Super Righteous Player
Chapter 858 - 395 Reverse Charge

Chapter 858: Chapter 395 Reverse Charge

Upon hearing Annan’s words, Philip’s expression froze slightly.

He couldn’t help but force a bitter smile, "Your Majesty, please don’t tease me like this..."

"Is it merely teasing?" Annan chuckled and said, "Could it be that I am wrong? You have indeed lived for a very, very long time..."

Elves are silver-blooded people, born with condensed souls.

Though they may only be considered vassals to dragons... ordinary elves, wanting to live for two to three hundred years, should have no problems. Even if Philip’s bloodline wasn’t pure, and he was merely a half-elf... after all, he had reached the Gold tier.

By reaching the Stigmatized rank, the soul has already undergone an essential sublimation. It’s akin to turning bronze into gold.

At this stage, a Transcendent’s body has already ceased aging. In theory, as long as they do not use Elemental Power, they could possess an exceedingly long life. Even if Philip had become elderly at the time, he should have been able to continue living for a very, very long time...

Moreover, that is the longevity of a Gold tier Transcendent. Should luck be on their side, they might even obtain the Book of Truth.

As opposed to now, being a mortal, undergoing infinite reincarnations, barely surviving while working overtime, it’s not even the same concept.

"...So, why did you choose to use the ’Fourth Historium’ to actively break your own longevity and be reborn into the descendants of King Noah?" Annan asked gravely.

From Philip’s previous words, Annan had keenly sensed a hint of incongruity.

Since he was a Gold tier Transcendent...

Why would he need to use the Fourth Historium for reincarnation?

Even if he didn’t know the unspeakable fourth curse of the "Fourth Historium," he should be aware that after his reincarnation, he would not be able to set foot on the path to Transcendence—because the Fourth Historium was not meant for reincarnation, but to rewrite the future, to determine the direction of the future.

In some key world divisions, the Fourth Historium could be used to wedge a certain direction, to ascertain that the future would indeed unfold in such a way.

In other words, the existence and true purpose of the Fourth Historium are exclusively for those "who foresee a certain destruction in the future and are filled with fear," allowing them to leave behind a glimmer of possibility to "prevent the collapse" at crucial future junctures.

So, under what circumstances can one "foresee a future destruction"?

The centaurs’ strongest foresight cannot see events after their death.

Then there’s only one method left... that is through the "Sixth History Apocrypha."

If the "Sixth History Apocrypha" is about leaving the unsolvable problems of now for future people to solve; then the "Fourth Historium" is about arranging solutions for every great difficulty future people might encounter, before they occur.

—These two Great Calamity Curios complement each other.

As long as these two Great Calamity Curios exist simultaneously, the past and future of this world would be linked into a single line.

The "past" and "future" silently watch over each other.

Even if people from the future cannot return to the past, they can know, every dire situation they face has already been foreclosed by solutions laid out in advance... hence, they shall never despair.

And the price paid by the user of the Fourth Historium, the devastating "one-fourth of oneself"... is naturally for "extending the future."

From this perspective, the price instead seems extremely cheap.

"If you knew the Fourth Historium could help you reincarnate, you couldn’t possibly be ignorant of its real purpose; if King Noah has always guarded the Fourth Historium, he also couldn’t possibly be oblivious of its significance—and yet he agreed to let you use the Fourth Historium to travel to the future."

Annan sighed, "I’ve already said this much... do you still want me to spell it out?"

"...No need." Philip fell silent for a while, "In fact, I’ve understood it for a long time... since my second reincarnation."

There could only be one answer for such crude conflicts in his memory.

An answer filled with dramatic irony.

That is—at the time of Philip’s first reincarnation, he had already forgotten the true purpose of his reincarnation.

The reason he was initially able to carry the "Fourth Historium" into the future wasn’t simply to "live another life," nor to extend his lifespan.

It was to accept a certain request from King Noah—to carry a mission, along with the Fourth Historium, into the future.

...But the irony is.

Philip had forgotten his mission from the very beginning.

The quarter of his memory that he had lost made him completely forget the reason for his reincarnation. He realized that he was missing part of his memory only after at least his second reincarnation, by comparing his current memories... and thus he became aware that there might be another reason for his reincarnation.

——But it was already too late.

"Because you don’t even know why you’re really alive."

Annan crossed his fingers before him.

He looked toward Philip, his eyes dark and profound as the abyss itself, "Yet, you’re still alive.

"If you were a transcendent, that would be one thing... After your death, you could still leave nightmares for us. Maybe from those nightmares, we might see something you yourself have forgotten."

——But now, you don’t even have nightmares.

"So, when I say ’Why don’t you just die,’ I’m not using profanity, right?"

Annan spoke calmly, "I really want to ask you from my heart—

"Since the very first reincarnation was a mistake... Since you also know that the beliefs you uphold are false, self-fabricated, why did you choose to live for so long afterward?"

A meaningless existence.

A meaningless cycle of reincarnations.

Witnessing the darkening of Annan’s gaze, Philip couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of fear.

He couldn’t help but lower his head.

"Meaning, huh..."

He muttered.

After a long while, Philip lowered his head.

His voice deepened, "There’s no meaning to it.

"I simply... don’t want to die."

He said slowly, "Of course I know that I’ve completely forgotten my mission. But at least my second life was real—I knew people, experienced events, and the personality that took root from those memories are all real.

"I may have lived an extra life for a mistaken mission... but from the second life on, that was also my own life.

"Even if the original reason was false, my ’survival’ is the one and only truth. I don’t want to die, not even a glorious death.

"I don’t wish to become a hero or be remembered by history. I don’t even hate Noah... I just want to live. As long as I’m alive, I am real—everything I create and leave behind is genuine history.

"Therefore, I will certainly abandon falsehoods and embrace the truth."

Philip answered slowly, "I am tired of living, so I want to die—but that’s the only reason I can die for.

"I will not look back, Your Majesty. I’ll never think my initial reincarnation, embarking on a wrong purpose... Even though I’ve forgotten the purpose, I’ve left behind consequences.

"——So I will never think it was wrong."

Philip’s words were crystal clear.

From the beginning, he knew his reincarnation was a mistake.

But if he admitted that, then everything he did in the "second life" would be completely wrong.

So by denying it, continuing on the path of the second life, acting only on the things he remembers, he could at least convince himself that he was on the right path.

"But you are escaping."

Annan said softly.

"Your Majesty, I live for myself."

Philip said solemnly, "The memories aren’t something I cast away willingly. As long as I don’t look back—I’m not fleeing, but charging forward."

"Even if it’s completely opposite to the original direction? Even though you know the truth?"

"In the world as I know and have experienced it," Philip replied, "there’s no evidence of that ’original direction.’ No matter how one deduces, it can only be seen as a ’possibility.’

"But all ’possibilities’ are false; only the things I have done are real.

"——Even if I’m fleeing, I will be fleeing with my head held high, with no regrets or turning back."

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