I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The Remnants of Great Evil (2)

“I wasn’t sure. After all, I’m not affiliated with the heroes, and since I’ve already stepped away from that life, I had no reason to dig deeper. But considering that they were the ones roaming the battlefield when the war ended, I could only assume they picked something up and created something new from it.”

“…That’s ridiculous.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t believe his words.

What was unbelievable was that the light on the screen was caused by Beast Buster.

“Gifts dissipate upon death, don’t they?”

Typically, a Gift fades away gradually from the body upon clinical death.

Of course, if someone had regenerative abilities, the Gift might persist and slowly reconstruct the body even in a state of clinical death, but the Beast Buster’s power I knew was specialized in explosives. It had nothing to do with regeneration.

“It seems our friend knows nothing about Beast Buster~”

Anatomy, filled with excitement, rummaged through his pockets.

Then he pulled out a small chip, tiny enough to fit between his fingers.

“Now, a question for our friend. How much information can this tiny chip hold?”

“…500 gigabytes, according to the label.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of data~ Back in the day, even floppy disks could barely hold a few megabytes. Times have sure changed, haven’t they?”

What era was he talking about? Nearly half a century ago… No, even before Pangea existed, it was nearly a century-old technology.

I only knew about it from history books, but sometimes I wondered about his exact age.

Seeing how he interacted with Shadow without hesitation, despite claiming to be half a century old…

“Alright then, let’s give our friend a second question.”

Now wasn’t the time to be curious about such things. Anatomy took back the chip and posed another question.

“Is it possible to store more than 500 gigabytes in a space smaller than this chip?”

“That… might be possible with the right technology.”

“What about an even smaller space?”

“…What?”

“An even smaller space, smaller and smaller… Is it possible to record data in such a tiny space?”

“…”

“…Yes, that’s right. That’s a possible ability.”

Though it seemed unbelievable, that was just an ordinary perception.

Gifts, by nature, exceeded the bounds of common sense. Among them, many couldn’t be explained by human knowledge and technology.

“Quantum Record.”

And the Gift possessed by Beast Buster was of such a category.

I had only known him for creating bombs.

“Beast Buster could manipulate atomic-level matter with his Gift. His powerful bombs were merely an ‘application’ of his ability to disassemble or reassemble such matter.”

Yes, I knew that much.

Nuclear fission and the resulting plasma… It was his signature, and using it offensively, he could create infinite bombs that could devastate an area with minimal force.

But what he’s referring to now is that even that was just an ‘application.’

Given that the name itself was ‘Record,’ Beast Buster’s actual use of his ability focused on something else.

“In short, he could leave intricate records on units even smaller than DNA.”

Records on units smaller than DNA…

It seemed impossible by common standards, but that was a notion limited by modern technology.

Just as floppy disks evolved into microchips, the future might enable vast data storage in minimal space.

Technology advancements hastened by Gifts had already been documented numerous times in scientific history.

And the opponent had a Gift that was centuries ahead in terms of record-keeping.

Unless the record was destroyed at the atomic level, it couldn’t be erased.

“In essence, the Hero Association retrieved and utilized one of the records left by Beast Buster after the war?”

“That’s likely. No matter how small, if a record was left, the superhuman power associated with it would remain.”

If they could detect that presence, they could recover the material with the record and create new constructs based on it.

Yes, that much I could comprehend.

The blue light emanating from that place was the result of reusing Beast Buster’s record, recovered by the Association.

But that meant…

“If it’s just a record, then it’s not truly alive, right?”

Finding the diary of a deceased person doesn’t mean they’ve come back to life.

Similarly, any construct created from a record is merely a replica.

The Beast Buster we knew was dead, and what’s there could not be considered Beast Buster himself.

“That’s what I thought, but according to what he said…”

Despite comprehending it earlier than I did, Anatomy spoke nonchalantly.

“‘I define myself as a species. Just as humanity continues even if one person dies, if a fragment of my consciousness and memory remains, I can still exist in this world.'”

Philosophical, in a way.

Anatomy shrugged and continued.

“Though it’s not him, the construct with his knowledge and memories would react and behave like Beast Buster.”

Even if not the original, if it reacted the same, there’d be no difference in dealing with it.

Anatomy, as if content with that, watched the blue light on the screen with interest.

In contrast, recognizing the truth hit me harder than realizing his existence.

‘Isri said she was tied to Moa’s papa by destiny!’

From our first meeting, why had she said such things?

Why had she shown such interest in me, clinging to me?

I understood it all at that moment.

“Hah, this is…”

Yes, reconstructing the remnants of evil to fight against greater evil was their usual tactic.

Especially if it was a bomb that took down the mightiest hero, it’s understandable they’d want to utilize it desperately.

And that child had a faint memory.

Knowing it was I who used that bomb to defeat Justice, her senses led her to find me.

“Truly, life is unpredictable.”

