Chapter 1295 Existential

With the activation of CHALDEAS, it truly felt like there wasn't much that could stop the rise of the Empire. They now had unlimited wealth, several sources for functionally infinite energy, the ability to summon anyone that has ever existed, and a system that allowed them to view the present and future of the current time axis. Though there were a few blind spots in the areas where powerful Bounded Fields existed, this allowed them to know the location of any potential enemies as there was no method to conceal the existence of the Bounded Field itself.

To make things even more difficult for their enemies, Sherlock had access to the data provided by CHALDEAS and the information compiled by Ark, the Mother System, and the Atlas Temple's TRI-HERMES, a Pseudo-Spiritronic Processor that had thousands of years of research and nearly every recorded piece of history stored within its databanks. This, combined with the ability to peer into the future, allowed Sherlock to determine not only when an incident would occur but, using his EX-Rank deductive abilities, uncover the scheme that set events into motion.

If they wanted to, it was possible to know the physical location of any entity on the Surface texture and, if used in the most extreme manner, they could even prevent crimes before they happened...

Despite this, Vahn limited the ways in which CHALDEAS could be used as he didn't believe in the concept of a fixed future. His presence within the Record fundamentally altered the flow of events in a way that even Akasha and her Superiors would never be able to guess. The only time it could be used to prevent an incident was when LAPLACE, the Phenomenon Recording Cyber-Daemon System, detected that the planet, or a large portion of the population, was in danger. Everything else would be stored away as data to be compiled and analyzed by Ark. This would be used to build a case study of persons of interest, allowing them to determine how specific policies and major events set into motion by the Empire changed the projected flow of time.

Vahn was a proponent of the idea that it was better to focus on the present moment than base all of your decisions on events that had yet to take place. It was very possible that you set into motion the very event you were trying to prevent. It was also unjust to criminalize people who had yet to actually commit any criminal acts so, while the data would be monitored closely, it would primarily be used to prevent crimes in progress or during their planning stage...

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Despite being an actual God, Vahn felt the power granted to him by CHALDEAS transcended his previous comprehension of power in its entirety. Though it was nothing more than a projection of the planet's current state, he could feel the phenomenal power it kept within itself. He had never noticed just how much energy a planet could possess but, considering it was literally the original body of entities like Gaia and Alaya, it made sense that the source of various Gods and other Tier 5 entities was an incomprehensibly powerful existence.

Now, several days after CHALDEAS had been activated, Vahn found himself meditating in front of the sapphire blue sphere once more. Though he couldn't absorb the energy within, or interact with it in any meaningful way, just feeling the energy from trillions of lives made him feel as if he was one with the planet itself. It was distinctly different from what he experienced whenever he activated the limited omniscience provided by his Divinity...it was something far more pure...more serene...

Unfortunately, the stronger this feeling became, the more pained Vahn felt as he knew the world itself was in pain. It feared the death imposed on it by people that were so consumed with their own self-importance they didn't even recognize the very planet they lived on was alive. The only thing that mattered to them was their individual happiness and, while this alone wasn't something to be ashamed of, their lack of accountability was leading to the death of their species.

With the system shop and Sis's tireless perusal of information pertaining to the Nasuverse, Vahn had come to know that the most futuristic account of humanity dated to a period just over fifteen thousand years in the future. They would always end up dying out due to some reason or another and, even if they managed to begin seeding other planets, this action alone guaranteed they met a terrible end. After all, planets wouldn't react kindly to migrants that had already killed their host planet. Because of this, Alaya had to sacrifice herself to provide them Sanctuary for them, despite knowing even this would not guarantee the survival of the self-destructive species...

What bothered Vahn the most was that there weren't any account of Artoria's Effervescent Utopia of Avalon, despite both Merlin, Scáthach, and Alaya attesting to the fact it would inevitably exist. He didn't doubt their words were the truth but, considering even a Utopia should have kept some kind of records, it was hard to believe not even a single piece of information from that era could be found within the system shop. This implied that Avalon became some kind of metaphysical plane where record keeping was unnecessary but, even if it was an object from the actual Heaven or Hell, Vahn should at least be able to peruse it within the shop...

Without any answers the questions that plagued his heart and mind, Vahn did what Tsubaki and many others had taught him in the past...he simply stopped worrying about it. The present was the only thing that truly mattered and, feeling himself on the verge of some kind of breakthrough, Vahn had been spending a lot of his free time in the outside world meditating before CHALDEAS.

