"What do you mean?" Kagaya asked, turning his gaze toward L after hearing his words.
Zelretch answered in his place.
"It means that if his enemy possesses a defense that cannot be penetrated, say an absolute shield, Ritsuka will not keep striking that shield in the same way forever."
L continued,
"He will search for another method. He will continue to adapt until he finds the 'concept' of an attack capable of piercing his opponent's defense."
"In short," Zelretch spread his hands,
"He is the natural enemy of all kinds of magi and warriors. The longer you fight him, the more impossible it becomes to defeat him."
"He is a killing machine programmed to always win the game of 'Rock–Paper–Scissors,'" L concluded in a flat yet chilling tone.
"If you choose Paper, he becomes Scissors. If you become Rock, he becomes Paper. Instantly. Continuously."
The room fell silent and oppressive after that explanation.
Ritsuka, still staring at the black screen, turned while clutching his head, his eyes filled with dread as he looked at the faint image of the wheel above him.
"So… this thing on my head… has power that terrifying?"
"Yes, my student… now everything makes sense. The abnormal increase in your Magic Circuits… the cause is that wheel. It doesn't merely restore you. Every time you reach your limit, the wheel interprets 'mana deficiency' as a weakness that must be overcome, and then it rewrites your circuits to be more perfect," Zelretch said in awe.
"Sensei…" Ritsuka looked down at his own palms and asked seriously,
"In your opinion, how far can this wheel keep me alive? Where is the limit?"
Zelretch and L fell silent. For the first time, the two geniuses looked uncertain, without a clear answer.
"That is the biggest problem, Ritsuka. I don't know… or rather, we don't yet know where the limit lies," Zelretch admitted honestly, his voice heavy.
"In theory, it can adapt to anything. But the real question is: speed."
Zelretch stared sharply at Ritsuka.
"If you are struck by an attack with absolute destructive power that can erase your entire existence in a single blow before the wheel has time to rotate, will you die? Or can the wheel overturn death itself?"
Zelretch slowly shook his head while glancing at the now-dark screen.
"That is the variable I still don't know. Unfortunately, the recording ended before showing the conclusion of their battle."
"Hahahaha, for that, let me answer it myself."
A voice echoed through the room once more, and a luminous child appeared before them.
Nobu looked at him and spoke.
"Then how far does that wheel's ability go? Can it truly guarantee my Master's survival, or does it merely delay his death?"
"Well, before answering that pressing question, allow me to clarify a bit about the mechanism of this wheel," the Child of Light said casually.
He floated down, approaching Ritsuka, then slowly circled around the young man as if inspecting his own handiwork.
"Zelretch's and L's analyses are correct, but that's only the surface. There's a crucial detail you overlooked."
The glowing figure pointed toward Ritsuka's head.
"I have completely modified this wheel. I have locked and unified its concept exclusively for Ritsuka alone. So even if another being, even a god or a perfect imitator, were to try copying this ability, it would be useless. The wheel will not rotate for anyone but him."
"Hoo… so what you're saying is that this is an absolutely limited-edition item?" Koko asked with a wide grin.
"Truly exclusive to a single user and impossible to mass-produce?"
"Yes. I made this solely for Ritsuka… because I like him very much."
The Child of Light smiled sweetly at Koko. His voice sounded sincere and innocent, yet at the same time… deeply unsettling. There was a heavy, obsessive undertone behind that innocence.
After saying that, the glowing figure floated down and casually sat on Ritsuka's right shoulder. Fou, who had been sleeping soundly atop Ritsuka's head, suddenly jolted awake. His ears twitched wildly, and his eyes stared in confusion at the glowing being on his master's shoulder.
Ritsuka did not resist. He simply tilted his head slightly, making room for the figure to sit comfortably.
"Why me?" Ritsuka asked quietly, staring straight ahead while his thoughts focused on the being at his shoulder.
"What made you like me so much that you'd give me something this powerful?"
"Hahaha! The reason is simple. Because you are the absolute definition of an 'Ordinary Human.'"
The Child of Light pointed at Ritsuka's face with his index finger and began listing his flaws one by one.
