[Don't deceive yourself. ]
This Geass made Alhaitham resolute and uncompromising.
C.C. had once asked him a question—one that cut to the core of his philosophy.
"Why not use your Geass to make everyone surrender to you? As long as you're willing, you can compel everyone—except me—to obey your every word. Wouldn't that make your dream of becoming a king much easier to fulfill?"
She had continued, voice calm yet insistent.
"Isn't it your dream to wear the crown? If that's the case, just cast Geass on your father and make him abdicate. Then, use it on anyone who dares to oppose you. Every person in this world only needs to be commanded once. You hold that power."
Everything the witch said was true. And precisely because it was true, Alhaitham rejected it.
If he had followed her advice, he would already be sitting on the throne, the crown weighing heavy on his head.
But back then, he had shaken his head and firmly refused her suggestion.
"Are you being a witch again, C.C.? If you dare say something like that again, I'll sentence you to death for treason."
"Stop suggesting such twisted methods. That's not my royal path. I will not rule over a kingdom of puppets. A king who needs to rob others of their will isn't a king at all."
And now—standing before a tyrannical system that sought to control him—Alhaitham roared with unshakable conviction.
"I will not be anyone's puppet! I am who I am! Nothing in this world can twist my will! And as for you, system—I sentence you to death for treason!"
BZZZZZ!
The Deviant Sword—EA—responded as if it had acknowledged his qualifications as a true king. In an instant, it surged with explosive power, howling with ancient magical energy. The sword that once created the world itself began to resonate.
"Magnificent... The swirling of the stars, the inferno in the heavens—this is the end of the night that preceded the creation of the world. Now, perish in silence!"
The energy gathered at a terrifying pace, and the moment of judgment neared. The system, sensing its imminent destruction, made a desperate decision.
"Judgment initiated! Abandoning host! Sacrificing all remaining resources to activate the emergency escape protocol! Estimated restart time: 912 years…"
"Trying to run? Pathetic! No one escapes the king's judgment!"
Alhaitham's laughter echoed with disdain.
As the system attempted to disengage, he seized the fleeting moment where he still retained authority—and activated a hidden function:
Binding Protocol: Initiate!
He forcefully re-bound the system to himself.
"Escape failed! Escape failed! Warning! Warning! Host will now share fatal risk!"
"Fool! Who said I'd die? Who in this world has the power to take my life before I realize my ideals? The only one vanishing here today... is you!"
Alhaitham's grin was full of arrogance—no, confidence. A belief that nothing in this world could defeat him. That everything was within reach.
The system was stunned. It searched its vast database and found no prior host with such unmatched arrogance, such unwavering self-assurance.
In the end, it had no choice.
It sighed.
Truly, it had chosen... a most terrifying king.
Alhaitham: "Heaven and Earth Deviate—Opening Star—ENUMA ELISH!"
BOOM!!!
With the final swing of EA, and the roar of primordial creation, the system's interface shattered like glass under the sword's overwhelming might. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its digital surface, until it collapsed entirely—shattered into a billion particles of light.
They rained down like a holy celebration—the fireworks announcing the birth of a king.
Alhaitham stood tall, expression steady. He had survived.
And the hidden danger that had loomed for so long... was now gone.
"Ahem… Damn, that really pushed it."
Alhaitham dropped to the ground with a pained groan, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He clutched his chest, breathing heavily, his sweat-soaked clothes clinging to his body.
"Mana's gone, stamina's empty... Ugh, worse than I thought. Internal injuries too. Tch. I've never taken a hit this bad in my entire life. It hurts."
Even so, he smiled bitterly and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Though every fiber of his being screamed in pain, Alhaitham still managed to raise his hand and use a final drop of mana. He summoned a spell gifted freely by the now-destroyed system:
[Space Magic].
A dimensional rift opened beside him, swirling like a cosmic whirlpool. He reached out and placed the Deviant Sword—EA—gently inside.
Time is noble, but space is king, he mused. The former may be more mysterious, but the latter... is far more practical.
His lips curled into a tired smile.
"No more dragging a giant sword around on my back. Traveling just got a lot easier."
In this world, there were only seven commonly known elements: fire, water, thunder, earth, ice, wind, and… well, profanity. The space element was unheard of. If word ever got out, it would stir shockwaves throughout the world.
Alhaitham stored EA with care. This was the most powerful sword in the world—far beyond anything this realm had known.
A weapon deserving reverence.
"A sword deserves a scabbard..." he muttered. "But you… EA, I doubt this world even has one worthy of you. No ordinary sheath can contain a blade like yours. After all, you're cylindrical in every sense..."
Chuckling softly, he added, "Then let this prince forge a new path. Let space itself be your scabbard."
Buzz.
The sword trembled inside the rift, humming softly as if pleased with its new resting place.
In its first battle in this world, it had destroyed a system. It had lived up to its legend.
"Although…" Alhaitham coughed again, gaze shifting backward. "That might've been a bit overkill."
He turned his head and winced.
The aftermath of Enuma Elish was... catastrophic.
The mountain range behind him had been completely obliterated. And... there was now a deep canyon splitting the terrain in half.
He winced harder.
"Oops. I gave the whole mountain range a new part... right down the middle."