Perhaps the Archbishop was ashamed that his trembling hands had been seen. He crossed his hands behind his back and declared firmly.
“The Holy Scriptures say this: when the Machine God descended, this canopy was created to protect us. Neither the Galactic High Sentient Union nor ‘Inanna 12’ knows anything about that. You are undoubtedly a devil, here to test my faith.”
“Do you believe in a god that remains silent while others scorn those who have sacrificed themselves for their faith?”
The exchange had struck a chord. This was exactly why believers were so troublesome: their resolve was strong, and once they decided something was “the truth,” they rarely changed their minds, no matter what happened.
No matter what might be written in some “Apocrypha,” there was no way I could negotiate my way out of this. The chance to awaken “Inanna 12” through diplomatic means had slipped away.
“I will continue to believe in the Machine God no matter what you say.”
“Are you trying to tempt me into testing my own god?”
“Why do you reference a passage from the Holy Scriptures?”
“It’s common knowledge. It’s a passage that recurs in most every faith.”
Generally speaking, in all religions, there is the theme of God testing humans, but never the other way around. It’s almost a platitude, this idea that one must simply believe.
It was precisely this attitude I disliked, which is why we abandoned the concept of this unseen “god” that science could not yet measure and began to revere the Great Saints who wove such noble teachings and tales.
Tisy probably had no choice but to become the Promethean figure she did. Civilizations must reach a certain level of advancement philosophically before it becomes easy to question the existence of a god.
The Sylvanians were too pure, and Tisy was too kind.
But something feels off about the humans who created all this. It’s all… too archaic.
Was the Yellow Zodiac Coalition so rigid?
I sighed, shook my head, crossed my legs, and gestured towards the door.
“Very well, then you should go. If you consider me a demon for simply being here, it’s best not to speak to me.”
“…Are you a demon asking that?”
“You don’t know? A demon is a being that offers people what they most deeply desire.”
The Archbishop hesitated for a moment after I pointed toward the exit, then began to turn away, seemingly reluctant to leave.
“Just let me manipulate you easily, and you’d remain silent, wouldn’t you?”
Here was a chance to unsettle her further. I made the speaker emit a sound in compressed wave language, and as expected, she turned back, clearly still wanting to engage with me.
“It’s…?”
“Just don’t try to stop time.”
“Time…?”
Of course, this likely didn’t make sense to her. Mechanical humans like us prioritize pleasure and development. If someone suggested “stop time, it’s beautiful now” we’d probably just laugh it off.
“This is just a metaphor. Thinking about its meaning might help you ‘control a demon,’ wouldn’t it?”
I gestured for her to leave, and after some hesitance, she finally departed.
And so, I had deliberately responded. Now, how would she act upon it? It was clear she had shown up here with some intent, and I needed to watch how her perception of me had changed.
I leaned back in my chair and stretched, the pleasure signals coursing through my synthetic body via standard-issue neural enhancements. It was easy to grow accustomed to these tight mechanical forms, but transitioning back to a natural body would probably feel disorienting.
Since our first digitization at the end of compulsory education, life hadn’t really been the same anymore.
I was lost in thought when someone suddenly tapped my shoulder. My brain instantly switched to combat mode, searching instinctively for a weapon, only to find my restrained hands empty. A fraction of a second too late, I felt something cold pressed against my face.
“Yay, you fell for it!”
“…Selene?”
She pinched my cheek.
Indeed, there perched on my shoulder was a small “humanoid terminal.”
“Surely you remember? I am a Numerical Self-aware Intelligence Entity and a born multitasker. While you were busy, I checked if we could use the ‘Inanna 12’ production facilities.”
How about it? she said, spinning around to show off her new form standing about 15 cm tall—a figurine-like structure that was clearly reminiscent of the old days, though calling it “days” might imply death, which wasn’t quite appropriate. It was very much the real deal: the old Selene come to life.
