Chapter 168: Apostles and Agents

“I’ve been keeping a close eye on Aysha’s situation as well. It’s one of our top priorities right now.”

Masaki Hinaki said to Ephnel.

“The power used by the Apostles is also Order energy. You should have already known about this, Ephnel…”

Ephnel rubbed the ring on her finger, not doubting Masaki Hinaki’s statement.

The form of power used by the Apostles had been deciphered from the very beginning.

Moreover, the Apostle’s Beacon had been on Ephnel’s hand this whole time, and she often felt a familiar force pulling at her, very similar to the feeling her “Ephnel” Beacon gave her.

Based on this, it wasn’t as if Ephnel had no theories of her own.

“So, are there any results?”

She asked.

“That’s exactly what I was about to tell you.”

Masaki Hinaki’s gaze fell on the ring on Ephnel’s hand, a flicker in her eyes.

“We’ve discovered a not-so-interesting phenomenon—while studying the Apostle’s power, we also found that it isn’t guided and activated solely by Order energy. Simply put, we found traces of ‘Erosion’ in it… I think you, who have been in contact with Order energy for a long time, must also know what a mysterious and dangerous energy that is. And the Apostles who use this power are undoubtedly an important clue that cannot be ignored.”

“Erosion!?”

Ephnel was stunned.

“That’s right. I don’t know what kind of technology ‘those people’ behind the Apostles have mastered to be able to control Erosion energy so perfectly… No, rather, it’s precisely because they can manipulate Erosion energy that the ‘Angel’ was born, right?”

“Seiran…”

At the mention of Seiran, Ephnel’s gaze dimmed slightly.

Masaki Hinaki saw the change in Ephnel’s expression and didn’t want to dwell on it.

She nodded solemnly and continued:

“Theoretically speaking… the power of the Apostles is very strong, unimaginably so. Whether it was Sakurai Sachi, Uzuki Saori, or Aysha, the power they displayed was only a part of the Apostle’s power… Ephnel, do you remember the three giant ‘Whale’-type Erosion Organisms that appeared when headquarters was attacked? Their appearance was no coincidence, and their exile by you was also… After they were exiled, their bodies turned into a large amount of Erosion energy that spread and diffused within the ‘Boundary,’ becoming a major source of the Apostles’ power.”

In other words, the appearance of the Apostles required the simultaneous existence of both “Erosion energy” and “Order energy.”

And after the “Whale”-type Erosion Organisms died, they transformed into a large amount of Erosion energy that dissipated inside the “Net,” becoming the source of the Apostles’ power, the catalyst for their appearance.

“No wonder…”

Ephnel frowned tightly.

“If you put it that way, everything can be connected… But, doesn’t this mean that the ‘Apostles” power would be very tricky in the ‘Outer Boundary’ area? The concentration of Erosion energy in the ‘Outer Boundary’ is dozens of times higher than in the ‘Inner Boundary’…”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

Masaki Hinaki smiled and explained:

“We also considered what you’re worried about at the beginning and conducted detailed investigations and research, but the results were not so… The use of the Apostle’s power requires both ‘Order energy’ and ‘Erosion energy’; neither can be missing. This means that the ‘Outer Boundary’ areas, which simply have a high concentration of Erosion energy, will not become the ‘home ground’ for the Apostles. Of course, the Angel, who purely utilizes Erosion energy, is probably different… It can’t even bypass the Boundary Monument to enter the ‘Inner Boundary’ area like the Apostles can. I think this is also the reason why the Apostles are trying so hard to take down the Boundary Monument.”

“Apostles and Angels…”

Ephnel murmured softly.

“They’re really taking steps towards complete Erosion-ification… Is that what ‘those people’ behind the Apostles are working towards?”

“If only it were that simple… Those guys are completely different from that group of scientists who advocate for ‘utilizing Erosion energy.’ They are out-and-out criminals!”

“Mmm… agreed.”

“So… the level of Erosion energy in the ‘Inner Boundary’ is being weakened over time by the ‘Boundary Monument.’ Therefore, the power Aysha gains after becoming an Apostle is getting weaker and weaker. This is the reason. And, our discoveries don’t stop there.”

“What do you mean?”

“To put it simply, Agents communicate with Order energy through the Beacon as a medium, while Apostles change the form of energy by ‘using their own bodies as a medium to draw energy.’ The danger of this method is imaginable. If Nishizaki Yuki’s conclusion is not wrong, it can be almost certainly said that the use of the Apostle’s power will cause gradually accumulating, irreversible trauma to the user’s body. Those hidden injuries are like toxins accumulating in the body. Once they exceed the body’s limit, even an Agent will be consumed by the backlash and die.”

Masaki Hinaki paused.

“Our researchers call this phenomenon ‘irreversible displacement.’ This is similar to the reason why Agents lose their memories and become weak after permanently disconnecting from Order energy. It’s a kind of ‘displacement’ of the Agent’s body by the ‘energy’ itself. The difference is that the displacement for Agents is reversible, but ‘Apostle-ification’ is not.”

Simply put, Order energy would cause a certain “displacement” effect on the body, which was the same principle behind why Agents would lose their memories from their time as Agents after retiring, due to the complete dissipation of Order energy.

But the “displacement” for Agents was not complete and could be reversed.

Apostle-ification, however, caused an irreversible “displacement” because the body was in direct contact and synchronized with both Order energy and Erosion energy.

In other words, becoming an Apostle came at a price.

If one continued to fight in an Apostle-ified state, their life would be on a continuous countdown.

Masaki Hinaki continued:

“According to the data test results, we estimate that Aysha can withstand a maximum of one hundred and fifty hours in the ‘Apostle-ified’ state. Of course, this data will change depending on each person’s compatibility… Out of consideration for Aysha’s physical condition, I already issued an order yesterday to retrieve the Apostle ‘Beacon’ from her. She has now undergone ‘Apostle-ification’ six times. Each time, we collected a large amount of data and used the best resources to give her post-battle physical examinations and rehabilitation treatment. So far, no serious problems have been found with Aysha’s body, so rest assured.”

Ephnel pursed her lips and didn’t say much.

She also understood that Aysha had voluntarily participated in the research of the Apostle Beacon, and “actual combat” was part of it.

This was the effort Aysha had made for this city.

Instead of blaming her for her recklessness, she should solemnly face the resolve she had made.

Aysha’s wish must not be wasted.

“Alright, we’ve gotten sidetracked again.”

Masaki Hinaki paused, then looked up at the silent Ephnel.

“More importantly… Yonomori has already prepared the registration for Yukina’s identity, and the relevant equipment and identification documents are ready. Since things are pretty much settled here, let’s go do the final image registration.”

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