The Lone SF Transmigrator in the Otherworld Forum

After entering the Astral Dimension passage, Karlstein adjusted his power to overlay his vision.

Yin and Yang reversed, the hidden and visible inverted, and his visual perception changed.

The Astral passage, covered in a kaleidoscope of colors spreading like an oil painting, was a mix of 3D space and 2D planes. At some points, he could see both the inside and outside of everything.

"…This is different from before."

While up to that point it was no different from previous Astral passages, the sight before him now was a phenomenon he had never observed before.

Boom-

A blurry phantom of a one-eyed giant gradually receded, making sounds as if shaking mountains.

A bit further on, a headless coachman driving a golden carriage cracked his whip, leading horses that emitted sun-like light in another direction.

That wasn't all. An old man slowly walked with two massive pyramids on his back.

A giant coffin spewed out and sucked back in countless skulls.

A brain floated and swam through the air.

Karlstein's eyes were filled with beings unseen in the real world. What was chilling was the fact that each one of them was a powerhouse that even he could not ignore.

"So the Astral Dimension is a kind of higher dimension, a spirit realm…"

According to Sephiroth's dimensional knowledge, the Astral passage was closer to a spiritual space than a physical one, and in Longquan's memory, these characteristics were defined as belonging to the spirit realm, existing in the interface between reality and unreality.

There was more knowledge about this, but Karlstein did not need to worry about it at present.

As long as I don't mess with them, it doesn't matter.

It could be said that what he saw changed as his level rose. This also meant that from the moment of his transmigration, there were still countless unknowns that even he was unaware of.

For someone who would have to live for countless ages to come, it stirred a sense of adventure.

"But that's not important right now."

Karlstein's purpose was not that kind of adventure. It was just that he could not believe the beings he occasionally saw before him were the biological origins of the Single Numbers.

This was also information included in the last volume of Chronicles of the Galactic Heroes.

"…"

Karlstein shook his head, shaking off his curiosity. While he could perform most dimensional travels as easily as breathing, the reason he came to this Astral passage in person…

It was because he recalled his original purpose.

《Chaos》

The places where the remaining Single Numbers were located could not be reached by ordinary means.

Karlstein began to move forward little by little, using his new vision, which he named Spirit Perception, as a guide.

For him, the cause of his transmigration and the origins of the Single Numbers were not important right now. His only concern was to complete preparations before the finale of CGH approached.

Part of him worried about the chaos in the Galactic Empire due to his absence.

The Galactic Empire was practically the Karma he had built up.

But Karlstein firmly believed in his subordinates and Aria. If he did not have that much faith, he would not have made it this far in the first place.

And so, Karlstein's journey began as he wandered through a passage where the sense of time seemed jumbled. Occasionally he was attacked by strange creatures in the passage, led astray by some light, or dropped in completely wrong places.

But the years he had accumulated were not for nothing, and he overcame these challenges step by step, moving forward bit by bit.

He gained insights as he utilized Longquan's knowledge, Sephiroth's essence, and the powers he had absorbed so far in various ways.

Ether was also a transcendent power…

A power that could reduce any energy to Ether, so to speak. The fact that this was no different from a massive power that twisted and applied the laws of the universe, like the rules of 《Three Thousand》 world where Longquan existed, gave him considerable inspiration.

Thus, fusing and growing with powers originating from the four dimensions of 《Three Thousand》, 《Sephiroth》, 《Galactic Empire》, and 《Chaos》, Karlstein pressed on endlessly.

Maybe I should've brought an avatar of Aria that I could talk to.

This place twisted even the physical laws of time, so there had to be a difference from the current flow of time. Karlstein guessed this was why his thoughts wandered as he spent an unimaginably long time.

The Three Thousand won't be much of an issue, if they make good use of the Avatars and Guardians I left behind.

At least there shouldn't be any problems until he returned.

As for the Sephiroth successor… Well that's hopeless.

Karlstein shook his head.

As he embarked on this long journey alone, he realized that solitude was not as easy to handle as he had thought. And with that came countless questions.

After organizing these thoughts and pondering again, the final answer he came to was one:I'll find out once I subjugate all the remaining Single Numbers.

And so, Karlstein was able to complete the subjugation, leaving only Single Number No.1.

Of course, he had many near-death experiences through several major crises, but not as much as he had initially anticipated.

The original plan was to defeat No.4 Corti and obtain its transcendent power of Wave to increase the chances of killing the remaining Single Numbers.

However, the combination of knowledge and powers gained from other dimensions like Three Thousand and Sephiroth made many things possible, and Karlstein was able to proceed smoothly with the subjugation.

And finally, only the battle against No. 1 remained. He did not dare to even named it.

Just naming it would drive an ordinary person mad.

The Kaiju was called Hunshi in 《Three Thousand》.

The last No.1 possessed the ability to blur the boundary between reality and unreality. With only the final battle against it remaining, Karlstein had to face death.

"Cough…"

An arm of purple carapace pierced his heart. With a purple mane, half its face was in the form of a Kaiju, but the other half had a human face.

Prohiden's face belonged to someone Karlstein could never forget. The Kajiu had finally pierced his heart.

"Yui…?"

But Karlstein could not feel anger. She looked so sorrowful that he found it difficult to express anything. From her distorted, hideous mouth came a voice he could never forget, one he had missed so much.

"Bro—ther…"

***

One side of her face gleamed with a red eye engulfed in madness, while a clear teardrop rolled down the other side.

"…That's quite… cough, an aggressive greeting."

"Bro—ther…"

He could never forget her voice, not for a moment.

Was it because of the Mental Invariability trait that fixed him at the time of his transmigration to this world?

Sympathy, guilt, and longing for Yui. That emotion, too deep to express in words, always remained in a corner of his heart.

Even when he had to kill for the first time to survive on the battlefield. When he was overwhelmed by the technology of SF civilization. When he obtained Aria, the MacGuffin. When he met reliable comrades like Maxien and Camilla.

Even when he felt joy and happiness, there was always a heavy emotion weighing down somewhere in his heart, like an anchor deeply embedded.

"Have you… been well?"

It was an awkward greeting, inappropriate for the situation, but the fact that these words sprang from his mouth without thinking made it all the more clear.

As Karlstein lowered his head, golden blood flowed from his pierced golden armor.

Seeing his life force scatter without recovery, despite having a body far from ordinary human flesh, one called immortal no less, it was clear that this moment had been meticulously prepared for.

"Bro—ther…"

She mumbled his name from half of her mouth, and he felt an unbearable pain as if a nail had been driven into his already aching heart.

"…You're not… hurt anywhere, are you?"

Should he laugh? Should he cry?

Why did you do it? How could you do this? Why are you trying to kill me?

Only rational questions swirled in his head.

But the words that came out of his mouth were mere greetings he had been holding back, buried for so long.

"Why… are you crying? We've met again like this…"

"Bro—ther…"

She spoke slowly, trying to pronounce human words properly.

Karlstein felt indescribable emotions as he watched her crumbling expression and her trembling arm. What on earth could have driven her to this state?

"Yui…"

"Bro—ther…"

She only kept repeating the same word, twitching as if broken. But somehow, Karlstein felt that in this moment, he had returned to those times when he laughed and cried in ordinary daily life before his transmigration.

"…Haha. You could have come a bit slower."

In truth, while Karlstein had expected to meet her, it would be more accurate to say he did not know it would be at this very moment.

He thought he would only be able to meet her after completing the subjugation of the last Single Number.

"Bro—ther…"

All she did was endlessly call for him, like a broken phonograph.

***

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