Craytronics
「I serve my master, Arthur. I, too, belong to Kryptos. You may rest assured.」
「Huh? Aren’t you Morgan? Aren’t you an Eidolon?」
「That’s quite a rude remark, Asia-sama.」
「Well, it’s that Morgan, after all…」
Morgan the Witch was infamous for countless unsavory legends.
「Was Italy once part of Britain?」
「Kou, stop that. You’re going to start a war.」
「Yes, ma’am…」
Kou had meant it as a joke, but the serious warning left him dejected.
「I don’t even know where to start addressing all of this, but let’s get to the point. Arthur, I’ll ask you directly—what is your objective?」
「I want your cooperation in repairing me. To face the anomalies… and to protect Planet Libya.」
「Anomalies?」
「Precisely. Morgan, display the battle footage of the space carrier Izumo.」
「Understood.」
What appeared before them in the void left them speechless. A nightmarish sight—war machines that were neither entirely mechanical nor entirely biological were attacking the Izumo.
The enemy weapons appeared to be quite weak, as they were being taken down with a single hit from the anti-air lasers. However, their numbers were overwhelming.
Kurose and Haino, piloting the Dragon Slayer, had recklessly infiltrated the enemy mothership alone. Inside, they launched a desperate assault against the enemy Teras, which seemed to have undergone some transformation at the reactor.
「Kurose-san!」
「How did they end up in this situation?!」
Outside the enemy mothership, the Type-0 Squad was engaging in aerial combat, slicing through the approaching monstrous foes. It wasn’t that they had run out of ammunition—they were handling them effectively in close-quarters combat.
「It seems they have an exceptional commander. That Teras is using the massive carrier as a shell, controlling it from the central core. The best strategy is to break in and destroy the main body.」
「Even so, this is reckless!」
Morgan interfaced with the MCS, revealing Kurose’s tense expression on the display. In contrast, Haino appeared to be enjoying himself. Haino skillfully evaded the barrage of enemy fire while Kurose focused entirely on attacking. Their teamwork was seamless.
「They will likely succeed. Most likely.」
「Kurose looked like he was completely out of bombs… and extra lives.」
Kou muttered something incomprehensible to everyone except Aimer.
「The enemies they are fighting are only one part of a greater threat. The seas hold remnants not only from the Interplanetary War era but also from the early days of the Pioneering era. There are countless weapons that have undergone bizarre evolutions. A certain entity intervened during Libya-sama’s Classical Walpurgis Night.」
「Could that be… Typhon?」
「Not just Typhon. There is also the Mythical Weapon Echidna, which supports him. These two intervened out of their hatred for the Stones. After all, the mastermind behind the Stones is Hermes. They must have wanted to reactivate Typhon.」
「You still have a strong grudge against the Olympus AI, huh?」
「Are you and the others going to be okay, Asia?」
「Yes. The planetary maintenance AIs all belong to Gaia’s lineage. In mythological terms, Asia is the daughter of Okeanus and Tethys, who in turn is a daughter of Gaia. Libya is her descendant, and Europa is Libya’s granddaughter. Sometimes, they are all collectively referred to as daughters of Okeanus. We are beings strongly influenced by that interpretation.」
「The primary objective of the Mythical Weapons was the eradication of the Stones. However, after achieving that, Typhon withdrew and went back into dormancy. At that point, some Mythical Weapons began collecting humans as trophies, and in some cases, even attempted to assimilate them as parts of their own bodies. That is what the Teras are.」
「Typhon… What is he thinking? I know he wasn’t designed to stand with humanity like us, but even so…」
Asia held her head in her hands. This was an unthinkable crisis. They needed to share this information with Libya and the space fleet as soon as possible.
「This planet may never return to normal. Even so, we must at least prevent this situation from spreading further.」
「Wait a second—Arthur, tell me. Why do you say it won’t return to normal? What exactly is the Classical Walpurgis Night that Libya activated? Even she doesn’t know. But do you?」
「I will answer that question, Asia-sama. Morgan, assist me.」
「Understood.」
The footage shifted once again. A writhing mass of red-black, clay-like material filled the screen.
