The White Mist couldn't create the world they both envisioned. He had also proposed that the girl devour him instead.
The girl couldn't... [Modification] was the White Mist's authority. She could only be merged and devoured; she couldn't become the leader of this plan.
Just as the plan seemed doomed and the girl fell silent, she encountered a concept within the memories collected by the White Mist.
Divine Keys.
Artifacts crafted from Herrscher cores, capable of almost fully manifesting the Herrscher's peak authority. And emotionless, purely tools...
The girl found her direction. But by then, Shu had already spent a night with his group in Depascal.
She understood Shu was the only one capable of crafting Divine Keys. So, without consulting the White Mist, she appeared directly before Shu, intending to get him to leave. Shu's abilities were beyond their grasp; they could only ensure Shu retained his own memories before discussing the matter.
But the White Mist panicked, terrified by the power Shu displayed. Unaware of the girl's new plan, the White Mist attacked Shu, tearing a huge chunk of memory from him. And the White Mist didn't even interfere with those memories in any way.
The girl couldn't stop it in time, nor did she have the power to.
In that moment, the girl nearly broke down. She couldn't accept the collapse of two consecutive plans. She couldn't think of a third...
Perhaps cooperate with those from the future city? But they were also part of the 'to be remembered' loop...
Fortunately, Shu could turn back time.
She didn't know what efforts Shu made, but he successfully returned. Upon discovering this, the girl immediately approached Shu with the utmost sincerity she could muster.
She succeeded... she gained an opportunity.
As for the cost?
She didn't care.
They were born for this purpose; they should logically throw themselves into it, perish for it...
"This outcome... do you accept it?" Having explained her new plan, the girl looked expectantly at the White Mist.
The White Mist remained quiet, silent.
"You..." The girl sensed something wrong.
"No... I won't allow it..." The ethereal voice became exceptionally agitated, filled with indignation and refusal.
"Everyone needs to be remembered... Everyone deserves to be remembered!!" The previously calm mist suddenly surged violently, like an enraged beast.
The girl stumbled back half a step, pushed by the overwhelming aura, staring in disbelief at the White Mist, which had never shown such emotion before.
No... wait, perhaps it had...
That was when I proposed devouring myself... He had been furious then too.
"Why..." she couldn't help but ask.
"No one... is just a tool!!" The White Mist's voice had become a piercing roar. A monster condensed from mist took shape, raising its arm to slam down behind the girl.
A sigh echoed from behind the girl. The next moment, as if appearing out of thin air, Shu stepped out from the dense fog, casually waving his hand.
The menacing mist instantly dispersed; the colossal beast dissolved in an instant under Shu's effortless gesture.
With the authority split, the core damaged, and the burden the White Mist placed upon itself, Shu needed very little effort to deal with him. The climax of this battle had ended the moment Shu returned.
With Shu's wave, all the mist in this world vanished completely, leaving only a tiny wisp struggling feebly in Shu's hand.
Still no sign of the Herrscher core...
Shu looked up, handing the wisp of white mist to the dazed girl beside him. She instinctively reached out with cupped hands, receiving the extremely weakened White Mist.
"What do you plan to do now?" Shu asked, observing the complex emotions on the girl's face. "Continue reminiscing?"
"I..." The girl looked down at the White Mist in her hands, lowering her eyes.
The deal between her and Shu was simple: she leads Shu to the White Mist's location, helps defeat him, then hands over the Herrscher core, willingly becoming part of the Divine Key. Shu's promise was to use the memory core to complete their task of recording everything.
The chance to talk earlier was an extra request she made to Shu. She didn't understand why she bothered. Perhaps attempting to persuade him was also a way to show her sincerity...
"I will fulfill my promise..." the girl's voice was subdued. She looked at the White Mist, seemingly gasping for breath in her palms, and turned back woodenly.
Shu stood watching the girl's lost expression, his own eyes complex. The one caught in the middle was lost, while the observer saw everything clearly.
Holding the White Mist, the girl walked to the giant white stone, freed one hand, and pressed it against the smooth surface.
Then, a pristine white crystal silently emerged from the stone, landing in the girl's hand.
That was the Herrscher core... Shu was certain.
The girl gripped the core, hesitating where she stood.
In fact... she...
"Are you truly unable to take the lead and devour/merge with Him?" Shu suddenly asked from behind.
The girl's body trembled violently.
She could...
Actually, she always could...
Even if she couldn't before, with the White Mist so weakened, she could absolutely merge with him. And now, the core was right in her hand...
"I..."
The girl hesitated.
After a long silence, the girl turned back, looking at Shu.
"Can I ask you something?"
Shu nodded.
"You went through another return, didn't you?" Holding the core, the girl asked Shu the question that had been bothering her.
Shu wasn't surprised. The girl had clearly browsed through all his memories until he blocked her after his return, concealing what he had experienced.
"Yes," Shu nodded.
"Then in that return, you likely didn't make that sword strike... How did you come back? And how did you remember? You should have completely forgotten everything under the erosion of the White Mist's authority..."
This was the girl's confusion, a puzzle that had troubled her for a long time. How could something forgotten be retrieved? The girl's answer had been to use the White Mist's authority to forcefully shove those forgotten memories back into people's minds.
Shu stood silently for a moment, then sighed, walking over to stand beside the girl.
He raised his hand, extended a finger, and pressed it against the smooth surface of the white stone before them. His finger sank effortlessly into the stone's surface. Shu silently began to draw using the indentation left by his finger.
The girl's eyes gradually widened.
It was her... In the drawing, she sat cross-legged, holding a thin "ribbon" of mist. Shu sketched a smile onto her drawn face, giving her gentle eyes.
As Shu withdrew his hand, the girl's stunned gaze followed.
"You asked me a question once," Shu said, pulling a black-covered notebook from his coat. "You asked me, what is true death?"
"Most people nowadays believe that the true end is being forgotten."
The girl nodded numbly.
Shu chuckled softly.
"But... an old gentleman once told me... true death is when something unacceptable happens, and you have absolutely no power to undo it..."
"So, what we fear isn't death itself, but those irreversible things."
"Death means nothingness... Being forgotten means losing even the chance to be helped..."
The girl's eyes widened further. She seemed to understand something.
Shu reached out, took the pristine core from the stunned girl's hand, and then gave her a smile.
"But in reality, humans are far less fragile than that. Even if someone is forgotten, even if no one knows their name, gender, age, or whether their cooking was good..."
"Just remembering that [They once existed] is enough."
"But then..." The girl started to say something, then suddenly turned her head, looking at the drawing on the white rock.
She understood...
Turning back, Shu and the core had vanished, leaving only the girl standing there.
She suddenly laughed, exactly like the drawing.
As if chanting a nursery rhyme, she softly spoke the phrase.
"For the rest... the world will remember everything."