Chapter 581: Akasha's True Motive
Today's my birthday, so here's a chapter.
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Flame enveloped Gilgamesh, and he evaporated. Edward calmly saved the Clairvoyant Eyes before quickly stepping out of the Reality Marble.
"You won?" asked Tohsaka.
"Of course," said Edward with a smile. "You said you wanted to see the floating city? This is your chance."
"Really?"
"Hurry up, we don't have much time." Keeping the Reality Marble functioning takes a lot of mana, and his current avatar cannot do so for very long. Edward looked at Illya, "You come to."
"W-why?"
"I need to remove the grail from your body without killing you."
"I-is that possible?"
"He's the Arcane Emperor. If someone can do it, it's him," said Tohsaka, and Illya finally agreed. Edward took them inside the Reality Marble to a lab in his floating city. He tasked a golem to give Tohsaka a tour as he helped Illya.
"Don't be scared," he reassured as she lay on a table with a magic circle drawn at the bottom. "Although you're a homunculus born from natural birth, this does not change your genetic makeup's defects. As such, you would not live past 30, and that's not considering the burden the grail has on your body and soul."
Ilya, this child, looked calm despite hearing these devastating words. That's because she knew and was prepared for an early death.
"Such a brave child," sighed Edward. No children should live with death looming over their heads. "After I remove the grail, I will construct a normal and healthy body for you. I will also heal the injuries to your soul that the grail caused."
Illya just nodded, so Edward asked, "Do you have any questions?"
"Will it hurt?"
"No. It will feel like a regular nap." With the state-of-the-art laboratory in the city, Edward can easily manage the pain.
"Okay."
Edward immediately started. Illya fell asleep, and soon after, an eerie aura in the shape of dark lightning emanated from her body. A golden cup tattered in a black goo slowly rose from her body: the corrupted grail. With a wave of his hand, Edward led the grail to another room. Meanwhile, Illya's body disintegrated before being rebuilt just the way it was. From now on, she will be just an ordinary girl.
Edward was rapidly analyzing the grail. The thing was a large mana source and contained the magic of Wish Granting. Edward and the Empire have studied Wish Granting Magic, which they found in relics of the Lemurian Civilization. There were two conclusions about this type of magic: the first one was that higher dimensional beings (including Gods and Cronai) were the ones granting the wish, and the other was Wish Granting Spells was a form of pure reality manipulation.
With his knowledge, Edward started to work. He isolated the corruption from the grail, learning from Gilgamesh's mistake and ensuring his personality was not secretly affected. Then, with the immense mana and its ability to grant wishes, Edward broke his limitations as a Servant/Heroic Spirit and finally acquired a natural body.
"Still nothing compared to the main body, but better than being a spirit," commented Edward, who felt a lot of restrictions had been removed from him. The grail dispersed, and he did not interfere. He then canceled the Reality Marble, and the three returned to Illya's mansion.
"That was more exciting than I thought," said Tohsaka. "Couldn't you wait longer?"
"Even with a new body, I don't have the mana to keep such a Noble Phantasm going for so long," replied Edward.
"So, you've succeeded?"
"Of course," he replied before looking at Illya. "Do you want to stay with your brother?"
"Can I?"
"I'm sure he would love that." Although Edward does not like Shirou, he knows he would do his best to care for his adopted sister, even risking his life to ensure her safety. So, he took her to Shirou's house and explained their relationship.
"I didn't think you could do anything nice for Shirou," commented Tohsaka after they returned home.
"I did it for Illya," he replied. He would have revived her mother if it were up to him because she deserved better than what happened in Fate/Zero. However, Edward did not want to face the complications of finding her soul in this complicated world.
"if you say so. So, what's next?" asked Tohsaka.
"I'll keep my word and teach you magic. I also need to borrow your mansion's basement for research. After that, I should leave."
"You're…leaving?"
"Although it will take some time, yes," nodded Edward, looking in the distance. The room suddenly became somber until Edward talked again:
"Don't you have to report to the Clock Tower that you're the final winner?"
"I don't have to, but I must. This is a perfect opportunity to increase the influence of the Tohsaka Clan."
"You can tell them that your wish was to increase your strength and show them your new Magic Circuit."
"That's a good idea."
