(Yet, a breakthrough remained entirely out of reach.)
Left alone, I paused my administrative work and sank into thought.
However, there was no point in simply brooding. I needed the insights of someone intimately familiar with the circumstances. While I worried that relying on her too heavily might be an imposition, the situation had grown too dire for such reservations.
Steeling my resolve, I established a telepathic link with my intended contact.
"Great Spirit. I require your counsel."
"What is it you seek?"
The person I addressed—the Great Spirit—manifested before me instantly. Her speed took me by surprise. I hadn't even summoned her yet, but I was grateful for such a swift response.
However, something was different about the Great Spirit's appearance. The broad strokes were the same, yet she felt fundamentally changed. Once I identified the source of my discomfort, I voiced it.
"Are you not manifesting through Yura right now?"
"I have partitioned a new portion of my essence from my main body. While I am weaker than usual in this state, I am no longer bound by the restrictions of the defense mechanism."
The Great Spirit explained this with her usual detachment. She spoke of it casually, but it was an extraordinary feat. If her explanation held true, she had made it easier to manifest herself in the physical world. Furthermore, she was essentially abandoning her duties as a defense mechanism to do so.
(Is it really wise to do such a thing?)
It was a remarkably bold move. I felt a flicker of concern, but it was not my place to interfere. The Great Spirit likely desired the freedom to move as she pleased, and I had no intention of denying her that.
Setting the thought aside, I moved to the heart of the matter.
"A troublesome situation has arisen. I want your perspective on it."
"I have already grasped the situation. I was observing through Yura," the Great Spirit stated calmly.
That simplified things. She had clearly been keeping a close watch on the state of the world. It seemed her instincts as a defense mechanism were still intact.
Fixing her gaze upon me, the Great Spirit reached her conclusion immediately.
"This time, the Will of the World has given birth to a formless, imaginary existence."
"An imaginary existence...?"
"The desires of the people are lashing out at the Demon King's Army as a phenomenon of pure destruction. If we were to name it, we might call it an Imaginary Savior."
The name she provided was remarkably apt. This opponent had appeared in the wake of the Mass Death of the Saviors. Given its lack of a physical form, "imaginary" was the perfect descriptor.
"In the wake of recent events, the weight of human expectation and disappointment regarding heroes has become too heavy to bear. There is no longer any individual capable of shouldering those feelings. As a result, an entity that is 'no one' has begun to manifest that power by proxy."
"I see..."
The Great Spirit’s explanation cleared the fog of my doubts. The Imaginary Savior was nothing more than a phenomenon. It wasn't that a specific person had been granted power; it was simply a force that produced the singular result of destroying the Demon King's Army.
Humanity’s subconscious must have reached a conclusion: no matter how many strong individuals they gathered, they could never defeat the Demon King. They craved a champion of overwhelming power, and the collective cry for such a hero had become deafening.
Yet, in reality, no such person existed. Thus, the Imaginary Savior was born.
It was no one. Because it lacked a physical body, it could never be crushed, no matter how much expectation was heaped upon it. It was the polar opposite of a Hero Awakening. It was, for all intents and purposes, a natural disaster.
No wonder our investigations had turned up nothing. The fundamental premise was flawed—there was no culprit to find. One cannot track the movements of someone who does not exist.
(Has the Will of the World finally stopped holding back?)
It seemed the world had recognized that the current Demon King could not be stopped by anyone. And so, a phenomenon that was "no one" had been appointed as his executor.
In a way, it was the ultimate form of interference. The collective consciousness of humanity had clearly decided that when it came to disposing of me, any means—no matter how abstract—would suffice.