After Laugus gave his explanation so casually and matter-of-factly, Epsilon was left speechless. She genuinely could not understand the man in front of her. Was there something wrong with his head?
"Riiip..."
A crisp sound like fabric tearing came from the black pillar, making Epsilon instinctively turn toward it.
A wide fissure had appeared across the surface of the pillar formed from black mist. Wisps of black mist began seeping out through the crack, and Giada and Chi, who were closest to the black pillar, were the first to be hit.
"Why did this have to happen now?!"
Epsilon cursed inwardly, but there was no time to complain. She pulled Omega along with her and joined the Third Primogenitor in trying to stop the black mist from spreading.
"So that's how it works..."
While Epsilon was busy blocking its path, Azazel, who had apparently awakened from the illusion at some point and overheard Laugus's explanation, lit up with understanding. He stared at Laugus in amazement.
"What an ingenious design. You prepared the route beforehand, then used their instincts to control them. The plan itself was entirely viable. It's just a shame... there wasn't enough data, so you underestimated just how much energy they contained."
He could hardly help being impressed. Laugus had only revealed a few details, but for Azazel, who moved in the same circles as him, that was already enough to piece together most of what had happened.
The principle itself was fairly simple. Laugus had taken advantage of the automatic repair instincts these two "crashed" programs displayed after coming back to life. He had prepared repair routes around them in advance, then used those routes to control the "Contract Demons" and "High-Dimensional Angels" he was researching.
After all, even after recovering from a system crash, Angels and Devils that lacked reason would still act according to instinct and repair themselves. As long as their repair routes were laid out beforehand, mindless Devils and Angels would naturally follow the paths Laugus had prepared for them.
Still, by the end of his explanation, Azazel could not help feeling sorry for Laugus. Had he not miscalculated the data and made the control routes too shallow and too narrow, Laugus would already have succeeded.
It was like digging a pit large enough to trap a lion but expecting it to hold an elephant. And judging from the situation before them, the gap between these two Old Testament mythological beings from World No. 2 and everyone else was more than ten times greater than the difference between a lion and an elephant.
"No matter how sound a plan is in theory, it means nothing if it fails in practice. A creature without intelligence, no matter how powerful, is still only a beast. Yet I'm a Human endowed with Wisdom. I had already figured out the rules, only for the experiment to fail because of something as laughable as incorrect data. I suppose I was a little too confident in my assumptions."
As a fellow researcher, Laugus knew Azazel understood his way of thinking quite well. Since the two of them were also on good terms, he had no reason to hide what he truly thought.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. Experiments fail all the time. An experiment like this, where all the target data has to be estimated, has an absurdly high chance of failure to begin with. Getting something wrong is perfectly normal."
Azazel smiled as he consoled Laugus, but his bizarre behavior made Aya Tokoyogi, who was standing beside him, frown deeply.
Even if he was a Fallen Angel, praising Laugus after this kind of lunatic behavior that harmed both himself and everyone else... Was Azazel always this stupid when he talked shop with people in his field?
Aya Tokoyogi kept the thought to herself. She merely glanced toward Epsilon and the others, who were desperately trying to deal with the black pillar, thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. Hoisting Natsuki Minamiya, who was still bound in chains, she started walking away.
"Hey, Aya! If you're not going to help, then why are you dragging me away?!"
As she was carried off, Natsuki Minamiya immediately cried out. She knew exactly how terrifying that black mist was, and it was obvious her best friend intended to leave.
"Obviously, we're leaving. One look at that thing is enough to tell it's nothing we should be getting involved with. His Majesty is on this island right now, so nothing too serious should happen. Since that's the case, I might as well take you back where you belong... Netheril."
Aya Tokoyogi explained herself calmly, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with her decision.
She had already learned everything important she had come to this press conference to find out. Naturally, there was no longer any reason for her to stay. Even wasting another sentence here felt pointless. She intended to head straight to Netheril and crush every last one of those little bitches who had dared betray her.
And if anyone asked how satisfied she was with tonight's results, her answer would be very satisfied.
Not only had she escaped that prison and dragged her best friend aboard her warship, she had also learned the true nature of their existence as Witches in one fell swoop.
Wonderful.
As for what would happen to the Devil and Angel in the sky now that they had come to life...
