"Haaah... Ariii?? How are you awake?"
Tenshi guided Philip to an office chair and he sluggishly sat on it across Ariii, next to the balcony door
Tenshi then stood beside Philip while still being wary against Ariii. Her guard is so high that she doesn't have any openings, even if she's just casually standing with her arms resting on her sides
Her eyes glowed with yelow light and her blue-white hair glows slightly just like the moonlight
"You said that the more you used Over Power, the longer your hibernation will be. It was clear that you reached your limit and you fell into slumber from my World of Imagination... Yet, here you are, not even a day has passed... You're wide awake!"
"Hm... Sounds to me like you didn't want me to wake up this early?"
"That's a part of it... But I'm more curious than anything"
"I see... To be honest, I don't know... The only explanation that I could think of is that I was awoken due to my Over Power picking up a very powerful power in the vicinity..."
"...!"
Philip immediately understood. The Terra Mansion is an epicenter for extremely powerful individuals. A lot of powerful beings has shown up, especially since Philip has controlled most of their fates and empowered them
There was the True Goddess of Technology, the Mobiüs Octingenity, Katara and Sumpaka, as well as Tenshi's power up with the ⟨⟨ Nothingness Realm ⟩⟩
"I'm talking about this soul... When you were trying to liberate her soul, I was awoken"
"!!!"
Philip was surprised
"The power that this soul possess is far more than anyone that I encountered... Even more than you, that angel, and I possess combined"
"Ah..."
"So, why are you trying to liberate this soul?"
"I promised her something, but she was brutally killed and I never granted my promise..."
Philip decided to be honest
"Is that it?"
"I wanted to take advantage of the power she possess"
It was then that the soul of Amare turned her head towards Philip in interest, sadness, and curiosity
"What is her power?"
"...!"
Ariii stared at Philip and her eyes cracked even more. Philip was taken aback and Tenshi prepared to move, but she stopped after reading Philip's mind
"A power that exists outside of the universe... Her power is only a fraction of their power..."
"I know that. I have a direct connection to the origin of this power and I feel like my body and soul is about to be obliterated"
A big chunk of the surface of her eyes chipped off and turned into powder and dust
"WHAT?!!"
Philip's energy seem to have come back as he jumped off from his seat
"You should stop overpowering her now! There's no reason for you to do that!"
"Oh, but I have... By experiencing this overpower, I can reach incredible heights and expand my limits! In doing so, I can finally fight against my brothers and sisters in the single digits on equal foot with this power!!!"
Ariii smiled maniacally, like she's going insane. Her eyes were extremely sharp and the corner of her mouth almost reaches her ears
"No!!"
"..."
Ariii was stunned and she stopped smiling. It was like her happiness was knocked off her face as she began to feel annoyed
"What?"
Ariii asked in a severe and menacing tone
"You don't know that power that resides outside the universe! It is a power that is completely alien to anything you or I have seen!"
"Why are you stopping me?"
Surprisingly, Ariii asked in a calm manner
"There are a few reasons... Laws outside the universe are different from what we can imagine. In addition to that, the power that you're currently overpowering belongs to the outer gods. Who knows what they could do, especially since they are outside the universe"
"Hm..."
Ariii's mouth quivered
"Why do you care?"
"...?"
Philip was taken aback by the sudden question. This kind of question is either condescending or genuine skepticism and curiosity like seeking for help
Of course, Philip caught this gesture
"I care for two different reasons... First and the most important reason is that I want to use you. The power you possess can be very useful to me and the future for my ultimate goal..."
"Huh... You're quite honest. Very honest to my liking... I don't know how to feel about that. You're basically saying that you want to use me as your tool for your ultimate goal"
"It's better to tell the truth rather than go in circles"
"Hm, you may be right... What's your other reason?"
"Well..."
Philip slightly began to fidget and Tenshi was surprised by what's in Philip's mind
"While I haven't accepted anything yet... You said that I'm the perfect canditate to become your husband as a Desecration Maiden..."
"..."
"If that's the case, I want to learn... I would like to get to know you more, the history of the demons, and the Demon Realm..."
"...!"
Ariii's eyes slightly widened, causing more cracks to form
"So, I want you to have self-control and not push yourself to the edge, okay?"
