/3 months earlier/
"(Acrune raised his sword high, as if resisting the entire world.He breathed out with difficulty, looking up at the sky filled with thick clouds.A miracle.A tiny boundary between two layers of clouds revealed faint rays of light.Those rays illuminated everything little by little, like a rope pulling between two realities.And then, a blazing red ray flashed, and Acrune could not believe that something resembling a demon appeared right beside him.)"
I slowly drank my cup of coffee and continued listening to Lloyd, but there were no words after that.I half closed my eyes, looking like a Tibetan fox staring intently at food.
"After that?"
Unable to endure the silence, I turned to look at Lloyd, who was calmly reading a newspaper.We were currently in a café in front of the Blue Light Academy gate.This was one month before the festival.We were planning for the month ahead, and now had formed a temporary alliance due to different interests.I was willing to reveal part of the future from the original novel in exchange for information from the past.
"Tell me more."
I urged him, only to receive a weary shake of the head from the middle aged fat man.
"I don't know."
"What?"
I sighed and looked at him, but his next words jolted me awake.
"That's all I know. What you told me is already enough. Now tell me what you think."
I fell into deep thought, my hand touching the still hot cup of coffee.
"…Is Acrune the reincarnation of God?"
I voiced my first suspicion and received a doubtful look from Lloyd.
"Blasphemous. Don't you think so? God died? Reincarnation?"
I recalled a few stories from my previous life and replied.
"That's not what I mean. What if Acrune was intentionally sent down by God himself? God is omnipotent. Could He not create a puppet with a soul? Besides, he could be an angel."
"An angel would not say that God is dead. And you think God would incarnate as something as lowly as a human?"
"Humans were modeled after God, you know."
"Blasphemy. To think humans are copies of God. We are merely inferior beings without status."
"You don't look like a believer at all. How many years has it been since you last went to church?"
"I believe in God, not in the church."
I retorted, but I knew continuing this argument would lead nowhere, so I moved on to the next conclusion.
"…Alright, about the three demons. I think the Earth Demon has no true physical form."
"Obviously. Anyone could think of that. The blind man's staff is clearly a form separated from the Holy Tree, yet the demon is named Earth and takes the shape of a tree. That is completely unreasonable."(There exists another type of mana related to growth and plants. Earth mana has no power related to vegetation.)
"Then it's simple.First, there is a high probability that the staff is some kind of switch or key that Phelion was desperately searching for, closely connected to the Holy Tree.Second, the Earth Demon is not any fixed form. Its true form is Earth itself. It can use soil to cause corruption, create disasters, and fabricate illusory forms. It is like a root that generates hundreds of trunks from a single origin.Third, one could say that Phelion himself is the Earth Demon, yet at the same time he is not.That could be a misunderstanding, or it could make sense to say that Phelion is merely a nail driven in by Oxeiburt, or an illusion of Phelion passed down within the consciousness of the Demon Mind.A Gift? An ancient form of magic? A demon impersonating Phelion?"
"…I have no opinion. There are many forms of magic that can sustain life and longevity, but they always leave flaws and traces. Yet in this case…"
"Hmmm. What if Phelion needs the staff to open the gate?The gate beneath the city's sanctuary.Perhaps it is some kind of key, or…"
I paused as another realization struck me.
"Obviously, that staff is Phelion's core mechanism. That explains why Costume mana erupted in Belem. A fragment of heaven allowed him to access a new type of mana."
"…Phelion does indeed have that potential.His fusion with the Holy Tree turned him into a part of it.However, the layer of consciousness engraved into the Demon Mind aligns with Oxeiburt's Gift.But afterward, Oxeiburt died. His soul died. The proof is that the Gift was passed on to Juilien, yet even he could not use it.At the deepest level of cognition, Phelion had long since lost his humanity.Demonic corruption degraded him enough to drive him insane, even forcing him to coexist with two demons.No, that is not correct. Phelion became the greatest shackle."
While Lloyd was still lost in thought, I continued.
"Phelion is the final containment layer.He split himself into two halves. One layer of insane cognition and one of absolute rationality.The Demon Mind is absolute rationality. It has no true form, so it cannot be judged by appearance.However, if such a possibility exists, then that must be it.Oxeiburt is dead. So who would serve as the substitute? Sophia would not work, because her mind is far too indifferent. She is essentially bait for awakening the Demon King.Considering other factors, Phelion could force himself into becoming the Demon Mind through Oxeiburt's Gift.Because almost no one is capable of controlling a will as immense as the Demon Mind, and because it is nearly harmless.It can even intervene to manipulate power within virtual reality."
(If you did not notice, the Demon Mind has never harmed anyone. It even buffs other characters.Do not tell me you believe those students could truly fight mercenaries or gangs that have survived hundreds of battles.If you doubt it, reread the battles.)
"If that is the case, prophet of One Line, why did he not completely eliminate the seeds of destruction, restrain the demons, or prevent humanity from being drawn into virtual reality after 300 years, while appearing almost powerless before the evil Phelion?"
"…Hmm. It may be quite strange. Perhaps it relates to the values of the Gift, or perhaps to the act of terrorism itself.Maybe the accumulated karma he observed created this outcome. Or the Royal Family."
"Tch. From the very beginning, there were traces of them everywhere.In everything.Three hundred years ago, the pope stood alone against the Royal Family, destroyed one hand, caused corruption, and triggered a wave of opposition that led to the destruction of religion."
"Religion? Three hundred years ago, were not three different religions founded from a single event?"
My eyes widened, as if I had finally understood something.
"From the very beginning, the pope planted a seed to destroy the Royal Family in the future, in case he failed back then.In the end, he was still hailed as a hero, even in failure."
A NHahhhh.I planned to write one final chapter about what happened 300 years ago and then temporarily conclude the past storyline, but it became far too long.