"My—reason—is—unshakable."
"…No matter how many times I see it, that ability is a total cheat."
"Hearing that from someone whose eyes can disguise themselves as the Third Magic... it feels strange."
Having resolved his shattered psyche—broken by the glimpse of a horrific future—using the Unified Language, he certainly looked different than before.
Unlike his previous self, who seemed to represent a person completely devoid of emotion and sensation, he was now expressing proper 'emotions,' albeit somewhat clumsily and awkwardly. Though, the fact that the emotion was fear remained a slight issue...
"Fear is a natural emotion. To deny it is nothing more than a waste of time."
"If you're scared, just say you're scared. Honestly, dealing with that lunatic makes me feel like my own mental state is about to snap, too."
"…Let us return to the matter at hand. The reason you summoned me is for the cooperation of the two individuals born with the nature of a killer… and the Atlas Academy, correct?"
"You once held a degree from the Atlas Academy, after all. And since the Directors of that place are all entangled with the impulse of vampirism, your Unified Language will be a tremendous help."
"If it's about rescuing Zephia to gain their support, I agree. It seems this world has become a jumbled mess of 'various things'… and Zephia appears to be one of those who has degenerated into a conceptual vampire."
…In the end, is the Melty Blood incident destined to happen as scheduled? If so, it would be better to strike first and break the contract that binds him.
"If we bring Zephia and Sion to our side, the Atlas Academy—which normally only provides indirect assistance until the Compilation of the Human Order—will become directly involved… If we play our cards right, we might even obtain the Seven Great Weapons."
"I roughly understand your plan. Since you seem to have a roadmap for the future, we simply need to follow it. However, what do you intend to do if that 'King who must not be named' is reading your every move?"
"The King of Mages won't be able to move recklessly, at least for the time being. He likely consumed a great deal of power awakening the Beast of Pity, and just as we are preparing, he will be making his own preparations in his own way."
In truth, even if the King of Mages is reading our plans, there isn't much we can do to counter it.
Even if I know, how on earth am I supposed to respond to an opponent who holds all of human history beneath his feet, manipulates the Foundations of the Human Order, and attacks me with future alterations across time?
Therefore, rather than worrying about him reading us, it is better to prepare steadily.
"Fujino Asagami—I assume you know of her?"
"I saw her in your memories. Is she our first priority?"
"She has only just awakened her impulse, so she'll likely be very confused for a while. Show her the power of the Unified Language, and please stay at the Hollow Shrine and Reien Academy for the time being."
"That is fine with me. I have to clean up the mess left by my own distasteful hobby anyway. By the way, what do you plan to do with that fellow, Souren Araya?"
…Souren Araya.
Along with Zouken Matou and Zephia Eltnam Oberon, he is one of the three big 'madmen' who went off the deep end while chasing impossible dreams.
Of them, Zouken Matou attained peace and returned to being Zolgen before he died, and Zephia must be saved and put to use. However, the case of Souren Araya is a bit different.
Unlike Zolgen, who maintained his humanity, or Zephia, who is rushing toward the goal of 'Salvation of Humanity,' Souren Araya's objective is simply the extinction of the human race.
If Godword Mayday found pleasure in collecting and replaying the memories of others, Souren Araya went a step further—he collected the deaths of humans and assigned them value. And ultimately, his goal is to reach the Root and return all of humanity to nothingness; in simple terms, his purpose is to destroy humanity.
"Araya must be taken down. He's impossible to persuade."
Zouken Matou's prime was restored by the mud of Angra Mainyu, and thanks to the maintenance provided by the Naraka Path, his mind was successfully restored.
Zephia has become a pure concept due to his contract with Altrouge, so he should be easy to handle with Godword's Unified Language.
But Araya is someone who has already halfway progressed into conceptualization, and even if we managed to use every available means to bring him back, he would never abandon his dream of human extinction.
"No matter how much the Human Path can tinker with souls, or how your Unified Language alters the world, some things just won't work. Thoughts and ideologies already completely rooted in a person's head cannot be resolved by any of my abilities. And there's no way the Unified Language will work properly on someone whose Origin is 'Stopping.'"
"…Very well. I shall follow your judgment."
With that, the names of Souren Araya and Cornelius Alba were naturally added to the hit list...
"What do you plan to do about the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"
"There are only a few days left, so leave that to me."
"Then, I shall take my leave now."
"…You're leaving already?"
Godword replied with a smile.
"I believe I've already spent enough time here to earn a lecture from the Director."
"Haha, that's true."
* * * * *
There were once two VVVIP patients in Mifune City Hospital.
One was Shiki Ryougi, the successor of a famous and influential family... well, let's just call them Yakuza. The other was Kirie Fujo, who died recently.
Of them, Kirie Fujo died due to her worsening condition, and Shiki Ryougi, who had effectively been in a vegetative state, woke up miraculously... From the perspective of Mifune City Hospital, it felt like they had finally unburdened themselves of a heavy load.
…That is, until that Yakuza lady started attempting self-harm the moment she woke up.
The news of her recovery from a vegetative state was an excellent marketing phrase for the hospital. In an effort to ensure her recovery by any means, the hospital decided to appoint a man and a woman—who seemed 'unaccountably' trustworthy—as her counselors.
"Nice to meet you~ Though I gave you the same greeting yesterday. So, how are you feeling today, Shiki?"
"You're loud and filthy. Have you come again? A strange magus and a swindler... plus an assistant putting on a clown show."
"Your words are as harsh as ever. My request was simply to get you on your feet...!"
Shiki Ryougi... this young lady, who had let her 'male' personality go and was currently drowning in self-loathing, believing it was her fault, had no intention of getting up at all.
In a way, it was only natural. Though she didn't kill him herself, it was effectively suicide caused by Shiki Ryougi herself. Because his personality had vanished, part of her memories had gone with him, leaving her body filled with nothing but void. If things went wrong, her mind might even crumble under the weight of an inexplicable guilt.
Anyway, as I had previously discussed with the Director, I traded verbal barbs with her for a while before stepping out of the hospital.
A few hours later, the Director also stepped outside. She took off her glasses and spoke in a slightly challenging tone.
"Are you seriously sane? What are you going to do if you give a blade to a wielder of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"
"You can think of it as a suitable handicap. Her muscles must have all gone to waste after lying down for years, and I only plan to play around with my puppets anyway."
The evil spirits and Bounded Fields that had been in the hospital were already long gone, purged by me.
Therefore, regardless of the wishes of Mikiya Kokutou—who was working as an employee of the Hollow Shrine—or Kirie Fujo, a powerful trigger was needed to revive 'Shiki Ryougi's' own emotions... for example, the threat of death. I intended to show her some kindness by becoming that threat.