[761] Possibility (3)
"'s Law isn't omnipotent. The target isn't an idiot; they'll try to avoid the Law."
Minerva said.
"Cause and effect interlock forever. Twisting that to the extreme is what I call an axing. But even if there's an axing that cuts everything, there's also one that blocks everything, right?"
Minerva crossed the index fingers of both hands.
"When they collide, the two overlap and a new Law is born."
doesn't enforce a Law on its own; it has to mesh with the target's Law to function.
"Statistically, a full circuit around a planet takes an average of four months."
"Oh? That's surprisingly fast."
Compared to having to trace the tail of causality, it was an incredibly quick circumnavigation.
Minerva nodded.
"Yes. It's a very powerful axing. But in extreme cases it can take over a year. For example—what if 's target never stops moving around the world?"
It would become an endless game of tag.
"There was actually a case like that. The target was a diplomat. What I realized then was that no matter how fast 's Law is, it can't be faster than the speed at which someone moves to achieve a specific goal. So what did I do?"
"You went and took them yourself."
"Right. That's why a 'reset' is important. Erase the target, then deliberately engineer the incident."
"But is that possible? Even if 's owner dies, the Law has already activated."
"There is one method. I call it 'target change.' With it, you can force a reset."
"Hmm."
Shirone fell into thought.
"A finicky weapon."
"That's the nature of S-rank objects. Not finicky so much as so effective there's a lot of room to push them to the max. Like Armand—anyone can grow stronger, but to unlock one hundred percent of a function you need perfect understanding."
Shirone understood Armand perfectly.
'And the only person in the world who can handle best...'
The weapon's creator himself, Mirak Minerva.
"All right. Stay with me for now. If you ever have to use , explain it to Woorin."
If she truly was the Empress of Kashan, Woorin would design the optimal approach from Minerva's explanation.
Meanwhile, while Shirone and Minerva talked about , Jacey looked dazed.
"Really... it's possible?"
In the cleansed scene, workers were joyfully reuniting with their families.
"Then why... why did he have to die?!"
Was my husband supposed to die like that?
"If you had such an amazing power—why? Why didn't you save my husband?!"
Hearing Jacey's voice, Shirone turned, and Minerva's gaze turned cold.
'Possibility...'
Just revealing a possibility to save everyone made Shirone near-divine.
'But you can't save everyone.'
Someone will inevitably suffer, and that suffering will circle endlessly, riding the fear of reincarnation.
'This time it's me...'
Minerva had become a witch.
'Tomorrow it's you.'
An incurable disease, a natural disaster, a freak accident—life was the passing-around of a bomb called pain; no one knew whose turn came next.
Seen from the end of time, the world was nothing but suffering... and yet Nane was right.
'Those who think they drew the right lot now won't understand Nane...'
Jacey would have been like that too.
'Do you know? The current Jacey...'
And Minerva knew.
'How much this world is resented.'
Jacey screamed.
"Why me! Why! Everyone else is happy—why do I have to suffer like this!"
Shirone bit his lip.
'Because of me.'
Her suffering was the result of standing in Nane's way, and the number of bombs would only increase.
'I want to be stronger.'
No—he'd even kneel and beg to change Nane's heart, if that could work.
But knowing it couldn't, Shirone clenched his fist fiercely and steeled himself.
"It's not your fault."
Minerva put a hand on Shirone's shoulder.
"It's not Nane's fault either."
Contradiction.
What happens when an axing that cuts everything collides with an axing that blocks everything?
The Law answers.
"It's just a state."
A state of contradiction.
"Just because we can't imagine an outcome doesn't mean there isn't one. This is the outcome. Accept it, and move on."
Minerva laid the exhausted, sobbing Jacey across her knees and lifted a pipe to her lips.
"Sleep a little. This will help."
When the witch's breath seeped through Jacey's lips, her pupils smoothed into calm.
"If we leave her like this, she might make a bad choice."
Minerva levitated Jacey with magic, then turned to Shirone.
"Let's go to the capital. We have to finish this."
The witch's broom-jet shook itself free of fatigue and shot into the sky.
"Want to ride together?"
There probably wouldn't be room with Jacey on board.
"No. Go ahead. I'll follow."
Even knowing the jet was recorded in the world archives, Shirone said he'd follow, and Minerva laughed.
"Fine. If you take too long, I'll handle it my way."
Minerva leapt onto the jet; a powerful blast of gas fired, and it rocketed upward.
After the grinding of metal came a sonic boom. Shirone glanced back at Verdi.
She nodded as if to say she understood what he wanted to say, then bowed deeply again.
'Thank you.'
