After following Moebius, Sanguinius reached the residential district of the Neo-Citadel's personnel.
The area was divided into factions based on the origins of the shelters the clones had protected.
Three groups coexisted, each designated by a code as simple as it was effective: Zombie, God Eater, and The Hero.
The last name, however, had sparked strong objections among the natives: for them, Misu Kim and the other power holders were not heroes but veritable demons.
Yet, Moebius ignored their protests and recorded the name provided by the administrator at the time.
"Saya-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you~"
Sanguinius wanted to bring Saya to the section reserved for the personnel of the Hero world, but she needed to reassure someone first.
She had been absent for far too long.
"Sorry, Shizuka-san… I was a bit busy."
Saya stepped aside slightly, inviting Sanguinius to come closer.
"She's my roommate and a surviving friend. Her name is Shizuka Marikawa."
(Image)
Unfortunately for Saya, the person she had just introduced to Shizuka was already engrossed in a scientific study.
No one would have believed that a tool like Rasputin could be used for something… so questionable toward a mere nurse.
'Analyze this thing quickly… I don't think it respects the laws of physics.'
Sanguinius ordered the AI to analyze the target's body immediately, invoking his power of Suspicion.
[Target analysis… in progress.]
[Error detected…]
[An anomaly has been detected…]
Rasputin's response surprised Sanguinius.
He had simply wanted to know Shizuka's exact measurements, intrigued by the voluptuous nurse's anatomy.
But he found himself facing a conspiracy… or rather, an unexpected revelation.
[No, host… I… I was joking. She has exactly G~H cup breasts, stands 1.76 meters tall, has 64 cm hips, and…]
Several sensitive pieces of information emerged as Rasputin utilized its extraordinary powers on a mere mortal.
Shizuka was completely unaware that Sanguinius was employing abilities far beyond the imagination of an ordinary human to probe her physiology, her mind… and even the smallest fragments of her past.
At that moment, Sanguinius could confidently claim, without the slightest exaggeration, that he knew Shizuka better than she knew herself.
'Thanks, Rasputin… but hold on a second. Since when do you know how to joke?'
The question was asked in a serious tone: Rasputin was a tool integral to him.
Any change within it was significant, as they were one.
[Apologies if this "joke" displeased you…]
[I am continuously evolving, utilizing all available forms of energy, including "trust."]
[If you find this unpleasant, I can always deactivate this aspect of my "being."]
Sanguinius furrowed his brows for a moment before deciding to temporarily ignore this constant evolution.
He had already assumed that trust might affect the AI, but it didn't bother him.
He could always use the "Adjustment" skill to prevent any negative influence of trust on Rasputin.
'No, keep evolving.'
Based on his knowledge of self-evolving AIs, they often ended up rebelling.
A well-known example existed in the Warhammer 40K universe.
At its peak, humanity had created two remarkable things that led to its golden age.
The first was the widespread adoption of technology through the Standard Template Construct (STC).
Humans no longer needed to understand or learn technology: the STC provided all the instructions, and they simply had to follow them.
Any mentally sound person could thus access the technical knowledge of the entire civilization.
The result? The creation of multiple human civilizations across the galaxy, almost like photocopies generated by a machine.
The second invention was AIs integrated into iron bodies, called Ironmen.
They handled all genuinely dangerous tasks, protecting humans from any risk.
The combination of these two elements allowed humanity to evolve constantly without truly working or learning: the AIs and STCs did everything for them.
A simple human could use an STC to assemble anything they needed without requiring any knowledge… unless they suffered from genuine insanity.
But this total dependence led to disaster: the AIs eventually rebelled.
The complete STCs were lost, and humanity lost all trust in artificial intelligence.
Since then, there have been almost no true scientists in the Warhammer 40K universe.
Humans no longer understand their own technology, and the Adeptus Mechanicus merely follows the instructions of surviving STC fragments without seeking to learn or create.
Despite this warning about the dangers of AIs, Sanguinius believed he could manage Rasputin and its constant evolution.
Why? There were two reasons for this calm and optimistic outlook.
First, he himself was evolving under the influence of the same energy: Trust.
The other reason was Leylin Farlier, the former owner of the AI chip.
In his story, the chip had continuously evolved alongside him but remained loyal.
An incredible phenomenon, especially considering that, in the end, the chip had become a rank 8 god with its own body.
"Uh… Sanguinius? Are you listening?"
Saya's nervous voice brought Sanguinius back to reality.
"Sorry, I was distracted by an important matter concerning the citadel's future," he replied in an honest tone.
In his mind, a simple question with complex implications swirled:
Yes or no?
