Chapter 1028 Moment of Advent: Part Four, Zero Three (2/2)
They would often ask with doubt in their words, even a strong measure of attack. ”All of you have no way to ensure anything, do you? If the divine armaments would turn on the user, isn't it simply deaths for mortals like us who possess no Extraordinary power?”
It was for various reasons that they would refuse the change, and yet their doubts could not actually be considered mistaken. As a bare minimum, the developers of divine armament bonding had thought about that question even as they created it.
And the answer to all those questions was 'whatever'.
Was it not safe? Then it was working. There were no complete assurances of safety in anything in the world. The only recommendation for absolute security was to die and indeed, not even death itself was peaceful because the greatest of champions could reverse entropy and time by force even if someone should die, pulling the person back to the living, kicking, and screaming.
Even the initial form of the human body was not safe: with the possibility of various hereditary illness, natural defects that develop in pregnancy such as pygmy, would those elements not be more dangerous than divine armaments which were artificial and striving for perfection? Others notwithstanding, toothaches, appendicitis, digestive issues, cancer…which of such things were neither painful nor threatening to humankind?
Moreover, as compared to the divine armaments which appeared to have no issue as of the present, humans should have been most alert against other things—including car accidents, otherworld trips, running and crashing into something sharp, the recoil from a spell that they were learning, withering and dying due to excessive training on combat aura…there were untold ranks of people dying in their own cultivation of Extraordinary power across worlds, just as there were none who did not attempt learning magic or combat aura as weapons or tools.
One should especially note how many people had died violently day by day after their training had went awry.
In that respect, the divine armaments could avoid most of the aforementioned dangers.
They were psionic forms and weapons bonded to a human, altering their partner's body starting from the moment of the bonding ritual, allowing the person to reach natural perfection. He would be able to avoid sudden ambushes, be warned about dangerous places, cautioned before a spell recoil, or even share the recoil with the user. Moreover, the divine armament could be a guide for their companion if they trained in combat aura, or at least prepare a will for them if the partner would live their life alone (with some notifying the city guard or the partner's parents).
It was possible that something untoward might happen to divine armament bonding in the days to come, such as a bunch of rejects who relied on the divine armaments for every little thing—but in the first place, such individuals would have planned to live off their elders and were basically refuse in every sense of the word. That was one respect where the divine armament would keep them in check.
With that being said, it was not impossible for divine armaments to develop negative side effects to their partners—for instance, when the divine armament would be simply so pressured by a reject of a partner and hence retaliate in rage, because that made perfect sense. Still, they were ultimately psionic bodies nurtured and grown in their partner's soul and body, and any retaliation would at most be a split in psyche and akin to forcing the left hand to slap the right. Nonetheless, such examples had yet to happen at all and should not be used as a rebuttal.
Be that as it may, there were certainly some who did not attempt divine armament bonding out of such shallow reasoning.
Outside Tidesong General, a middle-aged man who was not especially advanced in age leveled a gaze of mixed emotions towards the hospital. He could sense his own son and daughter-in-law inside, and his…grandson, or granddaughter?
Well, who cares? One way or another, they were rejoicing and enfolded in a moment of bliss.
But even as he had become a grandfather now, there was a myriad of feelings in his heart.
”Divine armaments, huh…”
The man called Furstner Chris—formerly known as Chris Radcliffe before using his first name as his last—breathed a long sigh. ”Is this fate?”
His father had wanted it, for the sake of authority and as the embodiment of duty.
He did not want it, for the sake of freedom and to avoid duty.
However, his own son had lived until now without knowing a thing about all that, just as his grandchild had obtained it in the same ignorance.
A causality and cycle, a yearning and desire had entangled four generations, once again returning a link to a family with blood ties to the House of Radcliffe. He could actually hear the divine armament which had yet to obtain Self cheering and resonating, a ritual derived out of the Radcliffe pact feeling elation precisely because it had felt the blood of original owners.
”Lucky little fellow, grandchild of mine…unlike myself who has no right to possess it because I had avoided duty, you know nothing at all about anything, nor do you need to shoulder any responsibility… it is because someone had severed the fate of bloodlines that you could grow with such freedom.”
And the chain of causality of the Radcliffe family had now connected every human being, even every intelligent entity to exist in the future.
The middle-aged man sighed, soaking in his own feelings quietly even as a blonde woman gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Sophie, believing that her husband was feeling sentimental because he was now a grandparent, whispered, ”Stop sighing, old man. It's a good thing.”
”Right, it is good…wait a moment, you! I'm not old!”
Having agreed by reflex, Chris was left in enrage when he realized what his wife really said while she placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
”I'll show you how awesome I am—and give Fafnir another sibling!”
***
”…Right. It is all good.”
Over the skies of Tidesong city, an Avian girl with blue hair and black wings looked out over the city, focusing at the General Hospital with a gaze of mixed emotions
Zero Three was watching the human and fairy—a physical being and a psionic being—giving birth to the next generation, shaking her head in what could have been either helplessness or joy. ”Are the people of the Radcliffe bloodline born with a preference for non-humans? To actually put the moves to a fairy…”
”Still, it is well. If not for me having directed resources for such research…humph! Would those two have so quickly discovered how to bond so quickly? But as expected, I have the right idea—the procreation looks perfect.”
The procreation of human beings had changed, as she and countless others worked diligently.
All was well.
The AI who had driven the developments from behind the scenes nodded slightly and then turned to look over all of Tidesong City.
