Chapter 760: 60. Movie Theater
“First of all.
“Don’t call me a Subhuman Girl Enthusiast.”
Hearing the woman’s serious reminder in front of him, Fisher opened his mouth, only to scrutinize the woman with an even more detailed gaze.
She looked younger than him. Since Trans are perpetually youthful, one could deduce that she probably arrived in this world at a similar age.
Her long, disheveled hair obscured her features, especially in the dim environment at this moment, only the light from the large screen in front of them could outline her facial contours.
Fisher smiled helplessly and then asked,
“What is a movie theater?”
“A movie theater is a place where you watch movies.”
“What is a movie?”
“A movie is something watched in a movie theater.”
“…”
“Hahahaha.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast beside him laughed heartily at Fisher’s speechlessness. She excitedly pinched a piece of popcorn from the bucket and held it out toward Fisher.
Fisher didn’t eat it but asked again, “Why am I here? I remember… Dream seemed to have extracted something from within me, and then that something seemed to…”
Fisher thought slowly, but the memories felt heavy, making every recollection particularly difficult.
“I heard that when people die, they go to the movie theater.”
“What do they do here?”
“They watch movies, just like now, continuously watching. Scene after scene, one show after another, watching an endless stream of movies.”
“So, am I dead?”
For some reason, upon realizing this, Fisher felt an unexpected lightness deep within, even the posture he held became less tense, his back softened, until every inch of his back rested against the chair.
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast smiled and rested her chin on her hands, looking at him and asked,
“What’s wrong? Is dying this easy?”
“I don’t know.”
Fisher looked at the unknown movie on the screen, observing a man who seemed to be an undercover cop shoot and kill another undercover agent, followed by a scene of elevator doors closing.
He didn’t understand the foreign world’s movies, so he rubbed his brow in confusion and said,
“I just feel a bit tired.”
“Oh?”
“Ever since I left Nali, it seems I haven’t taken a break, just like a train running on tracks. The passengers on the train watch the scenery along the way and get off at some destination. As for me, I never reach my stop.”
Although Fisher had previously comforted Renee, teaching her not to envision a ‘shore’ she wanted to reach, the long travels forced him to begin imagining such a shore.
And for him, that shore might represent the moment the Apocalypse Prophecy is resolved.
Fisher tiredly rubbed his face, as if he found a place to pour out his heart in this strangely familiar woman beside him, and his words began to flow more easily.
The woman beside him merely smiled and listened without speaking, acting as a sounding board for his thoughts, just like her quiet attentiveness to the confessions of the characters in the movie.
Fisher’s consciousness became a bit clearer. Lying on the movie theater chair, he glanced at the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast beside him and asked her,
“So, you have always been alive, hidden inside the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, guiding and monitoring my every action, just so that I would follow the path you planned to solve the Apocalypse Prophecy?”
Hearing Fisher’s question, the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast displayed a puzzled expression. She pointed to herself and asked Fisher,
“Eh? What have I done to give you the illusion that I am such a noble person?”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, “… haven’t you?”
“Hahahahaha.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast laughed again, rubbing the corners of her eyes and said playfully,
“It seems distance creates beauty indeed, making you think of me this way without having met me. Ah, but it seems it’s not bad this way.”
“…. But if I’m not mistaken, this should be inside the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, right?”
“Oh? How did you figure that out?”
Fisher pointed to the exit on the side of the movie theater. The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast turned to look, only to see that above the exit sign that originally read “Exit,” it now stated “Dragon Race,” as conspicuous as the research names in the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
“Smart.”
“So, it’s time for a proper explanation.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast rested her chin on her hands, waved her hand slightly, and the movie on the screen abruptly stopped, lighting up the entire theater, revealing only their two figures sitting there.
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast looked at Fisher and softly said,
“As you can see, this is indeed inside the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. But you guessed wrong; you think I have been hiding, concealing my consciousness inside the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, manipulating you to walk the path of saving the world until today?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Hah, of course not.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast was sitting with interest, looking at Fisher while extending her finger,
“Let me ask you, if you came to my world, trapped there, regarded as an enemy by all the nations and forces. If you stayed there for a few thousand years, although you met many memorable people along the way, most of them died in the long years… At that moment, my world is about to be destroyed, would you give everything to save my world?”
