1

With the night having blanketed over Shiroki City, the bright lights of Samsara illuminated a large part of the skyline. In the reclaim area towards the north end of the Shiroki City peninsula, it easily towered over most of the nearby buildings.

Amidst the shifting crowd, a lone man wearing a parka stood. He discreetly crossed the long pedestrian lane before landing meters away from the hotel complex.

Feeling the beating of his heart, Reijy Ishida's eyes rose towards the direction of the hotel complex's highest point.

"Getting real excited, are we?"

He kept quiet instead of responding to the seductive voice.

"Ahahaha. Is that doubt I smell? I have never lied to you, Reijy. Let's see... he or some of those cohorts of his will also show up sooner or later."

"Guren Izaya, huh?"

"What I am more interested in is how the reunion with your family will turn out. Don't tell me you haven't missed them, hihihi."

"I don't have a family."

He cannot see her, but he knew that Akane Fujiwara just had to have a wry smile on her face at this moment.

"Ahaha! Keep going. Your hatred invigorates me."

The gray-haired youth would undoubtedly raise some eyebrows should anyone stop and pay attention to him. Talking to yourself in the middle of the road was not the most sensible thing.

People would probably pass it off as some form of mental disorder. Given the damaged state of the parka, veins on his reddened eyes, and a glare that would scare even the bravest souls away, it would be easy to brand him for substance abuse.

Such was not the reality.

The truth was that no one, not even he, can see the manifestation of the voice in his head. Without the power of Mu, Akane Fujiwara, fairy wings and all, cannot appear in a physical form.

"Teehee. Your heart's beating rather quickly. I can really sense the craving. The hatred. I want it all. I await the pleasure of experiencing it in full later."

"Tch."

The stoplight turned green, and he walked on, passing by some schoolgirls and salarymen who were blissfully ignorant. Those were people who were not aware of a world beyond their own: feeble beings who would suffer when the day of reckoning came.

After escaping his captors in the most brutal way possible, he had lost track of time, spending countless hours crushing the weak denizens of the parallel world. Those shadowy beings were no match for the twin swords that so easily cleaved flesh.

Thanks to the winged apparition that guided him, he was able to find his way out of that world, only to arrive to a Shiroki City where he did not belong to.

Him and Akane. Just like how it was all this time.

It should had always been the two of them against the world. He did not need a place to belong. Together with his childhood friend, he aimed for them to carve their place in this world.

Looking at the parka of his, he remembered his first day back to this world.

He remembered the exhilarating feeling when these hands of his smacked the thug around before smashing his head into a wall. Those lowlife thugs deserved nothing, and his newfound power allowed him to finally impose his will on them.

No remorse entered his heart when he took the parka he now wore off that person.

That person probably mugged someone else to get it anyway, and people like that deserved no mercy. They were merely beings leeching off the success of people like him, people like the Ishida Conglomerate and the rest of the businessmen and scientists inside Samsara's expo hall right now.

When he approached the gates to the complex, he found his heart craving to see them. Confront them and exact punishment for turning him into this thing.

Passing the initial security check without a hitch, Reijy took his first step into Samsara.

2

People, numbering to the hundreds, packed the main hall of Samsara's convention center. With how large the stage was, Kazuki had little problem seeing bits of the festivities despite being somewhere at the back, the right side of the stage, to be more specific.

Giant LEDs served as the background while various spotlights had been set around the stage. The excitement here was a different kind from the one at Yuki-tan's concert several months back, but like that event, the anticipation did not translate too hard for Kazuki.

"This event is making me anxious. Where's Ms. Sadohara anyway?" he asked Amagi.

He reached out to his phone, but getting a reminder of the three missed calls he made just a few minutes ago made him put it back to his pocket.

Still unsure of what to make of Yuichiro Ishida's apology, he had even more pressing things on his mind. He and Amagi were supposed to rendezvous with Ms. Sadohara, but she's nowhere to be found.

On another note, how were Uehara and Kimura doing?

