Chapter 365
Chapter 365
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 365
Chapter Title: The Worst Project (3)
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“Miro’s space-time is balanced at a midpoint between Heaven and this place. Let's call it pressure, to make it easier to understand. Essentially, the pressures from both sides are equal, crushing Miro’s domain. But what would happen if the pressure from one side suddenly vanished?”
Shirone shuddered as he imagined Gaold's words.
“Pop! Miro's domain would shatter into a million pieces. That's why we can't bring her out. The moment she created that dimensional wall, she was trapped there.”
“But Heaven's position would be different.”
“Right. Heaven couldn't care less whether Miro lives or dies. All they have to do is break through the dimensional wall and invade. The recent crack in Miro's space-time is a good example.”
“Is that even possible? The pressure must be immense.”
“It's not impossible if the archangels conspire. Those beings wield the power from the very moment the universe began. Ikael of Amplification. Kariel of Birth, Uriel of Destruction, and so on. It was almost the end of everything. But Miro is a once-in-a-generation genius in the human world. That's probably why she became Guffin's successor. In any case, if she managed to stop the crack, she must have entered a deep meditative state. Since she can't wake up on her own, we have to assume the situation has worsened. That's why we need to reinforce our strength. And that, Shirone, is you.”
A heavy burden pressed down on Shirone's chest.
There were countless powerful people in the world. He couldn't understand why Gaold would single him out, of all people.
“What is it that I can do?”
“In ancient times, the Nephilim guided humans to Heaven. But after Guffin's erasure, it was discovered that pure Nephilim no longer exist. All that remains are Guffin's ruins. In other words, Heaven has no way of reaching us without Guffin's ruins. Therefore, we…”
Gaold paused. It was the wariness that came at the moment a secret known only to Kangnan and himself had to finally reach a third party's ears.
“…will hack the Akashic Records and change this world's coordinates.”
“Hack… the Akashic Records?”
The statement was so absurd he didn't even have a chance to decide whether he liked it or not.
Above all, the Akashic Records were the sum of all laws, changing the parts through the whole. Regardless of its feasibility, meddling with it could lead to catastrophic consequences.
“Is this really okay? If you change the coordinates…”
Even if the meaning of a single word were to change, this world would become completely different. People spoke lightly of Guffin's erasure, but no one truly knew what the world was like before it.
“Of course, it could be a disaster for humanity. But that won't happen. We're not trying to change the coordinates between planets.”
“Then…?”
Gaold raised his index finger and said.
“We're changing the primordial coordinates.”
Shirone was speechless for a moment. It took him a considerable amount of time to understand what he meant.
“You mean, the beginning of the universe?”
“Yes. It would be a 4-dimensional coordinate, adding time to the 3-dimensional spatial coordinates. To be precise, it's 11-dimensional. If we change the primordial coordinates, the events after creation will not change. Then, in the end, Heaven will no longer be able to find us.”
“Because the absolute value has changed, even if the relative values remain the same.”
It was different from Guffin's erasure. It wasn't about resetting the world, but changing the reset point itself.
As if to say he understood perfectly, Gaold nodded.
“Exactly. Because the coordinates have changed, the pressure on Miro will also disappear. Then we can escape with her. After that, all we have to do is seal all of Guffin's ruins scattered across the world. It'll be goodbye to Heaven forever.”
For the first time, the operation started to feel plausible to Shirone.
Of course, its success was far from guaranteed, but it was at least theoretically possible. And if something is theoretically possible, humans will eventually find a way to achieve it.
*We can avoid the final war. No one has to die.*
Having processed that much, Shirone asked.
“If I were to join the project, what role would I play?”
Gaold liked Shirone's use of the conditional 'if.' He was a boy accustomed to assuming the worst-case scenario, and such caution would be beneficial to the team.
“The Akashic Records are in Ingris of Jebel. But Heaven can only travel freely from a higher plane to a lower one. Therefore, to enter Jebel without a fight, we must pass through Araboth.”
Shirone recalled his experience in Heaven. If Ikael hadn't invited him to Araboth, he would never have been able to even approach Jebel, the sanctuary of the angels.
“So, the key is how to break through Araboth. Heaven's security devices are mostly designed as Mecha Systems. Therefore, we will paralyze the Mecha System and infiltrate Ingris.”
“Is that possible?”
Having experienced firsthand how sophisticated Heaven's Mecha System was, Shirone found it hard to agree.
“We'll use the ancient weapon, Tagis. It's a weapon that generates a powerful electromagnetic pulse, an EMP. A strike with Tagis can temporarily shut down the Mecha System. However, there's one uncertainty.”
Shirone's face tensed. He knew that eliminating that uncertainty would be his responsibility.
“The Akashic Records in Ingris reboot within two minutes via an auxiliary memory device in case of an abnormal shutdown. In other words, we only have two minutes to change the primordial coordinates.”
“What if we use Tagis on the auxiliary memory device too?”
Seeing that Shirone had the same thought as him, Gaold burst out laughing.
“We considered that, too. But our investigation revealed that the auxiliary memory device is not a Mecha System.”
The Mecha System was a technology similar to magitechnology, based on electrical power, and was optimized for systematically classifying the Akashic Records.
“If it's not a Mecha System, then what else could possibly store the Akashic Records?”
As Shirone pondered, something suddenly flashed in his mind.
“Don't tell me…”
Gaold nodded with a grave expression.
“That's right. Besides Ingris, Heaven has another Akashic Record. Anke La.”
Shirone's heart pounded as he guessed what Gaold was trying to say.
“Anke La is presumed to be the first living being to perceive the universe. And it created Ingris for perfect control. As long as that thing is intact, we'll ultimately be racing against time. But what if the opposite were true? The mission's success rate would skyrocket.”
