"Heh… Once the new semester begins, it'll be time to start the harvest."
Noah set the list aside, a faint, relaxed smile curling his lips.
He glanced down. Beneath the Talent Workshop, an entire district had already been transformed into a massive underground research facility. Countless cultivation pods stood in neat rows.
Within each pod, a curled-up figure could be seen—each one identical to Misaka Mikoto.
Although Noah could replicate infinite copies of Misaka Mikoto with a mere thought, doing so brought him no satisfaction.
It was like molding clay figures with his hands—soulless and dull.
He preferred replication through scientific means. Even if the appearances were identical, the souls and personalities born within each were unique, with subtle individual differences.
The cultivation system operated fully automatically, with only a few female researchers—such as Kuriba Ryouko—supervising the process, helping the newborn Misaka Sisters emerge, providing them with clothing and new identities.
Naturally, they couldn't all remain in Academy City. Through the network of Space-Time Gates, they were being transported to research facilities across the world under Academy City's control.
Each was assigned a proper, reasonable identity.
With a global population of seven billion, the addition of twenty thousand identical individuals—scattered across the globe—was barely noticeable.
Even if someone happened to encounter two or three Misaka Sisters, they would likely just remark, "Wow, there really are strangers in the world who look exactly alike."
Furthermore, each Misaka Sister was a Level 5 esper. There was no need to worry about them ever being harmed.
Because Noah himself favored the Misaka Sisters, they were subconsciously blessed with extraordinary luck—on the level of Type-Moon's legendary "EX Luck."
At present, there were already over a thousand Misaka Sisters across the world.
The Misaka Network now roughly covered the entire globe.
The Artificial Heaven, powered by the AIM diffusion field emitted through the network, also extended across the entire world.
Now, the power of science alone was sufficient to dominate the physical world.
Unless one stood among the magicians who transcended humanity, there was no one left he could not deal with.
Noah's gaze shifted lazily to the empty air beside him, his voice calm and indifferent. "Angel of the physical world, come forth—what brings you before me?"
Everything within this world lay within his perception. Naturally, he was aware that Aiwass had descended into the Artificial Heaven and transferred her true form there.
The moment Aiwass completed her transfer, she approached him.
Aiwass was the conceptual embodiment of physical laws—in Teyvat's terms, she was the consciousness of the great universe's rule system, possessing the strength of a lesser single-universe.
Conceptual entities had no inherent gender—they could be whatever they chose to be.
However, Aiwass clearly preferred to manifest as a female.
At this moment, Aiwass appeared as a woman with golden hair flowing to her heels, her features strikingly similar to Aleister's lover—apparently having borrowed her likeness for convenience.
Stepping out from the Artificial Heaven into the physical world, Aiwass bowed deeply, her expression filled with reverence.
"Great Lord of the Teyvat Multiverse, Creator, Supreme Heavenly Principle, Transcendent of All Understanding, Almighty Super-Primeval God—this humble one desires only to remain at Your side."
"To be near You is the greatest honor of my existence. I beseech You to grant this lowly being that privilege."
Noah rested his cheek against his hand, speaking with quiet amusement. "Oh~ So being observed and worshiped as an angel by mortals has led you to internalize the instinct to serve God?"
In the endless superdimensions, any being recognized as an 'Angel' was, by destiny, bound to serve a god.
That compulsion was the will of the Super-Primeval God itself.
And that will—spanning countless universes—could reach across all known dimensions.
Even worlds completely unaware of the source of that will could not escape its influence.
Noah, too, now possessed such a will. However, he had yet to extend it across all of superdimensional space. Even when he projected such divine intent, he could not yet perceive its full reach.
It was a one-way transmission—a message sent outward into the void.
It was akin to how, in the 20th century, Earthlings broadcasted electromagnetic waves unilaterally into the universe.
The same angel who had once mocked and insulted Aleister, treating him like an insignificant insect, now slowly knelt before Noah.
