Aleister's plan was simple in some respects and extraordinarily difficult in others.
After securing Selene's wholehearted support, many conditions that had once seemed virtually impossible to fulfill were finally satisfied.
To extend the Artificial Heaven across the entire world, Aleister had dispatched most of the surviving Misaka Sisters to locations around the globe, allowing the AIM diffusion field, otherwise known as the Imaginary Number District · Five Elements Institution, to spread worldwide.
Well, perhaps "surviving" was not quite the right word. After all, from the very beginning of the Level 6 Shift Project, he had never placed the slightest hope in its success.
It had merely been a pretext.
First, the Radio Noise Project failed. Then Aleister manipulated events so that Kamijou Touma would intervene and destroy the Level 6 Shift Project, which had served as a diversion. These two apparent failures provided Aleister with a perfectly reasonable excuse to send the Misaka Sisters around the world.
Their remaining lifespans might be short, and they required rehabilitation and adjustments. Sending the remaining Misaka Sisters to Academy City's affiliated institutions worldwide would also prevent the panic that might arise from large numbers of clones appearing in one place, while minimizing disruptions to their daily lives. What a convincing explanation.
The Misaka Sisters would serve as antennas for the AIM diffusion field of the Imaginary Number District. Ultimately, the entire world would be completely enveloped by the AIM diffusion field, transforming it into an Artificial Heaven.
In a world where the fundamental laws had been altered in this manner, Aleister would finally accomplish the lifelong ambition to which he had devoted the latter half of his existence.
Of course, that was his original plan.
With Selene's assistance, the plan naturally expanded in scope and ambition.
Expansion Amendment One: Selene had set her sights on the Holy Right possessed by Fiamma of the Right, along with everything produced by the Bethlehem Plan.
Fiamma of the Right's intentions could essentially be summarized as follows. He had formulated a plan to fully unleash the power of the Holy Right and restore the four great elements to their proper positions, with the ultimate objective of "saving the world."
Selene and Aleister, meanwhile, intended to reap the benefits of his labor. The first half of their plans did not conflict, so they could simply let Fiamma of the Right do as he pleased and construct the necessary framework. Aleister would then take possession of everything Fiamma had painstakingly assembled, replacing the final objective of "saving the world" with merging and expanding the system through the Artificial Heaven.
Expansion Amendment Two: Seize the accumulated foundations of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest of Christianity's three major denominations, built up over the past thousand years.
After all, it was the world's largest branch of Christianity and played a crucial role within the magic side. At its peak, it claimed more than two billion believers, with influence extending across 113 countries. Its monasteries and churches were scattered throughout the world, effectively extending the reach of its magical arrays across the entire planet.
In the original story, the Star of Bethlehem fortress fell into the Arctic Ocean following Fiamma of the Right's defeat. Yet the fortress carried the remains of important Christian buildings from all over the world.
There was also that magnificent, enormous magical array capable of drawing upon the elemental forces of the entire world and "storing angelic power." All of it was destroyed just like that. What a terrible waste.
Absolutely not. Selene was determined to squeeze every last drop of value out of it. Such wastefulness was unacceptable! What a bunch of spendthrifts! Aleister, get to work! Put your knowledge as the most powerful magician of the modern era to good use, take control of that ritual, and make it serve our purposes!
Expansion Amendment Three: Devise a plan to corrupt and assimilate an angel.
In the world of A Certain Magical Index, angels were God's messengers in Christianity. They were enormous concentrations of highly purified angelic power, known as Telesma.
They possessed neither personalities nor independent selves, acting solely according to the commands bestowed upon them. Their existence could also be described as "robots operating according to programs written by God."
Angels were also among the sources of the "laws of other worlds" that magicians drew upon.
Naturally, the angel Gabriel (Power of God), whom Fiamma of the Right had summoned using Sasha Kreutzev as a vessel, was not in her complete form. Only after Fiamma corrected the distorted elemental attributes could she return to being the true Gabriel.
Until then, she remained under the control of her summoner, Fiamma of the Right. In other words, she could not rebel against him.
It did not matter how immense her power was or how closely it resembled a natural catastrophe. She could freely manipulate celestial bodies such as Earth and the Moon, forcibly halt Earth's rotation and blast away its crust, exterminate the plants and animals on its surface, and even rearrange the positions of the stars to perform celestial magic.
As long as Fiamma of the Right was controlled, she would be nothing more than a quail awaiting slaughter.
