Before the eyes stretched a boundless sea of blooming flowers. A gentle breeze whispered through the windless, silent subterranean cavern.
Above, the oppressive metal ceiling was gone, replaced by the vast, boundless night sky.
In that sky, no other stars shone; only a solitary, brilliant full moon hung in the void.
The moon was so dazzlingly bright it seemed one could almost reach out and touch it. A magnificent castle stood alone amidst the floral ocean, its lonely shadow accentuated only by the hushed murmurs of the night.
This was a world that held nothing, yet needed nothing.
"Flowers..."
Asagi Aiba, nestled in Neco-Arc's arms, gazed at the scene and murmured in a daze.
Having just awakened from sleep, she fought against her drowsiness, stubbornly widening her eyes to sear this vista into her memory.
Under the azure moonlight, the blue-and-white spring garden swayed and rippled.
Petals lifted by the night breeze danced like fluttering butterflies, their snow-white forms etched upon the dark canvas of night.
After one last, lingering look at that spectacle, Asagi Aiba closed her eyes peacefully.
The disturbance that had enveloped Stratum Zero lasted but an instant, the vision that had just passed seeming almost like an illusion.
Stratum Zero reverted to its original dilapidated state.
"...Hehe, the young lady truly loves her sleep."
A synthesized mechanical voice spoke plainly. Crimson light particles coalesced upon the [Cain's Coffin], forming a somewhat homely-looking plush doll.
This was the power of the [Cleansing].
"The [Priestess of Abel] is merely a corpse infused with lingering thoughts, a ghost-like existence. She hasn't truly died." The ugly doll—Mogwai—shot out several deep red bullets, scattering them across the ruined Stratum Zero.
Immediately, the surrounding structures began to change.
The outer walls that had turned to salt, the ceiling that should have been destroyed, the damage left by the dust explosion—all were instantly repaired under the shroud of crimson light.
He had used the deranged [Priestess of Abel] to enact the [Cleansing].
"However, since the [Priestess of Abel] can connect to the network, why not leave the rest to me and the young lady to serve the princess?" He giggled, performing a strangely human-like bow.
Asagi Aiba, the world-renowned hacker known as the [Cyber Empress].
Arcueid Brunestud cast a glance at the slumbering girl, then turned her gaze to the Mogwai before her.
Information provided by the world flowed into her mind.
"You are Cain?"
The Sinful God Cain, whom the [Priestess of Abel] sought to resurrect to destroy the world.
"After a fashion."
Mogwai bared his serrated teeth in a strangely smug grin.
"To be precise, I am a virtual personality recreated from data left behind by Cain before his death. The [Cain's Coffin] on Itogami Island contains my self-personality binary data, which I preserved by engraving it onto a stone tablet."
He patted his chest. "After having an AI learn from it and reconstruct it, the result is me. This body is a fake created using [Cleansing]. Pretty cool, huh?"
His large blue ears twitched slightly, as if proud of his own form.
"Ugly."
Arcueid Brunestud's merciless evaluation made Mogwai's head droop dejectedly. "I thought it was alright."
Suddenly remembering something, he abruptly raised a claw. "I have no intention of destroying the world, you know."
The [Priestess of Abel] had always wanted to resurrect him to exact revenge upon this world.
Arcueid Brunestud gave a silent nod, her eyes turning to the interior of the submarine.
A wall densely engraved with strange characters came into view. This was the wisdom of the Sinful God Cain—the [Cleansing].
In the eyes of a caster who could alter reality with consciousness, information was power. Information could produce money, creation and destruction, life, even gods.
The support from the planet allowed Arcueid Brunestud to rapidly read those unfamiliar words.
Arcueid Brunestud could alter the world at will, but the principle of Marble Phantasm was fundamentally different from [Cleansing].
Marble Phantasm was an ability held by spirits, the senses of nature and the world. It connected one's consciousness to the world, causing the world to change according to one's imagination.
Simply put, it materialized things envisioned in the mind, creating 'something' from 'nothing'.
Therefore, Marble Phantasm could not alter individuals independent of nature. It was impossible to turn an opponent into a sheep in battle.
But [Cleansing] could.
[Cleansing] altered this world through vast magical power and immense information processing. Within its light, every particle contained a microcosmic magic circle.
If magnified, these magic circles could cover an entire house.
One of the main reasons for reproducing [Cleansing] in electronic form was to meet the computational demand. That was why Itogami Island was equipped with its five supercomputers.
Knowledge of the [Cleansing], along with Cain's memories, flooded into Arcueid Brunestud's mind.
This is...
She cast an indifferent glance at Mogwai. "The vessels for the sealed Beast Vassal Warheads?"
"Ahh, as expected, you who received this information can see it too."
Mogwai looked up, narrowing his eyes as if in reminiscence. "That was my only concern, after all."
The most powerful legacy of the Sinful God Cain—the six thousand four hundred and fifty-two Beast Vassal Warheads sealed in another dimension. If Cain hadn't sealed them, the [Deva] could never have lost to humanity in the [Great Cleansing].
The power of those six thousand four hundred and fifty-two Beast Warheads was enough to destroy the planet's surface three times over.
And the vessels for these Beast Vassal Warheads were the six thousand four hundred and fifty-two artificially created [Artificial Vampire] girls.
His wish was to dismantle the Beast Vassal Warheads, allowing those girls used as Beast Vessels to live out happy, ordinary lives, to make them truly want to keep living.
"Well, well~ all that is a matter for the future. Right now, there are more important things to do." Mogwai pointed upward. "There are still some people outside invading this island."
During Arcueid Brunestud's earlier synchronization with the leylines, there had been others drawing upon the magical energy.
"Take her up." Arcueid Brunestud said flatly, glancing at the sleeping Asagi Aiba before her gaze slowly shifted to Mogwai. "The [Priestess of Abel]. Can you handle it?"
"Of course." Mogwai nodded confidently. Just then, a somewhat shrill alarm sounded in his mind.
As an AI, he was constantly connected to Itogami Island's network.
It seemed someone had broken into the lowest level of the Keystone Gate, where the Saint's remains were kept.
"The lowest level..." He looked up, intending to find the princess. But within this vast space, that flash of gold had already vanished.
Looking at the charred figure on the monitor, Mogwai sighed helplessly as a deep red light began to spread.
Well, he'd go and deal with it a little. Hopefully those security robots were still functional.
But first, he should take care of the young lady...
He turned his head, looking at Neco-Arc who was dragging Asagi Aiba by the arm, heading out.
The girl's body was being pulled along haphazardly by Neco-Arc, and then...
Clang—
Her slender waist slammed hard against the submarine's outer hull.
Yikes—that looked painful.
"Hold on, friend!"
Mogwai hurried forward, crimson particles transforming into a tiny cart.
Amidst the girl's soft, pained moans, the underground cavern gradually sank into silence.
And then—
Suddenly, the cylindrical space split open from top to bottom.
Without any warning, Stratum Zero was cleaved by a streak of silver light.
Along the path traced by that sword scar, blue-white flowers slowly began to bloom.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.