mygo, but Cthulhu

The man spread his hands, and Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but clench her fists, but she also understood that anger was meaningless, so she took a deep breath and spoke softly,

"What do you want to do? I must remind you that you are only an incarnation. If I use the full power of the Heir of Yug, you will not be able to gain the upper hand."

"Don't be so defensive. I'm actually here to help you, Toyokawa Shoko."

The man smiled, then raised his hand and called out the thousands of endings she had tried. As the different scenes flickered and changed, he seemed to sigh and gently shook his head.

"How pitiful! So much pain and sorrow... You've tried so hard but still can't find a perfect ending. Do you want to break through all this? I can help you."

"No, I'd rather daydream than rely on your help. At least it's safer that way."

Xiangzi, knowing his bad temper, sneered and turned to leave without hesitation, but the next moment a voice behind her made her stop abruptly.

"Really? Your friends are in danger now, don't you want to save them?"

"...If you dare to hurt them, no matter who you are, I will never let you go."

After a moment of silence, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly turned around and stared at him, but the man just smiled.

"I didn't do anything to them. Rather, they were trapped in the cracks of time because of your decision. I was just kindly reminding you."

"Of course, you can choose to do nothing... but then I don't know what will happen to them. Being eaten by the hounds of Tindalos is probably the best outcome."

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko closed her eyes, trying to suppress her anger and keep herself calm. After a moment of silence, she looked up at him indifferently.

"Tell me, what do you want? Jug-son?"

"How could that be? I'm not interested in that newborn."

To her surprise, the man just smiled and shook his head in denial, and Xiangzi couldn't help but frown.

"So what do you want? Stop being so mysterious, okay?"

"My help comes at no cost. I just want to ask you a question... Do you still think that erasing yourself will make your friend happy?"

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko didn't say yes, but the man had already got the answer and laughed happily.

"See, you know the truth now. You've been one of them from the very beginning. And when you try to use your power to reverse the past, you've already fallen into a misunderstanding. Because you are also shaped by everything in the past, the present you can't perfectly change the past."

"Of course, I know you seemed to have no choice at the time... So, do you want to make a bet with me?"

"What bet?"

"Let's bet on whether your friends can find you. If you win, I won't do anything to you this time. But if you lose... then I'll take your favorite little penguin away. How about that?"

"boom!"

The force that Toyokawa Shoko exerted with all her might suddenly pressed down on the man, but he smiled and shrugged casually without being affected at all.

"Don't be anxious. This is just the result of losing. You don't necessarily have to lose."

"I would never bet against my friends."

Toyokawa Shoko responded coldly, and the man suddenly showed an expression of realization, and after thinking about it, he laughed.

"As you would say, well, let's not rush into the bet. Let's sit down and see where your friends are now... How's that? Doesn't that show sincerity?"

"...I repeat again, if you hurt them, I will never let you go."

Chapter 213: Transaction with the Ancients

Shiina Riki felt her mind was in a mess. She felt that incomprehensible information was constantly pouring out of her mind, and countless world lines appeared in front of her, but none of them could be called perfect.

Either Toyokawa Shoko's parents were unable to enjoy a stable life, or the childhood Sushi was polluted by Seigya and turned into a monster, or the lamp was also swallowed by despair... She had just seen a tragic ending, and her vision was immediately swallowed by chaos, as if someone was eagerly searching for perfection.

"An entity outside of time has been detected... and is initiating capture."

Just when Lixi was about to give up, she suddenly heard a strange voice. She was sure that it was not human language, but for some reason she could understand its meaning. The next moment, she felt herself being pulled out of the time turbulence by some force and fell heavily to the ground.

"damn it……"

Li Xi tried to endure the pain, gritting her teeth and cursing. At the same time, she felt something reaching out in front of her. She subconsciously grabbed the other person's limbs and climbed up from the ground. After her vision gradually stabilized and she saw the other person's face clearly, the thank you she wanted to say was suddenly stuck.

"Thanks?"

