[The death of Propagation spreads like pale ink dissolving in the salty sea. Preservation is stripping away THEIR fragmented shell, body, and heart…]
[Folds of shell and tremors of divine sound are concealed beneath the splashing of colorful blood. Primordial eggs bearing fangs and tentacles flee and stream from THEIR side and feet, only to die the instant they leave THEIR shell! THEIR juices coat the earth; a grand birth occurs amid fervent death — amid the eggs' joyful scattering!]
["So Propagation just died like that?" Watching the divine war draw to a close, Stelle looks toward Herta beside her. She still has many questions she wants to ask.]
["Judging from the traces of swarm activity across the cosmos, I always feel the Path of Propagation doesn't show the expected withering after Tayzzyronth's fall. But THEY did indeed fall…" Herta lets out an almost inaudible hum. "Yet some secret intelligence makes me suspect: Tayzzyronth may ultimately return. How likely? That's hard to evaluate."]
["Herta, how many Aeons appeared during the entire Swarm Disaster?" All along this simulation journey, Stelle feels as though Aeons have been watching her every moment.]
["Are you testing me?" Herta blurts out. "Terminus, Propagation, Voracity, Order, Preservation, Elation, Trailblaze, Remembrance, and Harmony, Equilibrium."]
["Among them, Propagation, Voracity, and Order all disappeared. Terminus scatters cryptic mutterings, Trailblaze witnesses everything, Preservation ends the calamity, Elation tries to set the cosmos ablaze, and Equilibrium… this Aeon is far too mysterious. The Think Tank only records THEM returning the suns of a few worlds; beyond that, there's no further information."]
["But compared to that, right now the most important thing is that Screwllum and I are already starting to get headaches — how exactly do we prevent simulated Aha from influencing the Simulated Universe in turn?"]
[The Simulated Universe test concludes, and Stelle also receives the reward she wanted from Herta. But Herta tells her that in a few system hours Screwllum will visit the space station, and in a few days Ruan Mei will come in person. If Stelle wants to meet him, she can go with Asta to receive him.]
[After giving Asta a simple briefing, Stelle joins the crowd at the elevator entrance to wait. As the elevator begins to move, Asta — unusually — becomes nervous. She clears her throat and tells everyone to prepare.]
[As the doors slowly open, Asta gracefully bows. Stelle, however, is drawn by a glowing butterfly fluttering past and doesn't lower her head until Arlan elbows her.]
["Assumption: thought always precedes language; thus no words can define this joy." An elegant mechanical gentleman slowly raises his left hand, letting the butterfly alight on his fingertip. "A pleasure to meet you, Asta."]
——
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
"So he's Genius Society #76?"
Darkness stares wide-eyed in some surprise. They aren't hearing the name Screwllum for the first time — back when Kafka visited the space station, they'd already seen his portrait and knew he was a robot. But the difference from the portrait is just too big…
"By the way, this robot is way too elegant, isn't he?" Kazuma mutters. When he turns back, he realizes almost every girl in the party has been captivated by Screwllum — none of them even blinking.
"Hey hey… you girls aren't seriously thinking this robot is handsome too, are you?" Kazuma stares at them in disbelief.
"Heh, at least he's more handsome than a certain someone who can only use Steal to snatch panties."
Aqua snorts disdainfully, wearing an expression that clearly says "you're trash." "Even though he's a robot, his fashion sense and way of speaking are leagues above you, okay? And he's a member of the Genius Society — one of the most intelligent beings in the cosmos… What do you even have to compare with him, Kazuma?"
"I'm a human!" Kazuma's face flushes red instantly. "And how could a cold machine like that possibly understand human emotions? They just run according to preset programs made by their developers! What if one of them catches a virus or an extermination protocol and decides to wipe out all humanity…"
"Kazuma, that outdated way of thinking is so last century — stuff like the machine uprising only happens in old movies."
Aqua waves her hand casually. "Besides, isn't it perfectly normal in the cosmos for machines to have human-level intelligence? Even the one representing Intellect, Nous, is literally a computer. What's impossible about it?"
——
["Apologies for arriving 4 minutes and 13 seconds ahead of the appointed time. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you."]
["How could you? Welcome to Herta Space Station, Mr. Screwllum."]
["No need to be so formal, Asta. Just use 'you.' 'Herta' is a place where knowledge converges; here, we honor the equality of thought." Screwllum's gaze turns to the space station staff behind Asta, full of admiration. "The collaboration of organic life — marvelous, efficient. The speed at which you rebuilt the station far exceeds my projections."]
["Thank you for the praise, Mr. Screwllum. Would you like me to show you around? After the last summit, we've launched several new research projects on silicon-based matrices." Asta's eyes show a hint of anticipation.]
["Emotionally, I gladly accept. But since I already have an appointment with Herta, please let these surprises wait a moment." Screwllum shifts his gaze rightward and notices the unfamiliar face of Stelle. "And this is…"]
["Hey, guess?" Stelle plants one hand on her hip.]
[Stelle's line doesn't surprise Asta at all — rather, she's fully accustomed to it and shows a subtle, slightly exasperated expression. The honest Arlan beside her, however, immediately panics. "Hey…"]
["Haha, such an unexpected reaction. You must be the one Herta keeps mentioning lately." Screwllum says. "She's very curious about you — as am I. What does it feel like to coexist with a Stellaron? I hope we'll have enough time later to get to know each other — and the answer to that question."]
[With that, he heads to Herta's office together with Asta.]
——
Arcane.
"Whew… Hard to imagine that kind of speech coming from a mechanical lifeform." Heimerdinger jumps down from his chair, his voice carrying rare astonishment. "This Mr. Screwllum… his logical thinking, his manner of expression — even more elegant and precise than many humans."
Jayce sets down his experimental equipment and looks at the professor. "Mechanical lifeform? Professor Heimerdinger… could it be that, like that puppet lady from the Xianzhou, he simply has a human soul housed in a mechanical body?"