Chapter 657: The Fourth Guardian

From the moment Ysnay understood that this was her last opportunity to return to her beloved's side, she started to devise several plans to achieve it.

The number of plans she made to get a place beside her beloved numbered in the hundreds. With time, though, most of these plans were discarded, until only six were left.

And when the day to face her beloved came, Ysnay put these six plans into march.

The first plan failed, and the second and the third as well. But Ysnay was not disappointed. From the start, she was prepared for several of her plans failing.

Everything would be alright as long as her goal could be achieved.

"… Now, my beloved student, let's start the fourth plan, okay?" Ysnay giggled while caressing the cheek of the unconscious Alice.

The fourth plan was much harder than the previous plans. This time, she was not planning to do something as simple as stealing Alice's contract with Claus or creating a new contract between Alice and her.

These plans had failed before, and her beloved already knew about them. She was sure that Claus had already prepared countermeasures against them.

Just in case, though, she gave them a try. First, she tried to sever Alice's contract with Claus. But as soon as she started, she felt a powerful resistance coming from Alice's soul.

"… So he strengthened the contract with a fragment of his soul, huh. As expected of him." Ysnay smiled wryly.

Although her abilities over fate were very powerful, they were not that effective if she tried to use them directly on people stronger than her. Claus knew it, so he turned the contract into a part of 'him'; that way, Ysnay would find it much harder to modify the contract.

Even if she could succeed, it would take her too much time. By then, Claus would have got rid of Bringer of End, and her plan would fail.

The next option was to create a new contract, but it failed again. This time, though, it was due to the backlash of the Universe's Laws.

Without a new method to face the Universe's Laws, Ysnay was unable to create a new contract.

"Well, I already expected this result." Ysnay shrugged. "It's time to try the third method."

Smiling slightly, Ysnay approached the sleeping Alice and put her forehead against Alice's forehead.

In the next instant, Ysnay's soul entered Alice's body.

Then, she appeared in an endless empty white space.

"So this is Alice's soul, huh." Ysnay chuckled to herself while observing the endless white space.

She then smiled and took one step forward. In the next second, her figure disappeared before reappearing several kilometers away.

Once there, she looked at the white-haired girl that appeared in front of her and smiled.

"Is this your first time inside your soul, my dear student?"

"Y-You…!" Alice was startled. "W-Where did you bring me?"

"Don't I just tell you? This is your soul, your sea of consciousness, mind space, or whatever you want to call it. This is the core of your being. What makes you 'you'."

Alice's body trembled.

"My soul…? W-Why are we here? Why did you bring me here? Wait, don't tell me…" Alice's face turned pale. "A-Are you planning to replace me?"

Ysnay looked at Alice with an amused expression.

"Don't worry. Although soul possession sounds like a good idea, Willian would kill me if I do it. No, what I plan to do is different, my dear student. Instead of replacing you, I will become one with you."

Alice's face turned ashen white.

"T-That is…"

"You don't like it?" Ysnay's lips curved up slightly. "Well, I understand if you are afraid. But you don't need to worry. As I told you, I'm not planning to replace you, but to fuse with you. That way, you will continue being you, but you will be 'me' as well. Is it not great!?"

"I won't allow it!" Alice growled.

"Unfortunately, you can't stop me," Ysnay stated with a smile on her face. "I have been planning this since the day I learned that you were a Seer like me. Your soul is perfectly compatible with mine, my dear student, and our abilities are very alike. It's as though fate gifted you to me for this purpose."

Alice's face turned pale. She took two steps backward and glared at Ysnay with eyes full of hatred and fear.

"... Y-You are crazy."

"I am. After all, I am an Immortal."

Then, Ysnay extended her hand towards Alice.

Alice trembled. She instinctively knew that she could not let Ysnay touch her. Otherwise, she would stop being herself.

"Stop!" With a cry, countless threads were created around her. The threads then surged towards Ysnay, trying to bind her.

But Ysnay just chuckled and waved her hand, making the threads vanish instantly.

Alice could not believe that her attack was completely ineffective, but she was not going to give up so easily. In the next second, the endless white space turned into a beautiful landscape. Then, countless warriors appeared on it, charging towards Ysnay!

"Oh? To think that you can control your Sea of Consciousness already. How unexpected." Ysnay raised an eyebrow in admiration. "But–" She then snapped her fingers with a grin. "Your control is still too rough."

Instantly, the countless warriors were cut into pieces and the landscape turned into an endless white space again.

Alice's eyes opened wide.

"How…!?"

She hurriedly tried to create more warriors, but it was too late. Ysnay had already reached her.

And with a smile on her face, she touched her forehead.

"Let's become one, Alice."

Then, a powerful soul power invaded her soul.

"!!!"

Alice's pupils dilated. In that instant, she felt as though she was being assaulted by a river.

She could not resist. Even when she tried to struggle, to scream, or to fight back, it was useless. Her thoughts froze completely, and her mind became blank. She felt as though she ceased to exist.

Then, an unbearable pain assaulted her.

"Ah…" Alice managed to utter a groan.

She felt as though her entire self was being overwritten. Something foreign was fusing with her soul; something very terrifying.

'No…!' For an instant, her mind became clear again. Alice took advantage of that instant to resist with all her strength.

"Mm? It looks like your soul is stronger than I thought." Ysnay was slightly surprised. "Is it due to the contract with Willian? But even so, it's useless."

She then grinned. Instantly, the trace of clarity that appeared in Alice's mind disappeared again.

But when Alice's thought that all hope was lost, another voice appeared in the endless white space.

"You should stop now, Ysnay."

Ysnay's pupils dilated.

"Willian!? You... You should not be here!"

"Surprised?" Claus chuckled and waved his hand, freezing Ysnay's movements completely. "It looks like it's my victory this time."

Ysnay's expression stiffened.

...

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