What appeared before her was not a human, but a huge strange creature. Its head was somewhat similar to that of Migo. Even when its wings were folded, they were still thick and heavy. Its lower limbs were rooted in the ground like tree roots, swaying slightly with its breathing.

"……Hello?"

Despite being filled with shock, Shiina Riki quickly reacted. She retreated cautiously and spoke tentatively. The huge creature's head rumbled for a while, and then a strange voice entered her mind.

"Hello, human. I have read your memories and know that you are an intelligent creature from tens of thousands of years in the future. I also know why you came here... If possible, I would like to make a deal with you."

"Reading memories? You can actually do something like this... Okay, I understand the situation, but before we propose a deal, could you please introduce yourself? You know everything about me, but I know nothing about you. This unequal situation isn't suitable for a trade."

"To show your sincerity, yes... However, using other languages ​​to refer to ourselves is too confusing. To put it simply, you can call us the Ancients."

"Ancients? Aine told me about you. You were a race that ruled Earth for quite a long time, but later on you were nearly wiped out due to degeneration and the Shoggoth rebellion... What kind of deal do you want to negotiate with me?"

Li Xi frowned in surprise, and after thinking for a moment, she asked softly. The ancient one also raised his limbs and gestured behind her.

"Look behind you first."

Li Xi didn't think it needed to use deception to harm her, so she simply turned back, but then her pupils contracted.

Except for Xiangzi, everyone else who was caught in the silver light was floating quietly in the air. They all closed their eyes and fell into a deep sleep, and their bodies were blurry. Lixi subconsciously approached them and raised her hand to wake up the light, but it went straight through her body. After a moment of stunned silence, she frowned and looked at the ancient man.

"What did you do to them? Where is Xiangzi now?"

"I didn't do anything to them. What you saw were just their reflections in the turbulent flow of time. As for the fact that Toyokawa Shoko has a descendant of Yuge, I don't know where she is."

The ancient one answered calmly in her mind, his voice neither hurried nor slow, without much emotion.

"From your memories, I already know the end of our race. There is not much time left before the second rebellion. I and most of my kind will be killed, but I hope to pass on our civilization."

"If you're willing to help, I can carve a mark on your soul. This way, our civilization capsule will persist in searching for you. It will awaken at the right time and search for a suitable host... If it can't find one, it will come to you."

"That can't be without harm to me, right? And why should I agree to it?"

"There's no danger. While the aftereffects are uncertain, at least they won't harm lives... And I also believe you'll agree, since your friends are still trapped in the time turbulence. They're unharmed thanks to Toyokawa Shoko's wishes, but Chaos has already found them... If you don't act, they won't be able to return to their own time."

"Tsk, although I can't confirm whether what you said is true or not, it's probably true that Xiangzi is in trouble... Otherwise, I wouldn't be dragged out by you."

Shiina Riki frowned and thought for a moment before he couldn't help but sigh and nodded helplessly.

"Alright, since that capsule isn't life-threatening, it's not impossible to agree to your request... What should I do?"

"Just wait a moment."

As the ancient responded softly, Lixi's senses were instantly engulfed by severe pain. She fell to her knees trembling, her five senses torn and shattered by incomprehensible information. The bizarre scenes around her flashed by, and the creature in front of her kept switching between her and an expressionless man.

"The mark is adapting to your backward sensory system. It may be a little painful, so be patient."

The ancient man's voice seemed unclear in such terrible torture. Li Xi covered his head tightly, feeling as if his brain was about to explode, and complained wildly in his heart about this so-called "pain".

Only after the pain finally disappeared did Li Xi slowly recover. She felt that her whole body was soaked in cold sweat, and every part of her body was unfamiliar as if it did not belong to her. She gasped for a long time before she squeezed out a sound.

"Are you alright now?"

"It's healed. Your ability to carry this load is truly exceptional. If it were any of your other friends, they would either experience a sensory breakdown or their own special powers would conflict with the mark, ultimately leading to failure."

