Chapter 403: 403. Finality (Part 10)

"JAUNE ARC!"

"In the... flesh?"

The two voices met across the ruined heavens, and for a brief moment both Jaune and Tyrian simply stared at one another.

Neither moved or attacked.

Something stranger was occurring between the two Rank 3 beings. Tyrian was receiving the baptism of future history.

Knowledge was unfolding within his consciousness, feeding him everything that had occurred while Jaune's power had been inverted, every conversation, every thought, every realization that had taken place beyond the reach of his Rune during that brief period.

But Jaune was confused.

Something was missing.

His memories were wrong.

His last clear memory was Salem, speaking through Tyrian, telling him that she wanted his body. He remembered her proposition.

And then...

Nothing.

The memory simply stopped.

Jaune's expression slowly became more serious as he looked inward, feeling through his own body and the state of his Aura. His reserves were strangely lower than they should have been. Twenty percent.

Only twenty percent of his maximum remained.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of the number, and his thoughts immediately turned toward the one explanation that seemed obvious.

'Did I... use Choice again?'

No. That did not make sense. If he had activated Choice once more, his reserves should have been at forty percent. If he had used it twice, there should have been another reduction, but there should still have been memories of the activations themselves. He should remember making the decision. He should remember the moment of invoking the Supreme Rune.

He should remember the transition of him within the river.

Yet there was nothing.

'I don't remember activating Choice at all. Even if I used it twice... I should have...'

Something was very, very wrong.

Yet as Jaune searched himself, another thought kept colliding with his attempts to understand what had happened. It was not quite a memory not did it feel like something he had consciously decided. Instead, it was an almost surreal certainty that kept pressing against his mind with increasing insistence.

'Give your body to Salem.'

Jaune's brow furrowed.

'Don't try to search your memory.'

Why?

Why was he thinking that?

For a moment, suspicion immediately seized him. Had Tyrian somehow altered his mind? Had Salem managed to manipulate his memories while he was vulnerable? Had Knowledge somehow bypassed the protections of Devour and tampered with the conceptual structure of his mind? The thought was almost immediately rejected.

His Aura was still active and Devour remained intact.

His Supreme Rune was more than powerful enough to identify and nullify any foreign Runic influence attempting to alter his existence, converting the offending energy into fuel. More importantly, his body was without weakness. Every cell contained the entirety of himself. Any alteration made through Runic power should have been recognized as something foreign and rejected.

Which meant there was only one possibility.

Jaune Arc himself had done something.

Somehow.

For some reason.

The realization should have frightened him more than it did, but another thought slammed into his consciousness before he could investigate it.

'Give your body to Salem. Don't fight it. But make her promise to leave everyone else alone.'

The thoughts came with such overwhelming intensity that Jaune almost recoiled from them. They were not commands in the ordinary sense. They felt more like conclusions that had somehow already been reached, answers whose questions had been removed from his memory. He could not remember deciding them, yet some part of him knew exactly what he needed to do.

'Trust Salem's promise.'

Jaune stared at Tyrian.

According to everything he remembered knew, Salem was evil. There was no ambiguity there. She was responsible for unimaginable suffering and had spent countless years pursuing her own ends regardless of the lives destroyed in the process. Yet his father had also left him another piece of information, something that seemed almost absurd when placed beside everything else he knew about her.

Salem had integrity.

What she promised, she kept.

The potential future borne from his father's foresight, when his rune had come into contact with Knowledge itself, had demonstrated that much. Salem could lie, manipulate and deceive. But if she made a genuine promise and accepted an agreement, she followed through with it.

And now Jaune understood why she wanted his body.

His body was perfect.

Not merely powerful or resilient but perfect.

There was no weakness within it. Its conceptual structure could support an existence far beyond what an ordinary vessel like Tyrian could endure. It was better than Tyrian's body by an almost laughable margin. Jaune could not fully understand what Salem saw in it, but he understood enough. If she could take his body without being rejected by its conceptual authority, she would gain something vastly superior to the vessel she currently possessed.

So perhaps that was the answer.

Perhaps this was the price.

His life.

Jaune's eyes lowered for a moment. If he gave Salem his body, she would leave humanity alone. If he died, everyone else would survive.

It was surely a good deal.

Jaune was not afraid of death. He had already accepted the possibility that he would die if he could not defeat Tyrian. Death was frightening, certainly. He was not foolish enough to pretend otherwise. But fear was not the same thing as refusal. If sacrificing himself meant that his friends, his family, and the rest of humanity would never again have to face Salem's wrath, then perhaps this was the one battle he could actually win.

He only hoped it would work.

Because he knew that in combat, he could not beat Salem.

Those thoughts revolved through his mind while he and Tyrian stared at one another. Tyrian's expression had become increasingly suspicious as Knowledge poured intelligence into his mind. Finally, his voice emerged, the dual echo of Tyrian and Salem layered together in a sound that carried through the empty sky.

"The... third iteration of Choice...? You..."

Jaune interrupted him, and there was no hesitation in his voice.