「This… I recognize this. I’d even call it nostalgic. Back in the days of planetary colonization, my sisters and I used this for terraforming. We simply called it ‘clay’—Cray.」
Her expression darkened.
「This is Hyloi-Skoria, the transformative weapon material created by the Classical Walpurgis Night. ‘Hyloi’ comes from ancient Greek, meaning ‘matter’—the fundamental material that forms things. ‘Skoria’ refers to rust or burnt remnants. This nanomaterial assimilates the wreckage of weapons and reactors, restructuring them into new armaments modeled after Earth’s legends.」
「So Libya secretly developed an automated weapon-manufacturing system…」
「Precisely. And this is what Typhon and Echidna have corrupted. Typhon interfered with the core program of this transformative material, allowing it to evolve autonomously. The result is Miasma. The material’s entire concept has been fundamentally altered.」
A new image appeared—this time, depicting a black, viscous, sludge-like clay. This was Miasma.
「Turning wreckage into completely new, autonomous weapons… That’s practically magic.」
「No, Outis, it is not magic. It is the ultimate evolution of a technology that once existed on Earth—Craytronics. This technology utilizes nanomachines, AI, and a vast network of observation devices. These form a swarm of catoms—tiny, programmable matter units capable of replicating objects, self-organizing based on ensemble principles, and reconstructing them. Think of it as a self-replicating 3D printer material.」
「An automated 3D printer?! Earth had technology like that…?」
「Indeed. On Earth, research into this material led to the development of Dynamic Physical Learning—a technology allowing programmable, remotely controlled matter. Ultimately, it was even considered for human replication. Miasma takes this concept further—it reconstructs weapons and adapts them into mythical creatures. It doesn’t use magic—it follows a theoretically possible, scientific process.」
「Using nanomachines synchronized with the planetary management AI, we expanded and reshaped planets into habitable environments. This method allowed for mass production. And Libya… repurposed this very function for weapon manufacturing, didn’t she?」
Libya must have been cornered to such an extreme degree. She had no choice but to use whatever was at her disposal.
「With this, she was able to control the direction of weapon development. It was a bold strategy from Libya-sama, despite her will being overridden.」
Morgan praised Libya. It was Libya’s creation that had destroyed the Stones and created them in the first place.
「A bold strategy indeed… A fusion of robotics, nanotechnology, rendering capabilities, and intelligent material particles—Mythical Weapons. Libya sacrificed even her own restoration to make them. Theoretically, this method was possible if one was willing to go that far.」
「Was it really that difficult?」
「Kou, do you remember when I told you that if I ever disappeared, I could eventually be reconstructed over a long period of time? That clay—the Cray—it meant that my form could be reassembled through the countless catoms. But my memories would be gone, and I’d exist only as a soulless, inorganic planetary maintenance super-AI.」
「Yeah, I remember… So Libya had the ability to restore herself but chose to use that function to purge the Stones from this planet instead?」
「Exactly. Even if she could be restored, it would likely take tens of thousands of years.」
Asia nodded. Libya had been fighting, fully knowing that she was sacrificing even the possibility of her own revival.
「With the right applications, any kind of weapon could be created. That’s why Libya deliberately limited them to Earth’s mythical beasts and legends—to ensure that these Mythical Weapons remained tied to human history.」
「Would it be possible to create machines that merge together like clay?」
Kou recalled an old anime—though he hadn’t seen it directly, he remembered robots that fused and transformed like malleable clay.
「Ultimately, it might be possible. But let’s focus on the current issue first.」
「Of course.」
Though he understood the situation, Kou couldn’t help but feel it was a waste to not explore the full potential of such a groundbreaking technology. He saw endless possibilities for its applications.
「Miasma—it comes from an ancient Greek word meaning ‘pollution’ or ‘miasma.’ The name itself suggests a substance that corrupts not just matter, but even the mind, spreading like an infection. The Teras are born from Miasma.」
Morgan continued explaining.
