107: Chapter 107 [The Time for Farewell Has Arrived; With This, I Abandon the World (Ars Nova)]
"Boom!"
At this moment, Chu He felt as if a nuclear bomb had detonated inside his mind!
He stood up abruptly, his glasses nearly sliding off the bridge of his nose. His eyes were fixed intently on that magnificent yet lonely figure, as waves of goosebumps washed over his body!
"Impossible... this is impossible!! How can this be?!"
The "clownish shame" and unease he had felt earlier were now transformed into utter shock and trembling.
He had suspected Roman was a traitor, an avatar of Goetia, or some evil spirit lurking within Chaldea.
The only thing he never imagined was that he would be the original himself!
However, the moment he saw the True Name [Solomon]...
The scattered and seemingly meaningless plot foreshadowing in Chu He's mind instantly connected like a single thread, forming a tragic and heroic picture that left him so shocked he could barely breathe!
Why did King Solomon lose his past memories after wishing to become human in the Holy Grail War?
Because he became "Romani Archaman."
Why did he lose the [Clairvoyance] that could see through the past and future the moment he became human?
Because as an ordinary person, he could no longer possess that omniscient and omnipotent perspective.
But...
Chu He recalled the description of Dr. Roman in the plot:
[The moment he became human, he lost his Clairvoyance. But in the final second before it vanished, he saw... the end where humanity was completely incinerated.]
"So..." Chu He's voice was trembling, and tears could no longer be controlled as they poured out. "So this fool... this King, who finally obtained freedom and could have enjoyed an ordinary life, never enjoyed a single day of true human life after seeing the future where humanity is destroyed!"
"He disguised himself as a cowardly and weak doctor, soaking in Chaldea's Control Room day and night; his eyes were always dark, and he always had a cup of refreshing coffee in his hand. He was mocked by everyone as a useless loser, yet he silently bore all the pressure of saving humanity alone for ten whole years without a single night of peaceful sleep!"
This was the deepest and most fatal emotional blow!
He was never some mastermind; he was the true savior who sacrificed everything for humanity!
...
"What?" Goetia took half a step back in disbelief.
Roman... no, Solomon sighed softly and spread his arms. Like a patient mentor, he looked upon his misguided creation with compassion:
"Goetia. Let me teach you the final magecraft."
"I shall tell you, who knew that 'King Solomon has one more Noble Phantasm' but failed to know its True Name—"
"No, to you, who could not possibly know its True Name."
"The nine rings you possess. And the final ring that I possess."
"Now, all the rings are gathered here. Thus, 'that moment' can be reproduced."
"King Solomon's true First Noble Phantasm. It is also the reproduction of the only legend where I feel like a 'human' hero."
Hearing these words, a deep, unprecedented fear surged from within Goetia's massive spirit origin.
He shook his head frantically, his originally majestic voice becoming incredibly frantic and even shrill:
"Could it be... no, you can't do it. How could a coward make such a choice!"
"Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it...! This ring, The Throne of Omnipotence, does not belong only to you!"
However, Solomon did not stop.
He closed his eyes and crossed his hands over his chest. His low, sacred chant drowned out Goetia's roars, echoing throughout the collapsing universe:
"Third Noble Phantasm [The Time of Birth Has Come, He is the One Who Remedies All (Ars Almadel Salomonis)]."
"Second Noble Phantasm [The Time of Coronation Has Come, He is the One Who Begins All (Ars Paulina)]."
"And—God, I shall return the heavenly blessing You bestowed upon me."
"...Omnipotence is too distant for humans. My work only needs to be limited to the human scope."
"First Noble Phantasm, reenact."
As he snapped open those kingly pupils that saw through all things in the world, an endless light erupted from within his body.
"[The Time of Parting Has Come, He is the One Who Lets Go of the World (Ars Nova)]!!!"
BOOM—!!!
The rings of light on his ten fingers soared into the sky, their dazzling radiance even stinging the players' eyes.
"Ooh... ooh, oooooooooh...!"
Goetia covered his eyes within the light, letting out a wail that bordered on a breakdown: "Why make such a choice! Why commit such an act! Why, why must you make such a decision!"
"You, who are like the condensation of all the lassitude and compromise in this world! Oh, oooooooooooooooh...!!!!"
The light gradually became soft.
The figure of the man in the kingly robes began to become illusory and transparent.
Listening to Goetia's roars, a bitter yet relieved smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Ah, it's truly mysterious," Romani Archaman sighed softly. "Having the same viewpoint, sitting on the same Throne, and experiencing the same time."
"Yet Solomon reached a conclusion diametrically opposite to yours. If there is a difference between the two, yes."
"It is purely because I [did not have the freedom to be angry]. This is perhaps the fundamental reason why you and I are different."
"What?" Goetia was stunned.
"What did you do!?"
"Yes. Just now, I discarded everything I possessed," Roman's voice remained just as gentle. "If this domain is King Solomon's remains, then it has now collapsed. Solomon once returned the rings of omnipotence to the heavens. This is the reproduction of that legend in the form of a Noble Phantasm."
Standing in the corner, the small beast Fou let out a mournful cry: "...Fou."
The players' vision blurred as they watched Roman's dissipating fingertips. A-Dai, with a sob in her voice, choked out the question everyone had in the livestream: "But... your body..."
"Because what I discarded was everything I possessed," Roman shrugged helplessly. "This body and life will, of course, also disappear. It's what you'd call a self-destruct attack."
However, Goetia looked at Roman's fading body as if he had seen a ghost, letting out a hysterical roar: "How could this be such a simple thing...! Just now, you discarded the very fact of your existence as a Heroic Spirit!"
"This is not the discarding of life—it is the discarding of your entire existence!"
"Everything Solomon created will lose its value. This Temple of Time will lose its [Infinite Time]. We, 72 Demon Gods, will also return to our original states—not as a collective, but decomposed into individuals...!"
"King Solomon's appearance, King Solomon's deeds, will never appear on this earth again!"
"You should know this very well! You will even be erased from the Throne of Heroes!"
"My Band of Light pales in comparison to this! You have now reached [Nothingness]!"
"An end that no human can reach—you have personally caused your own existence to be completely extinguished!"