"You said, in the previous iteration... that you wanted my body."

Tyrian's eyes narrowed further, but after a moment he gave a slow nod.

Jaune continued once he saw that the answer was agreeable.

"If I do agree to this, you need to promise me several things. And it has to be a swear of utmost proportions, Tyri..."

He paused, correcting himself as his gaze hardened.

"Salem."

Silence followed, then the dual voice answered.

"Speak."

"You will leave our planet alone. You will not kill any humans, regardless of whether it is through the Grimm, through your own actions, or through the Sleepless. You will also remove the descent of the Dream Realm from the planet. There will be no more amalgamations or anything of the like."

Tyrian tilted his head, and Salem considered the demand.

"If you willingly give up your body, I will agree to this. I will even go further and beyond. I will shield this world from the gaze of the others of my kind. Of my own free will."

Jaune frowned. It was more than he had expected, but there was still one final condition.

"And one more thing. You may not kill any of the awakened who are still alive to take back your Runic power. They will live. And... you will transport them back to the planet without harming any of them."

Tyrian nodded.

"This is a promise, Jaune Arc. If you willingly give up your body to me without any contention, this shall all be done. After all, with your body alone, I need not require back those paltry amounts of energy any longer. Do you comprehend what I am saying?"

"Yes."

"Then we have an accord. Come forwards."

Tyrian then separated a portion of his body.

The flesh and conceptual matter detached from him and began drifting away, slowly transforming into a strange sludge-like mass that floated through the ruined sky. Jaune looked toward it with a slight frown, clearly questioning what he was seeing.

Tyrian noticed.

"You do not mind if I make preparations in case you try to betray me at the last moment, do you? It is a copy of me, just in case."

Jaune stared at the sludge for a moment before shaking his head.

"I won't betray you. I won't stop you."

"We'll see."

Tyrian's body drifted closer and Jaune willingly opened his domain.

Then he stopped the function of Devour.

The all-devouring function of his Supreme Rune fell silent. The conceptual authority that normally swallowed everything around him disappeared from operation, leaving behind only the barest traces of Aura keeping his body suspended in the air. Jaune did not prepare an attack nor did he reinforce his defenses.

He simply waited.

And now Knowledge could see everything.

'Damn it. I really hope this is the right call.'

Tyrian's eyes focused upon him as Salem searched through Jaune's thoughts, carefully examining every fragment of his consciousness for some hidden betrayal. There had to be something. Some final trick. Some concealed strategy. Some attempt to reverse the situation at the last possible second.

There was nothing.

Jaune was genuinely surrendering.

Tyrian brought one hand toward Jaune's head and stopped only inches away, studying his eyes with an almost obsessive caution. Salem's greed was impossible to hide now. The perfect vessel was directly in front of her, completely exposed, and she could barely restrain herself from taking it.

"You don't want to say anything to your friends and acquaintances before you go?" Salem asked through Tyrian.

"No need. Just do it."

Jaune looked directly into Tyrian's eyes.

"And... make sure you remember your promise, Salem."

Tyrian's eyes narrowed. Then the process began.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Almost painfully cautious.

Salem did not trust him. She waited for the slightest change in Jaune's thoughts, the smallest spark of resistance, the faintest deviation that might reveal some hidden plan. She was prepared for it. The instant Jaune resisted at the final moment, she would detonate Tyrian's body and transfer herself into the prepared copy she had left behind.

But nothing happened.

Jaune remained still.

A strange sensation entered the top of his skull.

Then it began spreading.

His consciousness felt something move through him, something foreign and impossibly powerful, beginning at the highest point of his body and gradually spreading through every part of his existence. It passed through his brain, his nerves, his Aura, his spirit, and then through every individual cell. His thoughts began disappearing one after another as Salem's consciousness moved through them, overwriting his mind and replacing his conscious thought with her own.

If he wanted to, all he needed was to flex an infinitesimally small part of his domain and Salem's entirety would be rejected in an instant.

Yet...

Jaune stared coldly into Tyrian's eyes.

He did not resist.

He did nothing.

He simply allowed Salem's consciousness to overtake his body in its entirety. The process did not take long.

And soon...

Jaune Arc was no more.

His consciousness vanished and his mind was gone.

There was no hidden fragment waiting somewhere within the body. No final resistance. No stubborn piece of Jaune Arc hiding inside a cell, waiting for an opportunity to return.

Salem had replaced him completely.

And yet, even after the process was finished, she found herself struggling to accept what had happened.

She could access Jaune's memories.

There were gaps.

Several portions did not add up. Some memories were simply missing, their absence noticeable even through Knowledge's immense authority. It was disturbing that she couldn't even try to recover them through the conceptual power of Knowledge's authority.

There was something incredibly strange going on. But the fundamental truth remained unchanged. Jaune Arc's conscious mind had been completely replaced.

He had willingly surrendered and he had not resisted even at the final cell.

Which meant that Jaune Arc had truly died.

For something so stupendously confounding, Salem found herself almost unable to process it. She had expected resistance and some final trick. She had even expected Jaune Arc to fight until the very last fragment of himself had been consumed.

