Numerous geniuses have come and gone since the founding of the Genius Society, each leaving legacies that reshaped the very foundations of the universe. From mathematicians who redefined logic, physicists who rewrote the laws of creation—their contributions spanned the cosmos, paving the path to new possibilities.
And yet, among all those geniuses who dared to call themselves as such, only one ever claimed of Omnipotence.
Now, herein lies the question:
What made Leonardo da Vinci the Universal Man?
Was it her all-encompassing knowledge, covering every conceivable field? The love for science, art, and metaphysics alike? Or was it the way she tiptoed between the fine line between man and the divine—the conceivable and the infinite?
To the world, she was a scholar beyond equal.
To the stars, she was a being who had already transcended humanity.
And to herself? She was simply a woman chasing the truth—because, well, she simply felt like it.
Her genius was not born of insatiable curiosity or grand ambition. Likewise, her inventions came into the world simply because the idea had occurred to her and she merely chose to act upon it. Put differently, she believed whatever she created had to exist, because she saw no reason why it shouldn't.
Therefore, to say that everything about her was guided by whim would not be entirely wrong.
Unlike those scholars who toiled lifetimes for a sliver of truth, she had no need to wrestle with the mysteries of the world. Her mind was not burdened by the weight of intellectual pursuit, for she saw no barriers between the known and the unknown. The unknowable did not exist in her worldview, only uncharted territories in the vast expanse of science.
Given this explanation, it would be more fitting to view her as a follower of Trailblaze.
In fact, the fundamental misconception—that she was a pathstrider of Erudition—was precisely what gave the illusion of omnipotence. Because she never stopped to question, her actions seemed to draw answers out of nothing.
"Heh, if I were to express it like so, in this station alone, most researchers are likely to hand over their resignation by tomorrow."
Right, a 300-word essay still doesn't paint the entire picture, nor does it even begin to encapsulate her unparalled genius.
Even if she doesn't raise any complaints, her staunch followers would, bleeding their eyes out of anger.
For one, Da Vinci wasn't thought to be omnipotent just because she's misunderstood, if anything else everyone firmly believed she was, not for any other reason—but because she's HIM.
"Uomo Universale—!"
Her words rippled through the air like the toll of an ancient bell.
The brilliance that followed was blinding. A wave of light surged from her staff, expanding in slow, concentric circles—each wave brighter than the last. The world seemed to stand still as the light bathed everything in a blinding white glow.
Time and space folded into perfect geometry as its surface glistened with all spectrums of light, pulsing and shifting between phases as it adapted to the Doomsday Beast's vaporizing breath.
"Interesting..." she murmured amidst the bombardment. "The field's energy density is highly unstable—I'm calculating interferences from multiple dimensions as well. Is this also an application of the Second Magic?"
A flood of equations streamed across her lenses as holographic projections bloomed in midair—symbols, vectors, and imaginary coordinates reshaping themselves in real time. Before long, the tremors in the barrier eased. The once-destructive beam began to dwindle, decomposing into a stable form of energy that flowed like liquid glass.
Outside, the Doomsday Beast's form was also gradually fading, its information body was being dismantled on a molecular level almost simultaneously.
"As expected of a genius... She's converting the stream of collapsing imaginary energy into plasma while performing Aether Editing in conjunction." At this time, only Himeko had a grasp of what was happening, acting as the narrator in a manga panel.
In simpler terms: Da Vinci was holding back the force of a supernova while multitasking, as if containing a nuclear blast with her hands and feet bound.
Still, even with sufficient explanation, March was unable to understand the full scenario. She just felt that Da Vinci was incredible.
Off to the side, Dan Heng continued to farm aura.
Stelle, however, felt her breath catch. Her eyes unable to peel away from the destruction.
As she stepped forward, the ground beneath her vanished.
Suddenly, weightlessness gripped her body.
"Wha—?"
The station, the debris, the flames—all faded into darkness.
When she opened her eyes once more, she was standing on nothing. An all-encompassing nothingness stretched infinitely as far as eye could see, with clusters of stars flowing like rivers across a pitch-black sea.
And before her—Nanook.
The Aeon's colossal form loomed beyond the horizon, its presence carrying the weight of countless dying stars.
Stelle felt her scalp turn numb as THEIR eyes lingered on her before shifting to someone else.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone.
There, standing beside her, was the woman holding a peculiar staff.
"Wait, nani?" Stelle blinked, doing a double take at her. "...Why do I feel like you're not supposed to be included in the original script?"
"Ara, is that what you should be concerned right about now?" Da Vinci said, tilting her head with mild confusion, albeit her expression was far removed from the situation. Gazing ahead, she seemed a bit too unfazed by the void that surrounded them.
Stelle scratched her head, finally asking the question that had been bothering her, "So, where are we?"
"Hah," Da Vinci gave a small, almost imperceptible sigh, her brows now slightly furrowed. "You see, we've been kidnapped by that unsavory folk over there."
Stelle looked over, the same indifferent gaze cast over them as before.
Unsurprisingly, the two were only met with silence.
But then—without warning—Nanook raised an arm.
The motion alone rendered the world asunder. In THEIR palm, a lance made out of pure energy began to materialize. An ominous foreboding immediately swept over Da Vinci as her pupils contracted sharply.
"Uomo...!" She attempted to erect another barrier, but as she rapidly assessed the situation, her understanding of the Aeon of Destruction faltered. This time, Nanook did not appear merely to observe. THEY were aiming for the kill.
"Mom... no—"
Da Vinci's body jolted as the lance cleanly pierced through her abdomen.
"...Beautiful Onee-san!"
Stelle's face instantly sank.
In a daze, she clutched the side of her head, caught in utter disbelief. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, watched as her body fall limp to the ground. Her mouth hung open just enough to fit a single tennis ball.
Footnotes:
1. The term Information Body is borrowed from Mahouka.