(But I still can't find a lead on solving this.)
Once alone, I stop the paperwork and fall into thought.
However, brooding like this won't help.
I needed the opinion of someone knowledgeable.
I felt it might be a bother to rely on them again, but the situation didn't allow for such considerations.
Having made up my mind, I connect a mental link to the person I seek.
"Great Spirit. I need to consult with you about something."
"What is it?"
The one I address—the Great Spirit—appeared before me instantly.
I was startled by the sheer speed.
I hadn't even finished summoning her yet, but her prompt response was welcome.
However, her form was different from usual.
Broadly speaking, it was the same, but something was off.
Realizing the source of my unease, I pointed it out.
"Are you not currently possessing Yura?"
"I have newly separated a portion of my power from my main body. While it makes me weaker than my normal state, in this form I am also not bound by the constraints of the defensive mechanisms."
The Great Spirit explained matter-of-factly.
She said it so simply, yet it was an extraordinary thing.
If her explanation was true, her manifestation had apparently become easier.
On top of that, she had abandoned her role as a defensive mechanism.
(Should I really be doing something like this?)
That was a remarkably bold course of action. A flicker of concern did arise, but it wasn't something for me to worry about. The Great Spirit must want to move freely as well. I had no intention of denying that.
With that understanding settled, I moved to the main issue.
"A troublesome situation has arisen. I'd like to hear your perspective."
"I am already aware of the circumstances. I was observing through Yura."
The Great Spirit stated this in a calm tone.
If so, this would be quick. She must have been keeping an eye on world affairs as well. It seemed that her consciousness as a defensive mechanism was indeed active.
The Great Spirit, who was observing me intently, promptly delivered her conclusion.
"This time, what the will of the world has produced is an intangible, fictitious existence."
"A fictitious existence...?"
"Humanity's collective desire is attacking the Demon King's army as a pure destructive phenomenon. If one were to assign a name, it would be something like a 'Phantom Savior'."
The title the Great Spirit offered was perfectly apt. Our opponent had emerged after the mass deaths of saviors. And, given its characteristic of showing no visible form, describing it as a 'phantom' made sense.
"A series of events has caused the hope and disappointment placed in heroes to swell beyond measure. There is no single individual who can bear that weight, and as a result, a being that is no one is executing the exercise of power in their stead."
"I see..."
The Great Spirit's explanation resolved my doubts about the Imaginary Savior.
It was merely a phenomenon—not the granting of power to any specific individual.
It was something that simply caused the result of the Demon Lord Army's destruction.
The subconscious of the people had reasoned: even if a group of the strong band together, they cannot defeat the Demon Lord.
They needed an individual of overwhelming power, and the voice calling for such a hero had grown loud.
Yet in practical terms, no such person existed.
Consequently, the Imaginary Savior was born.
It was no one in particular.
Because it lacked a physical form, it could not be crushed, no matter how much hope was pinned upon it.
It could be called the opposite state of a Hero Awakening.
It had become a phenomenon akin to a natural disaster.
No matter how much they investigated, they would never find it.
The fundamental premise was that no perpetrator existed in the first place.
There was no way to track the movements of a person who was nowhere to be found.
(It seems the will of the world has finally grown serious.)
It seemed the current Demon Lord was recognized as something no one could stop.
Therefore, an entity that was no one at all became the executor.
In a sense, it is the ultimate interference.
The collective consciousness of humanity seems to have abandoned all restraint in its efforts to dispose of me.