Worry after worry piled in his mind, and the raucous crowd did little to calm him down. It felt as if the air in the brightly lit hall would crush him. He fought the urge to press his hands over his ears and just breakdown from the matters in his mind.

That was when a tender touch reached his hands.

Responding to the feeling, he looked at Amagi and saw that her tender fingers had been wrapped around his palm. In front of him was the smile of his childhood friend.

"This has always calmed you down when we were young. I'm glad to see that it still works."

"... Thanks," he replied without second thought. He fought off the urge to squeeze her hands but relented.

The lights dimmed, and the spotlights on the stage increased in brightness to the sound of applause. Compared to the Imperial Tracks concert, the atmosphere was supposedly more formal, but the excitement and enthusiasm were the same.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you all had a great day."

From behind the stage walked Yuichiro Ishida, now dressed in a far more casual attire featuring a polo shirt. While adjusting his lapel mic, he acknowledged the applause before stepping dead center of the stage.

"It is with great honor that the Ishida Conglomerate, in cooperation with the best science firms from everywhere else in the world, present this year's event."

Kazuki could not quite put his finger to it, but the man exuded a completely different aura than before. When they were hanging around, Yuichiro felt open and vulnerable.

Nothing of that sort can be seen from the man on stage. It had all been replaced by a regal aura, fitting of his status as heir to the group of companies.

"I thank you all for attending the event. Hoping you had a great time so far."

When the expected applause came, it was his cue to resume.

"The show's far from over. After this presentation, we still have a couple of panels, and the demo booths will remain open all the way to till closing. That's around... 4 more hours to go from now. In case you missed something, you can always refer to our website, which can be found in your entry pamphlets, for additional details and recaps."

Kazuki's eyes trailed Yuichiro with each step, being caught up in the surprising amount of charisma this person had.

"But we're not here to listen to me promote the event. We're here to feast our eyes on greatness. Get a sneak peek to the next big thing, the incoming storm that will leave Shiroki City speechless in its wake. We're here to witness this invention that will turn our greatest scientists into legends."

He raised his fist as he finished the sentence with much power before pointing towards the center of the stage.

"This, my friends, is the fruit of our efforts. The best scientists from all over the world have come together to develop this device that will define the future."

The crowd applauded at the sound of drumroll, and the spotlights all locked on to a spot on the center of the stage. From a hatch, a metallic object started making its way up to a chorus of cheers and other sounds of amazement.

"I present to you the Concept Realizer!"

The successor to the IRIS, if what Ms. Sadohara said was true.

At dead center was the aforementioned Concept Realizer. Instead of a capsule or a coffin that its predecessors were, it was a mechanized shell in the shape of a human silhouette. It looked like it was meant to be worn despite its flat appearance. With a crown on top, where the head should be, numerous rib-like spikes framed the object.

The appearance of the object caused Kazuki to scan the surroundings.

No connections to a large computer system. No visible drones on the ceiling like the ones that were employed at the Chronodome.

Amagi also clapped her hands along with the crowd. She stared at the object, apparently having a curious interest in it.

If the HVM was a prototype of Ms. Sadohara's IRIS, and this thing was the successor to it, one had to wonder what kind of power that object held.

However, that knowledge was something that worried him. If an accident caused by the IRIS was enough to trigger a Fragment that led to the very heart of Mu...

"Amagi, that thing..."

"I know, Arata. It looks amazing."

"That's not the point. Remember Babel and..."

Once again, Amagi's fingers closed over his hands.

"Worrying is no good, Arata. Remember, Fragments grow stronger through fluctuating emotions."

Frankly, he had forgotten about that aspect of Fragments and Mu, and knowing that finally made him relent, partly out of shame. He did not like her "If it happens, it happens" way of going about the situation, but it's the best they can do now.

Silently, he prayed that nothing of the sort would take place. Who knew what kind of disaster a Fragment here would cause? There's no point worrying about it, but after the incident at school, Kazuki still cannot shake those doubts of.

