mygo, but Cthulhu

"The answer is... you are not simply a copy of the original. You are also a copy like us, and you are the most perfect one, Zero."

Chapter 176 Brain in a Vat

"...I was copied too? What are you talking about?"

Kurata Mashiro was stunned for a moment before he slowly spoke, while No. 1 smiled with a complicated meaning.

"It's hard to accept, isn't it? I don't want you to have to endure this, but you always need to know the truth... You are not the real Kurata Mashiro, you are the first copy, the final result after countless improvements made by your mother."

"You dreamt of No. 87's suffering before, right? That's because the fragments of her soul gathered in you after her death. The reason you hear so many voices and feel so much pain is because you saw what all the sisters have experienced. You have always been connected to us, but it was only recently that you finally recovered."

"From you to number 999, the closer the number is to zero, the smaller the gap between you and the real Mashiro. The gap between us is only a little bit... relying on this, I successfully escaped from here. I made this plan."

She gently hugged Mashiro, who was still dizzy from what she said and subconsciously shook his head.

"No... How could I be a clone? I have all my memories from childhood to adulthood. I am myself. I am Kurata Mashiro!"

"Really? Well, do you remember the name of that butterfly you tried so hard to catch when you were a kid, but it ended up dying?"

"Of course I know. It's called..."

Before she was about to say the name, Mashiro couldn't help but freeze. Thousands of identical fragmented memories flashed through her mind. Without exception, they were all the whole process of her trying to catch the butterfly. Although fragmented, they were still vivid, making her tremble.

The obvious difference was that the thousands of names she gave to the butterfly were all different. Some were cute, some were weird, and some were unique... Countless names collided with each other in her mind, making her cover her head tightly and her pupils shrink to the limit.

"No, this is impossible... What's going on?! Where did these memories come from?! Are they from other dead clones? But they have been here since the beginning and have never been outside. How could there be..."

"They did experience it, but not in the real world."

Number 1 shook her head slightly, took Mashiro's hand and walked forward. The world around them seemed to have come to a standstill, only they and the Migos were still moving normally. As she approached them, she heard an indescribable sound in her ears.

"Fellow countryman, have you succeeded?"

"It's almost done. Now open the material library and let's go in and take a look."

No. 1 spoke softly, and several Migos nodded without hesitation. They took out strange instruments and opened a dark tunnel in front of them. Mashiro subconsciously felt a shrinking feeling, but No. 1 continued to pull her into it.

The sudden sense of confusion made Mashiro close her eyes, and after a moment, she heard her own soft voice,

"Okay, open your eyes, Zero."

Mashiro slowly opened her eyes as she was told, but then she couldn't help but become stunned by the scene before her.

In front of her was a horrifying and indescribable laboratory. At first glance, she could tell that those strange instruments were not for human use, but what made her even more confused was the human brains that filled the laboratory... Most of them were rotten and smelly, thrown on the ground, and some were soaked in green jars, but they were obviously not taken seriously.

"What's this?"

"This is us, Zero. This is where you and I grew up and were born. This is the origin of all the true whites."

Number 1 sighed softly, and for the first time, his voice became heavy. The strange and incomprehensible words made Mashiro feel creepy.

"What are you talking about? How can this kind of place be so dangerous?

Could it be our origin?"

"You don't believe it, no wonder... Then let me prove it."

No. 1 shook her head and thought for a moment. She walked up to a brain, picked up the jar and put it into the instrument next to it. A flashing screen soon appeared in the air, and the picture presented made Mashiro stand still.

"Don't run, don't run! I won't hurt you!"

...In the picture is a little girl with white hair. She is chasing the flying butterflies excitedly and anxiously, but she falls down because she is too eager. Her knee is scraped, but she still bravely holds back her tears and continues to chase the butterflies.

In the end, she succeeded, but when she was about to happily name the butterfly, her face suddenly turned into a mess and collapsed. Amidst the chaotic noise, the butterfly shattered and covered the screen until the picture went dim.

"..."

Mashiro stared blankly at the screen, unable to come back to her senses for a long while. She had actually realized something, but because the guess was too terrifying, she could only desperately suppress the thought in her mind, trembling and constantly comforting herself in her heart.

No, this is impossible. It absolutely cannot be like this. She can't be Zero. She is Kurata Mashiro. She has been... since she was born...

"Zero, now you understand a little bit, right?"

Number 1 looked at her with pity, and spoke softly as if he had guessed her thoughts completely. The words he spoke were like a sharp knife, tearing apart Mashiro's struggling consciousness bit by bit.

"All the Mashiro were originally cloned brains. They all had their memories replicated in this laboratory, but the level of realism that their mother pursued was too high. Almost no Mashiro could withstand it. So, the failed ones had their memories wiped out and were thrown into that dimension by butterfly chrysalis. They were forced to kill each other, and their pain was the test of the new brains. The souls of the dead Mashiro would be forcibly injected into the new brains, and then the experiment would begin again."

