Starlight twinkled in the Director's dark eyes, and beneath her horns, her long black hair danced back and forth in the gusts of wind blowing in through the window.
Around her, many shattered floor tiles and scattered instruments defied normal gravity, slowly descending at an extremely leisurely pace.
Saria had made two incorrect judgments—she hadn't expected the Director to be so approachable, nor had she expected her to be so strong.
In the instant of their collision, she seemed to feel the pressure of the entire Universe placed upon her shoulders.
"Ah, let me see, Universe, starry sky… Your Originium Arts should be related to—gravity? Do you believe in gravity?"
Looking at the debris and glassware around the Director, also affected by her Originium Arts, either suspended in the air, slowly descending, or continuously rising as if weightless, Goki raised an eyebrow.
Where did Sigma come from? Although Terra certainly needed more heroes… it didn't need villainous abilities!
"That's right, your insight is very sharp, worthy of being the man I favor, Goki, or rather… Hunter—my original Originium Arts were actually about as strong as Saria's, but now, I can freely manipulate gravity and repulsion in the surrounding space, just like the attraction and repulsion between stars. Although there are limits, it's useful enough."
The Director herself, with a proud expression, spread her arms, manipulating her Originium Arts to gently place valuable instruments back on the ground, one by one.
—Rhine Lab certainly wasn't short on money, but it wasn't something to be casually squandered. Any instrument in this room cost tens of millions of Columbia Gold Vouchers; breaking them would mean paying for them.
"Undeniably, in bearing this power, in attempting to integrate the starry blood into my body, I did feel a tremor in my thoughts. This terrifying power may be something we can never tame—just like those researchers attacked by the ruin monsters. Their daily lives weren't affected, but once they thought about divine beings, they would fall into terror and fear."
The Originium aura around her emitted colors like the starry sky, and the Director used this power with ease.
"But how does that saying go? Discussing toxicity without quantification is hooliganism. If we quantify the impact of this power and utilize it to the minimum extent, they will become weapons for humanity."
The Director took a step forward, and the brilliance of the stars instantly pressed down on Saria. The Wyvern immediately straightened herself, but a crisp cracking sound came from all the bones and joints in her body.
"—Teacher, this is my idea, what do you think?"
These words, however, the Director spoke to Kaltsit, who was behind her, tinkering with an instrument while looking at her with cold eyes.
"If it weren't for you, perhaps I would still be a happy researcher, making a fortune from patent fees, and continuing to enjoy my power—but you showed me the true reality of Terra, making me almost sleepless for decades."
Kaltsit had made the Director aware of the immense danger humanity faced, given her a goal to strive for, and enveloped her in the fear of annihilation, as if a Sword of Damocles hung over her head.
The Director's foresight was not her own, but stood on the shoulders of Giants. However, from another perspective, her happy life as a Genius was undoubtedly ruined by Kaltsit.
Nevertheless, she had no regrets; instead, she proudly showcased her research to Kaltsit, just as she had done when she was still in school.
"Aren't you traveling with Mr. Goki precisely because of his unique qualities—upon closer inspection, he's quite handsome, isn't he?"
Her gaze swept over Goki; the Director scrutinized Goki from head to toe, her eyes particularly fervent.
"That moonlight-like figure, the power that devours divine beings—no matter how hard I try, I can only bear one kind of power, but you are different from Ifrit, Goki. You have more possibilities. Cooperate with me; I want to understand where your power comes from. This is our chance to survive the disaster."
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