(This chapter took two days to write. Mainly because it was time to wrap things up. Maybe the ending would not be beautiful, but at least it had to be satisfying. It felt hard to grasp the right feeling while writing it. Yi Zui considered many possible endings, but ultimately felt it was best to conclude the story by following its most fundamental direction.)
Xiao Ran began wildly testing the boundaries of death. The consequences might well be a threefold or fivefold increase in mission difficulty, but Xiao Ran considered that perfectly normal. There had been precedents before. The mission in the Full Metal Panic world had been absurdly difficult. Any other Legion might not have been able to complete it.
But Xiao Ran and that group of big shots had analyzed Prometheus itself and uncovered many of its problems, leaving it no choice but to yield before Xiao Ran time and time again.
Prometheus itself served an immensely important purpose: protecting every universe in the entire dimension from invasions originating in other dimensions, while maintaining stability. Xiao Ran wanted to seize control of Prometheus, but obtaining that control would mean that the Burning Legion would take over Prometheus's future duty of maintaining the entire dimension. That responsibility would be transferred to the Burning Legion. Even if they could still keep Prometheus in their hands then, Xiao Ran could not yet determine whether that would truly be a good thing.
Prometheus did not answer and instead chose silence. Xiao Ran pressed on. "Please answer my question."
"Your authority is insufficient."
Xiao Ran said in a deep voice, "What level of authority would allow me to obtain the answer to that question from you? Or rather, what kind of authority would allow a Participant to become the controller of Prometheus?"
"Super