Aya Tokoyogi did not think it would become too serious. They were only two incomplete programs, after all. Once they sank this island called Itogami Island, they would probably crash again...
Right?
She suddenly stopped and dodged a red beam filled with the aura of destruction as it swept past her.
Aya Tokoyogi stared blankly at Rias and the others, who were glaring straight at her and Natsuki Minamiya.
"Hey, Devil. What do you think you're doing?"
Aya Tokoyogi demanded in a low voice. She could not understand why this Devil had suddenly appeared and attacked her. Even if the Cult of Diablos was causing trouble, the one they should be attacking was Laugus.
"It's all your fault... It's all your fault!"
Rias did not answer Aya Tokoyogi's question. She merely lowered her head and muttered under her breath as a massive amount of Power of Destruction erupted from her hands and shot toward Aya Tokoyogi.
"What... Huh?!"
Startled by Rias's crazed behavior, Aya Tokoyogi dodged the attack while carrying Natsuki Minamiya and prepared to retaliate. But when her gaze swept down toward the area beneath the high-rise, her eyes immediately widened.
Below them, dozens of Devils and Humans who had narrowly survived Katerea's blood sacrifice summoning and reached this place through the shattered space were all still conscious.
Yet they were screaming obscenities at one another and fighting viciously, each attack more brutal than the last as they deliberately aimed for the vital points of their own kind.
"It seems the Old Testament Devils summoned here have an extremely powerful controlling effect on these Devils from another world who follow the New Testament. Oh... and on these Humans as well. Though that's perfectly normal. According to mythological records, this is exactly what Devils excel at. So is the disparity in scale being amplified because they occupy corresponding positions within the same mythology?"
Laugus had also noticed what was happening, aside from Epsilon and the others who had rushed off to seal the breach in the black pillar. He immediately began analyzing the situation.
"Exactly, exactly. These new-generation Devils who have barely even experienced a real life-or-death battle are utterly useless. No, that's not quite right. I should say Devils as a race are dark creatures by nature, the kind that can never show their faces in the light. Hahaha!"
Azazel had run to the edge of the hotel rooftop and witnessed the scene as well. He burst into loud laughter, making Laugus glance sideways at him.
"So the effect is this strong even on Fallen Angels? I wonder what it would do to Angels. Or perhaps it simply treats everyone equally?"
Laugus muttered to himself.
Azazel heard him.
His eyes narrowed, and a trace of hostility flashed across his face.
"Hey, Laugus, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm being controlled? Are you kidding me? I'm the freest Fallen Angel in the entire worl..."
"BOOM!"
Before Azazel could finish, lightning exploded against his back, blasting him head over heels and sending him flying off the building.
"Useless trash. You actually let the plan fail..."
The instant Laugus saw the fury on Katerea's face, he realized she had been controlled as well. He immediately turned and ran, pulling out various devices and throwing them behind him as he fled.
"Why? Why did you give birth to me?! Why did I have to inherit Fallen Angel blood?! Kill them! I'll kill the Fallen Angels! Kill me! Erase this stain!"
Looking toward the direction the lightning had come from, Akeno Himejima was now behaving exactly like Rias had moments before, her eyes filled with madness as she stared at the hole she had blasted through the hotel's upper floor.
Azazel slowly rose back into the air. His body was battered, and blood poured from his mouth. His bloodshot eyes, now consumed by rage, locked onto Akeno Himejima.
"You actually dared attack me? Fine. I'll kill the daughter of Baraqiel, that useless bastard who does nothing but cause trouble for me. Then I'll carry your corpse to him and watch that indecisive fool break down. Maybe that'll finally teach him a lesson..."
"It seems greater strength does provide some resistance. Enough to barely control how far their madness goes after losing control, but not by much..."
Natsuki Minamiya was practically the only person present who had not drawn anyone's hostility. She carefully watched Azazel fight Akeno Himejima and noticed that although Azazel clearly had the upper hand, he kept making mistakes at crucial moments.
"Then why haven't I lost control? Is it because I'm a Witch?"
Natsuki Minamiya frowned.
Even now, she could not find anything wrong with her emotions. Quite the opposite, she felt unusually light and comfortable, almost as though she might ascend to heaven on the spot.
Even her field of vision seemed to have risen slightly above her physical body...
!!!
