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Published at 3rd of March 2023 11:47:09 AM


Chapter 245

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"Hey."

"Good morning... Fuku-san."

Eggs. Tomatoes. Rice. The traditional breakfast that could be whipped up in a matter of five minutes, omelet. There is an option to add side dishes like natto, but it's up to the person if they like it. That one is infamous for being stinky, which is why some people do not prefer it.

As for why he did not choose grilled fish, it's because of the number of people for the breakfast. He is prepping for more than a dozen people, after all. That, and the fact that creations do not get fat no matter how much they eat. Their "information" is already saved from the very moment they entered this world, which is why only through revisions could they change their "setting".

"Are you cooking breakfast?" Meteora asked with her usual expression.

"That's right. I'm quite bored since I'm the only one awake."

"You already slept?"

"I already did."

"I see."

Aside from the times when she draws up her conclusions, Meteora is a person who speaks normally. Perhaps she was made aware of her flaws and started fixing them.

'Just like Kal'tsit. Speaking of her, she still couldn't get over it, huh?'

The events of that drinking party became unforgettable to her. Shame was the dominant emotion that she felt, but she couldn't believe that she could act that way. They even reached during the celebration party that they have in an onsen. There are alcoholic beverages there, but she did not touch any of them one bit.

"The preparations are ongoing... No signs of any activities."

She opened her [Book of Thousand Miles] and interpreted the information gathered from it. The magical tome can perceive the entire world with ease, fitting the setting that she has in her world.

"Strange. Does she not know of what's about to happen?"

'She does. I can feel it.'

To be honest, this entire plan is extremely solid. They already have the advantage in terms of "narrative" as it has been going on since two months ago. There's also an established fanbase for the creations participating in it and them being buffed to the extreme. No matter how much they look at it, Altair's overwhelming powers would be nullified once the audience's "acceptance" of her death is high. She could barely resist the "will" of this world and its restorative force, not to mention its full force being hell-bent on her disappearance.

"We will win, Meteora-san." He reassured the confounded sage. "No. We SHALL win."

If they don't win, everything would be reduced to oblivion.

"...Thank you."

To that, he merely smiled. 

'The time to settle everything... is imminent.'

*****

Ginza, Tokyo.

It was the chosen venue for the "Birdcage", the place where every creation would duke it out and end it once and for all. Military equipment is spread all over Ginza. be it tanks, convoys, or surface-to-surface missiles, it was deployed evenly in the district. Each of the convoys is guarding a specific point in which magic circles are engraved. These will serve as the cores when the "birdcage" is deployed by Meteora from Yokohama. They had also evacuated the residents under Special Order 105, clearing it from any people.

Normal people, to be exact.

"A desolate Ginza... It sure is something that I never expected to see."

As a district in Tokyo, its traffic is huge, more so when it is where the malls, restaurants, and the like are congregated. 

"It feels quite lonely." Shinji commented as the evening breeze swept through his face. He looked at the orange sky and the setting sun, leading to him feeling something incredible.

"This view... it's great."

"...It is."

Disregarding the decisive battle that they would face, Touka and Shinji marveled at this sight for a while. Since they are on the rooftop, they saw the sunset the best. Shinji's [Pancosmic Loner] and Touka's [Tyrant's Eye] are enough to hide from the satellites and cameras present in this place.

Suddenly, the door to a camouflaged mecha opened. A man jumped down from it before removing his helmet. It revealed the looks of Shiro, the one hailed as the "Commandant". His features are sharper and his stature is taller than normal due to his prior training in the Navy. He did not have the ethereal looks that "Magus" Shiro has, but he has the looks of a handsome actor.

This is the reason why he had problems regarding... well, the ship girls.

"It's starting." He said before showing his smartphone in their direction. There, a huge stadium filled with people can be seen. The top shot showed the 70,000 people present in the stadium. The ones watching online weren't counted yet. If it does, the viewer count can reach millions—from Japan to even other countries who are in the ACG community.

