"I can answer that question, but first, I want to know something. Just now... no, what Fate Will said seemed to mean that this world was already inevitably heading toward destruction, right?"
Chiba's expression turned grave at the Sage of Six Paths' words as he spoke.
"That's right. This world is already on the path to destruction."
The Sage of Six Paths nodded firmly. This time, he was remarkably frank, seemingly without any deeper calculations.
"If I'm not mistaken, the collapse of fate—that is, the predetermined future—and the shifting replacement of the child of fate represent the destruction of the world, correct?"
Hearing this, Chiba considered it briefly before speaking again.
"Yes."
The Sage of Six Paths answered just as readily.
He could tell that this outsider, Chiba, had caught the meaning behind the World Will's words just now—or rather, had grown cautious because of the key words inadvertently revealed in the World Will's excessive outburst.
And he had begun seeking to understand what he wanted to know.
It seemed that this outsider, Chiba, had begun to sense that his earlier judgment concerning the world's destruction—his understanding of it—might have been flawed somehow.
That meant this conversation would very likely affect the outsider Chiba's future judgment. Under the current circumstances, they needed to complete this negotiation and reach a consensus while they still held the advantage.
Moreover, both the World Will and the Sage of Six Paths knew that the great current of fate could no longer be reversed. At the very least, they could not turn it around through their indirect means of interference. Besides, the one now leading and driving fate forward was no longer a native of their world, but the outsider before them.
It could be said that their world was destined for destruction, yet there