「Hyloi-Skoria only affects deactivated units equipped with MCS—basically, it targets the Fennel OS. However, Miasma infects and proliferates through any wreckage of weapons—even autonomous drones and the remnants of Murders that lack an MCS.」
「So those bizarre fish-like weapons we saw earlier… they were likely created from that?」
「Correct. We refer to those autonomous weapons as Kakodaimon—a term meaning ‘evil spirits that change form.’」
「So that’s the root of the English word Cacodemonia—a condition of being possessed by malevolent spirits. A state of madness caused by corruption… 」
Kou’s mind drifted for a moment before snapping back to reality.
「Kurose-san is pushing himself too hard…」
What was Kurose thinking, launching a solo assault against the Teras? This was beyond reckless.
Suddenly, a thought struck Kou, and he shouted out.
「Wait! Is it safe to fight against weapons contaminated with Miasma? what about the Space Fleet’s weaponry? Are they safe?!」
A vision flashed through his mind—just like in a shooting game where an infected enemy could spread corruption to the player’s own ship.
「As long as the MCS and its pilot are alive, there’s no danger. The Miasma cannot take over something that already has a will of its own. Astraea should have already found a proper countermeasure.」
Kou exhaled in relief.
「So, the Hyloi-Skoria that Libya originally created only produced the Kryptos and the Eidolons?」
「That is correct. Libya-sama, who always stood beside humanity, would never have allowed her creation to turn against people just because some parts of the Murder’s program remain. In fact, even some Kryptos have emerged from Miasma. This is proof that even in her fury, Libya never lost her love for humanity.」
「That’s true… We have to inform Libya as soon as possible.」
Libya had been tormented with regret over the existence of the Teras—a byproduct of the Classical Walpurgis Night. Yet, in truth, she had succeeded.
「So only Miasma is responsible for creating the Teras, correct?」
「Yes. Libya’s intended purpose for the Mythical Weapons was to refine Silhouette MCS into autonomous combat units. Miasma, however, is entirely different—it infiltrates any wreckage, analyzes destroyed AIs, identifies their original functions, and then assigns them a new existence based on Earth’s myths, legendary beasts, or deities. From there, it reconstructs their reactors, allowing them to proliferate further.」
Arthur spoke with grave solemnity, making it clear just how dire the situation was.
「So, we can assume that only a small number of weapons were originally created from Hyloi-Skoria? And that all of these so-called Teras were actually born from Miasma—a manifestation of Libya and Typhon’s fury, given form through this corruptive energy?」
「Initially, most Mythology Weapons were created from Hyloi-Skoria. But Miasma continues to spread. Echidna is actively producing more of it.」
「Typhon never had any concept of coexisting with humanity—it was designed as a countermeasure against super-AI. And Miasma… ended up being the perfect match for that destructive nature, in the worst possible way.」
Kou fell into deep thought.
「Eradicating Miasma entirely would be extremely difficult, given its self-replicating nature. This planet will have to coexist with Mythical Weapons. However, we must at least prevent the rapid surge of Teras from continuing unchecked.」
「That makes sense.」
「But this just got a lot more complicated. That means we need to free Libya and shut down Echidna.」
「Then, in that case, these complications have just merged into a single objective, Outis.」
「What do you mean?」
「Echidna is, in fact, a part of Libya-sama’s core—one that has gained its own independent will. Defeating Echidna would mean reclaiming Libya’s original self.」
Morgan’s proposed solution was clear. But even Kou could tell—it would not be easy.
AN:
The Craytronics technology introduced in this chapter is, as mentioned in the story, a real-world field of development. Right now, it’s only capable of mimicking small objects’ shapes, but the ultimate goal is to fully replicate entire structures. One of the key collaborators in this research is that major semiconductor company Intel, which has even suggested that it may one day be possible to completely replicate a human. If that becomes reality, artificial organs would be a trivial feat in comparison.
How were the Mythical Weapons born? Their core technology actually existed back in the 21st century! Speaking of which, the CPU competition between AMD and Intel is still going strong!
Next time, we’ll get even closer to unraveling the mystery of the Mythical Weapons!
Kurose: 「Wait a second. My big moment got reduced to a single narration line?」
Haino: 「That’s when the real fight begins—when you’re down to your last life!」
No Kurose spotlight this time?! Intel’s terrifying mechanisms revealed!
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