"After countless repetitions, the mother finally obtained a perfect experimental subject. She could fully accept all of the original body's memories and was also compatible with all of Mashiro's soul fragments. She was almost indistinguishable from the real Mashiro. So a few days ago, the mother replaced her with the original body. The experimental subject also did not find any abnormalities and truly believed that she was Mashiro. She continued her peaceful daily life with her friends."

“…Stop talking…Please…”

Mashiro's body was shaking. She covered her face tightly, feeling the tears pouring out and soaking her palms. Everything now was so real, but it made her collapse even more.

The horrible memories that kept emerging in her mind had made her understand who No. 1 was talking about, but she didn't want to admit it. She was afraid of it all. There was only a broken and bottomless void in front of her, and her own voice was still pushing her there.

"...Zero, you, like the rest of us, were born in this laboratory. Almost all of your memories are merely concocted dreams, reflections copied from your original self."

"Your real age is not seventeen, but 76 hours, 35 minutes, and 14 seconds. You are a brain in a vat just like the rest of us, but you are so perfect, so perfect that you've even forgotten this."

...However, all her attempts to escape were in vain. She was eventually pushed into the bottomless abyss, and all the foundations and meanings of her existence were stripped away and shattered.

...How great would it be if she didn't know this until she died?

Chapter 177: Mashiro Only Wants to Escape

"It's okay, Zero, don't be sad,"

Number 1 gently hugged her, slowly lifting up Mashiro's body, which had already been unable to support itself, and raised the corners of his mouth with a complex expression.

"I know you must not understand the meaning of your existence. Your heart must be filled with pain and confusion... However, we can reverse all of this. We can take revenge on the mother who inflicted so much pain on us."

"……what should I do?"

Mashiro asked unconsciously, while No. 1 stared at her quietly and continued to narrate softly.

"You probably still don't understand why the Mi-gos call you a compatriot, right? That's because from the very beginning, my mother used Mi-go genes to create me. She's essentially a humanoid Mi-go who's never realized the truth... and my mother is delusional about using this to reunite the souls of her friends with my body, bringing them back to life."

"However, without the help of a great being, a single Migo naturally couldn't travel such a long time to awaken her long-broken soul. Therefore, she has been trying to create more perfect copies so that we can recover her miracle crimson."

At this point, No. 1 suddenly laughed, picked up the tridecahedron on the ground and put it into Mashiro's hand.

"But what she didn't expect was that I had escaped. The creeping chaos was happy to see changes and fun. It granted me freedom, and I am willing to use everything I have to help you, because you are crucial to whether my mother's delusion can succeed."

"Revenge, Zero! Except for me, all the sisters are now dependent on you. You are the gathering of thousands of Migos. You are everything we have, and you are the only hope for Mother's tragic plan... As long as you block out the light here and release the Night Demon to destroy this place into a mess, then Mother's ritual site will be completely shattered."

"Revenge is sacred. For you now, it should also be sweet and intoxicating. After all, this is all that matters to you, isn't it?"

"..."

Mashiro stared blankly at the anticipation and enthusiasm on her face, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She lowered her head to look at the crystal in her hand, and the obscure knowledge that gradually flooded into her mind made her understand that if the incarnation of Naya came out, it would inevitably cause tragic chaos.

...Maybe No. 1 is right, she should really do this. After all, all the meaning of her life has been taken away, and there is nothing she can do except this.

“…I can’t do that.”

However, a moment later, Mashiro suddenly heard her own trembling voice. She was stunned by her own response, and then suddenly felt the fear and depression that suddenly erupted from the bottom of her heart, and her vision became blurred.

"……Why?"

Number 1 obviously didn't expect her to say that. His eager smile froze, and after a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, unable to understand.

"Because... I just can't do it. I can't do this. I... I'm just a copy, right?"

Mashiro trembled and managed to squeeze out a voice. After losing everything she had so far, she was indeed swallowed by despair. However, what was stronger than the pain and anger was fear, still the fear she was familiar with.

…Her family treats her as a test subject, her friends don’t belong to her, her courage can only be described as laughable, and she can only do what she does best: escape.

"I'm sorry, No. 1, but I really can't do it... You can do it for me. Please do it."

She timidly tried to return the trapezoid, but when she looked up and saw the distorted expression on No. 1's face, she was startled and the crystal fell from her hand. No. 1 grabbed her shoulders with great force in anger and stared into her eyes in disbelief.

"What did you say?! You can't do it?! What do you mean you can't do it?! After going through so much, don't you have any thoughts of revenge? Don't you have even a

A little angry?"

"...even if I had it, it would be of no use, because I am nothing at all,"

"Nothing?! What the hell are you talking about?! You're the perfect replica, the one who finally emerged after so much pain and sacrifice! How can you hold yourself in such contempt?!"

No. 1's tone was close to madness, and Mashiro could feel nothing but fear. She subconsciously lowered her head, but was soon grabbed by her hair and forced to lift her head up so that they could look at each other. In the two identical eyes were completely opposite panic and anger.

"You... are still afraid?! What are you afraid of?! Death? You've felt it countless times in your memory! Pain? That's nothing to us! What are you afraid of?!"

