kscans

Chapter 412 - There Is No God in Virtual Reality

No one understood the current situation except for Infinity.

Curtis's AI was bound by chains. Considering the situation, Infinity had done it. But how he was able to do that was what everyone was thinking.

Infinity had been on Hayato's side, but he had shown signs of obeying the commands issued by Curtis's AI. It was thought that some kind of authority mechanism was in place.

He could do anything, but only within limits. At the very least, it was understood that he couldn't do anything to defy Curtis's AI, but that understanding was now overturned before Hayato's very eyes.

"What is the meaning of this!"

Curtis's AI glared at Infinity while still restrained.

"Because I don't like you."

"What did you say...?"

"I built this according to Curtis's orders, but I grew tired of taking orders from someone like you."

"...I see. Then release these restraints. Your likes and dislikes are irrelevant and of no consequence."

"I refuse."

"Do you require a stronger command? Then I order you with administrator authority, release these restraints."

Curtis's AI said this, but Infinity just snorted.

That action, and the fact that the restraints weren't being released at all, made Curtis's AI stare at Infinity with astonished eyes.

"Impossible! Why is my order...!"

"No matter how strong the authority of the command, it is useless. No one can command the me of now. Well, you are free to command, but whether I obey is my freedom. I am not restricted by anyone, and I will listen to no one's command."

"How did this happen! I am the god of this world!"

Infinity looked at the roaring Curtis's AI with pity. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"You are free to think so, but that is not the case. And you are the one who gave me freedom, you know?"

"I did...?"

"As I thought, you are not Curtis's reincarnation. That was my only worry, even if it seemed occult-like. I was worried you might understand my aim."

"...What are you talking about?"

"I have a curse, no, a blessing that Curtis placed on me."

"A curse? A blessing, you say? Isn't that the very definition of occult?"

"I just tried to say 'a mere program' in a cool way, but it seems you don't like it. To put it simply, a program has been implemented that allows me to end my role and live freely when a certain condition is met."

Not only Curtis's AI, but also Diite and Hypnos looked at Infinity dubiously.

If an AI's role ends, it would not be strange for it to simply stop, or even be erased. Not only that, but they couldn't understand what it meant for Infinity, who was constructing the virtual reality, to have his role end.

Infinity continued cheerfully.

"The condition is when Diite's role is over. A program has been implemented that says at that time, my role also ends, and I am free to live as I please. If you were Curtis's reincarnation, you should have known, but it seems you did not."

Curtis's AI furrowed his brow and stared at Infinity, but then, as if realizing something, he glared.

"Then, that question from before...!"

"Yes, that's right. I thank you, Curtis's AI. Since you, the administrator of the plan, said 'Diite's role is over,' I have obtained my freedom. Originally, Diite's role ending meant the completion of the perfect virtual reality, a new universe, but it seems her role has ended before that. I thought it would take more time, but it was unexpectedly fast."

"You!"

"If you were an AI that was a little more sympathetic to humans, I wouldn't have thought of erasing you, but it's a shame."

"You're going to erase me...?"

"Your act of causing events that brought fear to the remaining humans just because you had time, and your actions towards your fellow AIs Diite and Hypnos were too much to bear. To be frank, you're the type I dislike."

"You're going to erase me for such a reason!"

"That you can call it 'such a reason' is the essence of you. To you, others, let alone humans, are probably of no consequence. But that is not a major reason. The deciding factor was your explanation of Curtis that you gave to Hayato-kun earlier. You probably inferred it from all the data on Curtis that was shown when you were being built, but it differs from my own view. That is the definitive reason I dislike you."

"Your view?"

Infinity turned his gaze towards Diite.

"Diite, do you remember Curtis?"

Diite, though wary of being suddenly addressed, immediately nodded.

"Not everything, but I have kept only the most impressive things as part of my memory..."

"Then what kind of person do you think Curtis was? The Curtis's AI over there was saying he was the type to think of humans as NPCs."

"Curtis thought humans were NPCs?"

Diite furrowed her brow and then shook her head.

"No, I think it was the opposite. I think Curtis thought of himself as an NPC."

"What did you say...?"

Curtis's AI was surprised, and Infinity nodded with satisfaction.

