Chapter 141: Kyubey! Can You Come Out and Talk? / A New Member Joins the Chat Group!
Operations Briefing Room.
The lingering smell of smoke and blood filled the air. Eren's face was ashen. He said nothing. The violent rage from before had settled into a bottomless gloom. He would occasionally glance at the others, his eyes filled with weariness.
Pandora's Box had been opened.
Floch leaned back in his chair, his face pale and expressionless. When the others' gazes fell on the dark red Soul Gem on his chest, his fingertips would tremble involuntarily. His mission was complete, the cost was horrific, but he had undeniably altered the course of history.
Commander Erwin tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, breaking the silence. His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Armin and Hange.
"Regarding the intelligence Floch brought back, and this new power system he has demonstrated—" he said, "it requires a deeper analysis."
Hange had been practically vibrating. She pushed up her glasses, her eyes shining with a light that was equal parts excitement and gravity. "Exactly! 'Wishes,' 'Magical Girls,' 'Witchification'—this is a completely new field!"
"Floch, your wish was 'to return to Paradis Island, to Eren Jaeger's side,' correct? And your wish was fulfilled precisely."
Floch nodded, his voice hoarse. "Yes, exactly."
Armin took a deep breath, his brow furrowed, and began his analysis. He looked at Erwin, then at the others. "Floch has already detailed Marley's propaganda and application of 'Magical Girls' and 'Witchification.' They seem to view 'Witchification' as an acceptable, even glorious, final measure."
"However," he paused, "because time was short and Floch couldn't access their core secrets, I believe their application of this power is not limited to combat. After all, the act of 'wishing,' if planned properly, is itself an incredible strategic resource."
"Judging by the fact that Marley is still expanding its Magical Girl army and the power they now possess, the act of 'wishing' must either have an upper limit, or the cost and benefit must be balanced. Have they, perhaps, already wished for blueprints of advanced technology we can't yet dream of? Or made barren land fertile again, solving their food crisis?"
He looked at Floch's garish outfit and his miraculously healed wounds. "And the power of a 'Magical Girl,' beyond combat, must have other uses. That superhuman strength and endurance, if it's sustainable, could dramatically increase the efficiency of basic infrastructure projects. Like large-scale engineering, mining for resources we can't currently reach, or moving and assembling heavy machinery."
"Although Titan powers can do some of that," he added, "could certain Magical Girls use their magic for high-precision work, like manufacturing complex instrument parts that are impossible for us right now? Or even… create small, functional magic tools to aid in production or special research? These are all potential values outside of combat, and in some areas, they're far beyond what mere 'manpower' or 'Titan power' can achieve. But Marley is already using these powers on a large scale. We've lost the initiative."
Eren's expression grew even darker. It was too late. The secret was out. All he could do was watch as the comrades he most wanted to protect walked step by step into the abyss of self-destruction, even if they didn't see it as an abyss at all. He couldn't. If, in the end, their sacrifice was still required to save Paradis, then what was the point of his return?
His chest felt like it was being crushed by a boulder. He couldn't breathe. He even began to wonder if he should just rewind time again, right now.
Commander Erwin nodded slowly, picking up where Armin left off. "In other words, during the 'wish' and 'Magical Girl' phases, the applications of the power are likely very broad. If guided properly, a 'wish' could indeed be used to acquire key technologies or change fundamental production conditions. And in the 'Magical Girl' phase, their superhuman physical traits or unique magical applications could provide a boost to resource extraction, special manufacturing, and infrastructure that is far beyond our current level. In that case, even if they provide no further value after Witchification, the overall benefits to us would still be positive."
He paused, his eyes growing deep, as if he could already see the rapid development of the side that possessed this power. "And 'Witchification'… is more like a purely strategic-level weapon of destruction. Marley is trying to romanticize it, packaging it as the 'ultimate devotion to the Empire,' but we must be clear-headed about what it truly is."
He looked at Eren. "Eren, your thoughts? This is not the time for personal feelings."
"Eren?"
Eren's eyes were somewhat vacant, his hand clutching his Soul Gem. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Right." He answered distractedly. His mind was consumed with whether to go back again, back to before Kyubey arrived, or to stay and see this through.
Given the tense situation and the looming crisis, this small change in Eren's demeanor went unnoticed by the others.
Erwin's gaze swept over the group, lingering on Floch, but seeming to look through him, at something farther away. "That small creature, Kyubey… Why did it 'save' you, Floch, and allow you to successfully bring back this critical intel? What does it truly want from us, or from this chaos?"
This question, dropped like a stone into a still pond, sent ripples of unease through the room. Everyone was lost in thought. Kyubey's actions were a mass of contradictions. It spread contracts in Marley, arming Paradis's enemies, yet it allowed Floch, a "devil from the island," to return with a warning. It sent a chill down their spines and confused them deeply. What did Kyubey want from this?
And, according to Eren's description, this creature was vastly different from humans. It didn't have clear-cut love or hate, no obvious allegiance. It just operated on its own logic, indifferent to the life and death of all others.
Armin took a deep breath and looked at Eren, whose eyes were still vacant. "Eren, this is no time to be stubborn! We have to try to understand what Kyubey wants, whatever it is. Only then can we find a way to truly deal with it, or even seek a possible negotiation or cooperation."
He raised his voice to the room at large. "Kyubey! You're nearby, aren't you?! If you can hear me, can we talk?! Whatever Marley can offer you, Paradis Island… might be able to offer as well! Or, we can discuss other terms!"
Dead silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of tense, shallow breathing. The clock on the wall ticked, each sound landing like a hammer blow.
Kyubbey did not appear as they had hoped. It was simply in some unknown corner—perhaps in the shadows of the ceiling, or a crack in the furniture—watching them with its emotionless red eyes.
…
At that moment, a notification from the contract system entered Kyubey's mind.
[Contract System · Incubator Platform: Project "[Chaotic Timelines] (Non-Linear Time Flow Analysis)" and Project "[Time Shield Fragments]" have achieved a partial research breakthrough.]
[All units will now possess a certain degree of information filtering and corresponding resistance to timeline alterations.]
…
At the same time, in a distant, separate plane of existence, a world filled with chakra and cruel jutsu. Deep within the earth, a twisted black shadow, almost one with the darkness, was carrying out its grand plan to revive its "mother."
Suddenly, an unfamiliar ripple intruded upon its senses, appearing from nowhere. A translucent interface, which clearly did not belong to this world, unfolded in its black consciousness.
[The "Non-Human Chat Group" invites you to join. Accept?]
Black Zetsu's consciousness focused slightly. What is this? An illusion? Or some new type of mental secret art I've never encountered? This sudden "invitation" made it instinctively wary, yet it also felt… different. It was completely outside the scope of its millennia of knowledge and scheming.
"Non-Human Chat Group"? An interesting name.
It weighed and analyzed the situation for a moment. In the bottomless, dark sea of its plots, a tiny, almost imperceptible ripple had formed. Perhaps this is a new… tool to be used?
It selected [Yes].
[System Notice: New member "Black Zetsu" has joined the group!]