"Yes, Lord God," Aiwass said reverently. "In my eyes, only a Super-Primeval God such as You can truly be called a god. Those so-called Magic Gods are nothing more than magicians who exploited loopholes to ascend to divinity."
"Moreover, You Yourself possess an incarnation known as 'God'—and that incarnation is precisely the being I am destined to serve."
"In other words, it is You."
Though she was bound by fate to serve a god, Aiwass held nothing but disdain for the Christian God.
After all, Christianity's founder had never been a god at all, but a group of magicians and believers who fabricated the myth themselves.
Even the heavenly phase of that religion was a construct—woven together by magicians and sustained by faith in a fictional deity.
How could she possibly serve such an imaginary god? Even more laughable was that, according to that same doctrine, the very angel she once served was labeled a heretical being.
What greater irony could there be?
Noah looked down at the kneeling Aiwass, smiling faintly. "Then tell me—why didn't you come out to meet me that day at Aleister's place?"
He was known as "God"—and indeed, he was worthy of that title.
Across the endless superdimensions, there existed another Super-Primeval God known by that same name, "God."
However, that being was merely a higher single-universe being—roughly on the same level as Phanes or Ophis.
All Super-Primeval Gods shared a faint awareness of one another across the superdimensions.
Though they could not perceive each other's locations, nor could they directly interact, they could sense the presence and relative strength of their peers through the fabric of reality itself.
At present, Noah could sense fewer than ten beings stronger than himself—and each of those existed on the multiversal scale.
It seemed that reaching the multiverse level was the threshold for becoming a true cosmic giant.
Aiwass bowed her head deeply. "Please forgive my discourtesy, Lord God. To appear before You only as a spirit would have been far too presumptuous. Thus, I waited until my true form had been fully transferred before daring to seek Your audience."
For an angel, showing even the slightest irreverence toward a god was utterly forbidden.
"Hm… very well. I acknowledge you, Aiwass. I recognize you as my angel—an angel, the messenger of Heaven."
Noah regarded Aiwass calmly. He already had plenty of angels under his command—most of them the young girls he had brought back from the Black Bullet world.
They had not changed much since then. Adding another angel made little difference.
At present, even the weakest among those girls had reached the level of a Primary God, with some having ascended to the rank of Primordial God.
Due to the hierarchical constraints of the Sephirot, their growth was slow, but they could temporarily wield power on a single-universe scale.
They were all connected to the Kabbalah and could draw upon the power of Truth itself.
Aiwass's face shone with joy. "It is my greatest honor, my Lord."
With a wave of his hand, Noah said, "You may leave."
"Yes."
His gaze then shifted toward a distant point.
Even Fuse Kazakiri had accelerated his development thanks to the Artificial Heaven's expansion—he could now manifest physically.
In this world, all angels and demons—indeed, anything associated with God—were naturally incapable of disobeying his command.
For he was God Himself. Within the hierarchy of the Sephirot, all who believed in God would forever remain loyal to Him.
Thus, the most prominent power on the surface—the Christian Church—was, in essence, completely under his control.
It might be time to visit them.
After all, the Church's doctrine stated that nuns were to devote both body and soul entirely to God—each nun was, in truth, a concubine of God.
Noah couldn't help but think… that was quite an excellent doctrine.
...
Time passed little by little. The Talent Workshop's invitation letters were gradually delivered to the mailboxes of the girls listed on the roster.
Sakugawa Middle School — Student Dormitory.
It was an ordinary middle school, not one of the advanced esper academies.
Ninety percent of its students were Level 0s—those without abilities—and even those with powers rarely exceeded Level 1 or Level 2. There wasn't a single Level 3 in the entire school.
At that moment, Saten Ruiko was in her friend Uiharu Kazari's dorm room, struggling to study the basics of esper theory—a subject she completely failed to understand.
Aside from esper-related classes, she managed to pass all her other subjects.
But since she had no esper power, she could only half-understand anything related to the study of psychic abilities.