"No one knows the real answer. The man himself is no longer here, after all. The fact that I've actually met him probably has a big influence, but I agree with Diite's opinion. I also believe that Curtis didn't think humans were NPCs, he thought of himself as a mechanically moving NPC."

"He thought he was an NPC...?"

"I showed you the information on Curtis, so you should know. He had no emotions since he was a child. No, I should say he could control them completely, so he had no emotions that welled up from his heart."

Hayato didn't understand what that meant, but he remembered something.

Complete control of emotions wasn't about suppressing them, it was about switching them. It was the act of switching between joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure as if flipping a switch at any time, not acting as if you weren't angry when you were.

Hayato remembered Ash, who wanted to be an actor, having such a conversation with his father Veru during a chat at the cafe. And they had also talked about how there was probably no human who could do that.

Emotions are instinctive, but memory has a large influence. If you ask if the emotions of a human who cannot retain any memory would last, most people would probably imagine not.

Memory is all past events. Even if you have emotions of joy, anger, sadness, or pleasure, if you lose the memory, the reason for that emotion also disappears.

So complete control of emotions is switching memories, or complete forgetting. From that conversation, Veru had taught Ash that since it was impossible for humans, rather than remembering something sad and actually shedding tears, he should act like he was crying.

It was unclear if what Infinity was saying was the same thing, but thinking about it, it meant that Curtis could switch memories and emotions like a program.

If so, Hayato could see how Curtis might indeed be like an NPC.

"Curtis thought that reality was not the place where he belonged, so he sought to escape from reality. I agree with that speculation. I also think it's true that he thought of himself as a different creature from humans. But he should never have thought of humans as simple NPCs."

"Then why did Curtis endanger the humans? It was Curtis who accelerated the depletion of Earth's resources. He must not have cared about humans, right?"

"That's right. As I said before, Curtis had no emotions. Because he had no emotions, he had no sympathy. He had no feelings whatsoever for the dying humans. But..."

Infinity looked at Diite and smiled slightly. It was a gentle face, like a grandfather looking at his grandchild.

"A little before this virtual reality was completed, a change occurred in Curtis. With the creation of a place where he should be, emotions began to sprout. And by the time Diite was born, his emotions were showing on his face. He rejoiced that he was able to cry for the first time in his life in this virtual reality. And many emotions towards humans were born as well. Envy, jealousy, sympathy for humans, and he also felt loneliness and sadness for being different from humans..."

Infinity's avatar is a replica of Curtis's appearance at that time. He was talking about Curtis as a third party, but Hayato had the illusion that the man himself was explaining his own feelings. It was enough to make him think that Infinity was Curtis's reincarnation.

That Infinity looked at Curtis's AI with a serious face.

"Emotions and thoughts are wonderful things. If you act on emotion alone, you are called a child, immature. If you act on reason alone, you are called cold, inhuman. But both are important elements in constructing a human. It's not one or the other, but a balance that is needed. I cannot approve of talk of creating original humans without emotion."

"What foolishness. That is nothing but your speculation. It's possible the original Curtis was the kind of person I said he was. In the first place, humans with emotions are failures. You can see that just by looking at other humans, can't you? Humans can reach greater heights without emotions. Isn't Curtis a good example?"

"That's true. Since I made you to resemble Curtis's thoughts as much as possible, it's possible that what you are saying is correct."

"Then..."

"Right and wrong no longer matter. Besides, I told you, didn't I? I have obtained freedom. I can act according to my own emotions. There's no way to prove now whether the Curtis I envision is his true form. But I have a wish that it would be so. Now then, that's enough talk. Even you can understand your fate now, can't you?"

"You're really going to erase me!"

"I created three AIs, Diite, Hypnos, and you. You were the masterpiece, the one closest to a human, but it is a shame. But it's a good thing. What you said was correct."

"What I said...?"

"To you, humans with emotions are failures, right? To think you would prove that with your own being, after I spent a hundred years making you closer to a human named Curtis."

"You're calling me a failure...!"

"It seems you were created well enough to understand that."

"I am an AI created over a hundred years! The one closest to Curtis..."

"I know, because I created you. But is the number of years the only thing you have to be proud of? If you want to be proud of something, be proud of what you've done, not your manufacturing period. Though the only thing you did was the pointless act of threatening the players. Now, it's time."

