The previous-generation angels of Synapse had already reached the pinnacle of technological mastery.
In certain fields, they had pushed the limits of what a scientific civilization could achieve.
Just the dream-projection technology alone—allowing someone to repeatedly live new lives under different identities—was utterly mind-boggling.
Trying to go head-to-head with them using conventional technology was not realistic.
Fortunately, while they held infinite possibilities in technology, Setsuna's side had their own near-omnipotent entity:
The Spirit of Origin.
In the freely manipulable domain of the Ain Soph, Mio reigned as the master of the world. She could alter all laws of a parallel realm.
That included forcibly ejecting Daedalus's consciousness from Sohara Mitsuki's body—and even tracking it afterward.
Thus, Daedalus had woken up in complete confusion.
She had only just regained consciousness, her memories a mess, unable to grasp what had just happened.
And now, Setsuna was waving at her.
Daedalus panicked.
People from the surface shouldn't even know Synapse existed.
She carefully observed the situation below.
And immediately fell into even greater shock.
Sohara Mitsuki hadn't been harmed. She looked like a statue, sitting frozen on the swing.
The Mitsuki home and the surrounding area had turned completely black and white.
Time and space had been simultaneously frozen.
Birds in mid-flight, falling leaves... even the swinging motion of the swing itself were suspended in midair.
Only Setsuna and the few girls around him were moving—they looked like full-color characters wandering into a black-and-white TV.
Nearby passersby seemed completely unaware, showing no reaction to what was happening at the Mitsuki residence.
Under the effect of the cognitive barrier spell, the townspeople merely saw a group of big sisters playing with little Sohara.
"Hello? Daedalus?"
"You awake yet??? Don't tell me Mio accidentally fried your brain when she popped your consciousness out?"
Setsuna waved at her again through the screen.
"I did not!"
Mio pouted and tugged on Setsuna's sleeve with a slight whine.
"I did it perfectly, okay?"
"Alright, alright. You did great."
Setsuna patted her head, earning a sweet smile from the girl. A love-struck girl was easy to appease.
"..."
Daedalus couldn't comprehend what was happening.
She clutched her head with both hands, tousling her blue hair into a mess.
This human not only knew her name, he knew about Synapse!
Even more absurd, he accurately identified her earthly projection as Sohara Mitsuki, and somehow booted her consciousness back to Synapse!
Synapse citizens had no way of knowing in advance who they'd become when entering dreams on Earth!
Unbelievable. It was like he knew more about Synapse tech than they did.
As for the silver-haired girl's magic... she couldn't understand it at all.
Synapse was a scientific civilization, with zero points invested in magic.
If it were Synapse at its peak, maybe they could have analyzed the Spirit of Origin's abilities through technology.
But now? They were nothing more than a decayed fallen empire. To them, Mio might as well be a god.
"Who are you? What do you want? How did you contact me?"
After thinking for a moment, Daedalus asked the three questions that concerned her most.
"My name is Setsuna, from another world. You could call me an alien."
Setsuna answered with a smile.
"Contacting you was actually quite simple. We could be considered a spacefaring civilization as well, and we have directional communication devices."
"Once Mio pinpointed your location, setting up a comm link wasn't hard."
On the holographic screen in front of him, a projection of Daedalus appeared.
The four-winged angel looked a bit haggard and unkempt.
"As for what I want... Daedalus, I'd like to propose a deal."
Setsuna thought for a moment, then spoke leisurely:
"You're currently imprisoned in some temple within Synapse, right?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Ikaros is with you too? You're planning to one day send her down, and rely on the Queen of the Sky's power to be rescued, aren't you?"
"Just like that human child who once used Ikaros to strike back against Synapse—you're hoping someone will hear your call and work with Ikaros to save you."
Thanks to his thorough understanding of Heaven's Lost Property, Setsuna fully grasped Daedalus's motives.
She repeatedly appeared in Tomoki Sakurai's dreams, telling him she was "caught by the sky," hoping that he and Ikaros would one day grow strong enough to rebel against Synapse and rescue her.
But Setsuna had arrived very early in the timeline. Daedalus had not yet chosen anyone or begun dream contact.
"!!!"
Daedalus trembled.
This human's knowledge of her was terrifying.
This wasn't just technological superiority—he even knew what she was thinking!
"How... how do you know all this? What do you want?"
Daedalus took a deep breath and asked, voice trembling.
"I can get you out."
"But in return, I want Ikaros and the technology to create universal angels."
Setsuna answered bluntly.
Having used his information advantage to suppress her and gain the upper hand, it was time to lay out his terms.
"..."
Daedalus fell silent for a while.
"I know nothing about you."
"As I said, I come from another world. Not a world created by your Wishing Stone Tablet, but from a completely different universe in the macrocosm."
Setsuna projected the Hyperdimensional Star Map.
He pointed to his own universe, then to their current position.
He briefly explained the concept of the multiverse.
"!!!"
In just a few sentences, he left her stunned.
As Synapse's greatest scientist, Daedalus far surpassed her decadent peers in intelligence, knowledge, and technical mastery.
Understanding Setsuna's meaning wasn't difficult for her.
But even at its peak, Synapse—despite having reached a Creation-level civilization—had never seen beyond their own universe.
Even the Wishing Stone Tablet, for all its might, couldn't exert influence across universes.
No matter how much chaos the Synapse people stirred up—collapsing stars, triggering heat death, unraveling the cosmos—
It was still nothing more than a minor event in one small universe.
For a brief moment, Daedalus felt like a divine light had illuminated her mind.
If the Synapse of old had realized that countless other worlds existed beyond their own...
Perhaps history would have been different.
They wouldn't have fallen into existential despair after achieving material abundance, leading to mass suicide and a civilization reliant on artificial dreams.
Maybe they would have become adventurers of the multiverse, like the Age of Exploration, building a transdimensional super-civilization.
But now, it was already too late.
The technology of Synapse's pioneers had been lost.
What remained was merely a bunch of gluttonous parasites living in luxury under the care of universal angels.
"Let me give you a heads-up. What I used is a type of Authority. Even civilizations more advanced than yours can't break through the world barrier of the macrocosm."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"Authority? Like a superpower?... You... if only we had met sooner..."
"If you'd been in Synapse back then, we wouldn't have..."
Daedalus paused, murmuring to herself.
"It's not too late."
Setsuna coughed lightly.
"As long as you agree to trade the universal angel technology, we can get you out."
"I can even offer you a research position in another world. I value your scientific capabilities. The benefits are excellent, and there will be opportunities to travel to other worlds in the future."
"..."
Daedalus closed her eyes and pondered for a while.
The chance to see a true foreign world was indeed a major temptation for a scientist like her.
Let alone the fact she was currently under house arrest and unable to do anything. Having someone come to rescue her was like a blessing in the snow.
"Sounds like I have no reason to refuse."
"So I'll take that as a yes?"
Setsuna lifted his chin.
"Yes. But Synapse is floating in the sky—normal flying machines can't reach it. How will you..."
Daedalus looked at the five of them, all seemingly empty-handed, and showed a hint of worry.
"Should I send Ikaros down first? She can carry one person up."
"..."
"You don't need to worry about flying."
Setsuna snapped his fingers.
"Just go wash up and wait for me in Synapse."
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