“….”
Fisher did not answer, but the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast seemed to already know the answer. She teased,
“Yes, you would hesitate, you would ponder, but the mouse doesn’t. The mouse only thinks of escaping, prioritizing self-preservation. I’m just a lucky enough mouse who inadvertently received the blessing of Azanros, inadvertently discovered the truth of the Apocalypse Prophecy.
“When I learned of the past of the gods and knew from Azanros that besides the group of Outer Gods led by Dream, there were terrifying death gods targeting this world, I realized that all the reasons must come from the Sea of Souls they thought was unclaimed. I told Ramastia about this, but for a long time, I couldn’t find that so-called ‘Treasure of the Ocean.'”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast smiled slightly, giving Fisher a metaphor,
“It’s like a unverified physical formula; scientists know there’s a mysterious law governing the reality they see, but they can never find a theorem explaining it. Moreover, even if found, what good would it do? I’m not some overpowered character, I can’t do anything.
“And because I found a small secret about the Ocean, it noticed my existence along with Azanros and launched a pursuit against me. I was really in dire straits; I hadn’t done anything yet was already in trouble.”
Fisher remained silent as he recalled the traces of the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast’s torment he saw in the basement beneath Saint Nali.
“I don’t want to do anything and can’t do anything. I imagined easily intervening and saving this world. Making the gods worship me, making the Ocean cry out, ‘This child is terrifying.’ But the reality is, this world doesn’t operate according to my imagination.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast smiled and draped her robe over her legs, curling up and hugging her knees on the soft chair, looking truly like a chubby and fluffy mouse.
She foolishly chuckled, turned to Fisher, and unabashedly said,
“So, I directly laid it all out.”
“….”
“But you know, humans are quite conflicted. I think I don’t have the great abilities to save the world, but subconsciously I cannot let go of the moral torment. I could have run a long time ago, but after staying so long, I couldn’t bring myself to make the decision to leave.
“Every day spent in this world, every living person greeting you, makes me think, ‘Sigh, before long, they’ll all die,’ how cruel.”
After saying that, she turned to Fisher again, smiling and said,
“The last person I saw in that world was named Teresa; she was the one who ultimately changed my mind and made me try once more.”
Upon hearing the familiar name, Fisher’s pupils slightly contracted, while the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast waved her hand, and the large screen displayed a first-person perspective of a person.
What appeared was the incredibly brilliant Sea of Souls, and the protagonist seemed to be struggling within it. Then she seemed to discover something, crouching down carefully and using both hands to dig for something within.
“Haha.”
Fisher heard the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast’s breathing and saw her using both hands to laboriously clear the deep Sea of Souls, countless little Chaos Races crawling onto her body, covering her to prevent her from continuing to dig.
But in the end, she still unearthed something; a bright light suddenly pierced through the thick Sea of Souls, prompting the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast to dig with even more force.
Until finally, she was panting and finally saw the original buried deep within the Sea of Souls.
She saw a soul wrapped in something radiating bright light.
She found it, that precious property.
For some reason, when the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast unearthed the property wrapped in that soul, all the small Chaos Races seemed to be frightened and fled in all directions.
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast and the astonished Fisher looked up simultaneously at the scene on the screen. The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast merely smiled and said,
“Do you think this is destiny? After hundreds of years of searching without finding something that sounded fictitious, it was actually found in my last search.”
Fisher did not respond, only frowned at the fragile soul on the screen.
That was Fisher’s soul.
Fisher couldn’t help but ask,
“So, you devised a plan around me to resolve the Apocalypse Prophecy, right?”
“So I say, you think too highly of me,” the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast chuckled. She pointed at Fisher and continued, “Seeing you, my first thought was, ‘Since that property happens to be in a soul, let him replace this property; the property needed by the Ocean to contend against it should make matters difficult for it,’ and the second thought was, ‘Finally, I can toss the responsibility away, hehe.'”
