Chapter 683: Echo Upon the Mirror's Surface, Roar From the Skyscrapers - Part 1
Author's Preface
Finally...... It's been a long journey...... getting to this point...... almost too long......
To begin with, I had been under a total misconception this entire time.
I assumed that music player held some massive significance to Andrew, and that Elise Jitterdoll held the key to it all. However, the Andrew inside Behemoth—who is practically the man himself—denied that. Thanks to that, I was able to completely shift my line of thinking.
For Andrew Jitterdoll, that music player was simply a tool he had "just enough" attachment to that he thought he might leave it behind for future generations...... Nothing more, nothing less.
Then what exactly is Orchestra? It's simple. The true identity of Orchestra is the music player itself.
"Is it possible to continue using an electronic device for hundreds of years? No, it's impossible."
And it is equally impossible for a single human being to remain alive for hundreds of years to retain ownership of a music player. In other words, that music player is......
───A crystallization of inheritance and passing the baton that reached Andrew's hands after being "repaired" countless times and passed down through numerous owners.
Was it the Ship of Theseus? It requires the exact same principle as that, but a completely reversed way of thinking. In other words, "a music player that has been repaired so extensively that not a single original component from its initial production remains, yet continues to exist as a 'music player'"...... On its own, this is just a meaningless riddle, but when applied to Orchestra, the story completely changes.
Orchestra's Canon "Final Movement".
What was that "gaze" and "presence" I felt replacing the vanished orchestra?
What was the difference between Divine Age humanity and modern humanity that I learned inside Leviathan?
What exactly is the "occult" when based upon the fundamental principles of this world?
The true identity of the "Orchestra of the Reverberating Nether" that I derived by sacrificing my entire day's concentration and school life, and its answer is......
"The wills...... no, the dying wishes of the Divine Age humans who interacted with that music player from the moment it was produced up until the present. That is the true identity of the 'Orchestra' deployed by using Elise as its 'Diva,' and the true identity of the 'Orchestra' deployed by an existence from before they even arrived on this planet...... Though I haven't proven it yet."
"A brilliant theory. We must verify this immediately."
"Mirei-san is the one organizing all Orchestra-related info, right? I wonder if she's logged in at this hour, or if she'd respond if I sent an email to her in real life."
As expected of a 【Library】member, they catch on terrifyingly fast.
After tracking down Bansai-shi and The Professor, who were preparing for the Ninth Layer clear, I grabbed them and unloaded the theory I had sacrificed my day for. As expected, these lore nerds, who are probably dozens of times smarter than me, deemed my "theory" highly plausible and immediately sprang into action, freely adding further supplementary insights of their own.
"I see, the fundamental principle of this world stems from living thought. If so, executing the will of the dead...... no, in this context, 'the past' would be more accurate than 'the dead.' Executing the will of an entity that predates the very concept of life and death being applicable...... Yes, that would undeniably be the occult."
"However, Professor, if that is the case, it raises a question regarding the difference between the Canon and the Apocrypha. If people from the past are simply asking something, there should be no need to divide them."
"My guess is that Orchestra is likely a composite entity where multiple 'wills' miraculously blended together. The Canon and Apocrypha probably represent different approaches from Orchestra's side."
"Debating it at this stage likely won't yield an answer. On our end, we'd like to begin progressing Orchestra immediately...... but it seems you still have things left to do here, Sunraku-kun?"
I really wish they wouldn't suddenly aim massive metaphorical arrows at me right in the middle of their lore-crafting. It scares me.
"Eh, ah, yeah. There's one massive hole in this hypothesis."
"The Divine Age...... no, if we define the period leading up to their extinction on this planet as the Divine Age, then perhaps we should call them 'Pre-Divine Age' humanity. Their objective, correct?"
"Yup."
I didn't even say anything about the hole in the hypothesis, yet they already grasp it perfectly......
But Bansai-shi is absolutely right. If my theory is correct, what exactly are the "wills of the people from the distant past who interacted with that music player" trying to ask through Orchestra in the first place?
Orchestra called itself an Observer. It said an answer would be found at the end of a comparison, but beyond that, the pieces refuse to fit together. Does Orchestra even have an ego to begin with? What is it observing? A comparison—in other words, if the conclusion is reached at the end of a contest of strength, why did that preemptive block activate back then?
Now I understand. That block was an interference forcefully inserted because the "question" wasn't being answered. To put it another way, the victory condition will only be satisfied once that question is answered.
"In that case, the necessary condition is......"
"Uncovering their identities, isn't it? We are inside Behemoth right now. Shouldn't we be able to investigate the owners who held Orchestra's true body—the music player—while it was aboard Behemoth?"
"Well, from a meta-perspective, we should definitely be able to look that up."
"Pointing that out is rather tasteless, Bansai-kun."
Exactly. It's not a matter of what is being asked, but specifically who is doing the asking. Even if Orchestra is acting as an agent asking questions on behalf of pre-Divine Age humanity, who exactly am I supposed to answer, and what do I say? And most importantly...... I highly doubt the Conquista Dolls are purely just the product of Andrew's hobbies and obsessions.
When Saina was inside the theater, there was a blatant shift in the movements of the "Sunraku" that Orchestra created. While not entirely unrelated, Andrew's existence isn't significant enough to make up a core component of Orchestra...... So why?
If my prediction is correct, all the answers lie in the deepest depths of Behemoth. That's exactly why we can't run away from Behemoth. We have to find the answer to the final trial first...... the one-hour survival with unknown details.
And so, allow me to introduce our crazy lineup!
Looks like a Holy Knight, but is actually a 100% specialized pure healer inside! Bishojo Bansai-shi!!
Apparently, his skills born from street-healing are so refined that he can perfectly time his heals to match the high-speed movements of a light warrior. Well, I basically repel all incoming magic from others, so it's meaningless for me.
Looks like a Magical Girl, but is actually a buffer inside! The Professor!!
While he can technically serve as backline firepower using self-buffs, he's fundamentally a support type. Well, I basically repel all incoming buff magic from others too, so it's meaningless for me.
Looks like a gritty, veteran heavy warrior, but inside is...... yeah, I wonder what. Eternal Zero!!
That player who's been giving off a bizarre presence ever since we first entered Behemoth. The sheer "intimidation factor" of dedicating one of his precious accessory slots just to equip a pacifier gives off the feeling that he can't be contained by the mere role of a tank...... He's the type you really don't want to get involved with, but for some reason, he's a man who radiates pure Saba-Ganism.
"There's a cradle waiting ahead, ain't there, Tsuchinoko-san."
"Hell if I know."
"My soul's screaming 'Ogyaa' right now......"
"Is that so......"
He's completely insane.
Even if I think that, I won't say it out loud. That's true dandyism (Currently gender-swapped due to the Chalice effect).
Honestly, if Rei-san—or rather, Rei-shi—were here, it would be perfect...... but it seems the redness of her face yesterday really was abnormal, as Ema-san told me she left school early today. I have no idea why she bothered telling me that, but I really hope I don't get interrogated again by the guys who saw me talking casually with Ema-san.
Maybe it's finally time to unleash the "Aged Zappy Top-Secret Bombshell Info Black Tri-Stars"...... but that's a double-edged sword that could seriously make Zappy snap for real, so it requires extreme caution when handling. For instance, something like cross-dressing...... actually never mind.
Alright, let's go. Time to finally conquer Behemoth!!
Author's Afterword
Eta-Zero's friends keep a slight distance from him.
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