Philip started to slowy walk forward towards Ariii. Eventually, he reached her at arm's length and slowly lifted his right arm
"You don't have to push yourself too much for now, I will help you"
Philip placed his right hand on top of Ariii's head and slightly caressed it, giving her head pats
"...!"
Ariii's eyes widened as her heart began to flutter
"Okay, fine... You sure have a way with your words... But that shard of yours won't work on me. I'm just doing this since it's convenient"
She closed her eyes and her demonic wings calmed down. The chips of her eyes disappeared and the cracks within her sclera began to fix itself
She stopped overpowering the Ancient Power of the Ancient Ones as her connection that's reaching the Field of the Multiverse has stopped
"..."
Philip was slightly taken aback from Ariii's words. She apparently knows the existence of the [Love Shard] and it's influence and power
He didn't know how she knew about it, especially since the [Love Shard] itself keeps itself hidden, even from him, and he can't detect it
"Don't worry, I know a lot..."
"...?!"
Philip became even more confused as he took a step back. He became afraid at what her words entail
"C'mon, I know you're a genius. You can figure it out yourself!"
"..."
"Haaah... My Over Power doesn't ignore anything. It overpowers absolutely anything without leaving anything behind... I can read that you're confused, scared, and angry right now. I can also feel and see the angel's emotions right now"
"!!!"
Ariii looked straight at Philip's trembling eyes and tried to communicate through their eyes
On the other hand, Philip felt like his world is collapsing and spinning. He doesn't know how to feel. He understood what Ariii's words meant, but a part of him refused to believe it
Ariii gave a clue that she overpowered him and could read his body language. She also gave a clue, although might be farfetched, that she could hear and see through his and Tenshi's Soul Link by establishing her own Soul Link by overpowering the Soul Link that the system created
If that's the case, considering the clues that Ariii has provided, there might even be a chance where she's currently overpowering the Omega System and creating her own system
Although, he doesn't know how that'll work. Emily and the Omega System aren't reacting if that's the case after all
"That's all I'm gonna say for now since this girl's soul is still here"
Ariii pointed to Amare's kneeling soul with her thumb
"I'm going to leave her with you"
Ariii confidently stood up from the bed with her arms crossed and walked towards Tenshi
Tenshi narrowed her eyes and raised her chin. She's acting like she's accepting Ariii's challenge
Ariii wasn't fazed from Tenshi's determined spirit and continued to walk towards her to the point there's only an inch of distance away from them
Both of them are almost the same height and body size, if not only for Ariii's horns which makes her taller than Tenshi by several inches
Both of them stared at each other while assessing both of their powers and abilities. It's as if sparks of lightning began to crackle between their eyesight
Tenshi's eyes turned golden while Ariii's eyes formed two cracks on each eyes
They both began fighting for something that Philip couldn't figure out, but have an idea about it
'Women...'
Philip commented in his head which made the two girls turn their heads and glare at the back of his head
He wryly smiled and brushed off their glares as he went closer to Amare's soul, who is extremely cautious, scared, and wary. She looks very obedient by the way she's kneeling
Probably because of her fear of Ariii or confusion where she should've ascended, but suddenly came back and without a physical body
"Amare..."
Philip called for her and she turned her head towards him without energy
"How are you?"
"Honestly, I feel indifferent..."
"..."
"..."
Philip mostly didn't know what to say. He felt as if he's talking to a dead person or a ghost, well she is. He feels like Amare doesn't actually exist in front of him
"Did you hear me when I was tryimg to liberate your soul earlier?"
"Yes. Are you going to keep your promise?"
"Of course! In return, I would like to ask for something"
"Yeah, I know, you want my knowledge about the Ancient Power and the Ancient Ones as the Ancient Priestess... As long as you hold to your promise, I'll grant your wish"
"Okay, thank you..."
"Can I ask for a favor?"
"Yes"
Philip answered without thinking twice. His mindset is whatever Amare asks for, he will grant it as long as it's within his power
"Since I didn't pass on because she pulled my soul from the afterlife... I would like to have a physical body. It's a little bit troublesome now that I'm a ghost? A spirit? I don't actually know... I can't even touch physical objects..."