“….”
Fisher, once again at a loss for words, lowered his head and sighed, rubbing his brow, finally understanding the context behind the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast’s confession he saw in his dream atop the Sea of Souls.
“Embarrassingly, I just wanted to fill the guilt in my heart, so I pulled you out of the Sea of Souls. It doesn’t matter whether you hate me for bringing all this to you or thank me for giving you life; either way, it’s fine because no matter how you think, I can’t convey your thoughts.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that ‘I’, or rather ‘she’, has already run away.”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, turning to look at the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast beside him, who still wore a smile. For some reason, that impudent smile made him want to punch her.
However, fortunately, Fisher retained his composure; he did not act but chose to listen to her words.
“As you can see, she has converted the Apocalypse Prophecy she studied into a more easily understood version that she believes will motivate you more. She kindly stored all her inventory left in this world into the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans and integrated an AI within it, which is me, to assist you in saving this world. So to be precise, you should call me the ‘Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.’
“I have actually been by your side before you came of age, but I’ve been hiding secretly. Even when I was close to you, you couldn’t detect my existence. You’ve known me since your birth, so when the secrecy was lifted, I, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, would naturally appear in a reasonable form to you. At that time, what you actually bought from that vendor was an ‘Ethics Collection,’ but the secrecy masked your memory, leading you to believe you brought me back.”
Upon hearing all this, Fisher couldn’t help but feel some confusion. He asked,
“So, those items I received…”
“Were pulled from the inventory and handed to you on the spot.”
“And my rank that I elevated?”
“Was your original rank.”
“And my elevated reproduction ability?”
“Oh, that was the supplement I injected you with from the stock while you were asleep at night.”
“… Damn it.”
Even with Fisher’s composure, he couldn’t help but curse.
No, this is so shameless; it adds up that there’s truly a backend to the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans continuously throwing him stuff in real time.
“Wait a minute, if that’s the case, why didn’t you just give me these things from the get-go?”
“Well, if that were the case, could it still be called a ‘system’?”
“What is a system?”
“My program, nothing to worry about.”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast grinned mischievously, causing a vein to emerge on Fisher’s forehead.
But Fisher quickly realized something was amiss. He rubbed his brow, puzzled, and said,
“But… wait, if that’s the case, how come there have been so many coincidences along the way? Even the enhancement at the Parasol Tree can be viewed as you thought I was about to engage in battle and granted it, but if you arranged nothing, how did you give me the Tear of the World Tree before going back in time?”
“Believe it or not, the Tear was randomly given to you as a reward. Moreover, it was Renee who sent you back; it wasn’t her, she had never met her. Does that mean Renee was also under her arrangement?”
The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast smiled, reaching out her hand toward Fisher, saying,
“Furthermore, she couldn’t handle such an abstract concept as a timeline. If she did anything, the only thing she did was to send you to the side of the person who once warmed her, to Sister Teresa. She experienced the beauty of this world through Teresa and believes you could also sense this world’s beauty, understand its meaning, and thereby come to your own conclusion about its necessity.
“And the only thing I did was to ensure that you could feel more happiness along the path of saving the world, so I increased your reproductive abilities. This is thanks to me. Instead of doubting my manipulations, it’s better to question the Ocean. After all, she can see me; from the moment you first saw me at adulthood, she noticed you as well.”
After so long, Fisher finally felt he had received permission from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, granting him understanding of why so many Subhuman Ladies were around him because of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans.
Because of this, perhaps much of his resentment dissipated.
But he still couldn’t comprehend, if the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast did not directly orchestrate his return, was his encounter with Hela really just a coincidence?
How does the timeline actually operate?
Upon careful reflection, the logic Fisher previously believed was that the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast created himself, wrapping the Ocean’s precious property in him, then sent himself back to attract the Ocean’s attention, forcing it to follow her timeline to avoid sabotaging the timeline and making it impossible for him to return.
