A mental alarm sounded softly but persistently in his head. Hayato slowly opened his eyes, the artificial morning light from the automatic window curtains hitting his face. He rubbed his eyes, looking at the holographic clock on the wall: 06:00.
"Good morning, Host," SERA's calm voice was heard. "Don't forget, there's another lesson session today."
"Hoamm…" Hayato yawned widely, stretching his still stiff body. "What lesson now?"
SERA appeared in a new form—her hologram wore a suit like a classic academy teacher, complete with glasses and a pointer. "About the mechanisms of power. To fully understand your Arc of Embodiment, you need to know how other power systems work. But first, shower and have breakfast. Your brain needs fuel."
Hayato nodded weakly. "Alright. I hope today's lesson is more… relaxed." He got up, took a clean set from his inventory, and headed to the bathroom.
The sensation of showering alone felt… weird. Comfortable, but also quiet. Usually, there would be Lala who might suddenly interrupt, or Lilith with her teasing comments. That emptiness made him realize how quickly he had gotten used to their presence.
After showering, he went down to the lower floor for breakfast. The hotel buffet served various dishes, from traditional Japanese to international food.
Hayato took miso soup, some crispy tempura, dimsum, and milk pudding. He sat in a quiet corner, while his eyes were fixed on the holographic news screen on the wall.
"…And in the latest development, a male student successfully activated an Infinite Stratos unit, becoming the first man besides its creator to be able to do so…"
On the screen, a black-haired teenager with a confused expression was surrounded by reporters—Orimura Ichika. The main plot of this world was already rolling.
SERA appeared as a small hologram above the table. "See? It's started. By the way, interested in entering IS Academy? You could try to become an IS pilot."
Hayato sipped his soup. "I'm lazy. IS machines are cool, but why not Gundam instead? More iconic."
"If a real Gundam appeared here, there would be colony explosions and colorful lasers in the sky every day," SERA replied sarcastically.
Finished eating, Hayato returned to his room. Through the window, the futuristic cityscape spread out. Compare this to Chiba in his "normal" world—the gap felt like centuries. He sat in a chair, closing his eyes.
"I'm ready. Hopefully this time I can understand better."
---
Suddenly, the scenery changed. Hayato was no longer sitting on the hotel chair. He was sitting on a soft expanse of green grass, under a bright blue sky with warm sunshine.
A gentle breeze blew. Everything felt very real—the smell of soil, the sound of birds, even the texture of grass under his fingers. This was a conceptual simulation space created by SERA.
In front of him, SERA in her "teacher" form stood beside a faceless humanoid, like a mannequin made of light.
"Arc of Embodiment," SERA began, her voice echoing clearly.
"A conceptual power originating from the world of Fairy Tail. Its original user, Rustyrose, is a poor example. He focused more on making his power look epic than truly understanding its potential. If he were a bit smarter, the plot of the story could have changed drastically."
The humanoid moved. It simply raised its hand, a simple gesture. But from its palm, an artifact sword was created—not from light or matter, but as if it had always been there. The humanoid swung the sword upward, its movement slow and graceful.
No energy explosion. No sweeping wind. No flash of light.
But in the simulation sky, the moon—previously intact—suddenly split into two with a perfect straight line, as if cut by a giant invisible knife. The halves floated apart, without a sound.
"Arc of Embodiment," SERA emphasized, "is not magic, not Ki, not spiritual energy. It is a conceptual power. It has no level-based power limit. Its only limits are the user's creativity and understanding."
The humanoid disappeared. SERA walked closer to Hayato.
"Its primary limitation is only one: cannot create complex living beings, because it cannot create a 'soul'. But…" SERA paused. "It can create biological bodies, or soulless beings. Like dolls, or androids very similar to humans."
Hayato raised his hand, curious. "So… could I create a human body? Complete, exactly like a real one, but without a soul?"
"You could," answered SERA. "But you would need very deep knowledge of the biological body: nervous system, brain functions, heart function, how the body reacts to injury, cell recovery… All of it. Without those details, what you create would only be a non-functional flesh doll."
The humanoid appeared again, this time performing complex martial arts movements, chanting magic spells with glowing hands, then emitting a spiritual aura. SERA let out a virtual sigh.
"Now, to the main point: power system comparison."
---
The scenery around them changed. Now they seemed to be standing in a cosmic library with shelves containing scrolls of knowledge.
"First: Magic." A scroll opened, showing complex symbols.
"Magic, like from To Aru Majutsu no Index, Fate, or DxD, is the manipulation of reality's laws or concepts through symbols, incantations, and rituals. Example: Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm Ea—a sword that rotates the layers of the world, opens gaps in reality, and destroys targets by damaging space-time structure itself."
A holographic image showed Ea spinning, destroying everything around it into primordial light particles.
"Advantages: Can work on a metaphysical level, target concepts of existence. Disadvantages: Slow, requires preparation or special conditions. Can be canceled by anti-magic or clashes with higher concepts."
"Second: Esper." The scroll changed, filled with mathematical formulas and neurological diagrams.
"From the scientific side of To Aru. Local reality manipulation based on AIM Field, supported by mental calculation systems. Basis: science, Personal Reality, brain calculations that force the world to submit to the user's perception."
Two figures appeared: a white-haired young man with a cynical expression (Accelerator) and a brown-haired girl with sparks of electricity in her hands (Misaka Mikoto). Accelerator deflected bullet attacks with a touch of his finger, while Mikoto unleashed a large lightning blast.
"Advantages: Fast, internal, spontaneous. Weaknesses: Bound to brain calculation; can overheat; only works within the user's personal influence area."