"Yes, I'll arrange for it..."
Amare's case is very different in terms of her current existence. Unlike other spirits that are in the Spirit Worlds and the actual race of ghosts, Amare is a special existence
Amare is more like an energy entity with consciousness and her signature written on it. She's like the first form of Beatrice and Amatsuka which are the Collective Cognitive and Collective Totality respectively, but this time, she has a proper shape and form of what she looked like before
Collective Cognitive and Collective Totality only looked like singularities and atomic structures
"I would also like my body to be burried properly... Not to be disposed off, like trash..."
"Yes, of course. Don't worry. I didn't have plans for that at all"
"Okay, I believe you"
"Also, I do have conscience, so I want to ask for permission..."
"...?"
"I would like permission to examine your body"
"Hm, what for?"
"The effects of the Ancient Power on the human body... How it could've changed your entire physiology... This includes on how you harnessed that power... Heart and brain and all"
"Hmmm... I don't know..."
"..."
Philip was silent. He doesn't know how to convince Amare further since this would be a sensitive topic for her
After all, as Philip wanted to examine her deceased body, it's like not letting her body rest in peace. It's a form of disrespect, a desecration of one's rights
However, there are still certain people that could give permission before their death to let scientists and researchers examine their bodies. These are in the forms of autopsy, medical breakthroughs, and many more
If only Amare could give her permission right here and then
"Alright..."
"...?"
"I'll give my permission. It'll help you on your goal for learning about Ancient Power, right?"
"Yes!"
"Yeah, also promise me you'll grant my wishes. Also, promise me to not destroy too much of my body"
"Yes, I promise with my heart"
Philip doesn't have a physical heart
"Speaking of..."
Philip continued
"Did you actually went to the afterlife? What was it like?
"I think I did... What was it like... It was dark"
"Any specific images that might resemble any realms? For example, Hell, Underworld, Heaven, Limbo, anything?"
"No... It was darkness... Oh! I think I saw something, it was... Guh"
"Hm?"
"Hooo..."
Amare exhaled very deeply like the air in her lungs was forcibly sucked out
"Gwak!"
She then fell unconscious and her ghost floated in mid air. She looked like a cloud and she's a few inches away from the ceiling
She slept soundly. She doesn't seem very affected like her strange reaction earlier, but this told Philip a lot
'Two things... The Ancient Ones might have forcibly took her soul and she saw all the horrors unthinkable and suffered even as the Ancient Priestess. Good thing Ariii took her back... Second is that she went to a completely different place, an unknown that couldn't be known and it's very dangerous... I hope her mind is not completely broken'
「 Her brain overloaded and she fell unconscious 」
'She's still okay, right?'
「 She is 」
'That's good--!!'
Philip felt relieved, but he suddenly felt alarmed as he turned his head towards Tenshi and Ariii
Tenshi had her head turned at him with trembling and worried eyes while Ariii belatedly turned her head with understanding and guilt
'She can hear you guys!! You already figured out that she overpowered the Soul Link and established her own connection!'
Tenshi shouted through Soul Link, of course, Ariii heard that as well, but she didn't act on it
This means that Ariii just heard a third voice, which should be Emily's, and one of the most precious secrets that Philip's keeping
The last thing he wants is an individual learning about Emily's existence or the system that he hasn't trusted yet
"---!"
Philip's eyes began to swirl and his negative energy swelled up deep inside of him
Ariii just gazed towards him, not activating her [Over Power] to not accidentally cause a massive ruckus from the hidden power that Philip's generating
「 Philip, calm down. I already know that this is the case since the first time you met each other. I would've just kept quiet if the cat hasn't been out of the bag 」
'...'
Philip slightly calmed down and demanded Emily for further explanation
「 This entire time, Ariii already knew the existence of me and the Omega System 」
'How?!'
"Looks like it's time for me to explain myself..."
Ariii spoke and stood confidently against the balcony door as the moonlight shines behind her
Tenshi slowly walked towards Philip and she's also curious at what Ariii is about to say
"You already know... My Over Power can overpower any and all kinds and types of power, elevate it, and create something similar for me to use... The Demonic Bagua is the answer to your Omega System"
"..."