Ch.124Last of Us (6)

“Young master has requested that you put pressure on the exchange.”

[I know what that means. You’re telling me to mark all the investors there.]

“He says to completely delist them.”

[That’s illegal.]

“Just a moment ago, I was collecting bioexperimental data. Their security was surprisingly lax.”

[Ah, so they started it first? That changes things.]

One.

“Professor Stranov, this is Eidel young master’s exclusive person, yes. I should be able to visit you within three hours.”

[I’ve asked the chancellor to open a direct portal to Iruyel. Be careful when you cross over, as it’s confidential.]

“Understood.”

[And make sure you properly detach from the foreign god before coming.]

“There shouldn’t be any problems.”

Two.

“Yes, Head of Family. This is Sonia.”

[I’m in the north now. I’ve set aside 30 ambulance ships, so if there are any critical patients, call immediately using the text I sent.]

“Thank you for your consideration.”

[Such formalities aren’t necessary between family.]

“I am an android.”

[You’re family too.]

Three.

Sonia calmly looked up at the spacecraft. The hull was shaking with slight vibrations.

– Section A is clear. Captain Padremont has successfully evacuated with the civilians.

– The possessed entity escaped through Exit 7, passed through Section C, and headed straight to Section E. Captain Malcram is currently engaged in combat there. The Rheinland student who came with the patient is also reported to be in Section E.

– The backup team will restrain the remaining researchers, and we’ll search Section E. If we encounter monsters, avoid combat if possible and just retrieve casualties. Let’s go—today is the day we finally cut off the darkness of Adelbein.

She watched as the soldiers headed somewhere.

What she needed to do now was clear.

As a maid should, she simply needed to go and meet her young master.

***

[— You have used ‘Cartesia’s Hair’.]

[— For a limited time, the foreign god will fully manifest.]

[— Time remaining: 03:00:00]

Black mist.

Hair tangled like a ball of thread.

Navy blue tentacles.

White book.

Radiance.

And madness.

Though it somehow maintained a human form, there were many incomplete parts, as if it were a mosaic. If I had to describe it, it was like a humanoid slime.

Still, it wasn’t difficult to recognize who it was.

Cartesia.

“What is this.”

She manifested, albeit imperfectly.

“Attempting full manifestation when you can’t even properly manifest in reflection? Are you in your right mind?”

[“It’s not easy, being in exile.”]

She was still speaking through my mind. Evidence that she couldn’t implement vocal organs in her true form.

“It’s because you can’t do even that much that you’re still treated as a half-entity, Cartesia. You can’t defeat me with such an incomplete appearance.”

Descartes-type foreign gods are inferior to Maxwell in combat.

But I didn’t summon Cartesia to fight.

“Hey, you amoral bastard.”

I raised my voice with determination.

“How incompetent a leader must you be to kill six of your comrades and still fail to catch just one of me? And you call yourself a foreign god?”

“…Has this one lost his mind?”

“Did you ever apologize to those foreign gods? Or did you properly get their consent? Or did you just brutally crush them with your power?”

[— ‘Steel Flowing Like Earth’ is displeased.]

Then.

Sapaul, having lost his composure, sent tentacles flying at me. But they didn’t hit me. Unlike before, I now had a reliable shield.

[“Look at this?”]

Cartesia.

She emitted a sharp resonance with her gentle voice.

[“How dare you try to touch my host? Do you want to die?”]

Let me remind you of a fact here.

The Descartes and Maxwell Forces absolutely hate each other.

And this applies to the Descartes-type foreign gods attached to Sapaul. They claim to be bound by solidarity, but in reality, they were a loose coalition that could stab each other in the back at any time.

They themselves don’t realize this.

They’ve been gaslighted.

Now it’s time to personally remove their blindfolds.

“Cartesia is tens of thousands of times better than you. At least our foreign god doesn’t kill weaker foreign gods. Rather, she’s clear about give and take.”

