"...I assure you that fusion typically doesn't require such barbaric methods." Ugh. But then, it is fitting for a malicious entity to operate in such a manner. The talk of gallows was one of Crow's first hints that something was amiss.

Hmm, but that description does align with the other timeline, doesn't it? "That stands to reason, seeing how it was Sparrow's life that Maruki used as a bartering chip. Perhaps the trick, then, would be to ensure your world's version of me survives. Do that, then even if Maruki does ascend in Yaldabaoth's stead, he will have one less tool to use against Akira."