Chapter 331: Debate

"Praise you, Kihara Noukan. But next time, could you come a bit earlier? I was already preparing to fight for my life."

"I'm the one saving you, and you're still being picky."

"Imagine me taking some kind of drug, forcing myself into an excited state, only to collapse half-dead on the ground afterward."

The Endurance State allowed him to revive, but what state would he be in after revival? Li Mo wasn't sure. This was his first time using End of Four Nights, a skill named after an event that never happened. Its power was immense, and its mystery surpassed even Pseudo-Immortality.

"This mess is your fault."

"Who knew Ollerus would show up in Academy City?!!"

"Aren't you supposed to be well-informed? You even knew my identity."

"I don't even know the end of the universe, how could I know everything?"

So many things had happened in Academy City, so many things involving Kamijou Touma. What could Li Mo do? He couldn't remember everything!

After all, he only had one day to prepare. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the storyline was long. He remembered the general plot, but the timeline was a mess.

—If it were events from Kamijou Touma's perspective, Li Mo wouldn't have forgotten.

"What a useless statement! You know what? I was dragged here to work overtime again."

"Next time, what kind of dog food do you want? I'll go steal it for you."

"Should I ask why you're stealing instead of buying? At another time, I'd be happy to banter with you. But looking at the time, you should just leave now. Go deal with Angel Fall."

"Alright."

Li Mo didn't engage in banter. Although he didn't know why Kihara Noukan's appearance and inner nature hadn't changed, this golden retriever was undoubtedly Aleister Crowley's most loyal subordinate.

For a magician of Aleister's caliber, Angel Fall was probably just a minor event.

Similarly, that was likely the case for Ollerus. The grand cathedral in London could halve the power of Stiyl Magnus and Kanzaki Kaori. As someone half a step into becoming a Magic God, it was only natural for Ollerus to be completely immune to the effects of Angel Fall.

Now, only Kihara Noukan and Ollerus remained on the scene.

Ollerus, the guest from Northern Europe, watched the exchange between the man and the dog. This golden retriever possessed human-like intelligence, which wasn't surprising. He had seen werewolves and vampires, so a dog with human intelligence wasn't extraordinary.

"Are you the dog of this city's master?"

"That sounds subtle, but yes, I am indeed a dog."

Kihara Noukan admitted it.

Ollerus didn't understand much about Academy City. He knew about the publicly promoted Level 5 espers, but he had no knowledge of the Board of Directors.

"Aleister… so it's him after all?"

Aleister Crowley, the chairman of Academy City and the genius magician from a century ago. But how could a magician become the head of a science-centric city?

—Considering his past of being hunted by magicians, it wasn't entirely strange.

The golden retriever before him wore a suit of armor equipped with guns, launchers, cannons, swords, spears, and more. Ollerus was curious how a technological product could hide so many things.

But there they were. The armor also carried a mystical aura.

Soon, Ollerus set that thought aside and asked, "I'm curious, why did you let him go? Don't you understand his nature? If you're worried about his death, I could simply erase his essence."

No need for further explanation.

The man who had almost become a Magic God knew he was now communicating with the ruler of this city.

This non-violent approach wasn't to his liking. Although he enjoyed helping others, Ollerus usually solved problems with violence.

When he chose a non-violent approach, it was a concession.

"Why are you so determined to target him?"

"You can sense his nature. He is the Beast of Original Sin."

To Ollerus, Li Mo was like cancer to humanity—a terminal illness.

"Is he really that kind of existence? I've briefly interacted with that young man. He has the emotions of a normal person—lust, pride, laziness… More importantly, your judgment is wrong. Does bearing original sin necessarily make one evil? Didn't your Christian savior bear the sins of the world?

That young man… he merely exists as a 'symbol of humanity's self-destruction.'

Not the self-destructive behavior of individuals, but the mutual slaughter and destruction within the human race. From the Stone Age to the technological era, it's all about war and fire.

It's not his existence that brings about humanity's mutual destruction. Rather, such destruction has already happened, and thus, a being like him was born."

Ollerus paused slightly. His judgment was partly based on original sin. If an ordinary person's original sin was quantified as one, then a villain's could reach a hundred or more. But what about that magician?

His level was in the billions!

He seemed like the embodiment of all human malice.

Killing, scheming, hatred, jealousy… It seemed like every negative term describing human emotions could be applied to him.

Ollerus understood the cause and effect the other was referring to.

"That's not what I mean. His mere existence brings disaster. This isn't something he can control with his will. Just as cancer is to an individual, he is like cancer to the human race. Just by standing there, he brings calamity."

"Calamity? You remind me of the Ten Plagues of Egypt in Christianity—divine punishment. But he's not at that level. Rather than a calamity, it's more of a trial. Do you know the story of Angra Mainyu?"

"The evil god of Zoroastrianism."

"What I want to say is a story about a man named Angra Mainyu. In the distant past, an ordinary man was named Angra Mainyu and executed. I don't need to elaborate further."

Ollerus fell into a subtle silence.

With his insight, he understood the meaning behind this story—in the dualistic view of good and evil, there is only good and evil. A person is either good or evil, and the two cannot coexist. Killing a good person is evil, and killing an evil person is good.

—Therefore, the one who killed Angra Mainyu, the evil god, must be good.

What a simple worldview.

In mysticism, it could go even further. Only Ahura Mazda, the god of good, could oppose Angra Mainyu. It wasn't impossible to "armor" oneself with this myth.

Kihara Noukan didn't care about Ollerus's intentions. He was merely faithfully conveying someone else's words.

"Zoroastrianism is a special dualistic system, where the two gods of good and evil are in constant conflict. But humans are a mix of good and evil—good and evil are inherently one. You could call him Human Evil, but in a way, he could also be Human Love. Rather than a calamity, he is more of a trial, a test, a trial for humanity's ascension."

Ollerus closed his eyes and pondered.

He thought of a term.

Gnosticism.

In this belief, humans are gods in the process of refinement. By continuously refining themselves and obtaining a divine body, they can freely manipulate miracles. That magician's existence seemed like the final hurdle in this process.

A trial.

His essence…

Ollerus began to recall the moment before the golden retriever arrived. At that time, Li Mo had pushed himself to the limit, revealing everything. The intense "evil" was so clear, but upon closer inspection, there seemed to be something subtle hidden beneath it.

"Not because of evil, but because of love? What an interesting existence." Ollerus understood everything now. He said, "Then, this matter is resolved. What about the #7?"

"The chairman already knows."

"Good."

Ollerus chose to retreat. In distant Italy, in the city of Milan, someone was waiting for him in an apartment.