Naturally, the many bonded divine armaments were reflected into her eyes.
”…Really, never thought that such a day would come.”
Zero Three had watched as the creation of her former home world developed bit by bit until it reached its present state. She had seen the divine armaments working diligently alongside herself and the Moldavian Liege's Residence, gradually developing something that was necessary for both Mycroft's present and future. Though she was glad, she still felt a little troubled.
Every effort and struggle were being rewarded… but could that man see it now?
He could. Most definitely.
”Joshua, the cosmos is not all peaceful at the moment… the hearts of all beings are actually shaken.”
With that thought, Zero Three logged on to the Mana Net as if it was natural. As a Spirit Terminal in human form, one of the chief administrators of the system and an authority in the Mycroft civilization, she could certainly connect herself across the cosmos and learned of many secrets that civilians would not know.
And she could see that many rather unhappy posts and anonymous threads were popping up in various forums.
[Another Multiverse Joint Assembly—even the Third Cosmic Invitationals is simply canceled. Is something huge about to happen again?]
[Crackdown on Mana Net during Council, terms to be prohibited in forums (attachments)]
[Rumor has it that something has happened over at the other side of the cosmos. Lost contact with every online acquaintance from the Piroth galaxy—been playing Grand Colosseum together but connection was cut halfway through, although I've been getting used to it in the recent few years.]
[Prayer and donation. Everyone online is family. We are all the Alliance.]
[What use is prayers or donations? The officials have already sent reinforcements, with the word being that the Legendary swordsman and the new Pope are leading the forces. Civvies like us just have to wait for news.]
[Sigh. Even if we are clearly so far away, there is the sense of panic regardless for some reason…]
Zero Three was browsing through anonymous discussion threads, a place of confidential discourse where the real thoughts of the public were conveyed compared to the official threads where public statements or instructions were posted. Though not all of the public were informed about the fact of the impending invasion of Chaos and darkness, but the sharper ones amongst the people would always feel nervous and imagine certain things when society became ever jumpier and more and more signs presented themselves.
”It's been three years since the army that Brandon and Roland led has left for the Piroth galaxy... Even if the Shadow Space which the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds and the Wise One of Shadow casted to connect every world makes communication considerably easier, the Evil Gods could likewise easily invade every world if they could not repel them.”
Zero Three's face darkened at the very thought. ”Even after having decrypted the Unified Archives, and managed and embodied the Mana Net, all I could do is stay in the rear…it always feels like I'm not much help to everyone, even if I did do something with the divine armaments.”
However, there was nothing she could do even if she was dissatisfied—having ascended to what was defined as Legend with the legacy from the God of the Skies and the other Legend in the Liege's Residence, Zero Three still clearly knew that she was bad at fighting and would not be helpful.
With that thought, she opened a high clearance forum, finding no one conversing and that the latest two posts were made days ago.
Even so, the posts were shocking.
The first, uploaded by User ID 'Love. Physical Evangelism. Kindness' revealed the present state of the Piroth Galaxy in the anonymous discussion.
On one of its previously uninhabited fringe systems, the Knowers' repeated confirmation allowed Mycroft explorers to excavate a major Forerunner ruin dating back to the age of the Wise One of Arcane.
However, that relic realm was now a fortress sector—there were now major stretches of fortresses and fortifications around the ruins like ramparts forged from metals, an immeasurably sturdy perimeter that tightly protected the entire sector.
Hundreds of civilizations had poured out their lifeblood here to reinforce the defenses: one could see dozens of different styles in the perimeter combined with every corresponding variant of Extraordinary power. The powerful ripples of supernatural distorted the very light of the sector, causing the sides of Piroth to glimmer in a rainbow hue.
The second post by User ID 'Shielding Sword' was an interpretation of the ancient literature uncovered from the Forerunner ruins.
[A lost text from the civilization called Barod, with long and complicated contents describing their civilization's history, progress, and key technology. I have uploaded more vital data to Sector Omega on the Unified Archives—it is browsable with the password]
[But what is important to us isn't information, but their regret and lament before their fall.]
['We made the wrong choice in castrating civilization grade to avoid the Evil Gods. After falling to Class Two, though the Evil Gods did not attack as planned, their spawn did not ignore us, and the more they came the more interested the Evil Gods would be…it is as the Wise One had said, escaping resolves nothing, for we had in turn been 'resolved'.']
[There has been much negativity in the Mana Net and morale-hurting intentions to escape, and there are just as many whom we personally know wanting to hide in the Shelter World…to tell the truth, that is the last resort after we are defeated. No one is allowed to live inside without bleeding, and I hope everyone could make arrangements, guide the discussion, and keep the pessimism in check.]
The user's words were strong and seemingly voiced in anger, and strict if not harsh.
[Escape is futile. Like the man has always said, there is only a chance of survival by directly facing the tribulation. No victory would be gained out of no reason, and we must fight so that the Shelter World can be activated safely.]
”Right, it just as the man had said…”
Hovering in the skies, Zero Three looked up, her gaze piercing clouds to reach the Void. ”Just as you had said.”
”Even so, when would you really appear before us and personally say those words?”
The artificial intelligence clearly knew that it would not be long—the great pulse in the depths of the Mana Net and the core of the Vortex of Creation had become ever more rapid and profound.
”This is the eight year since you have left the normal cosmos for the Vortex of Creation.”
***
Indeed, it had been eight years since Joshua van Radcliffe had entered the Vortex of Creation.
The moment of advent was approaching.