So, was his return significant to the Ocean, or more like this timeline where he could return was crucial for the Ocean?
But what important things could he have done upon returning that made this timeline so pivotal, driving the Ocean not to break this timeline, not to kill the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast?
Besides letting Hela meet him earlier, did he accomplish anything important?
Fisher truly couldn’t figure out the logic behind it and could only helplessly retract his thoughts, resetting his gaze on the large screen in front of him.
“What’s happening outside now?”
“Now?” The Subhuman Girl Enthusiast, no, the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans thought for a moment, then said, “Dream has extracted the properties from your body. No one knows what will happen when that property leaves the soul’s wrapping; its absorption radius is expanding at an acceleration of three kilometers per second. At this rate, in less than a day, the entire world, along with the barrier, will be swallowed.”
“… But I’m still alive.”
“Who knows why? It needs a soul to wrap around; perhaps the absorption of the soul has a decaying effect.”
The screen in front of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans lit up, displaying scenes of Raphael, Valentina, and Alagina fighting the Incarnation of the Ocean within the Demon Dynasty.
“Dream is already dead. Those two Incarnations of the Ocean also perished amid the aftermath. Ramastia is still alive, hiding with Renee at the edge of the Spirit Realm. Meanwhile, in reality, there’s much upheaval. Your Raphael, Valentina, Alagina, and Duke of Peach are still battling another Incarnation of the Ocean. But the strongest of those Incarnations is dead now. That Incarnation cannot be revived and will soon die.
“And the most critical issue now isn’t the Ocean, but what lies beyond the barrier. There are countless deities gathering there, more than you can imagine within this galaxy. Currently, several dozen have gathered outside, and there are likely even more deities on their way.”
The scene on the screen shifted, showing Fisher a terrifying sight as if time had stopped at The Ultimate, where countless foreign deities, attracted by the massive commotion, were straining to enter the barrier, wanting to investigate.
Even though Dream had vanished, its authority had also diminished significantly, but it was still sufficient to mend the barrier.
Yet now, Fisher was entirely powerless, especially with so many deities gathering outside, about to tear the Ultimate apart and enter this world.
“… No. There is still a way.”
Fisher fell silent for a moment, lowering his head, suddenly feeling a bit tired as he said,
“As long as we send out the properties beyond the barrier and then let them fight it out, with the remaining authority of Dream and… the authority of Ramastia, it should be enough to repair the barrier. This way, they cannot enter the barrier, letting them vie for my properties until the Ocean arrives to round things off. But…”
As he spoke, Fisher’s expression darkened again.
He struggled hard, thinking, yet couldn’t ignore that terrifying fact,
“But… there is still one Incarnation of the Ocean within the barrier, that Incarnation has never shown itself. As long as it remains, even if we seal the barrier, the destruction won’t end. If that’s the case, we can only pray it won’t further destroy the barrier, completely entrusting our fate to it.”
“… Fisher, you’ve already done your utmost. Perhaps at this point, this result is the best we can accept.”
Fisher lowered his head, supporting his knees with both hands, shaking his head and saying,
“No, I have a feeling that this won’t play out as we expect. It won’t let up, it will surely destroy this world. I don’t know why it harbors such hatred towards this world; perhaps it’s due to the sins committed by Ramastia. Or maybe because we are all insignificant ants, easily crushed without consequence.”
Looking at the lowered head of Fisher before her, the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast couldn’t help but reach out and stroke his head, acting as a substitute, compensating for the irresponsible Trans who had handed this heavy burden to him merely for the sake of their own comfort.
Up until now, Fisher had been trying his hardest to protect others, yet not once had anyone come to protect him until the very last moment.
Because of love, he always felt indebted, so even when Elizabeth had done so much, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her; because of love, he had to remain strong, standing before those ladies in need of help, even when he too was not omnipotent.
Throughout this journey, only Emhart and the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans understood the pain he had endured.
