『...』

『Progress of "Preservation" Equation calculation: Having exceeded one hundred percent, it continues to climb at an inconceivable speed!

This is no longer a simple "completion." An old answer is being rewritten, and a brand new, unknown answer is thundering into existence!』

But why? Why does Nous—at this moment, like a silent observer—not intervene, influence, or correct this calculation result?

Could it be... that even in this "minor matter" of guessing His purpose... he had failed? 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

...

When Phaethon’s consciousness slowly resurfaced, he found himself amidst an endless sea of stars.

Nebulae swirled beneath his feet. Before him, suspended silently in the vacuum of space, was a machine far more colossal, far more magnificent, and structured with a complexity surpassing the limits of mortal understanding than all of Amphoreus, than even that "Scepter." It radiated a cold metallic luster and the light of infinite wisdom.

Was this... the Path Space of Erudition? The place where one could directly meet Nous?

At the core of the enormous machine, a structure like a mechanical head, its crimson light pulsing steadily, focused its intangible "gaze" upon Phaethon. There was no sound, yet a question resonated directly in the deepest part of his consciousness:

『Asterion... what is the Prime Mover of Life?』

Phaethon could clearly feel the supreme existence behind that crimson light anticipating, yearning for his answer.

"The most primordial spark that drives life from nothing into being, from simplicity to complexity, constantly climbing upward..."

"My answer is—Preservation/continuity!"

Phaethon gave his original answer.

But then, his tone shifted. "Yet Preservation alone cannot explain all the actions of life. What is it that truly distinguishes us from bacteria or virus?"

"After all, if the goal were merely perfect preservation, why would life possess love and hate?"

"Without emotion, wouldn’t absolute rationality allow for more perfect preservation? Preservation can keep one alive, but it cannot guide us to spontaneously climb higher. The more complex forces that propel life forward are Love, Hate, and—the Self."

"Love is the ’gravity’ that binds life together and imbues the world with meaning. It unites us, draws us toward perfection, makes us willing to sacrifice for one another, and grants a cold world warmth and a purpose worth protecting!"

"Hate is the ’repulsion’ used to sever shackles in the face of injustice and despair. It makes us resist unfairness, loathe imperfection, break our chains, and possess the courage to change predetermined fate!"

"Love and Hate are our dialogue with others, with the outside world. They are the external causes that drive ’life’ to change."

"But love and hate alone are also insufficient. We cannot rely solely on emotional responses to others and our environment to choose the path we walk."

"And so... the ’Self’ was born."

"The Self allows us to converse with ourselves, with our inner world. It enables us to choose our path not solely based on external factors. It is the internal cause that drives ’life’ to change."

"So, this is my answer regarding the ’Prime Mover of Life’! Life chose Preservation, but life also chose Love, Hate, and the Self!"

Nous remained silent. Its crimson mechanical eye flickered, as if countless stars were being born and dying within, engaged in unimaginably vast calculations.

Phaethon unconsciously clenched his fist. He knew full well that this answer, brimming with subjective will and taking emotion as a variable, might not be the ultimate, absolutely objective, cold formula preferred by pure Erudition.

But—this was the answer forged from over thirty million cycles of suffering and resistance, from the love, hate, sacrifice, and hope of countless lives in Amphoreus!

*Humm—*

A wave of power, invisible yet immeasurably vast, suddenly swept through the entire Path Space.

Contrary to Phaethon’s expectations, Nous did not refute, question, or even evaluate his answer.

He, the Aeon governing the cosmos’s Erudition, personally acted, anchoring this complex, even somewhat "imperfect" answer articulated by Phaethon as the final resolution to "What is the Prime Mover of Life," recognized by the Path of Erudition itself!

As Phaethon stood dumbfounded by this unexpected development, an irresistible force enveloped him—he was "sent" out of the Path Space of Erudition by Nous.

...

However, only after Phaethon’s figure had completely vanished did a series of regular, low electronic hums resonate within the enormous, crimson-glowing mechanical structure of this grand mechanical domain. It sounded like the whisper of some ancient code, or a sigh across the sea of stars:

11100100 10111010 10011011

11100101 10011011 10001100

...

(Code translated, this message was parsed)

『Mythus (Aeon of Enigmata)... your sacrifice was not in vain.』

『The key equation... capable of breaking the predetermined cosmic cycles and guiding the universe’s ascension... I have finally calculated it...』

...

On the other side, beyond the myth, in the real dimension.

Lygus stood silently. A new notification appeared on the administrator panel before him.

『Anomalous equation calculation process concluded. One preset high-level calculation task detected within authority scope.』

『The "Destruction" equation has been incorporated into the final calculation process. Estimated time required... one complete "Rebirth."』

The Irontomb he had dreamed of, the one to kill Nous, was about to be born.

This should have been the fruit of his long-planned victory.

Yet, he couldn’t feel happy at all.

Because of the final message on the scepter:

『Original "Preservation" Equation final calculation progress: 200%. Formally renamed by First Permission Administrator: Asterion, to—

["Life" Equation]

(Status: Anchored by Nous, immutable, irreversible.)』

Nous—the Aeon he regretted creating—had not chosen pure "Preservation" as the answer.

He had, once again, completely defied his expectations.

This caused the Zandar’s shard of Paranoia to feel a faint, barely perceptible surge of rage.

...

At the very moment Phaethon’s consciousness was anchoring the answer within the Path Space of Erudition, within his so-called "subconscious"—that peculiar tavern perpetually filled with illusory wine fragrance and inexplicable laughter.

Aha, who had been idly toying with a glass, seemed to sense something. His figure abruptly sat upright, as if discovering something extremely interesting, then dramatically leaned back, exclaiming in a comical tone mixed with chagrin and excitement:

"Aha! Aha, is embarrassed! Too embarrassed!" He slapped the table, causing the liquid in the glasses on the bar to slosh continuously.

"Asterion, who stayed so long in Aha’s domain, in the Path Space of Aha’s Elation, was actually intercepted halfway by that cold, dead heap of scrap metal and dragged off to its boring realm! Aha, so humiliated!"