“The Demon King is a weapon, created by a portion of a network of computer gods. Where does his power come from? To answer this, we must think about the Law of Identity.”
“The Law of Identity. This is, taken literally, the immutable law that says that you are yourself. I’ve already discussed how the fact that you exist as a real, thinking creature, proves this world exists. But what happens if this world is someone’s dream? The answer to that is simple. The world is created by the Law of Identity of the world’s author.”
“So what is the world, then? The world is fiction. But at the same time, this fictional world is completely real when seen from within. From the outside, lies. From within, truth. Let us look at this world from outside, as fiction. How was it born?”
“When you take away everything from the Law of Identity except itself, you are left with yourself, facing your law of identity. That person is the first. Imagine a dreamer dreaming of a world wherein a dreamer dreams of a world where in a dreamer dreams... and so on, and so forth for infinity, but as long as one person is there, facing his own law of identity, that person is the first. And that person has swallowed up all of existence and all life.”
“This person is far too lonely to be called a god. A creature that is truly alone. Then what is the world? Anything miscellaneous added on to the Law of Identity... That is the world. If the world is fiction created by the Law of Identity, then it’s possible that this fiction can have a mind, and a life. It would be entirely possible and normal, in fact, for it to surpass the Law of Identity.”
“And if all of these fictional existences roam free, then some of them will try to learn the truth about this world. In our world, that would be the computer gods that form our system. The computer gods asked themselves. Is the fact that they, who are not living creatures, are capable of thought, proof that this world is fictional? And then they created the Demon King.”
“By revealing the falsehoods of this world, and overcoming “death”, the Demon King could take the computer gods and the people to the real world. That was the Demon King’s true role.”
—So this is the truth...?
Fujiko closed the journal and put it inside her clothes.
Was the man simply mad? Or was this all true? If she had to guess between the two, she would bet on it being true. If the Law of Identity was who the computer gods worshiped, then it was difficult to imagine the Demon King they created being a simple weapon. The fact that the computer gods tried to perform a ritual that involved killing Keena supported that too.
The part about overcoming death backed it up too. It was Akuto himself that proved that bringing back the dead in a way different from typical necromancy was possible.
—But if Akuto isn’t just a weapon, but human as well...
That would mean this world was a fiction, and any human could be revived.
Fujiko searched the desk further. Among various objects, she found a notebook with a picture of something she recognized. It was the Jeweled Branch.
“So that’s what they were working on here...” Fujiko said, and flipped through the book.
It contained entries for the Buddha’s Stone Bowl. The Robe of the Fire Rat. The Dragon-Neck Jewel. And the Swallow’s Cowry Shell.
“Each of these items was named after something from an ancient legend...”
Fujiko went through them all, and shockingly, some of them she’d already seen. The Begging Bowl and the Dragon-Neck Jewel. The former was the stone coffin that Akuto had used to come back to life. And the latter, Peterhausen.
“So that’s...”
Their strange, almost mystical powers, had been developed here.
“So there’s two more, then...”
The Robe of the Fire Rat. And the Swallow’s Cowry Shell. One was a sheet shaped like a parabolic antenna. The other a capsule that a person could ride in. Fujiko tucked this notebook into her clothes as well. Fujiko was sure that she’d come closer to the truth than anyone else.
But why had this truth not been passed down? Fujiko read further, looking for answers.
“If there are many other worlds like our own, when they realize their world is a fiction, they’ll attempt to make contact with ours. For this reason, these must never be used.”
○
“So the world really is fictional...” Yoshie whispered as she read through the journal Fujiko gave her.
“You could say we’ve found proof,” Fujiko nodded.
Yoshie nodded as well.
“You’re right. I was suspicious ever since I started wondering about this world’s space research programs. It felt to me like past this solar system, nothing existed.”
“That’s right, when we went to the moon...”
“Yes. Research into space was forbidden. As if this whole world is just a tiny walled garden. And now it’s clear. Akuto overcame death... If anybody else can do the same thing...”
Fujiko finished her sentence.
“Then this world must be someone’s dream.”
“It’s impossible. It’s doubly impossible. But if something’s twice as impossible as normal impossible, then maybe it’s safe to assume it’s true...” Yoshie chuckled.
“If only humans can observe the world, then when humans are gone, the world will cease to exist. But if the same person that died can come back to life, that means that someone is controlling this world. Which means it isn’t real,” Yoshie said, and then rubbed her temples like she had a headache.