[413] Task Force (5)
"You can say it, Shirone. It's only hypothetical. We'll listen and judge."
Buoyed by Julu's words, Shirone repeated the explanation he'd given Gaold.
"First, it's magic based on Ataraxia."
"Of course."
If Shirone wanted even a one-percent chance to destroy Heaven, beginning with Ataraxia was the clearest path.
"The casting direction will be toward the sky. We'll lay the magic circle above our heads."
"Oh? Toward the sky?"
It was certainly an unusual way to start.
With everyone leaning forward, Shirone continued.
"Ataraxia is trigger magic, so it has no fixed range. To maximize that advantage, firing it into the sky is the most effective method."
"I understand. Then… what are you going to fire up there?"
"A laser."
"A laser?"
Everyone in the room knew what a laser was — but the sky looked so empty that it seemed useless as a target.
"Yes. I'll amplify the laser's straightness with Ataraxia and shoot it as high as possible."
Plu asked, "How high are we talking?"
"Hmm, roughly… about six thousand kilometers."
"Six? Six thousand?"
Shiina said, "If it's a laser, it's possible. It's a single straight wavelength. Combine that with Ataraxia's amplification and trigger properties, and you might even reach higher. So, Shirone?"
Shirone began his formal explanation.
"At around six thousand kilometers altitude, I'll use the laser's information-transmission method to cast a condensed mass orb — it compresses divine particles into mass. With Ataraxia, you can form roughly ten tons of mass on planetary scale."
Chiiiiing!
Sein's iron-wheel eye spun fast.
From that single sentence he knew what Shirone intended.
All sorts of formulas began to run through his head — complex, but exact.
Shirone spread both arms wide.
"Probably in the shape of a spear. The exact form isn't important, but given the omnipotence basis it'll be spear-like: a spear of light weighing ten tons. And then…"
Sein, having finished his calculations, said, "It falls."
"Yes. That's it."
That was everything.
Silence.
A far simpler mechanism than anyone had expected.
Yet inside that simplicity lay an idea capable of destroying Heaven.
"But is it really possible?" Plu asked, and Gaold looked to Sein. From here his servant-brain would pass judgment.
"It's possible."
Sein stated it without hesitation.
"In short: a ten-ton mass falls from six thousand kilometers. If Heaven's gravity is similar to ours, time to impact would be roughly fourteen minutes. The mass-shaped spear will accelerate under gravity, and if it reaches free-fall speeds it will exceed fourteen kilometers per second."
Plu's eyes went wide.
"Fourteen kilometers… per second?"
At that speed, there's no practical defense the moment it comes into view.
Quantifying the result: a ten-ton spear striking at that speed is the equivalent of Mach 41.
"That's right. Converting just the kinetic energy at impact to explosive yield gives about 2.19 million kilobusters. That exceeds Heaven's durability. If it pierces the central Arabot, it would raze seven entire heavens."
When Sein spoke, his calculations left no room for doubt.
Still, no one could accept the numbers at heart.
2.19 million kilobusters?
The idea that a boy who was still a student could produce that kind of power defied common sense.
"Ha ha ha, what do you think? Didn't I say it was properly insane magic?"
Gaold said.
"When I first heard this, what I liked most was there are no flimsy assumptions. What can and cannot be done is clearly separated. I thought it'd be the empty talk of a graduating kid, but it wasn't. Destroying Heaven isn't just luck."
Sein said, "Gravity. The planet's gravity drags the spear inward and causes Heaven to self-destruct."
"That's it. Those who worshipped gods end up destroyed by the hand of a god. We'll call it 'God's Punishment.'"
Shirone glanced at Gaold. "I was going to call it Shining Spear, though."
"Names don't matter. The real issues are orbit, impact point, and timing."
Sein said.
"I can calculate those. Once we get to Heaven I'll chart it. In about three days we'll have a handle on the planet's motion, and then we can set a launch time."
Everyone quickly adapted strategy and tactics to the new variable.
God's Punishment was a revelation that rewrote the project's plan.
While debate ran hot, Shiina watched Shirone with an especially pleased expression.
Gaold liked that God's Punishment used natural laws; Shiina's admiration ran deeper. Everyone knew dropping ten tons from six thousand kilometers would be catastrophically destructive — but no one tried because lifting ten tons to that altitude requires potential energy equivalent to the kinetic energy you aim to unleash. That's why God's Punishment wasn't merely gravity's doing: it was Shirone's design.
By amplifying a laser with Ataraxia to transmit information to altitude, then triggering divine particles there to gather mass, Shirone found an elegant workaround. On the surface it looked simple, but for someone who started from nothing like Shirone, it was an application only possible through total comprehension and analysis of his resources.
He'd squeezed out the last drop.
A result honed until there wasn't the slightest gap — the best possible outcome.
That's why Shiina could sincerely congratulate her student on such a leap.
"But there's a condition."
Shirone cut through the heated discussion.
"Ataraxia was given to me by the archangel Ikael. So before casting this magic I must meet Ikael. As far as I know, that was part of the contract."
No team member would foolishly break a contract amongst themselves.
Still, after gaining such a potent weapon, it was human to want to overlook the clause for a moment.
Even the cold-blooded Sein felt that.
To trigger God's Punishment, Shirone would need to be brought into contact with Ikael.
Depending on circumstances, that could be trivial — or impossible.
Whatever the difficulty, Sein disliked that uncertainty.
"We'll honor the contract. You deserve our help. But is that the only option? If you forgo Ikael, we can offer equivalent alternatives. For example, prioritizing your survival under the assumption we're all wiped out."
If they could remove the uncertainty, that would be preferable.