[— ‘Goblet of Blood Wind’ tilts its head curiously.]

“She gives us clothes and coins. And she distributes coins fairly without discrimination. The import volume is substantial, so everyone lives contentedly.”

[— ‘Bridge of Pleasure and Displeasure’ shows interest at the mention of coins.]

“She also possesses mercy. When an ignorant foreign god tried to plunder her black hole, she didn’t kill it. Compared to that, what about your leader…?”

[— ‘Swelling Heart’ expresses dissatisfaction with the unjust sacrifice of fellow foreign gods.]

Good, it’s working.

I spread my arms wide and raised my volume.

“Foreign gods present, please listen. Is it right to support a leader who sacrifices so much just to kill one human? I don’t think so.”

[— ‘Rainbow of Melancholy Silence’ nods.]

[— ‘Truth and Falsehood’ hesitates.]

[— ‘Wealth and Concealment’ leaves a pron in memory of the dead Darwin-type foreign gods.]

I know well what kind of personality Sapaul has.

And I also know well how he falls.

“Honestly, killing just me—I could do it better than him. Foreign gods who think so… hands?”

Hypocrisy.

Whether human or foreign god, those whose outside and inside differ are bound to be rejected. It’s a case of chasing after a meager ideal, only to be caught by that very ideal.

Naturally.

He cannot gain support.

[— ‘Goblet of Blood Wind’ raises its tentacle.]

[— ‘Swelling Heart’ raises its tentacle.]

[— ‘Truth and Falsehood’ hesitates, then raises its tentacle.]

[— ‘Bridge of Pleasure and Displeasure’ raises its tentacle, curious about the source of coins.]

[— ‘Silent Reverberation’ raises its tentacle with a hollow laugh at your eloquence.]

[…]

The 20th strategy of the 36 Stratagems.

Muddy the waters to catch the fish.

“Don’t be fooled! He’s trying to cause division! If we all want to survive, if we want to resist the ‘end,’ we must unite…!”

[“Survive? All of us? When we’ve already lost nearly half our comrades?”]

[“Because of you, our Darwin-type comrades were forced to give up immortality. Yet you shamelessly intimidated us, preaching about the survival of the strong.”]

[“Where did the cause go? Where did the grand plan to drive out Laplace using this girl’s body go?”]

[“You’re just a moderately strong being, nothing more.”]

I did nothing.

Similarly, Cartesia did nothing except block the incoming attacks.

[“Since you’ve killed all the weak foreign gods, I guess we’re next.”]

[“Even if we kill that boy here, it would be meaningless. Cartesia cherishes him, so we’d only be making more enemies.”]

[“The original plan has fallen apart. What do we do now?”]

[“Then, we can only mourn those who went before us.”]

I simply gave the foreign gods a push.

[— ‘Goblet of Blood Wind’ and 7 other foreign gods declare:]

“I warn you now, even if you all gang up on me, you can’t defeat me. If you want to preserve your lives, cooperate in killing that human instead!”

[— Oppose ‘Steel Flowing Like Earth’.]

“These bastards, of all times to do this!!”

The intensifying attack suddenly stopped.

Civil war had broken out.

***

The Foreign God Biology Research Institute instantly turned into chaos.

Other foreign gods started releasing their avatar bodies to enjoy the effects of the storm, and Sapaul twisted his body in resistance. As a result, a sinkhole formed in the central corridor of Section E.

[“I’ll watch your back, so somehow get to the dock.”]

Cartesia urged me while blocking incoming debris.

It was certainly a good situation, but worry preceded joy.

Sorry Rustila, I think I’m going to get pregnant.

“Foreign God, will you be alright?”

[“Are you, a youngster, worried about me?”]

[— ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ uses <Coordinate Shift>.]

We were instantly transported to the block in front of the dock. I say “we” because Captain Malcram, civil servant Rakdalman, and Ireh were also with us.