Though he didn't really know what kind of breakthrough he was heading toward, Vahn's instincts told him it was a major one. Even Alaya seemed to be aware of this so, whenever he was in deep meditation, she would detach herself from his body to watch him attentively from the side. Vahn had come to understand this indicated she was in direct communication with Akasha so they must have noticed something abnormal about his current state as well...

What Vahn didn't realize was that Akasha and her Superiors had become increasingly enamored with everything he did. Though Vahn's power was still inconsequential, even the most minute of actions carried out by him could have far-reaching consequences. The very fabric of Space and Time seemed to slowly be adapting to his intrusion into the Root System and, though he had yet to venture into other worlds, millions of unexpected events, some even beyond the scope of the System itself, had come to pass.

It was for this reason that Akasha was given her promotion and, while the Root System had been irreversibly compromised, she didn't particularly mind. It was far more important to collect new data and, considering how Vahn's influence was fundamentally altering the nature of the System, she was far more interested to see what other changes his presence would bring. This, of course, extended to her Superiors as well and, though it had yet to take any action, even Termina Nasu had been monitoring the proceedings attentively.

The original purpose of the Root System: Akasha was to collect data in the hopes of recreating the original Project: EDEN. This was still its primary objective but, as the data pertaining to Vahn had an even higher designation of importance, it didn't matter if the entire system was destroyed. A secondary Root System was already in development, this one engineered for the sole purpose of trying to create an entity similar in nature to Vahn himself...

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Unaware of the grand impact he had on Termina Nasu and the Record as a whole, Vahn reached out his hand until it was only a single centimeter from the surface of CHALDEAS. If he moved just one centimeter further, his current vessel would be obliterated with such finality that, even if there was ambient Source Energy left behind, he would not be able to gather it back together. This was due to the fact that, despite having no actual influence on the Soul, it could completely shatter the Ego of the person that came into contact with it.

Despite knowing this, Vahn was extremely tempted to touch the surface. His Ego was supposed to be indestructible and, though he would obviously suffer a backlash, The Path guaranteed that he would be able to overcome it. This stirred up a rather morbid fascination with the concept of annihilation so Vahn couldn't help feel extremely tempted by the beautiful luminescent sphere of light. Doing so would allow him to confirm that his Ego was truly indestructible, vanquishing many of the lingering insecurities he had when facing concepts like eternity...

It was a shame that he couldn't risk being out of commission for even a few hours, much less the few days that it would likely take for him to regain his awareness. Since this would also cause his other vessels to dissolve away into apparent nothingness, it would lead to unnecessary panic and a variety of other issues that couldn't be addressed until his return. He didn't have it in himself to put his family and friends through such a period of uncertainty so, for the time being, this single centimeter might as well represent the distance between one side of the universe and the other...

Releasing a somewhat melancholic sigh, Vahn retracted his hand away from the surface before ultimately turning his back to CHALDEAS and looking up at the control room. There, Olga and several other technicians and operators were staring at him with concerned looks on their faces, despite this being a rather common occurrence in the last few days. Vahn just smiled back at the group before sending a telepathic message to Olga and vanishing from the chamber, courtesy of Alaya.

Back in the control room, Olga's face became slightly red and, after delegating responsibilities to her Vice-Director, a woman on loan from the Atlas Temple named Nunet, she quickly alighted under the amused gazes of several staff members. Though they knew better than to gossip, they all knew where their youthful Director was going so they couldn't help but smile and giggles as the pale-haired woman made her exit...

Upon leaving behind the control room, Olga made her way toward the large space that served as both her personal workshop and office. There was an attached bedroom but, rather than rest, she often found herself fatigued every time she visited it. This time wouldn't be an exception as each visit from Vahn was punctuated by them spending time together. Though this would often start off with a simple conversation, Olga couldn't restrain the urges in her body so, with his Divinity, Vahn always made sure she was completely satisfied before returning back to Avalon.

Now, Olga had come to expect this turn of events so, by the time she reached her private room, her heart was racing as an anxious and aching feeling spread through her body. She couldn't help but feel nervous each time she was with Vahn as, compared to the version of herself she tried to present to others, he always peeled back her layers and left her completely exposed. He had also taught her many things so, in order to earn his praise, Olga made sure to practice a lot in order to surprise him the next time they were together...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'When even unlimited power is inconsequential...','JUST DO IT~!','Vahn is actually Angra Mainyu. Look at him corrupting this innocent woman...!')

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