Chapter 537 – Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial ‘Fallen King’ (23)
– Miro
I fell into a strange space!
No joke, it’s really, really weird!
The walls were wriggling like flesh, and a sticky arm reached out to grab me!
If I hadn’t been in a protective suit, I would’ve seriously gotten dragged off somewhere!
“Kyahh!”
Th-this time, a black hand shot out from the ceiling!
“Kyah— Mmph!”
“Shut up already.”
Ari, who I called from the time-realm, sighed and killed a couple of monsters with just that breath.
Sticking closely to Ari made me feel a bit safer.
“You’re suffocating me, get off.”
“No way!”
“This isn’t making it any safer. And you’re really heavy. You’re in a protective suit right now.”
“…”
As I took a step back, Ari spoke again.
“Time in the time-realm, how long has it passed?”
“About 20 minutes.”
“Hmm… I can’t afford to waste any more time.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Ari reached out and touched the squirming wall.
“… Just as I thought.”
“Don’t talk to yourself.”
“It’s pointless to keep moving like this. The space is warped.”
“Huh?”
“Even if we keep following the path, we won’t find an exit. So…”
Ari, who was about to explain in detail, shook her head instead.
“Next story, you’ll hear from the ‘current me.’”
“What?”
For a moment, it seemed like Ari concentrated all her mind into silence before stretching her hands toward the wall!
— Szzzz!
The wall of flesh tore apart in an instant.
As if it was obvious, the entire lump of flesh twitched and tried to reattach itself again.
Something invisible was preventing the torn flesh from reassembling.
In other words, Ari was splitting the wall to make a new path!
“Run!”
“What?”
“Run through that gap!”
We dashed through the squirming flesh from all sides and rushed through the dark, murky space.
At the end was the ‘current Ari.’
*
– ???
The first words of Miro from beyond the wriggling gap were as follows.
“Ah! Th-there’s Ari here too!”
“I’m the real deal. Send that one back over there.”
“How did you do that?”
“Let’s just say I found each other through the resonance of asymmetric polyhedra, opened the entrance there, and held up the exit from this side.”
There’s no way to explain it in more detail.
Just like any inheritance, I’m using my instinct rather than truly understanding the principles.
“Then! Let’s go to Kain using that method.”
“That’s impossible.”
“What?”
“To get there safely, I need to be at both the entrance and exit.”
“Basically, you can only join me and Ari at the same time.”
“I know the way, just follow me.”
“Wait? Summoned Ari said there’s no path—”
“There may not be a path, but there’s a place where a path can be created.”
We progressed while defeating monsters crashing down from all sides.
At the same time, long-tangled thoughts that had been on my mind emerged.
Soon, the purpose of ‘Mother’ would be revealed.
…
Every time the story of the Midnight Labyrinth came up, my companions seemed puzzled.
She, who appeared in the latter part of Room 205, left a note saying:
‘Save the midnight hour. You’ll need at least 30 minutes in Room 207.’
Such writing could only be made if one had information about Room 207.
How did she find out?
Could it be that events sometimes occur whereby information about a room that hasn’t been accessed is revealed, like the ‘Revelation of Secrets’ within the hotel?
I still couldn’t understand.
The Midnight Labyrinth player must also have participated in the ‘Deep Sea Hotel.’
Even if she caused a revelation in the past, how could she have figured out ‘Room 207 of the Deep Sea Hotel’ when it was impossible to know about ‘Future Room 207’?
The answer lay in Room 207.
The essence of Room 207 was the scenario of the reality outside the hotel.
Considering that everyone could exit the hotel after completing the second floor, this is rather significant.
In terms of high school entrance exams, it feels like going to take the college entrance exam after the last mock test!
“Ari? What are you thinking?”
“Nothing. Let’s take a breather for a moment.”
“Okay.”
I understood the context in which ‘Mother’ obtained information about ‘Future Room 207.’
She must have gotten it during a revelation or a similar event.
‘The scenario of Room 207 is always a variation of the reality outside.’
Reality is fixed, so the 207 rooms of different hotels have to have commonalities.