Of course, everything mentioned above belonged to the magic side and was incompatible with the AIM diffusion field Aleister intended to use to construct his Artificial Heaven. After all, the Artificial Heaven was specifically designed to destroy those very things. Even Aleister could not combine the two systems through conventional means.
Without Selene... Aleister would not even have bothered examining such fanciful proposals.
But Honkai energy? What a marvelous thing!
The more Aleister used it, the more he appreciated its extraordinary versatility.
It could be used in medicine (treating diseases and strengthening the body), enchanting materials (infusing metals to enhance their strength in every respect), and converted into pure energy (generating electricity or heat, replacing petroleum and coal). Its corrosive and assimilative properties could even affect other forms of energy and matter!
AIM diffusion fields and magical power could both be contaminated by Honkai energy!
After numerous experiments, Aleister discovered that when Honkai energy particles were released into supernatural energies such as AIM diffusion fields and magical power, their ferocious aggression and corrosiveness were genuinely terrifying.
Compared with the gentle, stable properties displayed by Honkai Cubes, they might as well have been two entirely different substances.
Honkai energy was certainly nowhere near as benign as it appeared to the world. Some kind of will, or perhaps a fundamental law, was restraining its destructive tendencies.
And Selene had specifically granted Aleister limited permission to exercise her authority over it...
Although he still harbored certain doubts... Truly, the advantages of Honkai energy were simply too irresistible.
AIM diffusion fields and magical power were incompatible?
No problem. Simply introduce Honkai energy into both and assimilate them through a common medium. That was precisely why Aleister had accepted Selene's suggestion and dared to incorporate the magical assets possessed by the Roman Catholic Church and Fiamma of the Right into his Artificial Heaven project.
Hummmm!
Streams of multicolored light, blending Honkai energy, AIM diffusion fields, and magical power, shot upward from the ground. Within several dozen seconds, they climbed into low Earth orbit before suddenly spreading outward.
The sky was first filled with yellow stars, followed gradually by red, blue, and green ones. The Star of Bethlehem fortress resembled an enormous planetarium, creating the unmistakable impression that the four great elements were returning to their rightful positions.
The stars shone brilliantly.
Their magnificent radiance quickly spread across the entire Star of Bethlehem fortress, illuminating every church upon it. Viewed from afar, it resembled a celestial city resting upon a sea of clouds.
Far higher in the sky, the complete activation of the Bethlehem Plan caused the stars themselves to shift. The enormous star hanging in the heavens, seemingly replacing the sun, began to move, sending invisible waves surging in every direction.
Under Aleister's manipulation, the twisted silver staff began radiating a magical brilliance that had not shone for a hundred years. It was the brilliance belonging to the man who had established the foundations of modern Western magic—the most famous magician of the modern era.
"Commence deployment of the Imaginary Number District · Five Elements Institution."
"Deployment origin designated as the Star of Bethlehem. Coordinates locked."
"Initiate ritual integration."
"Additional command authorization confirmed. Command target: Command Tower Last Order (storder). Through forced manipulation of the Misaka Network, the directional properties of all AIM diffusion fields throughout Academy City have been successfully redirected."
"Phase One complete."
Across the world, anchors that had been positioned long ago began activating one after another.
"..."
Fiamma of the Right's physical body could no longer produce a single sound.
The unleashed power had left his battered body covered in wounds. The third hand behind him manifested once more, while his face underwent a transformation. Even his flame-colored hair changed from crimson to pure white. Whether this symbolized the exhaustion of his life force or the manifestation of sacred power was impossible to determine.
From root to tip, from outward appearance to fundamental essence, Fiamma of the Right had undergone a complete transformation. A small halo had also appeared above his head.
The unique angelic ritual of God's Right Seat, designed to eliminate Original Sin, was now fully manifested through Fiamma of the Right.
RIIIP!
The heavens suddenly split apart. Enormous cracks appeared in every direction across the red, blue, yellow, and green sky, spreading silently outward.
Golden light poured through the cracks, producing a magnificent spectacle reminiscent of a religious painting. This was the influence of Telesma, as though the mortal world were gradually being transformed into Heaven itself.
At that very moment, enormous golden wrists, each approximately one hundred meters tall, emerged along the coastline of Barcelona, deep within the Sea of Japan, across the Eastern European front, in the Strait of Dover, above Russia's white snowfields, and in numerous other locations.
Then they began expanding explosively from within.
Before anyone realized what was happening, purplish-red patches of corruption had spread throughout them. Within a few breaths, the shapes of the hands collapsed and exploded violently.
With a shrill creaking sound, like something expanding beyond its limits, they unleashed enormous shock waves. Tsunamis erupted across the seas, earthquakes struck the land, and avalanches thundered down snow-covered mountains...