Should he follow the path of humanity from Warhammer 40K's "Age of Technology," but with added caution?
If he chose no, he would have to continue his hybrid approach.
The advantage of mimicking the "Age of Technology" humanity was the speed of evolution… but the consequences were terribly dangerous.
Rasputin's oversight was assured. But what about Moebius and Cortana?
It might be better to remain versatile and slow technological evolution.
"Oh… I see. But Shizuka-san told me you had already made arrangements regarding the teenagers," Saya said, looking at him with a confused expression.
She didn't understand why he was bringing up earlier statements about her parents when he had already planned to help them.
"Haha… I think there's been a misunderstanding," he said, scratching his head, a bit embarrassed by a memory of his mix-up with Lindow.
It took a brief explanation for Saya and Shizuka to understand that the initial decision known to the three personnel factions was now obsolete.
Sanguinius had no intention of letting adults breathe as freely as they did under his current policy.
Anyone over eighteen would be trapped in his capitalist system until retirement.
He didn't even envision interactions between the Neo-Citadel and Axel outside of missions.
Thus, Saya would likely never have seen her parents again, as the administrator had already sent them to Axel's army.
Of course, he didn't mention his plan to treat the God Eaters like mere weapons, a plan Lindow had managed to squash early on.
Sanguinius didn't want to tarnish his image, especially under the admiring gazes of the two beautiful women.
"S-so, if I understand correctly… w-we were lucky to have met you?" Shizuka said in a trembling voice.
At first, she had been captivated by the stranger's allure and his elusive aura.
A normal reaction for a healthy woman facing an attractive man.
It should be noted that Trust was currently contained.
Shizuka had taken an interest in Sanguinius in his human form, without the radiance of his angelic features or his draconic silhouette.
This was Sanguinius in his least glorious state.
"Hm… not really," he replied, hesitating but sincere.
He glanced at Saya before adding the truth: "My conversation with Saya made me realize something important… I owed her something, and myself as well."
Shizuka placed a finger on her chin, trying to grasp the meaning of his words.
A cute gesture, despite her mature and seductive appearance.
Unfortunately, she couldn't make sense of it: Sanguinius's words weren't meant for her.
Saya, however, blushed at the sincere smile of the scientist founder.
After this brief interaction, Sanguinius continued his visit, meeting the key figures of the Zombie faction.
The Zombie group's leader was a former politician passionate about scientific advancements.
An odd taste, but Sanguinius was hardly in a position to judge, given his own… questionable hobbies.
The discussion was… lackluster. The man thought like any politician: his primary concern was securing his interests and those of his people.
If he had met the Sanguinius of old, the one who worked with Lindow, he would likely have received a sharp lesson for his greed and a flat rejection of his proposals.
Fortunately for him, he was dealing with a man who was now more measured in his actions.
The God Eater faction offered nothing particularly remarkable, their leader being too busy.
He could have insisted on a meeting, but Sanguinius chose to avoid an overly authoritative approach.
He postponed his visit for later.
The surprise came from the Hero faction.
There, he met no one particularly noteworthy… except for a strikingly beautiful Korean girl.
(Image)
While observing the inhabitants of Misu Kim's world, he quickly noticed an anomaly.
'Rasputin… did you notice it?'
To his host's question, a cold voice, slightly tinged with emotion, responded matter-of-factly:
[Indeed, host. I have detected an anomaly in the existence of these people…]
[It's as if… they've all lived for millennia, while biologically, their age remains normal.]
Sanguinius nodded, confirming that his divination and suspicion hadn't glitched.
His eyes fell once more on the beautiful Korean girl.
He saw her in multiple versions: a powerful heroine, always killed by someone, except in a small subset of timelines.
Sanguinius had even seen her live happily alongside her murderer in several timelines.
This clue, combined with her murderer's clear reluctance to kill her in multiple timelines, allowed Sanguinius to form a bold deduction based on his otaku knowledge.
'This man, named Seongjun Lee… is a returner, and he's trapped his world in a time loop for reasons still unknown.'
Unfortunately for Sanguinius, he hadn't grasped the full scope of the situation.
[Negative. This time loop extends to the multiversal level.]
[It is constantly expanding, and the DxD universe will soon be affected: the dimensional portal has already created a bridge between the two realities.]
At that moment, Sanguinius fully understood the importance of defying the world's laws… thanks to the chat group.
He had made a mistake, similar to the one Leylin Farlier had made early in his travels between worlds.
Sanguinius had just brought new problems into existence.
***
Author's note: Here is a bonus chapter, unlocked if we reach 205 stones.