Though the design was roughly humanoid, it was distinctly nonhuman. Heat-dissipating tubes around the area that corresponded to a human nose formed a bob-like haircut, and the main color of the casing was a glossy black. There was no mouth, just a feline-like curve. Her very long arms and heel-like feet were unmistakably hers.
“How on earth did you make this form?”
“There was a toy factory catering to wealthier customers on a relatively unused lower deck. They were producing small drones for child rearing, so I borrowed their 3D forming machine.”
She hopped onto my palm with a little chirp. This miniature counterpart of Selene stirred my tear ducts, and unexpectedly, tears welled up.
Really now, even the gravity jump gate at the Moon’s Lagrange point didn’t move me like this.
“Selene…”
“Yes, it’s me, your Selene, Captain. I realized you might be lonely, so I came to fetch you.”
A surprise I never expected. I rubbed cheeks with my figurine companion, savoring the tactile difference despite the hard, cold exterior. It still brought immeasurable joy just to touch her again in some form.
For all the virtual interactions we had done in cyberspace, the presence of a physical entity was incomparably uplifting.
Perhaps I wasn’t a demon after all, just human.
“But Captain, with this form, I can barely do more than relay communications and hold conversation. Sorry, the protections were tight on the others.”
“Being with you, even in this form, is far better than being alone in this prison. That’s more than enough.”
Temporary as it may be, just having my companion back in form made all the difference. We spent a while playing around with her new figure, but then I remembered.
Damn, what about Galatea?
“That’s right! Selene, Galatea…?”
“Immediately after those events, she was placed in a much stricter cell than yours, Captain.”
Hell. So they weren’t dropping charges after all. Stubborn bastards; they weren’t going to let me help Galatea.
But, at least knowing she wasn’t in immediate danger was reassuring. Given her attitude, some character like Virgil would’ve probably just disposed of her right away. Not because she herself was problematic, but because killing her served some political gain.
She’s nobility, of course, meaning a proper aristocrat. Killing her outright wasn’t so easy. They might have been trying to force the situation too hard.
“Is there any way to reach Galatea?”
“I’ve cracked the surveillance cameras and confirmed she’s safe, but it’s going to be difficult. This high-security cell really operates like an electromagnetic shielded chamber.”
Damn, an electromagnetic shield. That was an issue.
We Mechanized Humans and Numerical Selves rely heavily on computational speed and mostly communicate via electromagnetic waves, having not fully developed wired connection technology. Even though hair-thin fiber-optic cables exist, our standard approach is quantum communication. If someone blocks all electromagnetic waves, our ability to interfere is severely limited.
“And all her equipment has been seized, leaving her without any wireless means of communication.”
“Understood, then we’ll need a backup plan.”
“Plan B?”
You wish. A flashback of playing VR games with friendly NPCs punching cave-dwelling monsters came to mind, but I’m not as reckless—I can’t solve everything through pure muscle and firepower. This required precision strategy.
“Prepare an escape route just in case. I’ll rescue her if I have to.”
“Captain, please don’t go raising your muscle percentage like that. What’s the rush?”
“Still, I’m working with zero political leverage here. Resorting to physical means is unavoidable, even as a last resort. Worst-case scenario.”
“You’re right, but don’t you realize that setting up these preludes might just trigger bad plot flags?”
Selene sighed at my lack of subtlety, but violence was the name of the game, wasn’t it? Even our High Galactic Union, which champions peace, maintains a fleet of four million space vessels.
Maybe the peace-loving plans should just be cut out, as they seem destined for failure?
“What about the soldiers?”
“They’re hiding close to the city. They’re ready to reach you within two hours if necessary.”
“Good work. Is Ridelberdy holding it together?”
“Seething with anger.”
Of course, he would be. I’m technically his leader. He’s holding back only because I ordered it, and despite being hot-blooded, he’s far from impulsive.