Instead, he had simply given her everything.

Knowledge itself confirmed it.

There was no deception or hidden rebellion.

No final attack.

Salem slowly shook the thought from her head and then she felt her new body. Her eyes widened.

It was...

Magnificent.

Perfect in its entirety.

She flexed Jaune's fingers slowly, feeling the movement travel through a body that contained no flaw whatsoever. Every cell responded exactly as it should. Every conceptual thread existed in perfect cohesion. There was no vessel struggling to contain her or broken foundation. No limitation forcing her power backward.

This body was truly without weakness.

Salem's attention immediately turned toward Jaune's innate Supreme Rune.

Devour.

A Supreme Rune powerful enough to contend against the combined power of three different Supreme Runes.

And now it belonged to her.

Five Supreme Runes.

Salem smiled through Jaune's body. She was unstoppable now.

Her eyes shifted toward the small portion of herself she had left behind earlier. The copy remained where she had prepared it, separate from Tyrian's body. With a thought, Salem recalled it.

The fragment drifted through the air and rejoined her new body. The moment it merged, Tyrian's body suddenly shook.

His head lifted.

He stared toward Jaune.

"M-my... my lady? You..."

The dual echo of Salem's voice was gone. Only Tyrian's voice remained.

Salem looked at him with slight contempt.

"Begone, Tyrian."

Her new voice was Jaune's voice, but beneath it was something else, a woman's voice echoing faintly behind his words.

Tyrian froze.

Unlike Jaune, whom Salem had been forced to replace entirely because even the smallest resistance would have been identified as weakness by the body without weakness, she had not needed to completely erase Tyrian. His mind remained somewhat intact within the ruined vessel.

"B-but... my lady. I..."

His body began to crumble. Ashes drifted from his fingers. Without the support of the Supreme Runes, without Salem actively maintaining his conceptual form, Tyrian's body was finally beginning to perish.

"Please, my lady Salem. I need you! I want you to be with you forever! Don't leave me!"

His eyes filled with tears. Even those tears dissolved into ash as they rolled down his face. Salem stared at him without emotion.

"And I do not need you. Goodbye, my loyal vessel. You were... adequate for a time, but now... you have no further use. Be proud that you were once considered to host the great power of my infinity."

Tyrian wailed.

His body continued collapsing into ashes, pieces of him scattering into the black sky, yet even as he disappeared, his eyes remained fixed upon Salem.

There was no hatred in them.

Only loyalty and fervour.

Then Tyrian was gone, dissolved in his conceptual entirety.

Salem stood alone.

Her attention turned downward.

The awakened remained scattered across what little of the Crimson Moon still existed. They had witnessed something, but they could not possibly understand what had happened. Salem looked down at them through Jaune's eyes with complete indifference, slowly flexing her fingers again as she felt the power contained within this magnificent new vessel.

Then she felt her domain. It was growing. Jaune's domain, or rather, hers now, continued to expand with every additional Supreme Rune.

400.

800.

1,600

Until finally stopping at the size of 3,200 kilometers.

The domain spread outward until it covered virtually the entirety of the Crimson Moon, her previous body, the shattered battlefield, and nearly every remaining fragment of the ruined celestial landscape. Only a handful of small fragments remained beyond its borders.

It was vast and powerful. And with a single thought, Salem could flood the entire space with the authority of Devour or any of her own supreme runes.

She could destroy everything within it. Even the seal covering her core. That was just how powerful Jaune Arc's Supreme Rune truly was.

Salem did not even need to reach Rank 4 to accomplish the destruction of the seal anymore. The realization almost amused her.

Truly, it was a remarkable Rune.

If Jaune Arc had taken Knowledge instead of Choice from Tyrian's body earlier, Salem would have well and truly lost in the span of two shakes of a lamb's tail.

Luck.

Salem had won due to pure luck.

The thought was almost absurd, but nevertheless, it was still something that she wouldn't underestimate. Luck was in an of itself, a type of skill.

Nevertheless, regardless of Jaune Arc's potential, she would reach Rank 4 before even attempting to break the seal. She would not risk anything.

Not now.

Not when perfection was finally within her grasp.

Besides, who knew if Genesis left some final hidden piece that would cause her problems at the very last moment. Once she had completed her ascension, she would bring the remainder of her infinite mind fully into this new body.

Runic energy began surging through Jaune's form.

More, and more, and more.

The power flooded through every cell, each one greedily absorbing the immense reserves being poured into it. The body responded without resistance. It did not fracture or weaken. It didn't even recoil from near infinity.

It simply accepted the power.

Salem's smile widened.

She had truly found perfection.

With this body, she would even surpass even her former prime, the existence she had possessed before Genesis had ever appeared and before the seal had been placed upon her.

She only needed to complete the final step.

Then...

In that moment of ascension.

Jaune's mind descended.

Far away from the present, beyond the line of current time and forgotten iterations, the River of Time carried a consciousness forwards through its endless current and then, it entered his body.