"No wonder you were certain I'd need your power..."
With the Dragon God's concise, clear explanation, Roland quickly understood the causes and consequences behind his cheat, as well as the true identity of the enemy rushing toward the world that had taken countless Contract Spirits.
It had all begun with that {Serpent}'s desire to die.
Its realm and power far surpassed anything Roland understood as omnipotence.
And yet-
That very omnipotence had instead restricted its desire to die.
That concept was too insubstantial to stand against its own possibilities.
Thus, unable to place its hopes in a stronger being that could destroy it without leaving anything behind, the Serpent had used its omnipotence to seek another path.
Since the simple desire to die was too insubstantial to rival that omnipotence, why not kill itself with possibilities nurtured by that very omnipotence?
The existence born for that purpose was the Self-Destruction Factor.
It was a suicidal impulse, like the urge to jump when standing atop a tall building, or the urge to cut one's wrist when holding a knife.
Although many considered this a sign of imperfection, Roland saw it as the very essence of life.
Those without fear could not move forward.
The more terrible and oppressive the fear, the nobler and more dazzling the courage born from overcoming it.
When facing the strongest, when staking his life, Roland had more than once felt fear weaving itself together like a spiderweb with every beat of his heart.
But precisely because that web of fear existed, he could cast aside every distracting thought and make his desire and resolve entirely his own.
It was a thicket of thorns he had to cross, but also proof that he was walking his path.
Without that fear, humanity, life itself, would long since have