"You are a human with no special talent. A failed magus with below-average Magic Circuits. Your physique is weak, your intellect is mediocre, you have no hidden power sleeping within you, and you lack an impressive family background. In short… you are extremely 'average.' So average that people like you can be found on any street corner!"
Silence fell for a moment. Then—
"Pffft—!"
Koko and Nobu couldn't hold it in anymore. Their cheeks puffed up for a moment before their laughter exploded uncontrollably.
"Bwahahaha! Ritsuka! Did you hear that?! He said you're 'just average'! Hahaha! That's the most brutally honest insult I've ever heard!" Koko laughed while clutching her stomach.
"Master… Pfft… WAHAHAHAHA!" Nobu laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes.
"Forgive me… Hahaha! But you really are… something! Hahahaha!"
Kagaya didn't burst out laughing, but he covered his mouth with his sleeve, his shoulders shaking violently.
"My apologies, Ritsuka-kun…" he said, his voice trembling as he tried to suppress his laughter.
Zelretch slapped Ritsuka's shoulder hard with a wide grin.
"Well, the truth is bitter, my student. It can't be denied, your destiny was originally that of a 'passerby,'" Zelretch said, chuckling in satisfaction.
Even L, who usually maintained a blank expression, froze stiff. The corner of his mouth twitched violently as he fought the urge to smile. He quickly turned his face away.
Ritsuka, now the object of everyone's laughter, could only lower his head deeply. A gloomy aura seemed to surround him.
"Yeah, yeah… sorry for being nothing but trash…" Ritsuka muttered helplessly.
The Child of Light flew again, now positioning himself directly in front of Fou. The two stared at each other, then the glowing figure spoke again while looking at Fou.
"But that is exactly why you are so fascinating. You are an 'ordinary citizen' who exists in every era. An average human who is everywhere. That is what proves your existence."
"Geniuses who stand out belong only to their 'era.' They are bound to the time in which they shine.
But possessing average ability… and being 'someone who exists everywhere,' unbound by time… that is your weapon."
L spoke up again.
"I see… In other words, your interest in him isn't because he's special, but precisely because he is a 'pure sample.' If a Superman saves the world, that's a miracle of individual power. But because Ritsuka is 'average'… he isn't a hero standing above us, but a reflection standing as us. He represents 'Humanity' in its most honest form."
L continued,
"Ritsuka's victory is proof of our species' potential. And Ritsuka's defeat… is the limit of our species' capability. He is the avatar of humanity itself."
"Exactly."
The Child of Light's voice suddenly changed. It was no longer innocent, no longer playful. It became heavy and thunderous, vibrating the ribs of everyone in the room.
"Think about it… Who truly built your world? Who turns the wheel of history?"
He spread his arms wide, as if challenging the very concept of history itself.
"Heroes? Geniuses? Generals? Kings and emperors? Or inventors?"
A brief silence followed. Then he answered his own question with a resounding shout.
"NO!"
"They are merely ripples on the surface of the water! What truly moves the world… what forms the foundation of history over millions of years… is the Masses! Billions of nameless ordinary humans!"
The Child of Light spun rapidly, his dazzling index finger pointing straight at Ritsuka's heart.
"And you, Ritsuka Fujimaru… are the embodiment of all of that!"
His voice reached its peak, filled with divine authority.
"You are the crystallization of that 'Collective Will'! You are not a hero, you are not a king… You are Humanity's Power itself!"
Silence engulfed the room after that thunderous speech. No one dared speak, until Zelretch's dry laughter broke the stillness.
"Hahahaha… True enough. That is the true definition of 'Pan-Human History,'" Zelretch muttered, his eyes gleaming in acknowledgment.
Kagaya stared sharply at the glowing figure.
"Is that philosophical reason also why you gave something so powerful to Ritsuka?"
The Child of Light nodded slowly.
"With that object, Ritsuka has the potential to become something that transcends limits."
"Wait a moment," Koko interrupted.
"Isn't that a paradox? If he's given superpower-level strength, Ritsuka will no longer be 'ordinary.' He'll turn into a monster, just like all the other powerful ones."
"That is precisely my goal," the Child of Light replied casually.
He floated again, his feet never touching the floor.
"I want to see an experiment: What happens when an 'ordinary human,' who can be found in any era, suddenly evolves into the strongest entity? What path will he choose? Will he become a tyrant? Or will he remain human?"