Let’s return to the initial question.
What is the purpose of ‘Mother’?
…
I think I understand.
“Here it is.”
“Huh?”
“Did I not say? There’s a place where a path can be created. We can do it here.”
“What?”
Miro tilted her head.
As always, she’s so cute.
“You said both Ari and I have to be at the entry and exit, right? But Ari isn’t at the exit right now.”
“There was a hint right in front of me. ‘To go safely.’”
If I have the ability to withstand the danger, I only need to be on one side.
Realizing that, Miro’s eyes widened.
When it’s like this, she’s quite smart.
She might be young and impulsive due to her lack of experience, though.
“So what then?”
“Use the midnight hour. Under those conditions, you should be able to get through.”
“Got it…!”
— Clank!
The hands of the pocket watch point to midnight.
Once again, ‘Mother’ appeared.
“…”
“…”
The second reunion of mother and child, like before, felt somewhat awkward.
Soon, a voice tinged with mixed feelings rang out.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“If it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have made it this far… You really are my most perfect creation.”
This must be the highest praise she can offer.
“Miro. You told me before when we met.”
A story Miro told me back during that midsummer night dream.
“You said we need to rebuild the Administration Bureau. That we need immense power for that.”
“Right.”
“Is it because the leadership isn’t human?”
“…”
For a brief moment, a very complex expression flickered across Miro’s face.
“That’s an important reason, but it’s not everything.”
“… You’re not planning to tell me everything, are you?”
“Secrets are—”
“Things only qualified individuals should know. Do you think you’re the only qualified one?”
“… Time is short. As you know, I really have little time left.”
“I will open the path for you.”
Once again, focusing her energy, she drew out the power of the asymmetric polyhedron.
— Szzzz!
The wall of flesh tore apart.
The radiant light of the universe shone through the gap.
For Mother, the purpose isn’t the hotel but outside, in reality.
For her, Room 207 is merely a means to an end.
In other words, a place to acquire ‘great power.’
When she told me to save 30 minutes for Room 207, it was not a promise to help solve Room 207.
It was merely her stepping stone to gain something.
“Go now. There’s something you desire.”
Immediately, Miro suddenly turned around.
“I love you.”
“…”
“Sorry. I couldn’t think of a cooler farewell.”
“Me too…”
“…”
“I love you. It gets hard maintaining the passage, so hurry and go.”
Soon, the hazy silhouette disappeared in the distance, leaving me all alone among the wriggling flesh.
In Room 207, everyone reaches their ‘own conclusion.’
Those satisfied with the conclusion have no need to move forward.
Kain and Mother are doing their best to obtain a conclusion that they can be satisfied with.
Then what about me?
…
I too have a wish.
I have a desired conclusion—a happy ending.
I still have things left to do for that.
Just as Seungyub turned into Fortuna and gained that strange power dabbling with luck…
I too possess a power born from the ‘secret’ that has twisted.
「User: Kim?Ri (Secret?)」
「The ‘Compass’ is now activated.」
*
「User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 2,008,924
Current Location: Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial ‘Fallen King’」
– Han Kain
The Virgin’s love for humanity was an instinct injected by Yaldabaoth.
The Virgin accepted that instinct and has lived as humanity’s guardian for thousands of years.
Currently, that instinct whispers to Aedia.
‘Those’ aren’t human.
You turned 90% of humanity into monsters and delivered the remaining 10% into hell.
If you embrace that instinct, your plan to save humanity would be a tragic failure.
If you deny that instinct, you deny your entire long life as a guardian of humanity.
It’s a flawless logic.
Aedia didn’t refute it either.
In fact, before I pointed it out, she must have realized it herself.
Then came a plea filled with despair.
“So… what am I supposed to do?”
“…”
“I can’t turn back! It’s already… already over…”
“It might not be! After all, you believed there was some miracle left for us from the start, didn’t you?”
So that’s why you left us as insurance.
“If I can turn back time, what will you do then?”
Curiously, Aedia wasn’t surprised.
“Turn back time to invalidate ‘salvation’…”
“Exactly.”
