After the Great Eurasian Earthquake, DEM grew into a powerful corporation. Their Realizer, invented by Westcott through his study of the Angel of the First Spirit—the angel capable of altering reality—played a significant role in reconstructing the world. This accelerated the pace of global change, bringing Westcott one step closer to his ultimate goal.
However, the Spirit created by him, Woodman, and Ellen through the Requiem managed to escape. For six months, this Spirit caused smaller spatial quakes around the world before suddenly disappearing. Despite searching globally, Westcott couldn't understand why Deus, the Spirit, had stopped creating spatial quakes.
Eventually, DEM found the Spirit, now living under the name Mio Takamiya, alongside Shinji and Mana Takamiya. Westcott was astonished. Deus was a living being of immense energy, its values far removed from humanity's. It was nothing short of a miracle that Mio Takamiya could live among humans and even fall in love with one.
This love was extraordinary but also a hindrance. Westcott didn't desire a Spirit with human gentleness—he wanted a supreme being, a ruler capable of reshaping the world to his will. To achieve this, he needed to destroy Mio Takamiya's love.
Yet, Westcott knew no human force could challenge Mio Takamiya's overwhelming power—except for the Pandora's Box. Using it was risky, but Westcott had identified Mio Takamiya's one weakness: her love. Acts of love were something Westcott understood well, obsessively pursuing his vision of ultimate supremacy. Driven by this obsession, he believed he was nearing the truth, fueled by a deep-seated desire for destruction and chaos.
"Talking to you is a waste of time," Yuki said, his eyes narrowing. A wave of unease rose within him as the Apocalypse Virus in Westcott's body surged, crystallizing his blood.
"Kuahahahaha…" The unbearable pain meant nothing to Westcott. For someone with a psyche as fractured as his, earthly suffering was merely a means to an end.
[Yuki-kun, I've found it, but it's no good…]
Just as Westcott's body was about to crystallize completely, Nia's voice echoed, filled with urgency. Her words made Yuki flinch.
[Mio-chin… she has it, and…]
Weeoo, weeoo!
Before Nia could finish, the ship's spatial quake alarm blared.
"She did it… She actually did it… Haha!" Westcott's maniacal laughter was cut short by the sound of a gunshot. Yuki had materialized his spark pistol and fired directly at his heart, leaving his body in shambles.
"Let's go!"
"Yuki-kun, wait! What about him?!"
"He's done for!" Yuki snapped.
He realized Westcott had been stalling. He was so unhinged that he had used himself as bait to divert their attention. Wasting no time, Yuki left the ship. Staying any longer with this lunatic was unbearable. The Apocalypse Virus coursing through his body, combined with the damage from Yuki's bullet, meant Westcott would die within minutes—if not instantly. Moreover, Yuki had used the power of Order on the virus, ensuring no resurrection or timeline tampering could occur. His death would be final across all timelines, erasing him from history.
Natsumi, who had witnessed everything, followed Yuki in a panic. Meanwhile, Westcott's body slowly crystallized. He closed his eyes, smiling in twisted satisfaction, feeling his objective was complete.
Yet, as the crystal was about to shatter, black miasma seeped from his body, halting its destruction. This miasma counteracted the power of Order. Simultaneously, a coffin-shaped mark formed over the gaping hole where his heart had been. A gravitational force, as strong as a black hole, pulled Westcott's body inward.
.....
"Tree of Life…"
Murmuring in awe, Mio Takamiya opened her arms, watching as her other half materialized.
At first, she had been hesitant and fearful about opening Pandora's Box. Fortunately, the box didn't consume her. Instead, it cooperated, allowing her to recreate the Spiritual Formula and bring her other half into the world. Westcott hadn't lied—the Requiem wouldn't kill her.
Thus, another Tree of Life from the Kabbalah began to form. Unlike the first tree, with its white color and innocent, newborn-like aura, this new Tree of Life was entirely black.
According to the mythology of the world, the Kabbalah Tree of Life was a divine creation meant for the world. The Requiem, as part of God's creation, tied into this narrative, along with the Void Hero.
The Void Hero carried the coffin, giving meaning to the emptiness within. It became a weapon to accompany him in war. The world granted him consciousness and a soul, honoring the greatest Hero it had birthed. The Holy Trinity Goddess gave the Requiem's soul control, dividing its power according to the Tree of Life's structure. This birthed [Parallel], a safeguard to prevent the Void Hero's soul from collapsing under the weapon's immense power. It also kept the Requiem and the Void Hero from succumbing to Chaos, ensuring they could fight the Overlord.
Each weapon represented a pathway and particle on the Kabbalah Tree of Life—a creation forged to secure victory. Despite the Requiem's power, it was the Void Hero who self-destructed to win, preserving the Requiem as intact as possible.
Due to the Requiem's immense power, Mio had been unable to materialize in full strength, leaving another Tree of Life scattered. But now, everything had changed. Opening her arms, Mio Takamiya absorbed the Tree of Life into her body.
Her power source shifted, and the Demon King emerged.
"...!?"
Mio trembled. Within her spiritual world, previously filled with pure whiteness and protected by Ain Soph, black miasma consumed the enormous tree. Her entire spiritual realm began to transform.
"Ahhhhhh!!"
The transformation brought unbearable pain. Clutching her head, she knelt in mid-air.
"No, no, no! I don't want this! Please, stop!"
Mio could feel her rationality slipping, consumed by the Demon King. She tried to resist, but Ain Soph didn't respond.
This should have been impossible—or so Mio thought. Both the Demon King and the Angel shared equal power. She believed she could control the Demon King easily, as it was merely her unconscious counterpart. With Ain Soph, she should have been able to subjugate it and claim its power.
But she was wrong. Control over her angel had been lost—or rather, usurped.
A crack opened in her spiritual world, and an ink-black coffin forcibly entered.
In that instant, a new consciousness emerged from the coffin, seizing control of Ain Soph and preventing the massive Tree of Life from defending itself against Belial.
[Kahahaha… Yes, devour her…]
The intruding consciousness was Westcott. Having been near the Requiem for so long, he had learned its secrets.
Using a failsafe embedded in the Requiem, Westcott activated Pandora's Box one final time, using his soul to ensure its opening.
This time, he intended to create the ultimate executioner of the world…
[Come forth, Beast!]
An existence of unparalleled power, capable of wielding the Requiem to its fullest potential—The Beast, the being destined to reshape the world.
Even in death, Westcott didn't hesitate, knowing everything would end with the Beast's birth, imprisoned within Pandora's Box.
"You bastard! You tricked me! How could you do this to Shinji?!"
Of course, Westcott's soul alone wasn't enough to open Pandora's Box.
But there was still the fragment of Shinji's soul, sealed away 30 years ago…
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TN: Ummm... Hi?