Legend Management Bureau Chapter 443

[ … words ]

“The ‘Creator’ lied. He said he wanted to save A’xiang, but he replaced her instead.”

“Perhaps he had tried numerous methods, constantly ordering the Seven Holy Heroes to assassinate his past self, disrupting his own life in a vain attempt to forge a ‘qualified candidate’.”

“But what was the relationship between the original ‘Creator’ and the Seven Holy Heroes at the very beginning?”

“They couldn’t even be considered comrades-in-arms. They were merely the eight people left over after the destruction of the world. From my observations, they were forced by circumstance to form a team. Forget about trusting each other; they definitely weren’t friends who would live and die for one another. Perhaps, out of those seven people, he only had feelings for A’xiang.”

“Under those circumstances, with absolutely no coordination between them, the ‘Creator’ knew the mission couldn’t be completed so quickly. He couldn’t wait that long. He desperately wanted to save A’xiang.”

“Thus, he gave up halfway and left himself trapped there.”

“But his ‘dogma’ was passed down, setting the wheels in motion. From then on, every generation of Du Yu has been changing the next Du Yu, marching toward an unknown destiny.”

“Because of that, A’xiang was freed. She lived happily ever after with the original Du Yu in her timeline. She thought the person standing right in front of her had saved her, but the one who truly rescued her had become ‘Time’.”

“Originally, the ‘Creator’ just wanted to sit there in withered isolation. His goal might have been to make amends for the world he destroyed, or perhaps he was waiting for the next person to come and replace him. Regardless, he remained there.”

“The appearance of You Si would trigger a massive number of Great Pivots. While saving Mahakala, she molded Zhan Qisheng. Mahakala would bring destruction, and Zhan Qisheng would, in turn, mold the Great Pivot Du Yu.”

“This Great Pivot Du Yu might have absolutely no connection to the original Du Yu anymore, but he is still Du Yu.”

“From this moment on, this closed loop no longer needed A’xiang. It could be completed independently with just a Du Yu. Du Yu produces Du Yu, Du Yu selects Du Yu, and Du Yu replaces Du Yu. Generation after endless generation. This is exactly what I mentioned earlier: time, which was originally a single ‘Thread’, shattered into a massive web because of this sudden anomaly.”

“Let’s talk about the first generation ‘Creator’ again. Sitting in dead silence for hundreds of thousands of years, the ‘Creator’ felt regret. He wanted to escape. For him, what was the best method?”

“Naturally, it was to have the next Du Yu take his place.”

“Do you remember? All the equipment in the Legend Management Bureau was built by Zhan Qisheng, but his ‘Time Arts’ were very bizarre. He couldn’t accurately pinpoint a specific time. This might be related to the carefree bloodline of their Zhan Clan.”

“So where did all the remaining time go?”

“Regardless, this particular trait of his was transferred into the equipment.”

“This subtle error meant that after undergoing multiple descents, Du Yu would slowly begin falling into ‘space-time rifts’ where the concept of time was extremely vague—which is to say, the territory of ‘Time’.”

“As I just mentioned, the appearance of You Si brings forth an endless stream of Du Yus.”

“Taking advantage of this opportunity, the ‘Creator’ continually conversed with the Du Yus who arrived at the Cave of Time. He gradually learned the truth—that there were countless Du Yus in this world, and that the ultimate enemy was Mahakala. Thus, he began to instigate the Du Yus to kill each other, egging them on to go to war with Mahakala. Regardless of which method succeeded, without exception, it would cause immense ‘space-time chaos’.”

“He knew that when a person fell into utter despair, they would willingly become ‘Time’.”

“From then on, countless versions of ‘Time’ selected countless versions of ‘Du Yu’, wandering endlessly within a colossal loop.”

“They constantly alternated, and constantly felt regret.”

“After all, hundreds of thousands of years is simply too long.”

“So long that it could drive a person of unwavering resolve completely insane.”

“And long enough to make all obsessions crumble to dust.”

“The people one wanted to save, the people one wanted to kill—compared to these hundreds of thousands of years, they were nothing more than fleeting clouds.”

“Save those who were destined to die? Kill He Suoyi?”

“Give me a break. Such trivial matters… how could they possibly compare to the passage of hundreds of thousands of years…”

The ‘Terminator’ looked at Du Yu thoughtfully, pondering something unknown.

Meanwhile, Du Yu slowly stood up, enunciating every word:

“There is no need to speak of others… Even I, in order to break free from that chair, permanently ignited myself with these bizarre flames. I thought I was decisive enough, yet even I still had a fleeting thought of regret.”

“I stayed in this cave for a million years. If it weren’t for the agonizing pain wracking my entire body stimulating my mind, I would have become a demon long ago.”

“If I didn’t harbor a deeper obsession than any other Du Yu, I would have lost my mind ages ago.”

“But… have you noticed the flaw in this story?”

Du Yu paused at this point.

When he turned his head back, a trace of liquid flame slowly seeped from his eyes. He wanted to weep, but he could shed no tears.

“In this massive, boundless, lonely, terrifying, and never-ending web, there was one person who never regretted a thing.”

The ‘Terminator’s’ expression finally lost its icy severity. He was moved.

It seemed he too realized who this person was, and his heart twisted with a vicious ache.

Yes, even if countless Du Yus felt remorse, this person never did.

“She never regretted it…”

“That reckless, trouble-making Yatou who stirred up problems every single day.”

“That Stinky girl who repeatedly risked her life for us, who didn’t even know how to run away when faced with danger!”

“That Stinky girl who willingly sat in withered silence for hundreds of thousands of years just for the sake of a bastard!!”

“That Stinky girl who, in the end, could only speak to stones yet never uttered a single word of complaint!!”

“That Yatou never felt a shred of regret!!”

Du Yu roared, his expression filled with agonizing grief. His entire body burned with a raging inferno, and scorching magma erupted from his eyes.

“Bastards!! From the very beginning, she never intended to walk out of the Cave of Time!!”

“She didn’t even leave herself a way out!!”

“She was more resolute than any of us!!”

“Even the very first generation ‘Creator’ paved a path for himself before becoming ‘Time’!!”

“But A’xiang didn’t!!”

“That is why the first ‘Time’ had already gone insane!! He was completely mad!! His eyes were filled with hallucinations, and he was on the verge of turning into a demon!! Yet he still told the next generation, ‘You must love A’xiang’!!”

“Those weren’t the ravings of a madman!! That was his final shred of sanity!!”

“He hoped that no matter which generation’s A’xiang it was, she would always be deeply cherished by us!!”

“He hoped that something like this would never happen again!!”

“He hoped that all of us could protect that Stinky girl who never knew her own limits!!”

“Even when all versions of ‘Time’ were scheming against each other, they still passed down this single phrase!!”

“‘Time’ once told me that time itself didn’t originally exist in this world; time comes from a person’s obsession!! And that person is A’xiang!!”

Du Yu’s voice continually echoed through the cave, carrying a trace of helplessness and a hint of bitter resentment.

He slowly lowered his body. After a long silence, he spoke again in a hushed voice:

“But he had no choice.”

“No one can change this Reincarnation Cycle. They can only pass it down, generation after generation, telling the next ‘Time’.”

“When the first ‘Time’ spoke those words, just how much agony was he in?”

“His sense of powerlessness was greater than any of ours.”

The ‘Terminator’ looked at Du Yu with a somewhat sorrowful expression and asked, “Then what do you want me to do?”

Du Yu slowly turned his head back and whispered softly, “I… want you to willingly become Time.”

The ‘Terminator’ did not agree, nor did he immediately refuse. He simply furrowed his brows and stared at Du Yu.