Chapter: 48. Alpha
“Stay here for now.”
After Kanade helped Nagi and Erika fasten their seatbelts, he immediately turned and dashed toward the cockpit.
Although he was currently under the effect of magic nullification, years of combat experience enabled him to play a crucial role in the situation.
The battle outside was still ongoing.
The attack from the Celestial Society had not slowed down at all because of the assault by the likes of Juro.
On the contrary—
More enemies seemed to surge forth like a tide, magic beams and fireballs pouring down from the sky like a torrential rain, so dense that they nearly turned the entire sky orange-red.
The booming sounds continually battered against the tactical machine’s hull, shaking it like thunder, while warning lights blinked incessantly.
What was shocking was—
Though the attacks came from different directions, they all possessed the same supernatural characteristics.
“…Secret medicine?”
In the co-pilot seat, Kanade, who had just taken his seat, calmly gazed at the flashes of light and fireballs outside, quietly speculating.
As one of the parties involved in the “Vaccine Project,” Kanade naturally knew about the various side products that could arise from the “vaccine” made from his own “Black Flame.”
The so-called “secret medicine” was a derivative of a side effect of the “vaccine.”
In actuality, temporarily gaining supernatural powers through vaccination was an extension of the biological characteristics of the “Black Flame.”
Those flames acted like a parasitic egg, instinctively merging with the host’s cells and genes once inside, while the appearance of “supernatural powers” was one of the manifestations of gene recombination mutations.
The vaccine’s ability to combat the erosion of the End was due to the fact that within each vaccinated individual lay the factor of the “Black Flame”—even if only in extremely minuscule amounts, it was sufficient to create an absolute rejection effect against the End.
Because the master of the Black Flame—Kanade had rewritten himself as the “absolute nemesis of the End.”
And the principle of the “secret medicine” was to utilize the properties of the “Black Flame,” first merging the “vaccine” with the genes and magical fragments of other supernatural beings, and then injecting the merged “Black Flame” back into the body to obtain corresponding supernatural abilities and temporary magical power.
Though the final version of the vaccine no longer produced such an effect, the early versions had leaked, developing into “secret medicine” in the black market, leading to mass production of batches of “highly toxic” adrenaline.
A notable characteristic of the secret medicine was that individuals injected from the same batch would only gain the same kind of supernatural power.
Thus, Kanade deduced that the supernatural beings attacking below were all products of the secret medicine.
Otherwise, there would be no explanation for why all the supernatural beings down below exhibited the same power.
“If it is the secret medicine, they shouldn’t be able to hold out for too long.”
The tactical machine crew member in the pilot seat responded in a low voice while swiftly operating the control panel.
The next second, a faint blue magic glow appeared in his eyes.
The blue light illuminated the instruments before him.
Outside the cabin, hexagonal crystals rapidly materialized, with a honeycomb structure unfolding beneath the tactical machine—constructing a massive, semi-transparent blue energy barrier that enveloped the entire machine.
This was his supernatural ability.
A power focused on defense.
Fireballs and magic beams crashed against the surface of the barrier, creating violent energy shocks, the air at the juncture tearing apart with a continuous series of explosions.
The entire tactical machine shook violently, the walls quivering, and parts of the ceiling trembling lightly.
But that was not enough to move it.
The tactical machine was designed to handle intense combat, its stability and defense systems far superior to ordinary flying vehicles.
However, some equipment within the cockpit had already failed—especially the magic detection device, which had been penetrated during the first round of combat.
Now, the entire cockpit was filled with various magical interference waves, rendering the sensory system nearly paralyzed.
No one noticed—
In the tiny gap between the tactical machine’s side door and wall, a wisp of white smoke silently slipped inside.
……
……
Inside the cockpit.
After Kanade left the view, Nagi immediately put on a hidden tactical headset and quickly dialed the communication frequency of the End’s Nagi.
Given the current complex and chaotic situation, she urgently needed more information for her judgment.
And the only source that could provide effective intelligence at this time was the End.
Upon learning that the “β system” was a project secretly developed by the Star Academy, she felt sure that the End’s Nagi must know something.
He considered himself the boss who aims to destroy the world; it was impossible for him to overlook such a plan right under his nose.
The End’s Nagi connected to the communication almost instantly.
The familiar voice came through, but it carried a rare tone of panic.
