"...Your friends, and your employees... their sacrifices were meaningless. You have already witnessed all their endings. You realized that those talented young souls were innocently imprisoned within machines. We failed them, and the world has completely forgotten us. After all that has happened, who will take responsibility for their innocent sacrifices? Do you know what we have all forgotten?"
Abel's accusations and questions struck A like a tempest, causing him to uncontrollably fall into his memories. Malkuth's confession after her Core Suppression surfaced in A's mind, guiding him to answer Abel:
"The conviction in my heart. The conviction to walk with my head held high."
"This is Angela. Announcing to all personnel: the Control Department is experiencing interference. Today's work directives are not to be trusted. All employees, please use your own judgment when assessing directives."
Sitting in the main room of the Architecture Department, which was beginning to melt, Ye Lan heard the announcement from the overhead broadcast. He picked up the Twilight greatsword and left the room. The challenge of Day 47 had begun.
From now on, as they gathered energy and the Qliphoth Meltdown level increased, they would have to simultaneously face the adverse effects from the Core Suppressions of the four Upper Layer Sephirah.
Although there were two new Abnormalities in the Architecture Department today, for Ye Lan, who knew all their information, the work itself presented no difficulty.
Even though the Abnormality whose original form was likely Carmen's teddy bear didn't want him to leave its containment unit, Ye Lan easily finished his work with T-04-06, Happy Teddy, relying on the work manuals he remembered from the game and the experience he had accumulated over countless loops.
At the same time, the Qliphoth Meltdown level rose to two, and the adverse effect from Information Department Sephirah Yesod's Core Suppression appeared in the facility.
The corporation's information display system was declared corrupted. Every screen, whether for the Manager or the employees, became as blurry as if viewed through thousand-degree myopic eyes, with no glasses to be found.
"Even if you can walk with your head held high, you are still surrounded by endless despair. Do you think you look noble? In reality, you are navigating a dead sea. Emotional thoughts are useless, serving only to depress us. We need to be more rational. And then this false rationality will cause me, you, and everyone else to break down."
Rebutted by A's conviction, Abel shifted the target of his accusations. His venomous words now focused on A's so-called rationality, trying to make him admit that the principles he held onto were nothing but a straw wall, ready to collapse at the slightest push.
"But everything will be alright—of this I am certain."
However, how could the extraordinary rationality learned from Yesod crumble from a few curses? A coolly ignored Abel's words, curious to see what else this corner of his personality could say.
"Melting Love's containment unit has entered a meltdown. I have to go in. Angela, tell the Manager not to assign anyone else to the Architecture Department."
The third-level Qliphoth Meltdown alarm sounded. The adverse effect from Training Department Sephirah Hod's Core Suppression was added to the mix. The stat maintenance system was declared to have crashed. On Manager A's screen, the digitized stats of all employees dropped by a full 50 points. Problems they could once handle properly became severe again, and many melting Abnormalities now required employees from other departments to be temporarily reassigned for management.
Forced to manage the entire Architecture Department alone due to the threat of Melting Love, Ye Lan walked into her containment unit. The strawberry-scented slime girl was already spinning around anxiously inside. The moment he entered, she presented a solidified slime orb, like a gem or a piece of candy, as if offering her very heart to him, and hung it above his head.
Ye Lan stayed with Melting Love until the energy counter was full and the machine ejected his work evaluation. He then left the unit. The slime, now content with his company, waited quietly in the center of the room for his next visit.
"It's too late to settle down now. Your mind is empty, lacking purpose. Whenever I close my eyes, the people I can no longer see whisper in my ear... They say that if I truly believe everything will be alright, then I can say nothing at all. Do you think you will be any different?"
"Hope. An ever-kinder hope. I am different from you. I have not yet despaired."
At this moment, Manager A could answer Abel's every question with his head held high. He now possessed all the emotions he needed to persevere.
The fourth-level Qliphoth Meltdown warning sounded along with A's retort. The adverse effect from Security Department Sephirah Netzach's Core Suppression appeared. The employee medical system crashed. All regeneration reactors and mental corruption neutralizers shut down. Employees now had to deal with the Fixers from the Pale Ordeal without any support.
"What good does any of this do? How many times have I told you? You have nothing left. No matter how much you restrain yourself, you must admit that since Carmen left, you have lost your reason to live. Why do you continue to struggle in this meaningless swamp of reality? Look at me! Look at how I continue these meaningless days, waiting for death to arrive!"
Abel furiously swung his cane, smashing everything in the main room into worthless fragments. He hoped his words would win A's agreement, to make him give up on everything, just as he had.
"Netzach was able to endure. If someone like him can do it, then why can't I? I have the courage to survive. You cannot break me, Abel. My employees and I will see this day through. You are but a facet of my mind, and I will never surrender to you and abandon everything I have now."
"...We have been thinking for a long time. Every time we find what we believe to be the right path, cruel reality always tells us it is not. Since you have given such an answer, then I no longer have any reason to obstruct you."
The sixth-level Qliphoth Meltdown warning ceased. Through the efforts of the employees, the challenge of Day 47 was declared over. They were one step closer to the final day.
Manager A, Ayin, had proven his strength to this old man full of mistrust.