Heisenberg's gaze toward humanity held no coldness, because he had suddenly ceased to feel apathetic toward fates that didn't interest him.
When the fates of others become nothing more than your resources and commodities—even crops and grain you harvest at will…
How many people are still qualified to be someone special in Heisenberg's eyes?
And just how extraordinary would a life have to be, for Heisenberg to respect its dignity, to even consider its feelings?
Sigh.
In the vast cosmos, only a scant few.
As for the rest…
Heisenberg silently ignored the wailing of the masses, even though those wails numbered in the tens of millions—a full two hundred sixteen million, three hundred thirty-three thousand cries of anguish.
After the Bifröst had expanded to the level capable of transporting Mogo, its brilliance was unimaginable!
And those pitiful souls saw what they were never meant to see…
Disregarding life's desperate pleas and prayers, Heisenberg focused his mind, continuously channeling his energy into the God-Realm.
The little ball, meanwhile, huddled timidly to the side, straining to keep her voice low as she negotiated with the "affable" Green Lantern on the other end of the communicator.
As the little ball's voice grew increasingly fierce yet adorable, Heisenberg's state of mind became inexplicably more ethereal and detached.
Then, in a single unknown instant, the world before Heisenberg's eyes completely transformed!
…
One second earlier, Heisenberg had still been transmitting divine power into the God-Realm.
But the very next second, he found himself standing on an entirely unfamiliar stretch of land!
The dusky yellow sky all around stirred a faint sense of unease within him.
This unease, of course, was nowhere near enough to make him afraid.
However…
His heart, which the moment before had been incapable of stirring, suddenly flickered with a trace of genuine interest.
"Interesting…"
He murmured with a soft chuckle, but he failed to notice that his murmur now carried an ethereal quality he had never possessed before.
The voice seemed mechanical, yet also like the clash of metal.
One instant it sounded like fine rain tapping against a window; the very next, it transformed into rolling thunder.
It was not a sound any human throat should produce. No film or television drama could capture that strange mingling of sonorous clarity and deep, resonant rumble within a single voice.
And yet, he remained completely unaware of every change taking place upon and within him.
Heisenberg slowly stepped forward. As his feet pressed down, footprints of burning brimstone seeped out from beneath his soles.
When he took his second step, the ground between his strides suddenly split open, molten lava oozing from the fissures.
The earth shattered beneath his feet, and none of it was by his conscious will.
It was as though, in any world where he existed, that very world was compelled to transform itself for each and every step he took!
Everything he did was pure instinct, simply following the whims of his heart—because he was the heart of heaven, the heart of the earth.
As for the heart of humanity…
At this moment, his heaven and earth clearly held no regard for such things.
And so, Heisenberg advanced, step after step.
The ground beneath his feet gradually transformed into a sea of fire. The flames licked at his armor, staining what had been black plate with an unnatural, eerie glow.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth with great interest…
No.
He was smiling.
But he still hadn't noticed that, by now, he couldn't even maintain a proper smile!
That casual, indifferent smirk he usually wore had, without his awareness, warped into a grotesque twitch at the corners of his lips!
As the intensity of that twitch grew, his inner fascination deepened—and his expression, in turn, became increasingly cold and cruel.
"What is life? Merely the footprints of fate, tethered to the material world.
And what are humans? Infinitely narrow corners within countless fates.
The fate that destiny bestows upon life was never meant to be a license for them to squander it recklessly.
Yet all of humanity, the entire Earth, the whole universe—every living thing—squanders without restraint.
Heh heh…"
As Heisenberg sneered, the armor across his body continuously cracked and splintered.
The plating, once saturated with divine power, now shattered into fragments, flaking off his body in a steady drizzle.
Moments later, his upper body was bare and pristine. Not a single piece of armor clung to him.
In the blink of an eye, what he shed was far more than mere armor—it was as though he had cast off the last remnants of humanity that he had always preserved and carefully cultivated within himself.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out as Heisenberg's chest suddenly split open. The symbol of a great sun materialized within the fissured trenches of his skin.