What if they failed and more people died this time?

"Let me ask you something," started Yuichiro.

His eyes swung from left to right before settling on someone in the distance.

"Have you ever thought about the idea that one's thoughts can affect reality? For this question, please give that gentleman over there a mic."

"I think it's quite possible?" replied the man with glasses. "But it does feel like something religious leaders tell you. Or therapists. Mind over matter, as they say."

The Ishida heir smiled, seemingly satisfied with the man's answer.

"We of the Ishida Conglomerate believed in the potential of that train of thought. Hence, we, along with some select group of researchers, pieced together what we know and came up with this."

He walked towards the machine before spreading his arms wide.

"The glorious new invention by the brightest minds in the country, the Concept Realizer."

From Kazuki's vantage point, Yuichiro's body perfectly fit the silhouette.

He then leaned against the metal suit, and with a click, the spikes that framed the suit curled inwards, digging into his clothes.

He winced while the crowd gasped, the spikes digging into his skin. Nevertheless, he tried to keep a smile on.

"Worry not, worry not. We have tested all safety protocols in private. The thing's pretty rough, but once we get past the initial stages, it will be a-okay!"

The sound of a hard thud and his body recoiling forward were enough indications that the spikes had latched themselves into him. Yuichiro panted in place, arms spread out in a pose resembling a crucifixion.

Then, the crowd's silence changed into cheers of amazement when the magic happened.

From the contact points, metallic chips multiplied and crawled all over the host's body, slowly beginning to blanket him. In a scene that reminded Kazuki of a transformation sequence from a TV show, the metallic plates quickly covered the man, wrapping him inside what looked like a black hero suit.

The finishing touch came in the form of the crown coming down over his head. Likewise, chips multiplied before blanketing themselves over Yuichiro's head. When the process finished, an ominous-looking helmet that featured a skull mask had taken the place of his head.

When the process completed, he regained all movement. He wobbled in place before stretching his hands, unhampered by the metallic barrier of armor he now wore.

"Calm down, people," his machine-distorted voice rang out. "As I said, I am perfectly fine. Just feeling a bit heavy in some parts."

The entire room shook with the energy of the cheering crowd, and while his face was covered inside the helmet, Yuichiro Ishida surely had a smile underneath.

He then shook his head repeatedly before burling his way across the stage.

"All according to expectations. After all, this suit is bulletproof, shock-resistant, and grants me immunity to biochemical weaponry. A true complement to the Ishida Conglomerate's ongoing development of humanoid combat suits."

He flicked his fingers, and the LED on his back revealed pictures of said combat suits.

Kazuki quickly gravitate towards the one that looked like a mobile spider. It had a turret on top, and he could imagine how it would move. However, beside it were also several other designs.

One was of a boxy humanoid shape with a cannon for an arm. The other was shaped more like the robots he had seen in video games, sharp in form and holding a beam rifle. He swore it was one of those things that can transform into a fighter jet should it need to.

And they're so casually revealing this here?

Kazuki thought with pure puzzlement.

"We, along with the city's military, have been developing these AI-powered machinations that will soon become the cornerstone for the city's peace and order. The units are still in their prototype form, so barring a national emergency, you shouldn't be seeing any of these in action anytime soon."

He seemed to have noticed the crowd going restless, and he paused for a while.

"Why am I telling you this? Because using the power of the Concept Realizer, we aim to be able to remotely control those machines that you now see. That way, we can send our police and military away from the frontlines and spare more lives. We know that there could be ethical concerns eventually, but we'll cross the bridge once we get there. As for how that will be done, let me demonstrate the capabilities of the Concept Realizer."

He raised his now-mechanized hand before twirling his fingers in the air.

"Thanks to the feedback we received from the Chronodome, we have taken the next step in improving our AR technology. Combining the old research about phenomena affected by the human psyche and the technology we employed at the Chronodome, we have come with this pinnacle of evolution."