The inspectors waiting there rushed over in shock.

It was because of Captain Malcram’s arm.

The bleeding was severe, but thanks to the protection of the backing nature, I heard that survival was possible.

As for Mr. Rakdalman, well.

“He suddenly collapsed.”

I quickly finished briefing and carried the unconscious Ireh on my back. When I threatened that I needed to take her to her father, everyone stepped aside.

“Young master!”

Sonia came running from the opposite direction.

“Are you alright?”

“Somehow.”

“I see you’ve secured Ms. Hazlen. I’m glad things worked out well. Let’s hurry.”

“Wait, over there…”

Cartesia is still there.

I almost said that.

“Is there someone else?”

“…No.”

I don’t need to worry about a foreign god. Rather, I should be worried about what will happen to me.

Thud, thud, thud.

Ambulance ships began docking one by one.

“They were sent by the Head of Family.”

After confirming that Mr. Rakdalman and Captain Chengalgung boarded the ambulance ship, Sonia and I quickly boarded the spacecraft.

There isn’t much time.

Considering the theory of relativity, two hours to the portal, then another 30 minutes to Iruyel Academy.

We need to arrive before Cartesia’s manifestation time runs out.

In the worst case, the northern research institute could be destroyed, and both Ireh and I could die.

“Professor, this is Eidel. Yes, I’ll be there soon. Yes, yes. You’re in the middle of a test run? Understood!”

I’m not sure about anything else.

But the professor has always been on my side.

***

Cartesia is similar in rank to Sapaul.

However, she wasn’t a foreign god specialized in combat, and rather, she had come to abhor violence after pursuing only scholarship out of boredom in her “place of exile.”

Moreover, bound by invisible chains, she couldn’t even manifest completely.

A half-entity foreign god.

No, it’s questionable whether this could even be called a foreign god. Cartesia was incredibly fragile compared to the knowledge and wisdom she possessed.

Therefore.

“Ha, fools. Is this all?”

She was bound to lose.

The foreign gods attached to Sapaul betrayed him, but Sapaul, specialized in combat from birth, still maintained a slight advantage.

Virtual space and real space.

Moving between the two spaces, he purged the eight traitors and reduced Cartesia’s true form to tatters.

As a result, in just two and a half hours, the research institute was completely burned down, and a 2km radius turned into wasteland.

“You idiots. Didn’t I tell you? Even if you all gang up on me, you can’t defeat me alone.”

If she had manifested completely, Cartesia would have won.

If she hadn’t been exiled, Cartesia would have won.

If she had been aggressive and known how to exploit humans, Cartesia would have won.

She lost because she was a half-entity.

Sapaul stood before Cartesia with a device that looked like a cutting tool. He placed the device on her shoulder, which was flowing like liquid.

“I am merciful, so I’ll give you a chance. You, and you all. If you swear never to betray me again and pledge loyalty to me, I’ll spare you.”

[— Time remaining: 00:00:30]

“In any case, no matter how much we fight among ourselves, we’re nothing before Laplace. If he begins to act in earnest, all causality will flow in their favor.”

[— Time remaining: 00:00:20]

“I don’t want everyone to die. Neither the inferior mortals nor our superior species. So surrender. Yes, Cartesia. Kill that mortal and retrieve Ireh Hazlen’s body.”

[— Time remaining: 00:00:10]

“Then I’ll let you into our club.”

Cartesia, also an incarnation of knowledge and scholarship, knew.

This was politics.

There was a clear purpose: to gain absolute loyalty and integration from the remaining foreign gods by accepting her.

[— Time remaining: 00:00:05]

Cartesia.

[“…I don’t want to?”]

She stiffly raised her head.

[“I like that youngster much better than you.”]

[— Time remaining: 00:00:00]

With those words, she ended her manifestation.

And simultaneously, Sapaul felt all strength drain from his body.

Woong, woong.

Woooooong———