[709] Nineteen Thousand Worlds (3)
"Benda!"
The vast, overwhelming power of the Law shoved Rian and Baknyeo face-to-face as if it had jammed the gears of morality.
The plunging power of the Grand Precept came down vertically with an otherworldly force beyond any measure of speed or impact.
"I'll finish this here!"
Faced with a single life-or-death blow that allowed no further thought, Baknyeo felt her brain go numb.
"Is this a natural enemy?"
When something is split perfectly in two, a person can no longer choose between this side and that.
"Faith contradicts the ethics of beasts."
Baknyeo's monstrous sense broke at that point.
"Kyaaaa!"
She screamed as a prodigious surge of force—like a V-12 engine—sent her flying backward.
"You dodged it?"
The brief hollow feeling, as if the world had wound down, passed. Burning with a single thought to protect Shirone, Rian charged again.
Watching the two rapidly separating figures, Kido took a deep breath and fixed his gaze forward.
"Get into Andre! Kill the mage!"
Dozens of mage bandits—already under Baknyeo's orders—rushed at Kido.
Can I do it? If it were only fighting, death would end it, but if Kido was driven back, Shirone would be next.
He swallowed hard.
I'm so thirsty. His throat was on fire.
* * *
Shirone arrived at the center of the maze he had seen as a three-dimensional model of Andre.
The key was to contain all 19,000 entrances of the Spirit Zone. It was a razor-thin margin.
If I activate Quantum Superposition in this state...
The Ultima System Shirone had acquired independently—without sensory integration—was still imperfect. As incidents multiplied, control would slip away and unintended experiences would taint Shirone's self.
I have no choice.
Eyes wide like someone staring down a griffin at the end of fate, Shirone cast his spell.
Quantum Superposition — Cartwheel of the Void.
At first it stacked twice.
Those two began spawning events toward Infinity without end, filling Andre's labyrinth.
"Grrrrrr!"
From World No. 1 to World No. 19,000.
Codes only the Ultima System could decipher unwound under Shirone's hands as iron gates flared with light.
Who am I?
Shirone sank to his knees. Consciousness dimmed; he could not remember his name, his age, or even that he was human.
"..."
With control gone, countless Shirones began unfolding independent events.
If this world were someone's dream, then the lives of these manifested Shirones were likewise products of the dreamer's mind.
"I will come back. I will definitely return."
As each Shirone looked over his own universe and spoke, nineteen thousand worlds opened at once.
A vast light swelled and then fell silent again.
* * *
At the top of the Ivory Tower, the Artificial Star.
Seven of the stars and Araka found Mahagaruta guarding the Great Earth Temple where Taeseong resided.
The Five Great Stars.
There was no strict hierarchy among them, not out of some doctrine of equality but because rank was meaningless from the start. Those who measure the depth of realms need not debate ranks—the truth reveals itself to the heart. Mini, Borbor, and Tzuoi felt, with every fiber, what it meant for a sky above the sky to exist.
"Those who have awakened..."
If only a handful could understand Luber and the Mind, then the one who grasped the essence of the Five Great Stars might well be Taeseong alone.
While the second-rank residents fussed, the third-rank Arte and Heukgangsi remained composed.
Luber stepped forward. "Venerable Buddha, it has been a very long time."
When Mahagaruta lifted its eyelid, golden light filled its eyes. The glance was bizarre, but the smile was warm.
"So it is, Mr. Luber. We used to share many conversations. I miss those days."
"You seldom rest, so we rarely see you. Might you spare us a visit sometime?"
"I am already dreaming a very good dream."
A koan-like exchange passed. Mahagaruta sat cross-legged in empty space and turned slowly.
"Enter. Taeseong awaits."
When Mahagaruta's gaze flared, the white light dispersed and the solemn spectacle of the Great Earth Temple came into view.
As if they had been dreaming until now, or as if this were a dream.
"Taeseong, I come at your summons."
A woman in pure white stood with her hands clasped behind her on the glass floor of the Great Earth Temple, which overlooked the planet. As if by universal gravitation, every star of the Ivory Tower revolved around her.
"Come, my children."
Her voice was clear and crystalline, clearing the mind like a breeze.
"Sit where you please."
Taeseong seated herself on the glass that showed Kashan's wide plains, and the stars took their places around her.
"The reason I called you today..."
Debate had already begun before she spoke; all eyes trained on her lips.
"Today is my birthday."
At first they assumed she was joking.
A birthday? Did Taeseong even have birthdays?
They knew nothing of her, certainly not that she kept humanlike customs—but Borbor broke the silence.
"Uh... happy birthday. Hello?"
Taeseong teased, "What good is saying that if you don't give a present?"
The second-rank stars flushed. The third-rank stars' expressions grew serious.