Prometheus, commander of the Rustiagis warriors, you’re a reliable trump card too; I need you to hang in there a little longer.
“Well then, let’s relax until something happens.”
“Wait, Captain, stop treating me like a doll!”
Expecting another round of questioning, and planning to use it to gain allies, I spent some time poking Selene’s cheeks, when suddenly the ground shook violently.
“Whoa?! Is that an earthquake!?”
“No, this vibration is… different.”
The retinal display projected footage from the drone serving as Selene’s mainframe.
Unbelievable. A dragon—it was a dragon.
Though how exactly to categorize what I was seeing escaped me momentarily.
It looked like a fantasy dragon—gorgeous emerald scales, and its sheer size was overwhelming, probably 40 meters just in body length (no tail). From its large head stretched an elongated neck that transitioned into a quadrupedal stance. And from its shoulders, massive wings stretched, tipped with clawed, three-fingered hands.
Was this more of a wyvern or a theropod?
Alright, that was fine. Familiarity breeds VR game excitement—it was awesome!
But… that thing was covered in what looked like alloy pieces, like an armored warhorse. And there were thrusters embedded along its body, likely to enhance aerial maneuverability. It was currently dodging a barrage of large arrows by performing acrobatics while shooting off jets of thrust into the outer rim.
Wow, incredible! It twisted its body, using localized thrusters to level-shift in the air while spinning, making itself an impossible target. The G-forces it must endure through these maneuvers were insane.
“Holy crap, what is that? It’s moving like a space fighter!”
“Extraordinary. Normally, something that large should be incapable of flight.”
Yeah, considering that beast weighed hundreds of tons, there was no way aerodynamics supported that with just a pair of puny wings.
Also, if it were purely flesh and bone, it’d struggle to support its own weight… oh!
“Amazing! It just wiped away an entire building!”
The dragon, evading anti-aircraft fire, slid along the ground before sending a building flying. Looks like they don’t anchor structures here, because the building lifted into the air and was headed skyward toward the protective canopy.
“Captain, this isn’t the time for astonishment! Get down!”
The cluster of floating structures stayed airborne a good dozen seconds before raining down on the canopy like shotgun pellets—disintegrating midair.
The ship’s defensive field was still active. Designed originally to protect against micrometeorites and other projectiles, the kinetic shield system was managing to repel the incoming structures.
But, it was struggling. The normally robust red-glowing repulsion field appeared weak, shimmering like a soap bubble with a range of colors, looking altogether unreliable.
The dragon, clearly aware of the situation, ascended again, dodged anti-aircraft fire, and slammed into the ground, launching building projectiles.
The shield managed to deflect the first and second rounds, but the third would surely be its undoing.
Ah, now I understand why they’re trying so hard to restore the “Great Mother” to combat this dragon menace.
“And that was clumsy of me, Captain!”
“What?”
“Multiple knights have been dispatched to Galatea’s room!”
“What?! ”
You bastards! They’re using the dragon attack as an excuse to neutralize her and ensure I have no chance of protest during the trial.
“Let’s go, Selene!”
“Affirmative!”
Through a window, barely broken by one of Selene’s drones with a small opening, a bag was thrown in. Inside were backup weapons—a coil gun mod, a small knife, a multi-tool, and other general equipment strapped to a belt.
Blessed be this. Sneaking missions without any gear wouldn’t work outside of games.
I broke the handcuffs using the universal tool, armed the gun, set it into a high-power mode, and blasted the door open…
【Exoplanetary Exploration Log】 Kinetic Shield. Also known as a Repulsion Energy Field. This is the last line of defense for a spaceship, mainly designed to protect the hull from debris and physical impact. Typically, it can withstand several direct hits from a primary battleship weapon.
However, it seems the system aboard “Inanna 12” has not been maintained for too long and is significantly weaker.
I intend to post five consecutive updates tomorrow, as it is Saturday.
The first update is scheduled for around 15:00 as usual. Stay tuned.
