"...And that's all I know." Alison declares.
I nod, it took me a couple of Rewinds to soak in all this knowledge. From what our prisoner told me, the World Code is a rather unique model of our universe, or rather multiverse. And, from the way they destroyed my home during another timeline, this model of theirs might be closer to reality than anything else.
The powers displayed by Organization members are genuinely fearsome, and even the despicable Adam is a powerhouse on his own. I shudder when I think about what an army of World Code wielding soldiers would be capable of doing.
...It might be just what we need to face the Oracle.
I also wouldn't be surprised if the Oracle has access to a lot of 'Calls,' as Alison says. It would certainly explain why she is so powerful.
There are still a lot of questions I want to ask, so I gulp and take a deep breath. Alison's answer might be what redefines who I am, and what my future plans will be.
"What about time travel? Would it be possible under that World Code of yours?" I ask. If time travel is something they know about, then I'll have to rethink a lot of things.
"Time travel?" Alison says with an incredulous voice. "I have never heard anything about that. How would that even work, I-"
I interrupt her by Rewinding. I don't want any loose ends, and mentioning time travel is a big no-no considering that I'm under constant surveillance by the Oracle. I'm also not confident enough that her Organization isn't listening to this conversation. But I had to ask; I wouldn't know what I would do if I had to face someone who had the same 'power' as me.
Who would even win in such a situation?
Although I would be curious to see if they also have a 'voice' in their head.
But let's stop thinking about that for now, It's better for my sanity if I assume that I'm the only one who can go back in time. Instead, I focus on more important matters, mainly the information I need to gather about the Organization. They are an unexpected newcomer in the clusterfuck that this war became, and I bet that they'll make the situation even more of a mess than it already is.
I say that they are a newcomer, but in reality, they are only after my head. The Organization is, for some reason, adamant about killing me. As far as I know, I haven't done anything to them, but they claim otherwise while ignoring much bigger threats like the Empire.
It boggles my mind, if they have the technology to spy on me and have all this World Code business at their disposal, then why don't they do anything?
In the end, they are just like the roaming warlords I read about in the reports of the Order; the only difference is their equipment and discipline.
And also their system, which is outside of everything else I saw during my travels across planets and dimensions.
Their World Code, if used correctly, would be able to change warfare as we know it. Even our unorthodox tactics would be no match against someone who can stop everything with just a thought, not to mention that their strength can be further upgraded with what looks to be mundane computers. Albeit quantum computers, but the Hidden World has many hidden uncovered mysteries. I will not even bat an eye if I find that computer-like machines are floating around the HiddenNet and that they are vastly superior to what the Organization can muster.
Indeed, for all their powerful abilities, the Organization seems to lack other, more 'mundane' magical means. The Enforcers are also guilty of that fact. They are so stuck in their own ways that they aren't able to think outside the box and truly innovate. I'm also aware that we are no exception since the Order relies on 'regular' weapons that have been magically enhanced with varying degrees of success.
Our way of warfare is also a massive resource sink compared to regular Enforcer troops, so that's yet another downside. But we aren't relying on the personal prowess of our soldiers as much as them, meaning that losses are not hurting us as much. However, we are unable to win a long war of attrition; this is why I'm steering the Order towards shock tactics. That way, we use the effect of surprise to inflict as much damage as possible to our enemy, and sometimes without even deploying a single Legionary.
But, like the Enforcers and their complete dependency on mana, we are tied to our Portal Station. The instant we face someone or something capable of deflecting our bullets or interrupt our teleportation is when we will suffer a crushing defeat. If someone managed to destroy the Station remotely then we would be stuck in this Shard forever, our only way out of this would be my Portal Gun.
Thinking about it is enough to make me shudder.
But let's stop thinking about those dreadful things...
...I just realized that the Oracle could effectively kill the entire Order by trapping me somewhere and destroying the Portal Station.
A heavy sigh escapes my mouth, the Oracle could kill us all with just a glance if she so desired, so there's no point in worrying about her. I adjust the phone strapped to my arm, the fact our last line of defense is a bunch of cheap phones doesn't really feel right, but the Rewinder has proved time and time again that it can turn a desperate situation into a victory... or into an even more desperate situation.
Going back in time is also not without costs, but only time will tell if I'm going to warp even further than I already have. Things seem to have stabilized on that front, but who knows what the future may hold.
I turn towards the room holding Alison prisoner; my focus right now should the Organization.
Their World Code could be a boon for our war effort, but I don't know if bringing the fight to the Organization will be worth it. Sure, they might be able to burn down a house in an instant, and Adam is using people as one-time batteries to shield him from any harm, but they aren't the insurmountable obstacle that the Oracle is.
From what I now know, their weak point is clearly their servers. If we find, and bomb them, then the Organization would be easy to deal with. Not to mention that a well-placed Rewind would allow us to separate their soldiers easily since they don't seem to have the capabilities to teleport across vast distances and dimensions.
But, once again, I'm debating if it will be worth it. The Organization hasn't lifted a finger ever since I joined the Hidden World; even the Enforcers seem not to be aware of them so it must mean that they aren't a powerhouse like the Empire. But the Enforcers don't know about the Order yet, so maybe they aren't a good standard.
If I'm honest, we are already overwhelmed with the Empire. We also have to worry about the Oracle fucking around to destroy my plans, not to mention that the Freedom Movement might also come into play. The other Councils are also a threat, although a semi-distant one.
I feel like if their Families are as bad as the one I had the displeasure to know, then we are safe from a truly organized front.
So it's why I think that the Organization should be left to their own devices for now. I survived a bunch of inter-dimensional mercenaries wanting to kill me, so they can't be that much worse.
Well, if we don't take their reality-breaking powers, the fact that they have Oracle-like observation powers, and-
Anyway, let's focus back on our captive. I still have a lot of questions that need answers, like the real reason for wanting to kill me. What I gathered so far hasn't been helpful in the slightest, I only know that I somehow disturbed their plans. I have no idea what I did, but it might be related to my outburst during the Beelzebub Incident. Or it might be completely unrelated. For all I know they have ties to the Underworld gangs I messed with a long time ago... Who knows?
At this point, I'm beginning to think that wanting to kill me is a trendy thing to do amongst supernatural beings of unfathomable power.
...Couldn't they be like everyone else and have a borderline obsession with TV shows like normal people?
But, then again, a show about dragons and cutthroat politics might not be entertaining considering that those things are regular occurrences of their daily lives.
"What is your true purpose? Why do you want me dead so much?" I ask Alison again to put a stop to my distracted thoughts.
I bet their reasons are very logical, and that it's all a big misunderstanding.
...A man can dream, no?
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