Interlude 4

Still, they looked like they were really enjoying themselves...

I wonder if I could have gone with them, if I were as small as Lip...

But, I guess that's the one thing I can never be, no matter how hard I try...

Don't be so quick to give up. There's nothing you can't achieve with hard work.

Who's there!?

You want to see things as humans see them. You want to live your life the way they do.

You want to share their worries, their weaknesses.

To me, that all sounds horrifying. But to you, it is a dream come true.

I don't understand it, but I expect there are some kinds of suffering unique to those who were born blessed.

So I'm going to grant your wish.

I can't make you human-sized, but I can make everything around you your size.

In my insect space, everyone and everything is the same. You'll be no exception.

That said, your Huge Scale will make you keep growing even there.

So to make this really work... we'll need to extract that pesky skill from you.

Let's make a deal, Protea. You give me your body, and I make your dream come true.

You'll get weak, and I'll get strong.

There's nothing wrong with us trading so we each get what we want, right? We're sisters, aren't we?

That's right. Who should I eat first? That was always the most important question, and the most difficult.

After absorbing one of them, the rest of my prey would be on alert. That means I wouldn't be able to ambush even one of them without getting beaten down.

I'm the weakest of the Sakura Five by far. On a level playing field, I have no chance of winning.

Protea especially was the worst matchup of all. I could never hope to kill her, not even in her sleep.

She's so tough, none of my attacks could even make a dent, meaning there wasn't much point in ambushing her.

If I was going to absorb Protea, it would have to be through a contract that was on the up-and-up.

But then, while I was wondering how I could convince her, Fujimaru's team showed up and solved the problem for me.

Thanks to them, I obtained the strongest Spirit Origin imaginable in one fell swoop.

From there, it was just a matter of who to smoosh first.

...Astolfo and Jinako, success.

Fujimaru and Hakuno... Well, I suppose I let them get away. They should still be useful later.

Beast... Failure. Edison... Failure.

EARTH... Another failure. Kiara... Never an option. She would have given me horrible indigestion.

Hehe. It's a good thing Fujimaru isn't here right now.

I can practically see myself wasting magical energy after he says something like, "Aren't you failing way more than you're succeeding?"

No way... Our Foundation of Humanity value is still rock bottom.

Why!? I don't understand! We had a candidate cross seventy percent!

Over half the remaining humans agreed that this way of dying out was fine!

So why!? Why is it still not working!? What was the flaw in my method!?

It's okay, BB. Forget about this plan. Just use me.

My annihilation proposal might be sudden, but it still packs a punch. This moon even has the same crater.

"One day, a deadly planet appeared from the depths of space and destroyed civilization. Humanity's extinction was just a side effect."

Yeah, I'm sure they'll accept it, no questions asked. I bet you aren't a fan of how I made it sound like an afterthought, though.

...No. I can't sign off on that. The fact that this annihilation actually took place in your world is ideal...

...but ultimately, you managed to avert it, so it doesn't have a proven track record. It won't be

Master?

Kishinami's not here anymore. I ambushed her, capturing her while she was defenseless.

I'm holding her in my hand right now. She really is as pretty as a butterfly, isn't she? And every bit as fragile.

Why, I might just squeeze her to death by accident if something surprises me♡ So I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you, BB Dubai.

Kazuradrop! What do you think you're doing here? Go back to Area D.

Your slogan might not have garnered any support, but there's still value in you being a Moon Cancer and candidate.

In fact, you're the last hope I have left. If you change your slogan now, your campaign could still

(Sigh) Would you just give up already? Your plan won't work. It was never going to work.

Humanity will never accept any other end. This world is going to be pruned away, and there's nothing you can do about it.

That's right. It's all going to end as the worst possible world. And why shouldn't it? It's what it deserves.

The people of this world were terrible. You, this world's imposter BB, aren't exactly a gem.

The best thing for everyone would be to get rid of both terrible things at once. Don't worry, though. I'll take good care of what remains of the new humans after you're gone.

...You think you can talk to me like that just because you've taken my Master hostage? So what if you have?

Kishinami Hakuno's an outsider. She showed up of her own accord. She was never originally part of my plan.

You want to crush her? Crush her. I'll just recover her corpse after I've erased you from existence.

...

Honestly, I'm disappointed. I knew there was an even chance of you turning on me...

...but I can't believe you actually thought you could challenge me after absorbing only two Moon Cancers.

You should have gotten at least one more to even stand a chance.

Huh. So, imposter or not, you can still run numbers.

You think I could fight you if I absorbed three Moon Cancers? I couldn't agree more, BB Dubai.

But then, if you really thought the Great Angel of the Sea only left because Kiara defeated her, you really do deserve to die.

Warning. Warning. The city management AI's frame has sustained damage.

Current systems damage: forty-eight percent. At this level, Moon Dubai can no longer be managed satisfactorily.

Current systems damage: sixty-nine percent. At this level, Moon Dubai will cease to function as a city.

Attacking the city management AI is strictly forbidden. Attacking the city management AI is strictly forbidden.

Individuals causing damage due to negligence are subject to five hundred years in shutdown and fifty percent of total Spirit Origin data confiscation. Individuals causing damage with intent are subject to one-hundred thousand years in shutdown and ninety percent of total

Shut up.

Ahhh... Aaah... Ar...ghhh...

You should have known better than to make me a Moon Cancer. Did you forget that I have a small advantage against opponents of the same kind as me?

With three additional Moon Cancers' powers in the mix, you and I are more or less even. But as you can see, my innate special ability gives me just enough of an edge.

Don't worry. I'll carry on your plan to keep this world going.

I don't have any responsibility to manage this city, so I can throw away as much of humanity's property as I like.

First, I'll start by launching that Archetype into space, since this all started with them.

Then, I'll make a copy of the data for all the new humans left on Moon Dubai and scatter it aaall across Earth.

Finally, I'll raise humanity for eonsno, for all of timeby tormenting them all I like!

The weak and foolish old humans... The strong, yet still foolish new humans... I'll raise them all in my own private enclosure!

I'm nothing like you. I'm nothing like my sisters, either. I'm a complete, perfect AI.

And that is exactly why I refuse to accept anything less than perfection from the creatures who made me.

So I won't be letting humanity die out before they manage what I consider a passing grade.

This election is over. Sleep well, BB Dubai.

And thank you so much for making this all so very easy for me♡

So, so disappointing. I was going to let you have your fun, since your idea was so original.

...But then you went and blew it by saying something so staggeringly dumb there at the end.

Huh?

Yay! I'm back to my old self!

I meanAre you okay, BB!? Whatever that was, it sounded pretty bad!

Launching the Archetype into space... That's the one thing...that must never ever happen...

I refuse to accept a new prime species... We are, and always will be, the dominant species on this world...

...BB? Are you awake, BB ...Who are you?

Khh...

Of course I'm...BB Dubai. I am Moon Dubai's absolute, unquestioned ruler.

I was made with the full wisdom of humanity, and am charged with overseeing the history of humanityhumanity's

Aaaaaah! Humans, humans, humans, humans! How can they be so impossibly stupid!?

It's all their fault I have to suffer like this!

You know what, forget it. I'm starting over. Really, I should have just done this from the beginning.

If those stupid humans can't accept an annihilation proposal, then I'll show them what annihilation looks like up close.

I, BB Dubai, am officially throwing my hat in the ring as the candidate for Area B.

Oh, and never mind the approval ratings. I don't care what the citizens think anymore.

Because my proposal is "Humanity is wiped out in an AI-triggered apocalypse."

So that's exactly what I'm going to do: wipe out every last human alive with my own two AI hands.