After a long silence—
"As you said, I will fulfill those conditions—sweep and take control of Academy City, and hand over the 'Artificial Heaven.'"
After Aleister spoke, three cylindrical pillars suddenly rose from the floor of the room.
Once the pillars fully extended, a window opened in the center of each.
Three items came into view.
A silver, twisted cane.
A bizarre arrow shaped like a withered wooden arm.
And a tome.
When these three items appeared in front of Haruto, he raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Before coming here, Haruto had expected Aleister would agree to his conditions.
But he hadn't expected the guy to compromise so easily.
These three items were the Staff of Impact, the Imagine Breaker, and the Book of the Law.
The Staff of Impact was one of Aleister's trump cards.
Magic released through it would be amplified via a special auxiliary technique—not just to ten times its original power, but ten times the power as perceived by the target.
This meant it could rip through worlds and deal fatal damage even to Magic Gods.
The arm-shaped arrow was the Imagine Breaker made from the right arm of a certain Saint. It could erase all forms of "abnormal" abilities through contact, whether they be esper powers or magic.
The final item, the tome, was the original Book of the Law. It recorded a unique type of information through special means, and could be interpreted in infinite ways. Each person might be able to read a completely new version, and the interpretation could invoke a "miracle."
Legend says that correctly deciphering the Book of the Law would end the old age of magic and usher in a new one.
These three items were essentially Aleister's entire arsenal.
Surprised or not, Haruto didn't hesitate—he took them all.
It was best to seal these things away.
Then, looking back at Aleister, Haruto sighed internally.
Originally, Haruto had come prepared to execute this bastard. But this guy turned out to be so cooperative, Haruto didn't really have a reason to anymore.
"Well, since you're cooperating with the containment, come out and sign the agreement.Then connect the network to the Foundation."
Before he even finished speaking, a young girl suddenly appeared in the room.
She had long silver hair that cascaded like a waterfall, almost touching the ground.Her delicate features resembled a doll.
She wore a pale-blue, double-breasted uniform with a black cloak and a witch's hat.The hat was adorned with crescent-shaped silver decorations, and on her back was a silver metallic pattern resembling either bat wings or squinting eyes.
The Aleister in the container had vanished.
Haruto rubbed his temples and pulled out the Absolute Contract Codex.
This silver-haired girl was one of Aleister's "possibility projections."
In truth, the guy in the container earlier had been another version of Aleister.
He had transcended certain limits, merging all his selves from various timelines and possibilities.However, they couldn't fully fuse into one. After all, Aleister had only reached the level of Divinity, not Supreme Divinity.
He shifted between these forms based on which was most optimal.
The silver-haired girl version of Aleister took the codex and signed her name smoothly, flipping through it with interest.
"What a remarkable magical grimoire—even closer to a 'miracle' than the one I created myself."
She praised it with admiration.
Haruto casually snatched the codex back.
Even if she looked like a delicate girl, her personality was clearly rotten.
Aleister was a master manipulator with a thoroughly nasty personality. Still, Haruto began to consider recruiting her into the SCP Foundation.
Sometimes, the Foundation needed a sharp blade.
The current O5 Council lacked someone who could act as a dagger hidden in the dark.
"By the way, I should thank you," the silver-haired Aleister said cheerfully.
"You've helped me realize my lifelong dream, and let me witness a being that surpasses even Magic Gods. It's truly exhilarating. Even if your words are a little harsh, I sincerely thank you."
Haruto's mouth twitched.
Aleister's ultimate goal had always been to end the magical era and take on the Magic Gods.
The so-called Magic Gods were beings who ascended through the magical path to reach the level of Divinity in the original Academy City world.
These Magic Gods were generally twisted lunatics, not much different from Aleister.
To them, the world was fragile. Living in a world filled with such beings was downright unsettling.
Aleister's ambition was to eliminate them all and cut off the magic path entirely. And now, with Academy City relocated—the Magic Gods were gone, magic was gone,and all anomalies were under the Foundation's control.
Haruto's existence also proved that even beyond Magic Gods and Divinity, there were far more terrifying beings.
He didn't respond to Aleister's praise.
After a brief thought, Haruto patted the silver-haired girl's shoulder.
"I've got a task for you. Once you're connected to the Foundation network, you'll be sent a file. There's an organization in this world called Chaos Splitter. Find them—and take them out. I believe you're more than capable."
Behind the Chaos Splitter was a cunning old schemer.
Even when their organization faked its death and went underground, that guy had been lurking in the shadows all this time—no trace, no movement.
To the Foundation, it was a mid-level nuisance.
But no matter—
So you're good at hiding?
Let's see who plays dirty better…
Aleister was also a master of hiding and scheming.
The silver-haired girl nodded obediently, looking like a loyal little henchman. Haruto looked at her and just felt a headache coming.
Such a refined-looking girl, yet somehow radiating something so nasty—it was absurd.
With negotiations wrapped up, Haruto turned to leave.
Once Aleister dealt with the real mastermind behind Chaos Splitter, recruiting her into the O5 Council might be a good idea.
The Council could always use more diverse voices.
Just as Haruto was about to activate his divine authority and leave, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right— lend me Awaki Musujime for a while."
The silver-haired Aleister gave a knowing look and nodded.
Haruto really wanted to punch her.
Such a cute silver-haired girl, but one good punch would probably have her whining "ow ow ow" for ages.
Shortly after, Awaki appeared in the room.
But when she saw the silver-haired girl and Haruto together, she clearly froze for a moment.
Then she teleported Haruto out of the windowless, doorless building.
The two reappeared on the streets of Academy City.
Once they were out, Awaki's expression shifted—no longer hiding her suspicion.She looked at Haruto with narrowed eyes.
"The Chairman told me to follow you…but just who the hell are you?"
Haruto didn't answer. Instead, he casually asked,
"What's the max data on your ability?"
Awaki blinked in surprise, then proudly replied,
"My ability is 'Coordinate Movement.' I can teleport objects up to 4,520 kilograms in weight with a max range of over 800 meters."
It was an impressive spec—roughly the upper limit of a Level 4 esper.
But Haruto shook his head.
"Kinda… green."
Awaki: "?"
She had no clue what "green" meant, but it didn't sound like a compliment.
"Hey! Are you trying to start something?! Just because the Chairman told me to go with you doesn't mean I won't beat your ass!"
She growled fiercely.
Haruto didn't respond— he just flicked her forehead.
Bonk.
The red-haired girl winced in pain, clutching her head and squatting.
"Clearly, you don't dare lay a hand on me. Your whole body's soft—only your mouth is hard, huh."
Awaki had tears in her eyes, glaring up at Haruto through clenched teeth.
But yeah, she really didn't dare fight him.
This guy had the Chairman's approval. She was afraid that if she touched him, the Chairman might erase her on the spot.
As a guide-level agent, she knew more than most about the Chairman. And that little extra knowledge was more than enough to scare her senseless.