"Are you serious? Then how old are you this year...?"
"Heh. It's not that I keep birthdays. I just felt nostalgic. I missed you all. That's all."
Warm words, but the stars' cold intellects quickly sensed the source of unease.
"Taeseong, we still need you."
For one at the pinnacle of intellect to turn emotional meant a major world event was underway.
Arte's eyes hardened. "Tell us. The Altar? Anke Ra? Nane? Or Shirone? I will take care of it."
Taeseong shook her head. "Just because you possess destructive power doesn't mean you should use it at will; if you did, nothing would retain value. Everything exists for a reason, and that is what can make it noble."
The mood turned solemn.
"Tzuoi," said one quietly, raising a hand to shift the tone, "by the way, who did you vote for this time?"
It was an attempt at levity, though Arte and Heukgangsi shot her reproving looks.
"Heh heh. Who do you think I voted for?" Taeseong asked.
Mini answered, "Of course Nane. Shirone and Jinseongeum are excellent, but Nane is on another level—his Kar is the highest."
"Kar is not a tool for competition," Taeseong said, folding her hands. "Think of this universe as a small room. When you first enter, all realizations arrive at once: smell, shape, color, atmosphere. Anyone can know the room roughly, and so getting fifty percent Kar is easy."
Her palms opened gently. "But to know it precisely you need more than five senses: the positions of things, their function, the history and meaning they carry. The closer you get to perfection, the harder it becomes to raise your Kar."
Taeseong spread her arms. "Now imagine you think you've grasped everything. You know the room completely, down to a speck of dust in the corner. Is that finally one hundred percent Kar?"
Silence.
"Never. Even if you understand every detail of the room, how would you prove it? Might there be something you missed? Are my perceptions true?"
"There is no one who can say they know their room perfectly."
"Right. There will always be that last 0.01 percent, or an even smaller shard missing. Its nature is—"
Her palms settled over her chest. "The heart."
"The heart..."
"To reach perfection and to know you have reached it, the heart must be at work. Nane lacks it; Shirone has it. If a variable appears, it will likely be a matter of the heart."
The stars fell into thought. Tzuoi pointed at Taeseong and asked, "So then... you voted for Shirone?"
Taeseong stuck out her tongue and gave a wink. "That's a secret."
* * *
The labyrinth Paitaros.
A Law-guarded lowland where the world's murky qi seeped in—a fortress so impregnable that monks had tried and failed for ages to eradicate the evil within.
"Is this the hole of corruption?" Kanis asked.
When Kanis and Arin arrived, countless organizations camped outside the black maw of the labyrinth. They were all some of the world's greatest fighters. After reading their ranks, Arin said, "Kanis, let's rethink this. This feels wrong. It's far too difficult to start with."
Seen at first glance, Paitaros looked gloomy, damp, and like the flabby entrance of a slick intestine.
"That's exactly why it's worth it. Conquer the entrance and your name spreads overnight."
Kanis and Arin had failed their graduation exams, dropped out of the Magic Academy, and spent their days investigating ruins. Kanis dreamed of being an archaeologist; Arin had always supported that dream, though this time it felt like bravado.
"If we give up now, I'll never do anything. If you're scared, stay. I'll go in alone."
Knowing Kanis's stubbornness, Arin sighed. "Fine. I'll go with you. But promise me you'll listen if it really gets dangerous."
Kanis nodded bravely. Then Arin turned toward the wilderness.
A boy whose face was covered in tattoos walked slowly, hooded in rags.
"Ka—Kanis..."
Her voice trembled dangerously.
It's not a vision. Too vivid an incarnation...
Nane, who took in Paitaros with a calm gaze, walked forward at an unhurried pace.
Nane's time was not the same as everyone else's.
Kar score: 97.8 percent.
Nane's thoughts differed from the crowd.
Kar score: 98.2 percent.
"...Understood."
Kar score: 99.1 percent.
For him, the insight gained in the apostle's world acted as the ultimate synthesis.
"Ah, I was mistaken."
Through near-infinite combinations he advanced toward perfection.
Kar score: 99.3 percent.
With each step, Kanis felt vast barriers crumble and almost held his breath.
"This can't be..."
Kanis hit the ground with a thud and looked up at Nane, who passed by him without a glance.
Shirone, honestly you're incredible, he thought. Why does Shirone come to mind now?
This guy is on a different level. He surpasses you.
Seven steps.
Distance remaining to Paitaros.
Six steps.
As the distance fell, Nane's Kar shattered limits again and again.
One step.
Time seemed to pause. Nane took the final step, planted his foot, and looked up at the sky.
"I have awakened."
Kar score: 99.99 percent.
Everyone held their breath as Nane pointed to the heavens with his right hand and to the earth with his left.
"Heaven above, earth below—I alone am exalted."