“… To what point do you intend to turn back?”
The one more chance regression point is right after Grandpa awoke.
“About ten days ago? Since that’s before salvation occurred, I’ll have leeway –”
“Ha!”
A tone of lamentation.
The next words were a bit sharper; excessive despair seemed to have clouded her clear mind.
“Meaningless! Just that doesn’t mean anything! Because all preparations for salvation were completed at that point!”
“…”
“Did you think this ‘salvation’ was a mere magic I could perform alone? It’s an absurd undertaking that puts the whole Earth into the realm of distortion caused by the mirror!”
“…”
“You cannot—”
“Enough. I got the gist of it.”
I comprehended the situation without needing any more of her lengthy explanations.
To put it simply, it’s already too late at the regression point.
‘The light that calls forth doom’ or preparations for ‘salvation’ were all finished at that ten-day mark, whether it was human or material preparation.
Thus, while it may work a century later, it would be difficult to stop it by reverting only ten days.
“Even if I persuade you, can I stop it?”
“…”
Seeing the complex expression on her face, I intuitively understood.
Just attacking the papacy wouldn’t suffice, but perhaps I could convince Aedia from ten days ago.
But how do I persuade her?
Aedia was the one who initiated the plan even after I warned that it would fail.
Did she return after witnessing the failure of the future?
“Let’s try again, and if we fail again, just reverse time once more.”
“Maybe if we try one more time, it will yield a better result.”
That’s the kind of thing I imagine she’d say.
For the Virgin, ‘salvation’ is a conclusion reached after hundreds or thousands of years of contemplation.
It’s not easy to shake that determination.
Also, I felt it in that brief clash: possession wouldn’t work against Aedia either.
…
I’m cornered.
Is Fortuna’s warning not to depend on one more chance referring to this?
Whether I return or not, does it hold no meaning?
Is the situation already over at the regression point?
“…”
I felt suffocated.
1. Hold off the ‘light that calls forth doom’ using the hourglass once.
2. After confirming the situation, regress using the one more chance.
3. Return to the past and stop it for resolution!
This was the solution I had planned even before entering Room 207, but realizing that it has been blocked left me clueless.
Was I frustrated?
Before I knew it, I raised my head.
As it’s a vast hall with an open ceiling, when I tilted my head up, I could see the outer space outside.
Outside, there was a mirror.
“… You were right. That mirror is indeed the source and answer to all problems.”
“What are you talking about?”
The Virgin’s eyes were filled with confusion.
“I was supposed to resolve it by turning back time. But that would only repeat the same scenario. We have to solve it right here, right now.”
“What do you mean—”
I chose.
The boss of Room 207 is not ‘Aedia.’
Therefore, there’s no longer any worth in continuing the conversation.
— Boom!
As I stepped out into the holes lining the ceiling, the wondrous figure of the mirror came to light again.
The cursed vision that had shackled me for so long flashed through my mind again.
A future shattered to pieces, scattered across the stars!
I was afraid.
Fearful enough that I insightfully explored each angle, but this future could not be bent, no matter what I did.
I thought the unchanging element was to blame.
I believed that something anchoring Room 207 was the cause.
The mirror fallen from space?
An alien god untouched by a thousand repetitions of history?
Ah.
I overlooked one thing.
Even if the sky fell and the earth cracked, there was one unchanging element.
That is ‘me.’
…
I gaze into the mirror.
I stare into the mirror.
At the moment my human reflection appears on that massive mirror…
Light dwelled at my fingertips.
“Ah! H-Horus! If I break the mirror now—”
I know.
I know what will happen.
So I did it.
— Shatter!
The blue heat ray collided with the mirror, and in that instant, the mirror shattered into hundreds, thousands, millions—countless fragments.
I see ‘me’ reflected in each of those shards.
I’m falling, my fragments, my pieces descend toward Earth.
A utopia where everyone cherishes and loves their kin.
The Eden crafted by the Virgin.
On that day, 342,800 humans consumed the ‘fruit of knowledge’ that fell from the sky.
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