"The worst news is, according to Lapko's predictions, there will be several small-scale starbursts."
Saigō Homura began.
"Like the foreshocks of an earthquake?"
Kudō Asuka nodded, understanding the concept.
"Where will the starbursts happen, and when?" Izayoi asked, his expression serious.
"Can the scale of the explosions be predicted?"
If it were just an ordinary earthquake, with humanity's current mobilization capabilities, there wouldn't be too much to worry about.
But a starburst was different. Even a small-scale one would have an incalculable area of effect.
A single misstep could lead to a nation-destroying catastrophe.
"As I said before, precise prediction is impossible."
Saigō Homura shook his head.
"However, if we add boundary conditions to constrain the model, we can probably estimate the lower limit of a small-scale starburst's power."
"In fact, small-scale starbursts have already happened before. This upcoming one will be on a similar scale to the last one, over two thousand years ago."
"The one from over two thousand years ago?"
Izayoi's eyes widened.
"Are you talking about Atlantis, the one Typhon mentioned?! Wasn't that a massive catastrophe capable of blasting away a large island?" Though it was called an island, Atlantis was actually no smaller than some small countries.
A disaster of that scale would be enough to affect half the Earth.
"What about the time and place?"
Izayoi pressed on.
If a disaster like this was allowed to happen, it could cause millions, or even tens of millions, of casualties. It had to be stopped, no matter what.
"The timeframe is within ten years, starting from last year. As for the location, according to Laplace's calculations, the most likely places are the Japan Sphere and the Mediterranean Sphere—the two most fragile areas."
Saigō Homura answered immediately.
If you compared Earth to a hard-boiled egg with a cracked shell, then the Mediterranean and Japan were the places where the shell was most cracked and fragile.
The starbursts were most likely to occur in these two locations, where the Third Stellar Particles would erupt in a concentrated burst.
You could say that the Swords of Promised Victory were related to the locations of these two regions. These two star-forged weapons were also the archetypes of the starbursts.
Hearing this scope, Izayoi couldn't help but retort.
"'Probably within ten years,' 'most likely the Japan Sphere and the Mediterranean Sphere'—what's the difference between that and no prediction at all?"
The range was way too broad.
It was impossible to guard against in terms of both time and space.
"I already told you, precise prediction is impossible. Getting calculations this close is already pretty good."
Saigō Homura spread his hands with a helpless look.
"But the Japan Sphere is just too big,"
Kudō Asuka shook her head.
"We can't just evacuate the entire population of Japan in advance for a disaster that might happen in some unknown region, can we?"
"Even if other countries were willing to take them in, the people themselves wouldn't want to leave."
She was considering the feasibility of such a disaster prevention project.
"I have a question, too."
Percher thought for a moment and timidly raised her small hand.
"This 'Japan Sphere'... does it include Tokyo?"
"Of course it does."
Saigō Homura nodded.
Although it was an obvious question, he could understand Percher's feelings, because—
"Then... aren't we in a lot of danger right now?"
Percher trembled slightly and looked around the science lab she was in.
Their current location was underground, at the headquarters of the Holy Cross Group, right in the heart of the Tokyo district. Which meant—
"If a starburst happened right now, wouldn't we all be trapped with no escape?"
Seeing Percher's pale little face, Kudō Asuka also started to feel a bit nervous.
Just then, Saigō Homura shook his head.
"Don't worry! It's not that much of a coincidence. According to Laplace's projections, it's unlikely we'll be hit by a small-scale starburst."
Hearing this, Percher's worries were not dispelled.
"'Unlikely' means... it's still possible, right?"
She asked cautiously.
"It is."
Saigō Homura admitted with a nod.
"That's why we're planning to move the lab soon, to the more stable Kunlun Mountains region."
"But don't worry, underground geological activity in Japan hasn't been very active recently. Although the probability of a starburst isn't strongly correlated with the level of geological activity, the chances of one happening this soon are still very low."
"Hearing you say that makes me even more worried."
Percher shrank back.
Seeing she still wasn't reassured, Saigō Homura added.
"Besides, I've also designed a warning system. If a small-scale starburst really does happen, the warning system will notify us."
Hearing this, Kudō Asuka was a little surprised.
"Didn't you say small-scale starbursts are unpredictable?"
"They are unpredictable in advance."
Saigō Homura shrugged.
"The warning system can only confirm the event after the starburst has already begun, giving us an emergency escape window before the disaster erupts on the planet's surface."