A black solar disc now stood emblazoned at the center of his chest. The divine emblem he had only recently carved was now engraved into his own flesh.
In the next moment, molten lava surged forth from the black furrows and patterns. His eyes, like the lava streaming across his skin, took on a baleful, glaring crimson.
Between his slightly parted lips, the scent of sulfur wafted continuously. And his originally short-cropped hair grew in mere moments to a medium length…
"Life… heh heh… is nothing but soil, constantly fertilized to meet the demands of fate.
Will—such a thing never even existed!
What is called will is nothing but greed.
What is called freedom is nothing but indulgence."
Now bare-chested, Heisenberg gently raised his right hand. Within his pallid palm, Gungnir gradually materialized.
The moment he closed his grip around Gungnir's shaft, he suddenly swung the spear and drove it viciously into the ground.
BOOM!!!
The earth, already transformed into a sea of flame, shuddered violently. Magma sprayed in all directions like churning ocean waves.
Beneath the ground that had been drained of lava and laid bare, a colossal rune spanning several kilometers suddenly revealed itself!
Staring down at the immense rune beneath his feet, Heisenberg let out a cold sigh.
"Loneliness."
Finishing his words, he moved forward, continuing to smash Gungnir into other points across the land beneath him.
"Loneliness + Alienation + Fear + Despair + Self-Worth ÷ Mockery ÷ Condemnation ÷ Misunderstanding × Guilt × Shame × Failure × Judgment.
From which can be derived: Hope = Foolishness, Love = Lies, Survival = Death, and Self…
Self = dark side."
As the runes continued to emerge, Heisenberg let out a long breath. Before him, the starry sea of lava abruptly shattered.
At the same moment, Gungnir vanished from his hand. Even the hair that had just grown out, along with his shattered armor, reverted to their original states.
When he opened his eyes once more, he finally saw the scene he was meant to see.
He was holding Mogo aloft, while divine power shaped the God-Realm.
Seeing this…
Heisenberg finally smiled a normal smile—clear, light, and unmistakably his own.
Still smiling, he murmured quietly to himself.
"So this is the legendary Anti-Life Equation?"
He paused briefly, and his smile grew more pronounced.
"Evil is always more generous than goodness. The reverse is always more desperate to flip the scales than the upright.
Compared to the fleeting spiritual experience the Life Equation gave me, the Anti-Life Equation simply threw out a portion of its core to tempt me directly.
But you truly don't understand a god.
Or rather, you fundamentally don't understand a god who genuinely evolved from a human into a god!
Once the good and evil of humanity have wandered through the soul of a deity, once a god has truly tasted the sorrows and joys of mortals…
That god—that human—will know with absolute certainty: whether the Life Equation or the Anti-Life Equation,
no matter how overwhelmingly powerful the force, He will never imprison Himself within an unchanging domain of the spirit!"
At this, the contempt on Heisenberg's face deepened.
"Light, or dark… heh.
Since I possess an essence that attracts you both, since you all choose to reveal yourselves to me in an effort to draw me to your side…
If that's the case, then no matter how mighty you are, you're still nothing more than pitiful, useless powers, so desperate you must come wagging your tails and begging for my favor.
So, you equations that can only bring me boredom…"
Heisenberg paused at this thought, then spat derisively.
"Get lost."
The words fell.
In the distance, Mogo, who had been communicating with Abin Sur, froze completely.
She abruptly cut off her chatter, then turned toward Heisenberg with hesitation.
A moment later, her round little body, composed of green light, suddenly trembled.
And then, the little ball's expression instantly morphed into…
Life is not worth living!
The little ball wobbled pitifully a couple of times, then her expression turned solemn.
She rolled gently in a little circle right where she was…
After completing this motion, her expression instantly changed to…
Tears streaming down her face!
Seeing the little ball so utterly wronged, Heisenberg rushed to her side and scooped Mogo into his arms.
"I wasn't talking about you!"
"You don't want me! Abin doesn't want me either! Sector 2814 doesn't welcome me! I want to go home, home, home!!!"
