Arata pondered silently in his heart. "Words of Infinite Deception" can distort reality and illusion, reverse cause and effect, and turn lies into truth, but he could not guarantee that he could obtain God's stigmata.
After all, that God is no longer present, and the act of bestowing stigmata is merely a function of the phase itself, just like angels acting according to the rules left behind by God.
"I am indeed a saint," Kanzaki Kaori said coldly, her eyes revealing a trace of helplessness and lingering resentment toward her past.
It was precisely because she was a saint that she had left her former companions without saying goodbye. Every time she fought against evil, her companions would fall, yet she alone would remain unharmed.
"So-called saints are humans who received stigmata because they resemble Jesus Christ, the Son of God, correct?" Arata said, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, a strange light flickering deep within his eyes.
"That is correct." Kanzaki Kaori replied calmly, unable to understand what this Level 5 esper was trying to imply.
"If that is the case, does that mean fulfilling those two conditions is enough to become a saint?" Arata said with a half-smile.
"I did not expect you to know so much about the magic side, Arata," Tsuchimikado Motoharu said, looking at his classmate as if he were a completely different person.
Academy City strictly controls all information related to the magic side. For him to know this much, he could not possibly be an ordinary student. Just who exactly was he?
"Even I do not fully understand it, but as far as I know, the fewer than twenty saints in the world are determined from birth," Kanzaki Kaori shook her head. Only God could answer such a question.
"Young man, now provide your evidence."
"No need to rush. I am actually a saint as well," Arata said with an expression that made it sound like a joke.
"In fact, I have always been a saint. As long as I desire something like a stigmata, I can obtain it."
Kanzaki Kaori, Stiyl Magnus, and Tsuchimikado Motoharu all showed strange expressions, their lips twitching slightly.
"Hey, what kind of reaction is that? You do not believe I am a saint?" Arata said helplessly, though a faint glimmer flashed deep within his eyes. "Words of Infinite Deception" had already been activated.
His lie had already been set as the trigger condition. The moment Kanzaki denied it, "Words of Infinite Deception" would immediately take effect.
"Arata, you are not joking at a time like this, are you?" Tsuchimikado Motoharu asked, his eyelids twitching.
This was a negotiation. A serious negotiation concerning Index's memory erasure. Was he not taking this seriously at all? Was this really the same person he knew?
"Crack." Stiyl crushed the cigarette he had just placed in his mouth, trembling with anger as he finally lost control.
"You bastard, what kind of joke is this at a time like this?"
"At a time like this, you are asking such a meaningless question." Kanzaki Kaori clenched her fist, clearly treating him as if he were making a mockery of them.
"So you do not believe that I am a saint?" Arata said with a faint smile.
He knew very well what becoming a saint would mean. A saint revered across the magic side, an existence comparable to a strategic weapon, and at the same time a Level 5 esper within Academy City.
He would become the center of attention for the entire world. Countless magicians might come to eliminate him, but was he afraid? No. Because he would possess the power of a saint along with multiple overwhelming abilities. Even if he could not defeat beings like Fiamma of the Right, he would still stand among the strongest.
"Nonsense. God would never bestow blessings upon someone from the science side who does not even believe in Him," Stiyl scoffed.
"Stop joking around." Kanzaki Kaori sighed and said seriously. What she wanted was the truth about Index, the doubt even Tsuchimikado had begun to suspect.
"Heh... You think everything I say is a lie?" Arata grinned, a strange sense of excitement rising within him. This ability truly made lying feel natural.
At that moment, he realized something.
This ability suited him perfectly.
"What nonsense are you saying? Of course it is false," Kanzaki Kaori said, her patience clearly reaching its limit.
"Heh, thank you, Kanzaki. I suddenly find myself liking you a little," Arata said, his smile widening in satisfaction as he snapped his fingers.
"A lie within a lie. Reality and falsehood can be reversed in an instant."
The moment his fingers snapped, it was as if the entire world emitted a heartbeat.
Something changed.
"Thump. Thump. Thump." A powerful heartbeat echoed like a war drum.
"This feeling..." Arata clutched his chest, his face turning pale as an incomprehensible force surged into his body from the void.
"This is the power of laws, originating from the Heaven phase. It is granting you a Christian attribute. Incredible, Arata. You just distorted reality and reversed causality. In simple terms, you issued a command to the Heaven phase and activated its grace system to bestow blessings upon yourself."
A curious voice echoed within the depths of his mind. It was Aiwass, observing everything with intense interest.
Even high-level magicians could only summon angels through rituals. By altering information, they could even cause angels to fall into demonic forms. But directly interfacing with the divine grace system was something even Magic Gods could not achieve.
Only God could manipulate that system.
And Arata had just done it.
"What happened to you all of a sudden?"
Kanzaki Kaori watched as the esper who had been speaking nonsense suddenly clutched his chest as if in pain, his heartbeat loud enough to be heard. But in the next instant, her pupils shrank.
The sense of danger radiating from him, along with the rapidly rising aura identical to her own, was unmistakable.
The power she wielded when activating her stigmata and stepping into the realm beyond human limits.
"Stigmata. Impossible. Just moments ago, he was still an ordinary human." Kanzaki Kaori's expression changed, shock flashing across her face. However, she quickly regained her composure.
"This feels amazing..." Arata stretched his body as cracking sounds echoed from his bones. His physique was being enhanced on every level. His muscles, senses, reflexes, and perception were all being elevated.
At the same time, a mark formed within him.
A sacred imprint that resonated with the Heaven phase.
A stigmata.
A symbol of identity acknowledged by God.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu's expression changed drastically. He could clearly sense a powerful Christian presence emanating from Arata.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
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