The spotlights now hovered over Yuichiro as neon lights attached to his suit began turning on and off at various intervals. He raised his hands out before a backlight flashed from the part of the stage behind him.

The eyes on his helmet glowed yellow before the sound of electricity filled the hall.

"You might have been familiar with Lyla, our virtual assistant back there by the entrance."

The crowd answered in agreement before he continued.

"Lyla acts through an improved smart AI that can detect and interact with guests. The technology is not yet perfect, but it is a testament of the potential of the virtual crossing over with the real world. The two worlds are coming together sooner than later, and the Ishida Conglomerate will make sure to make that dream future a reality."

"So you mean there's something even more advanced than Lyla?" shouted an audience member.

Giving a thumbs up, Yuichiro pointed at himself. "You're looking at it."

"This suit is equipped with thousands of electronic receptors, obtaining information from all over my body. Its mechanism allows it to calculate those reactions from my body, and through bursts of ultra-powerful waves, allow me to affect the environment. If you remember what I said about the combat suits, police and the government will get to control them using these same receptors... once we refine everything, that is."

When the crowd went dead silent, Yuichiro shrugged.

"Please do not panic. While the waves emitted by the Concept Realizer are far-reaching enough to affect the whole of Samsara, they are completely harmless to the human body. Just think of it as a force field that will only exist for as long as this suit's activated."

The glow on his helmet intensified, and along with it came more sounds of electric reactions.

Through a mechanism, a podium rose from a hole on the stage, near the one that introduced the suit. A can of soda rested on top of it as the stand stopped roughly a meter away from Yuichiro.

"Thanks to the neural receptors all plunged deep into my skin, I can control this suit's electromagnetic properties and manipulate matter according to my will."

His hands stretched forward, fingers closing in. His grunts echoed within the room, and everyone could feel how he strained himself.

Whatever it was he was doing, it was to no avail, and the can remained untouched.

Then, a gasp slowly rose from among the audience. Through the giant LED screens now focused on the can, everyone can see dents slowly forming on the side of the can. Soon, the dents grew, and in no time at all, the can was crushed completely.

It was a wondrous feat that Yuichiro did without any physical contact whatsoever.

"Whew," he sighed in relief. "With the suit being in its development stages, the transference system is still not at peak performance. Also, despite it releasing a field that can cover the entirety of Samsara, it can only allow me to manipulate matter as far as a meter away."

He then faced the audience before giving a bow to a wave of applause.

"I know you're all eager to get to the Q&A section of this. But before that, I am feeling quite confident today, so let's do some limit testing, shall we?"

He pointed at the crushed can that was on top of the pedestal.

"Alright, here it comes. By using the waves to suck out the heat around me and forcefully transferring it all to the can, I will show you how to make a bit of a spark through chemical reactions."

Like before, he pointed at the crushed can, but this time, he flicked his fingers.

*bzzt*

The sound of electricity was repeated by the loud speakers.

"Okay, let's turn these receptors up a notch and do this!" he shouted, prompting a rallying cry from the audience.

More sparks appeared, covering the can in showers of electric reaction. The crushed can started deforming, looking as if it was being melted. The show continued, and whether it was by design or not, Yuichiro's pants became heavier and heavier.

It was a show of strength that Kazuki never imagined was possible. Those were things that only happened in sci-fi movies, but to think that Shiroki City had been hiding something like that all this time?

The can continued melting, and the fervor of the crowd reached a crescendo as they cheered Yuichiro on.

"Okay, it's time to make it explode!" shouted Yuichiro before he pushed his arm forward with force.

That was the last that Kazuki saw of the demo, and the next thing he knew, panicked noises rocked his eardrums.

With the sound of an eruption, Yuichiro Ishida had crashed in a heap.

Blending among the panicked noises of the audience were frantic noises of something undeterminable.

If anything, it sounded like the sound of computer systems gone haywire. Beeps and sirens filled the air, and that only aggravated the crowd.