Mogo immediately burst into aggrieved sobs. But Heisenberg, watching the little ball in his arms cry while sneaking furtive glances at him…
Heisenberg pursed his lips and put on a stern face, secretly amused.
He hadn't kept it up for long before the little ball in his embrace began to panic.
The little ball quietly turned, then stole a look at Heisenberg's silent posture.
Whoosh!
The little ball directly extended a round paw made of green light toward him.
"Dad, Abin won't let me stay. You talk to him…"
With that, her little round paw detached from her body and floated over beside Heisenberg's ear.
On the other end of the communication line, Abin Sur also heard Mogo's words.
Realizing he was now about to speak with the person Mogo called "Dad," Abin Sur furrowed his brow.
"You are…"
"I am Heisenberg. Mogo stays with me. If you have a problem with that, come find me on Earth.
Believe me—I'll make sure you won't be able to ask."
With those words, Heisenberg cut the communication directly. He turned and rubbed the little ball's head.
"Stay. The God-Realm is ready, little one."
"Okay, Dad!!!"
The little ball beamed with sheer delight. But Heisenberg still saw right through this little creature's true nature.
This is definitely black-hearted cotton stuffing pretending to be pure, isn't it!!!
Ha ha~~!
Laughing, Heisenberg disconnected the divine power transmission system. Bach's voice reached his ears through the communicator, confirming that the God-Realm's expansion was fully complete.
He suddenly spread his arms wide in an embracing gesture, reaching toward the now infinitely vast planet Mogo.
As Heisenberg's hands gradually drew together, Mogo and every last blade of grass and tree upon her rapidly shrank.
A few fortunate journalists and bloggers captured this astonishing scene. Those who had not yet been blinded remained mad with fervor over the miracle Heisenberg displayed.
It was exactly like a scene described in the Book of Revelation.
God rained heavenly fire upon the earth, and humanity scurried in chaos!
The emergence of a planet was no lesser miracle—no, it far surpassed—the so-called sinking of continents and divine fire of myth.
And Heisenberg…
Even though the Bifröst he had summoned had seared the eyes of over a hundred million people blind, even though those pitiful souls wailed endlessly in agony…
Amidst their bitter tears, all they did was plead and pray, over and over.
When there is no god truly manifest in the sky, far too many people are more than willing to curse the heavens in their despair!
But when a god truly appears…
When divine punishment truly descends…
No one curses anymore.
Heisenberg cradled the truly shrunken, now tiny little ball in his arms, then sat down upon the highest edge of the God-Realm's dome.
His legs dangled naturally, swaying gently in rhythm with the little ball's bobbing.
His gaze, however, turned toward the countless wretched souls in the distance.
He gently rubbed the little ball in his embrace and murmured softly.
"What do you think? Those wailing people down there… should I save them?"
"Why would you call it 'save'?"
The little ball in his arms immediately put on a surprised expression, then continued speaking to Heisenberg.
"There are lots of living things on me! Mostly animals, no real intelligence, but they are still lives.
Some of them I find annoying. Others I like—the cute ones.
So, every once in a while, I roll over."
"And then?" Heisenberg asked.
The little ball smiled.
"Even when I try to hold back, I still have to move now and then. So I make the annoying little creatures—the ones who always wreck things—end up in places where they're more likely to be squished.
That way, the living things I like can live a little longer.
Even though their lives are always so short. Even if I do nothing at all, they only ever have one outcome: death."
"So… only when I want them to die do they get to die.
And when I don't want them to die, I have the authority to grant them life as a blessing."
Heisenberg laughed. He lightly waved his right hand, and warm, gentle sunlight instantly spilled down.
The people who had been cowering in terror in the darkness moments before were suddenly bathed in light once more.
Heisenberg, holding the little ball, lay back gently upon the dome of the God-Realm.
He breathed in the leisurely evening breeze, felt the touch of the clouds and mist, and a look of ease he hadn't shown in a long time gradually surfaced on his face.
"Little one, always remember—I am Heisenberg. I have always just been Heisenberg."
"And you have to always remember that too, Dad!"
/-\
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