"After some research, I discovered that with Milady's 'Dignity' ability, she can temporarily elevate others, or other BDAs and A-devices, to the level of a Divinity. I call this state a 'Simulated Divinity'."
Homura Saigo explained with confidence.
"By studying the differences between a Simulated Divinity and a true Divinity, I've reconfigured the morphological expression of the Third Stellar Particle. I found that its arrangement is very similar to the internal structure of an Codex, essentially simulating their abilities."
"Now, under experimental conditions, I can rewrite the structure of BDAs and A-devices to allow them to surpass the limits of a Simulated Divinity and, through Milady's bestowal, achieve the state of a true Divinity."
"Although there are still some difficulties to overcome before it can be applied to the human body, it clearly won't be long."
A Divinity itself is a complex thing. If they were to study it through conventional means, they might not see any results for hundreds of years.
But thanks to Kudou Asuka's existence, this project became much simpler.
They didn't need to research what state constituted a true Divinity; they could simply analyze an existing one to understand its internal structure.
They also didn't need to figure out how to rewrite the Third Stellar Particle structure within others or their devices; Kudou Asuka's ability could directly force someone into the state of a Simulated Divinity.
Therefore, all this project required was to figure out how to make the state of a Simulated Divinity permanent and how to push it beyond its limits to achieve a complete Divinity.
The difficulty of the task had been reduced by an epic degree.
Now, they had already completed the research on BDAs and A-devices.
Hearing this, Kudou Asuka was quite pleased.
"The research was successful so quickly? That's perfect. The other factions have been getting restless lately, and quite a few want to hold joint military exercises with the Heavenly Army... If this project bears fruit, we can scare them out of their little schemes!"
As mentioned before, the Heavenly Army was the Holy Cross Group's conventional deterrent force, stationed in laboratories across the globe.
But with the popularization of the Third Stellar Particle and the increasing mastery of it by other factions, the Heavenly Army's deterrent power was gradually declining.
Although no one yet dared to challenge a fully formed Heavenly Army unit, the hope of one day catching up to them was still breeding unnecessary ambitions.
While the situation was still manageable, it was only a matter of time before the Heavenly Army's deterrent effect would inevitably weaken as the Holy Cross Group's research precision improved.
At a time like this, the fruition of the Divinity research project meant a great deal.
Once successful, the Heavenly Army could possess Divinitys under Kudou Asuka's blessing, becoming a fighting force of at least the five-digit level.
If a seven-digit-level Heavenly Army still allowed the world's factions to entertain some foolish ideas, then a five-digit-level force would grant them an absolute monopoly on violence across the entire world.
The power of a single individual would be comparable to the deterrent effect of a god-slayer on modern society. And with over a hundred thousand such individuals, this difference in scale, combined with the chasm in military might, would be enough to extinguish any and all ambitions from other factions.
"Yes. Once we confirm it's safe, I'll arrange for the Heavenly Army to be the first to receive it."
Homura Saigo nodded.
He might be a bit of an idealist, but he was no fool. The greatest power naturally had to be kept in the hands of their own people.
"Once this project is fully complete, the foundation for the 'deification' that Typhon spoke of will be basically laid. Humanity will gradually evolve into an era dominated by the God-Group."
After establishing and gaining recognition for the new order, the Holy Cross Group's path forward was actually quite simple and clear.
First, popularize the Third Stellar Particle. Then, popularize Divinity, transitioning humanity into the era of the God-Group.
In the era of the God-Group, humanity's application of the Third Stellar Particle would flourish. All sorts of BDAs and A-devices would be developed, and the current food and energy crises would be alleviated to the greatest possible extent.
For the first time, humanity would enter a dream-like era where they could live peacefully without the need for production.
The liberation of productive forces would inevitably lead to a change in the relations of production. The Earth of that time would surely have blue skies and white clouds; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the utopia of human imagination.
Of course, even in such a dream-like era, there would inevitably be a cloud or two that could not be dispelled.
For instance...
"The progress on deification is indeed good, but these projects alone won't be enough to deal with the apocalypse brought by the End Emptiness, will they?"
Izayoi asked the crucial question.
These two projects were indeed important—one to usher in the era of the Third Stellar Particle, the other to ensure a stable transition to the era of the God-Group.
However, the prosperity of human civilization would not directly help in overcoming the end of the world.
Faced with the starburst-level risk represented by the End Emptiness, even if the entire world became a wildly successful God-Group, it would only mean they could utilize the Third Stellar Particle in a mature and systematic way. It didn't mean they were any closer to a method of fighting the apocalypse. In fact, it could even be seen as a waste of resources.
"That is indeed the case."
Homura Saigo nodded, acknowledging Izayoi's judgment.
These two projects might raise the level of human civilization and increase people's happiness, but they were of no use in dealing with the End Emptiness.
"So, I've also initiated a third project: the Sun-Synchronous Orbit Satellite Project."
"While it's still powerless against the apocalypse, at least we can leave a spark behind."
As he spoke, Homura Saigo handed the final project file to the others.
"A sun-synchronous orbit satellite?"
After taking the file and reading through it for a moment, Kudou Asuka's eyes widened in astonishment.
"What do you mean, 'leave a spark behind'? This is just running away!" she said bluntly.
According to the plan, they would gather the resources of every nation on Earth to build twenty-four sun-synchronous orbit satellites, which would serve as sanctuaries, like Noah's Ark.
Once the apocalypse symbolized by the End Emptiness arrived and the Earth was about to explode, these interstellar warships disguised as satellites would activate the ultimate contingency plan, carrying the humans aboard and escaping at the speed of light.
This way, although they couldn't stop the Earth from exploding or prevent the destruction of human civilization, they could at least ensure the survival of a small portion of humanity.
Then, perhaps, the humans who had lost their homeworld could re-establish an interstellar civilization and ensure the continuation of the human race.
Unlike the previous two projects, which were focused on construction, the third project's purpose was indeed to escape—and to do so by abandoning the vast majority of people, saving only a select few.