Now, that being had fallen into the hands of the hero I had been watching closely.

Wasn’t this situation almost laughably ironic?

***
“Beast Buster…”

But at this moment, all Spiritas felt was sheer astonishment.

If Isri wasn’t going to retreat, she’d at least fight alongside her.

She had thought that would be the conclusion, but then an undeniable name was uttered.

-Does an explanation seem necessary?

Isri still emitted blue electricity.

But her voice lacked its characteristic innocence, replaced by a monotone.

It was a situation that left Spiritas utterly bewildered.

“Are you the Beast Buster I know?”

She swallowed and asked the being in Isri’s body.

Was the girl she knew truly the same being she was familiar with?

-Half of it is correct.

“Half?”

-Strictly speaking, the body I’m using now, E-3, was created from fragments left by Beast Buster, a former executive of Ouroboros. Naturally, the records and memories embedded in those fragments formed the basis of that girl’s AI.

“Then, what about Isri…”

-But don’t worry. The main AI of this body is E-3. I’m merely a ‘replica’ created from the past remnants stored in her data. While I can emerge whenever she feels threatened, the primary control of consciousness remains with that girl.

This consciousness was formed merely from records. When the task was completed, she would revert to the girl Spiritas knew.

Despite this reassurance, Spiritas felt no comfort.

“…The Association really did something insane.”

To think that Isri, a product of future technology from the Association, was created using the remnants of a great evil.

And Beast Buster, of all beings, caused the most disasters within Ouroboros.

His very alias was synonymous with a bomber.

He had wrought vast destruction upon this city multiple times.

No matter how urgent the technology, the act of reconstructing his consciousness from his remnants was nothing short of madness.

-We conducted a legitimate transaction.

Beast Buster spoke to the bewildered Spiritas.

His voice was calm, in contrast to her confusion.

“A legitimate transaction? Don’t spout nonsense! The Association would never transact with villains like you!”

To a hero standing amidst a disaster site, the thought was abhorrent.

-Ha, ha. Ha.

But in response, all she received was laughter.

Though the tone remained monotone, to Spiritas, it sounded like mocking laughter.

-It seems the one using me now is quite naive. Spiritas, do you not know how many sacrifices and absurdities have built up the organization you belong to?

“What…”

What nonsensical drivel was he spouting now?

-Boom!!

She wanted to confront him, but the problem was they had no time for emotional quarrels.

They were in a disaster site. Though destruction had momentarily halted, an even greater catastrophe was impending.

-…It’s time, Spiritas.

The massive form that had been downed started to grow even larger.

Much larger than before. A body towering over any building in the city.

-This time, you’d better go all out. Otherwise, countless people you must protect will perish.

The giant, towering like a mountain, held the power to destroy everything with a mere swing of his hand.

-…It’s not a suitable time for a leisurely chat.

Facing the monstrous foe, another beast turned to Spiritas and asked.

-Spiritas. For now, I’ll keep it brief. Will you use me? Or will you fight alone?

A sudden, merciless choice presented in a critical moment.

Though a vicious villain, he claimed to be allied with the Association.

If that claim were true, he could serve as an ally in this battle. The strength she couldn’t draw from the innocent girl would be added to her own.

“…I…”

Yet, hesitation lingered.

It was inevitable.

Her opponent had been equal to the villain who once subdued her and looked down on the world.

“I still can’t forgive any of you.”

Her entire body frozen, she recalled the gaze from behind the mask pointed at her back then.

The thought of that gaze extending its evil reach into this world terrified her.

The remnants of great evil before her, claiming cooperation, might soon revert to such a being.

But…

“Still, lend me your strength now.”

At least the Association’s genuine intention was to protect this continent.

Though there were many things she wanted to argue about, at least for now. In such a situation, she had no choice but to rely on the strength they provided.

To save even one more person, she must trust her comrades.

-What do you wish?

“An opportunity to land a blow on that giant’s head.”

-That’s not difficult.

-Bzzt!

Responding to Spiritas’s determination, the sparks around her intensified.

The small body began to disassemble, and the energy flowed towards Spiritas.

-Creak!

Meanwhile, a massive iron tower in Gigantes’s hand was uprooted by brute force.

The sharpened end of the tower aimed at the evacuation route where the refugees gathered.

-Spiritas, if you truly wish to protect them, try to stop this!

As Gigantes roared, about to hurl the iron tower.

-Boom!!

Before the tower could fly, a powerful impact shattered Gigantes’s wrist, destroying his hand.

From below, something small with a blue afterimage surged upwards.

-What…!?

-Crash!

As the crumbled hand with the tower fell, it created chaos, but Gigantes couldn’t focus on that.

His attention was on his side.

A flying object that shattered his wrist without falling.

It resembled the small girl who had provoked him.

No, the flow of energy wasn’t chaotic like before.

The energy was calm and…

-…Wings?

Soon, the energy solidified into a distinctly visible form.

End of Chapter