Tohsaka left for the Clock Tower, the Mage Association's headquarters. Meanwhile, Edward turned the mansion's basement into a Bounded Field for his research. His floating city cannot exist without the Reality Marble, which takes too much mana. So, he had to build a new laboratory to study Ea and the Chains of Heaven.
Three days later, Tohsaka returned and headed for the basement. "Done?" Edward asked as he put the final touch on the lab.
"Yeah. The Tohsaka Clan is officially one of the most powerful magic families in the world." Edward nodded but did not comment, knowing that this title meant very little since this world was complex and full of hidden secrets.
"I'm guessing all these families wanted to marry you?" he said, adding a new enchantment. "I bet some were even willing to allow their clan members to marry into the Tohsaka Clan as long as you agree to give your second child to them."
Tohsaka's mouth twitched, "Yeah, and they were insufferable."
"You should be more careful when dealing with these people. Some desperate families will do anything to ensure a talented successor."
"I know," she replied with gritted teeth.
"So, someone already tried?"
"They put something in my drink. I almost beat them to a pulp," said Tohsaka.
"At least you displayed your true power; that should scare most people."
"True."
"Alright, let's get started with the training," said Edward. "While teaching you Arcane Rune, I will also train you on controlling mana. It pains me every time I watch you cast a spell."
"It's not that bad."
"I have prepared a Virtual Reality helmet for you and the necessary potions. Don't expect much sleep in the following months. We don't have much time and plenty to learn."
Tohsaka suddenly paused before walking to the designated machine. The training lasted three months before Edward agreed she was an accepted mage. However, in the first month, she did not sleep a wink or eat, surviving only on potion. Luckily, in the second month, he allowed her to attend school and live a normal life.
Edward looked at his findings and could not help but frown. He had made the right decision to come to this world just because of the existence of the Chain of Heaven. This artifact was an Anti-Divinity Weapon, just like Asta's magic was Anti-Magic. Furthermore, the thing had almost no limit (Edward hadn't found it); the stronger a god, the more binding its effect was.
With it, he was confident to at least imprison the Time Guardian if he could catch him off guard. However, he has not entirely reverse-engineered this artifact yet and does not know whether he could leave this world with it.
Ea was the weapon of destruction he believed it was, and like the chain, he's missing one final piece to build his own: he must find the Root, and the only way to do so is through the True Magics.
'So, that's how it is,' thought Edward. 'Akasha allowed me to enter this world because it wants me to create the Sixth True Magic, adding more possibilities to this universe. No, if I think from a larger perspective, maybe Akash already knows of the war and wishes to prepare her world for the upcoming chaos.'
Chapter 582: The Sixth True Magic
After figuring out his next step, Edward started to ponder how to create the Sixth True Magic and what kind it should be. After considering a few ideas, a thought suddenly popped into his mind:
"I can try to do something based on Morgana," he muttered; he missed the little elf: her constant chatter, weird personality, and how easy she made his life.
'My real body is already improving her main processor by fusing it with the Speed Force. Maybe my research here could help the process,' thought Edward, who found this identity more appealing with each passing second.
"If I want to finish this as soon as possible, I need a sample." Edward had an idea, but there might be some danger involved. However, considering he had Ea, he felt it was worth it. So, he went to see Tohsaka.
"You want me to recreate my family's Jeweled Sword?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? Don't you want to recreate one of your family's lost legacy?"
"I do, but knowing you, there must be another reason you're suddenly interested."
"Fair enough. You only need to know your success will summon someone, and I need to talk to that person."
Tohsaka stared at him briefly before accepting. They headed to the clock Tower to begin working on the sword, and just as Shirou helped in the other timeline, Edward used his magic to help her finish the sword.
As expected, Zelretch, owner of the Second Magic, showed up once it finished. He invented Jewel Magic and passed it on to one of the Tohsaka's Ancestors.
"Arcane Emperor, I wanted to see you."
"You know me?" asked Edward.
"I've been observing this timeline," said Zelretch. "Humanity was saved once I created the Second Magic as I imbued them with endless possibility. If this timeline fails and humans die, there are other choices. But you, who suddenly popped out of nowhere, imbued them with endless possibilities for success and prosperity."
'So, that's why Akasha created a background for the Arcane Empire — to give the humans of this world a greater future. I may be more right than I believed — she's preparing for the upcoming war,' thought Edward.
"Our conversation can wait since I'm sure you have things to say to her."