The ancient one stretched out his limbs to pull her up, and Lixi had recovered a little at this time. She leaned against the biomass wall, feeling her heart still beating wildly in her chest, closed her eyes and tried to stabilize her dizzy consciousness.

"So how do I bring them back now..."

"drop!"

Before she could finish, a harsh warning sounded suddenly. The ancient man paused, and for the first time, his voice was filled with obvious tension.

"The Shoggoths have already started a rebellion, and time is running out... Now listen carefully, if you want to take them back, you need to eliminate the interference. According to your memory, the source of the interference should be Ichigaya Yusaki, she has also come to this era, and she is not...

I don’t know how she did it, but she collaborated with those intelligent Shoggoths.”

"She wants to modify a part of time, and you are also a distraction to her. You can only achieve your goal by killing each other."

"Huh? Are you serious? You've seen my memories. Ichigaya Yusaki knows magic. I don't even have a gun on me right now, and you want me to fight her and the Shoggoth?"

Shiina Riki looked at it in disbelief, and the ancient thought for a moment and handed her a strange-looking gun.

"This is an electromagnetic gun. It's the only weapon you have at your disposal. We'll do our best to hold the Shoggoth back. You'll have to deal with the rest."

"Remember, the Hounds of Tindalos are already chasing you and Ichigaya Yusaki. When they appear, activate the mark. It will temporarily make you disappear from their perception."

"But how should I..."

"boom!"

Before Lixi could finish his words, a big hole was suddenly punched in the wall next to him, and slime covered with eyeballs rushed in quickly. The Ancient One quickly cast a spell to block it, but through the gap, Lixi could see countless Shoggoths rushing here, and the huge number formed a dark wave.

"Come on!"

The ancient one let out a rapid roar, and Lixi immediately came to her senses. She gritted her teeth and turned around to run away. Behind her came the heavy roar caused by the ancient one's weapon, but soon there was the sound of solid flesh being torn and crushed.

Along the way, many ancients ran out of the hibernation chambers in panic. They did not attack Lixi because of the mark on her body, but they found it difficult to organize an effective resistance. Although they tried their best to eliminate some of the Shoggoths, they were swallowed up by the even larger waves. Lixi could only speed up her pace and continuously fire her electromagnetic gun to smash the small Shoggoths blocking her way.

"call out,"

But the next moment, a talisman suddenly flew over, and Li Xi was blown away in an instant before she could dodge. She was covered in wounds and struggled to endure the pain as she got up from the ground. At the same time, she saw Ichigaya Yusaki approaching step by step with an indifferent expression.

"I'm sorry, Shiina Ritsuki, I didn't mean to kill you... but if I want to change the past, I have to end your life. I have to do this to save Satomi and Sana."

"Oh, that's perfect. If I want to bring the others back, I have to kill you too... Let's see who survives!"

Li Xi gritted his teeth and suddenly raised the electromagnetic gun. The sudden burst of energy instantly shattered the shield on Yousaki's body. She was knocked to the ground by the impact force, and Li Xi continued to fire energy without hesitation, trying to kill her in one fell swoop.

But then the wall next to him was suddenly torn open. Li Xi subconsciously turned his head and saw a group of strange and mimicked ancients crawling out of the gap, but the mucus on their bodies exposed their true identities.

"The stronger of the same kind, command, help that, kill this."

They made staggering sounds, glanced at Yousaki and Lixi, and then quickly rushed towards the latter. Lixi quickly fired the electromagnetic gun, but although the intelligence of these Shoggoths was immature, they had already learned preliminary combat skills. They actively used some of their limbs to detonate energy in advance, transformed into various shapes and pounced on Lixi.

Just when Lixi had no way to escape and her eyes became filled with despair, she suddenly saw a ripple appear in the space in front of her. Horrible and indescribable hideous creatures poured out from it. The Shoggoths slammed into them head-on, and with the instant bite of those horrible creatures, the Shoggoths' bodies shattered and collapsed in the blink of an eye, and their deadly attack was abruptly interrupted.

