The members of the AST left the conference room one after another, heading to the lounge with complicated feelings.
Meanwhile, the members of DEM, led by Ellen Mathers, walked towards the highly classified armory deep within the base.
Unlike the heavy atmosphere of the conference room, the armory was brightly lit and filled with the characteristic hum of technical debugging.
Several DEM technicians were performing the final calibration on several newly arrived, strangely shaped pieces of equipment.
These devices were not in the traditional form of firearms; they resembled a hybrid of sophisticated scientific instruments and heavy artillery mounts, featuring thick energy conduits and complex cooling structures, fastened to tripods or small mobile platforms.
Ellen's sharp gaze swept over the equipment, finally resting on the largest one, whose core component looked like a polyhedral crystal.
She walked up, her cold fingers brushing over the 'muzzle' that shimmered with an unstable pale blue light, and spoke to the respectfully attending technical supervisor beside her:
"Is this the 'little gift' you prepared for the Herrscher of Reason? The Creator Reverser System?"
"Yes, Lady Ellen," the technical supervisor bowed slightly, his tone carrying a mix of a developer's pride and reverence.
"This is a targeted strategic-level weapon system we developed based on an in-depth analysis of the target's Authority, code-named: G.E.N.E.S.I.S. Reverter - Creator Reverser."
"Principle."
Ellen was concise.
"The essential nature of the target, the Herrscher of Reason's Authority, is the instantaneous transformation of the 'blueprint' that she holds Understanding of into reality using Astral Power; it is the ultimate power of 'Creation.'"
The technical supervisor began to explain in detail, his tone becoming like that of someone stating a scientific theorem, "And what we do is exactly the reversal of this process."
He pointed to the polyhedral crystal: "The core of the system is the 'Inverse Calculation Matrix.' It does not directly attack the target itself, but rather requires long-term scanning, recording, and locking onto the unique Astral Power waveform the target uses for 'construction'—that is, her 'Creation Imprint.'"
"Once the lock is complete, the matrix performs an ultra-high-load, reverse-chronological calculation, deducing the 'degradation path' for the target's construct to revert from an 'existent' state back to its original Astral Power."
"Finally," the technical supervisor pointed to the pale blue muzzle, "the system encodes this 'degradation path' into a special information-energy composite pulse—which we call the 'Reversion Command'—and fires it."
"What happens when the 'Reversion Command' hits an object constructed by Jurisprudence Authority?" Ellen pressed, a dangerous gleam flickering in her eyes.
"It will not explode, nor will it burn."
The technical supervisor's voice held a nearly cruel calmness.
"It deceives the target's underlying existence logic, forcing it to execute the 'degradation path.' The target will regress backward along the timeline of its own creation, rapidly losing shape and deconstructing from a complex construct, finally reverting to a mass of the most primitive, unassigned Astral Power particles, completely dissipating."
"Simply put, we are not tearing down the building she constructed; we are making the building turn back into raw materials."
He adjusted his glasses, adding the most crucial limitation: "Of course, Lady Ellen, this system has its inherent weaknesses. The inverse calculation requires enormous computational resources and time, and the scanning lock on the target must be continuous and stable; it cannot be quickly deployed in a skirmish."
"After each firing, the system requires an extremely long period for cooling and recharging. It is a trap against a specific target that requires careful setup to activate."
Ellen listened quietly, her face devoid of expression, but the cold light of the hunt intensified in her eagle-like eyes. "What if it directly hits her body?"
The technical supervisor paused, then began to ponder.
"Conservatively, it would severely damage her spirit dress; the Herrscher's strongest shield would be directly broken. In the ideal scenario, if it could directly hit her core part without any protection, it might temporarily shut down her abilities."
"It would prevent her from using her construction ability. If the target is a spirit whose body is constructed purely out of Astral Power rather than one with a physical body, it could even directly kill her."
She gently patted the cold cannon body, as if stroking a beast about to be unleashed.
"Very good."
Her voice was not loud but carried an undeniable decisiveness.
"Prepare it. Ensure the scanning unit is operating around the clock. I want the most complete 'Creation Imprint' data by tomorrow."
She turned around, looking at the deep night outside the window, as if she had already pierced the darkness and locked onto that blue-haired figure.
"Tomorrow, I will personally present the final curtain, named 'Nothingness,' to the artist who revels in 'Creation.'"
The night was deep, and undercurrents surged within the AST base.
On one side, the AST members, each with their own thoughts, rested in the lounge. Among them, Origami lay on a simple bed, her pale blue eyes open in the darkness, devoid of sleep, her mind tangled with the contradiction between the intervention plan for tomorrow's date and the mission to subjugate the spirit.
On the other side, the hounds of DEM had prepared a deadly trap for their most dangerous prey, one capable of subverting the very foundation of her existence.
Dawn was approaching, and the storm was imminent.