“What is this!? This has never happened before…!”
『Affirmative. It is unprecedented for me to bestow a revelation.』
Further mechanical sounds were directed at the bewildered sage.
Displayed on the screen was an endless white space, and floating within it, something that appeared to be a young human.
With an androgynous face and plain clothes, they had a flat, emotionless expression, but… their body was in a gruesome state that made one want to avert their eyes.
Their right shoulder and below, their right knee and below, as well as their right flank and left thigh, were torn apart, exposing painful wounds.
They only had one ear left.
But the most distinctive thing wasn’t the superficial injuries.
It was the alien atmosphere that made you feel that while they looked exactly like a human, something was fundamentally different, and that was what captivated the eyes more than anything.
『Hey… what are you? Are you okay with those injuries? And can you hear my 〖Telepathy〗??』
『Do not worry, my eyes and ears are this very star. I am aware of your every action in detail. The image you see is merely an avatar created to match your perception, so I will not die from bleeding.』
They didn’t answer the question of what they were. Well, maybe I didn’t ask the question right.
However, the answer I was curious about came from next to me.
“Could it be that you are… a Star God?”
『Affirmative. This Artifact is observing my will.』
『???』
Noticing that I was still full of question marks, the sage explained what they had understood.
“First of all, this device is an Artifact that observes the soul of the star… it’s a receiver. You know that my real laboratory is underground, right?”
『Yeah, it’s where we were before fighting the Earth Dragon, right?』
“The reason that place was chosen as a laboratory wasn’t just for secrecy and security. It was also to shorten the distance to the core of the star as much as possible.”
『So, that core of the star has a soul… I can’t believe it.』
I thought stars were just lumps of rock, so I was surprised to hear that they had consciousness.
Well, it’s not that surprising in this fantasy world, I guess.
“No, it’s not that strange of a story. You know that 〖Mana〗 originates from the soul, right?”
『I learned that while studying Pseudo-Golem Machines.』
Normally, the 〖Mana〗 reserves of a Pseudo-Golem Machine are restored by absorbing 〖Mana〗 from the atmosphere.
It doesn’t automatically recover like a living creature. That’s because simple calculation circuits don’t have a soul.
However, it seems that souls can be generated in the calculation circuits of sages and Calamity-Class Pseudo-Golem Machines like the “Colossus”.
“Then, where do you think the 〖Mana〗 in the atmosphere comes from?”
『Huh? Isn’t it from the remnants of 〖Mana〗 leaking from living creatures?』
“No, that doesn’t add up. The 〖Mana〗 leaking from living creatures is minuscule, and the correlation between the number of living creatures and 〖Mana〗 concentration is weak. To resolve this question, the Great Sage devised the hypothesis that the source of 〖Mana〗 in the atmosphere is this very earth.”
『! So that’s why the soul of the star!』
Even though there are differences in concentration, since 〖Mana〗 fills the entire world, if the source of 〖Mana〗 is the soul, then conversely, the star must have a soul.
“Based on that hypothesis, many studies were conducted. Also, since it was inconvenient to keep calling it the soul of the star, the provisional name Star God was given. It’s a name based on the assumption that the Star God, being the world itself, could be omniscient.”
『So that’s how the Artifact to contact the Star God was created, huh?』
I muttered, comparing it to the current situation.
However, it seems my guess was a little off.
“That’s half incorrect. With current technology, it’s only possible to pick up fragments of the Star God’s thoughts, and we haven’t reached the stage of communication. Normally, this Artifact is much noisier, analyzing a chaotic torrent of information and extracting useful information, but…”
『This time, I attempted direct communication by my own will.』
Hmm?
Normally, it’s just eavesdropping on monologues, but this time, it’s a clear voice because it’s meant to be a dialogue… is that what it means?
『Okay, I understand what you are. So, why did you want to communicate?』
『To bestow a revelation upon you, one from another world.』
『You said that earlier, “one from another world.” …Could it be that–』
『–Affirmative. It is about you.』
『Then, did you reincarnate me!?』
『Affirmative. It was I who summoned your 〔Soul (Arche)〕, which was dissolving into the 〔Kenon〕 after facing death, to this star.』
The dying Star God on the display nodded.
There were a few unfamiliar words along the way, but thanks to 〖Telepathy〗, I could roughly grasp the nuance.
In short, it seems this god helped me.
『Seriously, thank you! I thought I was dead when I got run over, but I was saved!』
I expressed my gratitude to the fullest.
If this story is true, I can’t thank them enough.
…Well, there’s also a tiny bit of calculation that they might know how to get back to Earth.
After that, I took a breather and asked something that I had been wondering about.
『By the way, why did you help me? Is it a charity? Are there other reincarnated people?』
『No, you are the only one who has been reincarnated. And the wish I have placed on you is–the annihilation of the plague that is eroding this 〔Gaia〕, the 〔Karkinos〕.』
It seems like there are more new terms.
But thanks to the nuance translation of 〖Telepathy〗, I can roughly grasp the meaning.
〔Gaia〕 is the world, and 〔Karkinos〕 is the enemy that destroys the world.
Since the request is annihilation, 〔Karkinos〕 must also be a living creature.
『I don’t quite understand, but why do we need to defeat the 〔Karkinos〕? Even if it’s a request from my savior (god), I can’t just kill people without knowing the reason.』
『The 〔Karkinos〕 is an existence that will destroy the land. Though a Demon Beast, it defies reason and endlessly devours 〖Soul Shard (Experience)〗, and eventually, it will devour all living things and even take my life. Is this reason not enough?』
『No, it’s fine.』
If it’s such a directly dangerous Demon Beast, then I have no objections.
Let’s just quickly defeat it.
『Do you know where it is? I’ll go right away.』
『That is reckless. With your current strength, you may not lose, but victory is impossible. The 〔Karkinos〕 in question is an ancient calamity that has devoured even half of my being.』
『Then, that wound is…』
『Affirmative. It is caused by its power.』
Honestly, I was wondering why a god with the power to reincarnate people was making a request.
The answer was simple. The enemy is so powerful that even the Star God is fleeing.
Reincarnating and fighting are completely different abilities, but even so, a god shouldn’t be weak.
『Its power invades through wounds. You, however, can act advantageously (……..) as before.』
『…What exactly is that 〔Karkinos〕?』
『It is not an existence you are unfamiliar with. You have already made contact with its kin and achieved victory twice.』
Before I could ponder the meaning of that number, the god gave me the answer.
『This time’s 〔Karkinos〕 is the king of Chaos Spawns, who sows seeds from the eastern end and gathers 〖Soul Shard (Experience)〗 by using the Demon Beasts of that place as pawns, Chaos.』
『…!!』
I couldn’t help but gasp at the unexpected word that came from the Star God.