Shirone let out a deep sigh.
“Are you asking me to assassinate Anke La?”
Gaold waved his hand as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’
“No, no. You've got it all wrong. I'm telling you to blow Heaven away.”
Shirone's eyes widened as if he'd been struck by lightning.
Destroy Heaven? Setting aside the absurdity, it didn't even make sense logically.
He could vividly picture the vastness of Heaven just by closing his eyes. By what means could he possibly blow it away?
“How can I do something that even you, the Association President, cannot?”
It was a question that hit the nail on the head. But Gaold's eyes were filled with conviction.
“You can do it. No, Ataraxia can do it. The reason I blocked your attack wasn't because Ataraxia is weak. It was because your Photon Cannon was weak.”
Even Shirone couldn't deny that.
Ataraxia's original owner was the Archangel Ikael. And she had a history of amplifying the volcanic activity of Galliante by 20,000 times to wipe out the Kergo tribe in an instant.
“But it's the same thing. Only I can use Ataraxia, and it's impossible to increase the power of the Photon Cannon in a short period of time.”
“That's why I'm asking you. I thought that maybe you could find a way.”
Shirone was frustrated. It seemed Gaold was so engrossed in the project that he couldn't understand reason.
“Even if you say that, how on earth…”
“Shirone.”
Gaold's gaze pierced through Shirone.
“You can. No, you must. Increasing the power of the Photon Cannon is one way, sure. But if that's impossible, find another method. Ataraxia is a magic more powerful than any ancient weapon possessed by the Holy War. Strive to understand everything about Ataraxia. And find a way. A genius isn't someone who runs quickly down a path others have paved. A genius is someone who creates something from nothing. You've developed countless spells through your unique Schema until now. I'm betting on that genius of yours.”
Gaold held up one finger.
“One year. Within the next year, you will develop a magic with destructive power exceeding Heaven's durability. The best-case scenario is blowing away all seven skies. If not, you must at least create a force powerful enough that they cannot restore the Mecha System.”
Shirone was speechless. His mind was so full of thoughts it felt like it would explode. Gaold, on the other hand, returned to his calm expression and put a cigar in his mouth.
“This is everything you get to hear as a reward for passing. If you succeed in this—no, if you can even grasp a sliver of a possibility—you will join the advance team in a year.”
Shirone sank into careful thought. Then, he played his final, saved card.
“Do you really think I would do such a thing? Something that could kill countless subjects of Heaven?”
“Well. That's something to think about in a year. You can make your decision then. Even if you refuse, we're still going to Heaven. We won't blame you, either. If you join this project, you'll become an enemy not just of the Holy War, but of the entire world. On the other hand, there's nothing I can give you.”
“I have one condition.”
At the words, which were close to a half-acceptance, Kangnan looked back with a puzzled expression.
It was a life-threatening task, and the mission was next to impossible. If things went wrong, he would become a traitor to the world, and even if he succeeded, he would gain nothing.
But Shirone's response contained none of that calculation.
This time, even Gaold couldn't help but be surprised.
*Does this mean he's unshaken by anything other than his own conviction? Yes... perhaps you could be my savior.*
Gaold feigned composure as he lit his cigar.
“Alright, speak. If it helps the project, I'll support you in any way I can.”
“If I gain the ability to destroy Heaven, and if we reach that point…”
“If we reach that point?”
“I will only cast the spell after I've met someone I absolutely must see. If that doesn't happen, I will not take any action.”
“Hmm.”
Gaold held the cigar between his fingers and looked up at the ceiling. He had a vague idea of who Shirone wanted to meet.
*Ikael, I see.*
The archangel who passed Ataraxia down to Shirone.
Of course, meeting her would be for personal reasons, but now there was another reason he had to meet her.
But was it really possible? Factoring that in would drastically increase the mission's difficulty.
But refusal was not an option. If Shirone could truly find a way to neutralize Anke La, the benefit would be incomparable to the increased difficulty.
“I won't ask who it is. But why do you want to meet them? Is it worth making an enemy of the world?”
Shirone answered the question with one of his own.
“Why are you trying to save Miro, even if it means making an enemy of the world?”
A puff of cigar smoke burst from Gaold's mouth.
“Heh heh, alright. I don't need to tell you, but today's business is top secret. For the time being, stay here. I'll provide you with things that will be helpful for this task. It will also help with your school life. You'll want to graduate before you die, I imagine.”
“Thank you.”
There was no need to refuse. Now that they were in the same boat, this much assistance was to be expected.
Once the conversation was over, Shirone rose from the sofa and walked to the door. He gripped the doorknob and stood lost in thought for a long moment before he managed to speak.
“I've met Miro.”
“…Is that so.”
The reply was surprisingly bland.
The incident of being hijacked by Miro in the Infinite Realm was something only Alpheas and his friends knew about, but Gaold, who had been tracking Shirone's movements, had vaguely anticipated it.
*Did I say something I shouldn't have?*
He had spoken out of a sense of responsibility. But Gaold's calm demeanor might have meant he was hurt beyond the scope of understanding.
“Well, I'll be going.”
The moment Shirone pulled the door open, Gaold spoke.
“Is… she doing well?”
Shirone recalled that time.
Even thinking back now, it wasn't exactly a pleasant meeting. She had tried to trap him in her space-time, and he had only managed to return to his original body by passing through a black hole.
Shirone turned back to Gaold, smiled, and said.
“Just as I'd heard, she's quite an eccentric person.”
“…”
Shirone left, and the door closed.
Gaold was lost in thought for a long time. Then, he let out a short laugh and stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray.
“He's a good kid.”
Kangnan said with his usual cold expression.
“Yes. Unlike you, Association President.”