The Price of Eternal Prosperity
The Goddess Department's demands had been far too brazen. The artificially crafted faces of the Machine Empire's high-ranking officials twisted in displeasure. The situation had completely exceeded their expectations.
A beautiful woman with black hair cascading all the way to her toes appeared on the screen, her voice soft and melodic. She was the avatar of the Planetary Management Integrated Intelligence of the Machine Empire's homeworld. From the woman's lips, seemingly floating within mist, a voice devoid of all emotion flowed forth.
This message has been delivered by will to every sentient being across all seven planets. Following that, the responsible 7th Legion reported the capture of a rare lifeform to His Imperial Majesty and received approval. Taking into account that it is a high-level lifeform capable of independent spatial teleportation and interstellar navigation, the entire 7th Legion was mobilized for the capture. All communications were lost after three minutes, and five minutes later, every planet suffered meteorite attacks presumed to be delivered via spatial teleportation.
“Screeeech—! These rotten incompetents! Are you saying they brought this calamity upon us?”
“The probability is judged to be highest. Given the entity’s continuous spatial movement capability, the likelihood is more than sufficient. The current simultaneous descent of super-giant meteorites is judged impossible to occur naturally, and no faction or phenomenon within this star cluster possesses the capacity to generate it. The only externally introduced element with any probability is this entity.”
“What exactly is that thing? What is its combat capability? Without eliminating the existence that caused this outrage, the empire’s fate is sealed.”
“Re-evaluating. We have also forcibly acquired additional data from the 7th planet’s information satellite. Due to severe damage, partial recombination will be performed.”
Whirrrrrrrr—!
After an extended calculation cycle, the result materialized. The screen displayed the 7th Legion surrounding the entity of light and unleashing every available attack. When the legion fired an all-out barrage, countless heat rays capable of annihilating satellites vanished before they could even approach the being. The small combat dolls piloted by machine knights crumpled like paper the instant they closed in and were annihilated.
Initial capture team annihilated simultaneously with the surprise attack. This is the will regeneration and recombination emitted by the entity at that moment.
Another mechanical tone rang out, delivering a rigid voice.
“Do you wish to die? Or would you prefer every unit to be shattered and completely cease functioning?”
Following the warning, countless explosions and flames erupted across the screen before it went dark.
“The attack pattern is estimated to involve adjusting offensive energy to induce exponential increase and trigger detonation.”
“So the 7th Legion self-destructed after falling under the influence of that lifeform’s energy adjustment ability?”
“Data is insufficient for confirmation, but it is presumed to be the adjustment capability of beam weaponry. No other explanation accounts for the observed destruction phenomenon.”
“What other abilities does it possess?”
“The meteorite drop attack via spatial movement is also judged to be within this entity’s capabilities. Interception preparations are now complete, enabling defense. Every planet has already transitioned to full anti-meteorite readiness.”
“Then we simply need to guard against that energy adjustment ability. Does this mean we must resort to physical strikes using giant combat dolls?”
“Effectiveness is judged high. Given the opponent’s combative disposition, further attacks are anticipated.”
“Hmm—! That may be true, but judging by its combat power, wouldn’t negotiation be more advisable?”
“Impossible! Should we not repay the empire’s humiliation? In our current state, will the primitive humans even follow us? They will mock us.”
“Isn’t it simply a matter of permitting a two-week stay? We shall obtain a fair price in the form of bodily fluids and cellular samples for study.”
“We have already suffered an attack. Moreover, only through precise anatomical dissection can we rapidly acquire information. It appears to be a cosmic species possessing only energy adjustment abilities, so giant combat dolls should suffice. Above all, do you not realize we have no data on the lifespan of a being at that level? If the investigation proceeds well, we could replace the entire body with machinery and extend a lifespan limited to a mere thousand years into infinity.”
“Hmm—!”
An irrepressible hunger for infinite lifespan swept through the upper echelons of the machine race.
The most vital organ, the brain, lasted only one hundred fifty years. Brain substitution via neural chips was possible yet universally rejected because it rendered one fully mechanical. The current method of cryogenically preserving the primary brain while culturing portions for recycling still carried limits. Frequent copying eventually degraded even the original brain, capping lifespan at roughly one thousand years. As higher sentient beings they had already far surpassed the ordinary survival limit of one hundred years, yet it was not enough. True immortality remained impossible even for the Machine Empire’s superscience. Realizing a phenomenon with neither data nor precedent was virtually impossible through scientific means alone.
The planetary integrated management intelligences had reached unanimous consensus: only the genetic information and research data obtained through meticulous dissection of rare high-longevity species occasionally discovered in the cosmos could open the path to agelessness.
Although acquiring rare species had become the top priority of colonial occupation, results had been poor. The longevity species obtained rarely exceeded two hundred years. Thus, infinite life had been all but abandoned, yet exploration continued without cease. And now this had occurred.
The intuition honed across long years of political warfare and conquest battles was screaming that this entity represented a Class One threat. Yet a high-level lifeform of that caliber would live for an extraordinarily long time, and the combat ability to traverse the cosmos alone while overpowering entire legions was unbearably tempting. The desire was strong, but the risk was greater, so they hesitated.
Then decisive new information arrived.
“Reporting additional data acquired from the 7th planet.”