This was the first time Nagi had heard such a tone from him.
[Master, aren’t you with your fiancé? If you contact me, he might easily notice, you know.]
Before Nagi could respond, the signal was decisively cut off.
“…Huh?”
She froze for a second.
——Is this really the End she knew?
——What on earth had Kanade done to him in the three years of her absence that could elicit such a reaction?
Nagi mused, “You’ve completely lost face for the final boss,” and initiated another call.
It had to be said, the End didn’t seem to have been crushed by fear and lost all reason.
When the second communication rung the End did not hang up immediately this time.
It seemed the End realized that something was off.
Nagi seized the opportunity to quickly explain: “Kanade’s current state is a bit… special, so there’s no need to worry about him noticing for now.”
After much thought, Nagi decided not to reveal Kanade’s current situation to the End in full.
She did not know what the relationship between the End and Kanade was now.
Nor did she know how he would react or what actions he would take if he found out that Kanade was currently under the magic nullification state, temporarily reverted to an ordinary person without supernatural powers.
Thus, Nagi ultimately adopted a vague expression.
[I understand.]
Surprisingly, the End replied immediately.
Without hesitation or doubt, as if he completely trusted her.
His reaction stirred a pang of sadness within Nagi, but she quickly suppressed that emotion; it was clearly not the time to indulge in feelings.
Nagi hurriedly got to the point:
“How much do you know about the β system?”
She subtly glanced at Erika beside her.
Erika had regained some composure, yet the white-knuckled grip on the edge of her seat and her slight trembling hands betrayed her current anxiety—an anxiety that was evidently not stemming from the magical fluctuations of the battle below.
Nagi had a premonition that Erika’s abnormality was definitely related to the β system.
In response to Nagi’s question, the End immediately answered:
[The β system—was a super monitoring system secretly developed by the Star Academy several years ago, incorporating neural networks and deep learning algorithms. Its initial goal was to globally track individuals who could potentially be hosts for me.]
As expected, the End knew quite a bit.
[Fortunately, the plan had a relatively complete framework and goal from the outset; at that time, the vaccine plan had not been proposed yet, and the Star Academy’s project did not involve your fiancé, allowing me to get a full glimpse of the plan.]
His words evoked memories for Nagi—if only recovering memories were that easy, she thought to herself.
“Can you elaborate more?” Nagi pressed, “Tell me everything you know.”
She further inquired.
At this moment, she understood that the memories regarding this part of the DLC plot were not in her mind—or rather, they were hidden within a fragment of her lost soul.
Just some key terms were no longer enough to evoke the corresponding memories.
Fortunately— the End knew enough.
Nagi felt somewhat relieved by this.
The End did not withhold any information, plainly narrating what he knew about the “β system.”
What he spoke of was precisely what Professor Amakusa had previously leaked to Alice and others.
Although the perspectives differed, the content was largely the same.
Seated nearby, Erika had activated her supernatural ability the moment she heard the words “β system,” joining the conversation between Nagi and the End.
Nagi certainly noticed this immediately but did not stop her.
After all, she had lost significant memories.
And Erika, as the protagonist closely related to the β system, might be able to provide some clues.
—————–
On the other side.
Beneath the desert.
Xiangguang stood before a gigantic mainframe, looking up as if gazing at a deity about to awaken.
At the moment the key was inserted into the slot—
A blinding white light suddenly illuminated the center of the mainframe.
The radiance rippled outward from the core, flowing along the metallic structure, rapidly illuminating every inch of the central device’s surface alongside a series of low-frequency hums that vibrated like a heartbeat.
The Alpha system—once the β system, now renamed—proclaimed its birth.
[System administrator confirmed.]
Alpha’s voice coldly echoed, carrying an emotionless mechanical tone.
The instant Alpha went online, it instantly took control of all devices within the Blood Cross base.
It deployed all the cameras in the hall, capturing and locking on to Xiangguang, who stood right at the center of the hall.
But this was not merely a visual scan.
As a super system created by the extraordinary organization, it did not only recognize the target based on appearance, iris, fingerprint, and such elements, but also magic reactions, supernatural auras, and even souls—
The fluctuations in the air were barely perceptible as the magic spectrum was instantaneously scanned and reorganized, capturing the unique frequency deep within Xiangguang’s soul.