She embraced Fisher, her long black hair cascading onto his nearly tear-streaked cheek, and finally said softly,
“Hey, although it feels somewhat inappropriate for me to say this, all along, you’ve been fulfilling others’ wishes while your own have never been satisfied. For your sake, don’t be harsh on yourself. I possess her appearance, memories, and thoughts, so I know what kind of responsibility she placed upon you.
“Relax, Fisher, just this once, fulfill a wish for yourself, let go of yourself, okay?”
Fisher leaned against her shoulder, remaining still for a long time, simply snuggling like that, subtly nodding in agreement.
On the large screen beside them, scenes were revealing Raphael and Valentina gradually killing the Incarnation of the Ocean within Baemon’s palace, bringing forth their voices that reminded him of the wonderful moments of meeting them.
He closed his eyes, yet then heard a “squeak” sound.
He turned his gaze to the unfamiliar Baemon palace and saw an empty baby carriage standing in the middle of the palace.
“Alright, I’m going to repair your soul now. When you awaken, walk down this final path without distraction or burden. No matter the outcome, no one will blame you.”
“Will we meet again?”
Fisher lowered his head and asked.
“Hah, are you asking me or her?”
Fisher raised his eyes, looking at the disheveled woman in front of him; he couldn’t find the answer at that moment but felt as if she was slowly fading into a mirage along with the entire cinema starting to crumble.
“Alright, before we officially begin, you have time to rest well. Consider it watching a movie.”
“Mm.”
Fisher quietly turned his head, sitting in the chair, gazing at the screen, watching the slightly swaying baby carriage, while he did not know when the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans had disappeared.
Thus, in the enormous movie theater, he was left all alone.
With tears at the corners of his eyes, he stared expressionlessly at the large screen before him, his mind echoing warm moments from earlier as he cautiously collected the tangled thoughts within.
After a long while, he sighed and sarcastically smiled,
“Well, just this once, fulfill my own wish, huh?”
But as he laughed, his smile gradually faded, and his eyes widened little by little.
As if he suddenly thought of something.
Why did he instinctively believe that the Ocean would never let it go, that it would certainly exact vengeance on this world?
Was it because the Ocean hated this world so, hated the souls of this world?
Unless the purpose the Ocean sought had not yet been fulfilled.
Fisher suddenly widened his eyes, looking at the scene on the screen.
That was the deepest part of the Demon Dynasty’s Baemon palace, where an empty baby carriage lay.
He blinked, and the surroundings of the movie theater had begun to crumble until they completely vanished.
But Fisher’s thoughts continued to shift, as if the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans sensed his thoughts, after the theater disappeared without a trace, what appeared before him was Baemon’s palace deep within the Demon Dynasty.
The door, looking like a mirror, was tightly closed, and a riddle emerged, similar to Hela, as it said,
“I am I of I, I am thought of thought.”
“I am a song unlisten’d, I am an eye unperceived.”
“What am I?”
Staring at the riddle, Fisher remained motionless, and beside him, memories of past Fisher, Eil, and Cidi, Raphael and Duke of Peach all appeared simultaneously.
Fisher saw past Cidi and Eil giving the answer,
“Soul.”
Then they moved forward, walking through the still unopened, mirror-like door.
Fisher saw Raphael and Duke of Peach standing before that door, softly speaking another answer,
“Ocean.”
Then they moved forward, walking through the still unopened, mirror-like door.
At that time, it seemed only Fisher remained in front of that door which had never changed.
Fisher raised his gaze, looking at the closed door, suddenly seeming to understand something, he lowered his head.
Then, he offered another answer, saying,
“Fisher.”
The whole world seemed to fall silent, yet this time, that door which appeared to have never moved trembled for the first time, slowly opening.
“Click, click, click!”
From the gap of that opened door leaked light brighter than the stars and warmer than the sun.
That光芒打在了费舍尔的脸上，让他睁大了眼睛。就这样看着，直到那光芒将他彻底吞没，直到将他的一切笼罩。
“….”
下一刻，灵界中，漂浮在灵界虚空中的费舍尔猛然睁开了眼睛。
(This chapter ends)