"Third: Spiritual / Onmyoudou." The third scroll depicted yin-yang symbols, shikigami, and altars.
"From Shaman King, Tokyo Ravens, or DxD. Interacts with spirits, natural energy, metaphysical balance like yin-yang and the five elements."
An onmyouji in traditional robes summoned a giant bird shikigami, then sealed a demon with a talisman.
"Advantages: Can summon external forces (spirits, entities), bridge physical and spiritual realities. Weaknesses: Depends on natural balance; can fail if the spiritual field is disturbed."
"Fourth: Ki." The last scroll showed diagrams of energy flow within the body, energy explosions, and flying fighters.
"From Dragon Ball, manhua, or cultivation stories. Internal life energy strengthened through body, training, and will."
Goku and Vegeta launched giant energy attacks that destroyed asteroids.
"Advantages: Durable, regenerative, scale is very large. Weaknesses: Still physically based; can be defeated by non-physical conceptual attacks if not trained to face them."
---
SERA let out a long sigh, then looked at Hayato very seriously. "Many misunderstand. They say Ki is stronger than magic. Magic can defeat esper. Espers are better than spiritualists because they are more scientific. But that's all wrong, because they are comparing results, not mechanisms."
A large chalkboard appeared in the air. SERA began writing with virtual chalk.
A Ki user could lose to conceptual magic if the magic targets the soul directly, not the body.
An esper would not be affected by ordinary magic—unless the magic is based on absolute concepts like 'reality rewriting'.
A spiritualist could seal a Ki user, if the spiritual field is strong and the ritual is perfect.
"Power is not just about 'who is stronger'," SERA explained, her pointer indicating each point. "But about how that power works, and how two different systems can collide, repel, or even cancel each other out."
She looked at Hayato. "Do you understand?"
Hayato sat quietly, processing the flood of information. His brain spun, trying to connect everything with his Arc of Embodiment. "I understand… though a bit dizzy. But I get the main point: context and mechanism are everything."
"Good."
---
The simulation visuals faded. Hayato was back sitting in the hotel room, his body feeling slightly mentally tired. He stretched his back. "Ugh… By the way, SERA. In this world, there's a dangerous hidden satellite, right?"
SERA, back in her usual AI form, began typing on a virtual keyboard. "Analyzing public data and hidden frequency bands… Yes. There is. Its name is Excalibur."
A holographic diagram appeared: a giant sword-shaped structure orbiting Earth, with a glowing core.
"A secret orbital weapon, built by the US and the England. Its core is… a human. A girl made into the core for a hyper-condensing plasma cannon. She floats in orbit, trapped forever within that sword."
Hayato fell silent. The air in the room suddenly felt heavier. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine—a girl, perhaps his age, trapped in cold metal in the darkness of outer space, used as a living battery for a weapon of mass destruction.
"I want to see," he whispered, his voice almost inaudible.
"More than ordinary human eyes. Range as wide as the world. Sharpness like a telescope and microscope combined. And… the ability to mark existence—even those hidden from ordinary reality systems."
His request was not just a desire. It was a conceptual command.
[SYSTEM: Arc of Embodiment – Conceptual Vision Mode Initiated]
Field of Perception: Expanded (360°/macro-micro)
Tracking Anchor: Enabled
Concealment Disruption: Partial → Resonance Marking Activated
Soul Trace Identification: 82% match possible
Hayato opened his eyes.
The world changed.
He was still in the room, but now he could see through the ceiling, through the hotel roof, through Earth's atmosphere.
His view shot into outer space, passing communication satellites, space stations, until he found it: a large sword-shaped structure, with pulsating plasma energy at its core.
He looked deeper. Through the layers of metal and energy shields, into the core chamber.
There, connected to thousands of cables and tubes, a girl with short brown hair and a pale face lay in preservative fluid. Her eyes were closed, but Hayato could feel—her soul was still there. Trapped. Suffering.
His fists clenched so hard that his nails pierced his palms. Unconsciously, tears streamed down his cheeks. Deep anger, disgust, and sadness flooded him. This wasn't war. This was atrocity.
SERA was silent, letting Hayato's emotions flow. This was important.
Hayato took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Then, he began to think. To go there… I need to survive in outer space.
He imagined clearly: the condition of "not requiring oxygen to breathe". Not just holding breath, but a restructuring of his respiratory system into a conceptual ether flow loop-based internal energy circulation.
[SYSTEM: Arc of Embodiment — Concept Manifestation Initiated]
Oxygen dependency: REMOVED
Respiratory override: Active via Ether Flow Loop
Vital integrity in vacuum: STABLE (98.6%)
Mental clarity: Maintained under cosmic pressure
Physical: Can fly either on earth or in space where there is no gravity
A strange sensation spread in his chest. He felt he could breathe normally, but at the same time, he felt no need to breathe at all. His body felt lighter, as if ready to defy gravity.
He sighed, then looked at SERA. "Next, we go to outer space. And destroy that satellite."
SERA looked at him with a serious expression, then slowly nodded. "I agree. But don't overdo it. I will add the concept of 'undetectability' to you—you can move freely, other reconnaissance satellites will not capture your image."
A subtle layer of energy, like a conceptual stealth cloak, enveloped Hayato's body.
"Ready?" asked SERA.
Hayato looked towards the sky, towards the giant orbiting sword and the girl trapped within it. In his eyes, there was a burning determination.
"Ready."
His next step was not on the floor of the room. With the power of desire and the concept of "flight without medium limitation", his body floated, then shot through the window and the hotel roof, piercing through the clouds, leaving the atmosphere, and flying towards the darkness of outer space—where the Excalibur Satellite awaited, and the suffering of a girl waited to be ended.