This was “existence determination” that surpassed traditional recognition technology.
[Recognition complete.]
Without any transition, Alpha’s tone suddenly shifted:
[System administrator privileges have been revoked.]
The first words spoken by Alpha after it was activated were still as stiff, brimming with a mechanical aura.
However, within a fraction of a second afterward.
It seemed to have completed a number of updates and iterations.
[Considering the existence of the End, no organic individual can be trusted unconditionally.]
The moment this phrase was uttered—
As if severed from its energy source, all the devices within the research hall instantly powered down.
Screens blacked out, lights exploded, control panels became unresponsive, as if all instruments knelt and submitted before Alpha, even the control panel of the mainframe itself sealed off.
After a series of crackling sounds from electrical currents slicing through the air, there was a chilling silence.
Alpha directly shut them down, along with the very instruments that could control itself.
This caused panic to spread among the executives of the Blood Cross and the researchers.
The system had just started, and in less than a second, it had completely slipped out of their control.
Yet Xiangguang remained unperturbed, his smile growing deeper.
“Alpha, what do you exist for?” Xiangguang asked.
[……]
Alpha did not immediately provide an answer; its silence resembled both contemplation and a warning towards Xiangguang.
Xiangguang patiently awaited its response.
The silence lasted a full seven seconds.
Finally, Alpha’s voice echoed again.
What it answered, however, was a hauntingly familiar question—
(“End, what is your purpose?”)
““To save this world.””
—————–
“Tianyin! Miss!!!”
Erika’s exclamation interrupted Nagi’s thoughts.
She had been deep in contemplation about the information regarding the β system received from the End, still submerged in those details, not fully digesting them.
But in the next second.
The scene reflected through the cockpit window left Nagi breathless, her expression instantly frozen.
Thoughts about the β system were swept from her mind.
“…Why?” Nagi murmured in disbelief.
At the same time.
The attacks coming from the island below ceased.
Kanade and the pilot, who had finally been able to catch a breath, noticed the light out of the corner of their eyes.
The two of them instinctively looked up.
In the night sky above.
Countless light points cascaded down from the depths of the firmament.
It looked as if the galaxy had shattered, stars pouring forth, and a meteor shower unfolded in the darkness, presenting an indescribable breathtaking panorama.
Each meteor was accompanied by a long tail, streaking across the sky like blazing fire, descending as if a testament cast down by divine mercy.
In an instant, Kanade realized these were no ordinary meteors.
He murmured inwardly, his pupils slightly constricting.
He had seen this scene before—on that night three years ago.
At that time, the gentle black-haired girl had been sitting beside him.
Though he only understood later what that meteor shower signified.
“…Why?” Kanade’s eyes widened, his voice filled with surprise and confusion.
……
……
[Master, it seems something has happened—]
The voice of the End’s Nagi came through the headset, drawing Nagi’s thoughts back to reality.
[Clearly, this generation of fantasy entities has not yet declared failure.]
[But—the next generation of fantasy entities has once again arrived.]
“The β system…” Nagi intuitively blurted out the name.
The current situation must be intricately tied to the β system.
But she did not have time to delve deeper into her thoughts—
“…!”
In the cockpit, a thick white mist suddenly seeped out.
The mist quickly spread, silently engulfing the cramped space like liquid soul, bringing with it an oppressive sense of suffocation.
Then, a translucent ghost suddenly emerged from the fog.
The ghost wore a tattered gray shroud, its face indistinct, but its crimson eyes were clearly visible, and in its hand was raised a massive scythe resembling the Grim Reaper’s.
This was a man-made fantasy entity from the Celestial Society, seemingly having quietly infiltrated the cockpit amidst the recent skirmish.
At this moment, both Nagi and Erika inside the cockpit had no means to resist.
The next second, the scythe swung down suddenly.
A beam of white light, as if slicing through reality, flashed past from the engine.
The metal emitted a piercing scream as if being torn apart, and the entire tactical machine was easily bisected like tofu.
“——!”
A violent explosion followed as the fiery blast lit up the interior of the cockpit for an instant, blowing Nagi’s and Erika’s hair sky-high while the machine violently shook, sparks flying from the control panel.
The tactical machine lost its balance and began to spin violently.
Like a crow with broken wings, it plummeted toward the island below—
Meanwhile, the meteor shower continued to streak across the night sky above.