Shirone steadied the heart that had almost cracked and arched into the sky, bending his knees.
Luminous Wings.
When wings of light extended tens of meters, the onlookers' eyes widened.
"Wh—what the..."
If it were only to fly, this was a massive overload, but to keep up with Minerva this was necessary.
As the pair of wings shot skyward and everyone looked up, a terrifyingly fast light descended.
Vwooooom!
With a roar, Shirone's body pierced the clouds and vanished in less than a second.
"My gods..."
A moment later another sonic boom cracked.
'Still fast. I'm flying at Mach too.'
Every time the Luminous Wings cut the air, Shirone was pushed hundreds of meters forward.
Only after doubling his cycle could he spot the smoke from the jet's afterburners far ahead.
"Oh? You actually followed?"
Like meeting an acquaintance in passing, Minerva glanced sideways and waved.
Voices couldn't carry now; Shirone and Minerva read each other's lips.
"Should I take her?"
Jacey was hanging like laundry and looked as if she might fall at any moment.
"Don't worry. The ride's better than you'd think. As for Jacey..."
Minerva looked down at the rapidly streaming mountain landscape, then released the jet's Law.
"I can just drop her here."
Shirone turned his head in a rush, but Jacey was already a dot in the distance.
"...Is that okay?"
"Who do you think I am?"
With no retort, Shirone faced forward as Minerva increased the jet's thrust.
"Loser grants the wish."
As the jet streaked out ten meters, Minerva began to pull ahead of Shirone.
"I'll grant anything."
She winked and shot forward as if vanishing, and Shirone's competitive streak flared.
"So that's how it's going to be..."
He had no particular wish, but he desperately didn't want to be the one granting hers.
As the mass of the Luminous Wings increased and struck the atmosphere with the force of solid matter, Shirone's body was fired like a cannon.
"There it is!"
He could see the capital of North Aimonde.
* * *
The capital, Fasia.
The Supreme Palace where the President lived was a multipurpose fortress made of 780 interconnected buildings.
Revolution Square was one of the largest man-made structures in the world, able to hold all three million of the capital's inhabitants.
"Packed in" would be accurate—Igor thought every citizen should personally praise him.
Of course, that was human Igor's mindset, but even though the President had become a demon, the idea still stood.
"Legion Commander, preparations are complete."
Commander of the 24th Legion, Maraduk of Destruction.
A man whose beauty could catch many a woman's eye, with violet hair falling to his shoulders.
Golden patterns lined the edges of his black, form-fitting armor, and a gleaming sword by the throne inclined toward its owner on the left.
"How many have assembled?"
"The number of troops that emerged from the spiritual domain totals eight million."
A force dozens of times larger than a normal nation's army, though still small compared to Satan's two billion.
"Enough to crush the humans."
Maraduk, blade at his waist, descended the stairs as four division commanders stepped aside in unison.
Even in the perfectly soundproofed room, the glass trembled from the shouts outside.
"I will lead the vanguard and bring about the world's ruin."
As he opened the window, the pent-up sound hit like cannon fire.
"Kill the humans! Kill the humans!"
Eight million troops beyond the Supreme Palace bellowed their fanatic cries.
Shirone looked down over Fasia.
"...What is that?"
Most streets lay empty, but around the Supreme Palace swarmed demons in numbers greater than ants.
Minerva said, "The capital is done for. Even the Resistance isn't visible. The capital defense forces are probably annihilated."
"Are there no survivors?"
"There will be survivors. But not near the Supreme Palace. Anyone who gets into that area will be eaten immediately."
"We should search for survivors."
"That's not a bad choice. But now is not the time. If the second-generation demons in the palace cross the border, things will get complicated."
They would infiltrate society and move covertly.
"It was possible because the capital is isolated—so that gives us a chance. But strike now."
"Strike?"
Even measured by area, the troops gathered at the Supreme Palace surely numbered well over five million.
"Where do we start?"
Minerva curled her index finger.
"Here."
As Shirone traced the tip of her finger with his gaze, Minerva's body rose and detached from the jet.
"From start to finish."
As resistance tugged at Minerva, the jet surged ahead and slammed toward the palace gates.
'Are they really doing this?'
Facing eight million troops with only the two of them was absurd by human logic.
"Get your head in the game! We're going straight in!"
Though detached from the jet, immense inertia still pulled Minerva toward the Supreme Palace.
Screeeech!
At the crack of Mach-speed, the demons at the gate looked up.
"A surprise attack—!"
Before they could finish, the jet crashed down and the second-generation demons in the area were flung skyward.
"Kyahhhh!"
Remaining troops.
7,999,954 (seven million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred fifty-four).