Aozaki Aoko [606-607] (Patreon)

Chapter 606: Golgatha Object

"Golgatha Object?"

Everyone except Aoko turned their eyes to her. This unfamiliar term had never appeared in Aoko's adventure stories or in her knowledge of magecraft—no similar concept at all.

"What's that?" Touko spoke for everyone.

"Do you know about Moon Cell?" Aoko countered. "It's a concept that was mentioned in rumors spread by the Second Magician, Zelretch."

"Hmm... I've heard about that," Touko recalled. "The Marshal of Magecraft once said that in some parallel worlds, there's a crystalline photon structure with a diameter of three thousand kilometers hidden inside the moon—a planet-class supercomputer. Basically, the entire interior of the moon is that thing."

"That's right," Aoko nodded, "In the parallel worldlines where Moon Cell exists, there's even a group of magi dedicated to researching it, called Spiritron Hackers."

"We're getting a bit off-topic... Anyway, Moon Cell is an ultimate calculation device capable of observing Earth in meticulous detail, fully simulating all life on Earth within itself, and accurately predicting the future. It's humanity's database and the insurance policy of civilization."

"The name 'Golgatha Object' comes from Golgotha, the hill where the Son of God was crucified in the New Testament, also known as Calvary," Aoko continued, "That also explains why it's cross-shaped. These things can be regarded as computers of immense computational power—and they are also the control panels for this world's Earth."

"Wait," Morgan frowned, noticing a logical inconsistency in Aoko's words, "If these cross objects are both computers and control panels, then where exactly are we?"

"The Anti-Universe," Aoko answered directly. "It's the mirror image of this crystalline wall system. If you want an analogy, it's like the world inside Moon Cell's photon crystal. The two aren't identical, but the concepts are very similar—it's the program's backend source code."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious. Touko and Alice were deep in thought, trying to understand. Artoria and Melusine, however, were simply going along with the mood.

"So, is it that when we entered this crystalline wall system, we accidentally reversed a coordinate symbol?" Alice offered her interpretation.

"That's likely," Aoko nodded in agreement. "But in a way, we've actually come to the right place. The reason I could observe so much about this world from our own was probably because the prophecy ritual connected to this so-called 'Golgatha Object'—the Anti-Universe."

"Can we get back to the normal world?" Artoria asked.

"Of course, it's not difficult," Aoko replied. "But before that, I plan to take advantage of the Golgatha Object's unique environment to observe the world we're about to enter. And if possible, I'd like to use this control panel to do something."

Aoko's meaning was clear. Everyone here was no primitive—they all understood what having a control panel meant.

The supreme authority over an entire world—right at their fingertips.

There was no reason to refuse.

With everyone's tacit approval, Aoko manipulated the Mythallar Core, steering the Demi-Plane Magic Ship closer to one of the many cross-shaped objects.

Strictly speaking, this space and the crosses were one and the same. The external concept of space was simply the manifestation of the crosses' power; you could operate from anywhere.

But this was also a cognitive space. As outsiders, their memories and impressions couldn't be read by the Golgatha Object, so it appeared to them as a mirror, resembling the imaginary space of the Nasuverse.

If Aoko, as an outsider, wanted to read the information recorded within the Golgatha Object, she had to impart the concept of approaching to both herself and the object—in other words, she had to land on the cross-shaped object.

The closer they approached, the more they realized how immense it was. Upon reaching the surface, they found many strange, symbol-like patterns.

"Are those cuneiform?" Touko, the ancient script expert, offered her opinion.

"Probably," Aoko guessed. "This is a world themed on the three Abrahamic desert religions. The events might not match exactly, but as a very old script, it's not strange to see it here."

"Who built this place, really?" Melusine voiced her own doubt. "Was it a god?"

"Maybe the records inside will have the answer," Aoko replied, opening the Mythallar Core's interface so she could access the Golgatha Object's information. "If anything goes wrong, stop me immediately, okay?"

"Hehe, don't worry," Touko grinned mischievously. "I'll definitely stop you very, very hard~"

Aoko shot her a look and focused on the data connection task.

At first, there was a dazzling light.

The light started from the South Pole, spreading until it covered half the globe, then finally stopped.

Aoko recognized the light. It was the beginning of this world's story and the culprit responsible for the deaths of most of humanity—the so-called Second Impact.

But, unlike the plot Aoko expected—where four Giants of Light would appear—only one giant stood at the South Pole.

What's going on? Isn't the Golgatha Object a setting unique to the New Theatrical Version? Why is the old script appearing here?

With these questions, Aoko continued watching. The massive records described, in detail, all the actions of the remaining humans on the planet. To extract key information, Aoko narrowed her attention to the key characters.

The first to appear was Misato Katsuragi. As a child, she was put into an escape pod by Dr. Katsuragi, who died himself.

Then came Yui and Gendo meeting, Shinji's birth, and Yui's sudden death.

So it is the old version's plot... Aoko thought, patiently continuing until the failed Human Instrumentality Project in the old movie, where Shinji and Asuka wake up on the beach.

Everything seemed normal up to here, but then, in Aoko's mind's vision, there was a sudden flash—the Second Impact happened again.

What's going on? Is this god-made supercomputer stuck on repeat?