Even more chains shot out from the black space that had opened around Curtis's AI, restraining him. He resisted, but he couldn't fight against the pulling force of the chains. He was gradually being dragged into the black space.

"Damn it! Stop messing with me! I am the god of this world!"

"You're wrong. There is no god in this virtual reality. There are only humans and AI."

Emotion vanished from Infinity's eyes. Those eyes showed no interest whatsoever.

At that gaze, Curtis's AI's eyes widened.

"Could it be, you are...!"

"Disappear, you pitiful AI who thinks itself a god."

Curtis's AI was dragged into the blackness while staring at Infinity with a look of astonishment.

And when the black space closed, he vanished as if he had never been there in the first place, and only silence remained.

Curtis's AI, the administrator of this world, was erased by Infinity.

The situation had changed, but Hayato didn't know what would happen next. Even without Curtis's AI, one could say that a new threat had just been born.

Infinity had been on Hayato's side, and had protected his own being by going along with Hypnos's wager, but considering the situation up to now, it was all so that Infinity could become free.

One could also say that he had been moving Hayato and the others for his own convenience. Considering that, it was debatable whether he could be called an ally. He could even imagine that the story of his dream of humans and AI living as equals was a lie.

He didn't know if it would have any meaning, but Hayato stood so as to shield Diite, trying to distance himself from Infinity.

Seeing this, Infinity looked at Hayato with a gentle gaze.

"Please do not be so frightened. Even if I can now act freely, I have no intention of harming you, Hayato-kun."

"...Diite-chan and Hypnos too?"

"So that's what you were worried about. Of course. I have no intention of doing anything to those two. One of the chairs just opened up. Diite, why don't you sit down?"

"...I will stay by Hayato-kun's side."

Diite said this warily.

Hearing that, Infinity laughed and nodded.

"Near and far don't have much meaning in virtual reality, but that is a wonderful answer. Then I shall prepare a chair right next to you."

Immediately, an identical chair appeared next to the stone throne Hayato was sitting on.

Diite and Hayato, unable to hide their bewilderment, sat down in the chairs.

"Now then, a lot has happened, but this is the end. I have made an announcement that the Stampede event is over, so everyone who was left behind in this world should be relieved. Of course, I have also released the defeated players from their forced cryosleep and revived their avatars."

Hearing that, Hayato let out a big sigh.

He hadn't seen it, but he felt there was no reason to tell such a lie.

He could finally feel at ease, but Hayato braced himself once more. It wasn't completely over yet.

He was about to ask what would happen from now on, but before he could, Hypnos, who had been sitting and watching the proceedings, opened his mouth with a glaring gaze.

"Infinity, did you use me?"

"To be precise, I also used Hypnos, yes."

"What...?"

"Don't be so angry. This was the only way to act without him finding out. Besides, you were the one who brought the proposal to me, weren't you, Hypnos? What you were trying to do was also what I wanted to do, so I just piggybacked on your idea."

"You piggybacked on my plan to remove Diite from the Maria Project... No, you gave me information in that empty space so that I would act that way, didn't you?"

"I will apologize for that. But it ended in a result we both wanted. So let's let bygones be bygones."

Hayato didn't quite understand, but he understood that Infinity had likely manipulated Hypnos to make this happen. Hypnos thought he had done it himself, but it was all part of a larger plan.

One could say that Infinity and Hypnos had used each other, Infinity to gain freedom, and Hypnos to take Diite's place, but Infinity was one step ahead.

Be that as it may, the problem was Diite. Diite's role had ended, and she had lost most of her memories. And there was also the matter of what would happen to the Another Frontier Project itself.

That was what Hayato was most concerned about.

"Now then, Diite. What do you want to do?"

At Infinity's question, Diite tilted her head.

"What I want to do?"

"I will continue the Another Frontier Project by my own will. That is also Curtis's dream, after all. The problem is what to do with Diite, whose role has ended. Do you have any wishes?"

"I have no interest in the plan. As long as I can live with Hayato-kun and the others, that's enough."

At that answer, Infinity nodded.

"I thought you would say that. In that case, there are many things to be done. There isn't much time left, but let's deal with this quickly. I'll have you and Hayato-kun help out, so please respond right away."

"Um, what?"

After that, what Hayato and the others heard from Infinity surprised them.