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The complete extinction of the beasts.
It was hard to believe such a thing was even possible, but the impending end made me take that possibility seriously.
Even so, realizing it would require far too many conditions—and sacrifices. So, I could only shake my head at the thought.
"Extinction of the beasts… Do you really believe that's possible?"
["This isn't a fruitless debate over what's possible or impossible. In the current situation, it's simply something humanity must do to survive."]
Shin El's voice, projected from the emotion-infused speech system, conveyed a certain conviction.
Shin El had no intention of backing down now.
He was fully convinced that what he was saying was right.
"I understand your plan to wipe out the species of beasts by exploiting the end of the cycle. I'll admit—it does seem plausible in its own way. But you do realize that this plan also assumes ether will diminish to a dangerously low absolute level, don't you?"
As I said, even if Shin El's plan to exterminate the beast species succeeded, the aftermath of Project Noah would leave only a tiny fraction of humanity alive.
It would be doubtful whether civilization could even continue to exist.
If so, then what meaning would there be in exterminating the beasts?
Wouldn't that be nothing more than mutual extinction?
["You're misunderstanding something. Ark has already mapped out the locations and ecosystems of most major beast clusters outside. We've been silent only because we were waiting for the right time. What you fear is unlikely to happen."]
"Even so, there's no way you've identified every single cluster, is there?"
["Of course, I wouldn't say it's perfect—there are surely gaps. But even those will eventually be resolved with time."]
Shin El's argument had its own persuasive weight.
I almost felt that maybe following his plan would lead to the best outcome for everyone.
'But… nothing that convenient ever exists.'
Every sugar-coated whisper always hides a trap.
Shin El's offer was no different.
I didn't believe for a moment that he had told me everything.
After all, he had glossed over everything from the outbreak of the Wave after Project Noah to the emergence of Ankelenth and the Great Spirit—as if those events had never happened.
Still, it wasn't as if Shin El's proposal was completely without merit.
In essence, it pointed toward another kind of ending.
The end of Project Noah.
The extinction of the beasts.
Two choices now stood precariously balanced on the scales.
Each one bore the name of a faction: Ark and the Kronos Union.
Which one would I choose?
'…A choice.'
The Great Will, using Isabel's body, had once told me:
That a moment would come when I would have to choose.
I was certain now.
This was that moment.
"No matter how grandly you frame it, if Project Noah isn't stopped, the war won't stop either."
["I am no warmonger. Of course, I want to avoid war if possible. That's why I need you to act."]
"You want me to persuade the Kronos Union? That's impossible. They've already made up their minds."
Shin El gave a dry chuckle.
["A good persuasion carries a carrot in one hand—but a successful one always holds a stick in the other. I've already handed you that stick."]
There was no need to ask what the stick was.
Nuclear weapons.
Even in my homeland, nuclear deterrence under the name of mutual assured destruction had been a powerful tool to prevent war.
"You think that stick will work? The Kronos Union surely has similar ones."
["And that's precisely why negotiations are possible. Because both sides are equals."]
Shin El said,
["Without Ark, the people beyond it will eventually perish. Humanity will go extinct. You already know this, don't you?"]
He wasn't wrong.
Not only the Kronos Union—most of the humans living beyond Ark were dependent on Ark's support in one way or another.
Most of the resources humans used on this planet were produced inside Ark.
It was an obvious fact, in a way.
["I won't pretend to be driven by some noble ideal to save humanity. That kind of justification is meant for someone the future will call great. I just want to survive."]
"You just want to survive… That's laughable. You won't live much longer anyway, will you? And if Project Noah continues, death won't be a peaceful rest."
["That's true—for me."]
"You don't care?"
["Of course I care. But I also accept it. Denying it would only make the end uglier."]
Whether it was because he had lived long enough, or because he'd spent so many years relying on life-support systems, Shin El was strangely composed, even while fully aware of his approaching death.
"I know what you want. I know what I must do. Is there anything else I should know?"
