’t fall for such a trick again.”
[Heh. That’s rather fascinating. Is that unpredictability?]
“And another thing. Their fate is ultimately their own. The choices they made, the endings they anticipated, those are all their decisions.”
Surrendering everything just to save them?
Only he could decide their future?
Yu-hyun twisted his lips as he retorted sharply.
“It’s disgusting.”
[...]
“That attitude of looking down from above. That self-assured confidence that you know everything and can do anything.”
Every person's life belongs solely to themselves.
No one has the right to dictate another's life.
“So stop spouting nonsense.”
Yu-hyun’s sword, shedding all hesitation, glinted sharply.
“Let’s fight.”
That’s why I came here.