Chapter 131: The Garden of Sinners Premiere (Part 5)
At the Imperial Mage Academy, after the first chapter of The Garden of Sinners ended with a panoramic view, the students in the hall immediately began to discuss the episode, clearly having different opinions on the strange conclusion.
"I don't really get it. How did Shiki kill that intangible wraith? The wraith's death felt different from a normal one—it seemed like it was torn apart into pieces…"
"It should be some special ability. Although whether it's something Shiki originally had or something she modified herself is unknown."
"That prosthetic limb clearly has special powers. At least, without the prosthetic, Shiki probably wouldn't have been able to catch the wraith that was floating in the air."
"Why are you still talking about this? Don't you think the final conclusion was sweet? I'm really curious about the relationship between Shiki and Mikiya, though. The clues are still too disjointed."
"Yeah, so how long is The Garden of Sinners? Is it going to be like Fate/Zero and take half a year before we see the next episode?"
"That's too long! I swear I'll die in front of the director if that happens! And when I die, be sure to burn the rest of Fate/Zero and The Garden of Sinners for me!!"
"...."
In contrast to the students' surface-level discussions about the plot, at the top of the Alchemy Tower, the Arch Mages were engaged in a heated debate over the final narration of the film. Judging from the deep thought and solemn expressions on their faces, it was hard to imagine that these experienced mages were discussing the plot of a TV show.
The first to speak was Administrator Hohenheim, who glanced at Arch Mage Rosa before hesitating, then turned to the other mages and asked, "Everyone here must have encountered wraiths before. What do you think about this Kirie Fujou? She's clearly human, but she has the ability to overlook things. Is she a superpower user? Or is her ability something that awakened after she got sick and couldn't leave her hospital bed? And about that wraith-like entity—is it a clone?"
"It's probably more than a clone. After all, her personality was already split, so it could be considered a dual entity. However, Kirie's second 'self' isn't another human—it's a wraith."
"Is it really possible to give a second personality a new body and create a dual consciousness?"
"Theoretically, yes, but that's just a theory. After all, the soul and the brain are two of the hardest things for humans to understand. If someone can fully comprehend them, they would probably be considered a god."
"But at least in this story, Kirie succeeded. And it's clear that it wasn't something that happened naturally, but someone actively pushed it forward. We won't go into the motives of that instigator, but Kirie's creation of a dual consciousness concept is very similar to the theories of the immortalist branch. Those fanatics once proposed a method that could guarantee the success of immortality: to create a soul that is identical to oneself, then experiment on it to achieve immortality, gather data, and ultimately use one's own consciousness to become immortal. It was a crazy idea."
Surprised, one of the Arch Mages beside them said, "You've actually researched something like this? Personally, I've never wanted to touch anything related to it. Aside from gaining more understanding of the soul, it has no other value and could bring unnecessary trouble."
In response, Arch Mage Rosa quietly replied, "I just think such research shouldn't go to waste. Even though immortality research may violate ethics in a sense, the data obtained through all those sacrifices isn't wrong. I only observe these things to better study human nature. As long as I don't use it for the wrong purposes, it's fine."
"That's true. After all, the one who uses the knife to kill is a person, not the knife. If anyone is to be judged, it should be the insane immortality researchers. But these studies can easily sway young mages. After all, young people are still in the process of forming their worldview, and they can't resist the temptation of immortality."
Upon hearing their discussion, the other Arch Mages also joined the conversation about immortality.
"That last statement was quite interesting. Death is not bravery, but avoidance. The true courageous act is to live and bear the consequences of your mistakes. That idea really has a strong sense of group consciousness because an individual often doesn't realize how their death would affect the world. For most people, death is the end of the 'world'. But unfortunately, your death doesn't affect the world. Or rather, the impact of your death remains in the world. Saying farewell to everything through death seems courageous, but in reality, it leaves many challenges for the ones still living. In this case, aren't immortals the ones with true courage?"
"You're being too materialistic. But as mages, we understand the world far beyond ordinary people, so we wouldn't fall into idealistic or subjective thinking. Based on this theory, choosing immortality is indeed an act that requires great courage. Of course, if those who choose immortality aren't aware of the consequences, then forget I said anything. Otherwise, just imagining the endless loneliness of an eternal fate is terrifying. That would mean there's no chance to escape."
"That's why immortals are often despised by humanity. After all, their ultimate fate is a long eternity, leading to the erosion of their consciousness and eventually driving them mad, transforming them into another form of monster. At that point, they can no longer be considered human."
"In that case, how do gods in mythology maintain their consciousness? Or perhaps, gods have transcended human concepts, so no matter how their consciousness is worn down by the years, it doesn't affect them?"
"So, if immortals could possess some organs that surpass human limitations, would they be able to approach godhood? In other words, is the reason for the non-existence of the seventh rank the limitation of the human body?"
As the Arch Mages continued their conversation, a terrifying thought gradually emerged in each of their minds.
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