Natsuki Minamiya turned toward the black pillar.
Her Guardian was pulling on her soul, which was bound in her own chains, trying to drag it toward the black pillar.
The horrifying sight made even Natsuki Minamiya's usually unchanging expression twist in shock.
Her Guardian was betraying her!
Wasn't something like this only supposed to happen when a Witch failed to fulfill her contract and was punished for breaking it?
No.
Wait.
Why?
Why hadn't Aya been betrayed by her own Guardian?
Natsuki Minamiya looked toward Aya Tokoyogi, who was locked in a fierce exchange with Rias, and suddenly realized that Aya Tokoyogi's Le Ombre had not merely refrained from betraying her.
It was practically obedient.
"Bang!"
With a loud noise like a soft plug being blasted out from within, the fissure Epsilon and the others had struggled so hard to seal burst open.
A massive amount of black mist poured through the breach and spread in every direction.
Epsilon, Chi, Omega, and the Third Primogenitor were thrown from the opening. After crashing to the ground, they got back to their feet and looked around, only to freeze at the sheer chaos unfolding around them.
Epsilon quickly realized that Rias and the others were most likely being controlled. She hesitated, suddenly unsure what they were supposed to do next.
"What a damn nuisance!"
A furious roar rang out.
By sheer bad luck, Giada had landed directly in the middle of several overlapping battlefields. Attacks from multiple controlled fighters struck her at once, instantly leaving her battered and disheveled.
A massive, ferocious Beast Vassal materialized out of thin air.
In an instant, it suppressed everyone who had gone berserk. Even Katerea, who had been chasing Laugus, was casually pinned to the ground by Giada.
"I'm leaving. I'm not sticking around for the rest of this mess. You're on your own."
Giada was furious, but she understood that Azazel and the others were only acting this way because they were being controlled, so she did not kill them.
Like Aya Tokoyogi, she simply intended to leave.
She had already gotten what she wanted. This trip had not been a loss.
"You... don't actually think everything will be fine just because you leave this place, do you?"
The aged voice made Giada stop.
She turned toward Laugus in confusion.
That was exactly what she had been thinking.
No matter how powerful these two Old Testament beings were, they were still just two crashed programs. Itogami Island was surrounded by the ocean and far from any mainland. At worst, they might sink Itogami Island along with a few nearby island nations.
How much worse could things possibly get?
With everyone watching him, Laugus silently looked toward the black pillar, then toward the pillar of light standing against it in the distance.
"Hum..."
Within the black pillar, the black silhouette that had only been faintly visible before had now fully descended into reality.
Its body was black and purple, covered from head to toe in grotesquely vicious layers of chitinous armor. Bat-like wings spread from its back, formed from a material with the texture of animal hide.
In the distance, the pillar of light began to fade.
Beneath it was an eerie, grotesquely deformed figure covered in hundreds of pairs of pure white wings, with layer after layer of wings growing upon one another. The closed slits at its center opened, revealing crimson eyes filled with judgment.
A thousand eyes.
A thousand wings.
The instant both beings appeared at the same time, they seemed to resonate with one another.
A strange melody arose from nowhere between them, making the ground tremble faintly.
The two stared at each other across the distance.
Then both began to move toward the other.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Giada frowned at Laugus, who had gone silent after saying that one sentence.
Laugus did not answer.
He simply pointed outside.
Those who were still conscious followed his gesture with puzzled expressions. Their gazes passed through the black mist spreading from the black pillar and fell upon the ocean beyond.
Deep out at sea, the water that had appeared pitch-black beneath the night sky was beginning to take on a faint blood-red hue.
That red was striking.
Vivid.
And terrifying.
The blood-red sea visibly began to rise.
Enormous crimson waves, carrying the overwhelming force of nature, started to churn and roll toward the island.
Along the shoreline, objects of every color began crystallizing from their surfaces, the transformation spreading outward from single points.
High-rise buildings turned into pillars of salt.
People fled desperately toward the center of the island.
Above, dense black clouds swallowed what little starlight remained in the night sky.
Searchlights swept across those clouds, yet it was as though their beams had been cast into a black hole. Aside from scattered patches of deep, pale red glowing within the clouds, there was no color at all beyond the darkness.
A friendly reminder.
The area affected by these phenomena was...
Global.
***
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***