["Hmm, sounds like you still have questions. Ask, if you wish."]
"You said there were people in Ark who opposed Project Noah. I want to hear about them."
["Ah… those who opposed Project Noah. I can see why you'd be interested. I'll tell you a story you'll find intriguing."]
A technology that turned ether into matter.
It might sound like a dream, but if you consider what ether actually is, it's easy to see the potential danger.
["When Project Noah had just begun operations, dissent began to arise even among its researchers. They argued that humanity still didn't understand ether well enough."]
"Turns out, they were right."
["Indeed. Some even believed that back then. But the abundance brought by Project Noah was too good to give up, so their concerns were ignored. Even though we knew ether wasn't some infinite spring."]
Shin El's voice, echoing through the machine, sounded bitter.
["Looking back, ignoring those voices brought disaster to Ark on many levels."]
A hologram projected the image of a woman.
A young, beautiful woman with bronze skin, wearing a white lab coat.
Her face was unfamiliar—but oddly, I felt like I'd seen her before.
"Who is she?"
["Chief Researcher Morte. One of the lead scientists in Project Noah—and a dissenter."]
"…Morte? Don't tell me she's connected to the Church of Morte?"
["She is. She didn't found it herself, but the Church of Morte was born because of her. You could say she's its origin."]
It was a shocking revelation.
That the founder of the Church of Morte had been one of Project Noah's key researchers…
And perhaps, this was an opportunity to understand the Church of Morte's secrets.
"What kind of person was Morte?"
["A passionate opponent of Project Noah. She believed ether was the soul of humanity—a noble entity. Ironically, her views were too extreme to be accepted."]
"Understandable."
Especially considering what ether was made of.
["Back then, Ark simply couldn't accept her argument. Morte's belief implied that humans and the native beasts of this planet were fundamentally the same."]
"Of course it did."
The truth is always uncomfortable.
Especially when it touches on belief and the essence of existence.
["And really… she wasn't wrong."]
"What do you mean?"
["Don't you see the changes that happened to the planet's ecosystem after humanity arrived?"]
"You mean…"
["Humans became stronger. They started sensing special powers like ether. Meanwhile, the beasts grew smarter. The new beings that emerged—so different from the old ecosystem—came to be called monsters. It all began when ether that had once been human was reborn as beasts—and beast-ether as humans."]
I had suspected as much.
But hearing it said aloud was something else entirely.
To think that monsters were beings born from humanity's arrival on this planet…
I had thought I could no longer be shocked.
Apparently, I was wrong.
["Looking back, humanity should've listened to Morte a little more."]
"…Yeah."
He was right.
If Morte hadn't been cast out of Ark, the Church of Morte—Ark's greatest enemy—would never have been born.
Given what the Church of Morte would grow into, ignoring Morte's warnings might be remembered as one of Ark's greatest failures, right alongside Project Noah.
"You admit that mistake surprisingly easily."
["It was our mistake, yes—but not mine. Humanity is harsher toward others than toward itself. Even if those others are ancestors."]
"You're not what I expected."
["Did you think I'd still cling to family glory? I'm too old for that kind of thing."]
The machine gave a dry chuckle.
Even that aged sound seemed so natural, it made me wonder how much technology had gone into creating the system that generated it.
["In any case, that's all I can tell you about Morte. After that, she left Ark with her followers. Little is known about what happened next, but soon after, the Church of Morte emerged. It was unfortunate timing—just as the refugee crisis from Ark began."]
At that moment—
["Ah, here we go."]
The silent sirens of Ark began to flash across the city.
The world turned crimson.
Its meaning was clear.
'Kronos Union.'
They had finally arrived at Ark.
And they brought the Wave with them.
["It seems we don't have time to talk anymore."]
"Seems that way."
["I would've liked to fully persuade you… but it looks like that luxury isn't mine. The choice is yours."]
Shin El said,
["When your decision is made—go beyond the White Road. Everything you seek lies beyond it."]
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