And mixed energy particles scattered into the atmosphere.
Almost simultaneously, Academy City's armed forces, French soldiers and magicians, the Anglican Church, the Knights, Necessarius, the North American coalition forces... All of them ceased launching new attacks.
Academy City.
"S-so incredible... Is this Selene-senpai's full power?"
The girl clutching her brown twin tails stared with her mouth hanging wide open.
On the screen, she watched islands and coastal cities being swallowed by towering tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Even the strongest modern skyscrapers stood absolutely no chance against disasters of such magnitude!
Shirai Kuroko had always known that the artificial lake Selene had blasted into existence within Academy City was nowhere near the limit of her abilities. But she had never possessed any concrete understanding of just how powerful Selene truly was.
Now she understood.
Sinking the Japanese archipelago would be nothing more than a flick of Selene's fingers.
"H-hey... Shirai, has Selene-senpai already reached Level 6?"
Saten Ruiko swallowed nervously, her expression revealing the sheer terror of an academically struggling student. Good heavens, merely reaching Level 2 would practically be the death of her!
Uiharu Kazari's eyes had already turned into spirals.
School District 7, Selene's Residence.
"Karl, our little Selene has finally spread her wings and soared into the sky."
Katy gently rested her head against Brauchitsch's broad chest. Pride, gratification, and countless other emotions filled the young mother's heart as she watched the screen. Reflected in her gentle azure eyes was her daughter's dazzling figure, so radiant that she scarcely seemed real.
"An eagle will eventually spread its wings and soar. Wasn't that always inevitable for our little Selene? She's our greatest pride."
The tall, handsome middle-aged man wrapped his arms around his wife, his voice brimming with pride.
He was none other than Selene's adoptive father, Brauchitsch. After Sebas had dealt with the Roman Catholic Church's forces sent to capture Selene's family, he had escorted Brauchitsch to Academy City.
"I told you back then, didn't I? Our eldest princess is the kind of woman who belongs alongside Empress Maria Theresa and Empress Catherine. Little Selene possesses a far stronger personality than either of us, and her abilities surpass ours by an even greater margin."
Compared with Katy, Brauchitsch undoubtedly understood Selene's temperament when handling external affairs much better. In fact, he greatly admired that aspect of her personality and had frequently brought Selene along to handle or observe the group's business affairs. Naturally, Katy had given him no shortage of lectures over it during that period.
Sebas stood respectfully nearby, listening to the master and mistress of the household express their pride in their daughter. The loyal butler simply continued grinding coffee beans in silence.
"..."
Noticing the faint upward curve of Sebas' lips, Arisa held the little brat Ferdinand in her arms and curled her own lips disdainfully.
What's so impressive about that? This is barely anything... I could do it too! Why am I stuck here looking after a child?!
Meanwhile, in an alley not far from Selene's residence, an enormous golden retriever wearing a collar and backpack quietly stood guard over Selene's family. A mechanical arm extending from its backpack held a Cuban cigar, which the dog puffed on contentedly.
"Teacher Noukan, the Board Chairman has begun."
At that moment, an alluring young woman emerged from the shadows. She wore a tight-fitting women's uniform beneath a researcher's white lab coat, making her look like someone participating in an internship.
If anyone else had witnessed the scene, their jaw would surely have dropped. This woman was none other than Kihara Yuiitsu, a member of Academy City's Dark Side Kihara family and a publicly recognized genius researcher across multiple disciplines.
Yet someone of her standing was addressing a golden retriever with such extraordinary respect.
"I can see that."
The enormous golden retriever rose from his crouching position and spoke in a human voice.
"The Imaginary Number District—Five Elements Institution..."
Gazing at the hazy phantom of a city floating above Academy City and the ribbon-like bands of AIM diffusion fields, the golden retriever accurately tossed his half-smoked Cuban cigar into a roadside trash can.
"Let's go, Yuiitsu. Prepare to deploy the transport A.A.A. It's time for us to make our move."
...
Almost at the exact instant Aleister unleashed his own magical brilliance, a smiling figure appeared in distant London.
St. George's Cathedral.
"We've detected a response!! This wavelength... There's absolutely no mistake! That's right! It's the magician Edward Alexander Crowley!"
A member of the Anglican Church's department dedicated to investigating Crowley exclaimed excitedly.
Hearing this, the corners of Archbishop Laura Stuart's lips curved into a smile beneath the shadows cast by the stained-glass windows.
"...So you really are still alive."