Chapter 281: Punklorde Mentality 『 Part Seven 』
「 "Stelle, before you stands the protagonist of tonight's show." Screwllum explained calmly, "She left a backdoor in the office, intending to hack in remotely the moment you entered the Simulated Universe, and then accompany us by some method."
"I must say, she is also a consummate actor; confusing the audience is always the most effective method."
"So you knew from the very beginning?"
"Apologies, Herta forbade me from revealing any information in advance. She said that in this plan, what mattered was not wisdom, but ignorance." Screwllum paused, then continued, "But in my view, what mattered most was persistence and sincerity. Undoubtedly, Mr. Leonard's every move completely captivated our guest."
"So, regarding this tour of the Simulated Universe, are you satisfied—Miss Silver Wolf?"
Silver Wolf crossed her arms and let out a cold laugh: "Hmph, you discovered it ages ago. I knew hiding it from you wouldn't be that simple." She looked at Screwllum, who was slowly walking toward her, "All that idle chatter along the way, that was all meant for my ears, right?"
"So, the shutdown of the Simulated Universe, the dispute with Herta, it was all an act? Just to lure me into the trap?"
"That depends on your understanding. Herta and I always speak our minds; such sharp exchanges are indeed commonplace—to call it entirely a performance would be inaccurate."
Silver Wolf turned her head away and gave a light hmph.
"See, Miss Silver Wolf is truly a brilliantly talented hacker; she calculated everything, leaving ample room for variables and contingencies. The only variable was my sudden visit to the Space Station, and the bad news of the Simulated Universe's shutdown. This would have caused her layout to fall one step short of success."
Counting her desperate gamble to break into the Simulated Universe afterward… in Screwllum's view, this was the full picture.
"Full picture? No, no, you've got the most crucial point wrong." Silver Wolf shook her head, "I wasn't taking a desperate gamble, I was itching to try, understand? Screwllum, do you know how excited I was the moment you appeared?"
"A well-matched opponent… how long has it been since I enjoyed this kind of fun? The Legion are primitives, the IPC is lacking that certain something, and only the Genius Society can give me some amusement." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Demon Slayer World〜
In the courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, moonlight poured down like water. The Hashira gathered together, discussing the young girl appearing in the sky curtain.
"This 'Hacker' is truly marvelous. When she and Kafka came to the Space Station back then, my attention was focused on Kafka's Spirit Whisper, and I neglected Silver Wolf's methods."
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, pressed his palms together, two lines of tears streaming down his face.
"Looking at it now, the miraculous nature of her methods is in no way inferior to the 'Spirit Whisper'… wielding no blade or sword, yet deciding victory from a thousand miles away."
"I actually feel that a 'Hacker' is stronger than Kafka's Spirit Whisper. Even Kafka wouldn't dare to lightly say something like 'The Legion is primitives,' right?"
Obanai Iguro tapped his finger lightly against his knee:
"Listening to this little girl's tone, combined with the strength that rivals a genius like Screwllum… I fear the IPC really is a place she can come and go from as she pleases."
Giyu Tomioka sat quietly to the side, and upon hearing this, raised his eyes slightly:
"Apologies, I have a question—I've been hearing them say things like 'hack in,' 'computer,' and 'silicon-based matrix' since just now… do you all know the meaning of these words? Also, you've been discussing this 'Hacker' for so long, do you know what one does?"
"…"
Before Giyu Tomioka's voice had even faded, the scene fell into a deathly silence.
Hearing Screwllum constantly mention "Hacker," the group had simply assumed it was some miraculous technique from Punklorde, but when it came to digging deeper into what aspects it involved, everyone had a different opinion.
Gyomei Himejima believed it was a means of remotely projecting one's figure and voice; Mitsuri Kanroji thought it was a method of sealing monsters inside walls; Obanai Iguro, who had listened most attentively, believed it was a technique for editing reality to facilitate the Stellaron Hunters' escape from the IPC's pursuit.
"It seems like blind men touching an elephant…"
Shinobu Kocho let out a "pfft" of laughter.
"Their technology has long exceeded our imagination. Even among the Stellaron Hunters, it feels like that Mr. Blade is a bit 'closer' to us."
—
「 "Reality is indeed a game—but if you can't have fun, what's the point of the game? Two geniuses joining hands to hand me an invitation, a letter of challenge; how could I not happily accept? If it were you, could you?"
Screwllum: "You were certain you could retreat unscathed."
"That's right." Silver Wolf tapped her wrist a few times, looking at the aether cartridge flashing with white light beside her. "And I'm taking this with me."
"Oh? A copy? Was it completed during the conversation just now?"
"Otherwise, why play along with so much opening dialogue? You're not the only one stalling for time. Herta might be reverse-hacking along the channel I used to invade; you and I staying here to attack and defend is just like a replay of that last duel."
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it! How are you going to stop me this time? Treat the Simulated Universe as a black box? Unite with the IPC for a cross-galaxy encirclement? Screwllum, will I get to see your true strength?"
Silver Wolf still intended to ask him to let her have some fun, but Screwllum simply bowed like a gentleman, his voice unhurried: "Apologies, Miss Silver Wolf. None of what you anticipate will happen. Now, you may leave."
Silver Wolf was instantly dumbfounded: "Huh?" 」
「 ..... 」
〜Dragon Raja World〜
Cassel College, 200 meters underground in the library.
Finger Von Frings let out a "Huh" at almost the exact same moment as Silver Wolf.
"Are you kidding me? What is this? He's not taking the bait at all?"
Finger Von Frings messed up his messy white hair.
"This is like preparing a confession for three days and three nights, only for the other person to say, 'You're a nice guy'!"
The projection of a girl in a white gauze dress appeared in the air. She floated barefoot above the console, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall. Norma tilted her head slightly.
"Finger, do you require me to analyze the female party's psychology for you?"
"It was a metaphor! A metaphor!"
Finger Von Frings emphasized repeatedly.
"I was even planning to have you try and parse the data generated by their offensive and defensive duel; maybe we could have repurposed it."
Hearing this, Norma shook her head gently.
"Regrettably, Finger, I fear that cannot be parsed."
"You think you can't handle it before you've even started?"
Finger Von Frings paused for a moment.
"Show me the spirit you had when you breached the Pentagon!"
"Breaching the Pentagon is simple, but that is a different matter entirely from the technology in the Sky Curtain,"
Norma stated truthfully.
"The technology currently mastered by the IPC… Earth would likely need to undergo dozens of technological revolutions and pass through thousands of years of development before it could even possibly 'comprehend' their technology. As for the offensive and defensive data generated by these two geniuses…"
Finger Von Frings saw a rare expression of difficulty on Norma's face.
"Alright, I was rash."
Finger Von Frings stood up and dusted off his pants.
"But, Norma, if there were a chance, would you want to witness the clash between these two?"
"If the premise is that their data would not overload my floating-point calculations and cause a shutdown… then I would certainly be willing."
—
( Translator-kun: Looks like the iconic crying scene is about to happen... )