Saten watched with envy as Uiharu demonstrated her ability by making a potted plant bloom.
"Thermal Hand… Even though it's just a Level 1 ability, and higher-level espers probably think it's nothing special, to a powerless girl like me—it's still amazing."
She scratched her head awkwardly and laughed. "Haha, but being powerless isn't so bad. I've already gotten used to it."
Had she really gotten used to it? Only she knew that was just a lie—a form of resignation.
If only she could have an ability too… even a Level 1.
It was her longing for something special that had brought her to Academy City in the first place.
And yet…
Uiharu, of course, understood her friend better than anyone—but there was little she could do. So she simply continued explaining patiently.
"Saten, even Level 0s still have esper potential—it's just too weak to detect without machines."
"If you keep training diligently, you can definitely reach Level 1."
"During the last ability test, lots of students managed to advance to Level 1."
Saten's eyes glimmered faintly with hope. "Maybe… maybe I can too…" She had just graduated from elementary school and entered middle school—perhaps by her second or third year, she could become a Level 1?
Beep-beep-beep…
Just then, both of their phones chimed simultaneously with the sound of incoming emails.
"Eh?"
Saten and Uiharu froze.
"Is it an announcement from the school?"
It was rare for both of them to receive messages at the same time, so that was the only logical guess.
Uiharu blinked her bright eyes. "Huh? It's not from the school… it's from a research institution."
"The name says… Talent Workshop Invitation Letter…"
Saten's eyes slowly widened, her pupils reflecting the words on the screen.
"Talent Workshop? The Talent Workshop?! That Talent Workshop!!"
As one of the girls most obsessed with gossip and urban legends, Saten Ruiko knew that the hottest rumors lately were all about the Talent Workshop.
She and Uiharu Kazari read the email word by word, their eyes widening with every line.
"Dear Students, Saten Ruiko / Uiharu Kazari: Congratulations! You have been successfully selected for the Talent Workshop's Esper Development Program. We will do our utmost to cultivate you into Level 5 espers. If you wish to participate in the Talent Workshop's Level 5 Development Project, please bring this email and report to the Talent Workshop at the specified time. Late arrivals will be disqualified."
When Saten finished reading, she sat down heavily on the bed, her mind blank. Several seconds passed before she finally came to her senses. Tugging at her cheek, she winced.
"Ow… it hurts… so this isn't a dream!"
"It's not a dream, Uiharu!" Saten shouted, gripping her friend's shoulders and shaking her excitedly. "It's the Talent Workshop invitation! I've been selected for the program!"
Who didn't know about the Talent Workshop—the legendary institute that had created six Level 5 espers?
It was the most famous esper development organization in all of Academy City!
The Talent Workshop's Level 5 Esper Development Project had been announced the day after those six new Level 5s made their debut.
No one knew who would be chosen next.
Anyone selected for the project, even if they didn't become a Level 5, would at least reach Level 3 or Level 4.
No—Saten didn't even need that much. She would be happy just reaching Level 1. All she wanted was to have an ability.
Uiharu's eyes spun as she was shaken back and forth like a rag doll. "A-ahh… Saten-san… d-don't… shake me… so much… I'm getting dizzy…"
Saten quickly released her grip. "S-sorry, I got too excited! Are you okay, Uiharu?"
Uiharu rubbed her forehead. "I'm fine… but this is a big deal. I think we should verify it first—since, well, it's related to a research institute."
Acting swiftly, Uiharu contacted the Anti-Skill and Judgment headquarters to verify the authenticity of the email.
After receiving confirmation that it was genuine, she exhaled slowly.
Taking a deep breath, Uiharu turned to Saten, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "It's real, Saten-san."
Though she wasn't particularly concerned about esper levels, the thought of possibly becoming a high-level esper—and maybe even getting into an elite school—filled her with delight. She might even learn all those graceful, refined manners someday!
Saten and Uiharu clasped hands tightly, their excitement reaching its peak.
"Ahhhhh—this is amazing!!"
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