Almost immediately, emergency staff rushed the stage, quickly surrounding the now-convulsing Yuichiro. More noises followed, but Kazuki's mind blotted all of them out.

He was more focused on something else as a chill ran down his spine.

No way...

"Arata, is that...?"

Amagi shook him, cutting his train of thought. Seeing Amagi's concerned face, Kazuki quickly hurried in an attempt to get as far away from the area as possible.

His childhood friend briskly walked beside him all the way to the main hallways of the convention center.

She definitely felt it, too.

His fingers hurried to the phone in his pocket, but he can only manage a rasp of frustration when he saw that reception was down.

"Damn!"

Of course reception would be down. What Yuichiro said was true, and the whole of Samsara was indeed affected by a field caused by that suit of his. Normally, that would probably not have been a problem. However, this one was different in a very fundamental way.

There was a Fragment. No doubt caused by the force field and the combined negative energy brought about by the disaster on stage.

There was no mistaking it. It was not the perfect replication, but the situation eerily reminded him of the Chronodome incident.

He was just glad that it did not affect the people that much. Thanks to the full power of the Render of Bounds, the one at the Chronodome managed to wipe out everyone's consciousness, save for the Awakeners.

"Arata, this way!"

The sensation of a Fragment grew stronger when they approached the welcoming lounge. Right on time, a PA announcement started playing on repeat, alerting people to keep calm despite the incident at the main stage.

They soon started seeing Lyla's form, and to no one's surprise, the female AI had stopped in mid-air, static covering her body in still motion.

Likewise, Kazuki and Amagi stopped in their tracks.

They both looked at the veiled door at a corner by the entrance, but something else bothered Kazuki when they eventually approached it.

There were multiple gates opening. Some seemed to emit stronger magical energy than others.

Now's the worst time for multiple gates to open up. If they ended up growing stronger, this could trigger something similar to the incident at the festival and swallow in multiple people.

Images of the Temple of Recollections flooded his mind one by one. The ghastly hands, the petrified people, and most importantly...

Her weak smile resurfaced in his mind, and it felt as if the veiled gate struck him.

He had no idea where Uehara and Kimura were, and the same went for Ms. Sadohara.

For the first time in as far as he can remember, the veiled gate looked more daunting than usual.

All those memories and the trauma from the Temple of Recollections threatened to consume Kazuki, to swallow him up and curse him into a state of mental breakdown.

With all sorts of unpleasant feelings attacking him, his body threatened to just shut down. It was even worse than right before Yuichiro's presentation started.

All of his worst fears back then just had to happen. Things that could go wrong did go wrong, and he felt unprepared to face the reality in front of him.

"Arata, I know what you're thinking."

Amagi's voice, despite its firm tone, had a comforting air in it.

"I was also scared a while ago. I did not show it, but I was worried that something like this might happen."

"... Same. I cannot get it out of my head for a while, and... and..."

"But I trust you."

Her blue eyes glimmered.

"I know it's been a roller coaster of a day. But remember what I said at Tenka Peak? Whenever you find yourself growing weak, I will be here to be your strength. If you are doubting yourself, remember that even if the world were to turn against you, I will be by your side."

Kazuki was not sure what to make of it, but it sure did the job in lifting his spirits.

"Your intuition has never let me down, Arata. If I can do it, you can believe in yourself, too. If you stumble, I'll be here to support you. At this moment, you know what the right thing to do is."

"What about Uehara and Kimura?"

"I'm sure we'll be able to find them inside. It's always been like that, hasn't it?" she chortled. "Fate has a strange way of connecting us, and I know that they would have jumped in by this time, too."

Amagi gently pushed him on his back.

"Let's stop this Fragment from growing any further and protect everyone. That's what a hero does, right?"

Out of reflex, Kazuki took Amagi's hand. The act caused her to blush, a situation which Kazuki found awkward. Nonetheless, he gave his childhood friend a confident façade.

"Let's do this, Amagi!"

Giving each other nods, the two of them rushed into the veiled gate.