Wow, this is getting more and more over the top. Mister, are you having a chuuni moment too now?
"Artificial demon possession"?
Let me guess, is your little crime group called the Diabolos Cult? No, wait, your version of the cult sounds even crazier than the one from a few months ago.
Did you guys update the script again?
Here's something interesting: "Demon Possession," a specialty from the original World 3, started showing up in women from other worlds after the merge.
Nobody knows why. People just treat it like a curse tied to that specific world.
At first, it wasn't a huge deal. After all, "Demon Possession" is basically just an illness passed down in the blood.
If you threw away all morals, you could probably find a fix in a few months.
Even sticking to basic ethics, it shouldn't take more than a few years to research a cure.
Cid figured out a cure in just one month. It's not because he's way smarter than others who needed months even with teams.
Actually, Cid still thinks he got really lucky finding a cure in only a month. Because the way he figured it out? Pure guesswork.
Think of it like this: If Demon Possession is a math problem, and the cure is the answer, other people would write out all the steps, calculate everything carefully, and follow the process to get the answer.
Cid? He basically just wrote '1' on the answer line, got it marked wrong, scribbled '2' instead, and somehow got it right.
If you asked him to show his work, he'd get a zero. But unfortunately for everyone else, this wasn't a test. He got lucky and passed on the first try, and that's just how it is.
After the worlds merged and people stopped seeing those with Demon Possession through medieval eyes, with the combined medical tech, you'd expect them to be cured and cleared of any blame pretty quickly.
But, as everyone knows, things that are guaranteed not to go wrong usually go wrong in the most predictable way.
Initially, people felt sorry for Possession patients. Medical research labs were set up. A few days later, one of those labs blew up.
In the ruins, a space crack opened straight to the World Battlefield. Later, reports from the battlefield said the Otherworld side suddenly gained a new SSS-rank fighter, a Transcender, someone beyond normal limits.
That scared everyone off from researching it further. After some digging by powerful groups, they guessed Demon Possession came from the Otherworld.
The Otherworld is actually stronger than all three merged worlds combined.
But it seems like, for various reasons, they need certain conditions to be met before they can send forces over.
One condition is a complete Demon Possession.
Early stages of Possession aren't obvious; they might even significantly boost mana and physical strength.
Mid-stage, the body starts to decay and rot, but the person is still conscious. Complete Possession is the late stage: the body turns into a writhing mass of flesh.
Then, sometimes in days, sometimes in minutes, it rips open a portal, sending the body to the World Battlefield to act as a vessel for an Otherworld fighter to arrive.
This terrified the whole world into banning research on Demon Possession. Fail once, and the patient jumps straight to the late stage. A few dozen failures, and they might as well just give up fighting and wait to die.
By the way, to speed up the merging of the three worlds, and assuming Possession patients couldn't be saved anyway, all the major powers quietly agreed to blame everything on the Otherworld.
They spread stories like how their worlds were constantly being invaded, how most warmongers in history were actually possessed individuals they secretly dealt with, etc.
Officially, the governments don't confirm, don't deny, and don't correct these rumors.
And here's some exclusive info only Cid knows: When the worlds merged, his senses picked up something absolutely massive, full of mana, getting ground into powder by the collision.
When he got to the site later, he found a huge underground pit that must have been buried for hundreds of years.
Based on what was left, the pit likely held the rotting body of some giant creature. The world merge shifted the land and uncovered it.
So, he still firmly believes Demon Possession is a bloodline illness. His take? Two magic-focused worlds ran into a biological hazard they weren't equipped for and got totally wrecked.
"Mister... is she... is she really possessed by a demon?"
Cid's voice trembled with fake disbelief and fear.
"Yes. I know this is my sin. To drag this cursed land into the sea, I need this power. But to make up for it, Astarte will sink into the sea with me."
Honestly, Cid always thought he had a pretty severe case of chuunibyou, but now? He was starting to think maybe he wasn't the chuuni here. Maybe he just had a vivid imagination as a teen. This guy in front of him was the real chuunibyou.
"Oh... okay. I don't know why you have to do that, mister, but I'm sure you have your reasons."
"Hahaha! To have your approval, Your Eminence Cid, is a great honor!"
Okay, that's enough, Cid thought. This is getting so awkward I could carve a three-bedroom apartment out of the cringe.
"Mister, I get it all now. There are still some things I don't quite understand, but I think I understand everything I'm supposed to."
"Hahaha! As expected of the 'Son of God'! Blessed with divine wisdom!"
No, actually, Cid didn't understand at all. He was completely lost on this guy's chuuni backstory. But to avoid dying of secondhand embarrassment from talking any further, he decided to lie and end the topic quickly.
After mumbling a few vague replies to the... uh... apparently relapsing chuuni scammer guy, Cid acted like he suddenly remembered something. He walked over to Astarte and reached for the furball in her hands.
He pulled gently... it didn't budge.
"Um... Miss Astarte? This cat you're holding is mine. Could you let go, please?"
Astarte just looked at Cid calmly, his face reflected in her empty eyes. Finally, she just turned her head to look at Rudolf.
"Your Eminence Cid, you don't need to treat Astarte like that. She is an artificial life form; she has no emotions," Rudolf explained, then looked at Astarte.
"Astarte, grant His Eminence Cid the same level of authority as myself. Now, follow His Eminence Cid's command."
"Order received."
Responding to Rudolf's command, Astarte emotionlessly looked up, seeming to memorize every detail of Cid's face.
Cid ignored Astarte's stare. This time, it was easy. With a slight tug, he lifted No. 24 out of her hands and into his arms.
With No. 24 secured, Cid started walking towards the cat shelter area, petting the cat as he went.
"Your Eminence Cid, I must now go fulfill my duty. Forgive me for not accompanying you. Astarte, you stay here. Escort His Eminence Cid home, then come find me."
Astarte stayed close to Cid, her blank eyes still fixed on his face. She replied aloud, "Order received."
Watching Cid head to another part of the monastery, Rudolf turned and went to a corner.
He picked up a heavy, two-meter-tall crescent axe.
Judging by the heavy thud as he pulled it from the ground, it had to weigh hundreds of kilograms at least.
Yet Rudolf lifted this massive axe, easily weighing several hundred kilos, with one hand, looking completely relaxed.
He gazed out at the city beyond the monastery, a bloodthirsty, savage grin spreading across his face completely different from the kind, gentle look he showed Cid.
…
"Um, Astarte? Why do you keep staring at my face?"
Cid had been trying his best to ignore Astarte's gaze, but anyone would feel weird being stared at intently for over ten minutes straight.
"Memorizing Master's features."
….
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