Chapter 607: The First Angel Who Woke Up Early

From the first time the plot started repeating, each cycle had some differences in detail—some resembled the old movies, some the new movies—but no matter the process, the outcome was the same: the Human Instrumentality Project always failed.

Aoko's patience was limited. After the seventh loop, she disconnected and her consciousness returned to her body.

"How did it go?" Touko asked. In her eyes, Aoko had only been interfacing with the Golgatha Object for about a minute before clutching her head and waking up.

"...It did record this world's history," Aoko replied. "But after playing it once, it got stuck in a loop. I watched about seven times before I stopped it myself."

"A loop?" Touko narrowed her eyes in thought. "Were the loops exactly the same each time?"

"No," Aoko shook her head. "Roughly the same direction and outcome, but the process details were different."

"Is it possible that the world we're about to enter is being constantly reset?" Touko speculated.

"That's a very reasonable guess," Aoko nodded approvingly, then voiced her own doubt. "A loop, huh... What's the purpose of the person causing it? To escape that inexplicable ending?"

"Sounds like a world full of problems," Alice crossed her arms, stroking her smooth chin. "Even so, are we still going?"

"Of course," Aoko affirmed. "Otherwise, all our preparations would be for nothing. And even if it's a reincarnation, each cycle lasts a long time. If things go wrong, we can always leave."

"Melusine will protect everyone!"

The dragon girl raised her tiny fists in a gesture of encouragement. It was adorable, but considering she could crush coal into diamond with her grip, it was also terrifying.

"Did you find any other functions besides watching the records?" Touko asked the key question.

"Unfortunately, no," Aoko spread her hands, admitting she got nothing. "This thing seems to be in read-only mode now, and the content isn't selectable. I probably need some sort of credential."

"To switch from the Anti-Universe to the real universe will take some adjustments and preparations," Alice said. "Aoko, you'll need to rework the Paper Moon, or make a new one. The Sea Compass won't work for anti-universe conversion, right?"

"That's a problem," Aoko considered carefully. "By myself, it'd take a long time. Let's split up the work."

By "we," she meant herself, Touko, and Alice. As for Artoria and Melusine—the pure fighters—they were temporarily sent back to the new Kuonji Manor to take care of the kids, even though Melusine herself was half a kid.

There's no definite concept of time in the Anti-Universe, but there is in the Demi-Plane. The Paper Moon, as a top-class Mystic Code, isn't something you can make in a flash, even with two half-magi and the fairy queen Morgan.

It took the four of them about a week to make a device specifically for switching coordinates between the Anti and Real Universes. The craftsmanship was a bit rough due to time constraints, but it worked. The new Mystic Code was named the Negative Conversion Compass: Paper Moon.

Aoko replaced the Sea Compass: Paper Moon with this new device, and successfully left the everything-and-nothing Anti-Universe of the Golgatha Object, returning to the physical universe.

"Aoko, is that—" Touko looked at the moon's surface and guessed.

"Yes," Aoko said calmly, "Traces of the old cycle... and the remains of an Adams."

"A non-human with partial divine powers," Touko's smile had a hint of greed, "I'd love to take one apart and see the structure inside."

"There'll be a chance," Aoko soothed her. "After we've investigated most things. For now, let's see what's on this moon."

Under everyone's gaze, Aoko piloted the Demi-Plane Magic Ship, gradually approaching the bloodstained moon.

Aside from the white giant lying in a huge crater, there were lots of artificial structures and all sorts of busy construction machines.

Judging by the state of the white giant, the machines were currently idle and hadn't started modifications yet.

From the shape, it looked like the Cassius Spear, which opposes the Spear of Longinus and symbolizes hope.

Although Aoko had explained many concepts from the various cycles of this world, seeing the real thing still sparked intense curiosity in everyone.

Melusine pointed at a spot on the moon's surface in the water mirror. "Is that a human?"

Hearing Melusine, Aoko zoomed in on the figure in the mirror. They saw a handsome, gray-haired, red-eyed, bare-chested man sitting on an open coffin.

Surviving unprotected in space—impossible for a human.

"The First Angel..." Aoko muttered after recognizing the figure. "How far has the progress on Earth advanced? Why is he awake already?"

"Welcome to this world, guests from afar."

The boy's voice was gentle and pure, appearing directly in their minds. In the water mirror, he turned his head to look at the Demi-Plane Magic Ship.

Aoko was startled. Telepathy wasn't a difficult technique, but this boy had pierced the Demi-Plane's barrier to perceive their arrival—that was the real issue.

"What now, should I take him out?" Melusine was eager to go. If Aoko nodded, she'd immediately turn the moon's surface into glass.

"No, looks like we'll need to talk to him," Aoko said seriously. "Touko and I will go. The rest of you wait here for now."

"Aoko, you—" Alice was dissatisfied, about to protest, but was quickly interrupted.

"The Third and Fifth Magics can be used to a limited extent in this universe," Touko said. "That means Aoko and I both have immortality—it's the most reasonable choice."

"What about me?" Melusine frowned, expressing her discontent. "Dragons don't need to breathe! And it's hard to kill me!"

"You're an Earth Dragon!" Aoko glared at her. "You can't absorb mana from the moon!"