Murata Ryusuke: Did I Say I Was the Omen Vanguard Nierdulong?

He hadn't mentioned his connection with Idrila to anyone. When he told others about his identity as Pathstrider, he hadn't specified his exact Path. It was easy for him to remain vague unless pressed.

But the word "family" that Murata Ryusuke uttered carries a rather heavy connotation. Can ordinary Pathstrider be considered "family"? Some criminal organizations on the Path of Destruction do consider themselves Nanook's family, but Nanook simply can't be bothered with them.

Moreover, Idrila hasn't appeared for many Amber Era, so long that everyone says she has long since perished.

But His last appearance was in Vesna IV -- and now that Murata Ryusuke is so certain of his identity, Jingxing knows that this means he has seen through his situation.

He put down his cup, his throat tightening slightly. "What is the dean saying? I don't quite understand."

"You don't need to beat around the bush." Murata Ryusuke didn't look at him, but lowered his head and blew on the steam rising from his cup. "Like the leader of that Stellaron Hunters —or rather, the 'Leading Cat'—I'm on the Path of Finality. So it's normal that I see through your situation."

"Freshly born Pathstrider of Beauty, you've come to the Dual-Phase Paradise seeking both further study and fame and fortune." He took a sip of tea. "I saw you the moment you landed at Mooring Port."

Jingxing's heart pounded, his mind racing. "Can even the Path of Finality be predicted? No wonder the company offered such a large reward for Elio."

"Not everyone can be foreseen by me." Murata Ryusuke seemed to read his mind. "Only one type of person will appear in my prophecies."

"... Then what do you mean by 'being tricked by Aha '?" Jingxing knew he was asking a bit too hastily.

Aha, the Aeon of Elation, is the most unpredictable being in the galaxy—he and Idrila are completely different things. Logically speaking, he has never even seen Aha's shadow in his life, so how did they get involved?

"The literal meaning." Murata Ryusuke didn't even look up. "Don't you know what you've been through lately?"

"!" Jingxing thought of his inexplicable appearance in Vesna IV before, "Could it be because He intervened?"

"It seems you've figured something out." Murata Ryusuke smiled. "Don't ask me why He intervened; even the most loyal Masked Fools couldn't fathom the madman's thoughts."

"Alright," Jingxing gave up on pursuing the question and picked up the previous topic again, "You said that only one type of person will appear in the prophecy, which type of person is it?"

Murata Ryusuke answered quickly this time, "Well, after my lover and Himeko left, I embarked on the Path of Finality for some reason, becoming Omen Vanguard who can see future disasters."

"The Omen Vanguard..." Jingxing recalled the recent art style of Murata Ryusuke that Sampo had just mentioned—that kind of Stardust Realism that focuses on the "fragility of the physical body," which was indeed very compatible with this school of thought.

"So what I can see are naturally those who will bring disaster to the world." Murata Ryusuke's smile widened, but his words sent a chill down Jingxing.

"A person who brings disaster to the world? Does that mean in his eyes I would bring disaster to the world? How could I do such a thing?!"

Jingxing's mind raced, and he looked utterly incredulous.

"Could it be because I condensed Yog Sothoth's information into the 'Image of Ten Thousand Jun,' and the Herta's research on that led to..." Jingxing had great faith in the Genius Society's ability to create drama.

"The end of the world, the end of the planets, the end of humanity." Murata Ryusuke turned his head, the light from the window falling on his face, illuminating his somewhat haggard features with distinct light and shadow. "I've painted many worlds that have perished—using stardust and debris to depict planets that are dying or have already died. I've long been accustomed to witnessing the death of planets. But today, for the first time, I see the place I live on the prophetic list."

He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately, "Your arrival will destroy this Dual-Phase Paradise. Then you'll be standing on the ruins of the Pearl Star Building, weeping."

Jingxing froze. "That's impossible."

"I can't see the exact day, nor can I see the cause of the Destruction," Murata Ryusuke continued to say to himself. "I only see you standing on the ruins, holding a pen in your hand, and the entire Dual-Phase Paradise is like a canvas that you are erasing, gradually melting away."

Jingxing remained silent. Erasing marks from the canvas was something he could indeed do with his Cloud-Washing Ink-Tracer, but erasing a planet? Putting aside whether he could actually do it, what reason did he have to do something so completely contrary to the Path of Beauty?

Could it be that I turned to Destruction because of some blow? But that's even more impossible.

"I came here for further studies," Jingxing's voice was a little dry, "And to find a way to make a name for myself. How did I end up ruining Dual-Phase Paradise?"

"Make a name for yourself?" Murata Ryusuke's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Perhaps you're planning to make a name for yourself by destroying Dual-Phase Paradise. After all, destroying a renowned entertainment planet in the galaxy will immediately spread your fame throughout the entire galaxy via interstellar broadcasts. What other way is there to make a name for yourself faster?"

Jingxing gritted his teeth. "Impossible, I would never do such a thing."

"Everyone who goes astray doesn't realize the enormity of their actions until they take that first step," Murata Ryusuke, his tone almost cruelly calm. "I've seen too many endings. Many of the main culprits didn't believe they'd come to this point at the very beginning of their stories."

"Then why don't you take action?" Jingxing stared at him. "Since you can see the ending, wiping me out of the ending should be a piece of cake, right?"

Murata Ryusuke was slightly taken aback, then laughed, "Interesting. You're bolder than I thought."

He interlaced his fingers. "If I could erase you from the ending, do you think I'd still be sitting here having coffee with you? The Omen Vanguard can only predict and guide the characters in the story to face the ending. If I were to intervene personally, I would only hasten that unfortunate ending."

"This is precisely the limitation of Path."

Murata Ryusuke shrugged. "So I can only ask that you sensibly leave on your own."

The office fell silent. Jingxing's palms were sweaty.

If the prophecy is true, leaving here can prevent Zhenzhu's territory from becoming a wasteland; if the prophecy is false, leaving will simply mean he can paint somewhere else. No matter how you calculate it, it won't have much impact on him.

"If I agree to leave as soon as possible," Jingxing still wanted to discuss conditions, "What will you offer in exchange?"