"What's IS?" Natsuki Minamiya looked puzzled at Luo Shu. Judging by Lacus's serious expression, was it some forbidden research?
Another dangerous project within SDS?
Before Luo Shu could answer, Tabane Shinonono defensively explained:
"It's a spacesuit! A new model spacesuit! The IS I developed is just a spacesuit!!"
Hearing this, Ania nearby couldn't help rolling her eyes:
"Cut the crap. Do you really think everyone here is stupid enough to buy that nonsense?"
After her sarcastic remark, Ania turned to explain to Luo Shu and Natsuki:
"Infinite Stratos, meaning infinite army or infinite power. It's a new type of armament Tabane proposed based on space exploration and Abyss countermeasures."
"The principles are complex, but simply put, it's about making Skill Demon Gods equipment-compatible, miniaturised, with unlimited energy."
"By parameters, it's equipped with force field shields, plasma weapons, energy weapons, and magic techniques enchanted on the armour surface for special abilities."
"Theoretically, a single unit could suppress six aircraft carrier fleets, possessing military strength to single-handedly subdue a nation."
"Force field shields and energy weapons were manageable. Even the special abilities from magic techniques were solved. But the energy aspect... Tabane's insistence on unlimited energy made the theory too detached from reality, with absurd production costs. The IS project was vetoed by Lacus a year ago."
"What replaced IS was my proposal for Dying Will Flames-powered Skill Demon Gods."
"Honestly, why are you still clinging to that delusion?"
At this, Tabane immediately waved her arms:
"What detached from reality? I succeeded! I've already built the first IS prototype - the White Knight!!"
Ania responded with a detached tone: "Then how do you power it? What energy source does it use? Nuclear, life force, or gravitational energy?"
"It's unnamed energy." Tabane Shinonono giggled foolishly.
Hearing this, Ania glanced at Lacus, whose face had turned livid with anger, then sighed:
"So you still used it after all? That explicitly banned soul energy."
According to Tabane's vision for IS combat configurations, it would be impossible unless a new super energy source were discovered.
And currently, the only super energy source that met the requirements was the soul energy Ania herself had discovered.
This soul energy was precisely why Lacus was so furious.
As the name suggests, soul energy consumes souls.
A byproduct of Ania's research into Skill Demon Gods, it was a super energy source that appeared to have no upper limit on its output.
Theoretically, one unit of soul energy could power an IS for an entire year.
This was equivalent to one unit enabling an aircraft carrier to operate at full capacity for a year.
Roughly converting based on an aircraft carrier consuming 18 tons of high-quality coal per hour, one unit of soul energy equalled about 150,000 tons of coal.
Logically speaking, such high-energy output should have seen widespread application.
But here lay the absolute dealbreaker: each unit of soul energy consumed one human life.
Energy obtained only through killing, with the extracted victims suffering extreme agony that required immersion in specialised sedative solutions to be usable.
This was why Lacus had outright banned it.
Scientific research might not need boundaries, but unfortunately, humans do.
So Lacus had unhesitatingly halted soul energy research, shifting focus to the gentler, sustainable Dying Will Flames energy proposed by Dr. Verde.
One might call her naive, but boundaries exist precisely because they mustn't be crossed.
"I didn't use soul energy at all. I told you, it's unnamed energy."
Tabane declared righteously, even meeting Lacus's icy glare as she enunciated each word:
"It's. A. New. Energy. Source!"
Lacus took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and upon reopening them, said:
"My apologies for losing composure."
She offered Luo Shu an apologetic smile before continuing:
"We may need to postpone the operation against Hoshimiya."
"No need for delays!" Tabane threw up her hands. "Just deploy the White Knight to capture Hoshimiya! That thing was originally developed as a spacesuit for outer space exploration anyway!"
"The prototype is already operational?" Ania was stunned, then realised a crucial point: "You actually discovered a new energy source?"
"Hmph!" Tabane puffed out her chest with a snort, as if responding to Ania's earlier scepticism.
Seeing this, Ania frowned: "Where's the prototype? What were the initial test results?"
"Only I can pilot it currently... well, Luo Shu might be able to activate it too?"
Tabane rubbed her chin uncertainly. In terms of physical strength, Luo Shu seemed roughly her equal...
After some thought, she turned to Luo Shu:
"Shall we test it?"
"You wouldn't distrust my capabilities like this lucky idiot beside us, would you, Luo Shu?"
Seeing the storm turn towards him, Luo Shu chimed in:
"I do believe in your capabilities. That IS you built - I believe in that too."
"Then why..." Tabane Shinonono wanted to ask why Luo Shu wasn't excited, hadn't he seen Ania and Lacus nearly arguing with her? Why was he so indifferent?
Facing this question, Luo Shu said:
"Can IS stand against a Demigod?"
Hearing this, Tabane's face immediately flushed red:
"IS is an infinite energy weapon I specifically developed to counter the Union's military forces!!"
She stopped pretending now, directly admitting she was targeting the Five Major Powers.
Luo Shu frowned and simply asked:
"What's its success rate against a Demigod?"
"A single IS unit is capable of destroying a metropolis like Tokyo!" Tabane's face remained red as she answered beside the point.
Scratching the back of his head, Luo Shu said helplessly:
"What I mean is, have you simulated the success rate? If you lack data, you can use me as a reference. From what I understand, my current power is roughly equivalent to a standard Demigod, just without Demigod Rank abilities, making me slightly weaker."
"So you can test with my data. You must have collected it, right? During our brief contact earlier."
As Luo Shu kept talking, Tabane's face grew redder until she suddenly turned and buried herself in Lacus's arms, bursting into loud sobs:
"That's so unfair!!"
"Demigods are completely unfair! They don't follow physical laws!!"
"Who fights by directly attacking physical laws?!"
"What kind of bullshit is Concept Entanglement?! That's just cheating!!"