“We’ll have Metako separate Ney from the Akashic Record,” Diriyah said. That was her secret plan to defeat Ney. It wasn’t a terrible plan. I had been the one to channel the Akashic Record into Ney in the first place, so it stood to reason that I was also capable of undoing the process. My connection to Ney was already severed, so I couldn’t interfere with her directly, but her connection to the Akashic Record was another matter.
I needed two things to happen for this plan to work. The first was for Ney to expend herself slightly before pouring energy into the Song of the End. This would buy me time by delaying the activation process. The second was for me to act without Ney’s ability to read minds giving everything away. This sounded impossible, but, thankfully, Maha had an easy solution on hand.
“Metako, take my memories of what we just discussed from me as advance payment for the coming fight.”
Just like that, Maha was able to fight without knowing our strategy, only buying time like we asked of her. She must have been uneasy fighting without knowing what our plan was, but she had still put her faith in Diriyah and me and bought the time I needed.
“It’s all me from here.”
I temporarily turned my attention away from everyone and focused on my consciousness in the immaterial world. The passage of time felt different here, as did the very sensation of existence itself. I became thought and began severing the pathway connecting Ney and the massive ocean of information that was the Akashic Record.
“But of course. You wouldn't let it be that easy, would you?”
I sensed many protective layers of information surrounding the pathway’s core: 666 layers in all. She must have set this up beforehand as a safety measure.
“And you had to go and make them reactive barriers too. How very like you.”
As I tried to sever the pathway, the barriers reacted and attacked with information. I felt a sensation similar to but not quite pain. Physical attacks were ineffectual in this world, but information was dangerous. The information attacks from her reactive barriers were trying to overwrite my own information and alter my existence.
“It’ll take more than that.”
The passage—no, the very concept of time was different in the immaterial world, but I’d spent what felt like an eternity here. Naturally, I’d picked up more than just a few tricks in that time. Unlike Ney, who was fettered to the material world, my body was pure concept. I was confident I wouldn’t be losing a battle of information anytime soon.
“That’s the four-hundredth layer down. About a third left.”
The barriers grew stronger and more complexly woven the further I went. Though I had an advantage as a being of pure concept, these were still the defenses of someone able to use the full power of the Akashic Record—divinity itself. I lost bits of my information here and there as I went—essentially the equivalent of losing an arm.
“Layer five hundred down. Just a little more.”
I couldn’t let my guard down for even a moment. I was reminded of Maha’s life and death battles in the material world, where one mistake would spell the end. Just as I had that thought, one of Ney’s traps, a blade of data, found purchase on me. I felt the searing sensation of my information being altered and blacked out for a moment.
“…You took quite a chunk of me. But I can still fight.”
I thought of the girls. Maha had been forced to fight difficult battles all her life. Ruri had to stare the cruelty of her existence in the eye from the moment she was born. I did this for them both. But above all else, I wanted to save Ney from whatever madness gripped her. I could not give up here.
“Layer six hundred. Almost there.”
With my existence threatening to crumble apart, I broke through the last sixty-six layers. A solid, but paper-thin strand of information appeared before my eyes. This was the pathway. The journey here had been rough, but with this it was done. With the last of my strength, I severed it.
And with that, my job was over.
“Whew… You gave me quite the challenge, ██. Maha, the rest is up to you.”