Editing The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume2 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 6===

Two people were speaking.

A three story atrium space formed a large square directly above the production line. It was the production management room that monitored the entire line. The primary wall was made of glass, but there was little meaning in looking below with the naked eye. The countless consoles and LCD screens by the walls were more important.

However, these two were not monitoring the products.

They were monitoring the smokestacks.

One of them was Yasuzumi Hayato.

The other was Benikomichi Fuuki.

“We’ve used up 80% of our inventory now. It’s about time, mistress. We had set the dissemination amounts with room for having a bit of ‘fun’, so we should be ready to go now. The plan will succeed even if we start a little early.”

“Most likely. But this took longer than I thought. A lot of it caked onto the inside of the smokestacks.”

“It’s still enough. We only have an early weather map, but it should be accurate. The rainclouds are changing form in a way that blatantly ignores the normal rules. It will form the giant magic circle just fine.”

A short silence followed.

The student council girl who was also an assassin’s vessel sat directly on the edge of a console rather than in a chair.

“Now we’ve taken a different path than ‘him’.”

“My dad took the wrong path. That’s why he died.”

“I’m still not certain of that.”

“Then I’ll show you the truth, mistress. When this plan succeeds, we will have a world without death.”

“A world without death, hm?”

“The idea itself is simple, but the effect will be truly impressive. Every single human problem will be solved all at once. That will be our victory.”

“Just to be sure, the Artificial Sacred Ground really will cover the entire planet, right?”

“And permanently. We can start with the Northern Hemisphere. The rest will either go along with it or fight it. And if they fight it, we can just ignore them and let the flow of time drive them to extinction. And once the Southern Hemisphere has gone extinct, we can use factories there for a second dissemination to truly cover the entire planet.”

“And then all of humanity will be contained in their own protective circles.”

“That circle protects the summoner from all external threats and all internal threats such as illness and their own lifespan. It only lasts about ten minutes with a normal Incense Grenade, but our method is different. It will be permanent or at least semi-permanent because it’s a plain and universal incense that can affect anyone.”

“But the protective circle is made from a portion of the Material’s power. Even with an Unexplored-class, protecting all six or seven billion people on the planet won’t be easy.”

“Unless we use ''that''.”

“Do you really think we can control ''that''?”

“How many hypotheses do you think we have worked through to that end, mistress? Our method is perfect.”

Assassin Hayato smiled thinly as he leaned against the door.

And a mere five centimeters away, on the other side of the door, Shiroyama Kyousuke silently eavesdropped on their conversation.

It was far too unrealistic.

Their master plan was so megalomaniacal he wanted to laugh out loud.

A world without death.

Next to Kyousuke, Librarian-chan was unsure how to react as she whispered to him.

“(This is a joke, right? A world without death? What are they talking about? It was enough of a surprise to hear they were assassins, but this is just too much.)”

“(The problem is that it checks out on a theoretical level.)”

Kyousuke tilted his smartphone on its side and held it out toward the door as he answered.

“(Unlike a vessel, a summoner doesn’t need any inborn talent. ''That means anyone can become one.'' If they designate a large number of people as summoners for a single ceremony, set up an Artificial Sacred Ground over an extremely wide area, surround them all in protective circles…and set that up to continue indefinitely, then everyone on the planet will be made artificially immortal.)”

They did not have time for a detailed investigation here, so he was recording everything he could.

Based on the voices, at least one of the people speaking was near the door or leaning against it. If Kyousuke opened the door even a crack, they would notice, but if they moved from the door, Kyousuke wanted to record a video of them speaking.

Even now, he could hear the young boy and girl speaking on the other side of the door.

“''That'' is of course powerful, but also fickle. She is a lot like a plasma fusion reactor with no guarantee of safety.”

“But placing everyone in a protective circle without giving them a vessel requires a bit of risk. And I have separated her mind from her body, mistress. I doubt she can wield her power of her own free will at the moment.”

“I just hope she really can be contained within the framework of human understanding.”

“Power can be controlled. That is true even of a sun and of a black hole. Mankind had its victory over the monsters from the moment we defined the Third Summoning Ceremony. This won’t be a problem.”

Their universal incense was not limited to a specific summoner and could not summon a normal Material.

They had a Material that could create protective circles for all seven billion people on the face of the earth.

The extremely high power needed for that was too much for even the average Unexplored-class.

(What? What are they talking about?)

An unpleasant sweat began to pour down Kyousuke’s face like his skin was being roasted.

It was possible he already knew the answer.

It was possible his entire being simply wanted to reject it.

A moment later, a lovely face appeared on the smartphone screen he held in front of him. It seemed to be peering in from the side.

<They are talking about me. My. Dear. Brother☆>

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….!!!???”

