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Despite all the revelations, I still don\'t think I\'ve reached the end of it.

Holding the edge of the book between my fingers, I glanced again at the chains that hung it around her neck.

Evidently, Araceli couldn\'t see the book or the chains herself, but I wondered if she knew they were there?

The fact it was a chain was interesting, too.

Perhaps, did it hold the meaning of her being trapped within the book? If so, does that mean this woman didn\'t choose to become Araceli Arévalo of her own volition?

Then, how...?

Suddenly, something occurred to me like an epiphany.

Supposing the aforementioned is true, and thinking under the assumption that this woman doesn\'t know how she ended up possessing Araceli, then...

Hurriedly, I scanned the cover art once more.

...Not there.

Araceli wasn\'t there.

Since the illustrated cast is so brimming with side characters, I find it hard to believe that only Araceli would oh-so-conveniently be left out like this.

As I thought, this likely means the original Araceli is only a background character who exists within the world of the novel; she isn\'t someone who holds any importance regarding the plot, and as such, she isn\'t featured on the cover.

On the other hand, the Araceli I know is too meddlesome―if she acted the same way in the novel as she has done up until now, there\'s no way she wouldn\'t be a more important character in the story.

To the extent that the entire outcome of the plot itself would become altered.

But, if her existence has had such a profound effect on this world\'s progression, then wouldn\'t the result of that be a timeline different from that of the novel?

If it\'s like that, there\'s no way this life can be following the Author\'s script.

So, what is it?

Does that mean whatever is written as the plot of the book has no direct effect on this reality? Or is it something else?

Something like... An even higher existence than the Author.

Perhaps, just as I was convinced when I thought up the Theory of World Stages, the Author and the Highest Existence are indeed separate beings.

The two highest authority beings there are, at least that I know of.

Perhaps separated only by a fine line or perhaps something much more disparate.

If the Author is the one who designed my world, wrote the book and created the original story, subsequently read by this woman... The Highest Existence would be whatever or whoever it was that sent her into that world―my world.

Araceli\'s possession begot change.

From a world that was destined to follow a preset, already carved path, her actions caused a deviation from the plot.

Resulting in an errant world, at least from the Author\'s perspective.

Does fate still preside in failed worlds?

Or does it instead follow the will of the Highest Existence?

"..."

Suddenly, something new occurred to me.

...\'If\'.

And just \'if\'.

But \'if\', by some chance... There were \'two\' books instead of one.

"..."

No law stated there could only be one.

And if any of this made any logical sense, it would be that the Highest Existence held more authority than the Author.

A book created by the Author.

A book created by the Highest Existence.

One to make the world.

One to interfere with it.

...Or maybe, there is just one.

A single book from which all of this was derived; the original world, the storyline, the plot―everything.

One in which the Author and the original book he wrote were no more than plot devices.

One in which the possession of Araceli was no more than a character introduction and a sudden twist development.

If there was just one book written by the Highest Existence, would it be of this timeline?

My life.

My world...

"..."

"Cipher...? You\'re scaring me..."

Without warning, I found myself back.

I had done nothing, but my Eyes of Reality had been forcefully disabled.

Ordinarily, I would have been puzzled.

Why did Reality stop working all of a sudden?

Does it have some kind of time limit?

Is it going to stop working forever?

But this time, there was none of that confusion.

Because, although there was no evidence for it, I knew exactly why I had returned to normality.

The Highest Existence, that bastard...

I figured out the truth, now he wants to quietly move things along. Is that it?

Still, even now, I can\'t help but wonder.

These disgusting, inextricable questions refuse to vacate my mind.

My unending thoughts.

Are they truly mine?

I don\'t know.

I don\'t think I can ever be certain.

Even the very act of me discovering the truth―did I truly figure things out, or were these contemplations and ideas simply planted inside my head by whatever almighty being wrote them?

I don\'t know.

I can\'t ever allow myself to know.

This is torture.

Would there ever be a point to anything if everything I thought and all of my actions were decided by someone else?

I don\'t want to overthink these things any more.

I just want to shut off my mind and make it stop.

But I can\'t.

Of course, it\'s only natural that you can\'t manually turn your brain off, but that only makes it so much worse.

I don\'t know if this is me or something else.

How much of it is what?

To what extent does the influence reach?

Is there even a point at which just \'me\' exists?

Or is there no \'me\' at all?

I don\'t want to die, but would that make this end?

Would dying even be my own decision, or the decision of the Highest Existence?

Then, is it also not truly my decision to end the world?

If everything I desire is not my choice, then what does that make defying my own wishes?

Is following my own will a mistake?

Everything has become a question, but nothing has an answer.

It wouldn\'t normally make sense for the Highest Existence to want me to end it all.

But, that isn\'t something I can guarantee.