That was how much weight Sein gave God's Punishment in the project.
"No. I won't meet Ikael at the cost of endangering everyone. But if it isn't dangerous, there's no need for God's Punishment. If things become risky, then meeting Ikael will be a sufficient motive. In such limited circumstances, please understand there's no need to bind Ikael and God's Punishment with extra constraints."
"Hmm, so that's what you meant."
If they were in a situation that could destroy Heaven, they'd already be cornered.
If even a tiny chance could be seized, Shirone meeting Ikael had to be on the table.
"All right. I'm satisfied that team members' safety is independent of contact with Ikael."
That was the best compromise Sein and Shirone could reach.
* * *
The next morning.
Ten team members gathered before the Griffin Gate.
Mahatu, chieftain of Kergos, stood with priests around him and warriors in two ranks came out to see the Heaven expedition off.
When Shirone opened Immortal Function, the Griffin Gate dissolved into particles and became a vast spacetime tunnel.
As everyone chanted Anke Ra, Gaold strode forward with an irritated expression.
Maybe this was a return to the beginning of everything.
"I will smash your god to pieces."
With fierce eyes, Gaold shoved himself without hesitation into the black sphere.
Michea Gaold — Red Line, First-Rank Archmage
Specialty: Transcendental Discipline
Position: Commander
Kangnan's face watching Gaold vanish was indifferent, but inside he was more shaken than ever.
'Twenty years' closure. Whatever happens, it has to end here. It must end.'
Ahoya Kangnan — last scion of the Wolf Tribe
Specialty: Rammuai Striking Art
Position: Tank
Sein recalled the Day of Judgment of twenty men in front of the Griffin Gate.
Since Miro left, Gaold had become a broken man, and Sein envied the purity of his madness.
He had lived only to save Miro.
'Save Miro. Nothing else matters. Even if the world ends...'
Sein stepped into the black orb.
'I will save Miro.'
Castro Sein — Black Line, strongest psychic mage
Specialty: Anti-magic via the Iron-Wheel Eye
Position: Order
Julu had nothing to leave behind. No craving for life, no fear of death.
If today was just a point in a vast cycle, he would surrender to that flow.
'I must empty myself without regret. There is life in death.'
Julu — Red Line, First-Rank Summon Mage
Specialty: Lich Summoning
Position: Utility
Armin glanced at Shiina at the Griffin Gate.
Just having Kuan at his side made his chest ache.
'You felt the same, didn't you?'
He could finally understand a little of the pain of watching Keira live happily. 'But it was for you. To prove that, I will stay at your side.'
Armin twisted and vanished through the Griffin Gate.
Even if the world ended beyond this, he would not hesitate.
'Shiina, if it's where you go...'
Generade Armin — former Ivory Tower time mage
Specialty: Stop
Position: Crowd Control
Only after Armin disappeared did sorrow fill Shiina's eyes.
She'd wanted to become a mage with her brother and see the world's many beauties. Her childhood dream had come true, so why didn't she feel joy?
'No. Don't indulge in feeling before a mission. Just do what I can.'
Olifer Shiina — Red Line, certified Grade 5 mage
Specialty: Absolute Zero
Position: Main Dealer
Kuan watched Shiina's retreating figure.
As a swordsman, the lives of all nine now depended on his death beyond that point. His chance of returning alive was perhaps only slightly higher than the miracle chance that all ten would come back.
Still, he didn't feel bitter; for the first time he had wanted to protect someone.
'Is that my grave?'
A cold smile touched Kuan's lips as he moved forward.
Parka Kuan — certified Grade 6 swordsman, instructor at Kaizen Sword School
Specialty: Movement Control
Position: Hitman
"Master, give me strength."
Ettella closed her eyes and entered a short meditation.
Since her defeat by Arcane, she had honed herself relentlessly; her resolve burned brighter than ever.
When the warm voice of Karsis Yung — "Become the light of the world" — echoed in her head, she snapped her eyes open.
'Destroy evil. That is my mission.'
Romi Ettella — certified Grade 6 mage, scouting order donner, bishop of the Karsis Convent
Specialty: Yin-Yang Wave Fist Ten-Handed Kannon Thunderclap
Position: Sub Dealer
"Hoo. Hoo."
Plu fought to suppress her adrenaline.
Joining the world's greatest mage team as a professional was a glory she wouldn't trade for anything.
'Don't show clumsiness. Trust what I've done so far. I'm Ravid Plu. I can do this!'
No matter the hardship, she would complete the mission. With that vow carved into her heart, she finally stepped through the Griffin Gate.
'Death itself would be an honor. I'll do my best so as not to shame everyone.'
Ravid Plu — certified Grade 8 mage, manipulation order donner
Specialty: Phoenix Formation
Position: Supporter
Shirone watched every team member depart for Heaven until the last moment, then turned as if reviewing the years behind him.
Life flashed by like a lantern slide.
'Goodbye, everyone.'
Meeting the start of life at the end of life.
That was what this journey meant to Shirone.
There could be no fear now.
Even if he lost everything, he would pour everything into Heaven today so he wouldn't regret this decision.
"Go, messenger of God."
Receiving Mahatu's farewell, Shirone passed the warriors and reached the Griffin Gate.
The tunnel inside the black sphere revealed nothing beyond. Like everyone's future, only vast uncertainty hovered.
'From now on, there's no turning back!'
Shirone flung his eyes wide and dashed into the Griffin Gate.
The spacetime barrier, twisted by immense force, swallowed him and hurled him into a realm no human could normally reach.
Arian Shirone — graduating class of Alpheas School of Magic
Specialty: Amplification magic using Ataraxia
Position: Terminator