Before the hounds of Tindalos were about to pounce, Shiina Riki activated the mark in her soul without hesitation. After a dizzy feeling, she saw the hounds pause for a moment and then change direction to pounce on Ichigaya Yusaki. The latter's shield was easily torn apart, and a large, hideous gap appeared on his body in an instant.

"Shiina Riki!"

In pain, Yousaki gritted her teeth and looked up at Lixi. She roared unwillingly and used all her strength to release spells, which temporarily scared away the hounds. She rushed up desperately and crashed into Lixi's body when she fired the electromagnetic gun. They fell to the ground together, and the energy deviated from its trajectory and blew up the group of shoggoths next to them. Lixi's concealment also became useless because Yousaki was too close, and the hounds roared and pounced on them.

"You're crazy! We'll both die if this goes on! Even if you kill me, you can't save your friend!"

Li Xi roared angrily and punched Yousaki in the face, but she grabbed Li Xi's neck tightly with a distorted expression. Even though the corner of her mouth was cracked and bleeding, she did not retreat and tried her best to prevent her from getting the electromagnetic gun that fell beside her.

"So what?! If I kill you, your friends will suffer... They should have known our pain long ago! If I can't save Satomi and the others, I'll at least help them get revenge!"

The hounds surrounded them while they were wrestling with each other. Shiina Ritsuki desperately wanted to push Ichigaya Arisaki away, but she held on to Ritsuki's body tightly, allowing her wounds to open up, enduring the pain and refusing to let go.

"Damn it, they're coming around... Ichigaya Yusaki!"

Seeing that she couldn't reach the electromagnetic gun and couldn't push Arisaki away in a short time, Li Xi couldn't help but roar in anger in despair. She struggled to get up from the ground, and pinched Arisaki's throat with the same force, forcing her to rush forward desperately.

In just a moment, the hounds tore countless pieces of flesh from their bodies. Shiina Ritsugi gritted his teeth and endured the pain. His bloodshot, ferocious eyes met Arisaki's equally distorted eyes, and he rushed into the ripples of space with her. At this moment, Ritsugi quickly activated the mark of his soul, and in the energy explosion, they were caught in the turbulence of time. The hounds caught up with them without hesitation, but then a silver light enveloped their bodies, forcibly blocking their pursuit.

Thanks, Xiangzi.

After realizing who was helping him, Li Xi couldn't help but thank him in his heart, and pulled out a dagger from his waist, ready to cut Yusaki's throat.

"It's not that... easy,"

But the next moment, she unexpectedly saw that Yousaki, who was more seriously injured than herself, actually grabbed the dagger in time. She stared at Li Xi with a distorted face, and while slowly squeezing out a voice full of hatred, her eyes were filled with a chaotic and terrifying tone.

"Since your friend helped you, Naya is also happy to raise the stakes for me... We won't decide the winner so quickly, Shiina Ritsuki!"

Chapter 214: Die in Song

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing that Ichigaya Yusaki was given new power by Naya in the picture, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly looked at the man angrily, but he just smiled indifferently.

"Don't get excited. Since you helped your friend, isn't it fair for me to give Ichigaya Yusaki a push? Otherwise, it would be over too quickly."

"Do you think this is some kind of drama for you to watch?!"

Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth and raised her voice, but the man's smile remained unchanged. He waved his hand gently.

"Actually, for me, it's just like what you said. After all, it's you humans who are so interesting. Emotions, thoughts, and consciousness can be entangled to produce so many interesting results. It's hard not to be interested in it."

"You are a guy with bad interests..."

"Well, I don't deny it, but since you know my temper, you should also understand that this rule is actually advantageous to you. As long as they decide the winner, I can let you go back, but if you insist on breaking this game, then I have to

Take a tougher approach, and believe me, I don’t want that to happen either, because it’s boring.”

The man looked at her with a smile, and Toyokawa Shoko clenched her fists because of the anger in her heart. She glanced at Riki and Arisaki who were still fighting desperately in the picture, and tried hard to suppress her anxiety and stay rational.