Zeroy and Patchouli had completed their mission in the High School DxD world and returned to the Main God Space.
After returning, they carefully studied the inheritances left behind by the God of the Bible. All of them appeared problem-free to Patchouli, although that might be because the God of the Bible's safeguard was subtle enough that even she couldn't detect it.
Out of caution, Patchouli selected only the inheritance she judged the least problematic and the most reliable for Zeroy.
After Zeroy examined it, Patchouli activated it in the special safety of the Main God Space. Within its boundaries, it was absolutely safe; no means could truly harm a Reincarnator. If neither Patchouli nor Zeroy could be certain, the Main God Space itself would judge.
The inheritance Zeroy ultimately chose was [Bible], a legacy tied to part of the God of the Bible's faith. By acquiring and fully integrating it, Zeroy, to some extent, assumed the God of the Bible's place in myth.
Yet what she assumed was only the most superficial shell. For Zeroy, it was equivalent to taking over the other's name for use; beyond that, there remained little connection. Put another way, Zeroy had put on the God of the Bible's skin.
In Patchouli's personal space inside the Main God Space—the repository—mana lamps glowed and the stacks were suffused with the faint scent of parchment and magic.
Zeroy leaned against a desk, a soft, mysterious power of faith coalescing in her hand. The light coursed through her fingertips like liquid starlight, carrying a hint of comforting warmth.
"I honestly thought faith was the most likely thing to be tampered with…" she murmured, her emerald eyes flicking to Patchouli. Her tone was deliberately measured: part musing to herself, part ensuring the witch could hear every word.
Patchouli consulted a grimoire while processing the spoils of the mission. She averted her gaze from Zeroy's remark and exhaled lightly; a trace of helplessness crossed her violet eyes.
Her fingertips brushed the runes printed on the page as her voice combined scholarly rigor with indulgence for a friend.
"I won't explain the principles in detail, since you wouldn't understand," she said. "In short: if you are a being born of faith, or you heavily depend on the power of faith, then your intuition is correct." She closed the book. "Conversely, an inheritance of the power of faith is precisely the most superficial and the hardest force for you to assimilate."
Seeing Zeroy frown slightly, Patchouli offered a more intuitive metaphor. "Explained in terms you can grasp—it's like water and oil.
The power of faith is water: when it meets another [water] existence, it naturally merges and exerts influence; when it meets [oil], however, it's difficult to penetrate and assimilate."
"I see." Zeroy nodded thoughtfully, then her expression changed in an instant and she cast an annoyed look at Patchouli. "By the way, Patchi, I don't like that condescending attitude you just had—take it back!" There was a hint of threat in her tone.
Patchouli blinked, then rolled her eyes with petulant indulgence. "Don't be childish. I'll add it to you—don't make trouble here."
"Tsk." Zeroy clicked her tongue, a mischievous smile tugging at her mouth. "Looks like that night you didn't beg enough, witch?" Before the words finished, she flashed forward and pounced at Patchouli like a leopard.
"—! Don't leap on me, idiot!" Patchouli cried out, her purple hair splaying in fluster and her cheeks immediately flushed with a rare pink. The grimoire slipped from her hands; the repository rang with the sound of their play as candlelight danced across their entwined forms, sketching a warm, intimate scene.
…
At the same time, Zeroy received part of the God of the Bible's inheritance that contained recorded speeches and manifestos.
"The United Nations, perched upon the high seat like vermin… this was never what I wanted. I never intended to attack my own kind—once, we fought side by side, we created this splendid civilization together, and we drove away the shadows brought by the collapse and the Lord of Laws.
"But the United Nations—you betrayed me. You betrayed all of us! You stole the forbidden power brought by the collapse and lied to your kinsmen and warriors.
"Humanity now has only one last chance at revival, pests—if you cannot seize it, then let me complete it! Let the war begin! From Earth's sky to the edge of the galaxy, let the seas of stars boil, let the constellations fall. Even if it drains the last drop of blood, I will see humanity liberated again! If I cannot save it from your failures, my brethren—then let the galaxy burn!"
"..."
"The Collapse Fission Base determines the success of the Sky Net weapons. It's about increasing the regional deterrence radius, ensuring the sky belongs to Hafk's blade. It's our accelerator for realizing a resource-equal society and building a new world.
"But now, the base coordinates have been leaked to the United Nations by those daft, murderous Poison Pupae. Since they want this place to become a new storm center, then so be it! Beta-series missiles will assist you in annihilating the enemy. Today let these rotten horses learn Hafk's wrath and storm!"
"...Do you think you are martyrs? No—you are maggots parasitizing the veins of order! You rip apart cities with violence! You gnaw at civilization with greed, you stain children's eyes with lies! Look at this Sky Net: every data stream records your crimes. Every surveillance matrix measures the depth of your depravity. You will relearn to breathe under omnidirectional supervision, relearn to understand pain, relearn to recognize order!
"When the Sky Net is activated, the algorithms will seep into your rotten flesh and purge your filth utterly!"
"..."
"Don't pray to return to the past; our clock can return to zero, but we can never return to yesterday. Don't ask me when this war will end. Hafk's schedule contains no such word—from the terror attack at the Spaceport City opening to the bomb at the Babel Tower brain–machine unveiling. People refuse to believe the goodwill of idealists; people only believe bullets are the truth, and we have no choice.
"We will not only march northward or southward; we will fight across the world, so that the globe fully comprehends the grand enterprise Hafk intends to create. We no longer expect you fools to understand Hafk!"
...
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