The figure spread his arms.
"Besides, Miss Arms Dealer… isn't 'Adaptation' humanity's most fundamental ability? Humans survive not because of claws or fangs, but because you adapt to even the harshest environments. That wheel is merely… an extreme manifestation of humanity's basic nature."
Nobu grinned widely at that answer.
"Wahahaha! Master, it seems you're now favored by a very troublesome and insane being."
"Thank you for the compliment," the figure replied with a sweet yet terrifying smile.
"That was clearly not a compliment…" Ritsuka sighed helplessly, massaging his temples.
L, uninterested in philosophy, cut straight back to the technical issue.
"We're drifting from the main topic," L said flatly but insistently.
"You still haven't answered the crucial question. To what extent can the Dharma Wheel guarantee Ritsuka's survival?"
The Child of Light stopped floating. He landed on the floor, his footsteps echoing. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy and cold.
"Ah, my apologies. You're right," he said quietly.
He stared intently at Ritsuka.
"Very well. I'll tell you how far that object can allow Ritsuka to survive. The answer is this: besides modifying it to be exclusive, I also added the Essence of a Certain Being into the wheel's concept."
All eyes turned toward him.
"Why go to the trouble of adding another being's essence?" Zelretch asked suspiciously. A bad premonition crept up the old magus's spine.
"The reason is simple," the figure replied as he slowly walked around Ritsuka.
"I needed the concept of 'Absolute Immortality.' I wanted Ritsuka to possess the same survivability as that being… a being impossible to kill as long as it stands upon the surface of the Earth, or as long as life itself exists."
The figure stopped directly in front of Ritsuka and whispered,
"And you, Ritsuka… you know this 'being' very well, don't you?"
Ritsuka froze. His throat tightened. Cold sweat poured down his back. The clue—impossible to kill on the surface of the Earth—reminded him of a certain 'mother.'
"Whose essence… did you actually put into it?" Ritsuka asked, his voice trembling.
The Child of Light turned his back on them and raised a single finger into the air.
"Only one. And as a side effect, because the wheel contains her essence, you will slowly absorb her lineage as well," he said casually.
"In short, you will become her biological child," he added lightly.
"That is the essence of the primordial being…"
He paused dramatically, letting the tension choke the air.
"TIAMAT."
After uttering that forbidden word, the luminous figure faded and vanished without a trace.
Silence.
One second. Two seconds.
Zelretch and Ritsuka instantly stiffened. Their eyes widened, pupils shrinking in pure terror.
"TIAMAT?!?!?!" they screamed in unison.
Ritsuka's face went pale as paper, while Zelretch looked as though he had just heard news of the apocalypse.
Kagaya stared at their extreme reactions in confusion.
"What is it about that name? Why are you reacting as if the world is ending?"
Nobu and Koko frowned, digging through their memories.
"Tiamat… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere. But where?" Nobu muttered, tapping her chin.
"Tiamat… Tiamat… It sounds familiar. Very familiar," Koko repeated, her vast historical knowledge as a global arms dealer turning over.
L explained calmly,
"Tiamat. A primordial goddess from Mesopotamian mythology. The personification of the Salt Sea and Primordial Chaos. She is considered the 'Mother' of the first gods."
L continued,
"In the Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish, Tiamat becomes the main antagonist after the death of her husband, Apsu. She is depicted as a giant dragon or serpent representing both destructive power and the source of all life. Ultimately, she is slain by the god Marduk to create the Heavens and the Earth."
Hearing this explanation, Koko's and Nobu's eyes widened as their memories connected.
"Ah! So that name belongs to the Mesopotamian creator goddess! No wonder it sounded familiar!" Koko exclaimed.
"Wait a moment," Kagaya interrupted, his face growing anxious after hearing the phrase 'Mother of All Gods.'
"Does that mean… the essence inserted into the wheel is from an ancient goddess of that level?"
"In mythological theory, yes. That alone is terrifying enough," L replied.
Then L stopped explaining. He looked at Zelretch, still in shock, and Ritsuka, who looked nauseous.
"But it seems…" L pointed at Ritsuka and Zelretch,
"For the two of them, that name carries meaning far more dangerous than just an ancient myth."