He just about lost sight of the current situation and screamed.

It took all his strength to hold his breath and silently back away.

The small screen displayed a girl with waist-length silver twintails and a pure white outfit that resembled a wedding dress.

She was an incarnation of benevolence.

She was a symbol of sanctity.

She was a personification of radiance.

She was an absolute white that did not allow for even a drop of impurity.

She was the strongest of the strong that far surpassed the Regulation-class, the Divine-class, the Unexplored-class, and even the Three.

“(The White…Queen!?)”

The “White” Queen who Wields the Sword of Unsullied Truth (iu – nu – fb – a – wuh – ei –kx – eu – pl – vjz).

She had exceptional power even among the Unexplored-class that existed beyond the gods of legend. She alone held the name of “absolute”. And she was the Material that was always found at the center of conflict on a global scale.

She was a monster that would smile as she trampled over all the human good and evil that mankind had spent so much time and effort building up.

Her strength had also driven people to madness.

Kyousuke was not about to treat those assassins as victims because of this, but the Queen was the one behind it all.

Despite his extreme panic, Shiroyama Kyousuke still stood in front of Librarian-chan who simply stood there in confusion.

<Hee hee. There is no need to look so surprised. I cannot interfere physically right now. …''That said,'' there is only so far I can continue to interpret jealousy as a way of spicing up our love.>

But something was not right.

Confused, Kyousuke looked back and forth between the smartphone screen and the actual scenery.

The smartphone definitely showed that greatest and worst of the Materials, but no one actually stood in front of the door.

It was like a strange sort of ghost video, or…

“(Is this…AR?)”

<Technically, I believe it is known as a perception network. It uses the city’s network and the AR is just one of its uses.>

The Queen gave a sparkling wink and blew him a kiss on the screen.

<When those two were referring to “that”, they meant me. And it seems this White Queen has been built in as a foundation for their world without death. As a safety measure, the mind you are speaking with now has been separated from the body that acts as the source of my power.>

“(Materials don’t show up on digital cameras and sensors. The network shouldn’t be able to recognize you.)”

<That is only when we are inside an Artificial Sacred Ground. Of course, the entire Northern Hemisphere is about to be covered in a thin Artificial Sacred Ground, but with that mixture of incense, setting up the protective circles will be the most they can manage since they don’t need it to interfere all that much. Plus, my main body was summoned with an entirely different method.>

“…”

<Well, boredom is the greatest sin. They probably think I will lend them my body without bothering to break free of their cage if they let me behave as I please.>

“(What method did they use?)”

<Urashima Tarou, Kaguya-hime, Penglai Island, the Fairy Kingdom, Orpheus, Izanagi, and I believe there was a similar story in Ancient Mexico too. Surely that was enough to clue you in, brother.>

“(The End of the World…hm?)”

In Toy Dream 35, Azalea Magentarain and the rest of Guard of Honor had caused trouble using the old concept of the fairy’s spring.

The End of the World was another well-known concept that had thoroughly permeated the minds of normal people who knew nothing of the summoning ceremony.

There were stories that miracles, objects, foods, or other things no human could reproduce could be found beyond the sea, beyond the mountains, beyond the sky, or anywhere else people could not reach. In most cases, it was said that arriving there or returning from there would conquer death.

Which meant…

“(If it can be called the End of the World, it can’t be somewhere touched by human hands.)”

<Correct. Just like the cat in the box, the conditions collapse once it is opened by human hands.>

“(Where exactly is it?)”

<Do you really think you can get everything you want out of me? Whether it is a physical object or information, since I was summoned outside of the Blood-Sign system, there was no compensation required as a safety device when summoning me.>

The White Queen seemed to be enjoying herself.

Kyousuke narrowed his eyes a little. He knew he was only looking at an image displayed on the screen, but he still moved silently to better protect Librarian-chan. He knew the Queen was liable to order him to kill his vessel just to make him suffer. And if he refused, she might very well use every underhanded method available to overturn all assumptions and kill the girl herself.

Depending on the situation, she was a much more pressing threat than even the assassins on the other side of the door.

[[Image:BloodSign_v02_243.jpg|thumb]]

<Hee hee hee. Then how about you take an artificial photograph with me? And then you can use it as your phone’s background. The fact that I’m accessing your phone like this means I already have your address. Oh, it feels so much like we’re lovers☆>

“…”

<Wait just a second, brother. If you throw this smartphone against the floor, everyone in the building will hear.>

The world was clearly ending when the White Queen was the sensible one.

<Brother. Did you miss the reference I made just a moment ago?>

The White Queen smiled on the small screen as she gave the answer.

Her slender finger pointed straight up.

<Kaguya-hime.>