I look at the penthouse in front of me, and I must say that it is rather plain for being owned by someone as big as Hanako Arasaka. With the help of Rogue, I know a lot about her. Hanako Arasaka is a big name in the business world because she is the daughter of the infamous Emperor, Saburo Arasaka.
According to Zelretch, Arasaka is one of the Corporations that fucked the planet. It is one of the biggest waste dumpers, and the experimental things they have made create waste so potent that it takes a good chunk of the planet's life force.
They are also among the culprits that sparked multiple Corporate Wars in the past. Those wars create many problems for the planet. Nasuverse has two World Wars, which cause a lot of damage to the planet's life force.
So when Hanako approaches me, asking to have a tea party, I am intrigued. Zelretch even says I should attend this party because it will advance his plan quite a bit. I don't know what he saw in his vision, but according to him, it will help rejuvenate the planet more quickly and accelerate the awakening of the planet's new avatar.
As we approach, the guards at the door do not stop us. They instead open the door for us and say, "Welcome, dear guests. Thank you for coming. Lady Hanako is already waiting for you. Please enter the lift as it will take all of you to the second floor."
I nod, and we go to the lift. Yasaka frowns a little when she sees an advertisement inside the lift and covers Kunou's eyes. This is another thing that we don't like in this place. There are too many advertisements. Every screen they have has either an advertisement or a warning of sorts. What makes matters worse, almost all of them are very sex-focused ads.
This place really spikes your senses with colors, noises, and views.
When we arrive on the second floor, I can see Hanako already waiting for us. She is wearing a beautiful white dress that shows her modest figure and rather striking golden hands. I wonder why she got those implants. Who am I kidding? She likely gets those because that is the trend nowadays. The people in this place think that replacing their organs is like replacing clothes, and they can just swap them with the trendiest implants.
"Welcome to my home, Lord Ryan."
"Call me Ryan, please. Before we do anything, why do you need ads in your lift? What kind of person has ads in their lifts?"
She looks away awkwardly, and after a second, she looks back and says,
"I am very sorry about that. The ads are prepackaged. It looks like I forgot to subscribe to the free ads package."
What kind of lift has ads as part of the deal, and you need a subscription to remove them? This place is truly hell, and I've been to hell before.
"Right. Then let's do this. Let's see what you have prepared for us."
"Please. I've brought a traditional tea master from Japan. I think she has a surprise for you."
I have a feeling this will be a very funny sight because Yasaka is a very traditional person. She is a certified Tea Master who has approval from Amaterasu and Inari. She is very strict about the tea-making process, and I've seen what she does to Kunou when she messes things up.
I look to the side and see Kunou sprouting mischief with a smile on her face. She knows what is coming, and she is eager to see it.
==||==
"I am very sorry for the inadequate showing."
Hanako bows her head low as Yasaka blasts the so-called Tea Master, a new asshole. I can even see tears coming out of her eyes from here. Poor woman. She is here thinking that she will impress us, but instead gets lectured and shown that her tea sucks balls.
And Yasaka uses the same ingredients as her. She does not use the good stuff.
"Nah. It was a funny sight. While my wife teaches your Tea Master how to serve tea properly, let's talk about the real reason why you invited me here."
She looks at Zelretch and me for a second and nods her head.
"Very well. I am inviting you here to apologize for the way one of our agents treated you. Adam Smasher is getting out of line in his work, and we apologize for it."
"Oh? That? Don't worry. I don't hold any grudge against you or your company. At least, not at the moment. I know your company is full of assholes, and I will encounter them in the future. As long as they do not do anything too stupid, I will not do anything."
"I understand. I will inform the others about this. Thank you so much for your understanding. Lastly, we wonder if you are willing to offer your service of resurrection?"
"Nope. I will only resurrect someone when I want to. Money or any shiny things will not move me. This is the end of it."
"We understand. Sorry for asking such a question."
I nod my head and say.
"Just don't ask that kind of question next time. There is also the fact that resurrection is not as easy as snapping your fingers."
She looks at me with doubt, and I release a sigh.
"Yeah. I know I make it look easy, but it is not. Souls are rather fragile, and they can break if you are not careful. It might look easy, but it is not. I need to be careful and make sure the souls are safely able to be stitched together into their new bodies."
"What happens when the soul is not properly stitched?"
"You get a ghoul or worse, an abomination."
"What kind of abomination? How can it be worse than a zombie?"
"An abomination is a creation that reality rejects and creates something that is unpredictable. It can be an abomination that can destroy an island with its physical strength, or it can eat the souls of others."
Zelretch drinks his wine and slams his glass on the table.
"Listen, girl. Let's not talk about this subject, got it? It is over now. I know your tone, girl. Ryan might be too kind for it, but I don't have enough patience for it. I am here for tea, and your so-called Tea Master is not even considered a fucking apprentice. I know what kind of thing you are hiding underneath that tower over there."
Zelretch looks at the Arasaka Tower, which is currently under renovation, and continues,
"Immortality will no longer work. You can forget Project Soul Killer. In fact, let's make things interesting."
I blink for a second as I see Zelretch flare up his mana, creating a massive tower of light that pierces through the roof. The weight of his soul makes the entire building shake, and his blood-red eyes shine with power.
He looks at Hanako and says.
"Let's destroy your one and only so-called afterlife."
Do they have an afterlife? I frown a little and look deeper into the land. I use my Senjutsu and enter the newborn leyline of the planet to find any evidence of it. However, there is none. I don't know what he means by that.
I can feel Zelretch's power expand and something crack in reality, but it is not noticeable to the naked eye. However, to my sense, I can feel something break, and suddenly fragments of souls appear in the world, and there are a lot of them. It is not enough to be called souls, and most of their main parts are already gone, but there are a few that are still there, floating in this world.
Ah, that is why those souls feel incomplete. Part of their souls is gone, and now they are finally whole.
What has Zelretch done? The old vampire looks at Hanako, who looks at him in confusion and says.
"Congratulations. Cyberspace no longer exists. All the Rogue AIs are gone alongside the fragments of humans inside that place. No longer can your people think of immortality by digitizing your mind into Cyberspace. The Net still exists, but the concept of Cyberspace is no longer used as your afterlife."
Ah, that is why Zelretch said that I need to wait before I can create an afterlife. According to him, there will be a problem if I make one that quickly. Something about a merger, and it will create a problem with my afterlife because there will be unwanted guests inside the afterlife I create.
"Tell your father that his so-called Soulkilled program will no longer work. If he dies, he will be permanently dead."
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