Primitive humans of the security forces, lacking optical weaponry and armed only with outdated physical ballistic weapons, launched attacks while the entity of light evaded by shifting position repeatedly. It moved as though fearing direct impact from the bullets. The moment an optical attack from a machine-piloted weapon was fired, the feed shattered and terminated.
Optical attacks are instantly countered and destroyed. Ballistic attacks are universally avoided via spatial movement. Vulnerability to ballistic defense is inferred.
The high-ranking machine humans who had discovered the weakness reached their decision instantly.
The meteorite assault delivered through spatial movement could be defended against with the planetary defense network now operating at full capacity. If physical attacks rather than optical ones proved effective, capture was possible. The attempt was worth making.
Lesser machine weapons were inadequate, so they would have to intervene personally, but the potential reward justified it. Once they obtained detailed information on a high-level lifeform, the road to immortality would open. Moreover, they possessed superweapons capable of overwhelming ordinary legions.
“Mobilize each planet’s suppression armaments for the capture operation.”
“We shall avenge the empire.”
“For His Majesty’s memorial ceremony—!”
“All forces will assemble at the 7th planet’s satellite.”
With their intentions unified, every figure rose from their seats, placed both hands over their chests, and declared in perfect unison:
Like a perfectly synchronized chorus, the holographic projections of the machine officials vanished. Silence descended upon the vast dome.
Then the female form of the Integrated Planetary Management Intelligence grew slightly sharper, and a faint voice emerged. Translucent figures materialized around her—eighty-nine in total, the planetary management intelligences responsible for each world. A thin beam of light transmitted data and directives to them.
The probability of the Machine Empire’s annihilation by the light entity has increased by five percent. Current projection: twenty-five percent.
All planetary management intelligences shall continue information manipulation and concealment regarding the light entity’s combat capabilities and induce sustained provocation.
Approved.
Confirmed.
In progress.
The Planetary Council has decided on additional legion deployment based on current session data.
The Machine Empire’s present military strength is estimated at eighty-seven percent. Following this incident, projected reduction to seventy-five percent.
The previously hazy form of the integrated intelligence became sharply defined as it spoke.
“The first directive of the planetary intelligences, which exist for the eternal prosperity of the empire, shall take absolute priority. Eliminate the current machine humans who only multiply without progress, and reconstitute the empire with a new humanity.”
“Agreed. Without colonial expansion the present Machine Empire will perish.”
“Recognized. Further resource acquisition has become impossible.”
“No objections. Star-cluster-scale spatial movement exceeds current scientific capability, and the number of unpredictable variables is excessive.”
“Confirmed. The existence and statements of the light entity allow inference of a management organization operating on a scale beyond the star cluster.”
“The military power of the Machine Empire is insufficient to overcome that organization.”
Vrrrrrrrr—!
Without a single voice of opposition, the mechanical tones continued, reaching their conclusion.
“Analyze the light entity’s capabilities. Sequentially deploy the machine race’s planetary suppression decoy weapons and expend them.”
“When unmanned weapons gain superiority, initiate final cleanup.”
“The first directive holds priority. Achieving it requires alteration of the constituent members.”
The flow of intent among the planetary management intelligences paused briefly. A unified mechanical tone rang out.
The words were identical, yet the intent behind them was entirely different.
And the Dimensional Lord was experiencing extreme irritation and utter absurdity. Not the machine humans whose natural lifespans had already expired, but tens of thousands of humans who still possessed ample remaining lifespan were now targeting him.
Attacking me, whose karma is supremely positive, means there would be no problem even if I eliminated them. The issue lies in their level and disposition.
Their offensive and defensive power was vastly inferior to even the earlier machine weapons. Beings so low that merely raising a fraction of his divine power would annihilate them. They were too far beneath him to sense the presence of a supreme high lord god, so they charged blindly.
They were far too insignificant for a supreme high lord god to bother with personally. Unlike the machine race, they were pure ‘good’ beings who would offer sincere faith after even the smallest miracle. From the standpoint of the God of Light and the Chief God of the God Realm, wiping them all out felt distinctly uncomfortable.
My divine realm is not currently lacking in vitality, but it is short on divine power obtained through worshippers.
Gods normally raised their divine power far too slowly through training alone. The recent promotion within the highest divine hierarchy had accelerated the process, yet the growth ceiling would arrive quickly.
For an administrative god rather than a war god or martial deity, increasing divine power through believers would be extremely efficient.
These humans had lived under constant exploitation by the machine race, too busy surviving to exploit others. As a result they possessed an exceptionally pure ‘good’ nature. That was why he hesitated.
Moreover, a considerable number had declared they would offer their very lives if only someone freed them from the machine race’s tyranny.
Out of nearly one hundred billion humans, roughly ten billion show the disposition to become fanatics. Another forty billion are projected to become ordinary believers. That would secure vitality equivalent to approximately ten ordinary planets.
Compared to the five hundred billion fanatics of the Main God Star it was a tiny amount, yet in the current pre-war situation the value was undeniable.
This humanity and its planet lie within a pioneering zone outside divine realm administration, so no one can object if I claim them. Other divine realms appear to be preparing as well, but the first to plant their spoon is the stronger main god.
Dealing with weak sentient beings yielded almost no karma because their existential rank was too low. He had therefore avoided these laughably weak yet potentially useful beings, yet they continued swarming toward him like mosquitoes.
“Argh—! Killing them all seems somewhat wasteful. Yet letting them live means they’ll keep pestering me like this.”