"Thanks for your understanding," said Zelretch. As Edward gave him the room, he talked to Tohsaka. A few minutes later, Edward returned since they called him.
"Is something wrong?"
"I want to take her as a pupil, but she told me to ask you."
"That's a good idea," said Edward before glancing at Tohsaka. "Why are you hesitating?"
"But…but."
Edward sighed, "You know I can't stay, and Zelretch, as the owner of the Second Magic and teacher to your ancestor, is the perfect teacher for you."
"I…understand."
"I can't believe someone is reluctant to learn from me. Well, considering the competition, I guess that makes sense," said Zelretch. "Give us a moment." Tohsaka left the room, leaving the two.
"So, what can I help you with?"
"I'm designing the Sixth True Magic and want to see yours first for research."
"Passing on any true magic is not a simple–"
"I'm not asking you to teach me but to show me."
"For someone like you, is there a difference?" rebuttered Zelretch.
"You, of all people, should understand better than anyone the importance of this magic. So, name your price."
"I want the design for Netheril."
"You're asking too steep of a price for just showing me the Second Magic. Choose something else."
"Fine, how about the blueprint for the Aether Core."
"You seem to know a lot about my floating city."
"I am the observer of countless timelines. What do you expect? So, do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal." Edward immediately sent the blueprint to him; of course, he did not show the latest model. Zelretch then cast the Second Magic: Kaleidoscope. With this spell, Edward saw the operation of myriad timelines, including the one with his Arcane Empire. He also saw how this magic involved rewriting the world, influencing or rewriting records.
'This True Magic does involve the Rules and even combined many of them,' analyzed Edward. 'More importantly, it seems to grant its wield a certain authority or privilege in the world.'
In Edward's eyes, the owner of these True Magics seemed to be like the GM in a game with powers or authority to modify the game or the world as they saw fit.
"Did that help?"
"Yes, and thank you," nodded Edward before leaving.
"Who are you, Arcane Emperor?" muttered Zelretch before meeting with Tohsaka. They agreed on a designated time before beginning their training. Meanwhile, Edward immediately started working on his magic.
He took this opportunity to analyze the Anti-Life Equation to further his understanding of the Mind Rule, and he added the Knowledge Rule, Soul Rule, and others to create the Sixth True Magic: Nigh Omniscient.
"Let's try this thing out." Edward immediately cast the spell, and his mind left his body, entering a higher plane where all records and knowledge exist — the Root.
"So, it did work," he muttered calmly. Reaching the Root is the goal or ambition of all mages, but he was relatively calm about the entire thing.
'I wonder what the relationship of this world is with the Akashic Records?' He knew there must be some connections but did not know exactly.
'Forget about that for now,' said Edward. He left a special rune in the Root before leaving. Once his mind returned to his body, Edward found out he had turned into a human computer with access to endless knowledge.
Anything he wanted to know, he would get the knowledge or answer from the Root. And if he did not know, he could calculate or deduce the answer from abundant data.
"The only downside is this thing puts heavy pressure on my soul,' he complained. He expected this spell to have limitations but did not expect it to be so severe.
"Let's finish our main objective."
He immediately used his new spell to analyze Ea and the Chains of Heaven. He discovered that Ea drew power from a primal source of power that existed once the universe was born. That power contains the power of creation and destruction, meaning it can revert the multiverse to its genesis state or recreate it.
"All worlds have a period of Genesis or before the Big Bang. if I can tap into it, I should be able to create a Tier 11 Weapon," muttered Edward, who focused on the Chains of Heavens. It worked similarly to Ea, with the idea that all Divine Being originated from a source. Since the chains are made from that source, they can restrain all Gods.
"Very well. Cosmus, you wait for my return."
Edward was still unsure whether to pass the Time Game, so he needed to travel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, during his stay in the world, he will prepare to deal with that bastard who dares to label him as a criminal.
"Let's see who will judge who," he sneered.
Edward spent more than three years on this project, but most of the time, he stayed inside the lab and saw Tohsaka and Sakura a few times. Now that he was done, he only had a few things to do before leaving. His next step is to see Scathach.
He realized the Root had no knowledge about Primordial Runes, and there were few reasons he could think of to explain this situation: Scathatch or Odin removed the knowledge from the Roots, or the Root itself purged the knowledge from his records to prevent it from spreading. A few magicians have taken things from the Root so it can hide things from its people.
Regardless of the reason, he wanted answers.
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