"I'm just scared, that's all! And...can't you just do this?!"

Feeling suffocated by her angry questioning, Mashiro finally couldn't help but forcefully pushed her hand away, growling through gritted teeth.

"Since I'm nothing, why should I bear all this?! Revenge, pain, none of it has anything to do with me! I just want to escape from all this! Don't I even have that right?!"

"..."

Number 1 stared at her blankly, as if she understood what she was for the first time. After a while, she suddenly smiled bitterly with a hint of self-mockery.

"I understand... Now I know why I am only number 1 and you are the most perfect one, because I don't have your cowardice."

"Kurata Mashiro was born a coward. All her courage comes from her aspirations and friends. Without them, you are completely exposed... It's ridiculous that I actually rely on a guy like you for revenge."

Then her expression became bitter and tired. She held Mashiro's hand in pain, her voice filled with desperate pleading.

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"...Zero, I can't do this, otherwise I would have taken revenge myself long ago. Now only you can destroy this ritual site. Only you have gathered almost all the sisters together. You have this power. This is a qualification that I envy but cannot reach."

"Please, just treat it as revenge for me, for yourself, as if you are still chasing that butterfly, okay?"

"...that butterfly was false, and I have nothing to chase after now."

After a moment's silence, Mashiro shook her head gently. She broke free from No. 1's hand in the desperate gaze of No. 1, gritted her teeth, turned around and ran forward, immersing herself in escape.

No thinking, no judging, no hatred. Just let it be. After losing so many things, this was the only thing she had. Now she just wanted to escape, escape from this terrible reality.

"Kurata Mashiro! You can't fool yourself! You're just missing opportunities! Mother will catch you soon!"

A desperate roar came from behind her, but Mashiro was no longer able to care about it. She just tried her best to escape from it all, and gradually saw countless versions of herself appearing in front of her.

They did not hate her decision. They just smiled and opened their arms to her, holding her in their arms. Mashiro greedily craved this warmth, not caring whether what she felt was a human body or an abnormal limb. No matter what it was, she was happy to accept it.

Just think of them as making decisions for her, because she shouldn't have such qualifications.

"Tear,"

Just as Mashiro closed her eyes, her body suddenly dissipated. Within the stagnant space, all the Migos' bodies instantly twisted. They exchanged a bewildered glance before pure white human arms tore free from their heads. The Mashiros, laughing, slowly crawled out of their trembling bodies. More Mashiros, repeating, emerged from their bodies, rapidly multiplying and forming a massive, complex, humanoid aggregate.

Number 1 looked at everything in front of her in despair, feeling the pain almost tearing her apart. She knew that the moment Number Zero chose to escape, she had completely failed. A simple mindless monster could not destroy her mother's plan, and at best could only cause her trouble... All this she had endured for so long was ultimately just a delusion.

"Why……"

No. 1 knelt on the ground powerlessly. After countless Mashiro began to run wild, time began to pass slowly again. However, she no longer cared about anything. Looking at her body that was gradually becoming transparent and about to break, she could only close her eyes.

"She's pathetic, isn't she?"

A female voice suddenly rang out, causing No. 1 to look angrily at the guy who disturbed her last peace. However, after seeing the woman in front of her clearly, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"It's you?"

"Huh? You know me?"

Miyashiro Orie had never expected her to react like this and asked in a low voice in surprise, while No. 1 excitedly quickly got up and quickly picked up the tridecahedron and stuffed it into her hands.

"Yes, I know you... When the incarnation of the Thousand-Faced God pulled me out of here, he showed me your face. He also said that when I was facing such a desperate situation, you could be the turning point for change."

"Well...but I'm just an ordinary person. I'm afraid I can't meet your expectations."

Zhijiang shrugged, and just when she was wondering if the clone in front of her was another poor guy deceived by Naya, the square trioctahedron in her hand suddenly dimmed, as if all the surrounding light was sucked into it.

"This sign, damn."

Miyashiro Orie's mouth twitched as she threw the tridecahedron as fast as she could, but it suddenly hovered in mid-air, its already pitch-black surface completely transformed into a hollow void impervious to light.

"Boom,"

When Shoko Toyokawa came to her senses, she suddenly saw a terrifying monster made up of stacked limbs of Mashiro appearing not far away. A distorted voice came into her mind. Two strong interference sources abruptly interrupted her original attempt, causing her to feel unimaginable pain in her lower abdomen. She knelt down on the ground trembling and almost fainted.

"How is this going?"

No one could answer her question at this moment. In her vision, which was dizzy due to pain, she only saw the black crystal spreading out a thick darkness, and the heavy sound coming from inside was getting closer and closer, as if a monster was about to crawl out.

Everyone couldn't help but stop fighting temporarily. Yusaki frowned as if she realized something and quickly raised her hand to release a blocking spell, but the barrier had just formed when it was shattered by the huge limb that suddenly stretched out. The backlash made her spit out a mouthful of blood. Mitakeran subconsciously supported her, while Yusaki gritted her teeth and managed to squeeze out a sound.