The Herrscher of Reason's strength lay in her endless capacity for creation. Any construct that appeared before her could be understood and replicated, much like projection magic. The stronger civilization was, the stronger she became—like a person and their shadow.
How could a person defeat their own shadow?
"I am gradually... understanding everything."
Those words were an omen. Father gave up struggling as the corrosive red instantly devoured his body. His towering frame collapsed, and silence fell over the wasteland. Hoshino climbed upward, sword in hand, as though scaling a mountain.
At the summit was something she wanted to claim.
Atop Father's head, the little golden figure separated from him. He neither dodged nor tried to stop the attack descending from above.
He was understanding and processing it.
Hoshino frowned as she climbed. Her tachi dragged behind her, while Jizo Mitama's shikigami imitated her perfectly. A massive nodachi was embedded in Father's body, and she strode upward in great steps, leaving a trail of endlessly exploding blossoms behind her.
"Still not enough."
Void Archives seemed to have no time to care about anything else. He reached forward, colors shifting in his palm as crimson light flared and faded.
This was a failed experiment.
"What's missing?"
By all reason, it should not have turned out this way. He already understood the composition of that thing well enough: an existence similar to himself, whose final obsession and power had transformed into a weapon upon death.
He did not need to replicate its appearance. He only needed to understand its most essential nature.
Then, bang.
That was how simple the Creator's profession was.
Just as he was thinking, the attack came from below. The sharp blade pierced his chest, and the power of corrosion activated, beginning to erode the most fundamental and core