After all, if creating this world is as easy as writing some words on a page, then what is lost by having it reach a finale?

When countless worlds can be created in the blink of an eye...

Would such a being even perceive value in maintaining such a world\'s existence?

If the only purpose of the world is for it to reach a \'satisfactory ending\', then my role...

...Is to provide that.

The job of the so-called "antagonist".

The person whose purpose is to bring the world\'s story to a climax.

"...Araceli."

I called the girl\'s name as if stating a command.

"Call them here."

"\'Them\'...?"

"You know who. Everyone."

Leaving it at that, I decided to move the scene; after all, a better stage was necessary for a bigger event, and so I quietly walked outside.

It was an area I had very rarely used in the past, but it was good enough for my purposes.

Now, standing in the middle of the spacious and well-maintained, lush garden, I absentmindedly looked towards the sky before the contemplations soon snuck back.

"..."

The titular World-Ending Villain.

I wondered for a moment just why the Hero planned on saving such a destructive character, and how.

But, in the end, it didn\'t matter.

Because this world is not the same as that book, but a deviation.

Besides, the Hero who \'wanted\' to save a Villain―did he succeed?

Personally, having not read the thing, I would confidently gamble on a negative answer to that question.

And this reality would be no different.

Because, despite having never read the story, I know.

Perhaps better than anyone else, even the Author himself, I know the character of that Villain.

Someone who doesn\'t deserve nor want to be saved.

Someone both self-destructive and who only harms the things around him.

Being saved? Rather, he does everything in his power to reject it.

Someone like that.

He cannot be saved, nor should he.

For if such a character could be saved, the price would be everything in the world.

Him.

Or the world.

Such is the nature of the \'World-Ending Villain\'.

Now, finally, I think I realise.

Being the same character, was it always impossible to escape that same fate?

Even if I choose not to go through with it now, I can only delay the inevitable.

That\'s why, isn\'t it better to get it over with?

Then all my problems will be solved.

No more paranoia over if my thoughts and actions are truly my own.

No more worrying about fate, the future, or consequences.

No more confusion, trouble, and conflict.

Just... The end.

And then, finally, I\'ll be able to rest--

"C-Cipher..."

In one ear, I heard Araceli\'s anxiety-infused call. Turning around, I unexpectedly saw everyone from back then, and then some.

Well, that was certainly faster than I thought.

Was I thinking so deeply that time sped up?

"..."

They all looked subtly different from before, but I couldn\'t quite put my finger on it.

Was it their mood?

Their attitude?

Something about them seemed down, is all.

But of course, I hadn\'t seen them in a long time, so maybe that was it.

"Hello."

Opening my mouth slowly, I started with a simple greeting. Then, I moved on to address each of them individually.

"Araceli."

"..."

"Kiryuuin."

"..."

"Saburou."

"..."

"Sophie."

"..."

"Emir."

"..."

"Selina."

"..."

And finally.

"Sana, Sona."

""...""

I was sad to see that Minami wasn\'t here, but she was always a busy woman from the beginning.

To be honest, I didn\'t expect Kiryuuin and Saburou to show up, but it only made for a better audience that they did.

Regardless, their faces appeared to crumple slightly as I addressed them.

I couldn\'t know exactly why, of course, but I could at least make a guess.

Although, none of that matters right now.

Relationships.

Bonds.

Previous ties.

To me, these things have become useless.

I only had my message to say.

"It\'s been a long time, but I\'m back."

"I know you all probably have various things you would like to say to me."

"However, know this."

"Whether it is to curse me out, to scream at me, or to cry and apologise."

"I do not care."

"I do not care, and I will not listen."

"So, save your words, for I will not hear them."

As I said this, something then struck me.

Rather than not hearing them, wouldn\'t I be the \'only\' one to hear them?

After all, if this world is a book, then the readers certainly aren\'t going to be hearing anything, are they?

All you lot can do is read the words on the page and imagine them being spoken.

But I can hear them for real―at least, \'my\' real.

Well, I cannot imagine that I, the "villain", would be the story\'s narrator, but this sense of diegesis itself is still humorous as a concept, albeit baffling when applied to reality.

Similarly, this \'grand speech\' of mine can also only be heard by the few people in front of me.

In any case.

"Since then, many things have changed... But the current state of it all is how it was meant to be."

"Now. I won\'t drag things on for too long; that would only make the climax feel underwhelming."

Once this is over, the Highest Existence will finally leave me alone.

No more meddling with my thoughts and decisions.

No more hassle.

I can only wait to take a break.

But, before that, I have to fulfil my purpose.

"I have only one thing to say to you all."

The purpose for which I exist.

"―I am going to end the world now."

And the one desire of the Highest Existence.

"Your role is to save it."

To create a satisfactory ending.