Communication

The investigation team ultimately failed to stop Nakai Hayato and the Ninth Guardian.

Although the Self-Defense Force arrived and entered the scene in time, the army's morale had all but collapsed after the Ninth Guardian, controlled by Shiraishi Wataru, lifted an armored vehicle like a diamond-hard giant and hurled it into the crowd. The fact that they hadn't routed completely was already more than they could be expected to manage for their wages and allowances.

Just half an hour later, a detailed report on the battle was sent to the higher-ups overnight.

Everyone was horrified by the terrifying destructive power and defenses on display, and many promptly arranged for another batch of bodyguards and heavy weapons.

On the surface, they swore to wipe out the Holy Infant Society. Behind the scenes, however, they obtained information on the Holy Son Pill and ordered their loyal subordinates to acquire as many as possible, begin experiments as soon as they could, and see whether they could be manufactured. Failing that, they hoped to learn something from studying them.

Aside from that, the biggest news was confirmation of the Holy Infant's Advent Body. The United States and Japan began negotiations to compete for it.

Ultimately, the Advent Body would be kept and studied at the Yokohama US-Japan Joint Experimental Center. Any information or resources obtained from it would be shared between the two countries.

For the investigation team, however, this was a crushing defeat.

But to the higher-ups, it seemed like an acceptable trade.

A few days later, more information about the Holy Son Pill's effects came to light. The actual rulers of the country—the major conglomerates—finally couldn't hold back any longer. They each began making their own moves, hoping to use every means at their disposal to get a share.

For now, though, none of this had much to do with Shiraishi Wataru. The members were not exactly safe, but they were managing to get by. He was considering finding a conglomerate to bankroll the Holy Infant Society and help him expand his experiments, but he hadn't decided which one to approach.

At the moment, he was controlling the "Holy Infant" and enjoying an extravagantly lavish dinner.

"Compared to before, the food really is much better now." Shiraishi Wataru set down his chopsticks and gazed calmly at Major William across from him.

He found the man rather interesting. William had kept his abilities secret from the army, and in just a few days, he'd managed to gain some control over his Steel Body's strength. He seemed like a promising experimental subject with a decent amount of initiative.

"It's our greatest honor to have satisfied you." Major William was renowned for his amiability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been temporarily assigned to handle communications with the Holy Infant. In terms of priorities, showing goodwill was currently more important than negotiations.

"Actually, this place can't hold me. Did you know that?" Shiraishi Wataru stood, ran his hand over the steel around him, and glanced up at the surveillance camera.

Shiraishi Wataru was lying. The superalloy was probably too tough to break, and they'd gone completely overboard, making it three meters thick, as if they'd hastily pieced it together from some kind of experimental material. Even if he spent a whole day breaking through, his cool factor would be gone.

But that didn't stop him from bragging.

"Of course we believe you. This facility is only meant to reassure certain people. We in America have always regarded the Holy Infant Lord as a friend. We only hope you can understand the uncontrollable fear that ordinary mortals feel when faced with overwhelming power." William's words made Lieutenant General Ricky, watching from behind the surveillance feed, nod in satisfaction.

Shiraishi Wataru said nothing more. His Holy Infant persona didn't smile, so he sat back down and looked at William.

"What do you want?"

The smile on William's face stiffened for a moment. He could hear the implication in Shiraishi Wataru's words.

He hadn't asked what they wanted. He'd asked what William wanted.

William hadn't expected to be able to hide the fact that he'd taken the Holy Son Pill in front of the Holy Infant Lord, but the fact that the other man seemed to have no intention of exposing him was a huge relief.

"From what you've said, it sounds as though you've descended into this world before?" William carefully weighed his words for a long time before finally asking his first question.

He knew that who knew how many powerful figures were watching him now. The experts had discussed and selected the questions he would ask, but in practice, it was up to him, the interviewer, to decide how to phrase them.

The Holy Infant's answers, expressions, and movements would all be faithfully recorded, word for word. No, strictly speaking, ever since he'd entered, every action he took—even every breath—had been under scrutiny. If any useful information was found, it would be passed on promptly to William, the one conducting the conversation.

"That wasn't a pleasant experience. The spiritual energy here is still too thin, so I can only descend for a limited time. You can ask something more worthwhile." Shiraishi Wataru refused to answer, and a trace of displeasure appeared on his face.

William naturally didn't press him. Instead, he smoothly shifted to another question based on the answer he'd received. "When you say spiritual energy, do you mean what we usually call magic, qi, or elemental energy?"

"You could say that. Spiritual energy is essential for the survival of life in a high-energy plane. You have a term for it, don't you? A parallel universe?"

"Do you mean that you come from a parallel universe?"

"We don't believe in parallel universes. In our view, there's only one universe, ranging from infinitely low energy to infinitely high energy. Compared to the world I come from, yours is at a lower energy level."

"Why were you able to descend into our world?"

"Worlds of different energy levels are constantly being born and destroyed, while also circling around one another. When certain conditions are met, two worlds at different energy levels overlap. That's not so hard to understand." Shiraishi Wataru spoke with a perfectly straight face as he spouted nonsense.

After digesting Shiraishi Wataru's words, William asked, "What do you want?"

"What I want lies in the future." After leaving them with those words, Shiraishi Wataru slowly lowered his head. His body went limp, as though he'd lost consciousness.

William called out a few more times. Once he was sure the Holy Infant had left, he nodded toward the surveillance camera.

The researchers waiting outside entered and collected all the dishes Shiraishi Wataru had used. Then several researchers in protective suits carefully carried him to a newly built refrigerated coffin.

They'd heard from the captured members that the Holy Infant's Advent Body liked to be kept cold.

Some experts suggested that low temperatures might help the Advent Body absorb spiritual energy faster.

Others thought that low temperatures were necessary for producing the Holy Son Pill.

In reality, Nakai Hayato had simply thought a corpse ought to have a refrigerated coffin, so he'd bought one.

In any case, this was their first direct, meaningful exchange with a known supernatural force. Every answer the Holy Infant had given would be classified as highly confidential and handed over to experts or AI for study and analysis. They would use it to infer all kinds of possibilities and guide future interactions.

Naturally, they couldn't simply take the Holy Infant's words at face value. The truth of everything he'd said remained to be verified over time. But that didn't stop them from tentatively assuming it was true.