"So many people..! It's a pity that I couldn't see this personally..."

As a kid, Shinji longed to go to these crowded places, even if he was dedicated to training. The vibe in those places is just different. The level of liveliness there reached a peak that he did not experience before.

"You don't want to fight?" Touka asked him teasingly.

"I do! It's just that I have some regrets about not being able to participate in that fun."

"Next time. We'll go to a place like that."

Shiro patted Shinji's navy-blue hair before going back to the cockpit of his mecha.

"Aniki..." Shinji murmured. "That's—"

Soon, he noticed the arrival of the bunch of creations in the intersection. A huge black mecha can be seen together with smaller people that looked like ants from their position. Surprisingly, a magic circle appeared on top of them, summoning forth another mecha of a smaller size. They even saw a staircase of frost being created all of a sudden.

"It's starting."

*****

Nissan Stadium, Yokohama.

Blinding light emitted by the glowsticks held by people. Their loud synchronous cheers fill up the dome. It is a cacophony to most, but to others who got the rare chance to immerse into the complex information layers present in the real world, it is nothing short of an orchestra.

"The source of every world... The discharged circuit that was created by the human brain... It's beautiful."

Hearing her low mumblings, Shiro jolted. This attitude of hers. This is the exact carbon copy of who he is back then—the inquisitive yet appreciative nature of the Supreme Magus Shiro.

Choosing to keep silent, he heard Kikuchihara speak:

"Are you ready, Meteora-san?"

Nodding, she entered the "chamber" that would act as the control panel of their stage. Intricate magic can be seen in the floating magic circles. They are far incomparable to those made to slightly twist the laws of the world to their bidding. When they floated down and surrounded her, they showed their true colors. The concepts that were slumbering woke up one by one. Enhancement, creation, manipulation... all sorts of functions are present in it. While diverse, they exist for one thing: the control of the imaginative forces of humans.

Its true power is as such. It could even be comparable to [Holopsicon] if it becomes complete.

"The border between Nigred and Alped turned into ash." (The conceptual gap between fiction and reality disappeared.)

"Celebration of the Grand Grimoire leads the resonance of the stars." (Activation of several crucial points.)

"The border between the occult and daybreak..." (Removal of fiction's and reality's gaps...)

The squadron deployed to each crucial point and saw the magic circle shine bright. It absorbed enough mana—that is, the energy that came from the imaginative forces—before rewriting the laws of the current world.

"...shall bring light." (...saves the world.)

One of the military staff spoke as the monitor in front of him indicated the successful activation of the magic circles.

"Confirmed activation of Grimoires 69 to 81. Confirming start-up operation. Confirming camera operation." He declared. "The preparation for operation Birdcage has been completed."

Hearing this, Kikuchihara immediately sent an order to everyone in Ginza.

"Staff, stay where you are. Secure the grimoires until its activation. We will be monitoring the status."

"Understood."

After that, Meteora decided to lay out the bait to attract Altair to their battlefield.

"On the day of the Heptameron, dust shall return to the giant tree." (On the destined day, a new layer shrouds the real world.)

She continued her chants until a disturbance was detected. It confirmed two people through the disruption of the electromagnetic fields which was then supported by their cameras.

"Altair... and Alicetaria."

Upon informing the Ginza team, Meteora twisted the rules of the world to bring forth something in the fiction world.

"Come forth, Vogelchevalier!"

A magic circle lit up at the intersection before Selesia's trusty partner appeared. While these happened, the sequence of events elicited a different reaction from others. Unbeknownst to this world's natives, the chat group members upped their vigilance.

"It's starting."

"Nn."

"I hope—" Shiro cut off his words. "Nevermind. I believe in you guys."

"Heh~? About to set up a flag?"

"You mean, I almost fucked this up."

His deadpan earned him Kuroneko's snicker that turned into a peal of barely-held laughter.





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